Chapter Ninety-One Winning the First Round
The entire hunting grounds fell into a deathly silence in an instant.
"good!"
In the ensuing silence, Crown Prince Xiao Yongjing broke the silence by clapping his hands.
As the prince's applause rang out, others around him, whether genuine or echoing, joined in with their own applause, creating a deafening roar in the arena, followed by excited chatter from the onlookers.
"What a fine 'rapid succession of arrows, each arrow chasing the tail'! Such archery skills are impossible without ten years of hard work and the trials of life and death on the battlefield! Few men among us possess such precision and power. Who was it that was gossiping earlier, saying that Miss Song was all talk and no action? How laughable!"
"No wonder she achieved such great military exploits on the frontier; her reputation is well-deserved. With her strength, she truly deserves the title of a heroine among women!"
"This eldest daughter of the Song family is remarkable. Her demeanor and abilities are beyond what ordinary young ladies can match. However... the way the He family maid was so eager to touch Miss Song's bow just now seems rather strange."
"Yes, that's not how you show your affection. Reaching out your hand so quickly is like... you're afraid someone else will touch you first."
"Shh... watch your words! But if that's really the case, then that's incredibly malicious! To tamper with things in front of the Emperor, is it to kill someone or just to embarrass them?"
The emperor, who was sitting high on the throne, had a slightly shifting gaze, which was originally dignified and calm, as the crown prince clapped.
His gaze lingered for a moment on the Crown Prince's unusual reaction; this was the first time he had ever seen the Crown Prince react to any woman.
He scanned the two of them, finally settling on Song Yiqiu's beautiful yet resolute profile.
Sunlight bathed her, outlining her tall and graceful figure and the elegant silhouette as she drew her bow, before she turned back and smiled radiantly in the sunlight.
The emperor's gaze flickered for a moment, as if through that smile he saw another dashing figure from many years ago, capable of taking the head of an enemy general amidst a vast army...
He whispered to himself:
"How could this be? It's so similar... It's not just her appearance, but also her demeanor and archery skills... They're just like her back then."
...
The first round is over, and the winner has been decided.
The referee, in a loud and clear voice, exclaimed in amazement:
"The women's team has already secured first place in the first round of archery."
"Song Yiqiu, Miss Song! Three arrows aimed at the tail, one piercing through, the power and precision were unparalleled on the spot, truly deserving of the title!"
The crowd erupted in applause, and several military officers slapped their thighs and stood up excitedly to cheer.
"Excellent! What a masterful 'Three Arrows Chasing the Tail'! In my many years in the military, I've seen only a handful of people reach this level. Song family girl, you truly live up to your family's reputation as a descendant of a military family!"
"He is not only from a military family, but has surpassed his father in skill. His archery technique has reached a state of perfection. Apart from the old Marquis of Yongjia, I have never seen anyone who can display such skill. I am truly impressed!"
"See that? That's real skill. A woman stands on her own two feet not by empty schemes, but by this kind of unyielding strength!"
Even before the competition began, several sarcastic ladies couldn't hide their admiration:
"Although she looks a bit cold, her skills are truly amazing..."
"No wonder he could stay on the frontier for seven years; I definitely couldn't do that."
Ruan Jiawen forced a stiff smile and said to Song Sangyu in a dry voice:
“Sister Sangyu, it seems… it seems that I’m really lucky.”
He Jianren snorted coldly:
"Hmph, it's just some crude tricks used to fight for one's life on the battlefield, and it's not worth praising like this... She probably hasn't learned a single thing about the etiquette of the capital."
Several noble ladies echoed:
"Making such a big splash, as if she's afraid people won't know she came back from that kind of place? She's definitely lacking in the gentle and quiet nature of a young lady."
"She only benefited from going to the frontier in her early years. If we had such an opportunity, we might not be inferior to her."
"Exactly, let's see how long she can be so smug."
Song Sangyu gritted her teeth in anger, stood still, but her smile remained perfect as she clapped her hands lightly a few times.
She spoke gently to the few people who had gathered around her:
"Sister really... gave us such a big surprise."
Her cold gaze swept over the cheering crowd.
"However, the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind. This kind of lack of concealment and blatant display of talent may... bring more trouble than good. Let's wait and see."
Fu Langxing looked at Song Yiqiu, who had become the center of attention, and felt a mix of emotions. His fiancée, whom he had once looked down upon, was now standing at a height that he had to look up to.
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Ruan Tianxin, as always, skipped and hopped towards Song Yiqiu:
"Sister Yiqiu! Your three arrows in a line were so cool! I've only ever seen that in stories before. I never thought I'd see it in person today. It's truly an eye-opener!"
As she spoke, she pursed her lips again.
"That Sister He, she seems really strange. How could she have an older brother who is skilled in archery? I've never even heard of him! Now she's trying to show off, thank goodness you didn't let her succeed, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble she would have caused."
Looking at her clever expression, Song Yiqiu smiled and gently tapped her forehead with her finger, understanding dawning on her:
This Ruan Tianxin is no innocent little rabbit; she's clearly as sharp as a mirror.
Bai Mei, standing to the side, immediately chimed in, her voice clear and bright, without any hesitation:
"Exactly! That Miss He is ridiculous. So many noble ladies are demonstrating riding and archery, and she just had to rush over to check our young lady's bow? Couldn't she at least pretend to touch someone else's bow? Does she really think everyone here is blind and can't see that she has ulterior motives?"
Qingzhu frowned and nodded, her voice soft but tinged with worry:
"Bai Mei is right. This must be the Second Miss's doing again. It seems they made thorough plans today, one thing leading to another. I suspect... there are even more dangerous tricks up their sleeves."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Tianxin cast an admiring glance at the quick-witted Bai Mei, then a hint of melancholy crossed her face as she gently tugged at Song Yiqiu's sleeve:
"Sister Yiqiu, you trust and are close to Sister Baimei and Sister Qingzhu just like you would to your own sisters... Tianxin also wishes she could have sisters like that."
Bai Mei was a kind-hearted person. Upon hearing this, she immediately pulled Ruan Tianxin into her arms and said generously:
"That's easy! Since you call our young lady 'sister,' then you're naturally my sister too. Qingzhu and I are like sisters, so by the way, you and Qingzhu are sisters as well!"
After she finished speaking, she noticed that Ruan Tianxin's eyes were slightly red and seemed to be filled with tears, realizing that she might have touched on the other person's sad memories.
Ruan Tianxin whispered, "I should have had an unborn younger sister too, but my mother..."
Seeing that things weren't going well, Bai Mei quickly rolled her eyes and deliberately tried to crack a joke. She held out her palm and, with a straight face, said in a joking manner:
"Alright, the sisterly reunion process is over. Where's my gold coin? You should at least give me a gift, right?"
Pfft!
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