Now I really have to marry the princess.

Chapter 68, Part 2: Phoenix, you can say no as you please.

The following day, Yang Zhengdao went to the Wude Hall.

After completing the archery practice with everyone today, he did not ask to continue practicing.

Xu Shiji glanced at Yang Zhengdao and thought to himself, "He's still a young man at heart, and he can't stand being alone."

After all, this boring archery practice is nothing compared to the exhilaration of galloping on horseback in the Imperial Horse Park.

Yang Zhengdao followed the others to the Imperial Horse Garden.

During the journey, Li Hui nudged Yang Zhengdao with his elbow while Xu Shiji was off guard and whispered, "A-Dao, are you sure that little ejaculation is useful? Otherwise, this beating I took will have been for nothing!"

"You brought it?!" Yang Zhengdao looked at Li Hui suspiciously.

Li Hui patted his chest.

Yang Zhengdao immediately gave Li Hui a thumbs up.

Good heavens, Li Hui actually managed to get his father's name card.

However, at this time, the King of Hejian spent his days mingling with the courtesans at home, never going out or visiting friends, so he probably wouldn't even know that the name card had been lost for several days.

The Imperial Horse Garden is located in the northwest corner of Taiji Palace and covers a very large area.

This was Yang Zhengdao's first time here. In the past, no one had ever thought of him, this nobody, during the palace's polo matches.

Upon entering the garden, one can hear the neighing of horses.

When assigning warhorses, Yang Zhengdao did not expect to see "Black Shadow" in a separate stable.

"Black Shadow" was tied to the side of the feeding trough with a soft rope, its right hind hoof still bandaged, dangling off the ground, supported entirely by its three hooves.

When Yang Zhengdao looked at "Wu Ying," it was clear that "Wu Ying" had also noticed him.

"Black Shadow" immediately struggled with the reins, trying to get closer to him, but as soon as its injured hoof touched the ground, it gently pulled back, prompting the groom to rush forward and whisper words of comfort.

Yang Zhengdao felt a warmth in his heart, quickly stepped forward, and gently rubbed "Wu Ying's" forehead.

"Shadow" instantly quieted down, obediently leaning its head in, its breath brushing against the skin with affection.

The coachman was quite surprised, but then he realized that the young man in front of him must be the nobleman who had been bestowed with the title "Shadow of the Crow".

He hurriedly bowed to Yang Zhengdao: "This humble servant greets you, sir. The imperial horse will be fine after ten days of rest."

"Thank you for your trouble." Yang Zhengdao cupped his hands in thanks and went to select a warhorse.

The coachman was stunned for a while before he came to his senses. He stroked "Black Shadow's" mane and murmured, "Little Black, you have a good master."

Yang Zhengdao had received basic riding skills from the system, so he handled the riding practice in the morning with ease.

Around noon, Yang Zhengdao found a moment of respite and rode up to Xu Shiji's side.

When Xu Shiji saw Yang Zhengdao approaching, he raised an eyebrow slightly: "What is it?"

Yang Zhengdao bowed and said, "Duke Cao, my horse almost fell off the other day because it stepped on some gravel. I would like to ask you about something."

"speak."

"In military campaigns, how many horses are rendered unusable due to hoof injuries?"

Xu Shiji was slightly taken aback, but then his expression returned to normal: "One in ten."

Yang Zhengdao frowned. This proportion wasn't too high!

But then he realized a crucial point.

Before the fifth year of the Zhenguan era, the battlefields of the Tang cavalry were mostly sandy soil and meadows, which naturally caused less wear and tear on the horses' hooves and less impact.

Yang Zhengdao cupped his hands again and asked, "May I ask, Duke Cao, if our royal army were to launch a distant expedition to the Western Regions in the future, with our elite cavalry galloping across the desert, what would be the course of action?"

Xu Shiji looked Yang Zhengdao up and down, a strange look flashing across his face.

After pondering for a moment, he sighed and slowly said, "I'm afraid it's four or five out of ten."

Is the ratio really that high?!

In this way, presenting horseshoes would be a great achievement.

Yang Zhengdao's expression turned serious: "I have a method to protect a horse's hooves, which can be used to traverse vast deserts and treacherous, rocky terrain!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shiji's eyes narrowed sharply. He stared at Yang Zhengdao suspiciously, wondering whether Yang Zhengdao was being arrogant and showing off, or if he truly had a brilliant plan.

He glanced at the sun, which was nearly at its zenith, and then a brilliant idea came to him, a smile appearing on his lips.

He abandoned his serious demeanor and asked in a teasing tone in a low voice, "How was lunch at Lizheng Hall and Lizheng Hall?"

Before Yang Zhengdao could react, he had already spurred his horse forward, leaving behind the words, "Today, I will take you to try the lunch at Liangyi Palace."

Yang Zhengdao was stunned; he had intended to take a day off to go on a date.

Unexpectedly, Xu Shiji didn't even listen to him and insisted on taking him to see Li Er.

After handing his warhorse over to the stable, Yang Zhengdao followed Xu Shiji and hurried to the Liangyi Hall.

Li Er was still reading the memorial.

After bowing, Xu Shiji stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, I have heard that Yang Zhengdao has a wonderful strategy for protecting hooves, so that warhorses are not afraid of sandy and rocky terrain. I think this matter is of great importance, so I came to report it before having lunch."

Xu Shiji shouted the words "had not eaten lunch" with particular confidence.

Li Er's lips twitched involuntarily.

Regardless of whether Yang Zhengdao has a brilliant plan or not, Maogong is definitely determined to disturb my lunch.

He put down the memorial and then ordered the eunuchs to begin serving the meal.

Perhaps because Xu Shiji and Yang Zhengdao arrived so suddenly, lunch was not a lavish meal.

Each person was given only a small plate of steamed mutton, two sesame flatbreads, and a bowl of chicken and bamboo shoot soup.

The side dishes included sashimi of lamb liver, venison, pickled cucumber, and turnips—two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, totaling four dishes.

Li Er picked up his chopsticks, signaling that the meal was ready.

He glanced up at Xu Shiji, his words tinged with a hint of teasing: "What important matter is Maogong that you couldn't even spare time for lunch?"

Xu Shiji cupped his hands and said, "I was too anxious to inquire in detail. Zhengdao, please tell His Majesty your brilliant plan."

After he finished speaking, he continued to eat.

Xu Shiji's intentions were clear: he wanted to tell Li Er that since Li Er had gotten the man in through connections, whether the plan succeeded or not was none of his business; he was just there to make a living.

Li Er shook his head with a wry smile and turned his gaze to Yang Zhengdao.

Yang Zhengdao quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Majesty, I am deeply saddened by the injury caused by 'Shadow of the Black Crow,' which is why I devised this method. I would like to request pen and ink to explain in detail."

In front of Li Er, a horse enthusiast, one must declare one's love for horses.

This is just as useful as talking about dogs with your dog-loving sister.

Li Er's face indeed showed a smile, and his annoyance at Yang Zhengdao for tricking him out of his imperial horse lessened somewhat.

Don't say that Li Tai gave it willingly; in front of Li Er, that hypocrite, it was Yang Zhengdao who cheated and swindled.

The eunuch quickly brought over a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and Yang Zhengdao began to sketch.

The shape of the horseshoe was quickly drawn: a U-shaped piece of iron with slightly curved ends, and the positions of the nail holes were marked on it.

Only after the eunuch presented the drawing to Li Er did Yang Zhengdao continue his explanation.

"This item is like attaching four iron boots to a warhorse, hence the name horseshoe. Iron nails are driven through the nail holes and into the horn of the horse's hoof to secure the horseshoe. When the iron pieces wear down, they can be replaced with new ones."

Li Er frowned as he looked at the drawing. Although it was crudely drawn, he understood Yang Zhengdao's meaning.

His eyes lit up and his face lit up with joy, but then his expression turned serious and he fell into thought.

Xu Shiji had only heard the words but had not seen the picture, and his curiosity was burning, so he couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, may I take a look?"

Li Er smiled slightly and then instructed the eunuch to hand over the draft to Xu Shiji.

Xu Shiji took the drawing and glanced at it, then immediately understood, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Wonderful! Wonderful!"

But then his brows furrowed: "However..."

Then he suddenly looked up, staring at Yang Zhengdao with a serious expression: "Zhengdao, have you told anyone else about this method?"

Yang Zhengdao knew what Xu Shiji was worried about: the horseshoes were not technologically advanced and could be easily learned by other races.

He immediately cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Majesty, Duke Cao's concerns are indeed those of a wise and experienced ruler. This method does have one drawback: because it is too simple, it is easy to leak secrets and be used by the enemy."

Li Er tapped the food table with his fingers, a slight smile playing on his lips: "In that case, this method must never be revealed, nor should it be used."

What?!

"Your Majesty, don't let a minor setback deter you from your studies!" Yang Zhengdao said anxiously.

Li Erfeng, you can't just say no like that. I need to use this as an excuse to ask for leave for a date!