CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: STUNNING

She longed for a glance from Xie Xun, but to her dismay, Xie Xun completely ignored her, drinking alone. Lin Yu Yan felt a pang of disappointment. Seeing Xie Xun rest his cup, she obediently poured him a drink, prompting Lin Cheng to jest, "My sister has never lifted a finger at home, let alone poured wine for her brother."

"Brother!" Lin Yu Yan’s face flushed with embarrassment as she glanced at Xie Xun, half shy and half wanting to speak. Yet her coquettish gaze was wasted on the blind eye. Xie Xun coldly replied, "My elder sister has never done such menial tasks either; these are left to the servants."

Lin Yu Yan’s expression changed drastically. Her eyes reddened instantly, burning with shame and anger, and she ran off in heartbreak.

"Young Marquis, you truly have no tenderness for beauty," Lin Cheng lamented, protective of his sister’s feelings. "She’s wholeheartedly devoted to you; how could you break her heart?"

"Women devoted to this Marquis are as common as fish in a stream; this Marquis simply doesn’t have the time," Xie Xun remarked nonchalantly, his tone amused yet wicked, leaving the untouched cup of wine aside.

Both Feng Wan and Feng Ling went up for their archery rounds. Feng Ling performed steadily, scoring thirty-eight points, while Feng Wan excelled, hitting targets with nine arrows and missing only one, earning forty-four points. She merely needed to hit one more target to surpass Lin Yu Yan.

Seated on her horse, Feng Wan turned back to glance at Lin Yu Yan and met her hostile glare, which made Feng Wan uneasy.

Fang Lingjun exclaimed with joy, "Ayu, your elder sister’s archery is so impressive! I haven’t even gone up yet, and Lin Yu Yan has already lost."

"Not necessarily!" Fengyu replied with a gentle laugh.

Feng Wan took a deep breath, drew her bow, and fired her last arrow—but it missed the target. Lin Yu Yan scoffed, her gaze smug, as if vindicated that Feng Wan had the good sense not to cross her—lest she face grave consequences.

Fang Lingjun stomped her foot, "What a pity! Elder Sister missed the shot. If she had hit that watermelon, she’d have tied with Lin Yu Yan!"

But Fengyu remained unsurprised. Feng Wan was mild-mannered and tactful, a temperament that avoided offending others. She would certainly not stir up trouble with Lin Yu Yan over a pair of jade bracelets; that was her way of navigating life.

Fang Lingjun was next to shoot, and Fengyu cheered her on. Fang Lingjun patted her chest in assurance, "Ayu, don’t worry. Lin Yu Yan bullies you so much; I will avenge you and absolutely defeat her."

"I believe you. Go for it!" Fengyu clenched her fist in encouragement.

But Lin Yu Yan was eagerly awaiting a spectacle. Fang Lingjun hit her first five targets—a tangerine, apple, and chrysanthemum—scoring twenty-eight points.

"Junjun, you’re amazing!" Fengyu praised Fang Lingjun when she turned for encouragement, showering her with unwavering support. Fang Lingjun felt inspired and grew more confident, hitting her sixth target, a tangerine, raising her score to thirty-five points.

If she hit two more chrysanthemums and a watermelon, she’d beat Lin Yu Yan. Lin Yu Yan sneered maliciously, joining Zhang Jingmiao and Wu Changhuan in booing Fang Lingjun. Zhang Jingmiao mocked, "Fang Lingjun, why are you only hitting flowers? Aren’t you always bragging about your unparalleled archery? Shoot for the copper coin instead."

"She’s playing it safe, just hitting flowers. She doesn’t even dare aim for the tangerine—how could she aim for the copper coin?" Lin Yu Yan jeered.

Fengyu thought to herself, "This is bad."

Predictably, Fang Lingjun couldn’t resist the provocation. She aimed for the copper coin with her seventh shot—and missed.

"Junjun, don’t listen to them! Shoot the chrysanthemums and roses. Hit those, and you’ll win!" Fengyu shouted loudly, but her soft voice was drowned out by Lin Yu Yan, Zhang Jingmiao, and Wu Changhuan’s noise.

"Oh, weren’t you supposed to be an incredible archer? Why’d you miss?"

"Fang Lingjun, all your boasting seems to be hot air. You’re barely average! What a disgrace to your brother!"

This added fuel to the fire, making Fang Lingjun even more determined to restore her brother’s honor. She aimed for the copper coin with her eighth and ninth shots—and both missed. The more pressure she felt, the less accurate her aim became, and Fengyu knew Fang Lingjun had lost.

King Qi chuckled, "These young ladies certainly know how to add mischief to their riding and archery competitions. And they make it quite entertaining!"

Xie Xun leaned lazily to one side, a faint yet mysterious smile on his lips. He was waiting for Fengyu to take her turn. If Fang Lingjun won, Fengyu wouldn’t easily jump into the fray. But if Fang Lingjun lost, Fengyu certainly wouldn’t let Lin Yu Yan walk away with the pair of jade bracelets.

Lin Cheng defended his sister, "During riding and archery contests, cheering and jeering from the sidelines are allowed; they’re all fair means to distract opponents."

"How amusing," King Qi remarked.

The assembled young man spectators gasped in surprise. While permitted, sideline distractions were uncommon. Losing reflected poor skills, but using such underhanded tactics was beneath them.

Zhang Boxin murmured, "This is a bit excessive, isn’t it?"

Fang Lingjun’s impulsive nature made her susceptible to provocation; Zhang Boxin couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her.

The girls continued taunting Fang Lingjun. Even Princess Xue Lan, watching from the stands, thought Lin Yu Yan and her cohorts were overly malicious.

Fang Lingjun missed her final shot. Furious, she slammed her bow and arrow to the ground and stormed toward Lin Yu Yan, intent on striking her, only for Fengyu to grab hold of her tightly. Lin Yu Yan provocatively said, "A loss is a loss. Fang Lingjun, are you incapable of accepting defeat?"

Fang Lingjun’s eyes reddened with rage. Fengyu hugged her tightly by the waist to prevent her from attacking, soothing, "Alright, alright. Don’t be upset. It’s okay."

"I’m so angry! I could’ve won!" Fang Lingjun wiped her tears in frustration. "I couldn’t avenge you, Ayu. I’m so mad!"

"Don’t cry, don’t cry... We haven’t lost yet," Fengyu reassured her gently, wiping away her tears.

"What can you do? You couldn’t even hit a watermelon," Fang Lingjun muttered petulantly, her anger blurring friend and foe alike.

Fengyu, "..."

Lin Yu Yan was already gleefully walking over to claim the prize. Suddenly, she heard Fengyu whistle sharply, and Zhui Xue galloped over. Fengyu grabbed the saddle and mounted smoothly, staring down at Lin Yu Yan with a serene smile framed by her raised brows. "Lin Yu Yan, it’s not over. You still have me."

"Is Fengyu here to make a joke? She’s actually going to participate in the riding and archery? What can she possibly hit?"

"Ridiculous! She ranked at the bottom in this contest last year, and she still dares to compete now? Has she lost her mind?"

"Nothing but humiliation awaits her. Let’s all watch and see what Fengyu can hit. I bet she won’t even hit one watermelon."

...

After circling the arena, Fengyu picked up a specially designed bow and arrows and returned to the designated area. Though Fang Lingjun acknowledged their chances of victory were slim, she still cheered on Fengyu loudly, earning mocking laughter from the crowd, convinced Fengyu wouldn’t hit a single target.

Fengyu drew her bow, aiming at the copper coin. All eyes were fixed on her. Xie Xun watched her with playful intrigue, recalling rumors of her frequently skirting through Imperial College assessments, earning her a reputation for dim-wittedness. Riding and archery were said to be her weakest areas.

"All form, no substance!" Lin Cheng sneered.

Xie Xun raised an eyebrow and lazily said, "The outcome is yet to be decided."

Her first arrow missed, drawing laughter from the entire crowd. Some young men marveled at her beauty but dismissed her archery skills without hesitation.

"Hahaha! How embarrassing! Fengyu missed, as expected."

"She doesn’t know how to walk but wants to fly? Aiming for a copper coin on the first shot? Utter arrogance!"

As the girls continued mocking her, Fengyu’s second arrow flew—but missed again, scraping past a tangerine and causing another wave of ridicule. Fengyu ignored the distractions, her gaze locked intently on the tangerine in the target zone.