NOVPUBHad he skipped fewer classes when he was a kid, he wouldn’t have had a hard time distinguishing riding skill from Horse Riding.
Even though he didn’t know why his brother-in-law suddenly decided to take part in the Imperial Examination, he still patiently explained, "You’re mistaken, Horse Riding isn’t about riding horses, but about driving carriages. There are Five Imperial, which are Ming and Luan, Chasing Water Curves, passing the King’s table, Dancing Crossroads, and Chasing left..."
After deciding to take the Imperial Examination, Li Nuo had done his homework.
He naturally knew what Song Yu was talking about.
To put it plainly, Horse Riding was akin to Daxia’s driving license.
The so-called Five Imperial were five subjects,
That is, what Song Yu mentioned: Ming and Luan, Chasing Water Curves, passing the King’s table, Dancing Crossroads, Chasing left.
The Imperial Examination was based on the original Five Imperial, with some changes, but the essence of the Five Imperial skills remained.
That is, sounding in harmony with the chimes of the luan bird while driving, racing alongside the curving banks without falling into the water, cruising through narrow paths with ease, navigating intersections swiftly, and shooting targets from the left while driving.
These five subjects aimed to test one’s stable driving techniques, precise cornering techniques, quick passage through narrow paths, rapid turning at crossroads, and shooting skills while on the move.
Mastering these five techniques meant one could handle horse-drawn carriages within the city walls and drive war chariots on the battlefield, an essential skill for all Daxia officials.
It was somewhat like expecting modern-day civil servants to be capable of chauffeuring leaders as well as operating tanks to defend their country.
After explaining all this, Song Yu, worried that Li Nuo might not understand, said to Zhou Yu, "Go show Brother Li a demonstration."
Not far away, a row of carriages was parked. Hearing this, Zhou Yu didn’t say much, walked up to a carriage, smiled at Li Nuo, and said, "Brother Li, please get in the carriage."
This carriage was smaller than the one Li Nuo took every day, and it was an open-top with no roof, only a soft cushion at the back that could fit two people sitting side by side at most.
Li Nuo boarded the carriage, and Song Jiaren also got in, sitting beside him.
Zhou Yu sat at the junction of the shaft and the carriage, flicked the reins, and the carriage slowly started, gradually picking up speed.
When the carriage passed a bumpy section of the road, Zhou Yu didn’t slow down, his reins snapping left and right, yet Li Nuo, sitting in the carriage, could hardly feel any jolts.
Not only that, but the two bells hanging at different locations on the carriage were not chaotic, sounding with a regular, rhythmic clang.
Li Nuo watched in admiration; Zhou Yu might not have cultivation, but his driving was even steadier than that of Housekeeper Wu.
This was the First Imperial, known as Ming and Luan. "Ming" and "Luan" referred to the two bells placed on the carriage.
As the carriage passed over bumpy roads, "Ming" and "Luan" would chime.
This task required smooth driving, keeping the sound of the two bells rhythmical and tidy while passing an uneven road without making the passengers feel too much discomfort, a not-so-simple demand.
Li Nuo had only read descriptions about it in books and was experiencing it for the first time.
After passing the uneven road, the road ahead suddenly narrowed.
Not only was the road too narrow for more than one carriage to pass at a time, but it also became extremely winding.
A glance revealed several very wide "S" curves, with deep ditches on both sides of the road.
The carriage did not slow down, and several times Li Nuo worried it might roll into the ditch.
But as it turned out, his worries were unfounded, with the carriage adjusting direction just before falling into the water every time.
This was the Second Imperial, Chasing Water Curves.
This task required the driver to control the carriage, following the curves of the water banks without veering off or plunging into the water.
After smoothly navigating the twisting ditches, the road ahead straightened, but now numerous narrow Yuan Gates appeared on the road.
Li Nuo eyed the distance; the Yuan Gate’s width was at most three fingers wider than the chariot’s body.
Yet Zhou Yu managed to sprint through the gates while accelerating, without any scraping, and smoothly navigated through the several crossroads that followed. On the final stretch, he picked up the bow and arrows set aside, drew the bow, and shot, accurately hitting the target several zhang to the left of the road.
This was the final three challenges of the Five Imperial: passing the King’s table, Dancing Crossroads, and Chasing left.
Rapidly and smoothly passing through narrow passages, maintaining speed while accurately moving through specified crossroads, and conducting mounted archery on a fast-moving chariot...
With this series of maneuvers, the chariot had perfectly returned to its starting point.
Li Nuo stepped down from the chariot and the look in his eyes towards Zhou Yu had changed.
One shouldn’t judge a book by its cover; he hadn’t expected this fellow to possess such impressive charioteering skills.
Li Nuo couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration, "Impressive, impressive..."
Zhou Yu, on the other hand, was a bit embarrassed as he hurriedly said, "No, no, no, my ’Ming and Luan’ rhythm isn’t stable enough, and my ’Chasing left’ didn’t hit the center of the target, there’s still much room for improvement..."
Song Yu gave him a sideways glance and said, "We’re all friends here, there’s no need for modesty. Your father is the Minister of Transportation, and not to mention other subjects, looking at the Four Great Academy, who can surpass you in Horse Riding? For this term’s top scholar in Horse Riding, it’s likely no one but you..."
Although Zhou Yu didn’t say anything, the smile on his face indicated he was indeed proud of his riding skill.
Only Li Nuo knew that Zhou Yu wasn’t being modest.
He had met Zhou Yu a month ago when Zhou Yu and his gang were caught by him at the Chang’an County Government and were sentenced to ninety strokes.
If Zhou Yu’s riding skill was truly impressive, then his portrait in the Law Code should have been illuminated.
His charioteering skills shouldn’t have improved much in just one month.
This meant…
He still needed practice in Horse Riding.
Li Nuo was thinking about finding a student proficient in Horse Riding to catch and illuminate his portrait in the Law Code, to prepare for his own Imperial Examination in half a year. 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
If even the top scholar in Horse Riding was at this level, he needn’t consider the others.
Li Nuo patted Zhou Yu’s shoulder and said earnestly, "Keep practicing, there are still six months until the examination, I believe your Horse Riding can improve a great deal..."
Song Yu smiled and said, "This guy’s father has forced him to practice Horse Riding since he was young, in Horse Riding, not to mention the students of the academy, even the teachers are not his equal. There’s less than half a year left until the examination, and even if he doesn’t practice, nobody could snatch the title of top scholar in Horse Riding from him..."
Li Nuo said solemnly, "Learning is like rowing upstream, not to advance is to drop back. Don’t underestimate the other students. Since Zhou Yu excels in this respect, he should practice even more diligently. After all, more than ten years of effort have been invested; what are another six months? What if due to a moment of laziness, someone catches up within these six months, wouldn’t that be a lifelong regret?"
Zhou Yu must improve.
Horse Riding is different from other subjects; once the officials at court hold positions, they certainly won’t have time to continue honing their charioteering skills.
To some extent, these students, who have yet to pass the examination, represent the peak of Horse Riding.
If even Zhou Yu, standing at the peak of charioteering skills, isn’t up to the standard of the Law Code, then whom could Li Nuo seek out?
Therefore, Zhou Yu must practice diligently.
Even if not for Zhou Yu himself, for Li Nuo’s sake, he must practice.
These earnest words deeply moved Zhou Yu.
For Brother Li, with his status, to say such things, it was clear he truly regarded Zhou Yu as a friend.
His expression became serious as he said, "Rest assured, Brother Li, I will certainly practice diligently and not disappoint your expectations!"
