Mikago

Because he didn't have time to adjust his posture, Lu You's tiger's mouth was grazed by the arrow's tail, leaving a wound, with bright red blood oozing continuously.

The drumming stopped abruptly.Empress Xiao anxiously turned to Qi Yunchu.

Qi Yunchu quickly walked down the steps and walked towards Lu You.

In the eyes of outsiders, he was concerned about Xuan Wang Zhao Yang's injury; but only Lu You could see that Qi Yunchu's eyes were cold.

"do not come."

Lu You suddenly stopped Qi Yunchu, then turned his head and told Lezheng beside him: "Keep playing the music!"

Lezheng didn't dare to make any claims, and immediately looked at Qi Yunchu.And Qi Yunchu turned his attention to the emperor not far away.

The emperor nodded slowly, and then the sound of drums sounded again.

Get rid of distracting thoughts and be calm.

Lu You shook off the blood oozing from the tiger's mouth, took another deep breath, bent his bow and nocked an arrow, aiming at the target.

The second arrow flew out with a crisp string sound, and hit the blue grid, only an inch away from the vermilion bull's-eye.

The whispering crowd suddenly fell silent, and then Lu You shot a third arrow.

Unbiased, hit the bull's-eye!

The crowd watching the ceremony let out a tidal wave of low shouts—but this time, it was genuine admiration.

Even the crown prince and Kang Wang widened their eyes and sat up straight.

With the fourth arrow, Lu You has entered a state of ecstasy.When the arm relaxed, the bowstring rang, and the arrow had already hit the target.

Again, right on Zhu's!

There was no more arrows in his waist, so Lu You let out a long breath and slowly recovered his senses.

Seventy steps ahead, the three feathered swords were still stuck on the target, as if a victorious general was showing off his military exploits.

Then look under the eaves of the Martial Virtue Hall in the north—both the emperor and empress Xiao were overjoyed, but they didn't come over to celebrate just because of their status and prestige.

Amidst the praise from the left and right, Lu You saw Empress Xiao waving towards him.

So he walked to the steps in front of the hall, and was about to salute, but was already embraced by Empress Xiao affectionately.

Gentle, warm, reassuring... Mother's breath wrapped around Lu You's body bit by bit.

Although this is not his real mother.

He silently accepts this maternal love that does not belong to him, but in his mind he recalls the desolate back of his mother in the prison cart; he recalls the rough urn, and recalls the nameless tomb on the high hill in the south of the city.

Right now it is Qingming, but he is trapped in this luxurious prison, and he can't even sweep the graves of his relatives...

The more Lu You thought about it, the sadder he became, and it was too late to hold back his emotions.

Empress Xiao held his cheeks: "Why are you crying?"

Lu Youdao: "My son was just unlucky in getting out of the teacher, and made my mother lose her reputation. My son is already ashamed. Now that I have been hit by three arrows, I just feel relieved... Then I wept with joy."

Where did Empress Xiao hear Zhao Yang say such caring words, she was taken aback for a moment, and then smiled with conviction.

At the same time, the Ninety-five Supreme Being beside her also turned sideways towards Lu You.

"You kid, when did you become so cute and smart? Who did you steal this archery skill from?"

Lu Youdao: "I want to surprise my father, queen and mother, so these days, whenever I have free time, I will secretly ask Duke Changqiu for advice."

The emperor glanced at Qi Yunchu, and nodded his head: "Well, it seems that your new master is indeed a smart person, and he is worthy of a smart apprentice like you. It's rare that you work so hard, do you have something to ask of me? Let's say, What are the requirements?"

Require?

Lu You was slightly taken aback, and suddenly realized that he might be facing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The man in front of him is the ruler of the Great Ning Dynasty, the most powerful person in the whole world.

As long as he is willing to nod his head, the unjust grievances the Ye family has suffered over the years can be cleared up; as long as he says a word, Tang Quan will fall from the peak of power to the abyss of hell.

Just one word...

Lu You licked his lips: "Father, is it true that all requests are allowed?"

The emperor laughed and said, "Don't mention it too much."

Lu You's eyelids jumped suddenly because of this sentence, and he replied after a while: "Please think about it again."

After some compliments, Lu You returned to his seat.King Kang Zhao Jing also came over to greet him, while Prince Zhao Yun looked displeased.

Lu You guessed that Zhao Yun must be regretting the last arrow he deliberately shot just now.

The greetings between the brothers were over, and as soon as Lu You sat down, he felt the gaze from the south.

Tang Ruilang was still looking straight at him.Those gazes were naked, without the slightest humility and respect that one should have when facing the prince.

He recognized it!

Lu You's heart beat like a drum, but his whole body was as cold as ice.He slowly pulled up the left shoulder sleeve, but his wrist touched something hanging on his chest while shaking.

...is Zhao Nanxing's amulet.

I forgot to take it off when changing clothes just now, Tang Ruilang must have seen it.

Since there is no way to avoid it, there is no choice but to play it by ear.

Lu You managed to regain his composure, put on his robes again, took a deep breath, and raised his head to see Tang Ruilang's reaction.

But Tang Ruilang just looked straight at this side, without any expression, neither joy nor anger, nor consternation, but seemed to be lost in thought.

ignore him.

Lu You guessed that Tang Ruilang would not make trouble in public, which would embarrass the emperor and empress Xiao, so he boldly stood still.

After a short break, the shooting match of the ministers finally began.Unlike the clan children, the next 24 shooters will compete in pairs.The loser will be punished and drink alcohol standing under the west steps of Wude Hall; the winner will come to the east steps to receive the reward, and the hairpin will be decorated with flowers symbolizing victory.

Tang Ruilang was arranged to play in the fifth group, and his opponent was the eldest son of the town army general Hou Shenyuan, who was five years older than him.

The sound of drum music sounded, and Lu You sat up straight.It was obviously none of his business, but he became nervous uncontrollably.

I saw that Tang Ruilang was calm and composed, raised his arms with his arrows and opened his bow to shoot, as if flowing clouds and flowing water in one go.After the song ended, he calculated the gains and losses, and he was far better than his opponent.

The corner of Lu You's mouth just turned up, when Tang Ruilang suddenly turned his head to look at him again, and hurriedly looked away with a sullen face.

The first round of competition was over, and the twelve winners came to the east steps to receive Dai Hua.Tang Ruilang got a purple peony, and everyone flattered him that he got "Shirui", and he will have good luck for the next year.

Tang Ruilang greeted the people around with a smile, but in the end he turned his gaze to Lu You.

The position he was standing now was getting closer to Lu You's seat. Lu You felt uncomfortable when he saw him, but he didn't dare to attack.

On the contrary, Empress Xiao noticed her cousin's gaze, and jokingly said, "What else do you want to say?"

Tang Ruilang smiled and said: "Returning to the empress's words, Ruilang has been favored and dare not ask for extravagance. It's just that when he saw the heroic appearance of Prince Xuan just now, Ruilang suddenly wanted to compete with the prince. I don't know what the empress would like?"

Empress Xiao let out a "huh" and went to see Lu You's reaction.

Lu You's face became hot all of a sudden, and he hurriedly expressed his displeasure: "Rui Lang is a courtier. How can he compete with the prince? I won't!"

But Tang Ruilang said: "If I can beat everyone present, can the little prince give me a chance to condescend to compete?"

Lu You stared, but heard the emperor laughing on the throne beside him: "You boy, your tone is not small. I will make the decision today and allow you. Let's see if you can cure King Xuan."

Tang Ruilang was overjoyed, and quickly thanked him.The sound of Russian drums and music reappeared, and the [-] winning officials and eunuchs had another comparative test.Six people won, and Tang Ruilang was among them.

These six people were divided into three groups to compare shots, and Tang Ruilang took the lead again.

After two rounds, the other two players except Tang Ruilang will compare shots, and the taller one will be selected to compare with Tang Ruilang.Tang Ruilang actually became more and more courageous in the battle, and the arrow hit Zhu, which was jaw-dropping.

At the end of the match, Swiss Franc really won as promised.Everyone praised naturally, but the emperor said: "I just saw that the way you hold the bow is different from others, but it is similar to King Xuan's. What's the matter?"

Lu You's eyelids twitched suddenly, but he heard Tang Ruilang answer in a loud voice: "Returning to the emperor, I learned the archery technique from Tianwu Palace's master, and Tianwu Palace's archery skills learned from the Western Regions, the Central Plains, and ancient archery techniques." Director, there are some new ideas in posture and steps. King Xuan's archery was taught by Qi Qiugong, presumably also from Prince Anle..."

Having said this, Tang Ruilang stopped abruptly, and the surroundings immediately became quiet.

Knowing that he mentioned someone who shouldn't be mentioned, Lu You's heart sank, and he suddenly became nervous.

Walking in the Zichen Palace, you need to know how to follow many written and unwritten rules.

Not long after entering the palace, Lu You learned an important rule - the name "Prince Anle Zhao Nanxing" should not be mentioned casually.

Because the emperor and Prince An Le have a very good relationship, although they are brothers, they are like father and son in age.

After King Anle's accident, the emperor was immersed in grief for a long time.Since then, Qi Yunchu will be sent to Yunmeng Marsh to worship each year during the three festivals of Qingming, Zhongyuan and Winter Solstice.And the people in the palace also had a custom, not deliberately mentioning the matter of Prince An Le in front of the emperor, lest the emperor be sad.

Now, although Tang Ruilang was unintentional, he had provoked the emperor's sadness after all, if he was blamed for this, he would have nothing to say.

But at the moment when everyone was staring with bated breath, they heard the emperor sigh.

"Forget it, people have been away for so many years, so there is no need to keep it secret. Nan Xing loved you very much during his lifetime, so it's no wonder you always talk about him."

After finishing speaking, he turned his head and glanced at Qi Yunchu who was standing beside him.

Qi Yunchu didn't speak, but bowed slightly and nodded respectfully.

Empress Xiao obviously didn't like them talking more about Zhao Nanxing: "Since Rui Lang has already won, then we should let Yang'er compete with Rui Lang as agreed?"

Only then did the emperor look at Lu You with a smile; "Go, let me see how capable you are. If you win this game, I will agree to whatever you ask for."

It was all up to this point, and Lu You couldn't refuse, so he had to go down the steps again.Tang Ruilang immediately followed beside him, and the two walked towards the west gate, making preparations under the big locust tree outside the gate.

Once out of the west gate, Tang Ruilang pushed back the eunuch who came forward to serve him.After confirming that there was no one else around, he grabbed Lu You's sleeve.

"Zoran!"

He whispered: "What's the matter with you?"

"I don't understand what you're talking about!" Lu You stiffened his neck, pretending not to know him: "You are so courageous, take your hand away, don't you want to live?!"

Tang Ruilang was thrown away by him, but he was not at all confused.

"Don't be stupid, Zhao Yang won't say these words. If he gets angry, he will definitely poke a few holes in my body with an arrow. And..."

Having said that, he stretched out his hand to caress Lu You's temples, and lightly touched the scar that was barely visible after being concealed.

"How could I be wrong about the injury you suffered for me?"

"..."

Lu You knew that he couldn't hide it, so he gritted his teeth and stared at him fiercely: "What do you want?"

Tang Ruilang gently pinched his cheek: "I should ask you this, right? Why are you here? Did Zhao Yang treat you?"

Lu You turned his face away, deliberately ignoring the temperature remaining on his cheeks.

"This has nothing to do with you."

Tang Ruilang frowned and asked: "When is it, you still say that? Do you know where this is? You have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor! This is a capital crime of treason!"

"...so what if you know?"

Only Lu You could hear the slight tremor in his voice: "Anyway, when my parents pass away, I will already be dead!"

"You, you are cursing yourself..."

Tang Ruilang was anxious and angry, and wanted to say something more, but someone had already come out of the door to urge him.

So the two undressed again, inserted arrows, held bows, and walked into the shooting range.

They are all young men with heroic postures, and they are all handsome and beautiful like flowers and flames.The two stood side by side on the same field, raising their arrows and raising their bows, which immediately attracted the envious eyes of everyone in the audience.

As a result of the competition, Lu You shot two reds and two whites in four shots, while Tang Ruilang tied with Lu You in the first three arrows, but he lost his mind at the last arrow and shot to Qingge.

Everyone only thought that Tang Ruilang was a humble prince, but they couldn't see the entanglement hidden deep in his heart.

Taking advantage of the sound of the drums, Tang Ruilang quickly approached Lu You's ear, and put the peony hairpin on his temple that symbolized the winner to Lu You's ear.

"Go to the bamboo forest in the north of Daji Hall in a while."

Lu You didn't know where the courage came from, so he refused without thinking: "I won't go!"

As he spoke, he brushed past him.

Now that the winner and loser had been decided, the two went to the steps at the east and west ends to receive their rewards and punishments.Tang Ruilang wanted to look for Lu You again, but Lu You had already quickly fled back to his seat and never raised his head again.

From then on until the end of the shooting ceremony, the two of them had no chance to contact each other in private.

After the ceremony, there was still a banquet in Wude Hall, but Lu You couldn't sit still, so he found an excuse to return to Huiqing Hall.

He walked west all the way, came out of the Xianchun Gate and came to the courtyard of Zichen Palace. From a long distance, he saw a figure standing under the coptis tree in the courtyard, looking at this side from a distance.

It turned out to be Kang Wang Zhao Jing.

Now that I saw it, it was obviously not appropriate to walk away without saying a word.Lu Youwei had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk towards King Kang.

"I have something to talk to King Xuan, you guys go down." Seeing Lu You, Zhao Jing waved his hands and turned back immediately.The two young eunuchs following behind Lu You also left.

Lu You was a little nervous, he didn't know what Zhao Jing wanted to say to him.If it was some clan secret that he shouldn't have heard, it would be troublesome.

But Zhao Jing still wants to lead him to the secluded corridor behind the woods.

"It's not convenient to talk here, just follow me."

"...Brother Huang, I suddenly remembered that there is still something to do."

Lu You reluctantly said, turning around to change his mind.

Zhao Jing didn't stop, just stopped and looked back at him.Those eyes were silent but deep, which made Lu You feel guilty for a while.

Could it be that... he saw it?

This possibility made Lu You's heart beat faster, and his whole body tensed up.

He took another step back: "That's it... What's the matter, let's talk about it another day."

Zhao Jing still approached him without saying a word, and suddenly stretched out his right hand, imprisoning Lu You between the pillar and his body.

An adult male who was much taller than him suddenly threatened him, and Lu You flinched subconsciously.Immediately afterwards, the jaw was caught and raised, and the lips pressed against another pair of slightly warm lips.

what?

Of course Lu You was sure that it was a kiss; but what he was not sure about was the correct meaning of this kiss.

King Kang and King Xuan are half-brothers, how could they do such a thing of intimacy? !

He was being born in a trance, but he heard Zhao Jing asking in a deep voice next to his ear: "Why, not enough?"

"Well, no, enough, enough..."

Not knowing how the real King Xuan would react, Lu You could only nod vaguely, but his cheeks were already blushing rapidly.

Zhao Jing then stroked his cheek: "Your performance today is indeed impressive. You have been hanging out with me all the time, so why do you still have time to learn archery with Qi Yunchu?"

Lu You remembered that Zhao Jing moved out of Zichen Palace when he became an adult, and although he had a fief, he still stayed in Zhaojing City.How can it be said that Zhao Yang went out of the palace privately every time to hang out with this imperial brother?

For no reason, Lu You thought of the beautiful but crazy Zhao Qing; the eccentric prince Zhao Yun... Under the bright appearance of these clan children, there is an invisible dark side hidden.

These people are not normal.

In the ear, Kang Wang was still whispering something.His hands also pinched Lu You's lips to his cheeks, and then touched his earlobes.

But Lu You's voice was stiff, unable to do anything.

"Today, you and I finally met in the palace. Why, don't you invite me to sit in your Huiqing Palace?"

Zhao Jing's request finally brought Lu You back to reality.

"I still have something to do." His tone became firmer, "I have to go, don't follow me!"

Zhao Jing raised his thick eyebrows: "Who are you looking for, what is more important than me?"

"His Royal Highness Xuan Wang, His Royal Highness Kang Wang."

As if responding to his question, Qi Yunchu's voice suddenly appeared in the bamboo forest outside the corridor.

"King Xuan has an appointment with me, and I waited for a long time for no one to come, so I came to look for it. But I didn't know that I disturbed the two princes."

"Since it's Duke Qiu, why bother?"

Then Zhao Jing finally let go, and Lu You took the opportunity to go outside, not even daring to turn his head.