"If I'm not mistaken, there should be green marks at the tail end of the arrow shaft—stained by plant juices."
Song Shihuan watched as Song Yanming's eyes widened in shock, then slowly smiled.
"Indeed, the tail of the arrow matches exactly what the Junzhu described," Wu Qi said, his voice trembling with excitement. What did this mean?
It meant the black bear had been hunted by none other than his Junzhu!
The Junzhu!
Hunted it!
"Imperial Grandfather, please send someone to pull out the arrows from the other game one by one," Song Shihuan said, pausing briefly before adding, "You might need to assign quite a few people."
She had hunted... a lot this time, just to secure the top spot.
Emperor Yuanyou waved his hand and commanded, "Bring all the game the Junzhu hunted and inspect the arrows in front of everyone."
At his order, guards carrying the game filed in. Within half the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the clearing was filled with the spoils.
"This... all of this was hunted by the Junzhu?"
The ministers watching on the side gulped in disbelief. Such a spectacle hadn't been seen in years.
"Every single one, personally hunted by me."
As she spoke, Song Shihuan deliberately glanced at Prince Qi and Song Yanming, sending a chill down their spines.
Emperor Yuanyou immediately mobilized dozens of guards. They pulled out the arrows, washed them one by one, and then—
"Your Majesty, every single arrow has green marks at the tail end."
"You secretly marked them?" Song Yanming blurted out, his composure crumbling. "The hunting grounds have rules—all arrows used must be identical."
"That's incorrect."
Gu Zheng straightened his posture. "The rule exists for fairness, as different arrows affect penetration force. The Junzhu only stained the shafts, which has no impact. She didn’t violate any rules."
"Your Majesty, please also inspect the other arrow in the black bear—see if its tail has green marks."
The result was obvious. Everyone now knew who had truly brought down the beast.
"I merely picked a few leaves while waiting for prey and rubbed the juice on the arrows. Song Yanming, do you know why I did this?"
When Song Yanming remained silent, Song Shihuan continued coldly,
"Simple—to guard against villains, not gentlemen."
"I... I might have been mistaken," Song Yanming stammered weakly. "The angles of your and Fourth Uncle's arrows were so similar... it was easy to confuse them."
"Ah-Huan..." Prince Qi also stumbled over his words. "You were so focused on the bear that you didn’t even spare a thought for your uncle. Your arrow startled me so much my mind went blank—I didn’t even see it strike the heart. I only spoke up because Yanming said..."
The excuses from Prince Qi and Song Yanming made their teammates exchange uneasy glances, subtly distancing themselves. Disgraceful. Utterly disgraceful.
Even if they hadn’t hit the heart, their team had contributed. But now, after questioning the Junzhu’s team, they burned with shame. Would Prince Qin... hold a grudge?
"Baoxia!"
Ignoring Prince Qi’s hypocritical words, Song Shihuan called to her attendant.
Baoxia swiftly pulled an apple from her sleeve, then ran to the opposite side of Emperor Yuanyou and tossed it high into the air.
In a flash, Song Shihuan drew her bow and shot—the arrow piercing straight through the apple.
A master archer!
"Fourth Uncle, I have full confidence in my aim."
One sentence, one action—rendering Prince Qi’s excuses meaningless.
"I..."
Prince Qi’s earlier arrogance on the hunting grounds vanished without a trace.
......
A few moments later.
Prince Qi and Song Yanming knelt on the ground. The game Prince Qi had hunted was brought forward—a pitiful handful compared to Song Shihuan’s haul.
The outcome of the competition was undeniable.
The crowd’s gazes burned with admiration. An eleven-year-old Junzhu had outmatched Prince Qi!
Noticing the fervent attention, Gu Zheng stepped forward and knelt before Prince Qi and Song Yanming.
"Your Majesty, I have an impertinent request."
"Speak." Emperor Yuanyou hadn’t yet guessed Gu Zheng’s... ulterior motive.
"I wish to take the Junzhu as my disciple."
Punishing Prince Qi and Song Yanming could wait. If he delayed, this brilliant prodigy might slip away.
But to Gu Zheng’s surprise, the first objection didn’t come from the Emperor or Song Yu—but from...
"Absolutely not!"
Shen Mingwen was so agitated he nearly spat. "What do you know about teaching? And you dare ask the Junzhu to be your disciple?"
"How can I not know? Haven’t I trained countless elite soldiers in the barracks?"
Gu Zheng was baffled. Why was this old scholar so vehemently opposed?
It wasn’t like he’d be eating the Shen family’s rice.
"Regardless, Your Majesty, I find this highly inappropriate." Shen Mingwen fretted. If Gu Zheng trained the Junzhu his way, she’d have no time left for scholarly pursuits.
Ahem.
As the two high-ranking officials bickered, Emperor Yuanyou intervened. "Gu Zheng, let me consider this."
He needed a balanced schedule for Ah-Huan before agreeing.
Song Shihuan rubbed her nose discreetly. In such situations, silence was golden.
To divert attention, Emperor Yuanyou kicked Prince Qi and Song Yanming—fairly, one each.
"One is blind, twisting lies into truth with a flick of the tongue."
"The other is crooked, always scheming to take what isn’t his."
The Emperor glared at his unfilial descendants.
Clearly, the ancestral graves hadn’t emitted enough smoke to guide these two back to righteousness.
"I wash my hands of you. Prince Qin, they’re yours to deal with."
"At your command!"
Song Yu perked up instantly. This punishment was far more satisfying than house arrest.
With a cruel smirk, he decided to start with an appetizer. "Men! Toss apples into the air just as Baoxia did. Prince Qi and Fourth Imperial Grandson will shoot until they hit one."
Apples flew up one after another.
Arrows missed one after another.
"Tsk. Your archery is pathetic—not even a fraction of Ah-Huan’s skill."
Song Yu twisted the knife further.
Whoosh—
Another miss. Song Yanming finally broke down, crouching and sobbing into his hands.
His pride—his horsemanship and archery—
Gone.
