After the cannon fodder father and daughter married into the family, the whole family regretted it

The wedding procession was filled with the roar of gongs, drums and suonas, but they stopped temporarily in front of the two tightly closed vermilion lacquered doors of General Meng's mansion.

Fang Yin sat upright on his horse, looking at the crowd of Meng family relatives, subordinates and servants in front of the door, who had kind smiles on their faces but obviously did not intend to let them go easily. He took a deep breath and knew that the time to "break through" had come.

A burly, middle-aged man who looked like a butler stepped forward with a smile and cupped his fists towards Fang Yin. "General Fang, congratulations! If you want to marry my young lady today, you must first pass these hurdles and demonstrate the Fang family's sincerity and ability."

"This first stage is a literary examination. General Fang, please improvise a poem to urge my young lady to put on her makeup in front of the mirror so that she can set off earlier!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the group of soldiers behind Fang Yin suddenly burst into louder laughter and strange screams.

Asking Fang Yin, a general who was good at wielding spears and sticks, to compose a poem on the spot was simply a deliberate embarrassment.

The red glow on Fang Yin's face due to nervousness and joy froze for a moment. He subconsciously turned around and scanned the crowd, his eyes first falling on Qin Yan.

Qin Yan understood and was about to step forward, but someone was one step faster than him.

Fang Nanzhi rode forward, passed the crowd, and came to Fang Yin's side. She bowed calmly to the Meng family's steward and everyone else, "Housekeeper Meng, uncles and brothers, today is my second uncle's wedding day, and the family is filled with joy. I, Fang Nanzhi, would like to compose a poem on his behalf, firstly to urge him to get ready, and secondly to help cheer him up. Is that okay?"

The girl was wearing a light blue dress, which made her look particularly fresh and refined in this sea of ​​red. She had a beautiful face, and her calm demeanor and bright eyes could not be ignored.

When she spoke, not only did the Meng family cast more curious glances at her, but many of the Fang family's unaware relatives and friends also nodded secretly, as they had long heard that the young lady of the Fang family was quite talented.

Butler Meng obviously knew her. A knowing smile flashed across his eyes. He exchanged glances with the elders of the Meng family beside him and replied loudly, "So it's Miss Fang. I've long heard that Miss Fang is very intelligent. Since Miss Fang is willing to share my concerns, we are naturally all ears! Please—"

Fang Nanzhi smiled slightly and pondered for a moment.

"The morning light opens the red window, the spring breeze enters the painted hall. I know from afar that in the diamond mirror, a beautiful face is dressing. Her black hair is ready to be tied into a heart-shaped thread, her eyebrows are ready to depict the distant mountains. The auspicious time has been announced, so don't let your good husband linger by the door."

As soon as the poem came out, there was silence for a moment, and then burst into cheers even more enthusiastic than before.

The wording is elegant, and what is even more rare is that it fits the theme of "urging the bride to put on makeup". The first two sentences indicate the time, place and environment, the third and fourth sentences cleverly imagine the scene of the bride fixing her appearance in the mirror, and the fifth and sixth sentences use "concentric threads" and "distant mountains" to describe the makeup and imply the auspicious meaning of the couple's love and lasting affection.

The last two sentences are even more playful, directly pointing out that the groom has been waiting outside the door for a long time. The urging is just right without being impolite.

"Excellent! 'Don't let a good son-in-law stay at your door' is a great idea! Miss Fang is quite talented!"

"This poem is so fitting, so elegant and auspicious!"

"As expected of Miss Fang, her talent is truly remarkable!"

Several relatives and friends from the Meng family who were obviously dressed as scholars nodded repeatedly and looked at Fang Nanzhi with admiration.

This first level was passed beautifully.

Fang Yin breathed a sigh of relief, and looked at his niece with eyes full of gratitude and pride, and his back unconsciously straightened a little.

Butler Meng smiled broadly and said, "Miss Fang is very talented and has passed the writing test perfectly, but..."

He changed the subject, his voice rising again with the unique grandeur of a military general. "We've passed the civil test, and now we have the military test. General Fang, on this joyous day, please test your skills and let us broaden our horizons. What do you think?"

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and the servants of the Meng Mansion, who had been prepared, quickly brought up the props.

Ten strings of tightly wrapped red firecrackers, supported by slender bamboo poles, were lined up one after another. At the same time, someone handed over a hard bow with strong pulling force and several specially made arrows - the arrowheads were tightly wrapped in thick cotton cloth and soaked in tung oil, which looked quite strange.

Steward Meng picked up a tung oil arrow, showed it to everyone, and announced loudly, "According to the rules of the Wuguan Pass, we will light these ten firecrackers one by one and throw them into the air with all our might. General Fang, please use this tung oil arrow to shoot the fuse before the firecracker hits the ground, igniting the tung oil and igniting the firecracker in the air. You only need to hit five of the ten firecrackers to pass the test!"

After the rules were announced, the crowd immediately exclaimed and talked.

This is much more difficult than shooting at a target. Not only does it require excellent accuracy, but it also cannot be too light or at an off angle.

Seeing this, Fang Yin, far from being intimidated, instead had a strong fighting spirit in his eyes: "Haha! Great! This is more suitable for my temper than quibbling over words!"

He dismounted swiftly, threw the reins to his personal guard, and strode forward to take the bow.

Holding the familiar bow, his entire demeanor changed. The slight nervousness and embarrassment he felt before was swept away, replaced by a calm and confident confidence.

He picked up a tung oil arrow, put it on the string, and did not pull it out immediately. Instead, he narrowed his eyes slightly, felt the direction and strength of the wind, and then nodded to Butler Meng.

The first servant received the signal and used a fire stick to light the fuse of a string of firecrackers in his hand. The fuse immediately made a soft "chi chi" sound and emitted white smoke.

The servant threw the bamboo pole with firecrackers on it diagonally into the air in front of him!

Almost at the moment when the firecracker flew out of his hand, Fang Yin moved. His bow was open like a full moon, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle, locking onto that spark.

With a "whoosh", the arrow flew away from the string. The tung oil arrow was moving extremely fast, cutting through the air, making a slight whistling sound, and brushing past the burning fuse with incredible precision!

With a light "puff" sound, the tung oil on the arrow head rubbed violently with the burning fuse, and a bright flame exploded instantly, successfully igniting the main fuse of the firecracker!

"Crackle—crackle—!"

The explosion sounded in the air, and red firecracker confetti fell down.

"it is good!"

"Sharpshooter!"

"General Fang is mighty!"

The cheers and applause were like thunder, igniting the atmosphere of the whole venue, and the children jumped and shouted with excitement.

Fang Yin's face was calm and he showed no sign of satisfaction, as if he had just done something insignificant.

He pulled out another tung oil arrow and put it on the bowstring.

The second, third, fourth...

His rhythm was steady and his movements were smooth. Balls of fire and loud noises kept exploding in the air, and the smell of gunpowder mixed with a festive atmosphere filled the air.

Although the servants of the Meng family who were throwing firecrackers started to show off their skills, throwing them higher, further away, and in a rotating manner, causing Fang Yin to miss three of them, when he shot the seventh firecracker in mid-air, the outcome was no longer in doubt.