Chapter 257 Chu Heng

The imperial concubine turned her beautiful eyes and saw Qi You, who was oblivious to everything around him and focused on eating pastries.

She smiled and said to the Empress Dowager and the Empress, "The Crown Prince is truly remarkable. Huan-ge'er is still young and has much to learn from the Crown Prince. Unlike the Seventh Prince... who can just live a carefree and wealthy life. Sometimes I really envy the Seventh Prince for Huan-ge'er."

When Qi You was mentioned, the two women, who were still immersed in their surprise, both lost their composure.

The Crown Prince excelled in both literary and military arts, but the Seventh Prince was a source of pain for both of them.

When the twins, a dragon and a phoenix, were born, it was thought to be an auspicious sign from heaven, protecting the Great Qi. However, one of them later got separated from the other, and the other became mentally disabled. Although Minying later found them, Qi You was still beyond medical help. Now, at eleven years old, he still only knows how to eat, drink, defecate, and sleep all day long, and he can't even write his own name.

The Imperial Concubine's words immediately cooled the atmosphere, and no one dared to loudly praise the Crown Prince's martial arts skills anymore.

It was only after the emperor gave her a warning glance that the smug look on the concubine's face slowly faded.

Qi Yuxuan also heard the discussions of the people behind her, but before she could turn around, Qi Minying excitedly pulled her down to personally deliver water to the Crown Prince and share in the joy of being the first to win.

"Min-young, you go ahead, I won't go..."

She was being pulled down the stairs, and before she could even open her mouth, Qi Minying interrupted her:

"How can that be? Weren't we all cheering for our brother just now? It's just bringing water, it's no problem, Father, Mother, and Aunt won't mind."

As Qi Minying spoke, she pulled her down to the field. At this moment, the next group of young men who were shooting willows were also ready, waiting for the referee's signal to nock their arrows and draw their bows.

However, when they saw the little princess leading Princess Chang Le down the steps, almost all the young men's attention was drawn to them.

Princess Minying was too young to be their focus; they were more interested in Princess Chang Le.

She is now recognized as the most beautiful woman in the capital. Today, she is wearing a light blue-green silk shirt with twelve South Sea pearls adorning her waist. The silk belt jingles with the slightest movement. Just one glance at her is enough to make one feel that most of the sweltering heat has dissipated.

For a moment, the young men were all a little restless. Who wouldn't want to show off in front of such a beauty? Regardless of marriage, just the desire to impress a pretty girl was already at its peak.

Even with the Crown Prince's precious jade in front of her, Princess Chang Le is so close now, wouldn't she be able to see it more clearly than if she were up there?

The Crown Prince had already wiped the thin layer of sweat from his forehead with a cloth. He keenly noticed that the aura of the young military officers and relatives on the other side had changed from the previous moment. Only then did he look up and see the little girl being pulled over by her younger sister.

Her snow-white skin and black hair were exposed to the bright sunlight, and the corners of her eyes were tinged with a red tinge of shyness or embarrassment, which made her eyes look as clear as peeled lychees.

"Why did you come down here? It's so hot here, it's not as cool as up here."

Qi Minying chattered away like a cheerful oriole:

"Of course, it's to be the first to admire my brother's prowess! Brother, how did you do that? How could you shoot two arrows at the same time, and hit both the willow branch and the gourd with your eyes closed?!"

Qi Jun ruffled her hair and said, "You'll understand once you've been practicing at the training ground every day for ten years."

Qi Minying pouted: "But practicing martial arts is so boring. My martial arts master said that all I can do now is practice basic stances, carrying sandbags and running... The same movements are repeated over and over again. It's tedious and tiring. It's better to study..."

Qi Jun didn't interrupt her, but looked deeply at Qi Yuxuan, as if asking her with his eyes what she wanted to do by coming down to see him.

Qi Yuxuan felt her face getting hotter and hotter. She asked herself, when Qi Minying pulled her down, did she really not want to get down?

She struggled with herself for a while before she finally understood.

Even if she really wanted to come and congratulate and praise the Crown Prince in person, so what? She and the Crown Prince are now related by blood, so it's not surprising whether she's a relative, a friend, or simply someone she respects.

She's only a fifteen-year-old girl now, so of course she should be happy and carefree.

“My cousin, the Crown Prince, is truly amazing. I didn’t realize how wide the Imperial River was from up here, but now that I’m down here, I see that the willow branches and gourds are so small that they’re almost invisible. It shows how difficult it was.”

She laughed openly and honestly, and the slight redness at the corner of her eyes had faded, leaving only a rosy complexion from being bathed in sunlight, making her both beautiful and radiant.

Qi Jun nodded, turned to the side and picked up the longbow beside him: "If you are interested, I will teach you."

Upon hearing this, Qi Minying suddenly stepped between the two, tilted her head back, and said somewhat angrily:

"Brother, you're biased! I asked you, why didn't you teach me?!"

Qi Jun grabbed his sister by the neck and pushed her aside: "I'll teach you when you pass the Yuxiu Academy's assessment. Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?"

After a while of laughing and joking, the willow-shooting exercise yielded new results.

Inside the gourd hanging from the willow branches on the opposite bank, there was one that had been pierced from front to back, swaying precariously in the wind, quite eye-catching!

The one who pierced the gourd was none other than Changsun Chuheng, the Prince of Runing!

Qi Yuxuan didn't know much about Chu Heng. In her previous life, she only heard that he later married a girl from a humble family. The couple treated each other with respect and lived a harmonious and happy life, which made many noble ladies who later had troubled families envious.

She looked over curiously and met Chu Heng's gaze.

He was a handsome young man, fair-skinned, tall and strong, with sword-like eyebrows, long and narrow phoenix eyes, and a slight smile that seemed to be naturally present on his lips.

She felt that Chu Heng looked familiar, and then she remembered that he was the eldest grandson of the Prince of Runing. Then she recalled that his eyes were exactly the same as those of Lady Guo, the wife of the Prince of Runing. However, Lady Guo had become a little plump due to her age, and her fair face was like a silver plate, so she did not think of him at first.

Chu Heng smiled politely at her, revealing a row of clean, even teeth.

Qi Yuxuan didn't hesitate and returned the smile with a hearty laugh.

Chu Heng's gaze followed the figures of the Crown Prince, Princess Minying, and Princess Changle until the three disappeared on the steps of the pavilion. Only then did Zhang Xian, standing beside him, lean closer with a mischievous grin.

"Cousin, are you so infatuated with Princess Chang Le?"

"Don't be rude!" Chu Heng frowned.

"What's so hard about admitting that? Everyone loves beauty, let alone someone as beautiful as Princess Chang Le. I've been through countless beauties, and I've never seen such a beautiful woman before..."

As Zhang Xian spoke, a look of reminiscence appeared on his face.

Chu Heng could no longer tolerate his cousin's frivolous behavior, so he turned and left, too lazy to pay him any more attention.