Chapter Twelve New Home

  The summer garden is half again as large as the winter one, now that it's cold, all the flowers and grasses planted in the courtyard have withered, the big courtyard looks empty, not many people moved over, only Xie Xi and Feng Xi brought six little yellow gates, then there are Gui Hua, Huai Hua and two small maids, in addition, a small kitchen is equipped with two cooks, specially serving Zhao Yi.

  Zhao Ye stepped up onto the three-step platform and walked into the main house. According to custom, on the first day of October, fires were lit in the house for warmth, and all the heating pipes in the mansion had already been ignited. After several days of heating, the house was warm and cozy. The floor was covered with wooden boards over half an inch thick, and the walls were adorned with pale blue silk fabric. The ceiling had a canopy, and there were eight rooms in a row, with the middle two being the main hall. It wasn't until now that he realized that ancient people used pillars to divide spaces. This house had a large span, making the spaces seem even larger. The two main halls alone covered over 100 square meters, divided into front and back by a hardwood screen. The front hall was for receiving guests, while the back hall served as a dining room, with doors leading out to the backyard.

  Zhao Yi occupied the three rooms on the east side alone, which had been divided according to his intentions, with a modern sense of four rooms and one living room. The largest room served as his small study and small living room, while the two sunny rooms were used as his bedroom. The small house next door was where the night watchmaid lived, and all the furniture and daily necessities had been replaced with new ones.

  Behind was the bathroom, which had been rebuilt to resemble his original house. The floor was paved with marble tiles, and inside were placed a large bathtub, toilet, and all sorts of washing utensils. In order to ensure that he could take a bath at any time, this place was adjacent to the fire room where the hot water was kept warm. As soon as he gave the order, the little yellow gate who was in charge of burning the fire would send the hot water through the pipes to the bathtub, very convenient.

  To ensure his safety, a secret room was also built in the house as an escape route for him. The three rooms on the west side were the servants' quarters where Guihua and several others lived, and the remaining empty rooms were temporarily used as warehouses. The two rows of connected houses outside, the east side was where Jianxi and several other small yellow gates lived, and the west side was the kitchen and the cook's dormitory.

  The Zhao family, after all, got the world on horseback, whether or not they practiced martial arts is another matter, but a martial arts arena was a must-have. The entire backyard was renovated to be flat, with stone rollers pressed over it, and eighteen types of weapons were placed on the weapon rack, a row of stone locks for practicing strength were placed on the ground, three arrow holders stood against the wall, and sandbags and wooden men for practicing skills were placed on the side.

  Zhao Zixin walked up to the weapon rack, picked up the smallest three-bow bow, and posed in a shooting stance like ancient people on TV. He exerted force, but the bow only slightly curved. He tried again with more force, still nothing changed, but he broke out in sweat all over his body. He shook his head dejectedly and threw the bow back onto the rack. The long spears and big swords on the rack seemed to mock him, accompanied by the snickering of the two guards. He didn't even have the interest to try anymore, feeling too weak and not wanting to lose face again.

  "What are you laughing at? Could you even draw a bow and shoot arrows when you were seven years old? I doubt you can even open a one-stone bow now!" Seeing the two guards' ridicule, Xi was displeased, glared at the two men and said angrily.

  "Hiss! Big brother, shoot an arrow for them, don't tarnish the reputation of Sai Guangzi!" said Yang Feng, a slightly younger guard, to another guard, Meng Tao.

  "Alright, let's show off our skills. Don't let people think we're just taking twenty taels of silver for nothing!" Sai Guan Suo stepped forward with a light smile, and surprisingly chose Zhang Liang's bow from the weapon rack. He plucked the bowstring a few times, then drew out three arrows from the quiver on his belt and held them in his hand.

  "Hmph, just because you're a bit taller and more handsome, you think you can claim to be as strong as Sa Qian Suo? Don't show off, or you'll strain your waist!" Xixi said with a slight curl of his lip. He had never eaten pork, but he had seen pigs run, and he knew that there was no way someone could have 400-500 jin of strength in their arms to pull open the two-stone bow.

  "Is Guan Song very famous? Who is he?" Zhao Ye retreated two steps and asked curiously.

  "Second Master, it's said that Guan Suo is the youngest son of General Guan Yu, with a handsome face and excellent martial arts skills. He's truly a hero with both beauty and bravery, earning him the reputation as 'Heroic Young Man'. Many people who practice martial arts admire him and give themselves nicknames like 'Flower Guan Suo', 'Sickly Guan Suo', or 'Overbearing Guan Suo'." Xijiu hastily explained to him.

  "Ah!" Zhao Yan nodded, so it was just an advertising slogan. This was the same as those kings and nobles in his past life, all wanting to use this to boost their popularity. However, his steady footsteps didn't seem like those of a fake goods peddler.

  Meng Tao was also holding back his breath, he himself had learned martial arts since childhood, mastering a set of spear and stick skills, proficient in all aspects, at the age of 15 he could already draw a two-stone bow, after that he traveled around Jianghu, making a name for himself as Sai Guan Suo, later to avoid enemies, he had to hide in the country's public house, received an order and came here, but now was being ridiculed by a useless guy.

  Only three 'zip' sounds of the bowstring, Zhao Ke turned his head, Meng Tao had already shot three arrows. By the time he focused his eyes, Meng Tao had already put away his bow. The three arrows were almost tail to head, steadily stuck in the target fifty meters away, squeezed into the red heart.

  "Good, good archery!" Zhao Shuang exclaimed, clapping his hands and jumping up and down like a child. In his heart, he was secretly shocked, "His shooting speed is so fast! Even if I use a gun, in a face-to-face situation, I wouldn't be able to take him down!"

  "Second Master, it's just a small trick, I'm afraid I've made a fool of myself!" Meng Tao said with a smile, still in a daze.

  "Meng Huwei's divine skill is truly blind, and from now on, I'll have to rely more on the two of you!" Seeing Xi was indeed a straightforward person and immediately conceded defeat.

  "See the joy, it's not just a matter of saying so with your mouth, I'll punish you to buy a pot of wine for the two guards!" Zhao Chu said with a smile.

  "No need for Second Master to say it, I will definitely invite both of you brothers to drink and apologize!" Jian Xi said.

  "How dare we let Master Xi spend money, we still need to rely on Master Xi's care in the future, my brother and I should have invited Master Xi for a drink long ago!" Yang Feng quickly took over.

  "Brother Feng, you're wrong. This round should be on Uncle Xi. We'll return the favor next time, and Second Master will definitely appreciate it!" Meng Tao said with a hint of dissatisfaction. Yang Feng smiled awkwardly and began to build a relationship with Xixi. As they chatted, the few people burst out laughing, and the earlier unpleasantness dissipated. After this commotion, everyone's relationship seemed to have become closer.

  "I really admire the two brothers' kung fu skills. One day, teach your little brother a few moves too!" Zhao Chu said with a smile, clasping his fists together in respect.

  "Second Master's status is noble, being able to spar with us is a blessing for the younger generation, it's something we can't ask for!" Yang Feng immediately replied.

  "My Second Master may not be able to bear this hardship, practicing martial arts is not a matter of one or two days. My Second Master's body is not in good health, it seems like he has just recovered from a serious illness." Meng Tao said with a frown, seemingly not very pleased.

  "Second Master will be happy, tomorrow we'll start teaching Second Master to practice boxing!" Yang Feng pulled on his collar from behind, not letting Meng Tao continue speaking.

  "Alright, it's settled then. I'll be waiting for the two masters tomorrow morning!" Zhao Yan glanced at Yang Feng, who was talking nonchalantly, and then at Meng Tao behind him, who suddenly curled up the corner of his mouth and smiled faintly with a hint of playfulness that went unnoticed by others.

  The sky was bright, the rooster crowed, and Zhao Xie woke up. He hastily washed his face, deliberately put on a short and sturdy outfit, and Guihua, fearing he would catch cold, also gave him a fox-fur cape to wear. After getting everything ready, Zhao Xie took out Xi, who was still rubbing her eyes.

  "Second Master, why didn't you go for a stroll in the garden today?" Jian Xi suddenly discovered that they were walking in the wrong direction and asked hastily.

  "Didn't we agree yesterday that we would practice with Meng Jiao, did you get drunk last night and forget?" Zhao Ke said as he walked.

  "Oh!" Seeing King Xi suddenly remembered the appointment yesterday, he had always thought that Zhao Che was just a child who said it casually and didn't think that Wang Ye would really do it.

  As soon as Zhao Zhan passed through the Houzhao Building, he heard the shouts of the guards in the courtyard, and his spirits lifted, quickening his pace. "Second Master, you've arrived!" Several guards walked over to Zhao Zhan and stopped their movements, bowing to greet him.

  "Alright, has Master Meng arrived?" Zhao asked with a smile, nodding his head.

  "Master Meng has arrived early, over there! I'll go call him!" a guard said, pointing to Meng Tao who was in the middle of the arena, fighting.

  "Good morning, Master Meng!" Zhao Yan said with a bow.

  "Second Master is early!" Seeing Zhao Chu making a bow, Meng Tao was taken aback and hastily stepped aside to return the courtesy, saying: Although the old master didn't explicitly say who he wanted him to protect, but who is the son of the national father's grandson? He could think of this child's identity with his heel. How dare he receive courtesy? However, he still felt unexpected. Yesterday, he just thought it was a joke, and didn't expect Second Master to really come today.

  "Master Meng, let's get started!" Zhao Che said with a smile.

  "Alright, did Second Master learn martial arts in the past?"

  "My body has always been weak, and at home, no one arranged for a master to teach me!"

  "Alright, let's start with the most basic stance training!" Meng Tao nodded and said, then demonstrated the horse stance while explaining: "The horse stance is a foundational exercise for beginners, which helps to sink the qi down and not only strengthens the legs but also prevents the blood from floating up. When standing, keep both feet parallel, toes slightly inward, with a distance of three feet between them. Clench your toes, squat down, and keep your knees behind your toes. Keep your upper body straight, head held high, hands on your waist, relax your shoulders, waist, and hips. Look forward naturally and breathe freely, with the qi flowing into the dan tian."