The Innocent Heart - Chapter 35

Huo Qubing naturally did not take the final top spot in this final round; the first place was won by a sixteen-year-old youth. Perhaps Guan Yueyao’s earlier words had an effect; although he only placed third, Huo Qubing did not feel overly discouraged. On the contrary, he now understood the gap between himself and others, which gave him greater motivation.

“Qubing, you did well! You finished in the top three of the high school group with the age of the elementary school group!” Guan Yueyao stood beside him, laughing loudly as he patted his shoulder with an appearance of deep admiration.

“What elementary school group, high school group?” Huo Qubing was somewhat confused, but Guan Yueyao’s attitude made him feel very pleased.

“Um… In the sports meets at school before, the competition events were always divided into age groups. Athletes of a certain age competed together to determine the top three; this was to ensure the greatest possible fairness in the competition.”

“Qubing!”

Suddenly, a figure appeared abruptly behind the two. Huo Qubing reacted first, almost dragging the still-dazed Guan Yueyao as he turned to bow.

“Greetings to Your Majesty.”

“Rise, rise. Both of you worked hard today,” Liu Che waved his hand. Wang He, being very perceptive, stepped forward two paces and helped up the two youths, one in each hand.

“You young fellow, you ran well today!” Liu Che first looked at Huo Qubing with a smile. Because of the strenuous exercise, the youth’s topknot had become somewhat loose, and sweat had dampened the fine hair on his forehead. However, none of this made him look unclean or sloppy; instead, he possessed a kind of healthy, vital beauty that was very pleasing to the eye.

“Yueyao, your organization of today’s competition was also well done,” After praising Huo Qubing, Liu Che turned his gaze toward Guan Yueyao. Guan Yueyao rarely received praise from adults for his actions; although he was inwardly elated, his expression appeared somewhat flustered.

He scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed, and humbly said: “When organizing the event, Lord Wei helped Me a great deal. I only helped set up the competition venue.”

“Haha, this child! Have you learned your maturity and steadiness from staying with Zhongqing too long?” Upon hearing this, Liu Che turned to tease Wei Qing, who was accompanying him on the side.

“Your Majesty jests,” Wei Qing was already accustomed to Liu Che’s manner of interaction. He smiled slightly and also looked at Guan Yueyao with approval: “However, this competition proceeded so smoothly because Yueyao truly contributed greatly. I listened to many of his ideas about hosting such events before settling on the format.” Wei Qing paused here, seemingly contemplating something. After a moment, he continued in a rather solemn tone: “Upon seeing the high morale in the army this afternoon, I considered whether this kind of competition system could be promoted throughout the army. I believe this is an excellent method to motivate the soldiers’ enthusiasm for training.”

“Zhongqing speaks the absolute truth. While watching the competition earlier, I was also contemplating this matter. However, having only a running event would inevitably become dull. This matter still requires careful, long-term deliberation, so I will entrust it to you and Yueyao to handle.”

“Understood.”

Huo Qubing, standing to the side listening to the two converse, saw his uncle receive the imperial order, yet his friend, who was also named, still looked as if his soul had wandered off somewhere. He stuck out his foot and lightly nudged Guan Yueyao.

“Ah? Understood,” Guan Yueyao finally reacted and gave Liu Che a bow in a manner he had just learned but was not yet entirely standard. Fortunately, Liu Che found Guan Yueyao quite agreeable at the moment, and given his good mood today, he did not dwell too much on his lack of ceremony.

Seeing that both had accepted the imperial command, he clasped his hands behind his back and gracefully walked toward the award platform. This esteemed person was currently in high spirits, and given that his favored Huo Qubing had achieved a remarkable third place at such a young age, he decided to personally award the prizes to the three good runners today. To receive an award personally from the Emperor was, as can be imagined, a great honor more stirring than the generous prize money.

“You all did well today. Continue to serve My Great Han in the future,” Liu Che waved his hand, and Wang He presented a tray of gold ingots to the youth who won first place. The youth, seeing the Emperor’s face, was so excited he could barely speak. After a moment of stunned silence, he almost roared: “This commoner, Zang Su, swears to serve Your Majesty and serve the Great Han to the death!”

“Insolent! How dare you speak so loudly before His Majesty!” As soon as his words fell, Wang He’s sharp reprimand rang out.

“No matter. Today, I am happy. Seeing that the generals and soldiers of My Great Han possess such determination and valor, I am happy! The fine sons of My Great Han should be like this!” As Liu Che spoke, he turned his body and surveyed the densely packed crowd lined up neatly beneath the temporary platform. His voice was bold and carried far across the open training ground in the wind.

“Serve Your Majesty! Serve the Great Han! Kill the Xiongnu! Recover Our Mountains and Rivers!” Wei Qing raised his voice and shouted at this moment. Soon, the slogan spread throughout the entire army. Those shouts, filled with a sense of grim killing intent, made even those standing among them feel their blood boil.

Guan Yueyao, mixed within the crowd, also shouted the slogan word for word along with the soldiers beside him. Truly incredible. He did not belong to this time or space, nor did he have any national enmity with those Xiongnu people. Yet, at this moment, he was infected by the atmosphere and could not help but have his eyes well up with tears.

Even after returning to the Wei residence, this excited emotion lingered in the hearts of the two youths.

“Ah Yao, Ah Yao, let’s go ride horses! If you want to go to the battlefield, your current riding skill isn’t enough,” As soon as he sat down in the courtyard, Huo Qubing impatiently suggested.

“I’m fine, but are you alright?” Guan Yueyao was also still caught up in the excitement, feeling the need to do something to disperse the impulse surging in his chest. But considering his friend had just gone through an afternoon of intense competition, he was still hesitant.

“What’s the big deal? Let’s go, let’s go,” Huo Qubing said as he stood up and reached out again, pulling Guan Yueyao up from the mat. Just as the two were about to leave the room, Lady Wei Shao’er walked into the courtyard with a joyful expression, gracefully carrying some things.

“Qubing, Ah Yao, you’re just in time! Quickly try these on; I had a few outfits made for both of you.” Lady Wei Shao’er hurried forward a few steps, and Guan Yueyao finally saw the maids behind her, whose tray indeed held several neatly folded garments.

“Mother, didn’t I tell you before not to casually enter My courtyard?” Huo Qubing frowned, looking at his mother with an expression of not being very appreciative.

Lady Wei Shao’er was long accustomed to his attitude. She did not take his disrespectful manner to heart, her face still beaming like a flower, and she said gently: “It’s My fault. I just wanted to see you try on the clothes quickly. If anything doesn’t fit, I can have someone alter it.” Lady Wei Shao’er then looked at Guan Yueyao: “Ah Yao has been staying at our house for some time, wearing only your uncle’s old clothes temporarily altered for him. He now has an official post; this situation cannot continue.”

Upon hearing Lady Wei Shao’er’s concerned words, Guan Yueyao’s eyes immediately grew hot again. He looked gratefully at Lady Wei Shao’er, who was holding her son’s hand.

“Thank you for your concern, Madam. However, I have not yet washed; I am covered in dust right now. I truly cannot bear to soil the clothes Your Ladyship took the trouble to have made.”

“No trouble, no trouble at all. You two go bathe first. You must have sweat a lot in the army. Although the weather is gradually warming up, the nights are still cool. Change into dry clothes; it will be more comfortable for you and help prevent illness from entering the body.” Lady Wei Shao’er earnestly instructed. Huo Qubing’s face, however, already showed impatience; he was eager to go riding with Guan Yueyao!

“Mother, leave the clothes here. We’ll try them on when we get back tonight. Ah Yao and I are going to practice riding now!” Saying this, he dragged his friend’s hand without waiting for Guan Yueyao’s reaction and headed for the courtyard gate without looking back.

“Hey! This child…” Guan Yueyao could only offer Lady Wei Shao’er a slightly apologetic smile before leaving the small courtyard with Huo Qubing.

“Why were you in such a hurry? Your mother meant well. If you are always so impatient, your mother will be sad,” Guan Yueyao frowned and quietly complained to his friend after leaving the courtyard gate.

“If you hadn’t seized the opportunity to leave, my mother’s nagging would never end, and we wouldn’t get to practice riding today,” Huo Qubing was unconcerned and didn’t take Guan Yueyao’s worry about Lady Wei Shao’er to heart.

“Aiya, it’s just a few pieces of clothing. We can try them on when we get back from riding. Do you think they’ll run away on their own?” Guan Yueyao was choked by his friend’s retort and didn’t know how to argue back. He knew Huo Qubing wouldn’t understand his feelings now, and thus couldn’t understand his concern for Lady Wei Shao’er. Guan Yueyao merely observed Huo Qubing’s interaction with his mother and was reminded of how he himself had once treated his mother. He didn’t want Huo Qubing to one day regret his current attitude toward his mother, just as he regretted his own actions now.

However, Huo Qubing didn’t notice his friend’s low spirits and silence because they had reached the stables. Perhaps from spending so much time with Liu Che, Huo Qubing, like Liu Che, was very generous to those he valued. Although he was only ten years old, he already owned six horses exclusively belonging to him. And he generously gifted one of them, a gentle white horse, to Guan Yueyao.

Guan Yueyao was still a beginner in horsemanship. Moreover, at this time, although the saddle had taken its initial shape, the stirrup had not yet been invented, making the difficulty of practicing riding far greater than in modern times. Despite Guan Yueyao’s highly developed athletic coordination, mastering how to control the gentle white horse beneath him was still a considerable challenge.

Since he was already there, Guan Yueyao didn’t want to waste time. He quickly mounted the horse in a still-unskilled posture, gripped the reins tightly, and urged the fine steed to start trotting slowly. The sound of a light wind brushed past his ears. He began to squeeze his thighs, slowly increasing the horse’s speed. Lacking the shock absorption of later-era saddles, Guan Yueyao felt his backside getting slightly numb and itchy from the bouncing.

“Ah Yao! Ah Yao! Come chase Me!” Suddenly, Huo Qubing, riding his horse Benxiao, flashed past Guan Yueyao’s side, his unrestrained laughter carrying over. Guan Yueyao temporarily put aside the discomfort.

“You just wait for Me!” He gritted his teeth, took his whip, lightly slapped the horse’s rump twice, and chased after him.