The Three Spirit Stones

The weather is very good today, the sun is shining brightly, the competition site at Xuandemen Square is already full of spectators, and there are also many vendors selling snacks and breakfast.

These people's business is very good, because many people come early to reserve a seat and haven't had breakfast yet, so they can buy food and chat while waiting.

Just as it was 12 o'clock, a large group of Kaifeng government officials appeared on the scene. They were responsible for separating the crowd. Another group of government officials escorted several heavy boxes onto the stage, and then brought two chairs and placed them next to the boxes.

After waiting for another quarter of an hour, a group of people surrounded the four people and walked onto the stage.

The first one was Kou Zhun, followed by Cheng Yu, then Yelu Yuan and A Cai.

After coming to the stage, Kou Zhun personally checked the pot and arrows for pitching pots. These were proper tools for pitching pots, not the big jar that Guan Dadang used to coax Ah Cai.

Then, he asked someone to open the box. Under the sunlight, the box suddenly shone with golden light, and the audience below the stage exclaimed "Wow"!

After the number was counted, Cheng Yu sat on the chair next to the gold. This was Ah Cai's request. She said that all the spoils should be displayed publicly, and whoever wins can take away all the gold and the man.

It was also her request to let Kou Zhun be the judge. She said that a person of high moral character must be present to check the gold for her, and that he could not fool her with copper coins like he did last time.

Zhao Heng's mouth twitched when he heard this.

The first to come on stage was Yelu Yuan.

Today she wore a beige long gown with a moon-white horse-faced skirt underneath, and had a tasseled bun. With her exquisite makeup, she looked absolutely beautiful and charming!

There was a hint of tenderness in her eyes as she glanced at Cheng Yu who was sitting there lazily.

Cheng Yu was still wearing a moon-white brocade robe, with one hand supporting his smooth chin, his sword-like eyebrows reaching his temples, and a slight arc at the corner of his mouth.

What a charming and elegant posture!

When he saw Yelu Yuan looking at him, he raised his eyebrows and smiled at her. Yelu Yuan also smiled knowingly at him.

She had a very happy time these days. Cheng Yu accompanied her to visit scenic spots around the capital. She found that this man was different from all the noble men she had seen.

He is knowledgeable, insightful, able to analyze problems very deeply, has unusual insights into some common problems faced by the people, and can even point out the crux of these problems. The two have many similar views, which makes Yelu Yuan feel that he had met him too late!

He was very respectful and considerate to her, which could be seen from some small things. For example, when they went out to eat, he would first pull out the chair for her to sit on, and would first wash the bowls, chopsticks and cups with boiling water before handing them to her. He would naturally put delicious dishes in front of her, and would let her walk on the good side when encountering a bumpy road.

These are things Yelu Yuan has never experienced from other noble men.

Although she was the most honorable princess of Liao, in this male-dominated society, women were naturally inferior to men. Although she was surrounded by servants, they only served her, not respected or cared for her.

So, these days Cheng Yu brought her a very strange and comfortable feeling, which made her more determined to win this game.

……

The glances between the two made Sun Yuechan in the audience very angry. She had already cursed all eighteen generations of Cheng Yu's ancestors in her heart.

Look at that silly Cai again, he looks so unimpressed, just staring at those boxes of gold.

She thought, if you can look at me, just look at me as much as possible, because soon neither the gold nor the man will be yours.

At this time, Kou Zhun stood up on the stage and announced that the game of pitching pots would begin.

He sat a little far away. He didn't want to be so close to Cheng Yu and the pile of gold, because Ah Cai had said before that the spoils should be displayed publicly on the stage, and he thought this sentence was a bit strange.

He was not very willing to be the referee. He was the most senior official in the dynasty, a man who could make the whole capital city of Bianjing tremble with just one stomp of his feet. He dealt with important state affairs every day. Now he had to be a referee for a woman's jealousy?

He really felt that it was a waste of his time, but he dared not disobey the emperor's order.

He also had a question in his mind, why Zhao Heng seemed to be so wary of A Cai.

At this time, Yelu Yuan was standing on the stage,

She picked up a feather arrow and weighed it, closed her eyes and felt the wind direction and speed, and assessed the distance to the spout.

Holding her breath, she raised her hand and shot the slender feather arrow right into the pot.

"it is good,"

Everyone cheered!

Then, the second, the third... until the tenth one all hit the pot.

The audience applauded.

There are twelve arrows in one pot. It gets harder as you go further. Two chips go into the pot's mouth and one into the pot's ear.

She picked up the eleventh arrow, took a deep breath, held her breath, and raised her hand.

Cheng Yu moved his fingers slightly, and the feather arrow brushed the mouth of the pot and fell to the ground.

Everyone felt it was such a pity!

Yelu Yuan was a little surprised. How could this not work?

She picked up the last one, closed her eyes again to feel the wind direction and speed, and when she opened her eyes again, her eyes were as sharp as torches.

She was confident that she would hit the target this time. She held her breath and raised her slender hand again. The arrow flew out like the wind.

"Snapped,"

I wiped the spout of the kettle and dropped it to the ground again.

She was shocked!

Impossible, absolutely impossible, I have already adjusted to the best state, but I can't get it right? I could get it right many times before!

Kou Zhun announced that Yelu Yuan had obtained twenty chips.

It's Ah Cai's turn to play.

Today she wore a pink training suit, narrow sleeves and long pants, and tied a belt around her waist, which made her look slender and graceful. She wore no makeup, and her face was as smooth as fat, and her complexion was like the morning glow reflected on the snow, making her look particularly clear and eye-catching!

I saw her running around on the platform, stretching her legs and bending her waist in the middle, and even doing a set of radio gymnastics.

Everyone was puzzled, and Kou Zhun asked her,

"Mrs. Zuo, what are you doing?"

"Grandpa Kou, I'm doing warm-up exercises,"

She called Kou Zhun "grandfather", which was her habit as a modern person. Kou Zhun was stunned for a moment, thinking that your husband and I are officials in the same dynasty, how can you call me grandpa? But seeing her age, he could indeed be her grandfather, so he let her do it.

Then he asked, "Are you done yet?"

"Okay",

Then he posed as if he was standing on one leg and asked him,

"handsome or not?"

Kou Zhun's mouth twitched, and he said, "Let's start now."

"Okay!"

She picked up an arrow like she was throwing a dart, aimed with one eye, and shouted,

"Great and Mighty Heavenly Dragon, Om Mani Padme Hum~"

With a wave of his hand, the feather arrow flew out, drawing an arc in the air.

Amazing! It hit the spout of the pot.

"Yes,"

She jumped for joy.

Sun Yuechan in the audience was stunned. She never thought that Ah Cai could make the shot. She practiced with Ah Cai every day. She thought it must be a coincidence.

But soon, a scene happened that made her open her mouth wide.

The second, third, and tenth arrows she threw all went into the pot.

The scene was buzzing!

Many people bet on her to lose, and her odds were 200 to 1!

You can make a fortune by buying the ones she wins!

When she picked up the eleventh arrow, there was silence, everyone held their breath, and some of the audience who bet on her to win could not help but shout freely,

"Middle, middle, middle,"

She raised her hand, and the arrow flew out and landed outside the pot, but it missed. There was a booing at the scene. Yelu Yuan clenched his fists, his palms sweating with nervousness.

Ah Cai was a little angry when she saw that she didn't make the target. She puffed up her cheeks, put her hands on her hips, and looked at Cheng Yu angrily.

He still sat there lazily, looking at her with a half-smile. She raised her middle finger to him, and he couldn't help but finally laughed.

When the audiences saw Cheng Yu’s smile for the first time, which was as bright as the moon and gentle breeze, they couldn’t help but admire in their hearts that Marquis Zhongyong was really a handsome man. No wonder the princess of Liao fell in love with him at first sight!

Ah Cai picked up the last arrow and this time she took a deep breath.

Then concentrate, hold your breath, carefully aim at the spout and raise your hand.

The feather arrow flew out in an arc!

The mood of the people in the field was like a roller coaster, going up and down with this arrow.

With a "dong" sound,

This arrow still missed the pot's mouth.

but……

But it is hung on the ear of the pot, which can add a chip.

"Ah! Win?"

“We won, we actually won!!!”

! ! ! !

The scene was buzzing!

The dark horse, Lady Hua Ning Zuojun, was really unexpected. Many people had previously said that they had seen with their own eyes how bad her skills were, so her odds were so high!

Now she actually won, what a slap in the face!

Sun Yuechan was also stunned. She was puzzled and couldn't figure out how Ah Cai won.

No one knows better than her how bad her skills are!

After the shock, Yelu Yuan came to her senses. She was furious, her eyes wide open, and she pointed at Ah Cai and shouted,

"How did you win? You cheated!"

Ah Cai was very proud at this moment. She put her hands on her waist and said sarcastically, "Why? If you can't afford it, don't gamble! If you want to gamble, you have to admit defeat."

"I cheated? How could I cheat when there were so many people watching me? Do you think my pot-throwing skills are just for nothing?"

"Otherwise, do you think that my agreement to compete with you in pot-tossing is because I love you?"

"Fool! Hahaha..."

"...Kill her~,"

Yelu Yuan was so angry that she was fuming. She ignored the crowd and pointed at A Cai and gave orders to her subordinates in a hysterical voice.

As soon as the voice fell, four people rushed out from the stage with sharp weapons in their hands and attacked Ah Cai.

Sun Yuechan was shocked and shouted,

"Acai, be careful,"

Just jump up and save her.

In a flash, a white shadow suddenly appeared.

"Bang, bang,"

"Ah~"

Everyone on the field saw a flash of light before their eyes, and when they looked closely,

There were two bodies lying on the platform. One of them had its neck bent and broken at a 90-degree angle, and the other had its head shattered like a watermelon. The brain mixed with blood stained the wooden board red and white.

Before anyone could scream, the spectators below the tree were horrified to find two horribly dead bodies hanging on the branch, dangling from it, with blood dripping onto the ground.

The people around him turned pale with fear, and Yelu Yuan was also pale.

Cheng Yu was holding Ah Cai and standing in front of her, looking at her coldly, as if he was looking at a dead person.

Suddenly, a chill hit her in the face, and she immediately felt as if someone was strangling her neck and she couldn't breathe. The force on her neck became stronger and stronger, and she felt like she was being entangled by a giant python. She wanted to shout for help, but no sound came out of her throat.

Just when she was holding her breath until her face turned blue, her head was buzzing, and her consciousness was about to leave her body, she suddenly heard a woman's panicked cry in her ears. She immediately felt her neck loosen and she could breathe.

She collapsed on the stage, breathing in and out heavily. At this time, Yelu Xunu and other people in the audience rushed up and hurriedly helped her up. They all looked at Cheng Yu in shock, at a loss.

Cheng Yu was patting Ah Cai's back to comfort her. It turned out that she was frightened and crying by the horrible appearance of the corpses.

He calmed her down, turned his head and looked at Yelu Yuan, his eyes seemed to break ice as he said to her, "You are lucky this time, don't see me again next time, or you will regret it."

Then he said to his followers, "Come, take the gold away."

After saying that, he hugged A Cai, said hello to Kou Zhun, and jumped off the platform and left!