Lanqin had no idea how sore Hongli's arms must be, but he still refused to stop. Because now it wasn't about who hit the bullseye the most times, but about who could hold out the longest.
Hong Sheng, who had been chatting and laughing just moments before, was now covered in sweat. Each movement he made was becoming more and more difficult.
"Stop shooting. If you keep shooting like this, you'll both be exhausted." The Fourth Prince couldn't stand it anymore; he could see the two children were competing. Then, he waved to the servants who were attending to him, signaling them to stop Hongli and Hongsheng from shooting anymore.
Lady Nian thought her son would at least get a chance to shine among the Fourth Prince and her own elder brother, but unexpectedly, Hongli stubbornly prevented Hongsheng from winning.
After the servants snatched the bows from the two young princes' hands, Hongli felt as if his arms no longer belonged to him. He turned around, looked at the crowd standing under the pavilion on the south side of the training ground, and then focused his gaze on Lanqin.
Lanqin smiled slightly at Hongli and suddenly understood her son's intentions. Just now she had told the Fourth Prince and the others that children didn't need to compete like this, and she thought Hongli was just too competitive. But now, after seeing the glance Hongli gave her, Lanqin immediately understood that Hongli didn't want her to be outdone in front of the Nian siblings.
"The Fourth Prince is so young, yet his arm strength is truly astonishing." Nian Gengyao praised Hongli without mentioning Hongsheng, his meaning unclear. A look of displeasure appeared on Nian's face.
"Just a young brat, all he does is compete. Hongsheng's archery skills are indeed quite good," Fourth Master said.
Only then did Madam Nian smile and say, "Your Highness, elder brother, Hongsheng is indeed precocious in this regard."
Lanqin saw Hongli and Hongzhou walking towards her. She noticed that both children looked tired and quickly said, "Your Highness, Hongli and Hongzhou are tired. I'd like to take them back to wash up."
Fourth Prince nodded, but Nian Gengyao seemed reluctant to let them go, saying, "Your Highness, I think it would be better if you let a few of them come to the family banquet tonight. The more people, the more lively it will be. Besides, we are all brothers, so let's not be estranged."
It turned out that for the past few days, the Fourth Prince had been hosting banquets for Nian Gengyao every night in the East Courtyard. As a result, the kitchen had been extremely busy, almost entirely occupied by the East Courtyard. Meals in other areas had to be reduced or even reduced. Lanqin didn't feel anything because she had her own small kitchen, but the people in other areas were complaining, though no one dared to say it openly.
Lanqin felt it was difficult to refuse Nian Gengyao's words, but she really didn't want Hongli and Hongzhou to go to the East Courtyard alone, so she could only look at the Fourth Prince without responding.
Fourth Prince hadn't expected Nian Gengyao to invite Hongli and Hongzhou to the East Courtyard. Just as he was about to refuse, he heard Hongsheng say, "Hongli, Hongzhou, come and play!"
Seeing Hongsheng's somewhat smug look, and noticing that neither Lanqin nor the Fourth Prince had directly refused, Hongli knew it was difficult to refuse, so he said, "Alright, Mother, let us go. We haven't been to the East Courtyard yet."
Nian Gengyao laughed and said, "Your Highness, let them come. More children will make it more lively. We've already invited an opera troupe tonight, so it won't be lively if there aren't enough people."
Seeing her elder brother's "enthusiasm," Lady Nian, as the mistress of the East Courtyard, felt she should also show some magnanimity, and quickly said, "Your Highness, why don't you invite the sisters over for a gathering, just like a family banquet?"
After thinking for a moment, Fourth Master said, "Then let's do it this way. Su Peisheng, immediately send someone to inform everyone that a family banquet will be held in the East Courtyard tonight, and that they should all bring their children. However, they don't necessarily have to go, and those who are not in a good mood can naturally choose not to go."
Lanqin naturally understood the meaning behind the Fourth Prince's words, which meant that the Princess Consort should not go as well.
After Lanqin led the two children out of the training ground and towards the south courtyard, the two young princes were a little tired. Lanqin said to Chunying, "You carry Hongzhou back to Geng Gege's place. She must be worried. Shuiling, you go with them and take care of them along the way. Once you've taken them to Geng Gege, you can go back."
Hongzhou said to Lanqin, "Thank you for seeing me off, Consort. Will I be going to the East Courtyard with Mother tonight?"
Lanqin felt a pang of pain in her heart. She increasingly felt that Hongzhou was a well-behaved and sensible child, and she no longer had any thoughts about Geng Shi. After all, she had raised Hongzhou and taught him so well.
“Yes, Hongzhou, go with your mother tonight.” Lanqin said, patting Hongzhou’s little crescent-shaped head.
After they left, Si Hua squatted down and said to Hongli, "Fourth Prince, let me carry you on my back."
Lanqin nodded to Hongli, after all, he had just exerted a lot of effort, but Hongli refused, saying, "My arms are tired, not my legs, don't carry me."
Lanqin looked at Hongli's stubborn little face, squatted down, looked into his eyes and said, "Mother knows you don't want Mother to be inferior, right?"
When Hongli realized that Lanqin had seen through his thoughts, he blushed and nodded.
"Hongli, you mustn't do that again, letting people easily see your sharp edge, understand?" Lanqin pulled Hongli close with heartache, hugged him tightly, and patted his back gently.
Hongli was probably too young to understand why he should hide his talents, and asked in confusion, "Mother, does that mean Hongli is going to hide himself behind others?"
Lanqin was momentarily speechless, unsure how to explain the current complex situation to her son. She naturally didn't want Hongli to become a thorn in the side of the Nian, Ulanara, and Fucha clans, but she was also somewhat at a loss as to how to explain these relationships to her son. After all, Hongli was still too young; should she let him know these rules of the adult world too early?
"No, did the teacher teach Hongli the story of Kong Rong sharing pears? One should be humble and not too ostentatious," Lanqin said. She could only use these ancient teachings that had been passed down for thousands of years to instruct her son.
Upon returning home, Lanqin immediately rolled up Hongli's sleeve to examine his arm. Sure enough, it was slightly red and sore to the touch. Lanqin ordered a maid to fetch bathwater, personally bathed Hongli, and then had someone bring ointment to apply to it before feeling at ease. Next, Lanqin hesitated about whether to attend the family banquet that evening. The Fourth Prince had already said it wasn't necessary to force herself to go.
"Hongli, you are not allowed to do anything reckless at the family banquet tonight. You must sit by your mother's side at all times and you are not allowed to eat anything without my permission." Lanqin thought about it and decided to go, but she had to be prepared beforehand.
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