The Marquis Is Innocent

The first game of riding and shooting was over. Qiao Ci, an outsider, finally got the deer.

Although this result was unexpected, no one in the Youzhou soldiers felt ashamed but rather excited.

Qiao Ci was the brother of Marquis’ wife. Since he was the Marquis’ brother-in-law, he was half of Youzhou, so what was the difference between him winning and the people of Youzhou? The last arrow reversal was so wonderful that everyone who witnessed it was impressed.

The soldiers were talking about the scene and waiting for the next fight to begin.

The next battle was held in the ring. Two people face each other. Whoever lost would step down and the winner continued to be challenged, and so on. It was a great challenge for martial arts, physical strength, and determination. Except for the banned darts and concealed weapons, there are no restrictions on the ring.

In terms of warfare, riding and shooting are more practical.

But this was the chaotic world. The chaotic world only worships heroes.

In terms of the spirit of martial arts alone, the ring fight can more fully embody the charm of individual heroism. Therefore, everyone was looking forward to this realistic ring fight.

……

The view from the Lu Li Terrace was excellent, and it was possible to see the panoramic view from the big ring set up in the middle of the ground.

But as soon as Qiao Ci’s riding shot was over, Xiao Qiao became distracted.

Although she knew her brother would go down and dispose of his arm injury, she was still worried. She was even less interested in watching people fight on stage. It was hard to sit there and inevitably began to drift away.

She glanced at the Xuanwu stage.

The Xuanwu Terrace was not far from the side of the Lu li Terrace and shorter than the Luli Terrace, so it was easy to see from there.

Su E Huang sat on the edge of a group of noble women from Yuyang in an elegant posture with a fixed expression. Her gaze fell toward the center of the ground.

The scene of her nephew Su Xin causing the audience to applaud did not seem to bring much influence on her. She does not talk to the nearby noblewomen of Yuyang. The noblewomen of Yuyang don’t seem close to the famous ” Madam Yulou” from Zhongshan, who became a widow after marrying Liu Li, and now returned to Yuyang from Luoyang. No one took the initiative to talk to her. Only to look at her once or twice, either explicitly or implicitly, and examine her hairstyle, the way she dresses from head to toe. The woman nearby exchanged pleasantries and whispered a few words to each other.

Su E Huang remained the same, regardless of how the people were on the side.

After looking at Su E Huang, Xiao Qiao then looked at Wei Shao.

He and Gongsun Yang, Li Dian, and other people sitting high up on a viewing platform opposite the ring, with his sword in the center, broad shoulders, and wasp waist, very conspicuous.

Xiao Qiao was suddenly curious. Su E Huang appeared here unexpectedly. Did Wei Shao know she was there sitting on the Xuan Wu stage not far from him?

She secretly watched Wei Shao for a moment. She saw his gaze fixed on the two warriors fighting in the ring. Occasionally, he turned sideways to speak to Li Dian or Gogsun Yang as if evaluating the skills of the warriors on the stage.

Xiao Qiao watched for a while, but he never turned around.

Xiao Qiao jumped to the conclusion that he should not know yet.

At that moment, one of the warriors in the ring won. His opponent was mercilessly thrown out of the ring, scrambled to his feet, and left in shame. The victorious warrior stood on the stage and received applause from all sides.

Xiao Qiao’s attention was drawn and about to move her gaze toward the ring when she saw Wei Shao suddenly turn his head.

Although a bit far away, Xiao Qiao felt his gazes cast on her.

Xiao Qiao felt guilty as she was caught spying and looked toward the ring.

Wei Shao looked away from Xiao Qiao and withdrew his gaze.

He was trying to restrain himself, to focus on the exciting duel of his warriors in the ring.

And not to be bothered about what his eldest brother, Wei Yan, currently sitting not far from him, was looking at and what was on his mind.

If he saw another scene when Wei Yan looked at her from afar, he was afraid he would be unable to control his emotions and have a fit on the spot.

Every time he thought of Lan Yun’s shady words, Wei Shao felt the blood boiling in the veins under the skin of his body, with countless needles stabbing him densely.

He did not want to believe. But he knew this woman, Lan Yun, no matter what purpose she was in, what she said was true.

He and his cousin, Wei Yan, had nearly twenty years of brotherly love. Because he was a few years older than him, Wei Yan has always acted steadily and never had a half-trouble. There was a natural trust in him.

Because of this, when he suddenly learned his brother had an ulterior motive for his wife and defiled her, he felt an outburst of anger and a deep feeling beyond his experiences.

If it were someone else, it would not be enough to cut him down into eight pieces to solve his heart’s hatred.

But this man was his elder brother.

Two days had passed since the incident. He tried to restrain himself, but at this moment, when the scene he imagined came to his mind, Wei Shao suddenly felt a needle flowing in his blood. It began to prick him, making it impossible for him to concentrate.

“Can you see, Marquis? He is the gentleman I mentioned to you just now. His name is Shi Jun, a native of Pangyun, Dezhou, with an ancestral spear technique and superior arm strength. His ancestors were heroes. He was once a Xingyang magistrate, but his family declined and back to farming. I heard his recommendation by accident, so I visited him to ……”

Li Dian leaned and pointed to a warrior in the ring fighting with his opponent and said with interest.

The warrior in his early twenties. He was strong and used an iron spear. With extraordinary strength, his spear hung in the wind, forcing his opponent to retreat step by step, surrounded by applause.

Wei Shao heard Li Dian talking to him and returned to his senses, forcing the images out of his mind. Concentrate once again on his mind, casting his eyes toward the ring.

……

Shi Jun was strong in martial arts and brave, did not disappoint Li Dian’s expectations, and even beat the seven people on the stage. The soldiers on the training ground watching like crazy. After picking the last challenger out of the ring, Shi Jun gave a sharp blow to his iron spear and shouted: “Who is not convinced? Shi Jun of Pan Yun is here to wait!”

He looked around the stage. No one dared to fight.

Li Dian loves talent. He was pleased to see the situation and was about to applaud when suddenly a person stood from the White Tiger stage. He leaped down from the ten feet high viewing platform, striding towards the ring. He was seven feet tall, with leopard shoulders and ape back, aged 27 or 28, and was none other than Ding Qu, Yuan Zhe’s adopted son who came with Yuan Dai the day before.

Ding Qu rolled onto the ring and said loudly: “I am Ding Qu from Xiami! The day before yesterday, I came to Yuyang with my uncle, and I have been treated with hospitality. When I was in Shandong, I heard about the Youzhou Lu Li Conference, and today I had the honor to witness it. I saw Shi Jun’s extraordinary skills and his challenge, which made me itch to enter the stage. I wonder if I can make a fool of myself as an outsider in this tournament?”

He stood against the wind with his halberd in his hand, looking arrogant.

……

Ding Qu, a native of Xiaomi, joined Yuan Zhe and quickly made a name for himself. Last year, Yuan Zhe fought in the North Sea and was trapped in a siege, but fortunately, Ding Qu was able to protect him and escaped with his life. From then on, he greatly appreciated him. He was adopted as a son and brought around with him. This time, Yuan Dai came to Youzhou, and Ding Qu accompanied him. During the banquet the day before, he encountered a disgrace. Ding Qu did not dare to take offense at that time, but his heart was indignant and took note of the humiliation. He had the idea of overpowering the crowd to get back face for himself in front of all the soldiers in Youzhou. Finally, he could not resist jumping on stage to fight. After finishing his speech, his eyes could not help but look at the silhouette sitting high up on the Lu Li Terrace.

Of the world’s men, nine out of ten are lustful people. This Ding Qu was also not exempt. In the morning, when he came here with Yuan Dai, he saw Xiao Qiao dismounting from the carriage with Mrs. Xu and guessed she was Wei Shao’s wife.

Last year, Wei Shao of Youzhou married Qiao of Yanzhou, who was a beautiful woman. Ding Qu had heard of her. When he saw the woman in a beautiful dress, she was beautiful in a way he had never seen before. He couldn’t help but looked her a few more times. After he was seated, he saw her appear on a high stage, beating the drum and reciting the words. Her beauty was unforgettable. He reminisced for a long time, and now he jumped out, not only to avenge his shame but to show off his skills in front of the beauty.

Xiao Qiao didn’t know she had inadvertently entered the eyes of others. After sitting for a long time and seeing Shi Jun invincible, she thought this would be the end. Unexpectedly, another person appeared. His words were vaguely provocative. She was suddenly concentrated and concerned.

……

Li Dian looked at Wei Shao and saw he looked flat, with no meaningful expression.

On this occasion, since this Ding Qu answered the challenge, as the host, there was no reason not to answer. He said the rules, the drums started again, and Shi Jun Ding Qu fought.

Ding Qu lived up to his reputation as the champion of Yuan Zhe’s army. Although Shi Jun had excellent martial arts skills, he was not as experienced as Ding Qu and was defeated by a heavy blow from Ding Qu on his back.

Ding Qu was proud. He picked up Shi Jun’s spear with his halberd, held it high on the ground, walked around the ring, and laughed: “What the hell is a Pan Yun iron spear? It is still lost under Ding Qu!”

Mrs. Zhu’s face showed anger and stand from her seat.

Xiao Qiao’s heart was slightly hanging. She turned her head and looked at Mrs. Xu beside her. Seeing her not moving, not to mention getting up. Her only eye looked down, slightly heavier than before.

……

The four sides of the Youzhou soldiers shouted to the sky and turned to close the sound. Seeing Ding Qu arrogant to this point, the stage immediately buzzed, each face showing anger.

Shi Jun’s face was full of shame. He ran to Wei Shao and kneeled to apologize.

Wei Shao’s eyes shined, but his face was not angry, only narrowed his eyes and slightly raised his chin.

Li Dian understood and said: “Victory and defeat are common. What are you guilty of? Go down and heal your wounds first.”

Shi Jun bowed his head and went away. On the stage, Ding Qu stood still. He once again looked at the beautiful figure on the Lu Li Terrace and looked across the stage. He said, “I heard the Marquis Yan of Youzhou, the champion of the three armies, is known as the god of war. When I was in Shandong, I had the intention to learn. But I could not meet him. Today is a good opportunity. Can the Marquis of Yan teach me?”

This statement was arrogant and rude to the extreme. Even Li Dian, a veteran of a hundred battles and cultured, was angry from the heart after hearing it. He was about to get up, but a figure on the side slowly got up.

Wei Yan said: “Who are you? Only a dog and horse under Yuan Zhe’s command were lucky to win a game. How dare you think that you have become a human being? How can you be qualified to fight with the ruler of my 400,000 generals of Youzhou? I am Wei Yan of Dai County, I am not talented, but I would like to play a few moves with you. If you beat me, let’s talk about it again!”

Wei Yan stepped down from the platform, walked to the weapons rack, took an iron rod, and stepped onto the ring.

When the soldiers saw Wei Yan on the stage, the crowd was excited again.

Ding Qu saw he only took the iron rod as a weapon and did not put himself in the eyes. Slightly stunned and said angrily: “Okay. It is your request for humiliation, do not blame me not to show mercy.” The halberd came up to meet the battle.

……

The ring filled with Wei Yan and Ding Qu fighting each other. Mrs. Xu sat on a high platform. Her one eye kept staring intently.

At first, her expression was grave but gradually slowed down.

A few moments later, she turned her head to Xiao Qiao and said: “This guy needs to be beaten. He came to my home in Youzhou to throw the game here. Let Yan’er kill his spirit as well.”

Mrs. Xu’s words just fell, and Xiao Qiao heard a cheer erupting in the ground. Following the sound, a halberd flew out of the air. Wei Yan’s iron rod swept like lightning, imitating the technique when Ding Qu hit Shi Jun. A heavy rod hit his back, and Ding Qu spurted out a mouthful of blood.

Ding Qu was ashamed and angry. Struggled to fight again. Wei Yan’s iron rod pressed against his throat and said viciously: ” Do you think I won’t dare to kill you? Even if Yuan Zhe is fierce and violent, what can he do to me?”

Ding Qu’s throat was locked. He could not move. As soon as Yuan Dai saw the situation was not good, he got off the stage, ran to Wei Shao, and said: “Marquis Yan, do not be angry. He was too reckless. He did not listen to my advice and made a mess. I hope Marquis Yan will spare his life for the sake of my brother. When I take him back, I will tell my brother the truth and send an envoy with a gift to apologize!”

Wei Shao lifted his eyes and looked at Wei Yan, his expression calm.

Wei Yan looked at him for a moment and withdrew his iron rod.

Yuan Dai ordered someone to come up to the stage and carry Ding Qu away.

Wei Yan got out of the ring amidst the cheers of all the generals. At this point, the Lu Li Conference ended. Although the process was twists and turns, the scene was thrilling. Not only to define Qiao Ci, Shi Jun, and Wei Yan but also to raise the prestige of the military. All the soldiers are excited by the heroic song.

Mrs. Xu saw Wei Shao Wei Yan’s two brothers walking towards the Lu Li Terrace. The two of them came to pick her up. She got up, supported by Xiao Qiao and Mrs. Zhu down the steps, and finally met with the two brothers.

Mrs. Xu looked pleased and said, “If brothers are of one heart, they can break the gold. I am happy to have you two brothers in Youzhou!”