However, contrary to An Jing’s expectation, Xiao Changyi nodded: "Mhm."
Only after the Emperor of Xiyun and Su Chengyu had left Fenghua Palace did An Jing ask Xiao Changyi, "My lord, don’t you find teaching people bothersome? Why did you agree to instruct Chengyu in horseback archery tomorrow?"
Xiao Changyi said indifferently, "Life is unpredictable. Who knows, if one day he inherits the throne, he might need to lead the army himself, just like the old man did. I do not expect him to kill the enemy, one soldier at a time; I simply hope he can protect himself and not burden others." He paused. "When the old man went to war in person, it indeed boosted the morale, but it also brought considerable trouble to the troops."
An Jing: "..." Is it really okay for you to talk about an Emperor like that?
The next morning, Prime Minister Li reported the matter of military boxing to the Emperor of Xiyun during the early court session and had two young soldiers demonstrate it.
The three sets of military boxing dazzled the military officers, and the civil officials also held them in high regard. The Emperor of Xiyun praised it three times, credited the King of Eternal Victory for his achievement, and then issued a decree to promote military boxing within the army.
Right after the court session, Su Chengyu hurried back to the East Palace, changed into clothes suitable for horseback archery, and arrived at the northern archery grounds of the Imperial Palace.
The Emperor of Xiyun did not return to Jun Palace to change his clothes, and went straight to the archery range.
By then, An Jing and Xiao Changyi were already there.
When the Emperor of Xiyun saw Xiao Changyi, he jovially praised, "Yi Er really kept this a tight secret from me. If it weren’t for the Prime Minister’s report this morning, I would have had no idea that Yi Er had created those three sets of military boxing. They are concise and practical, really not bad at all."
Xiao Changyi was expressionless and silent, as if the Emperor of Xiyun was not talking to him.
But the Emperor of Xiyun continued to heap praise on his own accord.
An Jing watched as the Emperor of Xiyun didn’t mind at all that Xiao Changyi was ignoring him, and she felt quite pleased inside. Even before she had seen the Emperor of Xiyun, she already knew that the Emperor truly cherished her husband.
As soon as Su Chengyu arrived, Xiao Changyi began to assess his horseback archery skills. Evaluating him alone would not make the gaps apparent, therefore, Xiao Changyi rode Zhuri into the field to assess alongside Su Chengyu.
An Jing and the Emperor of Xiyun sat in the stands to watch.
An Jing could ride a horse, but if you asked her to shoot a bow at something while doing so, she would fail.
Watching Xiao Changyi riding and shooting arrows without missing a single shot, striking the target every time with unmatched handsomeness and vigor, An Jing suddenly felt a strong nostalgia for the days in the modern era when she used to snipe with her rifle. As a special forces soldier, as long as someone was targeted by her sniper rifle, she also never missed and was always victorious.
Considering this, An Jing felt an uncontrollable itch in her hands; she really wanted to hold a gun. She wondered whether her current shooting skills would feel the same as they did in her own world.
Her hands were itching so much that An Jing grabbed the armrest and then let go, picked up the plum juice on the table, and watched Xiao Changyi and Su Chengyu compete while she drank.
Yes, they were competing.
Although Xiao Changyi said they were assessing together, in reality, he was competing with Su Chengyu.
And Su Chengyu was losing miserably.
When riding, Xiao Changyi left his counterpart in the dust, while Chengyu lagged far behind; during archery, Xiao Changyi hit the distant target’s bullseye with every shot, while Chengyu barely hit the bullseye five times out of ten; and when riding and shooting at the same time, Xiao Changyi was in a class of his own. Not only did he manage to look impressively stylish, but he also hit the bullseye with every arrow, while Chengyu couldn’t even get his arrows on target.
Originally, Su Chengyu thought he was quite proficient, but after comparing himself to Xiao Changyi... well, he admitted, the gap was indeed substantial.
The Emperor of Xiyun, sitting in the stands, watched Xiao Changyi ride and shoot. With his handsome posture and unparalleled precision, no one could match him—it was as if the War God himself had descended to earth. The scene brought back memories for the Emperor of Xiyun of the days when Xiao Changyi had fought on the battlefield, which, if anything, were even more formidable than now.