Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 416 The Prince's School Day
The Tang Dynasty had a strong tradition of martial arts, and many eunuchs were skilled in riding and archery, with Wang Fusheng being a prime example.

The Tang Dynasty conquered the country on horseback, so princes would be introduced to horseback riding from a young age, led by eunuchs skilled in riding.

Last year, Li Xian started riding horses and really enjoyed the feeling of riding against the wind.

A while ago, after he helped Wu Minzhi enter the Inner Court, Wu Minzhi gave him her beloved Xiliang horse.

After acquiring this horse, Li Xian treasured it greatly and often rode it in the Lizheng Hall.

Among the eunuchs of the Lizheng Hall, Zhang Duohai was the best rider. If he hadn't been a bit overweight, he would have been no worse than Wang Fusheng.

When Li Xian was learning to ride a horse, Zhang Duohai would lead the way.

However, because Zhang Duohai was overweight, Li Xian was afraid that he would damage the precious horse, so he no longer let him ride it, but instead let Zhang Duohai's adopted son, Zhang Quan, ride it.

The Xiliang horses were well-trained before they were sent from Anxi, and they moved steadily.

The princes and princesses all lived in a separate courtyard to the west of the Lizheng Hall, about thirty steps away.

Li Xian, with Zhang Quan behind him, slowly rode his bicycle around the courtyard, holding the reins. His movements were already very skilled, and he began to intentionally increase his speed.

Zhang Quan held Li Xian with his arms outstretched to his sides, fully focused, ready to immediately embrace him to prevent him from getting hurt should he notice any unexpected situation.

In November, the wind was biting cold, and after riding a few laps, Li Xian's face was red from the cold.

After returning to the courtyard outside the palace, he looked around and saw Li Dan standing alone on the steps, his hand on a pillar, staring blankly at him, but Li Xian was nowhere to be seen.

Zhang Quan, standing behind Li Xianchao, said, "I want to dismount."

Zhang Quan responded, pulled on the reins to stop the horse, dismounted, and carried him down.

After landing, Li Xian went to Li Dan's side and asked him, "Where is Qi Lang?"

When he rode a horse, Li Xian would always watch from the side, his face full of envy, and he would shout his approval.

Now that Li Xian no longer has Li Xian's envious little eyes, Li Xian feels a bit uneasy.

Although Li Dan liked watching it every time, he was too dull and couldn't satisfy Li Xian's vanity.

Li Dan honestly replied, "My sister just called my brother over."

Li Xian snorted and said, "I guess Lingyue called you over to play chess again. Why didn't she call you over?"

Li Dan didn't know how to answer, so he shook his head.

Inside the Lizheng Hall, Li Xian was always Li Xian's little follower, while Li Dan was Princess Taiping's little follower.

Princess Taiping inherited her mother's temperament and was very domineering at a young age. She often summoned Li Xian to serve her, which made Li Xian very unhappy.

Li Xian hurried to the bedchamber, where he saw a small table next to a screen on the west wall, where Princess Taiping and Li Xian were playing chess.

Li Xian walked over, glanced at the chessboard, and was secretly surprised.

Three months ago, Princess Taiping learned the true rules of Go, and now she is playing quite well!

Princess Taiping was criticized by Emperor Gaozong for not understanding the true rules of Go. After returning home, she lost her temper and took her anger out on her tutor.

Jiang Baofu then told her that it wasn't that the others were unwilling to teach her, but that she liked to cheat, change the rules arbitrarily, and take pieces at will, leaving everyone helpless.

In order to avoid being disliked by Emperor Gaozong, Princess Taiping had no choice but to restrain her temper and made a great effort to learn the rules of Go properly.

Before long, she learned the real rules and then pestered the people around her to play with her.

She was so young and her Go skills were terrible. She couldn't beat any of the palace servants around her who knew how to play Go, and they would deliberately lose to her, which was so boring.

Only Li Xian, Li Xian, and she would not yield to each other when they went down.

So she's been pestering Li Xianxia a lot lately.

Li Xian never refused, and each time he showed no mercy, defeating Princess Taiping decisively.

This made him feel the dignity of being an older brother, something he hadn't experienced in a long time!

Unfortunately, Princess Taiping inherited Wu Zetian's intelligence, and her chess skills continued to improve despite repeated defeats.

In today's game, Li Xian could no longer gain any advantage and instead fell into a disadvantageous position. He was covered in sweat, and his head was almost touching the chessboard.

If he loses even to his sister in Go, he'll never regain his dignity as an older brother.

After observing for a moment, Li Xian saw that Li Xian was getting more and more flustered and making one mistake after another, so he said, "Seventh Brother, let me finish this game for you."

Li Xian looked up at Li Lingyue and stammered, "Little sister, is it alright?"

Li Lingyue glanced at Li Xian, thinking, "Seventh Brother is no match for me anymore. It's time to let Sixth Brother be my next stepping stone. After I defeat Sixth Brother, I'll challenge Mother!"

"Great! I was just about to ask Sixth Brother for some pointers." She chuckled.

Seeing that she was still quite arrogant, Li Xian laughed and said, "Don't cry if you lose later."

Li Lingyue snorted, "Sixth Brother, talk big after you win."

Li Xian's chess games were rigid and stagnant; he basically followed the chess manuals and played without much variation.

Li Xian, however, was different. He moved his pieces erratically, one to the east and one to the west, making things difficult for Princess Taiping. Before she knew it, the situation began to reverse.

Just then, a palace attendant entered the hall and said, "Sixth Prince, His Majesty summons you to an audience."

"understood."

Li Xian stood up, patted Li Xian on the shoulder, and said, "Seventh Brother, we have the upper hand now. The rest is up to you. Don't lose again!"

Li Xian shouted, "I definitely won't lose!" He sat down and continued playing with Princess Taiping.

Li Xian returned to his bedroom, where he changed his clothes with the help of palace servants. He then put on a mink coat before leaving Lizheng Hall and heading towards Ganlu Hall.

Because of the cold weather, Li Zhi no longer went to Linhu Palace to conduct official business, but instead handled imperial edicts in his warm sleeping quarters.

After the announcement, Li Xian went to the bedchamber and paid his respects to Li Zhi.

Li Zhi beckoned to him, gesturing for him to sit down beside him, and said, "Xian'er, today is your day to learn, what are you doing in the palace?"

Li Xian said, "I practiced riding skills and taught my younger siblings to play chess."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "You've really grown up and know how to take care of your younger siblings. In that case, I have nothing to worry about. Xian'er, I want you to do something."

Li Xian hurriedly asked, "What does Father want me to do?"

Li Zhi said, "The divine physician Sun from the Imperial Pharmacy told me that your fifth brother's lungs are not good and he cannot come into contact with people who have lung diseases, otherwise he is prone to tuberculosis."

Li Xian was taken aback and said, "I've never seen you cough before, brother."

Li Zhidao said, "This is a hidden illness; its symptoms are not obvious before it manifests."

Li Xian thought for a moment and said, "So that's why Father won't let my brother leave the palace?"

Li Zhi said, “Indeed, you are clever. However, your elder brother is the Crown Prince, and we cannot let him stay in the Eastern Palace all the time. I issued an edict yesterday, ordering him to do something for me, so he will be leaving the palace more often in the future.”

"I hope you can stay by his side. If you encounter someone with a lung disease, be careful not to let him get close to them."

Li Xian was overjoyed and said, "Father, do you want me to go with my elder brother on this mission?"

Li Zhi said, "Yes, you must assist your brother in his work while keeping an eye on him and making sure he doesn't get close to people with lung disease."

Li Xian said loudly, "I will definitely complete the task assigned by my father!" Li Zhi then said, "Don't tell anyone about this, including your mother, so as not to worry her unnecessarily."

Li Xian blinked and asked, "Is this a secret between father and son?"

Li Zhi smiled slightly: "Yes, this is a secret between you and me, father and son."

After leaving Ganlu Hall and turning a corner, Li Xian jumped up excitedly and waved his little fist vigorously. He suddenly felt that he was already an adult, and even his father asked him for help and asked him to keep it a secret from his mother.

He puffed out his small chest and strode towards the East Palace.

Halfway there, it suddenly dawned on me that I had forgotten to ask what the mission was.

Who cares? With his little strategist helping out, we can definitely solve any mission!

However, when he arrived at the East Palace in high spirits, a palace attendant told him that Li Hong had left the palace half an hour earlier.

Li Xian was extremely anxious and asked, "Why didn't my brother wait for me? Where did he go?"

The palace attendant reported, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince has gone to the Xue residence, saying he wants to ask the young master of the Xue family for help."

……

The Xue residence, backyard.

With a "whoosh," an arrow shot through the air and struck the target, hitting the bullseye.

The archer was a sixteen-year-old boy, not tall, but very robust, like a short stone block.

The boy was Xue Rengui's eldest son, Xue Ne. He frowned, took out another arrow from the quiver, nocked the arrow, and shot it.

The target was hanging on a tree, and if you looked closely, you could see a copper coin hanging from a silk thread three feet in front of the target.

This coin is positioned precisely between Xue Ne and the bullseye of the target.

In other words, to hit the coin, you not only have to hit the bullseye, but also the very center of the bullseye.

Xue Ne's arrow still hit the bullseye, but the arrowhead grazed the coin, causing it to spin in the air.

The hole in the middle of the coin is so small that the arrowhead cannot pass through it. Only when a small part of the arrowhead enters the hole can the coin be moved and pinned to the target.

The difficulty can be imagined.

This is a practice technique that Xue Rengui taught his son.

Xue Rengui could shoot a copper coin from a hundred paces away, but Xue Ne could not do it from fifty paces away, which frustrated him greatly.

Whoosh whoosh!
Arrows were fired continuously, but not a single one hit the coin.

Not far away, Liu was holding the hand of a little girl who was a little over five years old. She was looking at her son with a worried expression on her face.

The little girl was her and Xue Rengui's second child, named Xue Yujin. She stared at Xue Ne for a while and said in a clear voice, "Mother, brother doesn't seem very happy today."

Madam Liu glanced at her daughter and said, "Even you noticed?"

Xue Yujin pouted and said, "Brother doesn't usually ejaculate this quickly, ah!"

She suddenly covered her mouth and exclaimed in surprise, because Xue Ne had shot an arrow that missed the target.

Liu snorted, "It's all your father's fault. He insisted on bringing up that Khitan boy at home, which forced your brother into this state."

Xue Yujin asked in surprise, "What Khitan youth?"

Liu said, "Recently, your father was ordered by the emperor to expand the Imperial Guard. As a result, a young man of Khitan descent was transferred from a military prefecture in Hebei. He is about the same age as your brother and has excellent archery skills. He can hit a copper coin from fifty paces away."

Xue Yujin chuckled and said, "So, brother felt inferior to others, which is why he practiced so hard at home!"

Liu tapped her forehead and snorted, "What are you so happy about? Go over there and tell your brother to rest!"

Xue Yujin said, "Oh dear, Mother, since my brother is lagging behind others, he naturally needs to practice harder. They need to go practice archery too!"

She shook off Liu's hand and skipped away.

Madam Liu said urgently, "You're a girl, why are you practicing archery? Come back here!"

Xue Yujin turned around and smiled, saying, "Mother, I am Father's daughter, how can I be the same as other girls!"

Seeing her daughter run far away, Madam Liu smiled bitterly and said, "You all are nothing like me."

Just then, a servant came to report that Crown Prince Li Hong had arrived.

Lady Liu was taken aback and hurriedly called out, "Ne'er, stop practicing! His Highness the Crown Prince is here!"

On the wall of the main hall of the Xue family mansion hangs a black wooden bow.

When Xue Ne's family arrived at the main hall, Li Hong was standing in front of the bow, his eyes gleaming with a strange light.

Lady Liu, along with her children, hurriedly greeted Li Hong.

Li Hong returned the greeting with a cupped hand and said, "I apologize for disturbing you."

Lady Liu had long heard from her son that the Crown Prince was easygoing, humble, and polite. Upon seeing him today, she found it to be true. She smiled and said, "Ne'er, entertain His Highness the Crown Prince well." After saying that, she left with her daughter through the side door.

After Xue Ne waited until she was out of sight, he said with a look of surprise, "Your Highness, why did you suddenly leave the palace?"

Li Hong smiled and said, "My father assigned me a task, and I wanted to ask you for help, so I came here."

Xue Ne hurriedly asked, "What kind of job?"

Li Hongdao said, "It's related to foreign envoys. By the way, isn't this the bow your father used to subdue the Tianshan Mountains with three arrows?"

Xue Ne said, "Yes, this bow is called the Heaven-Shaking Bow."

Li Hong asked, "Isn't General Xue in the mansion?"

Xue Ne said, "My father is ordered to train the Imperial Guards and only comes back once a month. He doesn't come back on holidays either."

Li Hong said with emotion, "Your father has worked hard."

Xue Ne said, "By the way, Your Highness, you haven't told me yet, what exactly did His Majesty ask you to do this time?"

Li Hong walked to a chair and sat down, saying, "It's like this. I heard that the nine kingdoms of Zhaowu originally planned to request permission from our Great Tang to pay taxes to the court and provide soldiers. However, for some reason, Kang Kingdom suddenly changed its mind, causing the other kingdoms to change their minds as well. My father ordered me to investigate the reason."

Xue Ne thought for a moment and said, "Why are they suddenly willing to pay taxes to the imperial court?"

Li Hongdao: "Do you remember a few months ago when the capital of Mu was captured by the Turks?"

Xue Ne said, "I remember, it caused quite a stir back then."

Li Hongdao said: "At that time, the prime minister of Mu State went to Anxi to demand an explanation, but Protector-General Pei ignored him because the Turks paid taxes to our Great Tang, while Mu State did not, so Protector-General Pei sided with the Turks."

Xue Ne suddenly realized, "That's why they proposed paying taxes, hoping that the court would no longer side with the Turks in their conflict with them?"

Li Hongdao: "That's roughly it."

Xue Ne stood up abruptly and said, "They agreed to pay taxes first, but now they refuse. They're just playing us for fools. Your Highness, I'll accompany you to question the Kangguo envoy right now!"

Suddenly, a childish voice came from outside the door: "You can't go!"

(End of this chapter)