Jiang Yimian tested the bow and arrow in her hand, drew the bow, and casually shot an arrow. The arrow fell to the ground in mid-air and disappeared into the Golden Chrysanthemum Garden.
When everyone saw this scene, they were almost speechless. They stared blankly at the arrow that had disappeared in the chrysanthemum garden, and remained silent for a long time, not daring to utter a sound.
Xie Yu was clearly also somewhat surprised, never expecting that Jiang Yimian had hardly ever touched a bow and arrow.
Xue Lingyu burst out laughing, "Princess, are you kidding me? You can't even draw your bow, and you want to compete with the Third Princess?"
I don't know where this person got their confidence from. Even a layman like me could see that Jiang Yimian hadn't fully drawn the bowstring just now.
With such a low level of skill, how dare he presumptuously challenge Abiya? This person is just waiting to be despised by the people of the Great Jin Dynasty.
Jiang Yimian simply said, "Even if I can't draw the bow, I can still shoot through your mouth."
After saying that, he pulled the bowstring towards her with a "thump".
Xue Lingyu was so frightened that she immediately covered her mouth and dared not say another word, fearing that Jiang Yimian might actually do something.
Abiya merely scoffed, picked up an arrow, nocked it, and shot it in one swift motion.
With a "whoosh," the arrow struck a tall purple bamboo not far away, causing everyone to gasp in surprise.
Chen Feiyan was secretly shocked and looked at the purple bamboo in disbelief.
The Purple Bamboo Grove is about twenty zhang away from here, while the furthest distance for ordinary archers in the military camp is only forty or fifty zhang.
Not to mention that Abiya is a woman, and it is quite impressive that she can draw the bowstring so easily and shoot that distance.
Thinking it over, she leaned close to Jiang Yimian and whispered, "Yimian, you, you mustn't be stubborn. If you really lose, you can just deny it."
Anyway, everyone here is one of our own. Even if things go wrong, the princess is here; nothing will damage the prestige of the Great Jin Dynasty.
Never mind, even if she really loses, she can't let Jiang Yimian go out and say those kinds of things. At worst, she'll just be humiliated by the Tuyuhun people for a few days.
Once the banquet is over, these Tuyuhun people should leave and soon forget about it.
Jiang Yimian raised an eyebrow and said, "I will not lose, and I will naturally keep my promise."
Chen Feiyan was taken aback, staring at Jiang Yimian's confident appearance. Finally, she gritted her teeth and nodded forcefully, saying, "Okay, I believe you. Yimian, you must win."
If they really lose, these Tuyuhun people probably won't give up easily.
Even if they refuse to acknowledge it, these people will surely spread the word everywhere, saying that the people of Jin are untrustworthy, and that will definitely affect the prestige of Jin.
If they acknowledge the debt, the Great Jin will become a laughing stock among the Tuyuhun people, who already look down on the Great Jin people, and this will only fuel their arrogance.
The people's anger might then extend to Jiang Yimian, and either outcome would be bad for the Great Jin Dynasty.
She now only hopes that God will be on her side and that Jiang Yimian will truly win.
Everyone else was thinking the same thing, their eyes filled with hope as they stared at Jiang Yimian, but their hearts were pounding with anxiety, especially after seeing how the two of them had drawn their bows.
Xue Lingyu was secretly pleased, she really wanted to see Jiang Yimian despised.
She'll see how arrogant this person will be after losing the match.
As a princess personally appointed by His Majesty, not only did she lose to Tuyuhun, but she also had to admit that the women of the Great Jin were inferior to the women of Tuyuhun. Once these remarks were made, the people's affection for her would eventually turn into anger.
She might even incur His Majesty's wrath, which would not only revoke her title of Princess but also void her engagement with Lu Cijian, leaving her relegated to the lowest of the low.
At that time, she would definitely make a good laugh at him and make him bow to her.
Aguzan sat on a rosewood chair to the side, his eyes full of interest as he stared at Jiang Yimian.
Abiya's archery skills were among the best in Tuyuhun, let alone dealing with someone who clearly had little experience with bows and arrows.
He was genuinely curious about the girl's performance—whether she was as confident as she appeared, or if she would make a complete mess of things.
If at first he only thought this person was courageous, now he found it quite interesting.
At this moment, in the study of the Censorate.
Lu Cijian was sitting at his desk reviewing official documents when he heard Wang San's words. Instead of being anxious, he chuckled.
Wang Sanzhi said anxiously, "Young Master, what are you laughing at? If the Princess loses, it will be no small matter."
To admit in front of the people of the capital that the women of the Great Jin Dynasty are inferior to the women of the Tuyuhun Dynasty is to slap the face of us, the people of the Great Jin Dynasty.
Especially recently, those Tuyuhun people have been so rampant, causing trouble all over the capital, and the people have long been dissatisfied with them.
Now that the princess has put forward such a contest with the Tuyuhun people at this critical juncture, it would be fine if she won.
If we lose, we will surely be scorned by the people of the capital.
How could the princess, who is usually so clever, be so clueless as to compete with that Tuyuhun man in archery?
"Young Master, should I go and stop them?"
As he spoke, he hurriedly prepared to leave.
Lu Cijian simply said, "No need, Mianmian won't lose."
Wang San was taken aback, and before he could say anything more, he met a pair of serious eyes.
Lu Cijian put down the official document in his hand and said seriously, "When have you ever seen Mianmian do anything she wasn't sure about? Just wait and see."
Mianmian would never put herself in a dilemma. Since she agreed to the competition, she must be confident of winning.
Wang San hesitated, thinking that he had never seen Jiang Yimian use a bow and arrow before, and considering what the people from the princess's residence had just reported, Jiang Yimian was clearly not very familiar with bows and arrows.
This thing is different from a dagger; it requires a great deal of strength, and people who don't use it often will find it very difficult to draw.
If you can't even draw the bow, then there's no way you can win.
Jiang Yimian is very skilled, but her slender arms don't look like those of someone who frequently draws a bow and shoots arrows. The person she's competing against now is someone who has been practicing archery since childhood.
He had heard of the Third Princess of Tuyuhun; she was more skilled than some men, especially in horsemanship and archery, which was unmatched by ordinary people.
Even the men in the military camp might not be able to beat him, let alone someone like Jiang Yimian who doesn't often handle a bow and arrow.
He wanted to say a few more words of advice, but seeing that Lu Cijian showed no concern whatsoever and even curled his lips in a rather cheerful mood, he felt that his young master had gone mad.
How could you so blindly trust someone?
No, he had to think carefully about what they should do if Miss Jiang lost, so that she wouldn't be scorned by others.
Why not just kill those two Tuyuhun people right here in the princess's residence? No, that won't do. These people have come to sue for peace. If we really kill them, the border war will surely break out again.
That's not what they want right now.
After thinking for a long time, he still couldn't figure out what to do.
Lu Cijian put down the official document in his hand and said calmly, "Let's go. If we go now, we should be able to see the results."
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