The Object in the Urn (Happy New Year, and best wishes to my friends!)

The Pingyang Marquis's Mansion is the largest building complex in Yangxin City, occupying nearly one-eighth of the entire city's area.

For example, the gentry Lineage in Shu County all had retainers who guarded their homes, and the Lineage of those who were princes or marquises were even more numerous.

This is not a simple Lineage of dozens or hundreds of people, but a large Lineage group involving thousands of elite soldiers and retainers. These large Lineage control the land and commerce within a radius of hundreds or even thousands of miles, almost like a Little Wang.

The sheer size of the Pingyang Marquis's residence is therefore easy to understand.

Zhang Xuezhou and his companions walked around Yangxin City, but traveled by carriage to the Marquis of Pingyang's residence.

After entering the Pingyang Marquis's residence through a side gate, the carriage still didn't stop, but sped along for nearly ten minutes before coming to a halt.

"Please, Lord Dongfang!"

The carriage stopped, and the soldier leading the way politely invited Zhang Xuezhou out of the carriage.

Just when things seemed to be looking up, Zhang Xuezhou saw a cluster of palaces before him. People carrying heavy musical instruments were making their way back and forth into the palaces, while a large number of dancers were waiting in line outside.

The weather was still cold shortly after the New Year, and the dancers were dressed in thin clothes. Some of them shivered from the cold and huddled around the burning charcoal fire outside the hall to warm themselves.

The sounds of clinking cups and goblets echoed through the hall, along with clapping and chanting.

The noise in the hall subsided after the soldier reported the news.

"Lord Dongfang, the Marquis is currently playing a game called 'Shooting the Enigma,' where a wine cup is covered with an object. You have to guess what's inside to win," the soldier said. "If you guess correctly, the Marquis will reward you!"

"Become!"

Zhang Xuezhou agreed.

He took a step forward, but couldn't help but ponder.

If it's the new emperor who shoots the arrow to reclaim the throne, whether you guess right or wrong is just for fun and won't have any major impact.

But at this time it was Marquis Pingyang who was shooting the answer. If he guessed correctly, that would be fine, but if he guessed wrong, it would undoubtedly be a loss of face for the new emperor.

If he guessed wrong, Zhang Xuezhou felt that his shooting career was over.

This forced him to take notice and focus his attention.

Stepping through the gate, the heat of the palace hits you.

There were charcoal fires outside the main hall, and twenty-four charcoal fires were also burning inside the hall.

A stove was placed in front of many people, and food was slowly cooked in jars on the stove.

Nearly a hundred people gathered in the hall, including close ministers brought by the new emperor, such as Li Guang and Wei Qing, as well as relatives of all ages from the Pingyang Marquis's household. There were also servants coming and going, and musicians playing instruments to add to the atmosphere of the banquet.

The most exciting thing right now is undoubtedly the shooting rematch.

The new emperor sat at the very center of the banquet, with the Marquis of Pingyang to his left and Princess Yangxin to his right.

Princess Yangxin was young and beautiful.

The Marquis of Pingyang is said to be quite old, but he looks extremely young, which explains why the new emperor often leaves the palace under the identity of the Marquis of Pingyang.

Marquis Pingyang and Princess Yangxin sat side by side and did not look like an old man and a young woman; on the contrary, they looked extremely well-matched.

Marquis Pingyang had a broad smile on his face, while Princess Yangxin and the new emperor were talking to each other with their heads turned to the side.

"Greetings, Your Majesty, Your Lordship, and the Eldest Princess!"

When Zhang Xuezhou entered the main hall, he was searched before being allowed to pass. He bowed, which immediately drew the attention of dozens of eyes.

"Your Majesty, could this be the archery master of Chang'an City?" Marquis Pingyang asked with a smile.

"Since Li Yannian said that Dongfang Shuo defeated Guo Sheren, his archery skills must be quite good," the new emperor laughed. "I also have another archery expert who can guess correctly eight out of ten times. If Dongfang Shuo is not good enough, we can just call someone else to come!"

"The art of divination originates from the concept of 'shefu' (射复), which involves countless hexagrams connected by a network of clues," said Marquis Pingyang. "It's a good thing that there are many skilled 'shefu' practitioners. These people excel at noticing details and will surely assist Your Majesty in creating a bright future for the Great Han!"

"Marquis Pingyang, you always have such a set of eloquent words," the new emperor laughed. "Our archery contest is just for fun, there's no need for so much profound reasoning!"

"Only a master can guess the contents of this old minister's cup," said the Marquis of Pingyang. "One needs considerable skill to do so!"

"Come, come, Dongfang Shuo, guess quickly!" the new emperor laughed. "A correct guess will be rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces!"

"Yes!"

Zhang Xuezhou agreed.

"Wan Jin" does not mean ten thousand taels of gold. It simply means that the newly issued half-tael coin had a coppery sheen, and this golden luster was called "Jin" (gold).

"Ten thousand gold coins" actually means ten thousand and a half taels of silver, which is equivalent to ten strings of cash.

If a reward of Wanliang taels of gold is to be given, a corresponding explanation must be added.

Ten strings of cash were not much compared to the extravagance of the King of Huainan in Chang'an City, but they were not a small amount either. After all, this was just a betting prize used by the Marquis of Pingyang's household for entertainment, and it was almost equivalent to the price of an ordinary house in Chang'an City.

Ordinary people who receive this reward can almost settle down and live a prosperous life, and even those with large families and businesses would not dislike receiving an extra ten strings of cash.

Zhang Xuezhou wasn't the first to guess, but the fact that it hasn't been taken away for so long means that no one else could have guessed it correctly.

"Many people asked me questions during the archery contest just now. Each person was only allowed to ask once. Since you didn't hear what they asked, I'll grant you permission to ask three times, and then guess what's in this bowl," Marquis Pingyang said with a smile. "Is that acceptable?"

"Feasible!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded in agreement, then glanced at the wine cup on the Marquis of Pingyang's table.

A wine cup is a small vessel used for drinking wine; it's not large, and the object it covers is also small, at most able to hold something the size of a fist.

There are various ways to play the game of guessing numbers. Guessing directions involves choosing one out of eight, while guessing objects is the most complex.

There are many things in the world the size of a fist, and even more small items.

Without X-ray vision, it's almost impossible for an ordinary person to guess the hidden object.

To make a more accurate guess, we relied on asking the Marquis of Pingyang three questions.

Marquis Pingyang's game of archery repetition wasn't meant to be difficult, nor was it because he couldn't stand losing; the three questions clearly simplified the difficulty of a normal archery repetition game.

"My lord, is this the wine cup you usually carry with you?"

I don't usually carry it!

Asking good questions can narrow down the range of guesses, but asking bad questions can lead to greater confusion.

Zhang Xuezhou's first question immediately drew sighs from several people.

Clearly, Zhang Xuezhou's question is not unusual; others have probably asked it before.

If it's something you carry normally, you can narrow down the possibilities to a very small area. But even though Marquis Pingyang hoped that others would successfully shoot the arrow to add to the joy of the celebration, it wasn't that simple.

"Do you like what's hidden in this wine cup?" Zhang Xuezhou asked again.

"I wouldn't say I like it, but I can't say I dislike it either," Marquis Pingyang said with a smile.

Zhang Xuezhou's second question concerned hobbies. If one knew the Marquis of Pingyang's preferences, asking this question would also narrow down the possible targets.

However, the Marquis of Pingyang's response was rather vague, leaving everyone puzzled.

This question wasn't new; it was one that many people had asked before, and it even sparked a hushed discussion among more than ten people.

"My lord, is there a living thing or a dead thing in this wine cup?"

"Neither alive nor dead!"

When Zhang Xuezhou asked his third question, the murmurs subsided, and everyone wanted to hear what Zhang Xuezhou was guessing.

Zhang Xuezhou's third question was somewhat novel, but the Marquis of Pingyang's response remained vague.

For most people, this ambiguity means difficulty in making guesses.

Not only did no one guess it before, but even now, no one has guessed it.

"Are you able to shoot again now?" Marquis Pingyang asked.

"Like a legless, pitch-black bird, it grows up with a tail and a flowery coat," Zhang Xuezhou laughed. "That must be what's in your wine cup, Lord Marquis!"

"Pitch black, draped in a flowery coat!"

Marquis Pingyang was speechless, but after a moment's thought, he waved his hand.

"Come on, here's a reward of ten thousand gold pieces!"

Zhang Xuezhou didn't directly reveal the answer to the riddle, but Marquis Pingyang directly gave him a reward, clearly indicating that he had guessed correctly.

Those who hadn't quite grasped the concept were still craning their necks to look, while those who were reminded and guessed the answer were momentarily speechless with amusement and exasperation, realizing that Marquis Pingyang, at his age, had clearly put a lot of thought into playing archery.

At the same time, everyone was curious about Zhang Xuezhou, who had successfully guessed the answer to just three questions, and found it difficult to understand how such a master of guessing could have guessed it.