Chapter 33 A disgrace? The Emperor's backing
The Empress Dowager hadn't expected that once she started, she would almost lose control. After Consort Wei finished her seductive sword dance, she even outshone her own niece.
She said, "That's all for today's performance."
Li Yuzong glanced at Emperor Wusu's expression; it was his duty to discern the emperor's intentions.
He said with a forced smile, "Your Majesty, you still have a niece who hasn't performed yet."
Ji Qingwu drank a cup of fruit wine, then picked up a piece of hibiscus cake, held it to his lips, and was about to take a bite when he heard Qiao cough lightly.
All eyes in the hall were on her, and she could only reluctantly put down the pastries and lick her lips.
The Empress Dowager felt annoyed whenever she saw her like this.
While other young ladies eagerly stepped forward to perform, she sat there with a cup of wine in one hand and a piece of cheese in the other, completely at ease, as if she were attending a banquet in the palace.
"It's getting late, and I'm tired."
Prince Yong, who was seated at the royal family's table, frequently looked in Ji Qingwu's direction after taking his seat. He clapped his hands and laughed, "Mother, let my fifth cousin also make her appearance. It won't take up much time."
Ji Qingyuan knew that Qiao had hired a tutor for Ji Qingwu to learn the Six Arts. At first, she sent someone to keep an eye on it, but later she received news that this fifth sister was a good-for-nothing who couldn't dance or understand music.
She had just lost the dance to Consort Wei by a small margin, so she wanted to find someone to make her look better.
Ji Qingyuan also smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Fifth Sister has been practicing diligently at home recently, please give her a chance."
Ji Qingwu glanced at her fourth sister. If she were to go on stage and embarrass the Ji family, Ji Qingyuan would have something to show for herself.
Since both Prince Yong and Qingyuan had offered such advice, the Empress Dowager couldn't refuse them. "Very well, let me see how much progress Qingwu has made."
Ji Qingwu had no choice but to get up and walk to the front of the hall.
After bowing, she looked directly at the Empress Dowager without flinching.
"Your Majesty, I am not good at dancing or music, nor can I compose poems. I have been studying hard at home for some time now, but my talent is only so-so and I can't understand it very well."
This incomprehensible sentence immediately drew astonishment from everyone present.
Qiao looked at Ji Qingwu's retreating figure with a helpless expression. This child was truly sincere.
Although that is the truth, to casually admit to having average talent and being unable to learn in front of so many nobles and gentry is truly...
Mr. Qiao let out a long sigh.
Seeing the Empress Dowager's unpleasant expression, Ji Qingyuan smiled smugly.
Emperor Wusu picked up his wine cup and drank a cup. His wide robe sleeves concealed his expression, but from Li Yuzong's perspective, it was clear that the emperor's tightly pursed lips, which had been taut since he entered the room, finally showed a slight smile.
Prince Yong burst into laughter: "Fifth cousin, are you really not proficient in the Six Arts? It's your fault for making you look bad."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Coincidentally, Ji Qingwu could see Qiao Menghan just by turning her head slightly from where she was standing. Her maternal grandfather was frowning as he looked at her. She shifted her gaze slightly and saw Li Chengxun sitting next to her maternal grandfather.
Unlike the others in the room who looked at him with mockery, he seemed to be suppressing a smile. Ji Qingwu looked at him closely and saw that he had a pair of auspicious phoenix eyes full of affection.
Ji Qingwu understood at that moment.
Why are Wei Jie and Pan An able to achieve lasting fame solely based on their appearance? Beauty is a weapon that can bewitch people, regardless of gender, and can make them lose their minds.
The eyes seem to have their own will; if you're not careful, they'll veer off course.
In the hall, Emperor Wusu, who had seen everything, slammed his wine cup down. Li Yuzong's heart, which had just settled, jumped again. Couldn't this Miss Ji keep her eyes on him?
Ji Qingwu only glanced at it once, twice, three or four times before turning his head away.
"I vaguely remember that Miss Ji was quite good at riding horses and archery."
As soon as Emperor Wusu spoke, the hall immediately fell silent.
Ji Qingwu stiffly looked up at the high platform, his mind buzzing.
How did Emperor Wusu learn that she was skilled in horseback archery?
When did you remember it?
After returning to Lin'an, she never rode a horse or practiced archery in front of outsiders, and only practiced at home for a day and a half.
But while in the military...
Ji Qingwu disregarded all decorum and looked directly at the emperor.
Does he already know his own identity?
The woman's eyes, like shimmering lake light, moved with a captivating grace. When her mind was troubled, her eyes would ripple with tears, evoking pity. Today, adorned in that luxurious light gauze, she appeared even more graceful and elegant.
Emperor Wusu gripped the wine cup tightly with his long fingers, lost in thought.
He opened his mouth and said, "Fetch Miss Ji a bow and arrow."
The Jiying Hall is spacious and far enough from the main gate that it can be used as a place for archery.
The young eunuch quickly fetched a bow and arrow and handed it to Ji Qingwu. A palace servant set up a target at the entrance of the main hall.
This distance is about nine zhang, which is the standard distance for men's archery competitions, but women are weaker, so they usually place their arrows closer together.
The young eunuch asked her, "Miss Ji, should we move this distance forward a bit?"
Ji Qingwu said weakly, "It's alright."
The young eunuch assumed that her archery skills were poor, and that she couldn't hit the target whether the arrow was aimed close or far. He could even use that as an excuse, since it was rare for a woman to hit the target at that distance.
Ji Qingwu gently pulled the bowstring, first testing its tension, then stepped back to stand firmly.
Today's robes had wide sleeves, and when she raised her arms, the fabric would slip out. A kind maid asked a palace servant to get her a sleeve brace, and Ji Qingwu smiled at the maid.
The arrow is already on the bowstring.
Ji Qingwu tried her best to calm herself down. She closed her right eye, drew her bow, and the arrow left the string and shot through the air.
"Did you hit it?"
"It's too far away, I can't even see the target clearly, how can she hit it?"
"Judging by her posture, if she gets hit by a target, I'll write my name backwards!"
...
The palace servants at the gate shouted loudly, "Didn't pass!"
The hall was filled with noisy conversations, mostly people laughing at her for overestimating herself.
In fact, Ji Qingwu could sense whether the arrow would hit the target the instant it left her hand. She knew it wouldn't, but why did it miss by so much when she used the same posture and force as usual?
But for some reason, after shooting the first arrow, she turned back to look for Emperor Wusu.
In the northern army camp, no one could surpass General Dingbei in archery skills.
Their eyes met, and Ji Qingwu forgot his fear, his only thought being to know why the arrow missed.
When Consort Wei saw the Emperor beside her, her face was initially stern, but when the fifth young lady of the Ji family looked back at him helplessly after shooting the arrow, the Emperor's expression softened instantly.
He even smiled and shook his head at Miss Ji. She could see clearly that he wasn't mocking her...
Instead, she was amused, her bright, starry eyes filled with laughter.
Ji Qingwu slumped his shoulders in dejection, then heard a deep male voice coming from above.
"Bring me my Xuanyuan Bow."
Consort Wei stared in surprise, her red lips parted. What was wrong with the Emperor today?
The civil officials in the court may not know, but the military generals all know that Emperor Wusu learned martial arts from childhood and was skilled in archery and spear fighting. He wielded the Xuanyuan Bow and could kill more than fifty enemy generals with a single arrow to the throat.
Consort Wei was Wei Ting's younger sister, and came from a family of military generals.
For those who are on the march and fighting, a handy weapon is even more valued than their wife who has shared hardship with them.
She had never seen the Xuanyuan Bow in anyone else's hands.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
