manynovel Chapter 598: He is a Son
Chapter 598: He is a Son
"You study all day, you should practice more riding and archery. The six arts are indispensable for a gentleman, and riding and archery can also strengthen the body. You are thin and weak, so you should practice to be stronger, after all, you are a man."
The Fourth Prince looked Jiang Youzhen up and down. At first glance, he felt that Jiang Youzhen was very small.
It was not even up to his chin, and he was so skinny that he even thought the food he was given as stuffing was too small.
Suddenly I recalled that I had inquired about Jiang Youzhen's family background before. Jiang Youzhen's family was poor when he was a child. I heard that he did hard labor everywhere before he went to school, and he had to work in the fields during the busy farming season. It was normal for him to not have enough food and warm clothes.
Could it be that he didn't eat enough when he was a child, so he didn't grow tall and strong? The fourth prince suddenly felt a little pity.
It’s just…she had a hard childhood, but how could she have such porcelain-like skin and such an extraordinary temperament?
The Fourth Prince was a little confused, but he didn't think about it any more after a moment. Maybe he recovered later?
Looking at the pitying eyes of the Fourth Prince, Jiang Youzhen felt puzzled. What's with that look?
"I am not very good at riding and shooting, but Brother Fang is quite skilled. How about we have a competition?"
In order to show his loyalty, Jiang Youzhen decided to hide his incompetence today.
"More people means more fun." The fourth prince agreed immediately. In fact, he thought Fang Zhongyi looked capable and had some ideas. If he was capable, he would take him under his wing.
Jiang Youzhen didn't change into riding clothes either. It just so happened that she was wearing narrow sleeves today, so it didn't matter. It was impossible for the Fourth Prince's Mansion to have clothes like hers. It was better to wear her own clothes than to wear clothes that didn't fit her.
Zhang Shoucheng didn't leave either, and joined in the fun.
I have to say, the Fourth Prince's Mansion is really big. Walking along the way, even the garden is bigger than the yard at the entrance of her house. No wonder the Fourth Prince's Mansion occupies an entire alley.
Coming in from the alley, Jiang Youzhen sat in the carriage and saw the wall stretching far out. The carriage took half a quarter of an hour to reach the west corner gate.
The Prince's Mansion was decorated with carved beams and painted buildings. Jiang Youzhen cursed in his heart as he walked. It turned out that having a good birth was more important than anything else. This was what they called being born with a silver spoon in their mouth!
She was envious, but she was not bad on her own now. Although she would never be able to live in such a big house in her lifetime, because even a first-rank official could not compare to the size of the prince's mansion.
But she felt that such a large house would be too empty if there were not many people living there. The annual maintenance costs were also a lot of money. No wonder they were so poor!
With their entourage, they soon arrived at the shooting range. Before Jiang Youzhen entered, he heard a commotion coming from inside. There were the sounds of galloping horses and the shouts of young men.
"This is a training ground opened up in the west. I usually practice martial arts here. The ground is not big, but it is suitable for practicing riding and archery." The Fourth Prince suddenly introduced.
Yuan Shang looked at his master, feeling somewhat strange. As a prince, did he need to give Jiang Youzhen an explanation for being a sixth-rank official?
Why did he feel that his prince was acting strangely? He actually saw the intention of trying to please him?
How could Jiang Youzhen deserve such a low profile from His Highness? She was really against the will of Heaven.
After walking for a quarter of an hour, they finally arrived at the parade ground.
As soon as he entered, Jiang Youzhen saw two people chasing each other on horseback. Others were watching the two people riding and shooting not far away, and making fun of them from time to time.
Jiang Youzhen looked at the training ground which was as big as a football field and couldn't help but twitch his lips. How can you call this not big?
"Your Highness has arrived!" With a shout, the group of playful teenagers finally quieted down and walked towards this side.
Jiang Youzhen took a quick look and saw five people. But why did the one who came first look so familiar?
When she looked carefully, she was speechless. Isn't this Zhao Chi, the prince of Rong State?
Ugh! She took back what she said before. It turned out that there were not only young people here.
I still remember the last time we were attacked on the boat, the cowardly look of the Crown Prince of Rongguo was still fresh in my memory. I didn't expect this guy to be here too, could he be good at horseback archery as well?
As the other four people approached, Jiang Youzhen discovered that there was an acquaintance among them, who turned out to be Li Dongsheng, the second son of the Jin'an Marquis's Mansion.
The last time Li Dongsheng was attacked on the boat with them, they haven’t seen each other since then. They didn’t expect that this guy was actually getting together with the Prince of Rongguo.
Jiang Youzhen didn't recognize the other three people, but judging by their attire, they should all be from wealthy families.
"Greetings, Your Highness!" Several people came before the Fourth Prince and saluted in unison.
"No need to be so polite! I'll be here a little later, so I'll introduce you to each other."
The fourth prince pointed at Jiang Youzhen and said, "Newly-appointed Jinshi Jiang Youzhen!"
"Haha! This prince and the number one scholar are familiar with each other! I didn't expect to meet him here." The prince of Rong laughed and looked at Jiang Youzhen.
"Zhuangyuanlang, long time no see!"
Jiang Youzhen cupped his hands, "It's been a long time since we last met. Your Majesty is still as elegant as ever!"
"You're good at talking!" Prince Rong pointed at Jiang Youzhen and said with a smile.
"Top scorer, we haven't seen each other for a long time. I haven't congratulated you on winning the top spot in the imperial examination yet." At this time, Li Dongsheng came forward and winked at him.
"So you all know each other?" A boy of about seventeen or eighteen came over.
"It's more than just acquaintance. It's a life-and-death friendship." The Prince of Rong sighed, and when he thought of the danger that day, he couldn't help but feel a little scared.
"This prince has prepared a great gift! I cannot thank you enough for your kindness!"
"My son, you are too polite!"
Jiang Youzhen then learned the identities of the other three people. One of them was Luo Jinqiu, the second son of the Minister of Rites, and Luo Jinshu's cousin. No wonder they looked familiar. It turned out that the cousins looked somewhat similar.
Among them was a young man who was dressed in gorgeous and luxurious clothes and had a slightly plump figure. He turned out to be Zhao Yin, the prince of Chun County.
Prince Chun has a villa in Jiangnan. Due to his poor health, he spends most of the year recuperating in the pleasant climate of Jiangnan.
The Prince's Mansion is in the North City, but Zhao Yin likes to stay in the Fourth Prince's Mansion for a long time. However, Prince Chun is a member of the Third Prince's party and is quite close to him.
Jiang Youzhen had previously sent Asan to inquire about the relationships between the noble families in the capital. He knew about some of the obvious factions, and Prince Chun was already an open card.
However, the emperor gave Luo Shurou to Zhao Yin as a concubine, so the two of them became brother-in-law and brother-in-law? No wonder they can play together.
The last person had a handsome appearance and a scholarly air. He was Zhang Haolun, the son of Zhang Xianwen, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
If Jiang Youzhen's method of disinfecting strong liquor is to be promoted, the Ministry of Revenue will definitely intervene in the matter, and this man's father has been classified by Jiang Youzhen as the fourth prince's lineage.
Everyone was quite polite to Jiang Youzhen, whether it was because of Jiang Youzhen's official rank or because the Fourth Prince obviously favored her.
As for Fang Zhongyi and Zhang Shouan, everyone just said a few polite words to them and ignored them.
The two knew that they were not worthy of the honor due to their status, so they dared not complain and stood aside without saying a word.
"There are so many people here, why don't we try some jackpot?"