Free Web NovelChapter 118: Chapter 118: Completely Convinced? A Slap in the Face on the Spot
She drew her bow with a steady, precise hand. With a WHOOSH, the arrow was released.
The entire arena erupted in cheers.
The scorekeeper’s voice boomed with excitement. "Ten rings! Princess Wei has hit ten rings!"
As expected of a lady from a great house, Princess Consort Wei had not tarnished Wei Ting’s reputation. At the most critical moment, she delivered a flawless performance.
Wei Liru did this not just for her family’s honor, but to prove her own abilities before the Emperor.
When Ji Qingwu heard the result, a flicker of emotion crossed her eyes.
’It wasn’t because Princess Consort Wei had achieved a perfect score, but rather...’ freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
She had once pestered Wei Ting at the Northern Border to teach her riding and archery, but he had always fobbed her off, citing his military duties. Over time, his "some other day" had stretched into an indefinite future.
’But then, Wei Ting had refused her many times. She was long used to it.’
’The way Princess Consort Wei shot her arrow bore a resemblance to Wei Ting. As Emperor Wu Su’s favored concubine, had she received his guidance, too? Just like me...’
Ji Qingwu lowered her head, a bitter pang in her chest, and stroked her horse’s mane.
After releasing the arrow, Wei Liru looked toward the distant Emperor. The crowd was cheering, but he remained perfectly still, not moving an inch. From this distance, she couldn’t make out his expression, but he didn’t appear to be pleased or excited.
She tossed her bow to a nearby guard, swung off her horse, and retrieved the Suihou Pearl from its brocade box. Then she walked over to stand behind Ji Qingwu.
"Fifth Miss Ji, I’ve won! The Suihou Pearl is mine now. Do you concede?"
Wei Liru was already basking in the joy of her victory. She knew that even if her opponent also scored ten rings, it would be pointless. She was already the winner of this match.
Ji Qingwu merely glanced at the bow in her hands and said slowly, "Congratulations, Princess Wei. But I didn’t enter this competition for the prize, nor was I vying for first place."
’She could lose the match, but she would never concede in her heart.’
Wei Liru looked as if she had heard something outrageous. She raised her slender brows. "Oh? Then what *did* you come for?"
Ji Qingwu said, "Simply to test the results of my recent training. To be honest, first place or last place makes no difference to me."
Wei Liru laughed aloud, her voice dripping with derision. "Fifth Miss Ji, to the victor go the spoils. Now that you can’t take first place, you resort to such boasts in front of me. Aren’t you being a sore loser?"
Ji Qingwu urged her horse past her, unwilling to explain further.
’The reason she had come was simple: she loved the feeling of freedom and release that riding and archery gave her. That was all. Not for the crowd’s approval, nor to capture the Emperor’s attention, but simply because, in her heart, she loved it.’
’Come to think of it, men only get in the way of her archery.’
Ji Qingwu returned to the shooting line, her expression as unhurried as ever. She took a slow, steadying breath, her eyes tracking the moving target.
The roaring cheers of the crowd were all for Princess Consort Wei. Ji Qingwu didn’t care where their attention was focused or if anyone was even watching her anymore. All that mattered was this one arrow.
She suddenly spurred her horse into a gallop, her jet-black hair flying in the wind as if she were chasing the sun itself.
Ji Qingwu planted one foot firmly in a stirrup and rose from the saddle. In a single, graceful turn, she began to nock her arrow and draw the bow.
As if sensing what she was about to do, the Emperor on the high dais could no longer remain seated. He rose to his feet, a tall and elegant figure, his gaze fixed intently on the white fletching of her arrow.
Once her stance was set, she locked onto the target’s position. Ji Qingwu leaned far down off the side of her horse, her body almost parallel to the ground, and released the arrow in the same instant. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Her waist, supple and strong, bent into an incredible arc. She was mere inches from the ground, yet held the pose for a long moment.
The arrow flew toward its intended destination.
First, a sharp CLANG.
It had collided with something. Then came the clean THWACK of an arrow striking a target.
Once the arrow found its mark, Ji Qingwu used her core and leg strength to swing back into the saddle, as light as a passing cloud.
The horse ambled across the field as she caught her breath in small gasps.
The cheers died, replaced by a collective, incredulous gasp from the crowd.
With her final arrow, Ji Qingwu had shot *through* the target.
But the target she had pierced was Princess Consort Wei’s!
The scorekeeper shouted, "A bullseye, but the points are void! The winner of this round is Princess Wei!"
Wei Liru, the supposed winner, stared at her own arrow, which now lay split in two in the dirt.
She demanded furiously, "Ji Qingwu, what is the meaning of this!"
Ji Qingwu dismounted cleanly. Looking at the woman blocking her path, she said, "Princess Wei, my eyesight isn’t very good. For a moment, I couldn’t see the target clearly and missed again."
With that, she slipped past her and left the range.
’Missed, yet managed to split my arrow with perfect accuracy?’ Wei Liru ground her teeth in frustration.
Coming from anyone else, the excuse wouldn’t have held water. But coming from Ji Qingwu, it seemed almost plausible.
Ji Qingwu’s first arrow had hit the wrong target, and her last arrow ended with the same excuse of "missing." In a way, she had seen it through from beginning to end.
The winner of the equestrian archery competition was Princess Consort Wei. She received the predetermined prize, as well as the Suihou Pearl, which was a special reward from the Emperor.
Because she had "missed" the target, Ji Qingwu dropped to fifth place. Huo Shaofang, meanwhile, had her to thank for regaining the second-place spot.
After the women’s event concluded, it was time for the men’s division to take the stage, and the atmosphere shifted at once.
The men’s division would hold a traditional archery ritual competition. It was far more formal and followed the "Three-Round Archery" rule.
The first round was for form; results were announced but not scored. The second round scored the number of hits, but only if the arrow pierced the target. The third round required the archers to shoot in time with drum music; they had to not only hit the target but also match the rhythm of the music.
Down below, the field was being prepared.
Ji Qingwu had already returned to the viewing stands at the side, where Mrs. Qiao was looking at her with red-rimmed eyes.
She was instantly alarmed. "Mother, what’s wrong? It looks like you’ve been crying. Did someone bully you?"
This was the seating area for the ministers’ female relatives. She glanced around suspiciously but saw no one who looked hostile.
’It was a little strange, though. All the magnificently dressed ladies were staring at her, their eyes filled with fervor.’
Mrs. Qiao’s voice was choked with emotion. She hurriedly said, "No, it’s nothing. I’m fine. The wind just blew something into my eye."
’She was too embarrassed to admit that, at her age, she had been so awestruck by Xiao Wu’s final, magnificent shot that she’d been moved to tears.’
Mrs. Qiao was filled with emotion at the thought that she had given birth to such a wonderful daughter. But that was immediately followed by the painful memory of Xiao Wu’s years spent adrift, without the formal tutelage from a young age that someone like Princess Consort Wei had received. So much natural talent had been delayed.
’Otherwise, it would be hard to say who would have truly won today.’
A bittersweet feeling washed over Mrs. Qiao. She felt it was all her fault, her heart a mix of pride and profound regret.
Madam Qiao smiled, the wrinkles crinkling at the corners of her eyes. "Xiao Wu, Ru Ying just got too excited watching you shoot. These are tears of joy."
Ji Qingwu tucked a wind-tousled strand of hair behind her ear and said sheepishly, "Grandmother, Mother, I didn’t manage to win."
