At the palace banquet, between the two men, Shen Jingchuan listened to their conversation and felt a chill run down his spine, sensing that there was more to their words than met the eye.
As Zhou Xuance glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly coughed a few times.
The Empress Dowager was concerned and sent someone to bring him water boiled with cherries, saying it could stop coughing. It was made with syrup and looked very delicious, but he only took two sips before putting the spoon down.
One should not eat more than three bites.
Chen Zhiyi raised an eyebrow:
What a waste.
"This cherry juice is too sweet and should suit most girls' tastes. Miss Shen, you can try it." He said, gesturing for a palace maid to serve the cherry juice to Shen Zhiyi.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Shen Zhiyi had just finished speaking when he heard him continue, "Look, the excitement is about to begin."
After the song and dance performance, it was time for the fan group segment.
As Shen Zhiyi went to make preparations, she ran into Wei Mingzhen, the daughter of the Left Prime Minister. Today, she was dressed brightly and beautifully, surrounded by many young ladies, like a star being surrounded by the moon, looking like she had victory in her grasp.
"Miss Wei will surely win first place today and be granted a marriage by His Majesty," the crowd praised.
Wei Mingzhen frowned slightly, feigning shyness: "Don't talk nonsense."
At this moment, Shen Zhiyi was testing her small horn bow, while Wen Qing had already arrived in the hall and begun shooting at the powder balls.
"I noticed that the Third Prince was looking at you the whole time. He must be interested in you."
"Yes, even if some people have a noble status, they have been married before, so they shouldn't dream of entering the royal family again."
"How dare you even attend a palace banquet? You have such a big face! If it were me, abandoned by my husband's family, I would probably drown myself in the lake. I wouldn't dare to parade around in public like this."
"How dare you seduce the Third Prince! You have no shame whatsoever!"
...
The group chatted and laughed.
No sooner had they finished speaking than a small arrow suddenly flew over, passing through the middle and tearing one of the people's clothes, making them pale with fright.
Wei Mingzhen frowned: "Shen Zhiyi, what are you doing! This is the imperial palace, how dare you commit violence!"
"Attempt to commit murder?" Shen Zhiyi stroked the small hornbow in her hand. "I just slipped and accidentally shot the arrow."
"You did this on purpose!" the girl whose clothes had been ripped shouted angrily.
Shen Zhiyi chuckled softly, "So what!"
"Don't think that just because you're the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, you can act so arrogantly and bully others!"
"If you feel so wronged, then shall we go and explain ourselves to His Majesty?" Shen Zhiyi said with a sneer, gripping her small horn bow as she walked toward the group.
She possessed a maturity and detachment beyond her years...
Especially the eyes,
It was so cold it felt like there was no life in the world.
The imposing aura emanating from him intimidated the group. Wei Mingzhen frowned and said, "Shen Zhiyi, what do you want to do? Even if your father is the Duke of Zhenguo, my father is the Left Prime Minister!"
"So what if your father is the Left Prime Minister? Even if you are a princess, you cannot question or provoke the Emperor!"
"What nonsense are you spouting!" one of them exclaimed, "When have we ever questioned His Majesty!"
"My separation from Song Yuxiu was granted by His Majesty himself, but in your mouths, it's become that I was abandoned by my husband's family? Does that mean I was divorced?"
"Is this still questioning His Majesty?"
"You are absolutely audacious!"
Shen Zhiyi suddenly raised his voice by half a point, startling the group of people.
Seeing that the group was terrified, she bent down and picked up the small arrow from the ground. "Dare to question His Majesty? Even if this arrow had wounded you, let alone missed, I believe His Majesty wouldn't have blamed me at all. So..."
"Don't mess with me."
"Otherwise, who knows who this arrow will hit next!"
After Shen Zhiyi finished speaking, she was about to leave, but Wei Mingzhen stopped her, "Go see His Majesty if you want to. We only saw you shooting arrows, who heard what we were saying just now?"
Upon hearing this, the others all agreed.
"That's right, who heard that? You really did try to stab someone in the back!"
"I'd like to see whether His Majesty believes you alone or what we all say."
"..."
Some who remained uninvolved also kept their heads down and remained silent, unwilling to get involved.
As a noble lady after all, Shen Zhiyi was about to speak when she saw that the others had no shame. Then she heard a few faint coughs behind her.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound. In the shadows, the person in the black brocade robe seemed to blend completely into the darkness, with only the mask emitting a dim light, and the eyes hidden beneath it were unfathomable.
The sight sent a chill down one's spine.
Everyone bowed in greeting.
Shen Zhiyi hurriedly put down the horn bow and bowed.
He remained silent for a long time, and no one dared to stand up. Zhou Xuance had already walked up to Shen Zhiyi, bent down and picked up the small horn bow and arrows she had placed on the ground.
I nocked an arrow, drew the bow, and gave it a try.
"So this is what a young lady's small horn bow looks like." His voice was low and hoarse, carrying a sinister feel that made the surrounding air instantly chill a bit.
But unexpectedly, the next second—
He drew his bow again.
The arrow whistled as it pierced the air.
Then, Shen Zhiyi heard a painful wail. She lowered her head and only dared to glance behind her, only then did she see that the arrow had just grazed the face of the young lady who had mocked her...
Just a light brush over it.
The arrow pierced the ground!
Her skin was cut, and beads of blood rolled down her cheek. She was in excruciating pain, but she dared not scream or cry.
Everyone was so frightened that they dared not breathe.
“The palace is not a place for you to act recklessly. If there is a next time, this arrow will surely slit your mouth!” As he spoke, he coughed twice, and Kong Qing appeared. “Your Highness, it’s time for us to take our medicine.”
Before leaving, Zhou Xuance handed the small horn bow to Shen Zhiyi, saying, "Young Master, you saved me. If anyone dares to make things difficult for you, come find me anytime."
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