The sharp arrow whizzed through the air and hit the bullseye precisely. The arrow feathers trembled slightly, creating a few blurry shadows.
Li Xinyue let out a sigh of relief. The disappointment and sorrow that had been weighing on her heart vanished instantly, and a bright and charming smile reappeared on her face.
Chu Junyi also smiled faintly. He silently drew out a second arrow and placed it in her palm.
Li Xinyue turned to look at him.
He signaled with his eyes for her to continue.
The smile on Li Xinyue's face deepened. The fighting spirit in her chest seemed to be ignited. She immediately drew the bow, nocked the arrow, and shot. Once again, it hit the bullseye.
Then came the second, the third...
Chu Junyi patiently handed her one arrow after another, and his eyes were always filled with doting as he watched her. Everyone and everything else seemed to cease to exist.
The noble families chatting over there saw this scene and stopped their conversation one by one. They looked at the couple enviously, silently "drank" this bowl of dog food, and then looked at Li Xinrong and the young marquis in the distance who were at odds with each other on the surface but in fact were on bad terms, and silently made a comparison.
"I also want to play. But I'm not very good at it. Princess, do you mind if my brother helps me?" Mu Rongjia was eager to have a try after seeing this. She drew out an arrow and handed it to Mu Rongxiu beside her.
Mu Rongxiu came back to his senses, held her hand, helped her draw the bow and nock the arrow, and then quickly released it.
It also hit the red heart precisely. The arrow feathers trembled slightly.
Li Xinyue was even more excited. This kind of game was naturally more fun with more people.
Moreover, she came up with an even more interesting way to play.
"See the ring on my hand? When I throw this ring, whoever shoots an arrow through it first and hits the bullseye will be the new owner of the ring!"
"Okay, then I have to work hard!" Mu Rongjia's fighting spirit was also ignited. Although she wasn't very good at it, this kind of competitive competition was really exhilarating.
When playing, one should play to one's heart's content!
She looked up at Mu Rongxiu behind her and gave him a look that said "I trust you".
Mu Rongxiu had been suppressing his emotions for too long these days and needed to vent them out. So he agreed.
Yuan Xirou saw that they were having so much fun and also wanted to play. But since they all had partners and she didn't want to be left out, she called her younger brother to assist her.
Li Xinyue was extremely excited, and her heart was beating fast.
She took off the ring and tossed it into the air. Immediately, the two groups aimed their arrows at it.
Li Xinyue also quickly drew the bow and nocked the arrow.
Zheng—
The ring rubbed against the air, making a slight sound.
Chu Junyi stared at the arrow in the center in the distance, covered Li Xinyue's hand, and tightened it slightly.
Li Xinyue's heart skipped a beat. Looking at their clasped hands, she suddenly remembered what they had done on such occasions. Her ears turned red, and her mind wandered.
"Don't use force. I'll guide you."
Chu Junyi leaned over and whispered in her ear. Then, when the ring and the arrow feathers on the opposite side were in a straight line, he released the arrow neatly.
At the same time, the other two groups also released their arrows. One of the arrows hit the ring, and the ring was knocked flying.
Chu Junyi called a nearby palace attendant to retrieve it.
During this time, all three arrows landed on the red heart. One of them split another arrow and then hit the red heart precisely.
The other one deviated slightly because it hit the ring and landed on the edge of the red heart, almost falling out of it.
The former one was the arrow shot by Li Xinyue and Chu Junyi.
Li Xinyue's eyes followed Chu Junyi, and the admiration for him in her eyes was hard to hide.
Chu Junyi also followed her gaze, smiled faintly, and then reached out to ruffle her hair.
The other two groups silently turned around and "drank" another bowl of dog food.
Li Xinrong, who was having a cold war with her husband in the distance, never expected that when she turned around, she would see such a wonderful scene. After witnessing Chu Junyi's extraordinary skills with her own eyes, she was really shocked. A whole string of indescribable words flashed through her mind.
But thinking about Chu Junyi's background and the intention of the emperor to promote him, she felt a little more balanced.
Just thinking about the useless man she had married made her extremely angry.
She hadn't said anything, so where did he get the nerve to complain to the queen mother!
Could he be any more embarrassing!
After leaving the palace, Li Xinyue was beaming with pride. All her previous unhappiness and disappointment were left behind.
Instead, she thought this banquet would be unforgettable for a lifetime.
The four people still on the training ground watched the two people walking farther and farther away, all feeling at a loss.
"Has the banquet not ended yet?" Yuan Xirou asked uncertainly.
Mu Rongjia nodded stupidly. "It should not have ended yet."
"Then what about them?" The two looked at each other and then silently looked up at the sky.
"Then what about us?" Should they still play?
"How about going to drink?"
"Okay."
So Mu Rongjia took her brother, and Yuan Xirou took her younger brother. The four of them went to drink.
...
When the banquet was completely over, Emperor Mingde just heard about the unpleasantness Li Xinyue had encountered in the central palace. He was so angry that he came to question the queen as soon as the banquet ended.
"Normally, I can turn a blind eye to how you treat others unfairly. But today is the first time Yuanyang has brought her husband into the palace for a banquet. How could you, as the queen mother, be so disrespectful of propriety!"
Thinking about the young couple strolling outside until the banquet started, his heart ached.
So he hated the queen even more!
The queen wondered who had told the emperor, but she quickly replied, "It was Yuanyang who felt she couldn't stay in the central palace and wanted to leave on her own. I tried to persuade her to stay, but Your Majesty knows her temper. It's impossible to force her to stay, isn't it?"
Emperor Mingde was stunned by her question. Thinking about it, it seemed to make sense. But thinking about Li Xinyue and her husband being neglected made him feel very uncomfortable. "Queen, do you know why I have been staying in the central palace every day these days?
It's because I remember that you have worked hard for decades. Even if you don't have any great achievements, you have at least endured hardships. I give you dignity, but on the premise that you should treat my children well. Yuanyang is a girl. She is not a prince and cannot compete for the crown prince's position. Can't you be more tolerant?"
Tolerant? What did this mean? Was he saying that she was narrow-minded?
If she were really narrow-minded, how could she have tolerated other women giving birth to one child after another!
Wasn't this tolerance enough?
Should she even give up the position of the queen to be considered tolerant enough?
"If Your Majesty thinks that I'm unqualified to be the queen, then you can depose me!"
"You! You're threatening me!"
"I..." The queen wanted to say no, but she was too proud to admit it in her anger, so she simply kept silent.
Emperor Mingde thought she had admitted it by default. He was so angry that he didn't know what to say and simply turned around and left.
The queen watched her husband leave without looking back. Thinking about the hardships and grievances she had suffered over the years and her daughter's unfortunate marriage, two fires flared up in her heart. She was so angry that she smashed the vases and jars in front of her.
Nanny Zhou watched from the side, sweating anxiously.
The queen was usually such a composed person. Why was she as impatient as Princess Fourteen and the young marquis today? This was a big taboo.
The queen finally realized her impropriety just now. But the emperor had already left, and she was too proud to chase after him.
Moreover, the marriage of Rong'er and the young marquis really made her angry!
She heard that this marriage was obtained by Li Xinyue by every possible means with the grace in Mu Rongjia's hand. Well!
As a result, it fell to her Rong'er.
What was wrong with her Rong'er? Why should she bear the risk for Li Xinyue?
Didn't Li Xinyue try every possible means to marry the young marquis? Why didn't she persevere!
Could it be that the matter of the marriage exchange was Li Xinyue's doing? Her purpose was to frame her Rong'er.
Otherwise, if it was really just an accident, the ones who should have exchanged marriages should have been Mu Rongxiu and Chu Junyi. What did Xia Chengjie have to do with it!