Since Ye Wanqing's shoulder injury had healed, there was naturally no reason for her to stay at home to recuperate. The next morning, she was dragged out of bed by A Rao and sent to the Imperial Shooting Pavilion.
——Today is her father, Commander Ye’s class, which is an examination of archery.
Commander Ye specifically explained to everyone on her behalf that the prince had just recovered from his injury, so it didn't matter if he didn't do well in the exam.
They also found her a smaller horse.
But as soon as Ye Wanqing lifted her leg, she discovered the problem. Shen Xu was wearing a fake breast, and her hands had little strength to hold on to the saddle.
She climbed up with great effort, and just as she was about to ride forward, she felt the saddle buckle under her crotch seemed to loosen.
Before she could react, the horse had already started running. She lost her seat and fell off the horse with the saddle, causing the princes and nobles to burst into laughter.
Ye Wanqing stood up suddenly and was about to curse, asking who was the eagle that took off my saddle behind my back!
Ye Qingshan was the only one closest to the horse farm. He stood with his hands behind his back, pretending to look elsewhere.
"Prince Shen accidentally fell off his horse. Exit."
Ye Wanqing: “…”
I didn’t realize my dad was so naughty!
Murong Yan also finished the imperial archery test quickly, but it seemed that his performance was not ideal this time. When Ye Wanqing was watching from the side, she saw that he missed several targets in a row.
As usual, Ye Xueruo brought some snacks and tugged at her sleeve, quietly stuffed the flowers and ornaments she had bought into her hand, and asked her what she wanted to buy next time.
Ye Wanqing made up an excuse, saying that she had quarreled with Miss Lin and would not buy anything for the time being. They would contact each other if needed.
Hearing this, Ye Xueruo was a little disappointed and complained to Miss Lin a few words in a wronged manner, but when she saw Murong Yao coming out, she put on a smiling face and went to greet him.
Ye Wanqing flipped through the thin flower ornament sticker. Just this, five taels? But this time she learned her lesson and quickly hid the flower ornament in her sleeve.
Murong Yan came out, took her hand and said he would take her to a place.
"Your Highness, where are you taking me?" Ye Wanqing followed him through twists and turns and finally turned into an alley.
Murong Yan didn't say anything, and suddenly tightened his grip on her hand. He came to the gate of a courtyard wall, knocked on the door rhythmically, and pulled the person in.
There is a long wisteria corridor at the entrance of the house. In spring, clusters of wisteria flowers hang down the corridor like a waterfall, and the light fragrance of the flowers permeates the heart.
Ye Wanqing exclaimed, "How beautiful!"
Murong Yan didn't respond. He took her hand and continued to walk inside and pushed open the door.
It was a workshop-like room, filled with all sorts of things: strange-shaped bows and crossbows, ornaments that moved even without being touched, and all sorts of weapons she had seen and hadn't seen before.
Murong Yan leaned against a table, watching her curiously look at this and touch that, and then he also started to fiddle with an ornament.
Ye Wanqing stared at the room intently and asked in confusion, "Your Highness, why did you suddenly bring me to a place like this? Could it be that all these things were made by your brother?"
"Have you forgotten, Ah Xu?" Murong Yan lowered his head, his gentle voice sounding tired.
"Your Highness, what did you forget? Why does your voice sound a little hoarse? Did you catch a cold after being exposed to too much wind yesterday?" Ye Wanqing put down the ornaments on the table and asked him with concern.
"It's okay." Murong Yan flipped the switch on the table, the curtains and door curtains slowly dropped down, and the room suddenly became dark.
Before Ye Wanqing could ask, the ceiling and surroundings were lit up with star-like lights, just like the summer starry sky, deep and peaceful.
"Wow, it's so beautiful." Ye Wanqing looked up and couldn't help but sigh, "Did your brother do all this?"
Murong Yan hummed, looked up at the dome and said, "This is the backyard of the home of Jiang Yu, the Minister of Works. They built that dome together. He said that looking at the tranquil starry sky is helpful for thinking about problems."
"Huh? Why did you bring me to the Minister of Works' house? It's really rude to trespass into someone's backyard without their permission."
"Come here, let me show you this thing." Murong Yan pressed a button to retract the dome and picked up a compound crossbow on the table.
Ye Wanqing followed curiously. Murong Yan took the crossbow and led her to an open shooting range.
The shooting range at Minister Jiang's house is not big, not as spacious as the Imperial Archery Pavilion, but it has everything. Several servants are cleaning around it.
"Try this crossbow." Murong Yan opened the compound crossbow, loaded three specially shaped crossbow arrows, and handed it to her.
Ye Wanqing took a look at the crossbow mechanism. It was very delicate and complicated, and there was even the sound of gears turning inside.
"Yes, how do I use it?" She raised it up and tried to pluck the bowstring, but Murong Yan grabbed her hand.
"Just aim, look at the cross in the middle, and then pull the trigger." Murong Yan gently grabbed her hand and guided her to put it on the trigger.
He stood behind her, supporting her arm with one hand and holding her hand that was pulling the trigger with the other, aiming the crossbow at the bull's eye.
Ye Wanqing let him lift her hand, feeling his warm palm on the back of her hand, and her face unconsciously turned red.
Her back was pressed against Murong Yan's chest, and she listened to his steady breathing from above her head. She felt as if she could see the starry sky again, and she felt extremely at peace.
He just said that the quiet starry sky is conducive to thinking.
"Look ahead and don't shake your hands." Murong Yan sniffed the scent of gardenia on her body, his mind a little confused. He calmed himself down, exerted a little force, held her hand and pulled the trigger.
With a whoosh sound, the crossbow arrow hit the bull's eye in the distance.
Ye Wanqing looked at the crossbow curiously and praised it, "It's so convenient and effortless."
"Well, this is an automatic compound crossbow. It can automatically string eight arrows in one shot. You only need to aim to hurt people. Even ordinary people who can't draw a bow and don't know martial arts can use it to kill the enemy."
Murong Yan lowered his eyes and looked at Ye Wanqing's face. She was looking at the crossbow with curiosity with an innocent smile, as if she had discovered a new world.
"It's so ingeniously made! The person who invented this crossbow must be a genius!"
Ye Wanqing couldn't help but praise him, and suddenly she realized, "Could it be that brother of yours again? Who is he?"
"Yeah." Murong Yan was not in a hurry to answer. He took the crossbow from Ye Wanqing's hand, fiddled with it to adjust something, looked up, raised the crossbow, aimed, and shot the arrow.
He stared at the bull's eye with his deep eyes and said meaningfully, "The person who designed this crossbow is truly a genius. His name is—"
"Call, Chen, Xu!"
"Ah?" Ye Wanqing looked up in confusion, but saw a cold arrow pointing at her.
Murong Yan was standing with the light behind him, and bright and dazzling light leaked through his head. His handsome face seemed to be covered with a layer of frost, which was dazzling and biting.
He raised the crossbow in his hand and aimed the arrow at Ye Wanqing.
The usually gentle voice disappeared, becoming strange and extremely cold, like the cold light flashing on a crossbow arrow, pointing straight at her heart.
"Who are you, then?"
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