Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn

Chapter 19

Standing to the side with his head down, accepting his punishment, Lin Zhao reached into the jar and took out a note, handing it to Song Zhixuan. Song Zhixuan opened it and read, "Sing a song."

Thankfully, it was just singing, not some other random stuff. I secretly rejoiced. After a little preparation, I sang a children's song I often sang during Chinese New Year when I was a child:

Happy New Year! Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone!

We sing, we dance.

Happy New Year to everyone!

After I finished singing, Lin Zhao stared at me with wide eyes and exclaimed indignantly, "Is this singing? Does this even count?"

I looked up at him defiantly, and Song Zhixuan quickly said, "Alright, alright, barely passed!"

Lin Zhao then gave up, took out another slip of paper from the jar, and Song Zhixuan took it and read it aloud: "Imitate ten monkey movements."

Upon hearing this, Wang Wenli was stunned and glared at Lin Zhao with hatred, while I chuckled with delight.

"Fine, a bet's a bet, Lin Zhao. I'll get my revenge next time." Wang Wenli resignedly started playing the monkey in the snow, which made everyone burst into laughter again.

After the punishment was over, Wang Wenli and I became the judges, and Song Zhixuan and Shi Nan took to the stage. With the lessons learned from our previous experience and their own keen observation as bystanders, Song Zhixuan and Shi Nan cooperated seamlessly. The two covered for each other, defending and attacking at the same time, and soon Lin Zhao and Chen Jin were defeated.

Song Zhixuan pulled out a note that read "Frog jumps twenty times" and showed it to Chen Jin. Chen Jin squatted down in the snow and jumped twenty times.

Shi Nan also picked up a note, opened it, and burst into laughter, a stark contrast to his usual refined and taciturn demeanor.

"Take a look for yourself." Shi Nan handed the note to Lin Zhao, who took it and her face turned bright red.

"This doesn't count, start over." Lin Zhao threw the note away. I picked it up and looked at it. It turned out to be the one that said "Sing a song while dressed as a woman."

I immediately burst out laughing and squatted down in the snow, rubbing my stomach. Song Zhixuan and Chen Jin came over and looked at Lin Zhao with schadenfreude.

Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, Lin Zhao awkwardly sang a little tune in a high-pitched voice. Although I couldn't hear it very clearly, his strange appearance was enough to make me laugh until tears streamed down my face.

Perhaps we were playing too enthusiastically and laughing too loudly, because before we knew it, everyone who had been inside the dining hall had come out to watch us with great interest. Sharing joy is worse than enjoying it alone, so what was originally a game for six people outside turned into a game for everyone, regardless of age, height, weight, or seniority. We were just a group of kids who couldn't spend the New Year with our families, and we were all enjoying ourselves to the fullest on this special day.

Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 016

Chapter word count: 4093 Last updated: 09-07-25 14:03

The sixteenth day of the first month of the twelfth year of Tianxuan was a day of special significance to us.

That morning, we had a particularly lavish breakfast, and after breakfast, we had half an hour to rest.

Although it was supposed to be a rest period, probably no one felt relaxed, because after the rest, everyone would have to go on stage to compete.

Master Kong had already said that today's competition would begin with one-on-one duels, mainly testing individual abilities and skills.

I believe Jiang Ming is a master of opportunism. With the techniques he has taught us these past few days, plus the countless rehearsals between Lin Zhao, Song Zhixuan, and me, we should not lose.

After resting, everyone gathered at the training ground. A platform had been set up on the side of the field for Prince Qing, Prince Shen Haoyu, and several masters to sit on and watch from above, while Meng Yue, as the judge, stood below.

I kept doing warm-up exercises on the side, feeling a little excited. If I could play some music, I might be able to find some of the feeling I had at the school sports meet in the past. The atmosphere now is really far from what it used to be.

Eight out of ten princes were chosen to compete against us. The eight of us lined up and drew lots. We had two bottles, one with our performance number and the other with our opponent's name. I drew number three and went on stage. When I saw my opponent's name, I gasped.

"What's wrong?" Song Zhixuan asked, puzzled.

“My opponent is Zhang Shiguang,” I said with a mournful face.

Zhang Shiguang is said to be the strongest member of the Jade Guard. He is strong, powerful, and has solid kung fu skills. He is favored by Master Kong. How can I, with my fancy but ineffective kung fu, not be afraid?

Song Zhixuan looked at me sympathetically and said, "It's not shameful to lose to him; you're the youngest among us."

"It's not about losing face. Look at his big size. I'm afraid of getting hurt. I'd rather just get punched a few times and then leave the ring." I almost wailed.

"Please, have some backbone! How do you know you're bound to lose if you haven't even tried your best?" Lin Zhao said irritably. He wasn't having an easy time either. His opponent, Zhao Ming, was the son of Zhao Quan, a bodyguard of Prince Qing. Zhao Ming had learned exceptional skills under Zhao Quan's tutelage since childhood, making him far beyond the reach of children like them. Song Zhixuan was luckier; compared to the other two, his opponent, Yang Cheng, wasn't particularly formidable.

I was wondering how Lin Zhao and I ended up with the two most formidable opponents? Was it luck? Or misfortune?

"I'm telling you, don't worry too much. The disparity in strength in this competition is too great. In my opinion, the higher-ups don't necessarily want us to produce any outstanding results. They just hope that everyone will do their best and see what we're capable of," Shi Nan, who hadn't said much before, suddenly blurted out.

“That makes sense. Let’s all do our best,” Song Zhixuan agreed.

I sneered inwardly, thinking, "It's not you who's going to get punched!"

After Prince Qing and Shen Haoyu, whom he had only met once since entering the mansion, took their seats, Master Kong signaled that the Meng-Yue competition could begin.

The first to take the stage were Chen Jin and a skinny boy whom they didn't know very well. Since everyone practiced separately, they didn't know each other very well, especially since there always seemed to be an invisible gap between the new recruits and the princes' children. They didn't usually interact much, even though Master Kong repeatedly emphasized the unity of the "Yuwei Team".

After exchanging greetings, the two began exchanging blows. Chen Jin was agile and quick, constantly disrupting his opponent; the boy was steady and reserved, throwing few punches, mostly keeping a close eye on Chen Jin and only striking when the opportunity presented itself, which seemed to align with my principles. Chen Jin had too many tricks up his sleeve; if we couldn't finish the fight quickly, his stamina would be depleted rapidly, and defeat would be inevitable.

"Chen Jin is about to lose," Song Zhixuan said softly.

Sure enough, within ten moves, the skinny boy changed his style, throwing punches like lightning, fast and fierce. Chen Jin had no chance to resist and was defeated.

Someone shouted "Good!" and the prince's sons cheered loudly.

Lin Zhao glanced at them and said, "I really don't know what they're so happy about. They've studied for so long, is it really worth being so happy to beat us?"

I suddenly felt that the "Yu Guard" might not be able to meet Master Kong's expectations. There was already a gap in background between the new recruits and the princes' children. Regardless of their family background or anything else, the princes' children had never really looked down on us. Now, this competition might have sown even more seeds of discord, making it even harder for us to work together in the future.

While we were pondering, Li Changzhi, whom we weren't very familiar with, stepped forward and began sparring with Zhao Chuan, the son of Zhao Song, another of Prince Qing's bodyguards. All four of Prince Qing's personal bodyguards were granted the surname Zhao, and five out of the ten princes' children were their sons or relatives. Zhao Chuan was far inferior to Zhao Ming; perhaps his strength wasn't in martial arts, but in other areas he might have been stronger than Zhao Ming.

I shuddered when I caught a glimpse of Zhang Shiguang's tall figure. Lin Zhao looked at me with disdain, and Song Zhixuan chuckled and twitched his lips.