GBP Chapter 271 Archery
Chapter 271 Archery
In Wangchun Palace, mother and son were chatting when a young eunuch bowed and entered the hall: "Empress Wanfei, Crown Prince, His Majesty has sent a message, ordering the Crown Prince to go to the Royal Archery Pavilion immediately."
Wan Fei nodded: "Is there anyone else going?"
The young eunuch said, "The Second Prince, the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, the Fifth Prince, the Sixth Prince, and the Seventh Prince are all here."
The eldest prince made some preparations, changed into his riding clothes and went to the archery pavilion.
The eldest prince only found out after he arrived at the archery pavilion that the empress was also there. The emperor was sitting with the empress, watching the fourth prince shoot arrows. The fourth prince was shooting arrows from the sidelines, while the second prince, third prince, and fifth prince were all watching not far away.
The Sixth and Seventh Princes stood respectfully beside the Emperor and Empress. The First Prince stepped forward to pay his respects, but the Emperor simply waved his hand, telling him not to be polite. The First Prince stood up silently and stood respectfully to the side.
The Fourth Prince, Zhou Chengyu, was eleven years old. He was the son of Concubine Bai. Concubine Bai's background was humble, but she possessed a very calm and quiet personality, which also contributed to the Fourth Prince's stable and down-to-earth character. He drew his bow, his expression calm, aiming for a long moment before suddenly releasing his grip. With a thud, the arrow struck the target.
Immediately, an eunuch went to check: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Seven Rings!"
The Emperor Shenwu's face was calm, and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or not. He just said, "It's okay!"
Then it seemed to be the Fifth Prince's turn. The ten-year-old Fifth Prince, Zhou Chengrui, was the son of Concubine Zhang. He rolled his eyes and bowed to the Emperor and Empress, "Your Majesty, Mother, it should have been my turn to shoot the arrows, but since I see my eldest brother has arrived, shall I let him show off his skills first?"
Emperor Shenwu looked at his quick-witted son and turned to the eldest prince: "Xuan'er, what do you say?"
The eldest prince did not refuse and bowed: "As you command, my son!"
At this time, the second prince came up from the sidelines. He met the eldest prince who was about to leave the stage. The two of them exchanged greetings. The second prince Zhou Chengjin looked at the eldest prince encouragingly and walked towards the emperor and empress.
The eldest prince was not very knowledgeable, but he had some talent for martial arts. After he came off the stage, he chose a bow and arrow that suited him. Then he spun around, drew the bow to the full moon, and shot an arrow. The target shook, and an eunuch observed and shouted back, "Hit the bull's eye!"
The eldest prince was already fifteen years old. He was a young and heroic man. He turned around and saluted towards the platform.
The Shenwu Emperor looked slightly satisfied, and Lan Qingwu also praised him: "Your Majesty, the eldest prince is a very good shot, isn't he?"
Emperor Shenwu paused and said, "You are just an outsider. The eldest prince is already fifteen years old. It's only natural that he is better at hunting than the other princes. He is close in age..."
Emperor Shenwu glanced at the Second Prince Zhou Chengjin, who quickly begged for mercy: "Father, I'm really not good at archery. I'll practice hard when I get back and see if I can catch up to half of my elder brother's ability."
Lan Qingwu looked at the expression on Emperor Shenwu's face and said, "Your Majesty, although the Second Prince is not good at martial arts, he is very talented in writing. Everyone has different strengths..."
Emperor Shenwu himself was a man of both wisdom and martial prowess. He was very disappointed with the prince's average martial arts talent. "You know, the Dasheng Dynasty conquered the world with martial arts and established the world with martial arts. Sometimes, things passed down by our ancestors really can't be thrown away. Forget it, the eldest prince, come up and let the fifth prince shoot!"
The Second Prince, having escaped a disaster, glanced at Lan Qingwu with gratitude and then stood respectfully aside. Not long after, the First Prince and the Third Prince, Zhou Chengluo, returned to the platform together. They both bowed respectfully to the Emperor Shenwu and Lan Qingwu.
Emperor Shenwu simply said, "Average. You can come to this archery pavilion to practice more in the future."
The eldest prince was stunned for a moment. The other princes also understood that the emperor wanted to use this opportunity to keep the eldest prince in the imperial city. The eldest prince did not expect that the Shenwu Emperor would relent so quickly. After realizing what was happening, he quickly bowed to the ground: "Thank you, father! Thank you, mother! I am ashamed that I have not been able to fulfill my filial duties to you all these years. I am... at fault!"
Lan Qingwu looked at the Divine Martial Emperor, who seemed to sigh with emotion, "Stand up! Sometimes your experiences are your best assets. If you learn from them and gain something, your time will be well spent."
After the eldest prince stood up, he and everyone else looked at the fifth prince Zhou Chengrui in the audience. Perhaps the fifth prince felt that everyone's attention was focused on him, and he suddenly felt increased pressure. As a result, he only shot three rings. The fifth prince seemed a little annoyed. After the eunuch checked and reported, he was stunned for a moment, and then returned to the podium dejectedly.
Emperor Shenwu glanced at the fifth prince without even making a comment, then he looked at the sixth and seventh princes.
The Sixth Prince Zhou Chengchen had no expression on his face. He just bowed and turned to walk off the stage. The eldest prince looked at the Sixth Prince, whose features most resembled the Emperor Shenwu, and his throat rolled over. When he was only six years old, he almost caused this younger brother to not be born. Now, when he looked at this younger brother, he always felt guilty and short of breath for a moment.
Lan Qingwu watched the Sixth Prince leave the stage, then glanced at the Seventh Prince, who was still smiling. "Your Majesty, let's just forget about Little Seven for a while. He just had an illness. Don't let Little Seven go."
Emperor Shenwu glanced at the Seventh Prince, Zhou Chengjing. He saw that his youngest son's face was still as pale as snow. However, the Seventh Prince looked particularly like his mother. Looking into those eyes, which were almost identical to Lan Qingwu's, Emperor Shenwu's voice softened. "Don't let the Seventh Prince go down like this, but you won't be able to hide next time."
Because of the Seventh Prince's prone to disasters and his eyes that resembled his mother, Emperor Shenwu had always been lenient with this son and did not teach him as strictly as he did with his other sons.
The Seventh Prince smiled faintly and bowed respectfully, "Thank you, Father and Mother, for your consideration. When I grow up and feel better, I will do my best to catch up."
Emperor Shenwu waved his hand to let the Seventh Prince stand up, and everyone on the platform looked down at the arena.
The Sixth Prince reached out and took the bow and arrow. He first adjusted the bowstring, and then the bow and arrow were grasped in his still tender hands. He calmed his mind and let the internal force flow in his hands. Then, as if without even looking at the target, the arrow was shot out by the Sixth Prince in an instant. There was a sound of breaking wind, and this arrow directly hit the remaining arrow on the bull's eye. That arrow was the one that the eldest prince shot at the bull's eye!
The princes on the platform were silent for a moment. The eldest prince's eyes flashed with surprise and admiration. He hadn't expected his younger brother to be so gifted in martial arts. This arrow clearly carried internal energy! This talent was infinitely superior to his own.
A flicker of satisfaction flashed across the Emperor's eyes. Sixth Prince Zhou Chengchen was the most like him. This son, born to him by Ruo Ruo, often made the Emperor relaxed and happy.
Lan Qingwu couldn't see clearly. She only saw that there was no extra arrow on the target. At first, she thought the Sixth Prince had missed, until the eunuch's voice came: "Ten rings! Hit the bull's eye!"
Lan Qingwu then turned around and asked the Shenwu Emperor, "Your Majesty, is Chu Ming's arm strength and archery skills so strong? Can he shoot the eldest prince's arrow right through it?"
Emperor Shenwu simply replied, "Chen'er used some clever tricks."
Lan Qingwu was confused. The Second Prince's eyes moved as he looked at the Sixth Prince in the audience. He felt that the Sixth Prince's archery aura was astonishing. His appearance and posture were very similar to that of the same person.