Section Eighty-Six: Learning Horsemanship and Archery

Lord Violet Light Hall stood beside the water. Looking down from the palace, one beheld halls and pavilions, waterways, islands, rippling shores, little bridges, and gazebos everywhere. It was indeed a scene of rare beauty, picturesque beyond words, with people coming and going as though walking within a painting.

He admired the scenery at his leisure, and just then Wu Zetian gathered her thoughts and awoke.

The ease and composure with which he carried himself struck her as unusual.

Those who came before her were all tense and fearful, or at the very least sat with proper restraint. Who could be as unrestrained and natural as he was?

At once, she became interested in him.

According to Princess Thousand Gold, his greatest passion was martial arts. He had successively been taken in as a disciple by General Yang Deqing of the Left Guard, by the Duke of Lu’s household, and by the Marquis of Hexi County, and taught martial skills. To win the favor of all three was proof of his ability, especially since he had no real backing.

He said he did not love books, yet the things he had devised were not something even a man steeped in the classics could produce.

Soap, biogas, the Pill of Six-Ingredient Rehmannia, and, most recently, the sand table sent by Princess Thousand Gold.

Soap had the empress as a shareholder, and had long been earning steady profit. As for biogas, the Ministry of Works had tested it and found it wonderfully ingenious. It could be used for lighting and cooking, and also for fermenting fertilizer to nourish crops without polluting the environment. It served multiple purposes and was well worth promoting on a wide scale.

Princess Thousand Gold managed agricultural estates, and after using biogas herself and finding it excellent, she recommended it to Wu Zetian, who had already begun a limited rollout. Of course, no patent fee had been given to Feng Xiaobao.

As for the sand table, the moment Wu Zetian saw the one that had been sent, she knew it would be useful and had already ordered the making of sand tables for Luoyang and the Guanzhong region. Again, no patent fee had been given to Feng Xiaobao.

But if biogas and the sand table truly proved to be of great significance, benefiting agriculture and aiding national defense and military affairs, then Wu Zetian had to admit that such rewards were indeed worth giving, only to be settled later.

And he could dance the Thunderbolt Third Prince dance? Very well, when there was time, she would have them enter the palace and perform it. It was said to be a divine dance.

Lastly, he was indeed robust, and exceedingly handsome.

At that thought, Wu Zetian suddenly realized that her body was responding again.

...

That day, the empress was in exceptionally high spirits, laughing and talking brightly. Toward evening, she granted a banquet and had Princess Thousand Gold attend her, while she herself did not accompany the feast.

After leaving the palace, the three young men were all overjoyed. To have official rank at such a young age was something only the sons of great noble houses, relying on the glory of their forebears, could normally achieve, and even then only if they were direct heirs.

Still not done celebrating, they went to Princess Thousand Gold’s residence to continue the revelry. They drank until nightfall and only then parted in high spirits. The princess sent servants with her golden token to escort them home past curfew.

The next day, once the news spread, Feng Xiaobao’s friends were all delighted. Though the official rank was low, he was young, and his future was beyond measure. More importantly, he had been promoted personally by the empress herself; he was deeply planted in her favor, and his prospects were limitless.

Thus Feng Xiaobao, together with Yang Chengxian and Cheng Boxi, held a banquet to celebrate. His friends all showed great face, coming in droves to toast him and cross cups with him.

As always, Feng Xiaobao refused no one’s drink and could down a thousand cups without drunkenness.

They announced that they would accept no gifts, that this banquet was their treat in gratitude for everyone’s support.

Since no one had to pay, who would not be pleased? Fine words flowed like water, and everyone was warm and enthusiastic.

Though Feng Xiaobao’s capacity for liquor was extraordinary, he drank with real joy that day, and indeed took in too much. With half-drunk eyes he looked at the guests and, before he knew it, thought: I seem to have a bit of standing myself now.

General of the Left Guard, the Duke of Lu’s household, and the Marquis of Hexi County all had close ties with him; they were the official powers supporting him. And there was Princess Thousand Gold as well. When the gold was turned over to the state, if someone else had handled the matter, his name might never have reached the sovereign’s ears. But the empress knew this was no trivial affair. It had been a mark of deep favor, and it would greatly benefit his future.

Then there were cultivated masters such as Xuanqing, who usually kept a low profile, but at a critical moment would lend a hand. A man like Feng Xiaobao, who had come from the martial world, would never have been able to gain a foothold in the imperial capital and be registered there so easily without such a guarantor.

There were also merchants like Boss Huang and Gao Balang, whose ample resources provided him with financial support.

And then there were the neighbors around his residence in Shuishan Ward. One must never underestimate such ordinary folk. It was through them that your reputation spread; it was they who vouched for you. If the government wished to promote you and asked the residents nearby, and each one gave you a thumbs-up, your name would naturally rise. So Feng Xiaobao remained unfailingly courteous to them as well.

...

As the afterglow of the court’s bestowal of office gradually faded, and no formal post had yet been assigned, he simply went on as before.

Feng Xiaobao and Tang Tian’s relationship advanced by leaps and bounds. Dry tinder met raging fire; with talent and beauty matched together, the two were in truth perfectly suited. Both were strikingly handsome and powerful, with magnetic attractions strong beyond measure. Once they came together, it was only natural that they would break through that final boundary.

Tang Tian’s skin was fair, tender, and smooth as silk. She had already been the kind where a single point of whiteness could hide a hundred flaws, but she was also blessed with exquisite features, clear and sharply defined contours, and eyes with a faint sea-blue tint. She was tall, with fullness in front and behind, and long, beautiful legs. If Feng Xiaobao did not thoroughly feast on her, there would be no justice in the world.

Naturally, Tang Tian gave him all the pleasure of an intoxicating beauty, and for three days they made a rare, wanton racket together. Feng Xiaobao was so delighted he forgot all about the world beyond, almost everything in existence.

...

Since their relationship had become unusual, Feng Xiaobao took the chance to make up for a shortcoming: moving-target archery.

Archery could chiefly be divided into three categories: static against static, static against moving, and the most difficult, moving against moving.

Static against static was comparatively simple and easy. Archer and target both remained still, so one could aim carefully and the hit rate was high.

Static against moving meant the archer remained still while the target moved. Here one had to lead the shot and estimate the opponent’s position, a matter that began to depend on talent. Of course, after long training some archers could still reach a very satisfactory hit rate, Feng Xiaobao among them.

Did Feng Xiaobao have talent for archery?

He had a little, but nowhere near Tang Tian’s level. She truly was an archery genius, hitting whatever she aimed at, while Feng Xiaobao had to rely on calculation. Fortunately, he was young, quick-witted, and fast at calculations. Moreover, his preparation rate was high, so his hit rate in static-against-moving shooting was reasonably assured.

"Moving against moving?"

"When shooting from horseback, you still need to go through two kinds of training. What you call moving against moving is actually very vivid," Tang Tian told Feng Xiaobao. "First should come moving against static."

"To shoot from horseback and hit a stationary target, you must try to keep your body balanced and your bow steady. When the horse bucks and jolts up and down, it is actually very hard to hit the target. As for those times when you see archers striking targets while galloping wildly, that is flung shooting, relying on instinct. Even so, there are many occasions when they still miss."

Truthfully, mounted archery was no easy matter. Not to mention that the violent motion of the horse badly affected accuracy; simply being able to hold a bow with both hands atop a galloping horse already demanded extremely high riding skill.

One could not even rely on the eyes to aim. All one could depend on was feeling. So apart from talent, vast amounts of practice were required.

Why did steppe peoples have such high hit rates? Because they began riding and shooting from childhood. By the time they reached perfection, horse and rider were one, and thus they could loose arrows with remarkable precision while flying across the plain.

Following her instructions, Feng Xiaobao first trained in mounted shooting against static targets, shooting wooden stakes over and over to improve his accuracy and sharpen his sense.

Only after reaching a certain level did he begin training against moving targets on horseback. At first, someone would move the targets at regular intervals for him to shoot at; after that came irregularly moving targets, gradually increasing the difficulty.

"For riding and shooting, you must watch your horse carefully. Only when all four hooves are off the ground can you release the arrow; otherwise, when its feet are on the ground, it is very hard to aim accurately."

"Riding skill is especially important. You must learn to control the horse without using the reins."

"To increase the force of the shot, you should draw the string back to your ear before releasing, but be careful: a snapping bowstring can slice off an ear!"