You Xian'er laughed so hard she almost fell over. She pointed to the spout of the teapot and said, "Miss Du, look here, but don't go off course."
Du Yutong glared at her irritably, "No need for Miss You to remind me, if you're not going to throw the arrows into the pot, are you going to throw them into the teacup?"
"Yes, yes, it's good that Miss Du knows."
Du Yutong held the arrow in her hand, eager to try, confident that she had made a good shot this time.
As soon as he let go, the arrow flew out as if possessed, grazing the handle of the pot and falling to the ground with a thud.
"You jinx!"
"Miss Du, it's really not my fault this time. You just lost your way because your hand was shaking." You Xian'er shrugged, suppressing a laugh.
"Shut up this time." Du Yutong glared at You Xian'er and then took the arrow handed to her by the palace maid.
"Okay, go ahead and vote. I won't bother you anymore." You Xian'er simply turned around to drink her tea.
Whether it was because You Xian'er wasn't interfering, or because the Du family's great-grandmother appeared in heaven, it's unclear.
Du Yutong's remaining two arrows both went into the mouth of the pot.
Several familiar ladies applauded and cheered for Du Yutong, saying, "Well done, Miss Du, you scored two goals!"
"I only scored two goals, you guys need to step up your game," Du Yutong said to the lady she knew well.
It doesn't matter if she doesn't win the prize herself; if someone else wins against You Xian'er and the prize is won by another young lady, she will feel more at ease.
Her gaze involuntarily fell on the small, glistening pile on the tray, and her heart bled.
You Xian'er sat to the side, leisurely drinking tea, as if the prizes on the tray were already hers.
In a pavilion not far from the plum garden, bamboo curtains were rolled up high.
Xiao Jingzhao sat by the window, taking in the entire view of the plum garden.
A cold wind blew by, lifting a lock of his black hair, adding a touch of gentleness rarely seen in men to his handsome, well-defined face.
His gaze seemed to be drawn to something, unable to tear itself away from that splash of red for even a moment.
Xiang Song followed his master's gaze and said, "Master, Miss Jiang is standing to the side watching, seemingly not very interested in pitch-pot."
There was no brazier in the attic, but the master insisted on opening the window, so Eunuch Ma had no choice but to burn the charcoal brazier in the attic until it was burning brightly.
Seeing that her master was in the attic, her soul had already drifted to the plum garden.
Eunuch Ma volunteered, "Master, this servant will go and invite Miss Jiang to the attic for a cup of tea."
"Her sudden departure will inevitably attract attention. Just send a few palace maids to serve her."
Eunuch Ma bowed and stepped back, saying, "This servant understands."
Grandpa Ma left.
Xiao Jingzhao then asked Xiang Song, "When will those young masters arrive?"
He glanced across at the opposite side of the Plum Garden.
"Some of them suggested going to the pine forest to enjoy the snow, and they would be here in about half an hour. Her Highness the Princess has ordered people to tune the zither."
"Don't worry, Master. Today's event may not achieve the effect you want due to time constraints, but tomorrow's event will definitely allow the young ladies to have close contact with the young masters."
"I'm not in a hurry. I want lovers to be together in the end. Tell your men to be careful and not let anyone notice anything amiss."
Xiao Jingzhao twirled his long, slender fingers, a determined glint in his eyes.
Xiang Song picked up the teapot and added some hot tea to the teacup in front of Xiao Jingzhao.
He said confidently, "Master, just wait and see the results. If two days isn't enough, then three days will do."
A moment later, Eunuch Ma returned.
Seeing his complicated expression, Xiao Jingzhao asked, "What's with that expression? Have you encountered something troublesome?"
"It's neither a big deal nor a small matter. The daughter of the Minister of Works insists on playing pitch-pot with Miss Jiang, and they've already placed bets on each other."
As he spoke, Eunuch Ma peeked at Xiao Jingzhao and continued, "Miss You took out a gold hairpin inlaid with broken gemstones, and Miss Jiang took out a jade bracelet of very good quality."
"Who's winning?"
Xiao Jingzhao didn't think there was anything wrong with the bet. If Yue Niang lost, he could just choose another pair of bracelets for her.
Eunuch Ma bowed and said, "Your Majesty, other girls are throwing arrows now. Miss Jiang and Miss You are the last to go up."
Xiao Jingzhao looked towards the pavilion and saw that Jiang Shuyue was no longer by the gauze curtain.
He waved his hand, "Go down and have someone keep an eye on things. Report back as soon as possible who wins and who loses."
Eunuch Ma dared not delay at all. He took two steps back and quickly went out to call a palace maid to inquire about the progress in the pavilion.
Exclamations of surprise echoed from inside the pavilion.
"Oh! We were so close to getting in."
"They've already put three in, that's pretty good."
The girls chattered amongst themselves, then all turned their gaze to You Xian'er.
You Xian'er stepped forward, turned to Jiang Shuyue and said, "Sister Jiang, keep a close eye on things, I won't be polite."
Jiang Shuyue gestured for them to join in, and said very sincerely, "Miss You, please don't be shy, and please don't hold back."
When You Xian'er turned around, a barely perceptible, arrogant smile appeared on her lips.
"Clang! Clang..."
Four cheers followed, and the crowd couldn't help but clap and applaud.
"Miss You's technique is truly precise."
"That's right. If the last one hadn't been bounced off the spout, it would have been a Grand Slam."
You Xian'er scored four goals, and Du Yutong's eyes weren't filled with worry, but rather with frustration.
To defeat her, one must hit all four targets, which is harder than climbing to heaven.
Jiang Shuyue couldn't help but praise, "Indeed amazing. If a man had this skill in archery, he would be invincible on the battlefield."
When Du Yutong saw that it was Jiang Shuyue's turn, she tugged at Jiang Shuyue's sleeve and said, "Sister Yue'er, don't be nervous. I've found that the more nervous I am, the less my hands obey me."
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