Free Web NovelChapter 115: Chapter 115: A Blind Cat Keeps Bumping into Dead Mice
To ensure fairness, the bows and arrows for the competition were all uniformly prepared by the Imperial Household.
Emperor Wu Su smiled because he noticed Ji Qingwu’s archery stance had completely transformed.
The curve of the bow she held was no greater than the others’, and the string wasn’t pulled deathly taut. Her wrists moved with fluid ease, as smooth as flowing water—the correct posture needed to accurately track a moving target.
She was no longer a slightly clumsy amateur; she was beginning to show the air of a master.
In the depths of Emperor Wu Su’s eyes, an undeniable glint of approval flashed.
Everyone laughed, thinking she had missed, but no one noticed that her "errant" arrow had actually hit the nine-point ring. Her rate of improvement in archery was enough to astonish him.
’If only this girl progressed so rapidly in other matters as well.’
The sixth round was still underway.
Five contestants had already shot decisively, while the last one seemed to still be hesitating.
The scorekeeper’s voice pierced through the crowd as he loudly announced the results.
"Princess Wei, nine points!"
"Huo Shaofang, seven points!"
As soon as this was announced, a wave of regretful sighs swept through the spectator stands.
Huo Shaofang had only been slightly behind Princess Wei, but with this errant shot, the gap between them suddenly widened. It seemed very likely to become a repeat of last year’s event, where Princess Wei held a commanding lead and all the other women scrambled for second place.
If nothing unexpected happened, the winner was a foregone conclusion, and the competition had suddenly lost much of its excitement.
Wei Liru, mounted on a large white horse, raised her bow toward Huo Shaofang, her eyes smiling as she said, "Sister Huo, you let me win."
The sight of her smile was grating to Huo Shaofang. Filled with resentment, she retorted, "Your Highness, there are still four arrows left. The winner hasn’t been decided yet!"
’We’re both from a Military General’s Family. Her father and brothers have served in the army for generations, their military merits only slightly less than the Wei Family’s. So why was it Wei Liru who got to enter the palace, marry the noblest man in the world, and become the Emperor’s favored concubine?’
It was because Huo Shaofang had been so determined to compete with Princess Wei on that shot that her mindset had shifted, causing her to become impatient and flustered. As a result, her performance was even worse than before.
She wanted to make a comeback in the next round, but someone still hadn’t finished shooting their arrow for this round.
Huo Shaofang looked impatiently at the person who was dawdling, the one who wouldn’t shoot until the proctor urged them on.
She shouted anxiously, "Hey, can you hurry up!"
The woman in the turquoise robes seemed not to hear her. Her back was ramrod straight, her left hand firm like a rock, her right hand poised like a clinging vine.
’That stance...’
Ji Qingwu relaxed the fingers of her right hand, releasing the feathered arrow.
Her right hand released the shot, but her left hand remained completely still.
Her posture was almost identical to what was recorded in Huo Shaofang’s family heirloom, the *Riding and Shooting Manual*! Forget her—even her father and brothers couldn’t achieve such a perfect form.
Huo Shaofang nervously stared at the fletching of the arrow as it flew through the air.
Soon, the result of the shot was in.
The scorekeeper shouted excitedly, "Ji Qingwu, ten points!"
The spectator stands fell silent for a moment in disbelief, then erupted into a flurry of discussion.
This was the second bullseye of ten points on the field.
The last ten-point shot had been made by Princess Wei during the preliminary round.
But the previous round was stationary archery. Hitting a bullseye was rare, but it was nowhere near as astonishing as hitting a moving target.
In mounted archery with moving targets, any man who could score a ten was, without exception, a renowned figure in the military.
There had been women who had done it in past years, but they were as rare as a phoenix feather.
Huo Shaofang’s second sister said, "It must have been a coincidence. Shaofang has practiced for so long and never had such good aim. I refuse to believe a girl raised in the countryside has that kind of skill."
A noble lady in pink robes snorted with laughter. "Didn’t she just hit Miss Wen’s target a moment ago? I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. Sister Huo, I reckon that Ji Qingwu is just a case of a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse." fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Another person chimed in, "Exactly! A heroine like Princess Wei, personally taught by her brother who can pierce a willow leaf at a hundred paces, has never hit a ten on a moving target. How could she? It must be a coincidence. I remember before, only the Commandery Princess from the previous dynasty—"
Hearing her mention the Commandery Princess from the previous dynasty, Huo Shaofang’s second sister grew nervous and quickly cut her off. "Don’t you ever mention anything about that Commandery Princess again."
...
The competition on the field continued.
After everyone else had taken their shot, Ji Qingwu was once again prompted by the proctor at her side.
She once again took her shot, seemingly under duress.
A feathered arrow sliced through the air, heading straight for the red dot at the center of the target.
"Just you watch, this time she won’t be so lu—"
Before the lady in pink could finish her sentence, the arrow hit the bullseye again. "..."
Ji Qingwu rolled her right wrist, a gleam of pleasure rising in her eyes.
’Let the body command the arm, and the arm command the fingers. Then the bow and hand become one.’ She had grasped the essence of the principle Emperor Wu Su had taught her. She could feel her feel for the shot getting better and better. She had been using the first few arrows to find this subtle sensation.
The lady in pink couldn’t believe that little widow from the Ji Family had such skill. She shouted, "That’s a lot of dead mice! Anyway, I don’t believe it!"
Whether she believed it or not was of no consequence.
With each arrow, her form grew better than the last. Seated on her horse, Ji Qingwu’s lips curled into a smile, her entire being exuding a relaxed and natural ease.
The voices from the military generals’ seating area also started to grow louder.
At first, they had thought this archery competition for young ladies was just for show. They figured they’d just occasionally watch Princess Wei’s archery, since she had been personally taught by Wei Ting. They were busy drinking wine from large bowls, tearing off chunks of meat, and cheerfully chatting about military affairs.
Before long, they heard a commotion from the spectator stands, and several of the military generals were drawn in by the scene.
None of them had expected the women’s division to become so fierce after entering the finals. The race for the top three spots was now full of suspense, unlike the previous years’ overwhelming dominance by Princess Wei.
The Ji Family’s Fifth Missy had scored a perfect ten.
She was catching up, gradually overtaking Huo Shaofang, and their interest was piqued.
But what they found even more fascinating was Ji Qingwu’s archery stance. It was both flexible and powerful, and very pleasing to watch. Her whole body was like a bow that could bend and straighten, giving off the exquisite feeling of a person and bow becoming one.
The military generals exchanged glances, their eyes filled with keen interest. They started placing bets.
"Who do you think will win this competition?"
"That girl from the Huo Family is so-so. It’ll probably be between Princess Wei and Miss Ji Wu."
The long-faced Zhang Chi said, "Princess Wei’s riding and archery were personally taught by her brother, General Wei Ting. How could she not be good? The one from the Ji Family looks a bit green to me. I’m betting on Princess Wei!"
The chubby Feng Xiang said, "Old Zhang, I can’t agree with you there. At the last palace banquet, the Holy Emperor himself personally instructed Fifth Miss Ji in archery. Tell me, between the Holy Emperor and General Wei, whose archery is better? It’s not so certain who’ll win and who’ll lose!"
On the field, one arrow after another was shot, and the chatter among the crowd below grew louder and louder.
Seeing Ji Qingwu catch up, Huo Shaofang grew anxious. Her shots became even more unsteady, and she fell far behind, completely losing her chance to compete for first place.
The final victor would be decided between Princess Wei and Ji Qingwu.
