The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 222

Fang Yi'ai walked onto the training ground.

"Then I will set three tests. If you can defeat me, I, Fang Yi'ai, will never appear before the princess again. But what if you lose?"

Xu Tian smiled and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "If I lose, I will do the same as you, young master, and never appear before the princess again. Even if His Majesty forces me into marriage, I will never marry the princess!"

A glint of light flashed in Fang Yi'ai's eyes: "Are you serious?"

Xu Tian nodded: "Absolutely true. When does the competition begin?"

Fang Yi'ai then walked to the side and picked up a bow and arrow: "Let's have an archery contest. Whoever can hit the bullseye from 100 meters away will win the first round."

General Wang glanced at the Grand Tutor, then couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Although their Grand Tutor had resigned from his military post, he had no martial arts skills whatsoever.

Xu Tian saw General Wang secretly chuckling to himself, glared at him fiercely, and then saw Fang Yi'ai's arrows hit their mark without fail. With a whoosh, the arrow pierced the bullseye a hundred meters away.

Xu Tian felt envious, but when he picked up the bow and arrow himself, the arrow actually pierced through Fang Yi'ai's arrow.

General Wang was taken aback at first, then immediately clapped his hands: "Truly, you can hit the bullseye every time you shoot from a hundred paces away. It seems that the Grand Tutor's archery skills have improved again."

Fang Yi'ai said, "You've won the first round! The second round is a calligraphy contest! Bring me a brush and ink." He then wrote a magnificent essay.

Xu Tian was somewhat embarrassed. Fortunately, even in modern times, he still paid attention to ancient times and often practiced calligraphy. He especially liked the Song Dynasty's "Slender Gold" style, so his calligraphy was very distinctive. General Wang, on the other hand, did not understand these literary matters.

But seeing how lively the characters were, as if they were leaping out of the page, I was amazed.

Fang Yi'ai walked over and, after seeing Xu Tian's poem, was taken aback for a moment before saying, "I lost. Let's begin the third round, which is to compose a poem in seven steps."

Fang Yi'ai had absolute confidence in this regard.

Fang Yi'ai took four steps forward and then recited a poem. Xu Tian felt somewhat helpless. As a modern person, he could easily outdo Fang Yi'ai by reciting a few lines of poetry from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Fang Yi'ai was practically offering himself up for self-torture.

Xu Tian recited a line from a poem by a poet from the Yuan Dynasty: "Though our hearts are not adorned with a pair of colorful phoenixes, our wings are connected by a single thread of understanding."

Unexpectedly, as soon as these lines of poetry were uttered, Fang Yi'ai was struck dumb, his heart filled with despair. He stepped forward and said, "I originally thought you had abducted the princess, but today I realize how shallow I was. It turns out that you have long been in love with the princess, so deeply devoted that you are willing to die for her. It seems I was presumptuous."

Fang Yi'ai then clasped his hands and said, "I have brought this humiliation upon myself. After suffering defeat after defeat at the remaining three checkpoints, I will return to the capital and never see Princess Showa again."

Xu Tian realized that he had only casually recited a poem and hadn't expected Fang Yi'ai to misunderstand him. He quickly chased after him.

"Young Master Fang, I did not mean it. I do not like the princess, nor am I a good person to her."

Fang Yi'ai said, "Grand Tutor Xu's magnanimity is beyond our reach. I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave."

He then left the general's mansion's training ground. Xu Tian, ​​as a modern person, felt like he'd stolen someone's girlfriend. But then again, historically, Princess Zhaohe wasn't Fang Yi'ai's wife; Fang Yi'ai's wife should have been Princess Gaoyang.

Xu Tian felt at peace; Fang Yi'ai should meet her true love soon.

General Wang, who was watching from the side, was already dumbfounded. He patted Xu Tian on the shoulder and said, "Grand Tutor Xu, I never expected you to be so talented. I thought you were only skilled in farming, but I never imagined that you are also skilled in calligraphy and archery. We are far inferior to you."