Chapter 52 She must be bluffing!

Jiang Shan's face turned bad: "I don't want it! Why me?"

"If not you, then who else could it be? When the princess wanted to compete with me just now, you were very supportive. Why are you so unhappy now that I just want you to help me as a support?"

"Princess Wu Jing is our Dàzhāo's distinguished guest. You are not happy to be treated as a game prop. Is this how you treat our Dàzhāo's distinguished guest?"

Jiang Shan was furious. She had said this to her maid at the time. She asked her to go downstairs to invite Zhuang Wan, and threatened her with this if she refused to come.

Unexpectedly, she is now blackmailing her.

Princess Wu Jing had previously suggested a competition with Zhuang Wan, and she had eagerly agreed to it, eager to see him embarrass himself. Unexpectedly, she now found herself in a dilemma.

Zhuang Wan continued, "Besides, Princess Wu Jing is an excellent archer. What are you afraid of? Do you look down on Princess Wu Jing?"

Wu Jing looked at Jiang Shan at the right moment with confidence: "Don't worry, I'm very good at archery."

“…”

Jiang Shan was anxious: "Of course I believe the princess, but I don't believe her."

She pointed at Zhuang Wan and said, "What if she shoots me to death?"

Zhuang Wan clicked her tongue twice. "How could that be? It's only ten steps away. The arrow's force isn't enough to kill someone. At most..."

She said slowly, "Just shoot him to a cripple, or blind his eyes, or even shoot through his ears. After all, swords have no eyes."

"Of course, if I accidentally shoot you to death, I, Zhuang Wan, will pay you with my own life!"

"Crazy! You are a lunatic!" Jiang Shan shouted.

Zhuang Wan stared at her coldly, "Jiang Shan, I know you hold a grudge against me, and our feud is not shallow. As Princess Wu Jing said, if you have the guts, show the courage of the legitimate daughter of the Cheng'en Marquisate. Otherwise, you swear before everyone here today that whenever you see me, Zhuang Wan, you will avoid me!"

"What do you think?" She challenged, "Do you dare?"

Jiang Shan's face flushed red, and she was forced to lose face.

Zhuang Wan brought up the Cheng'en Marquisate; today, she represented its reputation. If she gave in, not only would others laugh at her and the Cheng'en Marquisate, but would she, a young lady from a marquisate, really have to avoid seeing a lowly person in the future?

How could she swallow this?

She is a well-known noble lady in the capital, and she cannot do this, otherwise she will not have to live in the capital in the future.

Jiang Shan stared at Zhuang Wan, secretly pondering her expression.

She looked no more than sixteen or seventeen, and from what she knew, Zhuang Wan used to be so timid she wouldn't even leave the house. Why had her personality changed so drastically now? Could it be that she was pretending to be strong on the outside and afraid of being bullied because her family had fallen on hard times?

Yes, what does she have now? Nothing more than clinging to Pei Xingju to survive. A person with nothing dares to challenge her Cheng'en Marquis Mansion. She might as well agree to her, because she doesn't believe she dares to do anything to her.

When the time comes, let’s see who will take a detour when they see whom!

After some analysis, Jiang Shan laughed, "Alright, I'd like to see what you, Zhuang Wan, are capable of. I'll take on Ringo, but I want to remind you that you have to be very precise with your aim, or else, the Cheng'en Marquisate won't let you off."

She added, "I remember your mother is still recuperating in Zhuangzi, and your brother is exiled to the frontier. For their sake, you must not miss your target."

These words were a naked threat, reminding Zhuang Wan to be smart and admit defeat. If she really wanted to play, she, Jiang Shan, was not afraid.

At most, she would be crippled, while Zhuang Wan's mother and brother would both die. She needed to weigh the pros and cons of this.

Zhuang Wan couldn't help but hear the threat in her words. She curled her lips and smiled, not wanting to waste time talking to her. She said to Jingzhe, "Put Ringo on her head."

"yes."

Jingzhe picked a apple from the basket and walked towards Jiang Shan.

"Wait..." Zhuang Wan called her.

Jiang Shan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that she was scared, and a smug smile appeared on her face.

But soon, her smile froze on her lips, just because Zhuang Wan replaced the ringo in Jingzhe's hand and chose the smallest one.

What does this mean?

Is she really not afraid of death?

Princess Wu Jing didn't care about the size of the ringo. She asked Zhuang Wan, "Do you want to start first, or should I?"

Zhuang Wan gestured for invitation: "Princess Wu Jing is an honored guest, so of course you should start first."

"good."

Princess Wu Jing was not polite either. She immediately drew her bow and turned to aim at Jiang Shan.

The people around Jiang Shan suddenly dispersed, fearing that they would be implicated.

"Blindfold them." Wu Jing tested his aim and ordered.

Jingzhe walked over with the prepared silk and neatly covered Princess Wujing's eyes.

Jiang Shan's heart was beating in her throat.

Although Princess Wu Jing just said that his archery skills were superb, she had not seen it with her own eyes after all. Who knew if she was just bragging?

She regrets it now.

But she couldn't afford to retreat at this moment. She asked tremblingly, "Princess Wu Jing, are you sure? Please don't..."

Princess Wu Jing was very dissatisfied when she heard her question her archery skills. Before she could finish her words, she loosened her fingers and the arrow shot out at high speed.

Before anyone could prepare or see clearly, she released the arrow without hesitation, causing everyone to suffer a sudden heartbeat.

Jiang Shan was even more terrified. She only heard a "beep" sound, and then her head felt light, and the arrow and Ringo rolled to the ground together.

The next moment, everyone cheered.

"It hit the target! It really hit the target!"

"Princess Wu Jing is so skilled, so amazing!"

Princess Wu Jing then untied the silk ribbon and was delighted to see that she had indeed shot Ringo. However, the arrow had missed slightly, and she frowned slightly.

Everyone present was happy except Jiang Shan. She looked as if she had just survived a disaster and was terrified. Her face was pale and she stood there motionless.

Until someone said, "Jiang Shan, you are so brave. You actually caught Princess Wu Jing's arrow."

Jiang Shan smiled stiffly, and her smile was uglier than crying.

"Zhuang Wan, it's your turn." Wu Jing turned and said to Zhuang Wan.

Everyone turned their eyes to Zhuang Wan, and the cheers gradually died down. Everyone was waiting to see if Zhuang Wan would get stage fright.

Everyone understood Jiang Shan's words. If Zhuang Wan was smart, she would have abdicated now. After all, injuring the young woman from the Marquis of Cheng'en's mansion was no small matter. Her mother and brother would suffer misfortune or even lose their lives because of her.

Was it worth sacrificing the lives of his parents and brother just for a moment of revenge? If Zhuang Wan wasn't stupid, she would have known what to do next.

But Zhuang Wan appeared calm and composed, even seemed eager to try.

"Jingzhe," she ordered, "I'm not good at archery and have never shot an arrow before. Please help me pick one that is easy to use."

Everyone: ...

Jingzhe is like a dedicated female guard. When Zhuang Wan kills someone, she hands him the knife, and if the kill isn't complete, she'll even help finish him off. In other words, she's a loyal, unfeeling woman.

Jingzhe picked up a light bow from the table and tested the bowstring: "Girl, this one is good. It has fast speed and accurate force. It can penetrate bones and flesh without any problem."

Zhuang Wan turned around and thought, are you serious?

But looking at Jingzhe's expression, she really chose a good bow and arrow very carefully.

The noble ladies who were watching turned pale with fear because of Jingzhe's words, and thought to themselves that if Jiang Shan was really shot, it might not just be a simple disability, she might actually die.

Jiang Shan feigned composure, glaring at Zhuang Wan fiercely, yet she was trembling with fear inside. But she couldn't back down, couldn't admit defeat. She was still betting that Zhuang Wan wouldn't dare.

She is the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Cheng'en!

Zhuang Wan doesn't dare!

She must be bluffing!

She thought.