The harem is too complicated; the empress, a lazy bum, wins by doing nothing.

Chapter 144 Martial Arts Competition
Shen Qingwan had never seen anything like this before. Her mind went completely blank. The moment she stepped out of the carriage, she was met with a strong smell of blood, and corpses lay scattered all around the carriage.

Shen Qingwan's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively took a step back towards the carriage.

"Don't be afraid."

She felt a cool, damp touch on her fingertips, and could even clearly feel the intertwined lines on her palm.

She had no idea when Prince Rui had taken her hand into his palm.

With the force of his fingertips, Shen Qingwan moved and followed him down from the carriage.

With a "whoosh," an arrow flew precisely towards her, so fast that only a silvery-white streak could be seen.

Startled, Shen Qingwan closed her eyes.

Just when she thought the arrow was about to pierce her head, she heard a "ding" sound.

The arrow fell to the ground, and then the wooden stick in Prince Rui's hand shattered in two.

Prince Rui is participating in a martial arts competition?
Shen Qingwan glanced at his profile in disbelief. How could a man who didn't show any emotion and looked somewhat frail actually know martial arts?

That arrow was so fast, yet he managed to block it with pinpoint accuracy. The wooden stick in his hand shattered, but his feet didn't move an inch. Just how much internal strength does that require?

In the instant Shen Qingwan was distracted, she had already been led by Prince Rui to the osmanthus tree in his private residence.

"Go inside, leave this to me!"

He uttered only a few words before leaping into the air. His shoe tip stepped over a withered vine, and half a wooden stick flew from his palm, striking the black-clad man who was lying in ambush in the tree, holding a bow and arrow, right between his eyebrows.

Prince Rui landed lightly, his toes touching the ground without disturbing a speck of dust beside his shoes.

Shen Qingwan had only seen such lightness skill in books; this was the first time she had ever witnessed it in person.

She felt her breath catch in her throat. Prince Rui's eyes were cold, aloof, and deep, filled with a calm. A chilling aura of malevolence surrounded him, a side of him she had never seen before.

Since she transmigrated into the body of the original owner, her understanding of Prince Rui was limited to the fact that he and the original owner had been engaged, and that the late emperor originally wanted to pass the throne to him. However, due to a serious illness that caused him to vomit blood, the throne was passed to Emperor Yuanwu instead. After that, he traveled around the world, ignoring court affairs, and was a carefree prince.

It seems the rumors were untrue. Now it appears that the claims of him traveling the world, ignoring court affairs, and being idle are all just rumors, or more likely, illusions.

His current skill level is the result of years of hard work.

It is evident that during the days he was away from the capital, he must have been secretly learning from a master in a secluded place.

Although Emperor Yuanwu was suspicious by nature, if Prince Rui had continued to pretend to be cynical, he could have lived a peaceful life. Why did he have to do this?

With a "whoosh," all of Shen Qingwan's thoughts were pulled back.

The group of men in black who had attacked the carriage had all been knocked to the ground.

At that moment, another group of men in black emerged from the bamboo forest. Each of them was armed with a hidden weapon, and they moved so fast that Shen Qingwan didn't even have time to react before they surrounded Prince Rui.

"Our order is to take that woman's life. Don't meddle in other people's business."

Prince Rui's expression relaxed for a moment, then a cold glint appeared in his eyes, but he smiled and said, "What if I decide to take charge?" Shen Qingwan's blood froze.

Hey!
Are these people really after her?
She was someone who couldn't even win the emperor's favor in the harem, so what merit did she have that made so many people want to hunt her down?
Shen Qingwan felt that the family genealogy could be torn up and that she should start writing it herself!

The leader of the men in black raised his hand and beckoned with his finger, "Go!"

Prince Rui spun around on the spot and rose up lightly. Shen Qingwan seemed to be pushed by something and unconsciously took half a step back. Dust rose up from the ground and pebbles mixed in with the dust flew towards the man in black.

Pebbles that can be carried away by dust probably don't have much of a killing power.

Could it be that she is really going to die here this time?

Dying at the feet of Buddha seems like a decent end, but it's truly a shame that Prince Rui was implicated.

Shen Qingwan hesitated whether to go over. After all, those people were only targeting her. If she stood up, she might be able to protect Prince Rui. After all, she didn't want innocent people to be implicated because of her.

Shen Qingwan struggled for a moment, and the instant she lifted her foot, she saw the dozen or so men in black who had just surrounded Prince Rui fall backward one by one.

The pebble pierced right between their eyebrows, and bright red blood flowed down from the small hole.

They didn't scream, they didn't even have time to groan before they died instantly.

The fatal pebble struck her in a spot that resembled the arrow that had just flown towards her.

—And also the space between the eyebrows!
Once he was sure no one else would come, Prince Rui turned around. The setting sun cast its glow on his back. Standing against the light, the sharpness on his angry face gradually faded, revealing a kingly aura that could shake the world. His strikingly handsome face now held a carefree and unrestrained smile.

That smile touched the deepest part of Shen Qingwan's heart, shocking and frightening her, causing ripples to rise in her heart.

"never mind."

Shen Qingwan nodded slowly after a long while.

Prince Rui thought she was terrified, so he ordered the servants in the private residence to pour her a cup of osmanthus tea and tell her to go to her room to warm up.

Shen Qingwan shook her head, neither accepting the teacup nor intending to go inside. However, the moment Prince Rui approached her, she took a step back.

She curtsied and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for saving my life."

Out of the corner of her eye, she clearly saw Prince Rui's fingertips, which were reaching out to her, pause slightly in mid-air before slowly returning to his side.

Shen Qingwan didn't do it intentionally; she was just unsure whether there were any accomplices of those men in black around her, who had sent them, and what their purpose was.
She clearly went out with Emperor Yuanwu today, and they agreed to meet here and return to the palace together.

If this was not done by Emperor Yuanwu, then it must be related to the imperial edict urgently summoning him back to the palace.

Regardless of which one it is, the move Prince Rui made today is truly astounding. If Emperor Yuanwu were to find out, he would undoubtedly become wary and suspicious. Given his past character, he might even have Prince Rui killed to prevent future troubles. It seems that Prince Rui has truly been implicated by her this time.

“I will have someone escort you back to the palace.” After a pause, Prince Rui continued, “Once you are back at the palace, tell them that you encountered bandits on the way. They saw you dressed in fine clothes and wanted to rob you of some money. Fortunately, a monk who was going down the mountain to fetch water saw you and Master Wuchen led a group of people to rescue you and drive away the bandits. Master Wuchen will send someone to escort you back to the palace later.”

(End of this chapter)