Xiao Yunshi never expected that Xiao Yunchuan could actually hit the target in horseback archery.
At best, he was only confident in landing a single arrow, and definitely not a bullseye.
If his horseback archery were any good, he certainly wouldn't have chosen to take this class.
Thinking of this, his confidence faltered.
Xiao Yunshi caught the bow and arrow, immediately shoving them into the hands of the person next to him.
"You go!"
The person beside him was a good buddy of his, and they were two peas in a pod when it came to skill.
His friend also shoved the gear to the next person, "I can't do it, you go!"
Everyone was intimidated by Xiao Yunchuan's record of landing three consecutive arrows.
Those who had just been clamoring to compete with Xiao Yunchuan now shrank back.
Xiao Yunchuan looked incredibly smug.
Just as he thought, how could anyone dare to compete with him?
His father, the Prince, had told him that his current skills were already superior to many soldiers.
Xiao Yunchuan's horseback archery made the Emperor nod repeatedly in approval.
He knew it; how could his grandson not be skilled in horseback archery?
It was just a pity there was only one such prodigy!
Seeing the students, who had just been clamoring like quacking ducks to compete, now pushing the responsibility onto one another, the instructor breathed a sigh of relief.
"Since there will be no more competing, let's move on to archery practice..."
"Teacher, I wanna try!"
Standing at the end of the line, Duoduo waved her little hand.
Duoduo had already decided not to hide her true abilities today.
Given that, how could she let such a perfect opportunity slip by?
Duoduo's milky, childish voice caused the entire field to fall dead silent.
The instructor thought he was hearing things.
"Who? Who wants to try?" He stared at the students in front of him, looking at them one by one.
Duoduo took a step forward on her short little legs.
"Teacher, I wanna try!"
"What? You... I... You..." The instructor was so shocked that his tongue tied into knots.
"No way!" the instructor finally managed to force out two complete words.
"Why not?" Duoduo looked at the instructor with her clear, bright eyes.
"Be... because..." For a moment, the instructor didn't know whether to gently persuade her or flatly reject her.
"Princess Changle, come here!" the Emperor, sitting in his chair, commanded.
"Yes, Imperial Grandfather!" Duoduo marched determinedly toward the Emperor on her short little legs.
She walked right up to the Emperor, tilted her head up slightly, and looked at him.
The Emperor studied Duoduo.
The narrow-sleeved top and trousers Duoduo wore today made her look exceptionally small and frail.
However, the look in her eyes was incredibly resolute.
"Princess Changle, do you know the dangers of horseback archery?" The Emperor thought for a moment before changing his approach.
Duoduo nodded.
"I know. The teacher just talked about it."
After saying that, Duoduo repeated exactly what the instructor had said word for word.
A look of surprise flashed in the Emperor's eyes.
Princess Changle could actually memorize it without missing a single word?
His eyes sparked with interest.
"And what about the key points of horseback archery?" he asked, deliberately putting on a stern face.
Seeing the Emperor's expression, Duoduo blinked.
Oh no!
She seemed to have exposed a little too much!
Duoduo tilted her head, pondering for a moment.
It didn't matter!
Since she was attending the Imperial College, there were some things she wouldn't be able to hide anyway.
Duoduo pretended to think for a little while longer before reciting the key points of horseback archery.
The Emperor nodded in satisfaction.
To him, Duoduo hadn't just blurted it out; she had thought it over before answering.
That only proved she had been listening attentively.
"Have you ever shot an arrow from horseback before?" The Emperor's tone carried a hint of probing.
Duoduo shook her head. "No!"
"I wanna try to see exactly how far the gap is between me and him!"
"That way, I'll know which direction I need to work toward!"
Duoduo's words left the Emperor deep in thought.
The instructor bowed to the Emperor with cupped hands.
"Your Majesty, Princess Changle is too young. She can't even ride a horse properly yet."
"I believe it would be best to wait until the Princess is a bit older before she comes to learn horseback archery."
"Your Majesty, horseback archery is a course originally designed for boys. It would be best for Princess Changle to learn embroidery and painting with the others!"
The Grand Tutor also came over to chime in.
A smile appeared on the Emperor's face.
"Princess Changle, both the Grand Tutor and the instructor disagree."
Duoduo nodded. "Imperial Grandfather, Princess Changle heard them."
"But Princess Changle still stands by her own idea."
"Since the teacher allowed me to attend this horseback archery class, then I have the exact same rights as they do."
"He issued a challenge. The others didn't dare to accept it, but I will!"
"Even if I lose, I won't regret it!"
Saying this, Duoduo bowed to the Emperor, turned around, and marched back on her short little legs.
The instructor wanted to stop her, but he saw the Emperor raise his hand.
The Emperor had actually agreed!
A look of shock filled the instructor's eyes as he glanced at the Grand Tutor.
The Grand Tutor's face was full of disapproval.
The instructor hurriedly looked back at Duoduo.
He saw Duoduo walk up to the classmate holding the bow and arrows.
"Can you lift me onto the horse?" she asked, tilting her head up.
The classmate she asked blushed bright red and quickly dodged out of the way.
Nearby, Xiao Yunchuan was laughing so hard he was bending back and forth.
"Princess Changle, you can't even get on a horse, and you still dare to say you want to challenge me?"
"Talking so big, be careful you don't lose your teeth!"
The classmates who were close to Xiao Yunchuan also joined in the jeering.
However, because the Emperor was present, they didn't dare to be too loud.
"I'll help you!" Xiao Yunshi said. He walked over, picked Duoduo up, and set her on the horse's back.
Xiao Yunchuan secretly glanced at the Emperor and maliciously reminded Xiao Yunshi.
"You'd better think this through. If anything happens to her in a moment, you'll be taking full responsibility!"
Xiao Yunshi shot Xiao Yunchuan a disdainful sideways glance.
"What's wrong? Are you scared? If you're scared, beg for mercy!"
Xiao Yunchuan snorted. "Me, scared? Why on earth would I be scared?"
"Still, the fact that a little girl like her dares to accept the challenge makes her much better than you grown boys!"
Xiao Yunshi's face flushed red.
Normally, they were great at playing around, but when it came to things like horseback archery, most of them were just empty shells.
On any other day, he would have at least tried to compete with Xiao Yunchuan.
But today the Emperor was here, and he didn't want to make a fool of himself.
He figured everyone else was thinking the exact same thing.
Princess Changle was different; she was just a little girl.
If she lost, they could just say that as a girl, she naturally couldn't compare to boys.
If she won, they could take the opportunity to trample on Xiao Yunchuan's ego.
Since it was a win-win situation, he was naturally willing to help push things along.
"Hmph! If you lose to Princess Changle in a minute, I don't think you 'grown boys' will look very good either!"
Xiao Yunshi snorted in dissatisfaction.
"Lose?" Xiao Yunchuan looked at Duoduo on the horse.
"To her? Haha! Are you sure she can beat me?"
"Setting aside whether she can even ride a horse, even if she can, drawing a bow and shooting an arrow from horseback is no ordinary feat."
"Fine, even if she manages to draw the bow, whether she can actually hit anything is a completely different story!"
After saying this, Xiao Yunchuan grew even more convinced that it was impossible for Duoduo to succeed.
He waved his hand.
"Come, prepare a bow and arrows for Princess Changle!"
Sitting on the horse, Duoduo gently stroked the jujube-red horse's neck.
"Come now, Princess Changle, begin your challenge!"
Xiao Yunchuan smugly handed the bow and arrows in his hands toward Duoduo.
