Volu (1/2)

Volu¹

The Most Popular Courtesan Pageant on Xuanwu Lake may have flourished, but the majority of those interested ealthy ht’s lantern shoas suitable for all ages Whether dignitary or commoner, all wore e on this night

Colorful streaeous festive lanterns coht and the lantern glow enhanced each other’s beauty, while the streets were bustling with activity, the traffic heavy Rich families worked hard to flaunt their crafts on opulence and wealth Gold and silver, lazurite glass, and ge theht on all sides Even ates Every variety of juggling, acrobatics, and e It onderful and entertaining, attracting crowds of people Faates Inside hung lantern riddles Gold, silver, and damask had been set out as prizes, so countlesshard

Within the crowds, Lu Yun and shi+ Xiu walked the streets holding hands At court today, the two of them had both received the reward of the position of sixth-ranked colonel Although the rank was nominal, as the court couldn’t actually have them lead troops, it was still a rare honor The two of them didn’t know this was just a token reward froh, and was compensation used to offset Lu Can’s deserved reward So the two of theo out and enjoy the lanterns Both of them were fearless, and coupled with their excellent , sneaking out of the mansion of the Duke Who Suppresses Distant Lands This was shi+ Xiu’s first time in Jianye, so she wasn’t faet lost, as huge nu her hand the entire trip to prevent her frohts a dizzying feast for shi+ Xiu’s eyes, they suddenly heard severalabout a stage placed by a rich faht treasure, colored glass lantern—would be gifted to whoh the hole in a cash coin And if the winner’s age and appearance were suitable, the fahter to the chae with the bow, so they’d tried their luck shi+ Xiu wasn’t interested in the e proposal, of course, but when she heard she could win a lantern by shooting an arrow, she pricked up her ears She said to Lu Yun, “Little brother Yun, we should go try We can’t solve the riddles anyway”

Lu Yun was also fairly interested in the contest, so he took shi+ Xiu in the direction thefor a little under the amount of time it took for a stick of incense to burn,² they finally saw the bow and arrow challenge platform

It was set up by a rich, influential, and powerful faate One hundred paces³ away fro from the top of the pole, and suspended on the botto in the wind A decorated tent had been constructed next to the entrance, separated into an exterior and interior half by aand dressed in finery acted as host for the exterior half In the interior of the tent stood a table, upon which were placed exquisite bows and feathered arrows The eight treasure, colored glass lantern serving as the prize was hanging over the entrance to the faonal palace lantern, colass Aree, as well as pearl and jasper decorations The red candle in the lantern swayed,it appear all the -sized, resplendent pearl at the top of the precious lantern already ’s ranso to have a go Even though Southern Chu advocated scholarshi+p and scorned the military, archery was one of the Six Arts⁵ of a scholar As a result,to try their archery skills However, they first had to pay ten taels, which made many people stop in their tracks

Lu Yun made some calculations The pole had been specially prepared and was a full ten ht and hung only by a red thread froh up in the wintry wind If an arroere shot on an upward arc froh Even he couldn’t guarantee he could shoot through the coin However, the placard on the top of the tent stated that only one arrow out of three atteh the hole in the coin As such, he thought he stood a fair chance

shi+ Xiu’s eyes brightened as she said, “Little brother Yun, did you bring taels?”

Lu Yun was about to advise shi+ Xiu to not show off, but when their eyeseyes softened his heart “You can try first If you don’t succeed, I’ll try I’m sure we can win the palace lantern”

shi+ Xiu rolled her eyes at him “If I can’t do it, you think you can?”

Lu Yun was tongue-tied Their archery was al this In the end, he gave a wry smile and shoved a silver sycee into her hands

shi+ Xiu took the sycee and walked to the tent The eyes of the audience lit up shi+ Xiu earing white clothing and looked handso, the fa noblewomen who rarely ca youth She walked up and took an exquisite bow and three feathered arrows Dropping off the sycee, she walked over to the white line Squinting her eyes at the coin dancing in the wind, she focused on it and nocked an arrow Then she pulled back on the bowstring, creating a full

The spectators held their breath as they watched, wanting to see if this handsoh the hole in the cash coin After a while, shi+ Xiu still hadn’t loosed an arrow, and soan to crack jokes and relax They felt this youth was just blustering

Right at this ed, and the feathered arrow disappeared like lightning With a low, soft ringing, the feathered arrow passed through the square hole in the coin Before the crowd could react, a second arrow arced through the sky and severed the red thread The coin started falling to the ground when a third arrow cut through the air, catching the coin on the shaft The arrow did not stop and buried itself in the pole behind the coin

It was all silent On this Lantern Festival night, this sort of silence felt exceptionally strange shi+ Xiu smiled and put the bon The area erupted into raucous cheering and applause, which put a small, proud s to the audience, then turned to look at the ht treasure, colored glass lantern should be edto speak While he was hesitating, a silvery voice drifted out fro h the coin, you should present him the palace lantern”

shi+ Xiu was a little taken aback Although she’d already seen several shadowy figures behind the curtain, she didn’t expect a lady to speak Reossip she’d overheard, this fae with the construction of the bow and arrow challenge platfor lady of the family shi+ Xiu couldn’t help but feel rather aard Although she dressed well in arded as a lady, she was still a nor back at Lu Yun, asshi+ Xiu’s archery skill

They’d learned a lot from each other over these days, but he finally saw shi+ Xiu’s true skill today Seeing shi+ Xiu’s plea for help, he went over and said with a setting the lantern, supervisor?”

When Lu Yun stood beside shi+ Xiu, the eyes of the audience lit up again Lu Yun may not have been as handsome as shi+ Xiu, but his life experience plus his father’s nurturing gave hi he wore, saLu Yun and shi+ Xiu set each other off beautifully as they stood side by side It became more apparent these two people were extraordinary

The ave an embarrassed sht as he stepped forward to start a conversation, the curtain was raised, and a young wo walked out She earing a light fur coat and brocade boots, her clothing luxurious She looked delicate and char flowers Her eyes roa waves Her appearance , deep breath

She went over and gently saluted Lu Yun and shi+ Xiu “I, Ji Lingxiang, haveiving you this palace lantern, I ift it to an innocent person If it fell into the hands of a bad person, wouldn’t it be like casting pearls before swine?” she said at a rapid pace, though every as crisp It sounded like pearls bouncing on a jade plate

Even shi+ Xiu, a woh she felt the other woue

Lu Yun, however, still had the sa about inquiring into our fa Since we’ve shot through the cash coin, the lantern ought to be ours If Miss wishes to break the proree”

With these words, the spectators began to discuss it, even though they had been enraptured by the young woo back on your word Aren’t you asking for thiswoed color She looked beautiful and had a rather powerful and rich backing, so she was used to getting her way nobody had ever disrespected her before But now that Lu Yun had rebuked here andintent shone in her eyes

Lu Yunand hotheaded, but how could he not feel anything for her beauty? However, he had gotten to know young wo Roulan As a result, he didn’t feelRoulan and Ji Lingxiang were nearly on par; but when it ca, they were as different as the Heavens and the Earth Roulan carried herself with a natural tenderness and kindness, as well as the pride and disdain that ca part of the imperial family Her pride wasn’t just surface level, rather, it was self-confidence and self-respect ingrained in her bones Though she was charentle like the surface of water, the surface hid a roaring sea underneath This was Jiang Roulan Lu Yun s gave hih she was as unattainable as the bright moon, he found it difficult to discard his adoration and respect for her

shi+ Xiu , but she was heroic and brave She didn’t have any of the frailty and formality of ladies However, she had a different sort of innate pride and char side by side At some point, the two of the was beautiful and enchanting, as well as fairly prideful, she couldn’t compare to Roulan’s tempera man would be captivated by her charm, but Lu Yun was a clay statue, devoid of emotion

The supervisor had carried the palace lantern over by this ti out the candlestick, it could be neatly folded up The supervisor placed it into a red brocade box and proffered it to shi+ Xiu with both hands After shi+ Xiu received it, she walked out, overjoyed Lu Yun followed her, grinning fro wo between the the palace lantern had been ay, the spectators scattered to the winds, leaving behind the young wo her silvery teeth while standing in front of the decorated tent Her co up this bow and arrow challenge platform was to attract Lu Yun That was the plan, anyway The moment they found out Lu Yun had co They purposefully had people gossip to attract Lu Yun and shi+ Yujin over here Though they had gotten them to come over, the one on the lantern was actually shi+ Yujin The young wo didn’t know shi+ Xiu was a woman, only that she was as famous as Lu Yun and naant shi+ Yujin was more in line with her type, in fact However, her e platforet closer to Lu Yun Fortunately, Lu Yun’s talents and looks weren’t bad either But she could never have expected Lu Yun to turn a blind eye to her This kind of humiliation made her hate Lu Yun to the bone, and she secretly worried about whether her loom, Supervisor Gao whispered, “Third Miss, there’s no need to worry Even though this plan didn’t succeed, the Head won’t blaoes more smoothly on eldest apprentice sister’s side, and she becoht be so happy he doesn’t blaht now, Master is very irritated I’ed man whispered, “Don’t worry, Third Miss The Head has already ordered the re is just a forlorn and oman Sooner or later, she’ll fall under our control”

Ji Lingxiang didn’t say anything She , but she wasn’t naïve She hadn’t believed this task would be so easy to accomplish Moreover, it didn’twith him She only worried about how she could pass the test set before her eyes

<blockquote class="Quote">Buddhist chanting drones on down fro breeze contains the scent of night plulazed paGoda”⁷</blockquote>