Chapter 120 Like Lu Zhaoyi
Outside Changle Palace, the fifth princess returned in a fiery red riding and archery outfit, full of resentment.
Today is the end-of-year Tianyu Martial Arts Competition. Flags are flying on the martial arts field. Princes, relatives, and civil and military officials are standing on both sides, watching the horseback archery exercises with bated breath.
Because Xie Jinglan was busy with official business, the Fifth Princess was playing with the whip in a listless manner in the future arena.
Her eyes wandered aimlessly among the crowd, and finally stopped on a figure in the queue that was tall and straight, but out of place with the surroundings.
Xu Song!!
He was wearing a dark blue uniform and standing at the side of the field holding a merit book. He should be the record officer on duty today.
At this moment, surrounded by bright armor and riding and archery uniforms, Xu Song inevitably appeared a little weak.
The Fifth Princess had long known that he was the Junior Secretary of the Honglu Temple, and that his articles were famous throughout the capital. She thought... he must be a scholar who couldn't even draw a bow.
When she saw him like this, the Fifth Princess's anger at her brother Jinglan's absence suddenly subsided.
She found an opportunity and deliberately asked Xu Song to shoot arrows, just to see him make a fool of himself.
Xu Song stepped out upon hearing the voice, his face expressionless as he simply bowed and said humbly, "I am a fool, and my archery skills are poor. I am afraid that I have offended the phoenix's eyes. I beg Your Highness to forgive me."
After saying this, he apologized and retreated, clearly unwilling to accept the challenge.
But he didn't expect that the fifth princess would keep pressing on and wouldn't give in.
Xu Song narrowed his eyes slightly and said no more.
The next moment, he drew the bow, put the arrow on it, and pulled the string, his movements were as smooth as flowing water.
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Three arrows were shot in succession, breaking through the air and steadily hitting the bull's eye a hundred steps away!
There was a moment of silence in the field, followed by a low exclamation.
The military officers put away their contempt, and the civil officials were even more stunned. They all looked at the fifth princess.
After the drill, everyone dispersed.
The fifth princess was filled with rage. Why would someone who clearly had archery skills pretend not to be able to do it?
On the way back, he happened to see Xu Song about to go in the direction where the little prince was learning etiquette.
Her eyes flashed, and she immediately grabbed the small gold-painted bow held by the servant beside her, drew the string and put the arrow on it, and aimed directly at the man's green clothes.
She had to get this out, even if it was just to scare him!
Unexpectedly, the fifth princess's archery skills were so poor that the arrow she shot did not go towards Xu Song, but flew towards the little prince who was playing nearby!
In a flash, Xu Song's face changed suddenly, and he rushed to the side without hesitation. At the moment when the arrow was about to brush against the little prince's hair, he grabbed the arrow shaft tightly!
He stood up holding the arrow, his face horrifyingly gloomy, and a few drops of bright red blood slid down the arrow shaft.
Xu Song walked up to the terrified Fifth Princess, his eyes sharp as a knife. "Your Highness! This is the royal palace, not a place for fun! Bows and arrows have no eyes; they are weapons of destruction. How can you play with them?! If I injure the prince today, how will Your Highness react?"
In her entire life, had the Fifth Princess ever been scolded so harshly?
She was filled with fear and grievance, and her spoiled temper instantly surged up. Without thinking, she raised her hand and slapped him in the face, "You...you dare to teach me a lesson!"
There was a crisp "pop" sound.
Xu Song received a slap in the face, but he still slowly turned his head, looking calmly into her eyes, and said word by word, "I am not teaching you a lesson, but giving you a frank admonition. Your Highness, despite your noble status, there should be a limit to your temper."
The two were very close, their eyes met, and their breathing could be heard.
The Fifth Princess's face was pale and blue, and she only then noticed that his knuckles, which were gripping the hilt of the sword, were still bleeding.
Palace maids were secretly watching from all sides, and the servants standing by knew that the princess had almost accidentally hurt the little prince just now, and they did not dare to defend their master at this moment.
The fifth princess' eyes turned red, she glared at Xu Song fiercely, then turned around and ran towards her palace.
She hated this ungrateful minister!
Every time I meet him, I feel extremely embarrassed!
As soon as he returned to the palace, his anger had not yet subsided, but he ran into the queen and the prince sitting in the hall, both of them looking unhappy.
Upon seeing her, the Queen immediately said in a cold voice, "Look at you, what a disgrace! Last time, you deliberately fell into the water, and Xu Song embraced you in public. Not only did the royal family lose face, but the Xu family actually saved their lives! But today, you were provoking him again in the martial arts arena!"
The prince was dressed in a dark black uniform with dark gold dragon patterns, which made his face look even paler. However, he had a pair of phoenix eyes with slightly raised corners, and his eyes were filled with an almost bewildering coldness.
Hearing his mother's words, the corners of his lips slowly curled up into a smile, his fingertips carelessly stroking a blood jade ring.
"With Fifth Sister's personality, even if she really married into the Marquis's mansion, I'm afraid Xie Jinglan would scheme against her until she was completely wiped out, yet she still dreams of a deep and unrepentant love. This Marquis Xie is a man of great foresight, a block of ice that can't be warmed or broken. I think he was the one who fanned the flames behind Xu Song's rescue last time!"
The fifth princess was already angry, and after being repeatedly criticized by her mother and brother, she immediately spoke without thinking.
"What cunning, what calculations? You only care about your throne and power. I just want to marry someone well. Do you want me to be a spy in the Marquis' Mansion?"
Upon hearing this, the Queen sternly shouted, "Shut up! Stop talking nonsense!"
She paused, then sighed, "Forget it... Since this is the case, let's not talk about the arranged marriage anymore. You should also give up your thoughts on Marquis Anyuan as soon as possible."
The Fifth Princess grew angrier as she listened, and said bitterly, "If it weren't for that lowly servant in his mansion who seduced her master and bewitched him, how could Brother Jinglan have refused the royal marriage?"
She suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with resentment and grievance, and her voice was a little stubborn, "Mother, brother, tell me! How am I, a princess, any worse than that lowly servant?
I look at her... She clearly looks just like the woman in the painting that my father has hidden in his study! Could it be that all men in the world love women who look like that?
Her words were originally a complaint of frustration, but the Queen's face suddenly changed color. "What did you say?! Who does he look like?!"
The Fifth Princess was startled by her mother's shock. Her voice suddenly weakened, and she timidly replied, "Your son, your son, secretly asked your mother before, and she said at the time that the woman in the painting seemed to be called... seemed to be called Lu Zhaoyi..."
"How similar are they?" the queen asked again.
The Fifth Princess shrank her neck, thought carefully, and whispered, "Extremely similar... It's like the person in the painting has come to life..."
The prince knew the past very well and said in a deep voice, "Mother, could it be just a coincidence?"
Upon hearing this, the queen fell back into the phoenix chair, and all the events of the past flashed through her mind.
Back then, she designed Zhang Zhenghe and Lu Zhaoyi to leave the palace together. Not only did she not want that bitch to be buried in the imperial mausoleum, she also wanted them to depend on each other and shackle each other.
But not long after, news came that Concubine Lu had gone mad and disappeared into the deep mountains and forests.
At that time, she was busy suppressing the newly favored concubine and consolidating her position as queen. How could she have the time to care about a speck of dust that had long been crushed into mud?
They just thought she was a corpse exposed in the wilderness, and had become a meal for jackals, tigers and leopards.
The Queen's eyes were deep, and after a long while she slowly said, "Is it a coincidence... I'm afraid I have to see it with my own eyes."
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