Weeping willows swayed along the banks of the moat. As the dragon boat races concluded, the willow-shooting competition was about to begin.
Those capable of showcasing their martial prowess before Emperor Yongchang were the elite young military officers from the Imperial Guard and the Four Great Battalions, alongside the scions of the royal family and nobility, led by Prince Kang and Prince Qing.
As Prince Kang and Prince Qing left their seats to prepare in the field, both princes instinctively glanced toward Prince Hui, who sat in a wheelchair.
Prince Kang thought to himself that if his second brother’s legs hadn't been injured, he surely would have taken the top prize again this year.
Prince Qing, on the other hand, thought about how he had been overshadowed by his second brother for years. Now that his brother was no longer competing, it was finally his turn to shine.
The two figures flashed past Zhao Sui, but he merely sat there expressionless. It was unclear whether he was looking at the distant trees or the sky. It wasn't until the voice of the Second Princess rang out from the ladies' seating area opposite him, calling out "Second Sister-in-law," that Zhao Sui’s long-still eyelashes flickered slightly.
The Second Princess seemed intent on showing off her second brother’s divine archery skills to Yao Huang. Her cheerful voice was brimming with pride. "Second Sister-in-law, my second brother has participated in the Dragon Boat Festival willow-shooting every year since he was fifteen. Aside from last year when the palace didn't hold it and the times he was away from the capital, Second Brother has participated five times in total. Can you guess how many times he took the top prize?"
Looking at the Second Princess’s innocent and beautiful face, Yao Huang thought to herself how malicious this princess was. On the surface, she was praising Prince Hui, but in reality, she was rubbing salt into his wounds.
Yao Huang could see through this malice because, in private, Consort Du and her daughter never bothered to hide their callousness toward Zhao Sui. However, seeing Emperor Yongchang’s expression—first one of pride, then of regret—Yao Huang guessed that the Second Princess must put on an entirely different face in front of her father. The old Emperor likely hadn't given it a second thought, perhaps even believing his daughter was genuinely praising her brother.
Yao Huang replied, "Since you look so happy, sister, could it be that the Prince took the top prize all five times?"
The Second Princess exclaimed, "Wow, Second Sister-in-law, you're so smart! You guessed it exactly right!"
The fifteen-year-old girl looked toward her second brother with shared glory, but then the light in her eyes dimmed. She lowered her head and said sorrowfully, "It’s a pity Second Brother..."
Consort Du interrupted, "What is there to pity? Your second brother only injured his legs; his hands are still perfectly fine. As long as he is willing to take the field, he can still take the top prize this year. Isn't that right, Your Majesty?"
Consort Du winked at Emperor Yongchang, acting the part of a devoted mother trying to use this method to provoke her foster son into pulling himself together, seeking the Emperor’s cooperation.
Emperor Yongchang knew that Consort Du didn't have much affection for his second son. Years ago, when she could only rely on him, she treated him like a treasure. But ever since she had the Fourth Prince, the second son had become expendable in her eyes. However, the Emperor had never heard Consort Du openly mock or belittle him, so he assumed she was simply trying to make up for the Second Princess’s slip of the tongue.
Regardless, now that the Consort had spoken, if the Emperor didn't follow through, it would look as though he didn't believe his son could maintain his former skill.
He could only look at his second son and ask tentatively, "Shall we give it a try?"
Given Zhao Sui’s current state, he wasn't afraid of dampening his father's spirits, nor did he care if others thought he was too cowardly to compete. If he didn't want to, no one could force him.
He was merely curious: did his Princess Consort want him to take the field to win glory for her, or did she want him to stay put, avoiding further public gossip about the Prince and Princess Hui?
Because of the seating arrangement, it wasn't convenient for Zhao Sui to look toward the ladies' section. Just then, three eunuchs brought out the three prizes for the willow-shooting competition: one hundred taels of gold for first place, fifty for second, and ten for third.
To make the prizes look impressive, they were all five-tael gold ingots. The first tray was packed full with twenty gold ingots.
In that instant, Zhao Sui seemed to see his Princess Consort’s sparkling eyes curved in a smile.
"I am willing to make an attempt for Father," Zhao Sui said.
Qingai immediately pushed the wheelchair forward, while Feiquan followed behind carrying a wooden board. There were many thresholds here; rather than constantly picking the board up and putting it down, it was easier to just carry it.
Emperor Yongchang watched his second son’s wheelchair depart, and his vision actually blurred. "Willing to make an attempt for Father"—his second son was doing this just to make him happy!
On the other side, as soon as Zhao Sui took the field, Yao Huang couldn't stay seated. she left her seat and walked to the railing at the front, gazing down at the banks of the moat. Once the familiar wheelchair appeared, her eyes never left it.
Seeing this, Consort Du teased, "Look at how anxious you are, you've even forgotten your manners. Aren't you afraid your sisters will laugh at you?"
Yao Huang looked directly at Emperor Yongchang with a nervous and apprehensive expression. "Father, the Prince is my husband. I want to see his heroic posture as he shoots. Does that really count as breaking the rules?"
Emperor Yongchang found his second daughter-in-law to be candid and charming. He laughed and said, "Watch if you want to watch. Today is a family gathering; there's no need for so many rules."
When he was young, he also enjoyed having beauties watch him display his prowess, let alone a lawfully wedded young couple.
With that, Emperor Yongchang also walked over to the railing.
As soon as the Emperor moved, Empress Zhou, Consort Liu Xian, and the others followed. Consort Du found herself snubbed and secretly glared at Yao Huang several times.
Yao Huang continued to look down.
The moat was about forty to fifty paces wide. Hundreds of gourds were tied to the willow branches on the opposite bank, all at the same height. Today was clear and windless, but the pigeons stuffed inside the gourds would occasionally struggle, causing some gourds to sway slightly, which greatly tested the archer's eyesight.
Prince Kang and Prince Qing had occupied the two willow trees closest to the pavilion. When Qingai pushed the wheelchair down, Prince Kang saw them and proactively yielded his position and bow to his second brother.
Zhao Sui knew Prince Kang was not skilled in archery and accepted the gesture gracefully.
In the pavilion, Princess Fucheng began to joke with Consort Liu Xian. "Prince Kang's archery has always been mediocre; Prince Hui has given him a good excuse to bow out."
Consort Liu Xian replied with relief, "It is rare for him to have such self-awareness."
Princess Fucheng’s jab felt like it had hit a bale of cotton, leaving her frustrated.
Consort Du watched Prince Qing below with schadenfreude. Prince Kang was neither likable nor talented, relying on Consort Liu Xian to pull the strings behind his back; the Emperor had long ago looked down on his eldest son, so Prince Kang was no threat. After Prince Hui’s legs were ruined, Prince Qing became the Fourth Prince’s greatest rival for the succession.
Consort Du’s motive for goading Prince Hui into the competition was to humiliate Prince Qing. If he couldn't even beat a crippled second brother, what did he have to be proud of?
While the Emperor still felt pity and affection for Prince Hui, it was better to let Prince Hui occupy the Emperor’s favor for a few more years. Once the Fourth Prince grew up, Prince Hui would truly be of no more use.
At this moment, Consort Shen Rou, Princess Fucheng, and Zheng Yuanzhen also saw through Consort Du’s true intentions in encouraging Prince Hui.
Consort Shen Rou was the most nervous, fearing her son would truly lose to Prince Hui and lose face before the Emperor, the Princess, and his fiancée.
The last time Prince Hui participated in the willow-shooting, her son was only sixteen; losing to his older brother could be excused by his age. This year, her son was fully grown, and his older brother had been crippled for a year without touching a bow...
Thinking of Prince Hui’s condition, Consort Shen Rou suddenly regained her confidence. Prince Hui had been despondent for a year and was in a seated position that made it difficult to exert force. Her son’s chances of winning today were very high.
Yao Huang wasn't worried about her Prince’s arm strength; she was worried about his aim.
On the riverbank, Qingai secured the wheelchair and lowered the backrest so it wouldn't interfere with the Prince drawing his bow.
The Prince of Qing glanced over, then peeked at the pavilion above out of the corner of his eye. He suggested kindly, "Second Brother, you haven't touched a bow in a year, have you? Why don't you fire a few practice shots first to get back into the swing of things?"
Zhao Sui replied, "Very well."
If he truly won with a single shot, his third brother would lose even more face. The third brother might just be angry for a while, but Zhao Sui feared that Consort Shen Rou and the Princess Royal might take their frustrations out on Yao Huang.
Aiming at the surface of the distant moat, Zhao Sui fired five consecutive arrows. Because the first four hit nothing but water, the onlookers couldn't tell if he was even aiming at anything. It wasn't until his fifth arrow that he struck a startled wild fish darting away—a minnow only as thick as a thumb and as long as a palm.
The minnow was flipped out of the water, its scaled body flashing like a silver ribbon in the sunlight before slowly sinking under the weight of the arrow.
"Bravo!"
Having realized what happened, Yao Huang couldn't help but cheer.
Only then did Zhao Sui turn back toward the pavilion behind them, meeting his Princess’s radiant, joyful smile.
Zhao Sui immediately turned back around. Looking at the spot where the fish had fallen, he desperately wanted to tell her that hitting a fish at this distance wasn't as difficult as she thought, and that her cheering would most likely invite ridicule from others.
The Prince of Qing was the first to laugh at him. "Second Sister-in-law certainly knows how to support Second Brother."
Zhao Sui took the sixth arrow and said calmly, "I am ready."
Seeing this, a eunuch waiting nearby called up to the pavilion, "Your Majesty, you may give the order."
At Emperor Yongchang’s command, after three beats of the drum, a hundred young talents along the bank drew their bows simultaneously.
Yao Huang watched only the Prince of Hui’s arrow as it streaked out. With a loud "crack," it struck the gourd hanging from a willow branch on the opposite bank. Before the gourd could even begin to sway, its round body shattered into dust. The long-trapped white pigeon, suddenly granted its freedom, immediately flapped its wings and soared into the sky. At the same moment, the gourd hit by the Prince of Qing also split, but a fragment remained attached to the upper neck, causing the pigeon inside to be a bit slower in its escape.
It was obvious that the Prince of Qing had lost to the Prince of Hui.
However, the Prince of Qing had still done quite well. Out of the hundred archers, those with poor luck fired just as the pigeons caused the gourds to swing wildly, resulting in arrows either missing the gourds entirely or grazing the rounded sides and flying past without releasing the birds.
Fortunately, everyone was focused on the top three, so no one noticed their failures.
The Eldest Princess looked at the pigeon released by her second brother and then at the shards of the gourd on the ground. She was both impressed and surprised. "Second Brother’s archery seems to have improved even further."
Emperor Yongchang’s eyes were rimmed with red. It wasn't just improvement; his second son's aim had long since reached perfection. What had increased was the strength in his arms.
Although his second son was unwilling to let him visit, Emperor Yongchang could imagine the various inconveniences of the boy's daily life. With his legs useless, he had to use his hands for everything every single day. How could his arm strength not grow?
At this moment, the Emperor's heart and eyes were filled only with his second son, who had been so cruelly treated by fate. He couldn't spare a shred of attention for anyone else, including his third son standing not far from his brother.
Seeing Consort Shen Rou’s face turn pale with frustration, Consort Du smiled, her wish fulfilled.
Yao Huang saw none of this. Once she was certain the Prince of Hui had taken the top prize, she skipped down from the pavilion like the soaring pigeon, following the path the Prince had taken. She ran all the way to the bank of the moat, stopping in front of the wheelchair, out of breath and cheeks flushed. Smiling at the Prince of Hui, who had been watching her run toward him, she said, "Your Highness is amazing! Even if you let me hit a gourd with a brick right in front of my face, I couldn't smash it into such tiny pieces!"
Zhao Sui said, "...Why did you come down?"
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she was being a bit too enthusiastic, even if they were husband and wife.
Yao Huang replied, "I came down to praise you! If I waited until you came back up, the excitement would have faded, and you wouldn't be able to see just how much I admire you."
Zhao Sui glanced at the Prince of Kang and the Prince of Qing, who had stopped nearby, and gestured for Qingai to push the wheelchair. "Let's go up."
