After sitting for a while, more and more noble ladies came to the pavilion, so she and Princess Huai'an got up to admire the flowers.
As Shen Wan and the others walked away, Princess Huyang came over, followed by a pretty girl with a timid yet curious expression.
Upon seeing Princess Huyang, Empress Song said with a smile, "You're late. Today is a very important day for Princess Huyang's residence."
Princess Huyang smiled and said, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
Empress Song's gaze fell on the girl following behind Princess Huyang. "Could this be the newly adopted daughter of the Princess and her husband?"
Princess Huyang nodded and said gently, "Changle, pay your respects to Her Majesty the Empress."
Xu Changle obediently curtsied to Empress Song.
His every move revealed a hint of timidity.
But it would be strange if a hunter's daughter, entering the palace and suddenly seeing so many noble ladies, wasn't intimidated. It was already quite remarkable that she could greet them with grace and poise.
Empress Song smiled and said, "The Princess has always regretted not being able to have another daughter. This time, her wish has come true. I heard that the Crown Prince is a master archer and has married the Princess Consort. Is that true?"
Princess Huyang's face lit up with a smile when she mentioned her son.
Consort Wang couldn't help but sigh, "They say dragons beget dragons and phoenixes beget phoenixes, and that's absolutely true. Even though the young master has been living away from home, his talent can't be buried."
Princess Huyang thought of her other son, who was also born to the eldest son-in-law. Apart from resembling the eldest son-in-law in appearance, he had no resemblance to him in terms of talent or character.
Although An'er doesn't look like the eldest son-in-law, but rather like the emperor, her talents and character are exactly the same as his.
The dragon has nine sons, each different from the other, a fact that Princess Huyang truly understood.
Meanwhile, Shen Wan and Princess Huai'an left the pavilion and headed towards the place where the flowers were in full bloom. When they reached the fork in the road, Princess Qinghe came over, and the three of them went together.
Just as they were chatting and laughing, a group of young ladies from prominent families suddenly surged towards the entrance of the Imperial Garden. Yinshuang saw this and asked, "Why are you all going that way?"
"Go and find out," Shen Wan instructed.
Yinshuang eagerly went over to inquire and quickly returned, saying, "Those young masters from noble families don't believe that the Duke Du's son can hit a target from a hundred paces away with his archery skills, so they're urging him to show off. Those young ladies from noble families are there to watch him shoot arrows..."
In just a short while, the once bustling and lively Imperial Garden became much emptier.
Shen Wan and the others also wanted to see the divine archery skills, so they walked towards the entrance of the Imperial Garden.
Not only were the young ladies from noble families curious, but Empress Song and her consorts also wanted to see it, and even the Emperor was alarmed.
The purpose of today's palace banquet was to introduce the heir of the Duke of Du to the civil and military officials. What could be better than the heir of the Duke of Du personally showcasing himself?
When Shen Wan and Princess Huai'an arrived, a group of people surrounded Du Cheng'an. His restraint and embarrassment made him blush. Tang Ze and the others stood beside him. Du Cheng'an truly trusted them and kept looking at them. Tang Ze stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't be nervous, just pretend these people don't exist."
Du Chengan nodded.
At that moment, a palace maid brought a bow and arrow. Du Cheng'an took the bow and arrow, picked up the arrow, and then drew the bow.
Pull it open again.
Pull again...
*Smack*
The bow broke.
Du Cheng'an, "..."
The onlookers, "..."
Du Chengan was extremely panicked.
Isn't it said that the best things in the world are all in the palace?
Why are the bows and arrows of such poor quality?
It's not even as good as the bow he made himself.
He broke the bow and arrow, will he get punished?
Du Cheng'an looked helplessly at his own father.
The others were shocked, even more shocked.
To break an arrow so easily, one must have incredible arm strength.
The Emperor laughed and said, "Not bad arm strength."
"Someone, bring me the bow and arrow that I have treasured."
Eunuch Yuan quickly looked at Xiao Xizi behind him, who then ran swiftly towards the Imperial Study.
That means running as fast as you can, because so many people are waiting.
Soon, Xiao Xizi brought the bow over. The bow was quite heavy, and it was difficult to lift it. He was covered in sweat from the effort, and it shone brightly in the sunlight.
That bow looked extraordinary; it was simple and heavy, giving people a sense of a gentleman's restraint. It was the emperor's favorite bow and arrow, but the emperor did not use it often, only when hunting.
Xiao Xizi handed the bow and arrow to Du Cheng'an. The bow and arrow, which he could only lift with two hands, Du Cheng'an picked up with one hand. This bow was much heavier than the previous one, and it was so heavy that one could hardly put it down.
A hundred paces away, the guards had already set up the target, and Du Cheng'an drew his bow again.
This bow is not so easy to draw; you need to nock the arrow and aim at the bullseye.
He let go.
The bowstring emitted a series of clashing sounds.
arrow.
Hit the bullseye.
Those who had just questioned Du Cheng'an's archery skills were suddenly rendered speechless.
But what shocked them even more was yet to come.
The palace maid was holding three arrows.
Du Cheng'an thought all three shots had to be fired.
He immediately picked up another one.
Aim again.
The arrow was shot out and pierced straight through the first arrow, embedding itself firmly in the bullseye.
This scene stunned everyone present, including the eldest son-in-law.
The prince consort believed that his archery skills were unmatched in the capital, but he never expected that his son's talent was even greater than his own.
Du Cheng'an picked up the third arrow, his expression more serious than ever before. He wanted to see just how powerful this bow could be.
He used all his strength to aim at the target.
let go.
The arrow was faster than the previous two times.
Bang.
The target exploded.
Du Cheng'an's face lit up with a smile.
But as he was laughing, his smile froze on his face because he realized that everyone around him had fallen silent.
It wasn't until the Emperor clapped his hands and exclaimed, "This archery skill is truly surpassed by the master; the Imperial Son-in-Law has a worthy successor!"
"If you nurture him well, An'er will surely become a pillar of our Great Chu."
Everyone else also offered their congratulations to the eldest son-in-law.
The emperor's son-in-law was not allowed to hold military power, but there was no explicit rule that his son could not hold military power either.
With such archery skills on the battlefield, the enemy will surely tremble in fear.
The Emperor's praise brought tears to Princess Huyang's eyes.
Du Cheng'an returned the bow to the emperor, who smiled and said, "An'er has shown me the power of this bow. Today I bestow this bow upon you, hoping that one day you can use it to protect the territory of my Great Chu."
...Is the Emperor going to bestow the bow upon him?
Du Cheng'an was overjoyed and worried that he was dreaming, so he forgot to react for a moment.
The Imperial Son-in-Law said, "An'er, quickly kneel down and thank the Emperor."
Du Cheng'an realized what was happening and quickly knelt down to kowtow to the Emperor.
The emperor helped him up.
Du Cheng'an looked at the bow in his hand, reluctant to put it down.
Tang Ze and the Prince of Yanping congratulated him, saying, "Congratulations, Brother Cheng'an, on acquiring such a fine bow."
After the excitement was over, everyone dispersed.
Lu Cheng ran over and said, "I saw a bunch of people gathered here from afar. Did I miss something exciting?"
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