Chapter 21 The bowstring is broken
"Five arrows hit the bull's eye, the other two were a little off, and the last arrow didn't even make it out..." Zhu Yuhuan looked at the bow and arrow in his hand, then at the result on the target, and couldn't help but mutter, "Why am I getting worse the more I practice..."
Her small bow and arrow, coupled with the small target, should have improved her performance.
Seeing her brooding, Zhu Zhanzhen reached out and grabbed Zhu Yuhuan's wrist, saying soothingly, "Alright, you've been practicing all afternoon. You're still young, and you don't have endless energy, so of course the more you practice, the worse you'll get. Why don't you sit down and have a cup of tea, or you won't be able to hold a teacup when you go back later."
Zhu Yuhuan curled his lips, then put down the bow in his hand, handed it to the eunuch next to him, and sat down with Zhu Zhan'an to rest.
Zhu Yuhuan held the tea bowl in one hand, trying hard to keep his hand from shaking. He said quietly, "Isn't today the Peony Tea Party? Why did you follow me to the training ground? You told my father before that you wanted to see the peonies. Now that my mother is holding the Peony Tea Party, why aren't you going?"
Zhu Zhan'an's eyes widened. "You're the one who insisted I change the subject, aren't you? How could you turn so cold and disown me?"
Zhu Yuhuan looked innocent. "I just glanced at you. I didn't say anything. It was you, little uncle, who ran to my dad and said those words."
Zhu Zhanzhen was choked by her and started coughing violently. After a while, he pointed to his throat and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm sick and can only rest. I can't go to the Peony Tea Party hosted by my sister-in-law."
Zhu Yuhuan held the tea bowl with both hands, and the trembling in her arms finally eased a lot, preventing her from spilling all the tea inside. She took a sip and said, "I think you, little uncle, are just trying to be lazy and are deliberately pretending to be sick."
Zhu Zhanzhen curled his lips and said, "You're the same. Anyway, neither of us likes those kinds of polite conversations. We might as well just relax here. Besides, my health isn't very good to begin with, so even if I lied, what's the big deal? Everyone will understand."
After the two of them finished talking, they both looked up at the distant sky. Although there were red walls and green tiles blocking the view, it was a time of clear skies and fresh air in March. Even if they didn't go to the Peony Tea Party, sitting for a while in such sunshine would make people feel relaxed and comfortable.
After Zhu Yuhuan quickly quenched her thirst, she could no longer sit still. She immediately stood up again and said, "I'll practice for a while longer. If I can hit all the red hearts, I'll have completed my training for the day."
Seeing her persistence, Zhu Zhanzhen could only shake his head and said, "Afterwards, have someone close to you go to my mother and get some Yuxue Cream to rub on your face. Otherwise, the wind and sun will turn you into a little black girl sooner or later... When my eldest brother arranges a marriage for you in the future, I'm afraid you won't even be able to find a suitable husband."
Zhu Yuhuan was originally drawing his bow and drawing an arrow, but when he heard Zhu Zhan'an's words, he turned his head to look at him, but he had no intention of putting down the bow and arrow in his hand, and even curled the corners of his mouth.
This was the last thing she wanted to hear. Her mind was solely focused on the future of Hu Shanxiang and Zhu Youtong. She was truly worried about the fact that once they got married, they would have to leave the palace, leaving her mother and sister behind. Furthermore, after seeing Zhu Zhanji like that, Zhu Yuhuan had even less interest in men of this era. The thought of it made her feel sick.
Zhu Zhanzhen was startled by her fake smile. Seeing that she was still pulling the bow, he quickly said, "Huanhuan, please don't do anything rash! Although my uncle is in poor health, he is not going to die young!"
Zhu Yuhuan then chuckled, raised his eyebrows slightly, and asked, "So my uncle is afraid of me, huh?"
Zhu Zhanzhen breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she wasn't really angry. He patted his chest and said, "You acted like a demon just now, aiming your bow and arrow at me. Did you want to scare me to death?"
Zhu Yuhuan retorted as usual: "What bad intentions could I have? Besides, uncle, didn't you say I was a little black girl? You are a man of seven feet tall, are you afraid of a little girl like me?"
As soon as she finished speaking, before Zhu Zhan'an could respond, the bowstring that Zhu Yuhuan had been holding made a "bang" sound, and the slender bowstring rebounded, cutting Zhu Yuhuan's hand. Blood immediately gushed out, and the arrow that was originally on the bowstring was also stuck on the ground. The eunuch beside Zhu Yuhuan was so scared that he hurriedly knelt on the ground, wanting to take out a handkerchief from his bosom to bandage Zhu Yuhuan, but seeing that the wound was so deep that the flesh was visible, he froze there for a moment, not knowing whether he should put the handkerchief on Zhu Yuhuan's hand.
Zhu Zhanzhen was also startled and quickly said to the palace attendant beside him, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and call the imperial physician to check your master's wound. If anything happens to Huanhuan, the emperor, the crown prince, and the crown prince will all hold you accountable!"
He had also heard his mother, Concubine Guo, talk about the swordplay in the palace, and immediately suspected that someone was deliberately plotting murder, so he questioned her harshly.
The palace maids were also startled and responded in a panic, rushing to the Imperial Hospital to ask for help.
Zhu Yuhuan looked calm, but the veins on her forehead were bulging, proving she was in great pain. She gritted her teeth and said, "It's just a minor injury from practicing martial arts. You'll always get hurt when you practice every day. There's no need to make a fuss."
Seeing that she was still trying to act tough, Zhu Zhanzhen reached out and poked her forehead, saying, "You're still trying to act tough even after all this? Look at the way you're gritting your teeth, pretending to be fine. You're exactly like my sister-in-law."
Zhu Yuhuan was stunned and didn't say anything.
Zhu Zhanzhen waited a long time for the imperial physician to arrive, and was about to attack everyone around him when the soldiers guarding nearby noticed something was wrong and quickly ran over. He picked up the bow that had fallen to the ground and examined it carefully. Then he said, "Grandson, this bow must have been used for too long, and the young lady is very strong, so it broke suddenly. In addition, this bow was not a good one to begin with, so it is inevitable that the bowstring will break. Even soldiers like me who have been trained in the army for many years are bound to get injured during practice."
After he finished speaking, he glanced at Zhu Zhanzhen and Zhu Yuhuan's expressions. Seeing that neither of them said anything, he continued, "I have some hemostatic medicine that I carry with me. If you don't mind, I'll apply it to you."
Zhu Yuhuan's hands were slightly cold from the bleeding, so he nodded and said, "First, apply some medicine and bandage it briefly, then the imperial physician will check the injury."
"yes."
The powder sprinkled onto Zhu Yuhuan's hand bit by bit as the soldier moved. She clenched her other hand tightly and looked at the soldier in front of her, who was about the same age as her father. She asked, "You speak very logically. Have you been educated? Which guard are you from?"
Who told her that she was in so much pain? In order not to lose her composure in front of everyone, she could only distract herself by asking questions. Fortunately, although the soldier was a rough man, his method of applying the medicine was gentle, and Zhu Yuhuan could barely endure it.
The other party answered fluently, "I am a soldier in the Palace Front Guard. I heard that the commander often asks his men to read more, but the army is constantly training and rotating, which is not as leisurely as the Jinyiwei. Therefore, I have only read a few books, which can't be considered as reading."
Saihazhi himself was very elegant and admired literature. He had some achievements and could be said to be both civil and military. No wonder he required his subordinates to read and be sensible. This was very rare in the ancient army where illiteracy was common.
Zhu Zhanzhen snorted coldly upon hearing this, then said, "Where is Commander Saihazhi? Isn't he the one who usually instructs Huanhuan? Why is he nowhere to be seen now?"
Zhu Zhanji was busy, and Saihazhi, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was not idle either - Zhu Di was chasing Aluta and also needed the cooperation of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Military intelligence came in day by day, and Saihazhi often gave Zhu Yuhuan some instructions and then hurried away. Naturally, he had no time to notice that Zhu Yuhuan's bow and arrow was worn out, and he would never have thought that Zhu Yuhuan would accidentally hurt himself during today's practice.
The soldier looked embarrassed and said, "Military affairs are urgent. The Crown Prince often summons the commander. I'm afraid he was too busy today and couldn't come. After all, the overall situation is more important..." He explained, then immediately said, "It is all because of our failure to fulfill our duties that the young lady injured herself. Please forgive me, my grandson and the young lady."
Before Zhu Zhanzhen could say anything, Zhu Yuhuan had already shaken his head and said, "It's okay. Since the bleeding has stopped now, it was just an accident today. There's no need to pursue it further."
After the soldier applied the powder, the eunuch hurriedly wrapped Zhu Yuhuan's hand with a handkerchief to prevent the wound from getting worse due to the wind and sand in the training ground.
Zhu Zhanzhen saw that Zhu Yuhuan was obviously not going to pursue the matter any further, but he still couldn't help but complain, "What kind of things did the Arsenal send? I wonder how we'll deal with them when Grandpa Emperor returns."
Zhu Yuhuan thought about the completely different scene after Zhu Di returned, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He said, "Alright, little uncle, you just said I was scary, but now you're the scarier one. If the armory knew what happened today, I'm afraid they'd have to write a memorial of apology to Grandpa Zeng."
Zhu Zhanzhen snorted coldly. "That's how it should be."
Zhu Yuhuan glanced at the soldier and asked with a smile, "What's your name?"
Unexpectedly, Zhu Yuhuan would speak. The other party was stunned for a moment, then replied, "My surname is Shi, and my name is Lin. I was originally a centurion in Dezhou Guard. Later, because the emperor went north to assemble border troops, there was a vacancy in the capital, so I moved to the capital to fill my father's vacant position in the Twenty-Second Guard."
Seeing that he looked a little panicked, Zhu Yuhuan half-jokingly said, "I saw that you were very skilled in applying the medicine just now. It seems that you are often injured in your daily life."
Shi Lin quickly explained, "My son is about the same age as you, young lady. However, he is not as hardworking and diligent as you, nor does he have your talent. He is often injured, so I am used to giving him medicine."
Zhu Yuhuan nodded in understanding and said, "I see." She smiled and said, "Thank you very much for today. Commander Saihazhi would be very pleased if he knew that someone would remember and put his casual words into practice."
Zhu Zhanzhen shook his head when he saw this, took Zhu Yuhuan's other hand and said, "Alright, don't worry about this big-headed soldier, come back with me quickly, I still have to apologize to my sister-in-law."
"Okay, okay... You're talking as if my mother is some evil spirit..."
"I'm asking my sister-in-law to protect me. If the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess knew that I didn't take good care of you, my dearest child, they would definitely punish me again."
Shi Lin was stunned. It was not until the two left that he understood the implication of Zhu Yuhuan's words.
It was probably to recommend him to Saihazhi to join the Jinyiwei.
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