Song Mo turned towards the sound and saw Dong Qi, the heir of the Marquis of Guangen.

Dong Qi was tall and handsome, wearing a phoenix-winged helmet and a blue brocade robe with golden cloud patterns, adorned with fish-scale armor. Fully equipped in military attire, he cut an imposing figure.

The Crown Prince, looking at his armor, asked curiously, “What’s this about?”

Dong Qi bowed slightly and respectfully replied, “This year, I’m also participating in the autumn hunt’s horseback archery competition.”

Dong Qi held a minor position in the Imperial Guard.

The Crown Prince nodded.

Shen Qing, grinning, circled Dong Qi and examined him. “Your armor looks great.”

Empress Shen came from humble origins, and the Shen family was ennobled due to their connection to the imperial family. The noble youths of the capital didn’t hold Shen Qing in high regard, so he didn’t associate much with them. However, there were two exceptions. One was Song Mo—who treated everyone with the same cool detachment, so Shen Qing had no complaints. The other was Dong Qi—who was sociable and got along with everyone, making his relationship with Shen Qing much better than most.

“I had this specially made in Tianzhou,” Dong Qi said with a smile. “If you like it, I can have one made for you too.”

The armor produced in Tianzhou, Guangxi, was usually reserved for the military. It would be troublesome for Shen Qing to acquire one, but for Dong Qi, whose father was the Right Commander of the Five Army Command and oversaw the Guangxi garrisons, it was a simple matter.

Shen Qing’s face lit up, and he replied without hesitation, “Then I’ll graciously accept your offer!”

The Crown Prince’s brow furrowed slightly.

Dong Qi, seemingly oblivious to the Crown Prince’s reaction as he chatted with Shen Qing, said, “I secretly ordered this using my father’s name. Make sure you don’t let it slip.”

The Crown Prince’s expression visibly improved upon hearing this.

Gu Yu watched, pursing his lips.

Song Mo glanced at Gu Yu.

Gu Yu immediately resumed his respectful demeanor.

Only Shen Qing, oblivious to the situation, worried aloud, “Then what should I say?”

Gu Yu looked up at the sky.

Dong Qi teased, “Just say you got it from Song Da.”

The Crown Prince, Shen Qing, and Gu Yu were all taken aback.

Song Mo, however, calmly said, “That’s fine.”

His serious tone made the atmosphere suddenly solemn, devoid of any hint of jest.

Shen Qing couldn’t help but groan, “Tiansi, can’t you be more casual? No wonder everyone calls you Song Da.”

The Crown Prince chuckled.

A group of elegantly dressed young men passed through the patrolling soldiers and approached together.

They were all sons of noble families, less formal than usual due to the autumn hunt.

Everyone bowed to the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince greeted them warmly, remembering each person’s name and circumstances. His conversation topics ranged from “I heard your grandmother injured her leg, is she better now?” to “Are you getting used to your duties in the Imperial Guard?” and “Have you set a date for your wedding?” Everyone he addressed wore an expression of delight.

Song Mo glanced at Gu Yu.

Gu Yu grinned at Song Mo.

The group surrounded the Crown Prince as they headed to his tent.

Only Song Mo, Gu Yu, and Dong Qi remained in front of Song Mo’s tent.

The three stood in a triangle formation.

Seven or eight young soldiers, wearing padded jackets and chain mail, with large swords at their waists, approached. “Is this the tent of the heir of Duke of Ying? We’re from the left and right battalions of the Five Army Camp, summoned to participate in the autumn hunt’s archery competition. We’ve come to pay our respects to the heir of Duke of Ying.” The speaker’s gaze moved between the three, finally settling on Dong Qi. “We’ve long heard that the heir of Duke of Ying is a young hero. Seeing you today, it’s clear your reputation is well-deserved…”

Dong Qi’s face alternated between red and white. He was about to speak when someone called out “Young Master Song,” drowning out Dong Qi’s voice. The newcomer approached, saying, “You seem to have grown taller since last year. This year, I’m not qualified to participate in the autumn hunt’s archery competition, but I’ve brought some juniors to greet you. Be careful not to lose your position as the Emperor’s Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard!”

The speaker was eight feet tall, with a burly frame that shook as he walked, strong as a bear. He laughed heartily, his voice like a great bell, followed by five or six young men, their faces beaming with confidence.

This man was Ma Youming, son of Ma Yichao, the General of Xuantong. Four years ago, he had won first place in the autumn hunt, but nine-year-old Song Mo had become the center of attention, leaving Ma’s victory overlooked. The following year, he lost to Song Mo by a single arrow, again being ignored. In the third year, he still came in second.

This year, having been promoted to Deputy General of the Divine Mechanism Camp, how could he still compete with these young men without official positions?

Seeing Gu Yu, Ma Youming chuckled, “Little girl, you’ve come to watch the excitement with the young master again!”

Gu Yu’s face contorted with anger. He jumped up and started cursing, his vulgar language leaving even these battle-hardened men stunned.

Ma Youming ignored this and went straight to Song Mo, bowing. He pulled out a seventeen or eighteen-year-old young man from behind him and said, “Young Master Song, this lad is Jiang Yi, son of the Dengzhou Garrison Commander. He comes from a family of military tradition. Our Divine Mechanism Camp is counting on him to compete with you!”

Ma Youming’s men rushed forward to bow to Song Mo.

Song Mo returned the gesture and nodded with a smile at Jiang Yi.

The men who had been speaking to Dong Qi earlier were momentarily stunned. After a moment, they looked at Song Mo with wide eyes, “You… you’re the heir of Duke of Ying?”

Song Mo nodded.

Ma Youming had already put his arm around Song Mo’s shoulders. “We rarely get to meet. Let’s go drink in your tent.” He walked past Dong Qi as if he wasn’t there.

The men from the Five Army Camp erupted in chatter.

“How can he be so young?”

“Is this for real? Look at him, with that delicate skin. He’s probably never done any hard work. How could he have come in first?”

“Heroes have always emerged from the young!”

Dong Qi’s face darkened like an impending storm, and he quietly left Song Mo’s tent.

For the next two days of hunting, Song Mo only observed from the sidelines. It wasn’t until the third day, when the horseback archery competition began, that he changed into military attire and appeared on the field.

Song Mo’s mount, Fei Du, was a thousand-li horse, giving him a natural advantage. He won first place in horsemanship by a margin of three horse-lengths, without any dispute or suspense.

As the archery competition began, Song Mo, last year’s champion, was scheduled to compete in the final round.

Unexpectedly, he found himself facing Dong Qi.

Dong Qi nodded at Song Mo with a calm smile, but his gaze was as sharp as frost.

Song Mo smiled back and then focused his attention on the archery.

Soon, the eunuch blew the ox-horn trumpet.

The competition began.

At first, Song Mo was steady, hitting the target with every arrow. But as time went on, his mistakes increased. One arrow barely clung to the edge of the target; a moment’s distraction could have sent it flying off course.

The spectators in the stands couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, sitting up straight and watching the field intently. This included the Emperor, Duke of Ying, and the Marquis of Guangen.

Song Mo might have sensed his poor condition. Instead of continuing to shoot, he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before drawing his bow again.

His subsequent arrows flew true.

Despite this recovery, when the scores from both events were combined, Song Mo ranked only second.

Dong Qi took first place.

He was the second noble son, after Song Mo, to win first place in the autumn hunt’s horseback archery competition in many years.

Jiang Yi came in third.

Jiang Yi looked at Song Mo, feeling sorry for him—Song Mo had lost to Dong Qi by just one arrow.

Dong Qi stood there, exuding confidence, his face barely concealing his elation. He recalled his father’s words: “…I didn’t let you participate in the autumn hunt’s archery before because you weren’t sure of defeating Song Mo. Rather than adding to Song Mo’s glory, it was better to bide our time and wait for the right moment. Now that the Jiang family has fallen into trouble, Song Mo can’t help but be affected. Can you win? Can you defeat Song Mo in one fell swoop? It all depends on you!”

Now, he had finally surpassed Song Mo.

However, from the viewing stand came the Emperor’s furious roar: “Bring that little brat Song Mo to me. How did he compete like that? I could shoot better with my eyes closed… Do you know you’ve lost my Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard position?”

Song Mo was summoned.

“You little rascal, what have you been doing at home these days?” The Emperor’s voice thundered across the field. “Don’t you know you’ve lost my Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard position?” He continued, “I hear you’ve taken up gambling. With the autumn hunt approaching, instead of preparing at home, you go off gallivanting with a bunch of good-for-nothing boys? If you don’t start taking things seriously, I’ll break your legs and throw you into the Banner Guard to lead my horses. No, I’ll throw you into the Fengtai Camp…”

A hush fell over the entire field.

The Emperor would scold the Crown Prince, the Prince of Liao, Wang Yuan, and even the Empress, but he never scolded the cabinet ministers or the nobles. Yet this time, he was scolding Song Mo.

All eyes turned to Song Mo, filled with envy.

Dong Qi’s mind was in turmoil, unsure of how to feel.

If Song Mo had truly erred and the Emperor wanted to punish him, why not send him to the Northwestern Camp?

The Fengtai Camp was a place many noble sons would do anything to enter.

Was this punishment or favor?

What use was his first-place victory when the Emperor and all the princes and ministers still focused on Song Mo?

On the way back, Song Yichun sat with his son in the same carriage.

“Why didn’t you discuss such an important matter with me first?” he asked, both anxious and angry, his face flushed red. “If the Emperor thought I had instigated you to test him, could we, father and son, have left Huailai today? You’re thirteen this year, how can you still act like a three-year-old child, so thoughtless!”

Didn’t he know his son? Was Song Mo the type to become reckless over a few words?

Song Mo could only smile apologetically at his father.

He had considered himself an adult, not realizing that in the Emperor’s eyes, he was still a child.

Song Yichun sighed, “Don’t ever do this again, understand? Uncles have gotten into trouble, and we should help, but we can’t risk our own family. Everything must be done in moderation. Fortunately, the Emperor wasn’t angry. If an imperial edict came down, getting a real position in the Fengtai Camp would be making the best of a bad situation…” He continued his lecture back to Duke of Ying’s mansion.

As soon as they stepped through the door of the main hall, they heard Madam Jiang’s muffled sobs.

Madam Jiang was usually strong in the face of adversity.

Song Yichun and Song Mo tensed and quickly entered the main hall.

Madam Jiang was lying on the chaise lounge, crying weakly. Her maids and daughters-in-law were also weeping bitterly.

Hearing the commotion, she raised her head, her tears falling even more rapidly. “Third Brother, he… he passed away!”

The news struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving Song Mo’s ears ringing. It took him a while to hear again.

The so-called “strategist” Third Uncle had died. Without someone to pass on the torch, and with only the pleasure-seeking Fifth Uncle left, what would happen to the Jiang family? What about the young men who had been exiled to Tieling Garrison along with Third Uncle?

In his daze, he heard his father’s slightly hesitant voice: “Do you think we should send Tiansi to Liaodong? He could use paying respects as an excuse to meet with the Prince of Liao and ask him to look after Fifth Brother?”

All male members of the Jiang family over five years old had been exiled to Tieling Garrison, while the others had returned to their hometown with Madam Mei. Who knew if anyone had gone to pay respects…

Madam Jiang looked gratefully at her husband and nodded firmly.