Three Kingdoms Lords: Starting by walking into the mouth of a giant python

Chapter 78 Xiyuan Girls' School's Qi Observation Technique

Liu Xiu's father, Emperor Huan of Han, Liu Zhi, and mother, Deng Mengnu, died when he was five and three years old, respectively.

She was given the title of Princess Yangdi, with a fief of five hundred households. While not as wealthy as the richest woman, she still lived a life of luxury and extravagance.

But ever since her elder sister Liu Jian got married, she had had fewer people to talk to and play with. In the deep courtyard, she was lonely and unhappy.

It wasn't until the strange man arrived that she found something interesting.

Liu Xiu selected some extraordinary women to enter his residence, where they spent their days listening to stories, singing songs, receiving beauty treatments, playing cards, and engaging in games, enjoying themselves immensely.

When the current emperor's daughter, the newly appointed "Princess Wannian," came to visit, Liu Xiu insisted on getting her nails done.

Six-year-old Liu Shu shook her head in refusal, her rosy little face hardening as she said, "My ambition lies in military attire. I wish to emulate Fu Hao, to lead a thousand troops to conquer the Qiang."

Liu Xiu was stunned by what he heard, but a palace maid who had come with Liu Shu whispered in his ear, "The little princess often rides the princes while playing in the palace, patting her buttocks to call them horses and dancing with wooden swords. Consort He dislikes this and forbids her from playing with the princes. The little princess is bored, so she came to find the eldest princess."

Liu Xiu remained silent.

Liu Shu wasn't lying; she truly preferred military uniforms to feminine attire.

On the first day, she took her little wooden sword and sparred with the strange people and servants in Princess Yangdi's mansion.

The same thing happened the next day.

The third day was the same.

On the fourth day, the bruised and battered servant found Liu Xiu and said that the little princess was very intelligent and could find a good teacher to learn swordsmanship.

Liu Xiu readily accepted good advice.

Following the advice of an extraordinary person in the manor, they sought out Wang Yue, a valiant warrior from the capital, to teach the little princess swordsmanship.

Liu Shu had only practiced swordsmanship for seven days, yet she was undefeated in the Eastern Palace, Changqiu Palace, and Yong'an Palace, which made her feel extremely bored.

He came looking for Liu Xiu again.

This time when she entered the manor, she no longer sought out someone to duel with.

Instead, she summoned all the strange people, maids, and servants from Princess Yangdi's residence. The little princess held a scroll of "Wei Liao Zi" and demanded that banners be made, drums be beaten, and that troops be organized and ranks be formed.

Only after Liu Xiu asked did he learn that she had also heard about "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and wanted to train a troop of female warriors.

But the maids and young women had never experienced military battles before, and they were all badly ravaged.

Although most of the women had experienced military training, they were so exhausted that they were whimpering and collapsed on the ground.

The entire household was in complete chaos.

Fearing gossip, Liu Xiu ordered Liu Shu to halt her "military training" activities.

The little princess was very dissatisfied, and Liu Xiu, at his wit's end, sought advice from the people in the manor. A strange person said that what the little princess needed was not commoners, but "elite soldiers and strong generals".

The little princess asked, "Where can we find elite troops and strong generals?"

The strange people were speechless.

There are countless "powerful generals" in "Records of the Three Kingdoms" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," but princesses are not the rulers, so they would be difficult to recruit. And elite soldiers, especially "elite female soldiers," would be even harder to find.

After a long pause, someone suggested that it would be better to establish a girls' school. Girls from respectable families could be selected to enroll and taught archery, horsemanship, and martial arts. Once they had mastered their skills, they could become elite soldiers.

The little princess nodded in agreement and excitedly went to the Imperial Household Department to request a large house in the West Garden, which she then designated as the West Garden Girls' School. She also sent a letter to the governor of Henan Province, which stipulated that all girls, whether young children or blossoming young women, could enroll in the girls' school free of charge.

However, once the document was sent out, it disappeared without a trace, receiving no response.

Liu Shu did not give up and sent two more letters, but no one came.

The little princess was feeling down. Liu Xiu hesitated for a long time before pulling her aside. He said that he had used the [Moonlight Scroll] once when he was bored some time ago and obtained a technique from it called [Qi Observation Technique], which could help the little princess.

The little princess was curious about the function of the "aura-reading technique".

Liu Xiu said that her aura-gazing technique involves observing a hundred people every day, looking at each person's temperament and fortune.

For ordinary people, it is light white. For those facing misfortune, it is black.

Pure white and yellow, above average.

A bluish-yellow color like a flag indicates a high-ranking official; a bluish-red color like a soaring dragon indicates a wise and capable general or minister.

Those who resemble birds are often learned, while those who resemble beasts are often martial.

Those with all five colors resembling a coiled dragon represent emperors; those with brilliant light resembling a dancing phoenix represent empresses and concubines.

The little princess asked Liu Xiu how his breath was, and he replied that it was like that of a bluebird. The little princess was delighted.

Then, the two princesses went out to observe the weather.

On the first day, there was a reward: a young man entered the city with his mother, his spirit as fierce as a tiger. The little princess approached him and asked him questions, and learned that the young man was Taishi Ci, which made her overjoyed. She tried to recruit him several times, but his mother refused each time.

Liu Shu ran to find Liu Hong.

Liu Hong recruited Taishi Ci as a "Yulin Cavalryman" and ordered this twelve-year-old boy to guard Princess Wannian.

After Taishi Ci, Liu Xiu also witnessed many extraordinary phenomena, some resembling ferocious birds, others ferocious beasts. Princess Wannian tried to recruit them, but they completely ignored her.

After several failures, the little princess simply stopped seeking "good generals" and instead sought "female warriors" with pale and yellowish complexions.

The latter is also hard to find.

The aunt and niece spent ten days looking out from the city walls of Luoyang. Nearly a hundred people were suitable, but only twelve were chosen.

These twelve women, one of whom was an extraordinary person, and the remaining eleven were servants from wealthy families and strong village girls. They were all sent to a girls' school, where they were taught swordsmanship, archery, and horsemanship by instructors Wang Yue and Taishi Ci.

On the eleventh day, Liu Xiu and Liu Shu, as usual, sat on the city tower of Pingcheng Gate. After all the officials came up to pay their respects, only the city gate magistrate remained, while the others went about their business.

Over the past ten days, they have gotten used to it.

Princess Wannian remained full of energy, pointing and gesturing at the flow of people coming and going at the city gate.

This one is quite robust, but he's really too ugly, so let's skip him.

Then they said that one of them was plump and full of heroic spirit, and that the Imperial Aunt should take a look.

……

The city gate magistrate stood three zhang away, eyes downcast and silent. Only after Princess Yangdi had "taken a liking" to the person did he instruct the gatekeepers to invite him up to the city tower.

Today, there have been five invitations, all from the families of Beijing officials and daughters of prominent families, but all have declined the invitations for the two princesses to attend the girls' school.

Just when the city gate magistrate thought that today would be like yesterday, with nothing to show for it, Princess Yangdi suddenly stood up and stared at the woman below the city wall with great emotion.

They exclaimed in amazement, "How can this be such a strange sight?" and "How can a dragon and a phoenix be gathered together?"

The city gate magistrate was curious. Princess Wannian stood on bricks and tiles, peering down through the crenellations, but before she could see clearly, the woman had already entered Pingcheng Gate.

The city gate commander wanted to send someone to invite her, but Princess Yangdi said no, she would go herself.

The two women went downstairs and chased after her. Princess Wannian discovered that the one who had caused her imperial aunt to lose her composure was actually a delicate and frail young woman, as graceful as a willow in the wind.

Judging from her age, she is about the same age as my aunt.

------

Li Yu felt uncomfortable having his wrist grabbed, so he shook off the girl's soft hand and asked, "Who are you?"

The two princesses revealed their identities and extended an invitation.

Li Yu understood.

In the dream, there is also the Xiyuan Girls' School, which was run by Wannian and Yangdi. However, after Liu Hong bestowed a marriage upon Liu Xiu, marrying Huangfu Li, the nephew of Huangfu Yizhen, the Xiyuan Girls' School disappeared without a trace.

The aunt and niece extended a warm invitation, but Li Yu found it troublesome and didn't want to bother them. However, after thinking about their identities, he accepted their invitation after they repeatedly invited him.

Liu Shu cheered with joy. Liu Xiu then asked the young lady her name, whether she had any companions, and whether she had any relatives in the city. Li Yu answered "Wang Rong," and then shook his head repeatedly.

Princess Yangdi stopped observing the weather and directly led Li Yu, along with two horses, to the West Garden.

On the way, Liu Shu asked Liu Xiu what Wang Rong's "qi" looked like. Liu Xiu didn't answer, but when pressed, he said that it was similar to Wang Rong's and had the appearance of a blue phoenix.

Li Yu only then realized that Liu Xiu possessed "extraordinary skills," and it was a pity that she was just a housewife who supported her husband and raised her children in the [dream].

After entering the West Garden and settling in on food, lodging and other trivial matters, Li Yu met with the two instructors.

Thirteen-year-old Taishi Ci, with a youthful face and still going through puberty, was leading a horse, his face serious, as he explained riding techniques to twelve female students.

When the handsome Wang Rong arrived, the Grand Historian nodded slightly and ordered him to take his place.

After the explanation, the students stepped forward one by one. Some jumped onto the horse and were led a few steps by the instructor; others hesitated and only dared to reach out and touch the horse's tail.

When it was Wang Rong's turn, the imperial historian asked, "Have you ever ridden a horse before?"

[Wang Rong] nodded: "I started learning horsemanship two days ago and rode into Luoyang."

You studied for two days?

The imperial historian thought for a moment and said, "You should practice how to sit and how to move on horseback."

[Wang Rong] nodded, took the reins, and leaped onto the horse. He spurred the reins and the yellow horse galloped away.

The parted hair buns resemble swallow tails, fluttering and undulating.

The ribbons on her skirt fluttered in the wind.

[Wang Rong], amidst the stunned silence of the two instructors, the second princess, and the twelve students, spurred his horse and galloped around the training ground.

Then, the sound of hooves thundered as the horse galloped back.

Amidst the students' horrified screams, [Wang Rong] reined in his horse and stopped a foot away from the Grand Historian instructor.

A strong gust of wind hit his face, and the boy instinctively took a step back.

This...this is called "beginning to learn the art of horsemanship"??

(End of this chapter)