Ah Hao paused again, and Ling Xiao was also stunned. She even opened her mouth wide in surprise, looking at Ah Hao in disbelief. Zhang Yu spoke with such certainty that neither of them doubted his words for a moment.
Fang Rong returned shortly, carrying three gourds. Each gourd was pierced by a long arrow, with traces of blood seeping from them. These were the three gourds that belonged to A-Hao during the competition. The pigeons inside the gourds hadn't flown out because they had been killed by the arrows.
When Fang Rong looked at Ahao again, her expression became extremely complicated. It couldn't be that she had tampered with anything; then the person in front of her truly possessed such abilities. This was completely different from what she had imagined. How could Ahao do something she herself couldn't? Besides, Ahao looked so delicate and frail.
Even though she still found it unbelievable and couldn't understand it, Fang Rong was willing to accept defeat and readily said, "Your Majesty the Empress has excellent archery skills; it is I who am inferior to you."
But Ah Hao still didn't understand what was going on. Fang Rong had confirmed that it should be as Zhang Yu said, but when did her archery skills become so good? She nodded dizzily, but before she could speak, she heard a burst of laughter like a bronze bell coming from behind her.
Fang Rong took two steps forward and respectfully called out, "Father," before standing beside Fang Renguang. General Fang looked at his daughter and said with a smile, "Appearances can be deceiving. Her Majesty the Empress is truly an eye-opener." He then looked at Zhang Yu and added, "The people His Majesty has raised are indeed extraordinary."
Ah Hao turned around with Zhang Yu and saw a tall, imposing, and robust middle-aged man striding towards them. He had a thick beard and looked quite rugged, with a hideous scar near his hairline on his forehead. Fang Rong stood next to him, and it was hard to tell that they were father and daughter.
Fang Renguang's words left Ahao somewhat dazed, but Zhang Yu had already smiled and said, "Your daughter is quite like you, truly a rare heroine of the Great Qi." Judging from his words, he held this General Fang in high esteem.
Standing beside Zhang Yu, Ahao was still bewildered by her victory over Fang Rong, so she simply smiled and remained silent. She probably needed to go back and ask Zhang Yu if he really hadn't pulled any strings for her. Ling Xiao greeted Fang Renguang and then remained silent.
Fang Renguang nodded slightly to Ling Xiao and continued, following Zhang Yu's words, "Your Majesty is too kind. With the Empress's demeanor and strength, the matter Your Majesty mentioned earlier should be without problem." However, as soon as he said this, another question appeared in Ahao's mind.
Zhang Yu chuckled twice, his brows relaxing, but he only said, "That's true, but we still need to consider this carefully."
·
As punishment for Zhang Yu's unauthorized decision to have her compete with Fang Rong and for concealing his true identity, Ahao did not ride with him on their return to Qiwu Prefecture. Ling Xiao still had matters to attend to, so she remained in the military camp when they left.
Feigning anger, she returned to her room, whereupon a maid brought in warm water to help Ah Hao and Zhang Yu wash up. Ah Hao recognized the maid immediately. The maid before her had skin as white as snow, lips like red nail polish, and a very full figure with ample breasts. It was hard to mistake someone so striking; she had appeared before or not.
For Song Shuhao, who was currently feigning dislike for Zhang Yu, this was undoubtedly another handle against him. She glanced at Zhang Yu with a half-smile, then looked the maid over twice. The maid noticed Song Shuhao's gaze, lowered her head shyly, revealing a section of her elegant, snow-white neck.
If it weren't for A-Hao's expression, Zhang Yu wouldn't have even given that person a second glance. Seeing A-Hao arguing with him on the way, he was worried about really upsetting her, since keeping this from her wasn't a small matter. Right now, he just wanted to appease her quickly and had no time to think about anything else.
Upon noticing the maid, Zhang Yu's face instantly darkened. He couldn't understand how Lü Yuan and Lü Chuan had managed to let such a person in, especially since Song Shuhao was still acting this way. He ordered the maid to leave. The beautiful maid turned pale, stole a glance at Zhang Yu who exuded a cold and unapproachable aura, and despite her resentment, she finally left.
Zhang Yu pinched Ahao's cheek and said, "I'll deal with you when I get back." Then he walked out of the room. Seeing Lü Yuan's startled look when he saw the maid, Zhang Yu's expression darkened even more. "Send her to Zhang Wenzhou and tell him that I'm giving him a beautiful concubine, and that he should enjoy her."
Lu Yuan readily agreed and immediately went to handle the matter. Before Zhang Yu and Ahao arrived in Tongcheng, Zhang Wenzhou was in charge of cleaning and managing Qiwu Mansion. Even if this wasn't his intention or had little to do with him, Zhang Yu wasn't entirely wrong to come to him to settle accounts.
Zhang Wenzhou's wife was extremely formidable, keeping him under her thumb for over a decade after their marriage. He remained obedient and didn't dare to breathe too loudly in front of her. Now, with this unexpected turn of events, a beautiful woman had inexplicably appeared in their room. Without Zhang Yu lifting a finger, Madam Zhang had already taken matters into her own hands, tidying up and making arrangements as needed.
Lu Yuan hadn't expected that a moment's inattention would allow someone with ulterior motives to slip in; this was truly a dereliction of duty. Given the current state of the Emperor and Empress, even with his greatest audacity, he wouldn't dare to cause such a foolish disturbance.
Leading the maid out of Qiwu Mansion, Lü Yuan thought to himself that similar things were not uncommon; he had encountered many such incidents both inside and outside the palace. Fortunately, Song Shuhao was not a sharp-tongued or shrewish person; otherwise, how could she have endured it?
Song Shuhao, who was not known for her sharp tongue or shrewish nature in Lu Yuan's eyes, was now settling scores with Zhang Yu. When Zhang Yu returned to the room, she sat on the edge of the bed and said with a grin, "Such a beauty, and His Majesty doesn't even cherish her. Look how scared he's made her pale. It's quite heartbreaking to see."
This wasn't the first time Zhang Yu had seen her sharp tongue, but that time it was directed at Prince Ning, and he didn't care, even finding it quite endearing. Now that Song Shuhao was acting this way towards him, he understood what it meant to have mixed feelings of love and hate. Even though he knew perfectly well that she was speaking on purpose, he was still a little annoyed, but it wasn't worth it.
He patiently sat down on the edge of the bed, ignoring Ah Hao's words, and said to himself, "My Ah Hao was really amazing today, she even outshone the female general." He had a very coaxing attitude.
The phrase "my Ah Hao" seems to echo the phrase Ling Xiao often uses when talking to Ah Hao, "your man." Ah Hao clearly thought of this as well, but her expression remained unchanged as she tilted her head, "Perhaps he's been possessed by General Yang Youji of the Chu Kingdom from the history books?"
"Wasn't it because I taught you well in the past?" Zhang Yu raised an eyebrow and asked rhetorically. Ahao chuckled and said nothing more. Zhang Yu's face darkened, but he leaned forward, his expression softening as he said, "So, you admit it's mine?" A gentle smile bloomed on his face. "But I didn't expect you to have such archery skills. You deserve a proper reward."
Knowing full well what Zhang Yu's reward would be, Ahao glanced at him sideways and said, "I dare not accept such praise. Since even His Majesty did not expect it, shouldn't we go and comfort General Fang, who may have been hurt? After all, she lost to someone like me. I wonder if she can recover from that defeat."
“I just didn’t expect you to be able to shoot straight through the gourd, not that I didn’t expect you to win.” Zhang Yu corrected her. “She underestimated you and lost to you. It’s a good thing that her arrogance has been dampened.”
Ah Hao nodded in understanding and pondered, "So His Majesty asked me to compete with someone without consulting him in order to help others. If that's the case, then it's easy to understand." He thought Song Shuhao had calmed down, but she didn't expect that her words would still be a distortion of his meaning, making him choke.
After being repeatedly rebuffed by Ahao, Zhang Yu finally couldn't hold back any longer and said through gritted teeth, "Are you trying to drive me to my death?"
Ah Hao wasn't buying it and was becoming increasingly unafraid of him. She said seriously, "How could I dare? If I really did that, how many girls' hearts would be broken! I simply can't take responsibility for that."
She kept harping on this point, and Zhang Yu couldn't deny that he hadn't brought those women into the family; even if he could deny it, he couldn't deny that he had had many concubines. He was destined to be at a disadvantage, unable to refute her.
Zhang Yu's smile vanished. He stared at Ahao for a while, then reached out and patted her head, saying, "You must be tired after all this commotion. You should rest for a bit."
Ah Hao knew he was angry, angry but dared not vent it on her, so she kept it to herself, and for a moment her face showed a hurt expression. She thought back on her words and realized that they had indeed embarrassed Zhang Yu. Thinking about it this way, it seemed that she had been spoiled, which was why she dared to be so presumptuous in front of him, taking advantage of his affection.
Zhang Yu got up, wanting to go out and calm down, but his sleeve was tugged. A soft hand reached into his sleeve, found his half-clenched fist, and slowly pried it open, seemingly very determined. Looking down into A-Hao's eyes, he instantly lost all his anger.
After a moment of silence and eye contact with Zhang Yu, A-Hao held his hand, then lowered her eyes to study the lines on his palm. Zhang Yu knew she wouldn't cause any more trouble, and a slight smile played on his lips, but he quickly masked his emotions. He deliberately withdrew his hand and asked calmly, "Is there anything else?"
Ah Kan glanced at him, then at him again, lowered her head, and said softly to Zhang Yu, "Dishonest children won't get candy." Her words seemed to contain a hint of helplessness, and also a sigh.
Zhang Yu's lips curled up again, his eyes full of laughter, and he asked, "What if you're very honest?" A-Hao seemed to think seriously for a long time before answering, "You'll get lots and lots of candy."
"Let me consider it."
He spoke as if he were the one Ah-hao was talking about who would get lots of candy.
·
Nie Zhiyuan's army set off earlier than Zhang Yu and Ahao's group, but arrived in Tongcheng a little later. The army did not enter Tongcheng, but instead set up camp and rested about fifteen miles outside the city.
Zhang Yu still hadn't revealed his intentions to Ahao, but news of Ahao's contest with Fang Rong had spread within the military camp. Fang Rong had been in a bad mood for several days, and anyone could guess that she had most likely lost the contest. This was something that easily seemed unbelievable, because everyone knew that Fang Rong was very skilled.
For the next few days, Ahao followed Lingxiao to the military camp for work and study. After arriving in Tongcheng, she became very busy and didn't see Fang Rong again. When she met the older women and girls again, they treated Ahao with even more respect than on the first day and started calling her "Your Highness," indicating that they already knew her identity.
As the army arrived in Tongcheng, Zhang Yu became busier each day, as did Lü Yuan and Lü Chuan, who were by his side. Even though they were both in the military camp, he often couldn't see Ahao or eat with her. However, every time Zhang Yu finished his work, he would go to pick Ahao up and take her back to Qiwu Prefecture. Ahao felt more at ease working for Ling Xiao and didn't always care about Zhang Yu.
Gradually, Ah Hao became familiar with the tasks Ling Xiao was handling and also learned the first-aid techniques Ling Xiao taught others. Perhaps because she was so approachable and easy to talk to, the older women and young women were all willing to stay with her and didn't mind working with her. In their spare time, they would ask her to tell them gossip about Lin'an City or stories from the novels they had read.
That day, Zhang Yu finished his tasks faster than usual. As he walked outside the tent, he heard Ah Hao seemingly telling a story. Zhang Yu stopped and listened for a while; it was about a scholar and a flower fairy.
Pingping told her story vividly, and the others listened attentively. When Ahao spoke, there was no other sound. When she got to the funny parts, everyone burst into laughter, creating a lively atmosphere.
Zhang Yu didn't go into the tent, nor did he ask anyone to announce his arrival. He stood outside the tent, coughed softly, and less than fifteen minutes later, Ahao came out. When she saw that it really was Zhang Yu, she was a little surprised, not because he was there, but because he had arrived so early today, even though it wasn't even noon yet.