Chapter 206 Falling from the Horse

The scene fell into absolute silence. According to the agreement, if Mei Yanqiu lost, she would have to plow the fields. Mei Yanqiu represented the literati, a group who considered themselves noble and utterly despised these farmers who toiled on the land. Mei Yanqiu's loss was akin to a resounding slap in the face for these arrogant, poetry-reading scholars.

The long silent Zhao Kangning suddenly snorted, "Lin San, what if you won this round? You indeed have mastery over couplets, but by using your strengths to attack my teacher's weaknesses, don't you feel it's a bit unfair?"

Lin Wanrong replied with a faint smile, "Fair? The Young Prince speaks well. Has there ever been fairness in this world? Just now, you all spoke freely, mocking the hardworking woman. On what basis? It's nothing more than believing you are superior! Have you ever considered 'fairness' at that moment? Now that the situation is unfavorable to you, you seek fairness. You want all the good things in this world."

"Well, what a silver tongue you have," Zhao Kangning huffed, "Since you're skilled at couplets, you dared to criticize my teacher through them. Today, I will stand up for my teacher. Lin San, I challenge you to a duel, don't say I am bullying you."

‘Damn, when he can't win he brings out his prince status,’ Lin Wanrong snorted in his mind, but heard the Young Prince continue, "Just now, you dueled with my teacher in a battle of wits, now I shall duel with you in a battle of..."

Before he could finish, Luo Ning exclaimed, "No-"

All eyes fell on her. Luo Ning blushed and said, "The competition between Lin San and our teacher was fair. A physical contest may result in injuries. We came here today for leisure, we should not spoil our mood because of this." She knew Lin Wanrong was knowledgeable, but when it came to physical combat, he certainly wouldn't be a match for the Young Prince, so naturally, she wanted to stop it.

Zhao Kangning laughed heartily, "Miss Luo misunderstood my intentions. The martial contest I mentioned is not a one-on-one fight, but a different kind of competition." Zhao Kangning waved his hand and commanded loudly, "Bring the bow!"

Several followers immediately knelt to present a golden longbow. Zhao Kangning took it, strung the bow, and pointed to the forest ahead, "Everyone, watch carefully. There is a big tree a hundred steps away. Today, Lin San and I will compete in archery. We will ride and shoot arrows at the tree from a hundred steps away. Whoever hits the tree wins, and the one who fails loses."

The crowd suddenly understood that he was challenging Lin Wanrong to a horseback archery contest. Young Prince Ning was known to excel in both literature and martial arts, and many in the field had heard of his fame. As scholars, they had never witnessed such a scene of shooting a tree on horseback, so they began to cheer loudly, eager to witness the legendary archery that could penetrate willows at a hundred steps.

A hundred steps? The steps of the ancients were small, Lin Wanrong estimated the distance to be about fifty meters. ‘Damn, knowing I've never shot an arrow, he came up with this harmful idea,’ Lin Wanrong thought secretly.

Seeing Lin Wanrong's troubled expression, Zhao Kangning laughed aloud, "Lin San, you used your strengths to slightly surpass my teacher. As his student, I should also use my strengths to defeat you. Do you dare to accept the challenge?"

Lin Wanrong shook his head, "Young Prince, I am but a humble servant. I've hardly ridden a horse, let alone shot an arrow from horseback. This competition of yours is indeed very 'fair'."

Zhao Kangning laughed, "If you haven't shot an arrow before, that's fine. You don't have to use an arrow. Just ride on the horse and from a hundred steps away, regardless of the method, even if you throw a stone and hit that tree, I will admit defeat. What do you think?"

The crowd buzzed at once. The Young Prince was willing to admit defeat even if a stone was thrown and hit the target. The Young Prince's reputation for benevolence was indeed well deserved. These were all weak scholars who didn't understand the trick to this. To throw a stone and hit a tree from a hundred steps away was much more difficult than shooting an arrow at a hundred steps.

"Cunning," Lin Wanrong muttered to himself. The Young Prince was making a show of defending his teacher, not only expressing his filial piety but also suggesting that this method of competition was extremely favorable to Lin San. This once again showed his benevolence. ‘Damn, he is even more hypocritical than me.’

"Lin San, can you shoot an arrow?" Young Master Guo asked, tugging Lin Wanrong's sleeve and whispering, "Shall we skip this contest?"

"I can't," Lin Wanrong shook his head. "Young Master, can you shoot arrows?"

Guo Wuchang shook his head, "If it were a contest of peeing, I would have confidence in competing. But an archery competition is not my strong suit."

"Lin San, have you made your decision?" Zhao Kangning asked with a smile, "If you choose to give up, I won't make things difficult for you. The bet you made with my teacher will be erased. We will also admit that your couplet was excellent."

"What if, by some chance, I win?" Lin Wanrong asked, grinning, "What then?"

"You win?" Zhao Kangning chuckled lightly, "I haven't considered that. How about this, if you do win, from then on, whenever I see you, I will make a detour. If I can't avoid you, I will treat you with the respect due to a teacher. Everyone here can bear witness."

‘Thinking of making me his teacher, damn, he's dreaming.’ Lin Wanrong laughed, "Since the Young Prince is so sincere, alright then. I will compete in this round, even though I'm certain to lose. But in order to fulfill the Young Prince's filial piety, I have to try."

When the crowd saw Lin San agree, they cheered instantly. Luo Ning walked up to Lin Wanrong, gently tugged his sleeve, and voiced her worry, "Brother Lin, Zhao Kangning has been learning archery since he was a child. Don't overdo it. Be careful not to hurt yourself and worry Qiaoqiao."

Lin Wanrong nodded seriously, "Miss Luo, don't worry about me. Although I'm a bit brutish, I'm not stupid. If I can't beat him, I'll certainly run."

Luo Ning gave him a worried look. Meanwhile, Zhao Kangning had already ordered his men to bring out two horses, one black and one white. He said to Lin Wanrong, "For fairness, Lin San, you can choose a horse first. The one you leave behind will be mine."

The two horses, one black and one white, were both tall, mighty, and handsome. It was hard to choose between them. Lin Wanrong took out a bottle of perfume from his pocket and rubbed it hard on his right hand. Smiling, he said, "If my hands smell nice, maybe God will help me choose a good horse."

Young Master Guo looked puzzled, "Can perfume help you pick a good horse? Next time I go to Miaoyu Pavilion, I'll wear some perfume too."

‘Applying some perfume to your own thing might be more like it,’ Lin Wanrong laughed heartily, walking up to the two horses. He had a knack for judging people, but his skills in appraising horses were rudimentary. He touched the black horse with his left hand, and the white horse with his right, feeling their heads and bodies for quite a while, but was still unable to decide. However, the two horses reacted differently under his hands. The black horse on his left was quiet, while the white horse on his right kept neighing, shaking its head as if it found him disagreeable.

A northern scholar impatiently said, "It's not like you're choosing a wife, why are you touching them so much?"

Lin Wanrong laughed, "Oh? I wonder how many times this gentleman touched his wife when he was choosing? Could it be even longer than me?" The crowd erupted in laughter, the ladies present all blushed, covering their mouths and chuckling. The scholar's face turned red and he didn't dare to say another word. When it came to witty retorts, he was no match for Lin San.

After feeling them again, Lin Wanrong finally pointed at the black horse, "This one has healthier skin and is as handsome as me. I'll take this one."

Zhao Kangning laughed, "Very well, then I'll use the white horse. Lin San, what will you use? An arrow?"

‘Use cheap tricks?’ Lin Wanrong chuckled, bending down to pick up a small stone from the ground, "I'll try this."

Everyone looked on in wonder as he truly intended to throw a stone at the tree. But they had long grown accustomed to his unconventional techniques. Zhao Kangning walked up to the white horse and gently stroked it a couple of times. The horse was not very tame, and kept shaking its head. Meanwhile, the black horse next to Lin Wanrong appeared relatively calm.

"Lin San, who will shoot first?" Zhao Kangning asked, taking the longbow handed to him by his attendant.

"Of course, you should go first. I can hold out for a long time," Lin Wanrong said with a grin, leaving the crowd puzzled by his words.

"Alright." Zhao Kangning shouted, grabbed the reins with his left hand, swung onto the horse, and gripped the horse's back with his legs. The white horse neighed instantly. Zhao Kangning, in his silver outfit and on his silver horse, looked more majestic and heroic than ever. The ladies present watched the Young Prince with envy.

Lin Wanrong whispered something in Guo Wuchang's ear, and Young Master Guo nodded slightly. Luo Ning, standing next to him, asked, "Brother Lin, what are you and Young Master Guo discussing?"

Lin Wanrong shook his head and chuckled, "Ah, our Young Prince is indeed the epitome of grace, just like a prince on his white steed."

As he spoke, Zhao Kangning saluted everyone from atop the white horse. With the longbow in his right hand and the reins shaken with his left, the horse shot off like an arrow. The duo, man and horse, emanated an imposing aura.

Zhao Kangning spurred his horse to gallop parallel to the big tree. The white horse seemed a bit fiery, gently shaking its head, but he paid it little heed. As he dashed towards his target, steadied his body, and released the reins, his bow was held horizontally with a golden-feathered arrow already on the string.

Seeing him mount, draw his bow, and notch his arrow all in one fluid motion, the crowd cheered at his clean and efficient action. Lin Wanrong's heart skipped a beat. The lad indeed had some skill.

Zhao Kangning locked onto his target, pulled back the bowstring, and with a soft shout, the golden-feathered arrow was instantly let loose. Unexpectedly, the white horse suddenly neighed loudly, shaking its head while its front hooves lifted off the ground. The arrow, released in the instant the horse leapt, deviated considerably, grazing the edge of the tree, causing a few pieces of bark to fly off. He had missed the target by a fraction.

At the time of the shot, Zhao Kangning relied solely on his body to maintain balance. The sudden leap of the horse caught him off guard, and he began to fall rapidly. His excellent equestrian skills saved him from a face-first fall as his feet caught the stirrups just in time, preventing him from landing in a most embarrassing manner. Even so, he ended up half of his face down in the dirt, hair disheveled, looking utterly pitiful.

"The Young Prince has fallen from his horse! Everyone, quickly, go save him!" Lin Wanrong, watching with glee, saw that Guo Wuchang had already started shouting for help.