To compete in swordsmanship? A question mark arose in Sima Shi's heart.
"Obedient." Cao Shuang answered, then walked forward a few steps to the weapon shelf in his own house, picking up two wood swords for practice.
Cao Shuang himself acted in a somewhat clean and straightforward manner. However, as the General of the Grand Army, his father had always been strict with him. In front of his father, there could be no hesitation in his actions.
Since last year, after Cao Zhen returned to his mansion after witnessing the emperor practicing swordsmanship in the palace, he also started ordering his eldest son, Cao Shuang, to begin training in swordsmanship.
It may be a bit exaggerated to say 'Where the ruler leads, the subjects follow,' but hanging a title of 'Attach to the Concierge for Dispensary Official' is not too much. If His Majesty happens to be short of partners for practice, one cannot be lacking in swordsmanship, right?
Grown up in such a family, Cao Shuang naturally has a grasp of martial arts. However, as with his father Cao Zhen, Cao Shuang has always practiced more spear and sword than horse riding and archery.
But since his father said to practice swordsmanship, then let's do it!
Cao Zhen was physically robust in his youth and did not become fat until middle age. On the other hand, Cao Shuang began to gain weight slightly from the age of fifteen, which can be said to be a flexible fat man who knows martial arts.
Cao Shuang smiled, handing over the slightly newer wooden sword in his left hand to Sima Shi: "Ziyuan, go ahead."
Sima Shi also quickly understood Cao Zhen's intention, so he happily took the wooden sword, otherwise there would be nothing to compare.
When Cao Shuang and Sima Shi were separated by a distance of ten paces, standing face to face with their swords drawn, Sima Shi had begun to feel inexplicably tense.
Not because of Cao Shuang. Cao Shuang is just a fat man; he has been practicing swordsmanship for four or five years. Although he hasn't practiced much with others, he does have a foundation.
What truly made Sima Shi nervous was the stern gaze of General Cao Zhen standing with his hands behind his back.
“Ziyuan, please go first.” Cao Shuang said with a smile.
Sima Shi nodded lightly, took two small steps forward, then abruptly stepped forward with his right foot, thrusting the wooden sword towards Cao Shuang's waist and abdomen.
Cao Shuang's reaction was not slow either. After taking a side step with his right foot, he raised his right arm and lifted the wooden sword in his hand, striking from right to left above, deflecting Sima Shi's thrust with a thud, emitting a dull collision sound as the wooden swords clashed.
After the two swords intertwined for half a circle, both parties stepped back a pace, regaining their distance. In this first trial, Sima Shi's strike was easily blocked by Cao Shuang.
Cao Shuang turned his head to look at his own father, seeing that Cao Zhen still had a poker face. So he turned to smile at Sima Shi and said: "Ziyuan, let's try again."
In his first strike, Sima Shi did not use much force, and it was expected that he would be blocked. Sima Shi nodded and took a bow step forward, moving sideways with his sword raised.
Seeing that Sima Shi was less than half a step away from advancing to his front, Cao Shuang noticed that Sima Shi only held the sword in a threatening manner and did not intend to strike. Therefore, he no longer hesitated, raised his right hand holding the sword, and slashed forward with the blade horizontal.
At this moment, Sima Shi twisted his body back, performed a sword flourish, and dodged Cao Shuang's horizontal slash. The tip of the sword then swept towards Cao Shuang's wrist.
Cao Shuang, however, remained calm. His previous strike was more of a test than an attack, so he quickly retracted his arm and positioned the edge of the hilt near the guard to block Sima Shi's sword tip.
Blocked again by Cao Shuang?
Although Sima Shi's face remained calm, looking at Cao Shuang's smiling face made him feel somewhat impatient for a moment. He immediately stepped forward and followed with his sword, striking towards Cao Shuang's shoulder position.
Cao Shuang, upon seeing this, no longer held back, using his waist and abdomen to generate power to bring his arm forward. He held the sword in his right hand, positioned it a foot in front of his forehead, and with all his might, he crashed against Sima Shi's wooden sword before flinging it off.
Sima Shi had three unsuccessful attacks in a row, while the opposite Cao Shuang seemed quite relaxed in his demeanor. It was evident that Cao Shuang's swordsmanship foundation was higher than his own.
There's no choice. Although learning swordsmanship is a must-learn skill for gentlemen these days, those who learn many sword techniques but have few opportunities to practice with real people are common among peers.
Sima Shi was not the son of a military man, so he spent most of his time studying classics and other political matters. How much time can he afford to spend practicing? On the other hand, Cao Shuang did practice with real people every day, and he had been doing it for three to four months.
Sima Shi knew in his heart that this was just a trial, and whether he won or lost was not important. The style and demeanor were more important, so he stepped back two steps and bowed with his hands in a gesture of respect.
Cao Shuang saw that Sima Shi was about to strike his shoulder and realized that he might be aiming for his face as well. This made him a bit uneasy, but as his father stood silently by, watching without speaking, Cao Shuang had no choice but to continue the match.
Cao Shuang smiled and bowed, saying: "Ziyuan, it's my turn to attack now."
Sima Shi also smiled and replied, "Brother Zhao Bo, go ahead."
Although Cao Shuang is a bit overweight, his physical strength is naturally much greater than Sima Shi's. Given his strict father, Cao Shuang has been diligent in practicing martial arts every day for many years.
Although his swordsmanship training is relatively less, beating Sima Shi is definitely achievable!
Cao Shuang charged forward, and Sima Shi cautiously responded, but he felt that the speed of the person across from him was even faster than his own.
After a few rounds, Sima Shi began to secretly groan, as Cao Shuang had already hit his arm three times. This was too embarrassing in front of Xiahou Xuan!
Just as Sima Shi's face turned red, the slightly superior Cao Shuang took a step back, bowed to Sima Shi with a smile and said: "Ziyuan, you were too kind."
Seeing that Cao Shuang had the intention to end the match, Sima Shi, though reluctantly, had no choice but to stop showing off and perform a mutual bow with Cao Shuang face-to-face.
Standing on the sidelines, Cao Zhen's face finally showed a trace of smile and he clapped his hands.
For a moment, Sima Shi was unsure whether Cao Zhen was praising Cao Shuang's swordsmanship or had some other meaning in mind.
Cao Zhen walked over, smiled, and nodded, saying: "I can see that you've put in some effort in practicing swordsmanship. Your movements show good control and a certain demeanor."
Sima Shi replied with a slight sense of shame: "General, I have been neglectful in my skill, so losing to Brother Zhao Bo is reasonable."
"You two are still different," Cao Zhen said. "Ziyuan, Zhao Bo, you two should keep in touch in the future."
Upon hearing these words, Sima Shi turned to look at Cao Shuang and nodded with a smile. However, there were a few traces of dissatisfaction in his heart. How could this Cao Shuang, just a military man, be able to defeat me?
Seeing that the match was over and Cao Zhen also wanted to leave, Cao Shuang quickly said: "Father, I'll go see Sima Shi and Xiahou Xuan off."
At this moment, Xiahou Xuan spoke up: "Uncle, how did it turn out?"
"Go on, Tai Chu. I'll explain it to the Master of the Office myself," Cao Zhen looked at Xiahou Xuan and turned to leave.
Xiahou Xuan and Sima Shi both bowed in salutation: "Uncle (General) take your time."
At this moment, Cao Shuang extended his right hand, making a 'please' gesture: "Ziyuan, Tai Chu, please come this way."
"Thank you, Zhao Bo Brother," Sima Shi replied.
The three of them were walking together, and Cao Shuang said with a smile, "It seems that the Sima family and Xiahou family are getting closer. Based on what my father's intention was today, I would say there's a nine out of ten chance that it will succeed."
"Ziyuan," said Cao Shuang, his chubby hand patting Sima Shi's arm, "Hui'er is my cousin. From now on, we'll be related."
Unbeknownst to Cao Shuang, his casual pat on the shoulder landed exactly on the spot where he was hit by his own wooden sword during their swordsmanship practice. Sima Shi forced a smile, unwilling to reveal the pain, but he grew increasingly dislikes Cao Shuang in his heart.
But it's just a fat military man, how can he be my relative?
Yet Sima Shi still smiled on his face, "Zhao Bo brother, your swordsmanship today is excellent, I am ashamed to be no match. In the future, if I have the opportunity, I still want to seek your guidance and learn from you."
"Sure, sure," said Cao Shuang. "I don't have any bad intentions, I just want to make friends with you. I don't know that you already see me as something disgusting in your heart."
…
Almost simultaneously, outside the city of Luoyang.
Cao Zhi's visit from Yongchu to Luoyang this time did not come with any processions or servants. The only company was a carriage and a horseman.
Chenliu and Yongchu are to the east of Luoyang, but Cao Zhi did not enter the city through the eastern gate. Instead, he took a slightly detoured route, arriving near the South Gate of Luoyang at the Taixue (Imperial Academy).
The carriage slowly drove past the main entrance of the Imperial Academy.
Last year, the Taixue (Imperial Academy) enrolled 500 students. Local students can return home every day, but most of the out-of-town students in the Taixue (Imperial Academy) stay in the dormitories provided by the academy.
It was a day of rest and washing, and some students were in groups, preparing to enter the city, while others had plans to go to the banks of the Yi River for spring outings and sightseeing. This made the streets in front of the Taixue quite lively.
The pavilion of the Ji Xian Hall is higher, and it can be seen from outside the newly built walls of the Taixue. In addition, the Tai Xue stone sutras placed by the street side made Cao Zhi's carriage stop by the roadside for a while, and he looked at it in a daze.
It's heard that the book "Dian Lun" written by His Majesty, his elder brother, has been carved into stone and stored in the Taixue. If there is a chance, it would be really great to take a look inside.
The carriage moved slowly forward. After showing his official identification and entering through the South Gate, Cao Zhi suddenly felt at a loss.
Used to having a place in Luoyang. But several years have passed, and after being granted fief in Juancheng, my old residence has long been arranged for others, and I heard it has been given to Wu Zhi by His Majesty.
There are still many Cao family members in Luoyang now. Cao Zhen, Cao Hong? Never mind, I don't want to get into trouble again once I enter Luoyang. It would be fine to enter the palace to see the emperor, but it's not urgent.
Let's go to the Ministry of Rites first!
When Cao Zhi mentioned that he wanted to report to the Ministry of Rites as a government official, the acting ministerial courtier Yuan Kan suddenly found himself in a difficult situation.
Although Yuan Kan himself is the Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel, it is Cao Zhi! The appointment of a prince to an official position is beyond the authority of a Secretary-General.
And what Cao Zhi just mentioned, the Culture and Learning Pavilion... What is the Culture and Learning Pavilion?
Moreover, just two months ago, rumors had been circulating in Luoyang about welcoming the Yongchu King as an emperor. But now, the actual Yongchu King Cao Zhi was standing right in front of him.
Difficult. (The end of this chapter)
