Chapter 18: A Strong Bow

Li Xuan stood up and walked into the pavilion, standing upright.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a six-foot-tall eunuch in yellow standing in front of the incense table.

This man has a fair face and no beard, and is calm and majestic. I think he must be the eunuch Gao Lishi.

"I have read the poem Qilang gave to Wang Wei. It is very impressive. Plum, bamboo, lotus and willow have charm and express his aspirations through objects. He is a young poet of his own caliber."

Li Longji praised Li Xuan highly.

Some of the things Li Shizhi had done recently were very much to Li Longji's liking, and seeing the talent of Li Shizhi's son, Li Longji was very fond of him.

"I am very lucky to have these immature poems of mine catch the eye of the saint. I have read your poems since I was a child, but I am far behind you."

Li Xuan was humble but also complimented Li Longji.

He was a member of the royal family and could call himself "minister" in front of the emperor.

"Pfft..."

Yang Yuhuan smiled and whispered to Li Longji: "Sanlang, the young man from the left prime minister's family is very good at talking..."

Although Li Longji's poems are acceptable, there are too many great poets in the prosperous Tang Dynasty who monopolized the limelight.

"Qi Lang, have you read my poems? What do you think?"

Li Longji's expression suddenly became serious and he asked Li Xuan a question.

Gao Lishi frowned and looked at Li Xuan. He knew that Li Longji didn't like people who boasted.

If Li Xuan did not give an answer that satisfied Li Longji, he would surely suffer the consequences.

"In the poem presented to Sima Chengzhen by the sage, there is a line that says 'The treasured light contains heaven and earth, the divine sword unites yin and yang', which is very moving and is my favorite. In the poem about snow, there is a line that says 'The north wind blows the same clouds, the same clouds fly white snow', which makes me yearn for it. In the poem about the Dragon Boat Festival, there is a line that says 'Loyalty is unchangeable, and will be passed on to future generations', which is my earnest teaching to the ministers. And the lyrics you wrote for the famous song 'Good Times', 'The eyebrows do not need to be painted, as God has taught them to grow into the temples', which is gentle, delicate and meaningful, and has benefited me a lot. In the future, I will definitely follow the sage's example and write lyrics for the famous songs of the Jiaofang."

Li Xuan certainly didn't make up stories on impulse; he came prepared.

If he couldn't answer this question, Li Longji would probably kick him out immediately.

When Li Xuan came into this world, the first thing he did was to learn Li Longji's poems.

The value of a poet has nothing to do with his or her own status; the value of a poem lies in its thoughtfulness and artistry.

But Li Longji was the emperor, supreme.

Any literati in the Tang Dynasty who had a little political wisdom would be familiar with Li Longji's poems.

"Haha... Qilang has a good heart. But I know myself well. Compared with great poets like Wang Wei and Li Bai, I am still far inferior."

When Li Longji saw Li Xuan recite so many of his poems in one breath, he liked Li Xuan even more.

He was also quite conceited, not as good as great poets such as Wang Wei, Li Bai and Wang Changling, and thought he was better than other poets.

At this time, Yang Yuhuan whispered something in Li Longji's ear. Li Longji nodded slightly and turned to ask Li Xuan: "Yuhuan loves peonies the most. Now peonies are in full bloom. Can Qilang write a poem on the theme of peonies?"

"Your Majesty, when my sister was participating in the flower competition, I just wrote a poem on the theme of peony."

Li Xuan replied to Li Longji.

He realized that this was his only chance. If he could make Yang Yuhuan happy, he would be safer when he was out there.

The two people closest to Li Longji during the Tianbao period.

One is Gao Lishi and the other is Yang Yuhuan.

They can influence Li Longji's will.

Even Li Linfu did not dare to be disrespectful.

An official, especially a general, must never disobey the emperor when he is away from Chang'an.

There was nothing to say, and overnight, the family was broken up.

"Qi Lang's poems are full of the elegance of bamboo and plum, and the works of peony. They are extraordinary. I will listen to them."

Li Longji became interested and asked Li Xuan to recite the poem.

Li Xuan straightened his chest and slowly recited the poem "Appreciating Peonies" which had just been published.

While Li Xuan was reciting, the eunuch beside him wrote it down.

"What a wonderful line, 'Only the peony is the true national beauty, and the capital is moved when it blooms'. The majestic peony complements the national strength. It symbolizes the prosperity of our Tang Dynasty. Many people have written poems about peonies throughout the ages, but none of them can compare to Qilang."

"Li Shi, please erect a strange stone in the Qujiang Peony Garden. Please write it with great skill and have a famous craftsman carve it for the people of the world to appreciate."

Li Longji was astonished by her beauty, clapped his hands in praise, and immediately gave instructions to Gao Lishi.

"As ordered."

Gao Lishi bowed slightly.

The talented Gao Lishi was also full of admiration for Li Xuan at this time.

He recommended Li Shizhi to Li Longji to restrain Li Linfu, whose power was growing day by day.

Therefore, he loved Li Shizhi's son as much as he loved his family.

"Sanlang, the young master of the left prime minister's family will definitely be a great poet like Wang Wei and Li Bai in the future."

As Yang Yuhuan recalled the memory, her eyes became brighter and she couldn't help but look at Li Xuan a few more times.

"Saint, my lady, I have heard that the peonies in Luoyang are more beautiful. I was thinking of a poem to describe peonies before, but it was not complete. Fortunately, I was summoned by the saint and suddenly I understood. I will write another poem "Peony" and give it to the saint and my lady."

Li Xuan prepared to write a peony poem to please Yang Yuhuan.

"Sanlang, I grew up in Luoyang. The peonies there are truly unique. Every household grows them. They are colorful and bloom all over the city."

When Yang Yuhuan heard that Li Xuan was going to write a poem about peony, her eyes moved and she was full of anticipation.

"Qi Lang actually has a painting of peony. Hurry up and get your pen, ink, paper and inkstone."

As soon as Li Longji finished speaking, Gao Lishi immediately waved his hand, and the eunuchs around him stepped forward and presented pens, ink, paper and inkstone.

After Li Xuan bowed to Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan again, he came to the stone table in the pavilion and slowly wrote the "Peony" which became popular in later generations.

When Li Xuan started writing, Yang Yuhuan pulled Li Longji up to watch him write. Li Longji doted on Yang Yuhuan and obeyed her in everything, not to mention that he liked elegance.

It's just that Li Xuan's handwriting is not satisfactory. It's like a military general writing a letter for him.

Only then did he remember that he summoned Li Xuan into the palace to verify his riding, archery, martial arts, and strategy.

Feng'an Army is currently lacking a deputy envoy, and Li Linfu recommends Li Xuan as the deputy envoy of Feng'an Army.

Feng'an Army guards the Hetao area and overlooks the grassland to the north. It is an important frontier town and commands 8,000 soldiers. The deputy envoy of the army is particularly important.

In the future, the Feng'an Army will be the main force to attack the Turks.

Thinking of this, Li Longji no longer worried about Li Xuan's mediocre handwriting.

This also highlights Li Xuan's genius.

"Who doesn't love peonies? They dominate the city's beauty. I suspect they were made by the goddess of Luochuan, whose beauty and grace break the morning glow."

Every time Li Xuan wrote a sentence, Yang Yuhuan read it out in a soft voice.

When Li Xuan finished writing, Yang Yuhuan said in a sweet voice: "Sanlang, this is the peony flower from Luoyang."

She was adopted by her uncle Yang Xuanlu and lived in the Eastern Capital when she was ten years old, so the local conditions and customs of Luoyang had a great influence on her.

Writing such a poem in Chang'an implies comparing Yang Yuhuan to the goddess Luoshen.

The intelligent Yang Yuhuan naturally understood the meaning of this, so she turned around and smiled, so beautifully that it was beyond words.

"Qi Lang is just like Cao Zijian, extremely talented and romantic. Finally, a great scholar has emerged from the royal family of the Tang Dynasty!"

Seeing that Yang Yuhuan was very happy, Li Longji smiled happily himself.

But Li Xuan could clearly see the wrinkles at the corners of Li Longji's eyes.

"I have little talent and knowledge, just like my handwriting. I still need to practice diligently." Li Xuan said humbly.

"Qi Lang, I summoned you here today, not only to see your talent, but also because I heard that you are good at riding and shooting, and you are very brave. Can you fight with dozens of people in the streets and alleys, but they are no match for you?"

Li Longji nodded slightly and changed the subject.

"Please forgive me, my Lord. I was ignorant and young. I will never do that again."

Li Xuan didn't know why Li Longji asked this, but he immediately bowed and said with fear and trepidation.

"Haha... Yuhuan, look at Qilang." Li Longji looked at Li Xuan's frightened look and laughed, "I was young once, how could I punish you for such a thing? Duan Zhixuan, a former meritorious official in Lingyan Pavilion, was a rogue and repeatedly violated the law. But since he joined the army at the age of fourteen, he was brave and resolute, and made great contributions to the founding of the Tang Dynasty. Besides, Duan Zhixuan does not have Qilang's talent!"

Li Longji stroked Li Xuan's back again, showing his love and care: "Go and show your riding, archery and martial arts skills, and I will ask you for advice. If Qilang has such talent, I will make you a deputy envoy of the army."

After hearing this, Li Xuan couldn't believe it.

Under the Tang Dynasty's system of "envoys and dispatches", a military deputy envoy was the deputy general of an army.

Li Longji asked personally and said it must not be a small army, but most likely an important town on the border.

Li Xuan was very confused. From Li Longji's tone, it seemed that he was summoned not to ask him to write poetry, but to test his bravery.

On the horse farm ten feet away from the pavilion, a Yu Lin Lang was leading a red BMW.

Another Yulin Lang came forward with a strong bow.

Everything seemed to have been prepared long ago.

"Please, sage, give me a stone horse bow in exchange for your services."

After Li Xuan stepped down from the stage and saw the strong bow in the hands of Yulin Lang, he bowed to Li Longji in the pavilion.

"The military examination requires one stone for a walking bow and seven dou for a riding bow. Are you sure about this, Qilang?" Li Longji asked Li Xuan again.

"The bow I practiced at home weighs only one stone." Li Xuan confirmed.

Archery requires strength in the arm and back muscles. Li Xuan was so strong that he could easily pull a two-stone bow, not to mention a one-stone bow.

But there is no need for that.

Two stone bows cannot be horse bows and are definitely not practical.

A stone bow with specially made arrowheads can easily penetrate iron armor.

Using a crossbow on horseback can also save energy and make shooting arrows faster.

Just as Li Longji said, the bow for the military examination should be seven dou in weight, which is already the standard for a good archer.

A more powerful bow requires better materials. The palace must have some in stock.

"Hercules, go to my storage and take a fine bow made by a master craftsman."

Li Longji had a collection of strong bows, and he ordered Gao Lishi to get them.

"As ordered."

After a while, Gao Lishi came with a carved bow painted red.

"Go ahead. This is the bow of the emperor. Don't let the saint down."

Gao Lishi handed the carved bow to Li Xuan and gave him a reminder.

This bow is made of top-grade mulberry wood and fine ox tendons, and its bow arm is a circle larger than that of ordinary riding bows. Its toughness and bowstring strength require only fierce generals to use it.

"Please rest assured, Mr. Gao."

Li Xuan took the bow and arrow and saluted Gao Lishi.

Then he carried the quiver, came to the horse led by Yu Lin Lang, and climbed onto the horse.

"Eh..."

Because the noise of mounting a horse was too loud, the warhorse neighed and raised its front hooves high.

Li Xuan hung the quiver on the side of the horse, held the bow in his left hand, pulled the reins with his right hand, and then squeezed the horse's belly hard, and the horse immediately dropped its hooves and obeyed.

(End of this chapter)