long friend

The autumn wind is brisk, and the Meihua Mountain outside Jinling City is very lively.But among officials and eunuchs, this unattractive little mound has a more elegant name - Jiuritai.

When the first emperor was in power, in order to show his heart to recover the rivers and mountains, he once held a banquet here every year after the autumn harvest, and reactivated the martial arts teaching and shooting system of the previous dynasty, which was promoted from the central government to all counties.Year after year, this unwritten rule has been preserved.

In addition to officials above the third rank of the imperial court, there were also people who had made great achievements in the military.The emperor's throne is placed in an open area, and the courtiers on both sides sit in a row, and the bottom is a low-level military officer who records his merits.

Most of the participants who teach martial arts and practice archery are from the army, and they will be rewarded for their merits through salute archery, horseback archery, and crossbow archery.This is one of the ways to keep soldiers in shape when there is no battle, and at the same time motivate them to make great achievements.

At that time, the gentry and officials of the dynasty were powerful, and ordinary students from poor families could not go any further when they reached the fifth rank.In contrast, general promotion is much easier.The meritorious deeds on the battlefield and the annual martial arts assessment are all great opportunities, and the practice of archery is performed under the eyes of the emperor, which is even more exciting.

The good guys in red are full of heroism, and they only have a bow and a bag of feathers and arrows to make the applause continue.The audience was as enthusiastic as in previous years. Even the Turkic prince who was ordered to participate for the first time was also very interested.

This moment seemed to completely let go of the barrier of family status, no wonder Xi She has been prosperous in the army for a long time.

Xiao Yan sat in the middle, he was tired of watching the salute shooting contest, he looked to the right boredly, and all he could see was the general Su Zhi, who was dragged out of the mansion by him with great difficulty, and now he was staring at With a glass of fine wine, I don't know what I'm in a daze for.

This is a bit impolite, Xiao Yan coughed twice and said: "Master Hou."

The emperor condescended, Su Zhi hurriedly wanted to make amends, Xiao Yan didn't wait for him to open his mouth, and said again: "I remember that Mr. Ling has been in the army for more than a year, and just now he can't see others, but he will be absent again this year?"

"Your Majesty, after joining the army, he lived in the army and ate and slept with ordinary soldiers. The minister did not command the Nanyuan garrison, so he was out of reach." Su Zhi performed Tai Chi, and said, "Yan'er is naturally taciturn, He is also straight-eyed, and often speaks rudely at home. It's good not to come, so as not to contradict..."

Xiao Yan showed a joking expression, just as he asked how to speak rudely, all around let out an exclamation.He was immediately attracted attention, raised his hand to signal Su Zhi to speak later, and looked at the reason for the exclamation.

I saw a black horse galloping in the distance. Under the autumn sky, the horse's fur was shiny, and it was a good horse for thousands of miles.On the horse's back, a young man was dressed in the same red clothes and light armor as the others, holding a rein. Because he was too far away, his facial features appeared blurred, but the appearance of this outstanding rider made people unable to move their eyes away.

The boy whistled, and the horse ran even faster, and the man and the horse almost became an afterimage.Everyone didn't dare to show their anger, for fear that they might not see the excitement behind.

When he was about to reach the shooting point, he suddenly reined in the reins, the horse was pulled to a sudden stop, its front hooves were raised high, and it neighed with a prolonged sound.Before the horse crowed, the young man immediately pulled out three feathered arrows from the quiver on his back with his backhand, and without looking at them, he took the bow and shot—

Hit the center of the target 120 feet away.

With such great force, the feather arrow penetrated the entire bull's-eye, revealing a little silver light from behind.

The young man in red, who was the focus of all eyes, dismounted from his horse as if he didn't care about the other soldiers practicing archery. After carefully checking the stirrups, he put the longbow on his back with his backhand and walked straight forward.

As they got closer, everyone could see his face clearly, and they couldn't help whispering again, praising him, guessing who the handsome young man was.

This young man in red had a handsome face with clear features, his childishness was still there, but his gaze was very firm, and there was a bit of decisiveness in it.He was wearing simple armor, with a long sword on his waist, the scabbard was so simple and rough, the long bow, quiver and long sword were pressed together, and he didn't feel the slightest bit of heaviness, and his steps were fast and fast. stable.

Walking to the credit book, the young man glanced slightly, with a satisfied smile on his face.His smile instantly wiped away the sternness between his brows, young and young people are just rightly proud.

He knelt down on one knee in the direction of Xiao Yan, and said in a loud voice: "Su Yan, the humble post, the Nanyuan Yulin Garrison, greets His Majesty!"

No further elaboration is needed, his surname directly declares Su Yan's identity.All of a sudden, the whispers turned into discussions, and even Xiao Yan's face flashed a hint of amusement.

He is the son of heaven, and at the same time an elder, his love for talents is immediately apparent: "Are you the young master of Pingyuan Hou's mansion?"

Su Yan replied: "After joining the army, no matter where you are from, you just want to protect your family, country, and rivers and mountains. It doesn't matter who was in the house first?"

"Master Hou, this son of yours reminds me of when I was young. Like you, you belong to the Su family." Xiao Yan said to Su Zhi, laughing again, "Wouldn't it be nice for a young talent to be buried in the city of Nanyuan?" What a pity? Su Yan, from tomorrow onwards, you will be stationed at Da Sima Gate. Now that the world is in peace, I will not advise you to make military exploits."

Just as Su Yan was about to kowtow, Xiao Yan continued: "However, I just listened to your point of view. It seems that I don't want people to mention my background, but there is only one only son in the Pingyuan Houfu. I want you to lead the battle in the future, so don't refuse."

As soon as these words came out, Su Zhi suddenly raised his head, his face was full of shock.Xiao Yan's words are really subtle. It is reasonable to say that even if Su Yan takes over the title and tiger talisman in the future, it will be an unwritten rule, but if he really wants to say it, it is very inappropriate.

It's like the unspoken rules that everyone defaults to. How can you be easily convinced when you mention it in broad daylight in front of other people who don't know the truth.

A flash of surprise flashed in Su Yan's eyes, and he calmly thanked him. He turned around and led the horse away, always with a glow on his back.His heart was "thumping", and he didn't realize that there was a layer of cold sweat behind him until he got out of the discussion.

Xiao Yan promoted him to an official position with just a few words. Da Sima Gate is the special gate for the emperor to enter and exit Taicheng, and its importance is self-evident. Over the years, I have learned about various undercurrents, hiding my own background from everyone.

It doesn't matter if he can't hide, he will have to go back one day. When he joined the army, he had made an agreement with Su Zhi that he would return to the Marquis Mansion when he was eighteen years old. When he encountered war disasters, he would ask for orders to go out to fight.Even if he encountered other conflicts before this, it must not affect his future career, otherwise Su Zhi would not wipe his ass for him.

Su Yan got on his horse and headed towards the drinking horse pond outside the forest.

The royal gardens were scattered around Jinling and the outskirts, without high walls, so Su Yan would occasionally stray into the gardens of some royal relatives as he passed by on horseback.The Horse Drinking Pond at the foot of Nine Ritai Mountain was originally the place where the first emperor practiced riding and archery when he was young. After his death, it became an unattended area.

There is indeed a lake in the horse drinking pool.Rather than saying it is a lake, it is better to say that it is just a small pond that draws water from the Qinhuai River, because the water in the upper reaches is clear and has never been contaminated by the heavy smoke of fireworks.Su Yan led the horse, walked around the barren stone monument, tied the horse to a big locust tree, and walked in by himself.

Whenever he was hesitating, Su Yan liked to come here to stay for a while, whether it was a walk or a daze, it was like owning a secret garden.Young people need their own space, Su Yan found this place after Ran Qiu left, and now he considers himself the owner of this place without authorization.

He walked towards the pond along the stone road overgrown with weeds. The autumn westerly wind was blowing on his face, and it was already slightly cool.Su Yan was sweating just now, but now he was a little cold.He tugged on his tightly tied cuffs, but when he looked up, he saw a person by the pool.

Su Yan was taken aback, and thought to himself, "There is no one here, even if it is given to a new adult, I am not a thief, so it is not strange to appear here in broad daylight, so what are you afraid of?"

After chattering for a while, Su Yan had his own conclusions. He was about to speak out, but saw the group squatting by the pool straighten up first.

It rained the night before, and there was moss all over the side of the drinking horse pool that had not been repaired for too long.Su Yan saw the man walking half a step forward, and suddenly stepped on moss and swayed as if his figure was unstable. He rushed over and said loudly: "Be careful——!"

His voice was so sudden that the person who was originally "unsteady" was frightened, and was about to turn his head to look, when his foot slipped, so he completely turned into a "wrestling", so he threw himself forward, and the whole person fell down. into the pool.Su Yan immediately strode over and ran over, nearly falling himself.

Fortunately, the water level in the pool was already shallow, so the man stood up by himself after thumping twice.He was holding the mud with both hands, and the original apricot-colored long gown was covered with moss and mud, and he drew an "ink-like landscape painting" in one place, and his hair crown was also tilted to the side, and his long hair was sticking wet to his cheeks, and he looked like a drowned rat .

Su Yan suddenly fell silent, because the man glared at him viciously, and couldn't wait to know who was yelling loudly, and the person who came came said unkindly: "What are you yelling about! It's not like I'm going to throw myself into the lake. Do you have to die!"

He wanted to say something more, frowned and looked around at Su Yan, and suddenly stopped attacking.

Su Yan blinked, and didn't know how to apologize. He was organizing his words, but the voice of this bad-tempered son became much softer, and he asked tentatively: "...you, which family are you from? Why are you here?"

Su Yan pointed to the mountain: "Today I will teach martial arts and practice archery. I am the Nanyuan garrison—"

"Are you... are you Su Yan?" The man couldn't wait to interrupt him, and the two delicate long eyebrows that had just been stretched were frowned again, "You don't recognize me?"

After getting this reminder, Su Yan recovered from the panic just now, and carefully looked at the person in front of him - he was a little shorter than himself, and the clothes were made of ordinary materials, but there was an indescribable temperament on him.He still looks like a teenager, his face is slightly rounded, and his bones haven't grown yet, but his eyebrows are already delicate, and even faintly beautiful.

She has long eyebrows flying slantingly, a good face, and round eyes, appearing innocent and kind, but a red tear mole under her right eye is full of evil.At this moment, frowning, pursing lips, indescribably familiar...

The outline gradually coincided with the appearance in memory, and Su Yan suddenly remembered, momentarily at a loss for words.The name went round and round in his mind, and finally Su Yan asked unsurely: "... His Highness the Sixth?"

The one who stepped on the moss when he came out for a walk, managed to stabilize himself, and was yelled at by Su Yan so that he fell into a dreary chicken was the sixth prince, Xiao Qichen, whom he had not seen for several years.

He got up from the pond, wrung out the hem of his gown, and stroked his long hair without changing his expression, and then said with a displeased face, "You're still so polite after so many years."

Su Yan couldn't talk, but the joy in his heart quickly drove away all the depression and hesitation just now.He stood there stupidly, the corners of his mouth turned up little by little, and he put his hands all over the place, as if he couldn't put them comfortably.

Suddenly bumped into something soft, Su Yan was about to check it out, raised his eyes to meet Xiao Qichen's meaningful eyes, and immediately became embarrassed: "That...I..."

"As expected, you carry it with you." Xiao Qichen smiled, and finally stopped frowning, "But it really doesn't match this outfit."

Su Yan touched his nose as before, bowed his head and remained silent.Because of Xiao Qichen's words, he was extremely happy for no apparent reason. Holding the purse, he felt that the two small stones in it hurt his palm slightly through the thin purse, but it was very solid.

When they separated last time, they were still ignorant children.I haven't seen him for many years, but he already looks like a handsome young man.

Xiao Qichen didn't care about the embarrassment that he fell into the pond at all, he sat down on a big rock, patted the side beside him like he did when he was young: "Ayan, come here."

The two words are like a spell, awakening the memory that has been sleeping for many years.Su Yan sat down according to his words, and couldn't help but took out a simple handkerchief from his arms and handed it over: "You wipe it first, what will you look like when you look back?"

Xiao Qichen was happy seeing him, bit his lower lip and just stared at Su Yan, saying: "Just look at it, I'm fine."

Su Yan reminded: "You are the prince."

Xiao Qichen said: "Father still doesn't know that I have sneaked out. I heard from brother Yu that every year the practice of archery is very exciting. I can't face the saint to ask for an edict, so I have to sneak out of the palace by myself. That's fine, they will see you later I just thought I was going to mess around again."

Hearing that there was something in his words, Su Yan asked doubtfully, "They?"

Xiao Qichen nodded, and said innocently: "Don't you know? I live in Mingfu Palace now, and the Empress often comes to visit, but I don't pay much attention to it."

"You... Miss Ronghua, she..."

"Let's go." Xiao Qichen said relaxedly, looking down at the puddle of water under his feet, "One year after Brother Ping's accident, a plague broke out in the palace, and several people died, haven't you heard?"

Su Yan tried his best to recall: "It seems that there is such a thing. At that time, my father went out to inspect the northern border, so the things in the palace were rarely mentioned..."

"The scale was small at the time, but my mother and concubine were involved. The empress was afraid that she would pass the epidemic to the emperor, so she sent her to a side hall, and died of illness not long after—look what I was wearing, still Be filial piety." He raised an apricot white sleeve, saw that it was heavily stained by the mud in the pond, and then put it down embarrassingly.

Su Yan remained silent all this time, his heart was filled with various feelings, including the joy of reunion, and also feeling sad for Xiao Qichen's experience, even because of this, he felt self-blame and guilt.

"What's your expression?" Xiao Qichen pinched Su Yan's face, leaving a mud mark on his right cheek, and changed the subject, "Don't mention me, these days... what have you done?"

Su Yan replied honestly: "After returning home, practice martial arts first. I joined the army the winter of the previous year, and I haven't mixed into an official position yet."

"It's really useless." Xiao Qichen laughed at him, and asked cautiously as if he suddenly remembered something, "Then you...you must be doing well, right?"

The army is tough, the officer laughed at him as a descendant of a famous family, and made things difficult for him, and it was inconvenient to share a room with many people at night... But these things annoyed him all day long, and finally he couldn't bear it anymore and took the opportunity to practice archery to show off his might The so-called difficulties, after Su Yan carefully weighed Xiao Qichen's situation and his own, were nothing to worry about.

So Su Yan said: "I should be living well."

Xiao Qichen immediately laughed, his facial features are much more beautiful than when he was a child, only the smile is the most familiar arc to Su Yan: "That's good, you and I are brothers and sisters, it seems that you are more lucky, we won't be unlucky together."

Normally, Su Yan wouldn't be qualified to call him a brother or brother, but now, seeing the bright light in Xiao Qichen's eyes, it really reminded him of Ah Jin who hadn't seen him for a long time, and wanted to fulfill his brother's responsibility.

The author has something to say: I really can’t describe my appearance...I knelt down to Xiaoliu_(:3」∠)_

The system of teaching martial arts and practicing archery prevailed in the Eastern Han Dynasty

The content involved refers to Mr. Guo Jie’s paper "Learning Martial Arts and Shooting Activities of the Han Dynasty Army"