Chapter 254 Cruel Reality

Chapter 254 Cruel Reality

Chapter 254 Cruel Reality
In the afternoon, Xiao Xia stuck a wooden target deep into the mud by the lake. Thirty steps away, the two sisters were ready. They both changed into warrior uniforms and held a bow in their hands.

The Sui Dynasty advocated martial arts, and women from noble families also had to learn archery. The people in the north suffered for three hundred years, which brought a deep-seated sense of insecurity to the northern families.

Famous families like the Cui family of Boling had even stricter requirements. Men had to study and practice martial arts, and women had to learn not only music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but also horse riding and archery. Therefore, the father of Yang Zhao's father-in-law Cui Hongsheng, Cui Shuo, was a general of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Cui Hongsheng himself was also a military general and participated in the suppression of Yuchi Jiong's rebellion.

In fact, the Cui sisters have all practiced archery in the family. They can basically hit the target seven out of ten times from thirty steps away. They hope Xiao Xia can give them some pointers so that their archery skills can be improved to a higher level.

Xiao Xia saw that they stood straight, drew the bow and shot the arrow with standard movements and good accuracy, and he really had no way of teaching them.

If you want to shoot an arrow from fifty steps away, it requires strength. Cui Yu might be able to do it, but Cui Mei definitely can't.

Cui Mei hit the target with one arrow. She said to Xiao Xia very proudly, "Brother Xiao, I used to shoot ten arrows and could only hit five. Now I can hit seven out of ten. Do you know why?"

Xiao Xia smiled slightly and said, "Is it because of the golden needle practice?"

"Yes! We have been shooting golden needles for a month and feel that our accuracy has improved a lot."

"Is Miss Cui the same as Xiaomei?"

Cui Yu smiled and nodded, "My arms are too sore from pulling the bow, it's better to shoot flying needles!"

"So I told you that practicing golden needles is the foundation. Once you master golden needles, it only takes you a few months instead of several years of hard work for others. So I don't really want to teach you archery. You should just practice golden needles."

After Xiao Xia finished speaking, he pulled out a flying knife, swung it, and with a "snap!" sound, the flying knife accurately hit the target's forehead from thirty steps away.

"See? The same goes for the flying knives."

At night, Xiao Xia and Xiao Zhurong were lying in the big tent chatting. Xiao Zhurong said excitedly: "The book about breaking obstacles is really good. I really memorized it after reading it once. I decided to drop out of school and memorize the book at home with all my heart. I will take the Mingjing exam next year."

"Have you told Feiyan?" Xiao Xia asked with his hands under his head.

"I've said it before. She's very supportive. She praised you for being smart. You're the only one who can think of something that no one else can."

"I have practiced. I memorized all the military tactics for the civil service examination in ten days. I have a deep understanding of them!"

Xiao Zhurong couldn't help but ask again: "What do you think of Cui Yu?"

"Very good. I have met very few women, and this is the first time I have met a lady from a famous family like her. I wonder if other women are as gentle and quiet as her?"

Xiao Zhurong sighed and said, "Not all women from noble families are like her. Look at her younger sister, she is eccentric and has nothing to do with being gentle and quiet. Look at your second sister, she is even more of a tomboy. There are also many women who are very cunning. You can't feel them at ordinary times, but you will slowly discover them after they get married."

"What if Cui Yu is also very scheming?"

"She is not! If she was so scheming, your brother would never have introduced her to you."

Xiao Xia was startled, "What thread?"

Xiao Zhurong said unhappily, "Don't you see? Isn't the reason I came to the manor for vacation this time to create an opportunity for you to be together?"

Xiao Xia sat up and asked in surprise, "Brother wants me to marry Cui Yu?"

"Of course, do you think I'll let you marry Cui Mei?"

"But she's only fifteen!" Xiao Zhurong looked at Xiao Xia with disdain, "Where on earth are you from? Isn't it normal to get married at fourteen or fifteen? What are you so surprised about? Besides, if you think she's too young, you can marry her in two years!"

Xiao Xia lay down again and said after a while: "My mother has arranged a marriage for me."

Xiao Zhurong was startled, "Who?"

"Zhang Jue's niece. She taught me swordsmanship. I call her Little Senior Sister, but she is actually two years younger than me. She is now my mother's apprentice."

"She is a female Taoist priest?"

Xiao Xia nodded and said, "She will return to secular life in two years and will come to see me!"

"Her last name is Zhang, right? Who is her father?"

"Zhang Zhongsu, a general of the Chen Dynasty, was killed by Yuwen Shu. More than 20 members of his family were killed by Yuwen Shu. They wanted revenge, but now it seems that revenge is not realistic at all!"

Xiao Zhurong sighed and said, "If you are a descendant of the Xiao family, it would be fine to marry her, but think about your current status, the grandson of the emperor, the prince, the general. Do you think your grandfather and your father would allow you to marry the daughter of a general of the Chen Dynasty as your princess? Brother, wake up! You don't understand the principle that family background is as important as a mountain. If you want to achieve something in the future, you must marry a daughter of a famous family, then the family will support you, do you understand? Outside of Guanlong, the world belongs to the family."

"But I have promised Junior Sister that I will marry her in the future."

"You can marry her. I'm not saying you can't marry her. I'm just saying you can't marry her as a princess of a county. You're a prince of a county. Wouldn't it be nice to be a concubine? Your father and grandfather would agree. Look at the crown prince. The crown princess must be the daughter of the Yuan family. Think about why. This is the orthodoxy. The daughter of Prime Minister Gao can only be a concubine. Why can Prime Minister Gao accept it? Because the status of Bohai Gao's family is not as good as that of the Yuan family. Look at your father. The princess is a princess of the Southern Dynasty. Your mother is the daughter of a general of the Southern Dynasty. Your father doesn't even want to give her a name. Your eldest brother's wife is the legitimate daughter of the Cui family. This is a family of aristocrats that has existed for hundreds of years. There is a strict system here that is invisible and intangible, but if you betray this system, you will be spurned by all the aristocratic families in the world at the same time."

Xiao Xia smiled bitterly and said, "I am actually an illegitimate child. The Cui family may not be interested in me. Not only the Cui family, but also all the famous families will not be interested in me."

"how do you know?"

Xiao Xia sighed and said, "He is the dignified Prince of Xihai County, a third-rank general of the Right Wuhou Guard, with a huge family fortune. He is only seventeen years old and has not yet married, but no aristocratic family has come to propose marriage. What do they dislike? Isn't it because my last name is Xiao, not Yang?"

Xiao Zhurong pondered for a moment and said, "Although there is some influence in this regard, I don't think this is the real reason!"

"So what do you think is the real reason?"

"Because your father is not the crown prince. Once the crown prince ascends the throne, he will definitely kill your father, your elder brother, and you. I think this is the real reason?"

Xiao Xia gave a thumbs up, "That's progress, you see things more clearly!"

"So what do you think?" Xiao Zhurong asked.

Xiao Xia said slowly: "So I won't consider marriage in the next two years. Although Cui Yu is good, I can only say that I am not destined to be with her. Her father will never let her wait for me for two years. I estimate that she will get married next year. Marriage is not up to her."

"What if her father is willing to marry her to you? Will you agree?"

Xiao Xia shook her head. "You said it yourself. No father would be willing to marry his daughter to a man who will die in a few years. His family will be dragged down by him and his daughter will become a widow. So I never consider such unrealistic scenarios."

Xiao Zhurong sighed and said, "Have you heard about Dou Dexuan? He has a younger sister who is also fifteen years old this year and has not yet been betrothed. Your father wanted to marry the daughter of the Dou family to you, but as soon as your father mentioned this to Dou Yan, the next day the Dou family got engaged to the Houmochen family. This made your father very angry. I heard from your second sister that the Dou family actually doesn't think highly of you."

Xiao Xia laughed, "But I won't die. I will live better than anyone else. Just wait and see! This is a fight between two people with destiny from another world. I believe I will never lose!"

Xiao Zhurong was confused. What does "a man of destiny from another world" mean?
(End of this chapter)