CXD - 24

CXD - 

The entire academy was like a pot of water with quicklime thrown into it, quickly coming to a boil.

On this cold day with melting snow, even the rooster’s crowing was later than usual. Forget about these pampered noble sons—on such days, those who managed to come to school yawning were already considered top students in the academy. Most young masters couldn’t even get out of bed.

This wasn’t exactly an academy for cultivating talent. The teachers were accustomed to this and had long since become indifferent after years of teaching.

Unexpectedly, today was unprecedented. Not only did almost all these noble sons show up, but they also appeared energetic, their eyes gleaming with excitement, looking more spirited than the teachers themselves.

Inside the “Tian” study hall, groups of students whispered among themselves, heatedly arguing about something while frequently glancing towards the last row.

Early in the morning, they heard that Princess Yongying would attend the academy. These people were both surprised and curious, and their drowsiness vanished completely. Some who lived far away and didn’t want to stay in the dormitories didn’t even take carriages, instead using their unskilled horsemanship to rush over just to welcome the princess.

Unexpectedly, upon arrival, not only did they welcome the princess, but they also encountered another unexpected “bonus”—

Why did Shen Yuan Ce return to the academy?!

Tian Chong Academy catered to the offspring of high-ranking officials in the capital. First, the students had to be under twenty and unmarried, and second, they had to be the eldest legitimate sons of their families.

Shen Yuan Ce met all three criteria, so there was nothing wrong with him being here, but he had already led troops in battle. After being away for three years, why would he return to study? It was strange no matter how you thought about it.

Moreover, it was well-known that the princess and Shen Yuan Ce didn’t get along. The fact that they entered the academy on the same day surely wasn’t a coincidence. So, who came first, who came second, and who was here to pick a fight? And what kind of fight?

Looking at the two new desks added to the last row, everyone turned back, heads together, and launched the thirteenth round of intense yet quiet discussions.

In the last row, Jiang Zhiyi sat behind her desk, with a wall behind her, a window to her left, and bead curtains hanging to her right and in front of her. She sipped hot tea, completely ignoring the outside world.

In ancient times, empress dowagers ruled from behind curtains; today, Princess Yongying attended class behind bead curtains.

This study hall was designed for a group of precious individuals, with carved beams, painted rafters, bright windows, and clean desks—it wasn’t too shabby for her. Although the corner specially prepared for her was small, it had everything—desk, incense burner, hand warmer, tea set, brush, ink, paper, and inkstone—all of the finest quality. Guyu, dressed as a book boy, served her attentively. Jiang Zhiyi was fairly satisfied, and if she had any minor complaints, they dissipated when she glanced to her right and saw her lover beyond the bead curtain.

Yuan Ce was less than three meters away, sitting silently at his desk with a closed-off expression, lost in thought since entering earlier. He looked unapproachable and in a bad mood.

It wasn’t yet time for class, and just as Jiang Zhiyi was about to push aside the bead curtain to call him, a burly, dark-skinned middle-aged man walked in.

The crowd in the front rows looked as if they’d seen a demon, groaning in unison: “Oh no, how could we forget about this!”

“What’s happening?” Jiang Zhiyi asked Guyu.

Guyu said she’d go check, but before she could stand up, a gentle voice from the front answered: “This is the martial instructor of the Tian study hall, surnamed Feng. This morning, there will be a routine examination of horseback riding and archery. Many who aren’t skilled at this probably intended to skip class…”

But they forgot because of the news about Jiang Zhiyi coming.

The person in the front row answered proactively without turning around, maintaining proper decorum. It was rare to find someone so tactful in this nest of spoiled brats.

Jiang Zhiyi: “So newcomers like me have to participate?”

Among the six arts of gentlemen, “Yu” originally referred to charioteering in ancient times, but in the present era, this skill had little practical use, so it was adapted to horse riding. Horseback riding and archery combined the skills of “Yu” and “Archery.”

Jiang Zhiyi knew she didn’t need to participate in either exam; she was just concerned about Yuan Ce’s next move.

Instructor Feng glanced toward the corner and said in a gruff tone typical of a martial artist: “Newcomers can study independently in the classroom and don’t need to participate.”

Jiang Zhiyi felt a fleeting joy—

“Why is that?” A carefree male voice sounded from the front row. “We’re all classmates under one roof. Instructor Feng has always been impartial. Why the special treatment today? Are you trying to protect someone?”

Jiang Zhiyi recognized him—

He was Zhong Boyong, the eldest legitimate son of the Kang Le Bo family, related to her aunt.

If she remembered correctly, among those whose legs were broken by Ah Ce Ge, there was Zhong Boyong’s younger brother.

Sure enough, Zhong Boyong smirked at Yuan Ce: “I’ve heard that General Shen can kill one man every ten steps and pierce a target from a hundred paces. Surely you don’t need Instructor Liang to cover for you, do you?”

Jiang Zhiyi frowned.

The room fell silent. Dozens of curious gazes darted toward Yuan Ce.

Yuan Ce opened his eyes, met Zhong Boyong’s challenging stare, calmly stood up, and gestured for him to follow.

Two incense sticks later, at the academy’s practice field.

Jiang Zhiyi sat bundled in her fox fur coat on a bench near the edge of the field, holding a hand warmer, watching Zhong Boyong, who was eager to start at the starting line.

Before them was a wide and long horse track, with five arrow targets erected on each side at varying intervals.

The students had to ride horses from the starting point towards the finish line where everyone else was, while shooting arrows at the ten targets.

Such a difficult test was one of the toughest challenges at Tian Chong Academy. Students in the Di, Xuan, and Huang study halls didn’t need to participate.

But being older didn’t necessarily mean being more skilled. Among the seventeen- or eighteen-year-old young masters in the Tian study hall, more than half could barely complete the horse ride, let alone shoot arrows accurately. Hitting the target was usually a matter of luck.

If their luck was really bad, they might even fall off their horses in the chaos.

Of course, Instructor Feng, with his superb martial skills, watched closely to ensure no one got hurt, but fear was real nonetheless.

On the benches near the finish line, a group of young men lured by beauty into this predicament began to tremble, even suspecting Jiang Zhiyi was a mole sent by the instructor.

Zhong Boyong, however, showed no fear. Standing at the starting line, he called out loudly: “Instructor Feng, we’ve done this exact test countless times. Can’t we spice things up today?”

Instructor Feng didn’t waste words. He simply instructed someone to place ten waist-high wooden barriers in the middle of the track.

This meant the riders had to go extremely fast, otherwise, they wouldn’t even clear the obstacles, let alone shoot arrows…

Jiang Zhiyi frowned slightly, curious to see how much her aunt’s nephew was capable of.

Thinking this, Zhong Boyong slung an arrow quiver on his back, picked up his shiny golden bow, and mounted his horse.

At the sound of the gong and the wave of the flag, the steed galloped forward, leaping over the first barrier. The rider’s eyes were fixed on the nearest target, waiting for the perfect moment to pull the string and release an arrow.

A sharp sound rang out as the arrow hit the bullseye.

Zhong Boyong narrowed his eyes, quickly aiming at the next target amidst the gallop, gritting his teeth, and releasing another arrow.

The steed cleared the barriers smoothly, and the rider, though busy, remained composed. All ten arrows hit their respective bullseyes!

“Is Boyong intentionally challenging Shen Yuan Ce today?”

“I think Boyong doesn’t even need to show his best skills. Shen Yuan Ce hasn’t taken any archery classes—how could he possibly match Boyong’s thousand-honed skills?”

“But didn’t he go to war?”

“Aren’t wars just chaotic killing sprees?”

—Whispers spread through the crowd, followed by bursts of laughter.

On a separate bench, Guyu whispered to Jiang Zhiyi: “I just found out that this Young Master Zhong is indeed skilled in horseback archery. He always gets first place during exams—it’s no wonder he’s so arrogant…”

Jiang Zhiyi pressed her lips together in displeasure. She wasn’t worried about Ah Ce Ge’s riding or archery skills, but Zhong Boyong had both requested additional obstacles and secured full marks ahead of time. Even if Ah Ce Ge matched him perfectly, it would at best result in a tie, unable to suppress Zhong Boyong’s arrogance…

As expected, troublemakers breed troublemakers. This whole lot was truly annoying!

Jiang Zhiyi sighed deeply and glanced at Yuan Ce, who was waiting to take his turn.

Yuan Ce had one hand behind his back, calmly watching Zhong Boyong approach the finish line without betraying any emotion.

The steed crossed the finish line, and Zhong Boyong reined in the horse, turning to look at the ten perfect bullseyes. Smiling smugly, he looked down at Yuan Ce: “General Shen has been away from the academy for a long time. You might not know the rules of the test. I personally asked the instructor to add these barriers. If you feel incapable, don’t push yourself—just ask them to remove them.”

“Thank you for your concern, Young Master Zhong. I’ll handle it myself,” Yuan Ce replied with a smile, averting his gaze. His eyes slowly scanned the crowd before landing on the young master with the fair face at the very edge. “Young Master Jiang, may I ask for a favor?”

Just as Jiang Zhiyi was about to blurt out, “What favor?” she noticed the curious stares from those around her. Maintaining her composure, she cleared her throat: “What is it?”

“May I borrow your hair ribbon?”

Jiang Zhiyi blinked, then nodded, tilting her head to let Guyu remove it. With an air of pride, she fluttered her eyelashes. “I never lend my things to others—I discard anything others have used. Consider it a gift.”

Before anyone understood what was happening, Yuan Ce took the black hair ribbon and tied it over his eyes, knotting it at the back of his head!

Zhong Boyong’s head shot up, disbelief flashing in his eyes.

A wave of astonishment swept through the crowd—

“…Does this mean what I think it means?”

“Can this test actually be done like this?”

Amidst the shocked murmurs, Yuan Ce, holding a longbow, mounted his horse and rode to the starting line. Turning the horse’s head, he faced the crowd.

Jiang Zhiyi froze on the bench, staring at the tall youth atop the horse. Watching the black ribbon cover his eyes, the wind lifting its ends and brushing against his temples, she felt as if she were nuzzling him herself…

Her heart skipped a beat. She touched her suddenly warm earlobes, suppressing the inappropriate thought.

At the starting line, the gong sounded, and the glossy black stallion galloped forward, crushing the snow beneath its hooves.

The youth on the horse reached backward for an arrow, placed it on the bow, and lazily pulled the string, releasing it with a flick of his fingers.

The arrow flew weightlessly, striking the target with a sharp sound, embedding itself deeply into the bullseye!

The crowd gasped collectively, rising from their benches and craning their necks to watch as if witnessing a deity.

Jiang Zhiyi was equally elated, standing up and clapping her hands together in prayer.

The loud clap drew the astonished gazes of the young masters around her.

…There was no reason to applaud for one’s sworn enemy.

Jiang Zhiyi unfolded her clasped hands, lowered her head, and blew warm air into her palms: “It seems he just got lucky…”

Everyone wanted to agree with the princess and offer her a cloak to keep warm, but the spectacle unfolding before them was too captivating to miss. After a brief hesitation, they all turned back to watch Yuan Ce.

On the track, the stallion effortlessly leaped over the barriers, and the youth atop fired another clean shot.

Unlike Zhong Boyong’s bulging veins and focused expression, the rider now seemed to be playing some boring game. Each arrow was released lazily, yet every one nailed the bullseye.

“Could the ribbon be translucent, allowing him to see through it?” someone in the crowd asked incredulously.

Jiang Zhiyi frowned in displeasure: “How could this princess possibly use such a poorly made ribbon!”

The crowd immediately fell silent.

Zhong Boyong stood rigid at the finish line, glaring at the calm and composed face in the distance. His hands slowly clenched into fists at his sides.

In the blink of an eye, someone who refused to believe his luck ran forward, dragging away one of the targets and moving it to a position Yuan Ce had already passed.

“You—” Jiang Zhiyi’s pale index finger shot up, pointing directly at the culprit.

The surrounding crowd turned to look at her again.

Jiang Zhiyi’s angry finger curled and slowly dropped. “Well done…”

This move was indeed clever. With the target now behind him, there was no turning back once the arrow was released—it would inevitably reduce his score by one!

Seeing Instructor Feng completely ignoring the situation, Jiang Zhiyi anxiously stamped her foot, just about to signal Yuan Ce secretly—

The next moment, the youth on the horse smirked, spun his longbow, leaned back dramatically, and shot an arrow backward.

A sharp sound rang out as the arrow hit the bullseye again!

Ten arrows, ten bullseyes!

The crowd held their breath, mouths agape, swallowing cold air as they watched the stallion cross the finish line smoothly. Yuan Ce straightened up, reined in the horse, tore off the ribbon, and smiled in the direction of someone in the crowd.

Jiang Zhiyi’s heart, which had been lodged in her throat, finally settled as he crossed the line, only to leap back up when he glanced her way.

Through the damp, cold air after the snow, through the lively crowd, their gazes met softly.

For some reason, Jiang Zhiyi tensed up, nervously averting her eyes.

Her gaze flickered downward, and she saw him toying with the ribbon between his fingers. Her heartbeat thundered like a drumroll.