Chapter 7 Rough and Reckless

After the anger subsided, the weakness hidden deep in her heart erupted, and Huiyi was lost in thought for a long time.

She misunderstood without thinking; she thought Xie Sanlang was also the kind of person who coveted her status as a member of the imperial family.

With everything he has, and being so sought after, how could he not find a virtuous and gentle woman to marry, and instead choose this princess whom he considers unruly and unreasonable?

Just as she had told her parents before, Xie Sanlang was not her ideal man; he was just like any other young man.

There's nothing to be sad about.

Fortunately, she had done the gift of the jade in secret, and no one except Xie Sanlang knew about it.

But Huiyi still felt a lump in her throat, so she decided to find some fun to vent her frustration.

Because the man refused to retaliate, it was too beneath Huiyi's dignity; she couldn't bring herself to do it. But now she had another man she disliked.

Huiyi was in a state of turmoil as she hurried toward the shooting range.

He walked up to a group of young doctors, and without even seeing who had been holding the bow, he picked it up.

So heavy!

Huiyi realized what was happening only after her arm drooped down.

"Princess, you've taken the wrong one. This is a longbow for men; the one for women is on the left."

A gloating laugh rang in her ears, sounding very familiar. Huiyi looked up and met Lin Er's amused, smug face. She frowned and asked, "What are you doing here?"

The same bow, but in Lin Lanting's hands, it was surprisingly small and light, as if it had no weight.

"Why can't I be here? I've always been here."

Lin Lanting raised an eyebrow, easily drew back the longbow, and shot an arrow that hit the bullseye, winning another round of cheers.

Huiyi tried to pull it, but found that the longbow was still too difficult for her. She could only grumble and switch to the smaller one on the left, draw the bowstring to its full length, and shoot an arrow that followed Lin Er's tail and hit the bullseye.

"That's all there is to it."

Huiyi raised her chin at Lin Er and boasted arrogantly.

She also has a talent for horseback riding and archery. A couple of years ago, she went hunting with her grandfather and brought back quite a few game.

Lin Lanting couldn't stand it when others used his strengths to provoke him, so he chased after her with another arrow, shooting down the arrow that Huiyi had previously pinned to the target, and gave her a smug look.

"Hey!"

Huiyi got angry and tried to do the same, stabbing Lin Er's arrow with her own. However, she was no match for the rough and uncouth Lin Lanting, and ended up losing face.

Haha~

Without a doubt, Lin Er had ridiculed her. Huiyi drew her bow and aimed it at him, saying menacingly, "If you laugh again, I'll shoot you into a sieve!"

Seeing that Princess Chang Le had lost her temper again, no one dared to get involved, and they could only silently pray that Lin Er could handle it.

Lin Lanting did not show the fear that everyone expected, but instead walked in calmly, with an attitude of fearlessness.

"What, you're taking it out on me because you got rejected?"

They didn't name names and lowered their voices to make sure only the two of them could hear.

But this had already made Huiyi lose her composure.

She said with a sour face, "How did you know? Were you following me?"

If she were to confirm it, Huiyi would definitely teach that guy a lesson.

Upon hearing this, Lin Lanting revealed a hint of disdain without any attempt to hide it, and said irritably, "What are you thinking? Who has the time to follow you? I just happened to see you and guessed it. If you insist on saying it, then I'm just being clever."

Lin Lanting was a man who would lose his manners as he talked, but he was a good match for Huiyi, who also occasionally threw rules to the wind.

"You're so clever, you might as well die!"

Huiyi was extremely unhappy that her shameful act had been seen by someone, especially by that scoundrel Lin Er.

Lin Lanting wasn't annoyed, but teased him with some incomprehension, "I really don't understand why you fell for him, he's such a weak and frail pretty boy."

As a military general, Lin Lanting had admired great men like his uncle Guo Shiji since childhood, and he looked down on those thin, effeminate pretty boys who spent their days reciting poetry.

He has no manly qualities whatsoever!

The spoiled princess really has no taste; she has such bright eyes, yet she's wasting them.

Huiyi was still angry. After firing an arrow that hit the bullseye, she looked at Huiyi's face and suddenly said with a malicious smile, "Are you jealous of her?"

Lin Lanting looked on in surprise, twirling the longbow in his hand, and asked in confusion, "Jealous? Jealous of what?"

Are you jealous that people can wear face powder?

Thinking of this, Lin Lanting found it amusing and asked in return.

Huiyi seemed to have caught the other party red-handed, and spoke with certainty.

"You are jealous of her fair skin and elegant demeanor, while you are rough, dark, and reckless, far beyond my reach."

Huiyi's words were somewhat exaggerated, because Lin Er wasn't actually that dark-skinned; he just had a light tan from years of fighting outdoors.

His skin is probably a bit rough, and it might even feel rough to the touch.

Compared to the fair-skinned young men raised in the wealthy city of Chang'an, or even those handsome young men who were fond of applying powder, his appearance was quite noticeable.

If it weren't for his good looks and physique, he probably wouldn't stand out in a group of young men.

These blunt words made Lin Lanting laugh out loud.

Lin Lanting was not a good-natured man to begin with, and in a fit of rage, he thought for a moment that he would riddle her with bullets.

That's really tasteless!

"Do you even know what it means to be a real man? I have no respect for that powdered-up, girlish act. Don't disgust me!"

When accused of being jealous of those pretty boys, Lin Lanting felt as if she had been fed a mouthful of excrement. She couldn't help but get angry, and her tone became fierce, revealing a hint of malice.

No matter how spoiled Huiyi was, she was still just a timid and cowardly young lady. When Lin Er rushed at her like that, she first showed her fear, staring at him with wide eyes, looking like a silly goose.

After venting his anger, Lin Lanting was stunned by the young woman's demeanor.

He acted impulsively, forgetting that this spoiled princess was also a weak and vulnerable young lady who might not be able to withstand his intimidation.

Just as he was about to say something to make amends, he saw the person come to their senses, and the expression on their face made Lin Lanting realize that something was wrong.

Oh no, I've realized it!

Huiyi raised her eyebrows, her eyes blazing with fury, and moved even faster, swinging her bow and hammering him with it, accompanied by angry curses.

"This is outrageous! How dare you speak to this princess like that? And you call yourself my father? Whose father are you? Believe me or not, I'll tell my grandfather, and he'll punish you for the most serious offense of disrespect!"

I'll beat you to death!

As she spoke, she continued to swing her longbow at people, startling the onlookers who had been watching the commotion into scattering and hiding.

Princess Chang Le and the others dared not pull them, and they dared not protect Lin Er and the others either. It would be better to stay far away and not let them, the innocent bystanders, get caught in the crossfire.

Whether they had a good relationship with Lin Lanting or not, they all smiled and gloated when they saw Lin Er get beaten up by Princess Chang Le.

Lin Lanting had expected to be scolded, but she never expected to be beaten.

Although those few blows didn't hurt him much, being beaten was always humiliating.

Struggling to control his body's instinct to retaliate, Lin Lanting first blocked with his arm. Seeing that the unruly princess was getting more and more excited, he simply grabbed the bow and easily pinned down the flailing Huiyi with one hand, suppressing his anger as he said, "...Stop it, Princess?"

The last two words, "Princess," were emphasized, intended as a reminder to Huiyi.

After those heavy blows, Huiyi had released much of her anger and was now much calmer. Glancing at the young men and women around her who were watching the commotion and whispering, Huiyi remembered that this was still her matchmaking banquet.

But it doesn't matter anymore. Even Xie Sanlang, the only one who's somewhat pleasing to the eye, doesn't think much of her, so she's lost all interest in him.

I glanced at Xie Sanlang and saw him frowning, his posture indifferent, and his expression carrying a hint of disdain.

Huiyi was most sensitive to such gazes. She smiled coldly, thinking to herself that her previous guess was indeed correct.

He's no different from those other young men, nothing special.

"You're lucky, kid. Get lost."

Having lost interest in playing, Huiyi tossed the bow to Lin Er, tidied her hair, and left with elegant steps.

"If you're so capable, come and talk to me to my face. What kind of skill is it to gossip behind my back? Everyone, disperse!"

As she passed by a group of young men and women, seeing them still whispering, Huiyi unceremoniously cursed them a few more times.

Compared to when she was thirteen or fourteen and needed to prepare herself mentally, she is now much more skilled.

After Huiyi left, the young men dared to gather around Lin Lanting. Some showed concern for him, while others exclaimed, "Princess Chang Le is indeed as unruly and shrewish as the rumors say. She even dared to hit you, Erlang. She's no ordinary woman. I admire her!"

Lin Lanting casually tossed aside the bow he had just used to shoot himself, picked up his longbow and continued firing arrows. However, finding target shooting boring, he aimed the arrows at the crabapple tree above Xie Sanlang's head.

"Being a bit assertive is good, at least you won't get bullied."

Recalling Li Huiyi's timid face when he had just confronted her, Lin Lanting chuckled.

If it weren't for her later fierceness, she would have been at his mercy.

However, the trouble that someone caused him, that person has to pay for.

Swoosh~

The arrow flew away, precisely severing a crabapple branch, which then landed right on Xie Sanlang's head.

Xie Xi, struck by a falling branch, immediately found Lin Lanting, the culprit, and coldly asked, "What is the meaning of this, Young General Lin?"

When questioned, Lin Lanting looked cheerful and said with a hint of false guilt, "I'm sorry, my hand trembled and the arrow missed. I'm sorry to have startled Xie Sanlang. I apologize."

Not only Xie Xi didn't believe it, but everyone else did too.

Lin Erlang, who started practicing martial arts at the age of five and went to war at the age of fourteen, was the most skilled archer and horseman among the young men of Chang'an. It was truly clumsy of him to miss the target.

It was clearly intentional, but this person was difficult to provoke in every way, so Xie Xi had no choice but to endure it.

"If it was an accident, then it's alright."

With a faint smile, Xie Xi began to speculate about Lin Er's intentions.

He only started causing trouble for Princess Chang Le after they had a conflict, and Princess Chang Le had just...

Could it be that Lin Erxin is infatuated with the princess and is taking revenge in private?

Xie Xi looked at the arrogant and conceited young man in the distance and felt a rare moment of bitterness in her heart.

No wonder he liked Princess Chang Le; they were kindred spirits.

After the Peony Banquet ended, Huiyi and her third brother, who had also come away empty-handed, were summoned to their parents' Zichen Palace, presumably to inquire about their achievements that day.

The two, both in dire straits, helped each other across, looking utterly dejected.

A note from the author:

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Updated! [heart emoji]