Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

"Seventh brother, are you alright?" The eldest prince ran over from the training ground, his worry evident in his voice.

Yi Xunyuan's angry shouts attracted the attention of everyone present. When the First Prince saw that a deer had been bullied, he immediately rushed over.

Youlu gave him a reassuring look. "Thank you for helping me out, Eldest Brother."

Although he didn't feel he needed help, he was still grateful for the prince's kindness.

The eldest prince shook his head and laughed, "I don't have that ability. It wasn't me, it was my uncle." He glanced behind him.

You Lu paused, looked up, and saw Cang Shuyue with his back to him, putting down the bow in his hand.

The arrow came with overwhelming force and imposing momentum. If it had been just an inch off, it would have killed Yi Xunyuan. It was full of intimidation and warning. Not to mention Yi Xunyuan, who was the first to be hit, everyone else was also terrified and broke out in a cold sweat, feeling a wave of fear.

Yi Xunyuan's pupils contracted sharply, and his flushed face turned deathly pale. He swallowed hard, and his throat, which had been constricted to the point of burning with fear, finally eased slightly. He tremblingly cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."

The eldest prince glared angrily and shouted, "How dare you openly insult a prince, Yi Xunyuan!"

That arrow was so terrifying that everyone realized that the eldest prince had called for the seventh brother, and the young man in front of them was actually the seventh prince who had just been brought back to the palace by the emperor and was extremely favored by him!

There was even more cold sweat on my forehead that I hadn't had time to wipe away.

Many people secretly patted their chests in relief, thankful that they hadn't stepped on it.

Yan Ci stared wide-eyed at You Lu in disbelief. Noticing his gaze, You Lu winked at him playfully, and Yan Ci blushed instantly. It's no wonder Yi Xunyuan couldn't resist teasing him; this Seventh Prince was truly handsome.

Yi Xunyuan's vision blurred. He was bold, but not bold enough to insult a prince, which was a capital offense. Moreover, even his aunt didn't dare to confront the seventh prince directly, so he certainly didn't have the guts.

"It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!" Yi Xunyuan tried to explain.

Seeing this, Youlu hid behind the eldest prince and cried weakly, "Eldest brother, I'm so scared! He said he's going to take me to his mansion as a male concubine and whip me, waaaaah..."

"What?!" The eldest prince's eyes blazed with fury. "I will report this matter to Father Emperor in detail. Young Master Yi, you'd better watch yourself!"

After saying that, he grabbed Youlu and left, leaving Yi Xunyuan, pale as a ghost, bewildered in the wind.

Worried that Lu might be bullied if left outside the training ground, the eldest prince took him to the center of the training ground and pleaded with Cang Shuyue, "Uncle, Xiao Qi is unfamiliar with this place. Please look after him for me, otherwise he might run into someone with ill intentions."

Lu nodded in agreement. If they encountered someone who was too blind to cause trouble again, those people would be in big trouble.

Cang Shuyue: "..."

After a long silence, he said calmly, "Whatever."

The eldest prince was relieved and patted Youlu on the shoulder before returning to the queue.

Pixiu shook its head: "The Crown Prince is so easily fooled. You just act cute and he believed your lies and nonsense. Yi Xunyuan has lost everything, and he still thinks you're the one who suffered a loss."

Youlu shook her finger. [Physical pain is nothing compared to the humiliation of one's dignity.]

Pixiu said, "I can't argue with that."

With this interruption, it forgot to ask about the melon it hadn't finished eating.

Lu, who was watching closely, glanced around and found that apart from the First Prince and Cang Shuyue, he did not recognize anyone else on the training ground. Moreover, there were both men and women on the field, and the youngest girl looked to be only about ten years old.

It seems that in addition to the princes, the princesses will also have to participate in the assessment.

You Lu couldn't help but sigh that Dayong was quite forward-thinking; it was probably the Empress who set a good precedent.

Pixiu suddenly patted his shoulder. "Boss, that guy's been staring at you."

You Lu looked in the direction the Pixiu was pointing and saw a face that wasn't unfamiliar. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and give it a provocative look.

"Who is she?" Pixiu asked curiously.

[It's the Fifth Princess, Xiao Yunya, the Third Prince's younger sister. I just embarrassed her cousin, and she's trying to kill me with her eyes right now.] Youlu smiled nonchalantly.

The Pixiu nodded knowingly. "Then she's quite naive."

Youlu laughed, "[Don't underestimate her. She seems arrogant and brainless, but she's actually ruthless and vicious. Compared to the Third Prince, who only knows how to bully others, she's far more cunning. In the future I saw for Shen Yuyao before, she married Gu Cheng, who tormented Shen Yuyao to the point of wishing she were dead. It's just a pity that because she's a woman, the Yi family would rather support the Third Prince than her, even using her as a tool to curry favor with the powerful. That's why she's always harbored resentment towards the Yi family.]"

Pixiu shuddered. [So it was she who bullied the young lady. What a wicked woman!]

"I guess even the most hateful person has a pitiable side," Youlu shook his head.

As the man and the beast were talking, the exam officially began, with the first to take the stage being the eldest prince and his companion.

Targets were already set up on the field, one for each archer. The two princes took their positions and fired simultaneously. With two sharp whistles, the examiner raised his flag and announced, "The First Prince has achieved the highest rank, and Su Yan'an has achieved the highest rank!"

Ancient archery targets differed from modern ones. They did not have rings; instead, they were divided into three areas: the bullseye, the center, and the negative area. The bullseye was the center of the target, and hitting it was called hitting the center bullseye, which was worth 1 point and had the highest priority. The center bullseye was the main area of ​​the target outside the center bullseye, and hitting it was called hitting the center bullseye, which was also worth 1 point, but was lower than hitting the center bullseye. The negative area was the edge of the target; hitting the edge of the target was considered missing the target and did not count as a point.

The first arrow was used by the eldest prince, who lost to his study companion, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

The eldest prince blushed.

Cang Shuyue spoke coldly: "Continue."

Soon the results for the second arrow were also released. This time, both the First Prince and Su Yan'an were at the middle rank, but the First Prince's score was still lower than Su Yan'an's.

The third arrow was even more outrageous; the eldest prince shot it right next to the target.

Pixiu watched anxiously, [Why doesn't Su Yan'an give way to the First Prince? Isn't he the First Prince's study companion?]

Youlu: [It's a good thing they don't give way.]

There's no such thing as giving an easy time when it comes to learning. If others go easy on you, you'll only lose sight of your own abilities and fall further and further behind.

However, he couldn't just stand by and watch his elder brother lose.

He had long noticed that although his elder brother's archery technique was standard, his breathing was disordered and his mind was not calm, which explained why he couldn't shoot accurately.

Glancing at the unmoving Cang Shuyue, and seeing that he wasn't paying attention, Youlu slipped to the Crown Prince's side while he was retrieving his arrows and whispered, "Brother Crown Prince, don't be nervous. Your technique is fine; you just haven't found your rhythm yet. Remember, inhaling is drawing the bow, exhaling is aiming, and holding your breath is releasing. Believe in yourself; you're the best!"

He made a fist and pulled down.

The eldest prince was greatly encouraged and said gratefully, "Thank you, Seventh Brother."

Returning to the target, the eldest prince tried to calm himself and focus, his heart burning with excitement at the thought of his younger brother's encouragement.

This time, following Youlu's instructions, he drew his bow, aimed, and released the arrow in time with his breathing. As the arrow left his hand, a sharp whooshing sound rang out, and the arrowhead struck the red bullseye precisely.

The examiner announced, "The fourth arrow, the Crown Prince has hit the target!"

"Yay!" a deer cheered, jumping up and high-fiving the Pixiu.

The eldest prince ran over and hugged him tightly, exclaiming excitedly, "I did it!"

After consistently coming in last place in archery, he can finally hold his head high this time!

Cang Shuyue looked at the two embracing each other, and a trace of warmth finally appeared in his eyes.