Pampered Consort's Acting Awards - Chapter 40 Part 2

In the early spring, apart from farming, the most crucial thing in the capital was the spring hunt. The procuratorate had less work, so Xiao Yu returned to his mansion early.

Su Ling was leaning on the couch when he entered, threading needles. Her delicate eyebrows were slightly frowning, her smooth black hair was roughly twirled twice at the back of her head, and a jade hairpin was inserted vertically. This was how Su Ling often looked when she did not need to dress up at home.

With men’s innerwear in her hand, she was attractive and charming.

The eldest lady of the Zhen mansion only learned of the feminine arts one day before her wedding; it was apparent that her needlework skill was…hard to explain in a few words.

Whenever there were stitches requiring precision, Su Ling felt her heart tremble, and with every three stitches, she couldn’t wait to get up and walk around twice.

Seeing someone approaching, Su Ling put down the clothes in her lap, raised her eyes, and asked, “Why did Your Highness come back so early?” In the past six months, Xiao Yu had left the capital twice, and even in the capital, he left early and returned late.

Xiao Yu let out an oh, walked to the side of the table, lifted a glass of water, and gulped it down.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at her. “What are you doing?”

Su Ling replied, “Finishing your innerwear.”

Xiao Yu glanced at the clothes. “Princess is virtuous.”

Su Ling knew her skills were not very good, so to avoid him making fun of her, she said directly, “Alright, enough about this. If you still have something to say, please keep your thoughts to yourself.”

Xiao Yu grinned before he laughed out loud. “Have you eaten yet?”

“No…” Su Ling looked at him, “You?”

Xiao Yu reciprocated and looked back, “I’m waiting for you.”

The two had finished dinner, drunk tea, and were walking in the garden when Su Ling suddenly said, “By the way, I want to go back to the duke’s mansion tomorrow.”

Xiao Yu asked, “Why?”

“I want to learn archery from my father.”

Puzzled, Xiao Yu paused before asking, “Why do you want to learn archery all of a sudden?”

“What else if not because of the spring hunt?” Su Ling sighed lightly, “I thought there wouldn’t be one this year because His Majesty’s health has worsened.”

The Xiao clan conquered the world on horseback. There was a saying, “There are eighteen martial skills, and the bow and arrow is the first.” Apart from other things, the Great Zhou attached great importance to archery. Every season, His Majesty would not only ask the Ministry of War to gather the best bows and arrows to perform in public but also invite the children of aristocratic families and noble ladies to participate in activities such as archery and throwing arrows into a pot.

The court and the harem were eager to cater to the emperor’s heart.

So the last time she attended the winter hunt, the ladies didn’t talk about qin, go, calligraphy, or painting, nor watched heart-pounding opera. They played archery instead.

Su Ling hadn’t expected that Princess Cheng would be able to draw a bow just after giving birth to the emperor’s grandson, making the emperor treat her differently and even reward her. Just as Empress Chu hadn’t expected Su Ling, the daughter of Duke of Zhen, to…miss all the targets.

Xiao Yu glanced at her and smiled. “Don’t bother father-in-law. I’ll teach you.”

Su Ling said without thinking, “How do you have time to teach me? Usually I can’t even catch your shadow.”

These words obviously had two meanings…

Xiao Yu suddenly realized that he had indeed not been with her for a long time.

So he tentatively hugged her shoulders and pulled her earlobe, “Tch. Are you angry?”

Su Ling denied, “No.”

She said no, but felt somewhat depressed inside.

She sometimes thought that this might be a man’s nature. Once the back house was stable, he would naturally not bother too much. Considering the situation of Prince Jin’s mansion, she felt she should understand him.

While rubbing her ear, Xiao Yu said, “I’ll take a break tomorrow, and I’ll teach you in the mansion.”

At this time, Xiao Yu didn’t think she could succeed in her studies. He just wanted to appease his wife.

Prince Jin’s mansion occupied a vast area, and it was more than enough to spare the princess a place to practice archery.

Early the following day, Xiao Yu selected a bow suitable for women, weighted it, and handed it over. “Princess, try once.”

Su Ling stood firm, drew the bow and set the arrow, and tried it once before him.

…

Sure enough, it missed.

Even though she was in her own mansion before her own person, seeing the arrow falling to the ground like this, the princess’ thin face still turned red.

Xiao Yu walked behind her.

He bent down and pinched her waist, then whispered in her ear, “The Military Classics says that the proper form and righteous determination are the most valuable aspects of archery; the fundamentals are to spread the legs out, settle the breathing and puff up the chest, level one’s fives [the eye, the shoulders, the hands, the feet, and the heart[‘s emotions]] and joining one’s threes [the neck adjacent to the shoulders, the ribs adjacent to the bowstring and the arrow adjacent to the face]. The most important part is the leveling and joining.”

[T/N: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Military_Classics]

The scorching heat entered her ear, turning it red…

The arrow hilt from Xiao Yu’s arrow hit her feet, hips, elbows, and shoulders. Then he looked down at her and said solemnly, “Relax. These points must be level.”

Su Ling also wanted to relax, but he had knocked too hard, and…she couldn’t say anything to that stern face.

She fixed her posture, looked at him, and asked, “How’s this?”

The arrow hilt ruthlessly pressed her back. “Straighter.”

Su Ling straightened her chest following his beating and raised her head. Then she raised her chin and looked at him again. After a while, she felt a thin layer of sweat on her arms.

“Can’t hold it anymore?” The corner of the man’s lips pressed against her ear, and his smile turned into a nasty panting.

“Of couse I can hold on.” Su Ling said with a blushing face.

“Neck adjacent to the shoulders, the ribs adjacent to the bowstring and the arrow adjacent to the face.” Xiao Yu’s palm wandered around her neck, her ribs on both sides, and finally landed on her wrist. “Do you remember?”

Su Ling nodded in a daze, and seeing his expertise in teaching, she couldn’t help but ask, “Have you ever taught others archery?”

“You’re the first.” A smile appeared on the corner of Xiao Yu’s mouth. “Come, shoot again.”

Su Ling pulled the string again and thunk.

The posture did look a bit better, but the arrow still went out of the trajectory, and tuk, fell without touching the target.

Even if Su Ling had prepared for a long time, it wouldn’t have been so easy to master archery. Feeling slightly disappointed, she said, “I’ll try again.” 

But no matter how many times she tried, it was obviously futile.

Xiao Yu’s eyes just fell on her red neck.

He sighed, slowly held her waist, and led her to stretch her arms to draw the string. He said solemnly, “Ah Ling, the arrow shaft must be placed on the back of the thumb, and when soothing, it must be released quickly but without too much force. The lighter, the better. Watch.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he let go of the arrow.

And it hit the center without any surprise.

Su Ling was stunned.

Xiao Yu lowered his head and kissed her face, making her heart tremble.

After that, they practiced all afternoon. The effect was not great, but it was there.

Xiao Yu never expected her to learn it, but Su Ling thought hard work could compensate for one’s weakness.

Looking at the blue veins on her wrist, she thought to herself, she was the daughter of Duke of Zhen, she should have talent in her blood…

So starting the next day, when Xiao Yu returned to work, Su Lnig got up to practice archery.

Except for the excessive force at the beginning, which made it impossible to lift her arms, everything went smoothly afterward.

Until Xiao Yu’s next break. The two had just finished lunch when he saw Su Ling standing before him with a bow and arrow and said. “Your Highness, come with me.”

Xiao Yu followed her and stood behind her.

Without further ado, Su Ling drew the string, nocked the arrow, and shot thrice in a row. One hit the center, and the other two were stabbed obliquely at the target.

“There, what do you think this time?”

It was midday, with the rustling of the wind and the buzzing of insects.

As she turned to look at him, the corners of her eyes looked proud, her eyes gleaming as if melting the sun into fragments of light. She was unbelievably beautiful.

The scene dazed Xiao Yu for a long while.

“How is it?” Su Ling was waiting for him to boast.

The man stepped forward, made her drop the bow in her hand, lowered his head, and kissed her lips without warning, the tip of his tongue pressing her jaw. Su Ling was a little lost, and without the time to gasp, the two of them had already stumbled back into the room.

His palm stroked her back deftly. After being married for almost two years, Su Ling naturally knew what he was aiming for.

She struggled a few times and growled, “I’m covered in sweat. Let go of me first.”

Xiao Yu pressed her down like a mountain and said gloomily, “But I want you now.”

The slender wrists turned weaker under the shackles, and a large flush appeared on the fair back. The man held her earlobe and squeezed it hard, and with another brush, she trembled.

The panting voice resembled the song of orioles.

As if finding the treetops, her pink fingertips gradually grew stronger, piercing the man’s strong arms, but his soul had already been stolen, so how could he care about such a pleasurable pain?

When it was over, the man still stared at her.

Su Ling kicked him lightly, met his gaze somewhat resentfully, and said hoarsely, “Turn around. Stop looking at me.”

Xiao Yu kissed her wrist to flatter her, full of willfulness. 

He then carried her to the cleaning room and even insisted on wiping her hair. That night, several strands of fine black hair fell out. Su Ling called out to complain, but the man never let go.