Chu Hongluan and Liu Jinghong were just joking around, trying to scare him.
After all, if they really intended to stand idly by, they wouldn't have chased after the shadowy figure in the first place.
"How is Prince Liu's martial arts?"
Liu Jinghong opened her jade-bone fan, her eyes filled with arrogance: "Our Southern Kingdom was conquered on horseback. My father, the Marquis of Zhenbei, was a founding hero. As the son of the Marquis of Zhenbei, I will certainly not disgrace my father's name."
"But haven't you already humiliated me? You good-for-nothing brat."
Kottinger offered a weak reminder.
Liu Jinghong's eyebrows twitched violently, and she immediately lost her composure!
"Do you even know what it means to be the tallest tree in the forest and the first to be felled by the wind?! Do you think you were able to be appointed as the General Who Guards the Nation at such a young age?! It's because that dog emperor is afraid of my father and fears that he will become too powerful! If I were to show any more brilliance, it would be tantamount to pushing the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion to its doom! General Ke, if you don't understand anything, then don't speak recklessly!"
After being harshly scolded, Kotinghe immediately slumped down, looking like a wilted eggplant.
"Why are you being so fierce? I was just saying it offhand..."
Chu Hongluan sighed silently in her heart.
What a fine young man!
Carrying so much on your shoulders must have been very tiring.
If Liu Jinghong knew what she was thinking at that moment, she would definitely hesitate to speak.
Because... he didn't actually have a hard time.
They even enjoy it.
The emperor was overjoyed to see that the new seedlings sprouting in the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence were rotten to the core.
He found Liu Jinghong pleasing to the eye no matter how he looked at her, and she mastered the art of flattery to the extreme.
Liu Jinghong was short of money, so he rewarded him with ten thousand taels of gold.
Since Liu Jinghong's arrogance was unjustified, he would grant him the title of Prince.
The more absurd Liu Jinghong's behavior, the more pleased he became.
Liu Jinghong got into trouble, and he took the blame.
What is this called? This is called "the Emperor's boundless grace".
To demonstrate that he was a wise ruler who treated meritorious officials well.
As a result, in the entire capital city of Kyoto, Liu Jinghong acted with complete impunity. She would confront anyone she encountered and show no respect to anyone.
Isn't this awesome? It's absolutely awesome!
Getting back to the main point, Chu Hongluan suppressed her emotions and turned to Ke Tinghe.
"General Ke."
She looked at him with a smile.
"I do have a solution, though it's not a perfect one, but it depends on whether you can cooperate."
A bad feeling inexplicably arose in Ke Tinghe's heart.
"How...how do we cooperate?"
"Since the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light—no, it is the enemy who is in the dark while you are in the light—I would like to trouble General Ke to act more flamboyantly these next few days and lure out all those little devils lurking in the shadows. We will kill as many as we can, and Prince Liu will fight alongside you."
With just a few casual words, she made clear the arrangements for the two men.
"And what about you?" Kotinghe asked.
"Me? I am a strategist who oversees the overall situation and offers advice and strategies, but I do not participate in the battle."
Chu Hongluan looked outside.
The night was as dark as ink.
She murmured softly.
"Kyoto is about to change..."
The three then plotted in detail for a while before going their separate ways.
The next day, Ke Tinghe walked out of the door with a triumphant air, intending to follow the plan he had made the night before and first have a chance encounter with Chu Hongluan on the street, staging a play called "Love at First Sight, Considering Each Other as Best Friends".
After that, they can meet openly and legitimately.
But for some reason, he always felt that all the aunties, grandmas, uncles, grandfathers, fathers-in-law, and grandmothers in the streets and alleys were watching him.
But if he makes eye contact with anyone, that person will immediately turn their head away.
He wiped his face; there was nothing on it.
I glanced down at my clothes and realized I hadn't put them on backwards.
Why is that?
Could it be... that I look exceptionally handsome today?
The more Kotinghe thought about it, the more convinced he became that this was indeed the case.
They walked with a more swagger and high spirits.
Soon, they arrived at the East Market.
From afar, you could see a large crowd gathered in front.
Taking advantage of his large size, Ke Tinghe quickly squeezed to the front, only to find that there was a small archery stall in the middle. Apart from the fact that there were no arrows on the target, there were scattered arrows all around, piled up into a small mountain, which he estimated to be several hundred by the naked eye.
The stall owner's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile, a large pile of copper coins scooped up in the hem of his robe, as he squatted down beside the stall, counting them with a smug look on his face. One string of coins, two strings, three strings...
Kotinghe clicked his tongue in amazement. Who was this guy with such terrible archery skills, yet so persistent? Was he doing charity work?
I turned my head and looked.
Oh, it's Prince Liu.
That's alright then.
Chu Hongluan leaned casually against the tree, her voice languid.
"Young Prince, give it your all! You promised to help me take that knife, you can't go back on your word."
One copper coin can be used to shoot one arrow.
The small items on the table next to it, such as jade pendants, hairpins, and inkstones, were all prizes.
If nine out of ten arrows hit the bullseye, you can choose any one of them.
But there was also a knife hanging on the shelf next to the table; this was the highest level award.
Only by hitting the target every time can you exchange it.
The knife didn't even have a scabbard; it was simply wrapped roughly in strips of white cloth. The hilt was pitch black, seemingly plain and unadorned at first glance, yet it gave off a very dangerous feeling.
"Tsk tsk tsk, I knew there was no man in the world who wouldn't be interested in women. It turns out those women weren't beautiful enough."
"That's hard to say. Maybe they're just two good-for-nothings who appreciate each other's talents? Haha! Birds of a feather flock together, they'd be a good match. It would be best if they got together, so that Chu Hongluan wouldn't go and cause trouble for Prince Mo again."
The onlookers whispered among themselves, saying all sorts of things.
Actually, after the Little Princess's Hundred Flowers Banquet, there were rumors that Prince Liu was treating Miss Chu differently.
But nobody believed it.
The rumor was only confirmed when the two were seen walking side by side today.
Liu Jinghong shot arrows haphazardly, one after another. If one ignored the target, his earnest expression and the dashing figure as he drew his bow were quite a sight to behold.
Koting was standing nearby when an arrow fell from the sky, nearly pinning his boot to the ground.
Ke Tinghe understood immediately; this was Liu Jinghong creating an opportunity for him to appear on stage.
Remembering Chu Hongluan's advice to be more flamboyant lately, Ke Tinghe stiffened his neck, stepped forward, and started picking a fight at the top of his lungs: "Do you even know how to shoot an arrow?! Do I look like a target?!"
The onlookers gasped in astonishment!
"Hiss—who is this? Daring to speak to Prince Liu like that, brave warrior! Brave warrior!"
"You don't even recognize General Ke?!"
"It's over, the gods are fighting."
As expected, Liu Jinghong paused in her bow-drawing motion, giving him a cool glance: "If you can do it, then do it! If you can't, then stop making a fuss and causing a disturbance."
"What a coincidence! I'm really good at this!"
Ke Tinghe rushed to Liu Jinghong's side, snatched the bow and arrows, drew it fully, and fired three arrows at the same time! All three hit the bullseye!
Wuhu!
The audience gasped in surprise.
Three arrows, and then three arrows! Three arrows, and then three arrows!
Every arrow hits the bullseye!
The archery stall owner, with a sullen face, cursed Ke Tinghe a thousand times in his heart.
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