There are four types of archery rituals: Dashe, Binshe, Yanshe and Xiangshe.
The ritual of local shooting is the shooting ceremony used by officials to promote scholars for the country, so it is often held at the same time as the Deer Ming Banquet.
Zhu Yuanzhang was still practicing archery at that time. Later, in order to take care of the scholars, he directly changed it to throwing pots, which was both fun and elegant. This kind of modification originated from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States. The "Book of Rites" has a special "Pitching of Pots".
The shooting ceremony in the Zhou Dynasty was extremely complicated. It was simplified as early as the Han and Tang Dynasties, and became even more simplified in the Song and Ming Dynasties.
Everyone quickly moved their seats outside the hall, and even the banquet tables were moved out together.
The pigs and sheep that were originally used to sacrifice Confucius were also carried to the corner under the eaves to make room for the shooting ceremony. After the banquet, these sacrifices and leftover wine would definitely be snatched away by the invigilators.
Banquets have become a custom for seeking fortune, and the imperial court has repeatedly banned them.
Mu Kun and Gu Yuan sat on the main seat together and asked the officials in Yunnan: "Who will be the chief archer?"
No one responded.
Mu Kun sneered and asked again: "Who will be the commander?"
"I'll do it." A prefect stood up and said. He served as a promotion officer during the provincial examination, so he was invited to attend the Luming Banquet today.
Gu Yuan admired this gentleman quite a lot, it was just as it should be. Why bother fighting blindly? Just brush it off. Mr. Mu was actually very easy to deal with.
The prefect went to fetch the bow and arrows himself and said, "Now that you have the bow and arrows, please shoot!"
Gu Yuan immediately looked at Jin Lei and Wang Yuan. They were Jieyuan and the leaders of the guests. They should speak at this time.
Jin Lei did not give Gu Yuan any face and expressed his objections with silence.
Wang Yuan could only rely on the records in the "Book of Rites" and said to the prefect: "Someone cannot do it because he is the second or third son."
This is a courtesy and cannot be fired directly.
After three applications and three resignations, Wang Yuan, on behalf of the current imperial examination candidates, agreed to participate in the ceremony of local archery.
The prefect held a bow and arrow in his hand, stepped on the steps, turned to Mu Kun, and said to Gu Yuan: "Please shoot at me, I promise!"
Gu Yuan nodded and said: "Now that the ceremony has begun, please invite your husband and wife."
Couples are paired, and the two become a couple. Those with similar shooting skills are selected to compete.
The emperor has six couples, the princes have four couples, and the scholar-bureaucrats have three couples.
Therefore, Si She must select six people and divide them into three groups to compete.
"You two have to shoot!"
Mu Ying pointed directly at Wang Yuan and Jin Lei. Whoever made him unhappy would make the other person even more unhappy.
Wang Yuan was speechless.
He was almost shot while lying down. He was just trying to smooth things over, but he didn't expect that Mr. Mu would also take care of him.
Four more people were needed to complete the ceremony, and Si She asked who was willing to sign up.
People are silent in the imperial examination today. Although there are many children from the Weisuo School among them, there are really none who are proficient in archery. Guizhou scholars like Zou Mu may be relatively strong and dare to carry swords to kill people, but in ordinary times, they are not
Do you have the energy to practice shooting?
Mu Ying suddenly showed a bad smile on her face and said: "Since no one has volunteered, let's compare Jie Yuan with Jie Yuan, Ya Yuan with Ya Yuan, and third place with third place. It will happen that six people make a three couple."
Except for Wang Yuan, all the scholars whose names were called suddenly felt bad.
Guizhou Yayuan Tianqiu often exercises, but he comes from a family of teachers and has never touched a bow and arrow since he was a child.
This cannot be denied. Archery is one of the six arts of a gentleman, and since they are at a banquet of deer roaring, they should follow the etiquette and compete with arrows.
Mr. Mu seems to be arrogant and rude, but in fact he is full of bad intentions. Apart from seizing the throne and giving orders, everything he does is in line with Zhou etiquette.
"Non-radiator!" Si She shouted.
Jin Lei and Wang Yuan went out together. The former reluctantly went over and got a bow, four arrows, an arm guard and a finger.
The next step is to determine the shooting position, determine the target, and the winner (target reporter) holds the flag in the center.
Si She said to the six people: "Shoot in order, don't get ahead of each other!"
"What should we do?" Jin Lei asked in a low voice.
"Learn from me." Wang Yuan replied.
Although Jin Lei had read through the Five Classics, the Book of Rites was not his original classic, so how could he still remember the details?
I saw Wang Yuan unbuttoning his coat, taking off the sleeves of his left arm. He wore a thumb ring on his right thumb, put on an arm guard on his left arm, held a bow in his left hand, held an arrow with his right finger, and inserted the other three arrows into his belt.
Jin Lei followed the same example. Fortunately, he and Wang Yuan were matched as husband and wife. If it were one who did not read the "Book of Rites", both of them would be blind at this time, and they could not even understand the basic etiquette of Xiangshe Li.
The four candidates, the middle couple and the lower couple, breathed a sigh of relief when they saw this. They kept these details in mind, so that when it was their turn later, at least they wouldn't make a fool of themselves.
Mu Gongye suddenly felt a little bored and became increasingly dissatisfied with Wang Yuan. His intention was to make fun of the new imperial examination candidates, but as a result, there were experts among the upper couple, so he couldn't watch the joke at this stage.
Si She arched his hands to the north and saluted the emperor in the capital, which meant that this shooting ceremony was specially held for the emperor to obtain scholars. He bowed to Mu Kun and Gu Yuan, then opened his bow and shot four arrows - this was a lure shot, that is,
Si She gave an example to the players.
After retrieving the four arrows shot, Si She shouted: "No shooting, no hunting!"
The meaning of this sentence is: Don't shoot at the target announcer, don't disturb the target announcer.
"One shot! Couple in position!"
Wang Yuan and Jin Lei walked to their respective shooting positions, drew their bows and arrows, and aimed at the bull's-eye.
Jin Lei exerted all his strength, his neck was swollen and red, but he could only pull back the bow a little.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Mr. Mu laughed heartily. He deliberately chose the Seven Bows, and now he can finally enjoy the show.
While this guy was happy, he also said sarcastically: "Mr. Jieyuan, would you like to change to a three-dou bow?"
Governor Gu Yuan could not just sit back and watch his people lose face, so he immediately asked someone to send a three-dou bow to Jin Lei.
Jin Lei used all his strength, and finally pulled the bow this time, but he could only draw it to six points. With a "swish", an arrow shot out, almost hitting the target reporter, who was so frightened that he fell to the ground and trembled.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Mr. Mu was so happy that he laughed loudly and patted the table. He laughed for a long time and finally pointed at Wang Yuan and asked: "That Guizhou Jieyuan, why don't you cum?"
Wang Yuan replied: "It's meaningless to win without using force."
"It seems you are really good at archery," Mu Kun said happily, "This is just a shoot, it's not about winning or losing, just shoot as you like."
A shot is a test shot and does not count for results.
I saw Wang Yuan raising his arm to draw the bow, and without any effort, he pulled the seven bows like a full moon.
"call out!"
An arrow was shot three inches away from the target.
This is not because Wang Yuan's shooting is inaccurate, but because each bow is different and must be adjusted through test shooting.
"Good to cum!"
All the disciples cheered in unison, Wang Yuan finally regained some face as a scholar for them.
Mu Kun was slightly surprised. In addition to being curious, he looked at Wang Yuan carefully.
"Haha." Wei Ying, the governor of Zuo, sneered twice.
The right envoy Ding Yanghao asked: "Brother Wei was the governor of military affairs in Guizhou before. Do you recognize this Jieyuan?"
Wei Ying couldn't help but laugh and said: "This boy has already become famous all over Guizhou, and he is versatile in both civil and military affairs. What can Ququ and Archery do to him?"
In fact, Wei Ying couldn't laugh. Wang Yuan gave him a suggestion back then, spreading rumors to force An to send troops. This strategy was a brilliant one, but as a result, both the court and the local government were holding back. As a result, the Guizhou rebellion has not yet been put down, and he, the governor of Guizhou, was demoted to Yunnan.
Be the chief envoy.
Mr. Mu couldn't help but ask: "What's your name?"
Wang Yuan replied: "Wang Yuan, whose courtesy name is Ruoxu, is from Xuanwei Division in Guizhou."
"But the disciples of the Wei Suo?" Mr. Mu asked again.
Wang Yuan replied: "We have been farming for generations."
Although Duke Mu lives in Yunnan, he does not discriminate against Guizhou people. His title is Duke of Guizhou, and Guizhou is his nominal fiefdom. If Wang Yuan answered that he was from a guard, Mu Kun would definitely be very happy, because he was a soldier.
It's one of our own.
It's a pity that Wang Yuan came up with the phrase "farming has lasted for generations".
After shooting all four arrows, the first shot (test shot) is considered over, and then the second shot and the third shot are officially competed.
Jin Lei's face soon became red, and he didn't know whether it was because he used too much force or was too embarrassed. He tried to shoot four arrows, and shot eight arrows. The arrows were all publicly executed, leaving countless laughing stock - when he shot the arrow, he reported
The target players even ignored etiquette and ran to the sidelines to hide away every time.
On the other hand, Wang Yuan's arrows hit the bull's-eye from the second test shot, and he didn't even gasp after shooting eight arrows.
Even the palace guards who came with Mu Kun showed expressions of horror and admiration at this moment. They could also shoot accurately with seven bows, but this was twelve arrows in a row, and none of them missed the target!
After the upper coupling shot, Wang Yuan won.
The two Asian players formed the middle couple and came to the shooting position with expressions of helplessness.
Yunnan Yayuan is a native of Kunming. He can't even draw three bows, so he can only shoot with one bow.
After all, Tian Qiu was a scholar from Guizhou. He was very strong and could draw three bows to full length. He aimed at the bullseye, and the bow was like a thunderbolt, and the arrows went straight to the target announcer on the sidelines.
Fuck me?
The target reporter quickly dodged, and the whole person was in a state of confusion: I have already hid so far, and you can still shoot me, you are sincere!
The palace guards laughed loudly.
Mu Kun was not very happy, because Wang Yuan made him feel uncomfortable and felt like he was being pushed to the ground and slapped wildly.
When all three couples and six men finished ejaculating, Mu Kun suddenly stood up, pointed at Wang Yuan and said, "You and I will compete!"
This is also in compliance with Zhou etiquette, and the host and guest are paired together.
Wang Yuan bowed and said with a smile: "Mr. Mu, please come!"
Mu Kun took off the clothes on his left arm, revealing his strong biceps, and shouted: "Change to a stone bow!"
"Yes." Wang Yuan stayed with him until the end.
Wang Yuan's strength has been increasing, and now it is not difficult to pull a stone bow. He stretched the bow like a full moon, and tried to shoot an arrow, which was about an inch close to the target.
Mu Kun had long been accustomed to his own bow, and his test shot hit the bullseye directly.
"good!"
The guards cheered loudly.
The four-arrow test shooting was quickly completed and the official competition began.
Another eight arrows in a row, Mu Kun and Wang Yuan each hit the bull's-eye, which made everyone present marvel. A person who can hold a stone bow can be called a tiger. There are not many people in Yunnan. The two people in front of them actually pull the bow as if they are eating.
So simple.
"Both the guest and the host are winners, no matter who wins or loses!" the target announcer shouted.
Mu Kun really didn't believe in evil and shouted: "Do it again!"
Wang Yuan smiled and said: "Mr. Mu, the third round has been completed. It is not etiquette to shoot again."
"What nonsense, cum again!" Mu Kun said angrily.
Wang Yuan took the arrow and shot it, his arm was aching slightly, but he still hit the target accurately.
Mu Kun was also holding on. It was difficult to draw a stone bow, let alone shoot twelve arrows in a row. His hands were shaking now, and he shot an arrow with all his strength, which was more than four inches away from the target.
Wang Yuan smiled and shot another arrow, five inches away from the target.
"You don't have to give in to me," Mu Kun threw his bow away angrily, "I lost!"
Wang Yuan cupped his hands and said, "I accept the concession."
Mu Kun felt humiliated and was about to leave, but suddenly stopped and looked at the target. Then he laughed inexplicably, pointed at Wang Yuan and said: "Hahaha, you can do it. Come to my house tomorrow, I will host a banquet for you."
"Having said this, he looked at the chief envoys on the left and right, and specifically added, "You can go through the main entrance!"
The two chief envoys looked unhappy and did not bother to bother with this guy.
The officials of the three divisions were all forced to go through the side entrance of the Mu Mansion, but Wang Yuan, a minister, was able to go through the main entrance. This was not only giving Wang Yuan face, but also losing face to the civil servants.
Why do you want to give Wang Yuan face?
Because with the last arrow, Mu Kun was four inches away from the target and Wang Yuan was five inches away from the target, the latter most likely missed the target intentionally.
Wang Yuan expressed two meanings: first, I can tell you where to shoot, so don’t compete with me; second, I don’t want to win you, so I’ll show you some mercy and just go down the steps.
Mr. Mu was not a fool in the first place. He just lost his father when he was young and was tricked by civil servants when he was young. His character became very rebellious.
Since Wang Yuan had given him enough face, he just got off the road without compromising his wisdom. Externally, he could say that he valued Wang Yuan's bravery, regardless of whether he was a scholar or not. Before leaving, he took the opportunity to vent his anger on the ministers on the left and right.
And Wang Yuan's performance also saved the face of the new imperial examination candidates, otherwise the scholars present today would have been disgraced.
"Brother Ruoxu is really a great shot!"
All the people came to make friends one after another, and even the aloof people like Jin Lei were convinced by Wang Yuan - on the premise of having a common enemy, it is easy for similar people to get close together, and Mr. Mu is that enemy.