[The Selection of Study Companions]
The banners fluttered as dust and sand swirled through the air. Everyone turned to look at the youth who had saved the day. The young general held a lithe and disciplined posture; the sword at his waist glinted with a sharp light. His fingers, long and slender, rested lightly on the ancient, simple scabbard. That casual grip on his weapon was enough to make many onlookers tremble with trepidation.
This was Qi Hanzhou, the only son of Qi Shen, known to history as the illustrious “Young General Qi.” At the age of twelve, he had followed his father to the battlefield, gaining fame in a single campaign by capturing three cities. His martial arts were peerless.
Having achieved fame as a youth and serving as a trusted confidant to the Emperor, Qi Hanzhou was a man who stood apart from the factions of the capital. He was a maverick—cold-faced, iron-boned, and temperamentally unpredictable. Many had tried to befriend him to win over the Qi family, but all returned empty-handed; none could fathom his personality, and many had suffered at his hands.
Such a person was notoriously difficult to get along with. Even the later Ying Fusheng held this opinion—until the day a certain falcon landed in that quiet, secluded place.
As Ying Fusheng was lost in thought, he suddenly sensed a cold chill ahead. He looked up and realized that Qi Hanzhou had been staring at him for some time.
“Eighth Highness! Sixth Highness!” the voices of the palace servants called out.
Ying Fusheng stood his ground. The snapped flagpole lay right beside him; the banner had missed him by a hair’s breadth. Yet, Ying Fusheng seemed entirely unfazed. At this close range, his gaze met Qi Hanzhou’s for a fleeting second before the spark of mutual probing instantly went cold.
A moment later, Ying Fusheng took a small step back.
Qi Hanzhou lowered his gaze to the fallen banner, his brow furrowing slightly. When he looked up again, the two princes were already surrounded by swarming palace servants. As the arena staff rushed over, Qi Hanzhou exchanged a look with his deputy. His guarded gaze couldn’t help but fall back on the thin, fragile figure of Ying Fusheng. He thought to himself: He could have easily avoided that.
Noticing Qi Hanzhou’s hesitation, the deputy asked in confusion, “Young General, what is it?”
Qi Hanzhou said nothing. He watched as the Sixth Prince retreated half a step, completely withdrawing from the center of this chaotic vortex, his face already shifting into a different mask. The Sixth Prince grew pale, looking as though he truly had been terrified by the falling banner. He only seemed to “snap out of it” under the repeated calls of the servants. Had Qi Hanzhou not seen those calm, rippleless eyes just moments ago, he too would have been deceived by this performance.
While the sudden chaos unfolded on the field, the other noble sons crossed the finish line. People began to turn their attention toward the kneeling Shen Yunfei. A runaway horse and a startled imperial scion—even if no great tragedy had occurred, causing such a disturbance in the presence of the Emperor was a grave offense that could lead to severe punishment.
Ying Fusheng shifted his observation away from Qi Hanzhou. Looking further off, the arena soldiers had already subdued the frantic horse. Its hoof was snapped. Shen Yunfei had picked himself up from his fall and was now kneeling on the ground, his face ashen.
The horse lay on the ground, severely injured. Upon inspection, the stable master determined the animal had been in poor condition and had snapped its hoof upon hitting the sandy patch. During the race, some nearby soldiers had already noticed the horse acting strangely. Given the speed at which it took the turn, had Shen Yunfei not controlled the beast in time, the horse and rider would have been flung outward, likely seriously injuring the nearby Seventh Prince.
“It’s good that everyone is safe.” The Crown Prince hurried over, looking at Ying Fusheng and the Eighth Prince with concern. “That was far too dangerous.”
Noticing Ying Fusheng’s silence, the Crown Prince spoke with the air of a caring elder brother: “Sixth Brother, are you alright?”
“Thank you for your concern, Imperial Brother. I am fine,” Ying Fusheng replied simply.
“That is good, then.” The Crown Prince’s eyes darkened slightly, and as he turned his head, his gaze gradually turned cold.
Consort Yun was busy soothing the Seventh Prince. Empress Xu remained composed, though she watched the Crown Prince from the corner of her eye as he directed the servants to handle the aftermath and comforted the shaken Eighth Prince.
The Eighth Prince hadn’t expected any of this. Held by the shoulder and comforted by the Crown Prince, he looked through his lingering fear at Ying Fusheng, who stood alone in the distance. Ying Fusheng was covered in sand and dust, his face equally pale. The Eighth Prince felt a strange, uncomfortable sensation in his heart—he knew that if it hadn’t been for Ying Fusheng, that heavy flagpole would have crushed him.
Ying Fusheng did not notice the Eighth Prince’s gaze. He retreated a few steps, his fingertips cold, his body trembling slightly from the overexertion. Standing behind the crowd, as he listened to the Crown Prince’s words, his peripheral vision swept over the broken banner… From the horse bolting toward the Seventh Prince to the sudden snapping of the pole, this “coincidence” felt far too intentional.
A moment before Shen Yunfei’s horse was startled, he had noticed a sharp, piercing glint of light coming from the seating area.
The Seventh Prince was dressed extravagantly today. Even though he had changed clothes for the arena, the gold ornaments on his forehead were dazzling. He wasn’t usually as flashy as the Eighth Prince, but because of Consort Yun’s influence, he preferred elegant yet luxurious accessories. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but under the brilliant sunlight of the arena, those ornaments flashed with a blinding glare.
Just a split second of that light was enough to spook a sensitive horse. Who had dressed the Seventh Prince in those specific ornaments? And who had “just happened” to bring the excitement-loving Seventh Prince to that specific turn in the track? These things were unknown, but if Shen Yunfei hadn’t managed to steer the horse in time, the Seventh Prince’s fate would have been dire.
The stable masters of the martial arts arena swarmed over to inspect the situation. Ying Fusheng stood firmly before the horse, having already assessed the condition in a few quick glances. His gaze finally settled on the horse’s twitching, seemingly broken hind leg; it was this leg that had failed during the turn, causing Shen Yunfei to lose his balance.
Ying Fusheng murmured to himself, “It seems to be the horseshoe.”
His words went ignored by most, but they reached the ears of the Crown Prince nearby. “Sixth Brother seems to have an insight?”
The startled horse had already drawn everyone’s attention, and the Crown Prince’s remark shifted the focus onto the Sixth Prince. The Emperor, watching from his high seat, cast his gaze down, instantly pushing Ying Fusheng into the spotlight. No other horses had issues, and the change had happened so suddenly—how could the Sixth Prince know such specific details?
At that moment, Qi Hanzhou frowned slightly as he looked at him, and even the seasoned stable masters could not help but steal a glance.
“I have heard others say that Sixth Brother reads many miscellaneous books; now it seems your learning is quite profound,” the Crown Prince said, seeing Ying Fusheng standing before the injured beast. “But Sixth Brother, armchair theorizing is ultimately insufficient. Your health is poor; do not stand too close to the horse.”
Ying Fusheng paused, momentarily speechless, appearing to avoid the gazes of others. He was actually quite far from the horse, surrounded by palace servants, only observing from a distance. Encountering the expectant looks from the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, he finally explained, “It is merely a guess. The hoofprints are not right.”
Seeing the Emperor did not stop him, Ying Fusheng shifted his weight and continued, “Much like a sprained ankle, there is only a lingering trace; it would not disturb such a large patch of sand…”
The arena floor was sandy, making the hoofprints exceptionally clear. Rather than broad, sweeping marks, they were small but deep indentations. Anyone with a discerning eye could see the horse had lost balance in its hind leg, yet this Sixth Prince, who clearly did not frequent the arena, had judged the point of injury based solely on tiny hoofprints.
“The Sixth Prince is absolutely correct. If the leg or the entire hindquarter were injured, the marks left in the sand by its movements would be far more obvious.”
The way the stable masters looked at the Sixth Prince changed. They relied on experience to probe for injuries, but the Sixth Prince had diagnosed the point of failure without even looking closely at the horse’s body, judging by the prints alone. “The injury is indeed in the hind hoof.”
The Crown Prince could not help but interject, “Is that not a bit too definitive a statement?”
“It is indeed, but judging details from tracks… in years past, Senior Minister Xu also had only a superficial understanding of horsemanship, yet he used horse and carriage ruts to uncover clues, leading the authorities to realize they must look beneath the surface,” a stable master replied. “The Sixth Prince possesses remarkable powers of observation.”
Senior Minister Xu… The Crown Prince’s face stiffened. That was his maternal grandfather.
The Emperor spoke: “Stable master, what is the situation?”
The experienced stable master had already carefully inspected the horse. He reported his findings, but the Emperor’s expression did not soften.
“An accident?” the Emperor asked.
Shen Yunfei’s face was pale as he knelt in pain on the ground, not daring to look at the Imperial countenance. Although he had timely stopped the runaway horse, he had ultimately startled the imperial scions. “Your Majesty, forgive me!”
The stable master answered, “It is indeed as the Sixth Prince said. The horseshoe was worn out… fortunately, Young Master Shen reacted in time.”
A worn horseshoe was common in military camps and often threatened soldiers on horseback. Warhorses usually had their shoes replaced at specific times each year; the horses used for today’s selection were all warhorses, and the time for replacement had not yet arrived. Furthermore, the selection was a minor assessment, and generally, a worn shoe would still suffice to complete the task.
One could only say Shen Yunfei had poor luck in choosing a warhorse with a worn shoe and a bad temperament. It nearly caused a catastrophe, and while his timely maneuvering had saved the princes from injury, it was barely enough to mitigate the disaster, nor could his actions offset his failure—especially since it was Young General Qi who ultimately resolved the crisis.
Everyone present looked toward Shen Yunfei. Today was the selection of study companions, and with the imperial scions present, the Shen family had already incurred the Emperor’s displeasure. Yet, of all people, it was Shen Yunfei who rode the malfunctioning horse. In the eyes of the onlookers, this accident was the result of Shen Yunfei’s recklessness for speed leading to a broken hoof. Between these two misfortunes, no matter how good the Shen family’s reputation had been, it would be difficult to salvage their standing in the Emperor’s eyes.
Soon, the various tests concluded. Unsurprisingly, Shen Yunfei ranked dead last.
The Emperor personally appointed several study companions. Zhou Qingyuan naturally took the top spot and became the Crown Prince’s companion. In addition, the Emperor designated another companion for the Crown Prince… Among the imperial scions of age, several were still without companions, but as the one in the bottom seat, Shen Yunfei had almost no hope.
After the companions were chosen for the Crown Prince, the other princes and princesses looked toward the Emperor, many already having their own preferred candidates in mind. According to the order of age, after the Crown Prince, it was the turn of the Sixth Prince.
The Sixth Prince had come to the Emperor’s attention because of the palace banquet, but in reality, his maternal family and his status in the palace were far inferior to those of the rising Seventh Prince. Therefore, how the Emperor would appoint a companion for him—and how the Ning family would coach him to speak or what their attitude would be—became a subject of deep speculation.
Empress Xu glanced over; the movement of her prayer beads had stopped, her grip tightening no longer.
Surrounding gazes followed hers. Not far away, the stable masters were tending to the injured horse. The Sixth Prince seemed to be spacing out; while everyone else was focused on the selection, he kept glancing back into the distance, as if the only thing he cared about was that injured horse with no future.
Only at the call of a palace servant did the Sixth Prince startle back to reality, his gaze reluctantly shifting away from the animal. “Imperial Father.”
The Emperor had already noticed his wandering mind. While the other princes were anxious about their potential companions, he alone seemed utterly indifferent, his attention fixed on a single horse. “An injured horse is for the stable masters to handle.”
Ying Fusheng seemed to pull himself away from his thoughts, though he still appeared troubled by the issue: “Can it ever gallop again?”
“Sixth Brother wouldn’t know.” The Crown Prince glanced at Ying Fusheng, speaking with a facade of gentleness: “If a horse’s leg is broken and the injury cannot be treated, it can only be bled out to wait for death.”
As the Crown Prince spoke, several imperial scions began to whisper. It was obvious that Ying Fusheng lacked this basic understanding. It was to be expected, though—he had been bedridden for years and this was likely his first time at the arena. To lack even this common knowledge was truly a failure of Great Yuan’s martial tradition.
The others looked toward the Emperor. Ying Fusheng lowered his eyes, his gaze landing on a certain figure nearby as he murmured, “So that’s how it is.”
A stable master explained: “If the injury is too severe, we can only settle its affairs. A horse that cannot walk is in a state of misery.”
Suddenly, a voice broke the silence: “Whether it must be bled depends on the severity of the wound.”
“The damage is to the hind hoof. While I was galloping, I intentionally controlled its landing point. This method saves energy and allows the horse to move faster… Therefore, the injury should not have reached the bone.” Shen Yunfei knew the horse would inevitably be hurt; he had tried his best to maneuver it, but in such a situation, it was difficult to achieve a perfect result. Even if a stable master had “miraculous hands,” the horse would at best be crippled and at worst wait for death. He could only try to manage the prognosis.
He finished speaking and realized the surroundings had fallen silent. He immediately knew he had overstepped: “This commoner has misspoken.”
At that moment, Qi Hanzhou suddenly spoke. He had not interfered with the selection since the horse incident, but many eyes were on him. He raised his eyes slightly. “The hoof wall is not completely split, and the coffin bone has only shifted by a hair. His horsemanship is different from others.”
Beneath his mask of innocence, Ying Fusheng’s brow twitched.
Hearing Qi Hanzhou’s words, the stable master had a sudden realization. He looked at Shen Yunfei in shock: “If the Young General puts it that way… it’s true. Although the horse is injured, the point of impact was just right. If it had been off by even a fraction, it would have been an irreparable disaster.”
Qi Hanzhou said nothing more after that, merely looking toward Ying Fusheng.
Ying Fusheng, following the conversation, looked at Shen Yunfei as if he had suddenly developed a keen interest in the “horsemanship” Shen Yunfei mentioned. He completely ignored the looks of those around him, his eyes holding a hint of inquisitive exploration as he looked between the stable master and Shen Yunfei.
The Crown Prince looked at Ying Fusheng with a trace of contempt. Everyone else was avoiding the Shen family like the plague, yet here was Ying Fusheng, worrying about a horse and some trivial riding technique.
Empress Xu narrowed her eyes after Ying Fusheng spoke, frowning slightly and giving a subtle look to a palace servant beside her.
While feigning distraction, Ying Fusheng quietly glanced toward the high seat. Seeing the servant slip away from Empress Xu’s side, his expression shifted. He quickly looked past the bright yellow figure of his father. As he lowered his eyes, the Emperor’s voice rang out from above—
“Your horsemanship is different from your father’s.”
The Emperor’s voice fell, and the crowd went dead silent.
Shen Yunfei froze for a moment, then hurriedly explained: “This commoner’s skill is not as good as my father’s.”
The Emperor gave a faint smile, his attitude impossible to read. “Hanzhou rarely offers praise. Being different from the ordinary is a merit in itself.”
The onlookers turned to Qi Hanzhou. The Young General had no intention of getting involved in this selection, but his previous comment had indeed been unusual.
Shen Yunfei never expected others to notice this. His riding style had differed from the rest of the Shen family since childhood; he had been wild as a boy, often galloping through the mountains. Over time, he developed an innate sense of where the weight should land when a horse galloped, and how to make it go faster. “This commoner is overwhelmed with fear.”
Those who understood martial arts could see that Shen Yunfei’s horsemanship was exquisite. In this companion selection, his riding skills were the best. Many began to try and guess the Emperor’s attitude, wondering why he would suddenly ask about Shen Yunfei. While they were busy speculating, the Emperor stopped his questioning and turned his gaze back to Ying Fusheng.
Eunuch Rong gave a tactful reminder: “Your Highness, today is the selection of study companions. The Emperor is waiting for you.”
Ying Fusheng snapped out of it. He had no senior palace servants with him to offer guidance. At Eunuch Rong’s reminder, he realized his lapse in etiquette. “This son was in a daze.”
“No matter.” The Emperor asked with genuine interest, “Among the noble children participating in the selection today, does Little Sixth have a choice?”
Everyone waited for Ying Fusheng’s decision. At that moment, Ying Fusheng looked at Shen Yunfei, who was standing alone, and seemed to hesitate.
Ying Fusheng paused and hurriedly withdrew his gaze from Shen Yunfei. “This son…”
“Speak frankly.” Because of what had just happened, the Emperor felt a bit of pity for this young child. “Today is for your selection. Whether you like them or not, you must decide for yourself.”
Ying Fusheng let out a breath, his peripheral vision landing on the pale-faced Shen Yunfei. “This son has been weak since childhood. I dare not dream of martial mastery, but I wish to strengthen my body… Young Master Shen’s riding skills are truly remarkable. This son is bold enough to ask for Young Master Shen as my study companion.”