On and off the stage, everyone was frozen into a still frame.
The one who shattered this scene was Cai Lin. He reached up to touch his left cheek, where the arrow had just grazed past, leaving a faint trace of crimson blood.
Everyone was stunned.
Shen Miao had actually dared to shoot—not stopping the arrow midway, nor deliberately aiming far off. The distance between her and the Herb Fruit was neither too close nor too far, yet the arrow had precisely skimmed past Cai Lin’s cheek.
Cai Lin shouted furiously, “Shen Miao, what are you doing?” Before his words even faded, a second arrow came whistling through the air, grazing his right cheek with unerring accuracy. Cai Lin immediately felt a searing pain on his right cheek. When he touched it, his fingers came away smeared with blood.
He was nearly driven mad. Staring at Shen Miao in disbelief, Cai Daren also wanted to intervene, but with Prince Yu seated at the front, he dared not make a move.
Ren Wanyun abruptly stood up. “Has Fifth Sister gone mad? How dare she actually harm the young master of the Cai family?”
“Your Fifth Young Lady is truly formidable,” Madam Yi feigned astonishment. “Ordinary girls wouldn’t have the courage for this. If the young master of the Cai family is injured, won’t the two masters have a few more unfriendly colleagues in court?”
These words struck a chord with both Ren Wanyun and Chen Ruoqiu. They had initially thought this would merely be an opportunity for Shen Miao to embarrass herself. Who could have imagined that not only did she not disgrace herself, but she had also wounded Cai Lin? If the Cai family were to hold a grudge against the Shen Mansion over this—given that the Cai family was aligned with the civil officials—how could Shen Gui and Shen Wan possibly escape unscathed? The mere thought of this made Ren Wanyun frantic with anxiety, wishing she could drag Shen Miao to the Cai family to apologize immediately. Just as she was about to loudly call out to stop Shen Miao’s actions, Chen Ruoqiu grabbed her hand.
“Sister-in-law, what are you doing?” Ren Wanyun said irritably. “Are we just going to stand by and watch Fifth Sister cause trouble? When the master asks about this later, who will take responsibility?”
Chen Ruoqiu could hardly contain her exasperation toward this sister-in-law. She came from a more distinguished background than Ren Wanyun and prided herself on being from a scholarly Aristocratic family. She disdained vulgar displays and naturally looked down on Ren Wanyun’s unsophisticated thinking. She said, “Second Sister-in-law makes a fair point, but didn’t you hear earlier that even Prince Yu has spoken? Otherwise, why do you think Cai Daren hasn’t uttered a word yet, just watching his son get injured? Even if Second Sister-in-law speaks up, do you have the authority to decide anything here? It’s better to wait and see. If questioned later, we can simply treat it as a childish game.”
“Are we really supposed to just watch?” Ren Wanyun knew Chen Ruoqiu’s reasoning was sound, but she couldn’t help worrying. “What if Fifth Sister doesn’t know her limits and causes a major disaster? A life-and-death contract is one thing, but the rumors in Fixed Capital are another.”
“What’s there to fear? Didn’t you see Fifth Sister’s earlier shot?” Chen Ruoqiu chuckled. “She clearly knows how to handle a bow—she’s just deliberately humiliating the Cai boy. This is her way of retaliating. But she must also understand the stakes; otherwise, it wouldn’t just be a scratch on the cheek.” Chen Ruoqiu sighed. “At any rate, the offense has already been committed. Since that’s the case, let nature take its course. If Fifth Sister truly goes too far, she’ll likely earn herself a reputation for cruelty in the future.”The words of the sisters-in-law fell clearly into the ears of Shen Qing and Shen Yue. Still young and ignorant of the intricacies of officialdom, they only caught the last sentence. Shen Yue watched Shen Miao on the stage, her long sleeves billowing, composed and stealing the spotlight today—it was truly infuriating. She thought, if only Shen Miao had actually shot Cai Lin dead, then she would bear the weight of a life on her conscience. Who would dare marry such a cruel person? Who would dare approach her?
A mere graze like this was only impressive, not ruthless.
The more she thought this way, the brighter Shen Yue’s eyes gleamed. Cai Lin, who had gone out of his way to challenge Shen Miao for her sake, was already forgotten in her mind. She even wished Cai Lin would sacrifice his life to cement Shen Miao’s wicked reputation.
Though the crowd below murmured incessantly, none dared speak up out of respect for Prince Yu’s presence. Even Cai Lin’s parents, frantic with worry, could only watch helplessly as their son stood on the stage like a target.
“Shen Miao, what do you want?” Cai Lin’s face burned from the two arrows that had grazed his cheeks. Beyond anger, fear now crept into his heart. He suddenly realized there was nothing Shen Miao wouldn’t dare do—she was clearly a madwoman, unbound by any restraint!
From a distance, Shen Miao’s voice was faint, inaudible to the crowd but clear to Cai Lin. It floated over like a whisper from the clouds, impossible to ignore.
She said, “Teaching you a lesson.”
Then, raising her voice, she announced, “One last arrow!”
Every eye in the crowd fixed on the arrow. Cai Lin’s legs trembled so violently he had to pinch himself to stay upright. Because he saw—Shen Miao’s arrow was now aimed at his head.
Terror seized him, the kind reserved for those who feared the Shen family’s recklessness. It overwhelmed him, consuming his every thought. He wanted nothing more than to flee the Verification stage, but Shen Miao’s arrow followed him, as if it could chase him to the ends of the earth.
“The Shen family’s young lady is far too aggressive,” muttered some of the men in the audience. Though they admired her composure, they lamented her current display. A woman being too strong-willed was hardly a virtue. Her relentless pursuit of Cai Lin was nothing but retaliation for his earlier challenge. Yet Cai Lin had caused her no real harm—whereas she had now scarred his face. While boys weren’t as delicate as girls, a scar on the face… was still unsightly.
“Now that’s General Shen’s daughter,” others cheered. “If she just took insults without fighting back, the general would be furious.”
“But look—she’s aiming at Cai Lin’s head now. She means to take his life. That’s downright cruel.”
Cai Lin’s legs shook uncontrollably as he stared at the girl in the purple robe like she was a demon. Her face was gentle and lovely, her eyes clear, even innocent. But her hands and movements showed not a hint of hesitation.
Shen Miao whispered, “The third one.”
Her fingers released, and the arrow shot forth with deadly precision, its killing intent aimed straight for Cai Lin’s forehead. With a cry of “Help me!” Cai Lin collapsed to his knees, a terrified wail tearing from his throat."Lin'er!" Madam Cai and Cai Daren cried out in unison.
Everyone in the hall stood up, craning their necks to see what was happening on the stage.
Cai Lin had collapsed inexplicably on the ground, while the round Herb Fruit on the floor had been pierced clean through by a black arrow.
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