Cao Shu's face changed slightly.
She wasn't unaware of the matter between Cao Sheng and Ye Xi. However, she didn't actually like Cao Sheng very much, and she hadn't paid much attention to their marriage. She only knew that they had broken off the engagement, and it hadn't ended well, but she didn't know that it had caused such great harm to Ye Xi.
But in any case, Cao Sheng was her nephew, a child of the Cao family. Such actions would surely have an impact on her reputation.
Subconsciously, she glanced at Emperor Zhaohuan beside her, but couldn't detect any emotional fluctuations on his face.
Cao Shu frowned and was about to speak when she heard Yi Yuan say indifferently:
"Princess Four is overthinking. Xiao Xi wears the veil for another reason. It doesn't have much to do with Cao Sheng."
Glancing at Yi Yuan, Cao Shu softened her expression and nodded slightly at him.
"Really?"
Yi Zhen respectfully placed the plate of fresh fruits in front of Emperor Zhaohuan. She wasn't annoyed. Instead, she generously admitted:
"Alright. Actually, I just thought so because I heard people saying so outside. I'm not like Uncle Wang, who is by Miss Xi's side and knows everything clearly."
She picked the biggest and plumpest fruit from the plate, first offered it to Emperor Zhaohuan, then picked another and offered it to Yi Yuan. With a playful smile, she said:
"Father and Uncle Wang, try this. It was just picked this morning. It's very fresh. But after eating this fruit, you can't blame me for gossiping based on hearsay."
"Haha—"
Emperor Zhaohuan let out a hearty laugh. How could he really blame Yi Zhen for such a trivial matter? He just doted on her and said:
"You child. You always make people at a loss."
However, Yi Yuan didn't take the fruit for a long time.
"Uncle Wang?"
Yi Zhen called out softly and held the fruit out a bit further.
But Yi Yuan bypassed Yi Zhen, bowed to Emperor Zhaohuan, and said:
"Your Majesty, the competition is about to start. I won't disturb Your Majesty from watching the competition. I'll take my leave first."
After saying that, he bowed to the Empress and the Noble Consort beside him, bypassed Yi Zhen, and turned to leave.
The scene was a bit awkward for a moment.
"Zhen'er,"
Noble Consort Shen spoke up in time.
"Come back. The things you offered to your father, how could your uncle Wang dare to eat them? Isn't this making things difficult for him?"
"Alright,"
Emperor Zhaohuan nodded in agreement.
"What your mother said is right. Sit back. The competition is starting."
Just as he finished speaking, a long bell rang below. The young ladies who had been chatting quickly fell silent and stood in groups according to the wooden tokens they had received.
This time, Ye Xi and Qiao Yan weren't in the same group. Instead, Ye Xi was grouped with Liu Mengxian. The two of them gave each other a distant smile as a greeting, then followed the palace servants leading the way to the archery range.
This competition was about archery, with each person getting ten arrows. Ye Xi weighed the prepared bow. Its weight was similar to the one Yi Yuan usually taught her to practice with. She drew out an arrow. The arrow shaft was black, and the tail feathers were white. The sharp arrowhead reflected a dazzling white light in the sun.
She drew the bow and shot the arrow in one smooth motion. Ye Xi straightened her back, closed one eye slightly, held her breath, aimed at the bullseye, and then simply and neatly released her fingers.
The arrow whistled through the air like a shooting star and "thudded" right into the bullseye. The end of the arrow was still trembling.
The whole field fell silent. Then, someone suddenly shouted:
"Bravo!"
Then there was a chorus of praise.
No one would expect the young ladies who usually embroidered in the inner chambers to be good at archery. Being able to draw the bow fully was considered excellent. Many people came today just to watch the fun. Some with malicious intentions even wanted to see these delicate young ladies make fools of themselves.
Who would have thought that Ye Xi's simple arrow would shatter the self - esteem of many young masters who couldn't even draw the bow fully.
However, Ye Xi, the person involved, didn't know that the cheers were for her, nor did she notice the surprised looks from the young ladies beside her or their arrows that either missed the target or went astray. She was just completely immersed in the satisfaction and exhilaration brought by shooting an arrow. The sharp feeling of the arrow cutting through the still air and stirring up a gust of wind gave her a wonderful feeling of "having everything in the world under my control".
She drew out an arrow, drew the bow... Three more arrows were shot in succession, and all of them hit the red circle in the bullseye.
The young girl stood upright and straight as a pine. Her black hair fluttered in the wind, and each strand seemed to float into people's hearts. No one cared about the veil on her face or what her appearance was like. All they could see now was the figure of the woman who seemed to be glowing all over.
The cheers grew louder and louder. Emperor Zhaohuan couldn't help but praise a few words, thinking that the woman Yi Yuan had taken a fancy to was indeed different. Qiao Yan, who was waiting for her turn, couldn't help but cheer continuously. She had always thought that Ye Xi was just like those delicate young ladies in the inner chambers. Who would have thought that her archery skills were almost as good as her own. Just now, there were many young masters who looked down on Ye Xi, thinking that she was just lucky. They mumbled and refused to admit Ye Xi's strength. But now, seeing Ye Xi's sharp arrows hitting the red circle every time, they immediately shut their mouths and said no more.
On the spectator stand, Yi Yuan's eyebrows were gentle, and there was a smile on his lips. The pride on his face was undisguised.
"How... how could this be..."
Cao Sheng stared at the valiant and extraordinary figure on the field like he had seen a ghost, with an expression of disbelief on his face. This was no longer the timid, ugly, and stupid Ye Xi he used to know. Just those few arrows were much better than his.
Yun Qianying, who had come with her elder brother to cheer for her cousin Liu Mengxian, had a slightly distorted face. She looked up at Shen Zhou not far away. Seeing the gentle and serious look on his face and the affection in his eyes that she had never seen before, she tightened her grip even more. Yun Qianying dug her nails into her palm.
This Miss Xi was really... annoying.
Everyone had their own thoughts, while the competition on the field continued.
Seeing Ye Xi's outstanding performance, some of the young ladies in the same group were discouraged by the setback and simply gave up; some were inspired by Ye Xi and became even more serious.
The last arrow.
The first nine arrows had all hit the target, and they were all within two or three inches around the bullseye and the red circle. Ye Xi took a deep breath, moved her body and wrists, and drew out the last arrow.
As usual, she drew the bow and placed the arrow, aimed at the red heart, and released her fingers...
"Hiss—"
The sharp arrow whistled past, slicing through Ye Xi's fair hand that was holding the arrow. Ye Xi trembled in pain.
The arrow flew obliquely and landed silently not far from the target beside.
Yi Yuan was shocked. He quickly ordered, "Mian Xiao, go pick up the arrow," and in the next instant, he flew to Ye Xi's side.
Shen Zhou also reacted. Just as he was about to go down, he was grabbed by Sheng Yu.
"Sir, you can't. Everyone is watching, and the Prime Minister is here too."
Shen Zhou had no choice but to stop abruptly.
Yi Yuan had already reached Ye Xi's side and asked:
"What's wrong?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he saw a sharp wound on Ye Xi's hand, with blood oozing out quickly.
"What's going on? Is there something wrong with the arrow?"
Yi Yuan frowned tightly, his eyes filled with frost. He was about to order Ling Yan, who had followed him, to summon a doctor when Ye Xi had already taken out the brocade handkerchief from her bosom to wrap her hand. She pressed on his hand and said:
"It's okay. I just got scratched. There's only one more round left in the competition. Don't cause any trouble at this time. We'll talk about it after the competition."
"Prince Yu'an, Miss Xi, what's happened?"
The chief judge, Qiao Yiting, called out loudly.