In the silent tension, the Herb Fruit stood as a colossal irony, reflecting Cai Lin’s scratched face and fearful tears, while Shen Miao stood composed, her demeanor serene.
She retrieved her bow, bent down to pick up the Herb Fruit from the ground, glanced at Cai Lin, and suddenly smiled brightly. “You lost.”
Her youthful appearance had been overshadowed by her unnerving calmness throughout the day, making people forget her age. But now, with that soft, radiant smile, a touch of innocence surfaced. The onlookers scrutinized her and realized that what they had mistaken for dullness was nothing of the sort—this girl had bright eyes and pearly teeth, exuding an air of dignified elegance.
Cai Lin couldn’t utter a word. His face was still smeared with unwashed blood from the earlier scratches, and tears streamed down, smudging the stains, leaving his face a mess of red streaks—utterly humiliated. At this moment, he had no care for pride; his eyes were filled with sheer terror as he stared at Shen Miao.
Shen Miao arched a brow. Seems he’s finally learned fear. Good. A warning to the others—these snakes, rats, and insects around me better behave from now on.
Servants hurriedly helped the trembling Cai Lin off the stage. The Verification officer approached Shen Miao, examining the Herb Fruit riddled with arrows, and asked in astonishment, “Miss Shen, have you practiced mounted archery before?”
Not only did she have impeccable aim, but her draw strength was unyielding. For a delicate young girl like Shen Miao to handle the bow so skillfully was remarkable. And that final shot—everyone had seen it clearly. Cai Lin had collapsed in fear, yet Shen Miao had still struck the Herb Fruit despite his flailing. It was nothing short of astounding.
Practiced? Shen Miao tilted her head slightly, lost in thought.
It was during her first year as a hostage in Qin State. The Qin royalty—princes and princesses alike—had delighted in tormenting her. Watching the Empress suffer seemed to amuse them greatly, and she couldn’t retaliate, not when Qin was lending troops to Ming Qi.
They had invented a new game, much like the rules Cai Lin had set today—taking turns to hold the Herb Fruit as a target. When it was her turn to bear the target, the Qin royals would deliberately shoot to tangle her hair, tear her clothes, or “accidentally” graze her arms and neck. All she could do was endure, gritting her teeth.
Back then, night after night, she would set up a target in her room and practice diligently. She imagined those targets as the people who had hurt her, shooting with focus and determination until she could hit every mark flawlessly.
Yet, when it was her turn to shoot during the day, she would intentionally miss or feign weakness, unable to draw the bow. She had no choice—when under another’s roof, one must bow. She had to survive, to return to Ming Qi, to see Wan Yu and Fu Ming again.
That grueling existence had lasted an entire year. Today, Cai Lin’s actions had dragged her back into those humiliating memories. But in this life, she held no weaknesses others could exploit. Now, she could kill if she wished, shoot as she pleased. To live unshackled—whoever crossed her would face her wrath. If the Cai family dared to use Shen Xin as leverage, she’d make them shut their mouths in fear!
This was how she should live.
She smiled faintly. “I once watched my elder brother practice diligently in the courtyard. Seeing it often, I mimicked his movements. I never expected to succeed by sheer luck today.”
Her words sent the Cai couple below the stage into a rage. Their son, once ranked First Class in mounted archery, had not only failed to hit a single target today but had also been publicly humiliated. And here was Shen Miao, claiming her first attempt at drawing the bow had struck the Herb Fruit—what absurdity was this?
Clap, clap, clap. A crisp round of applause broke out. The crowd turned to see Prince Yu applauding. “Truly impressive.”
Shen Miao shot him a glance but remained silent.
The Verification officer announced loudly, “For mounted archery, does anyone else wish to challenge?”
This round naturally belonged to Shen Miao. Others could still step forward to challenge her. If no one did, she would indisputably claim the First Class rank.
At these words, Shen Yue’s expression darkened instantly. In the first Verification, she had been completely overshadowed by Shen Miao. From afar, she watched Fu Xiuyi conversing with Prince Zhou and Jing Wang, her hands clenching and unclenching. In her heart, she cursed the useless Cai Lin to the depths of hell.
But the next moment, a voice rang out from the field: “I wish to challenge Shen Miao!”
From the men’s seating area, a young man stood. He was no more than sixteen or seventeen, decent-looking, but his eyes betrayed an inescapable shrewdness and affectation. Even his polite tone reeked of pretense.
With just one glance, Shen Miao knew exactly who he was. She almost laughed. This was Xie Changwu, the second young master of the Xie family—Xie Jingxing’s younger half-brother, a mere illegitimate son of Lin’an Marquis Xie.
This man had no real skills but was a master of flattery and political maneuvering. Later, when the Xie family collapsed, he and his brother Xie Changchao, along with their mother Fang Shi, thrived on the new emperor’s pity for the fallen house. The two even secured official positions. Back then, Shen Miao had despised these brothers—they had sided with Mei Furen, allied with Fu Sheng, and often helped suppress Fu Ming.
Her warning to Xie Jingxing to eliminate his half-brothers stemmed from her lingering resentment from her past life. These two were enemies—keeping them alive meant inviting trouble.
Her vengeance hadn’t yet reached them, but here one was, delivering himself to her doorstep. But why? She glanced at Cai Daren’s seat—the man’s face was stormy, while Xie Changchao seemed to be comforting him.
Ah, of course. Recently, the Xie brothers had been seeking positions under Cai Daren’s patronage, hence their efforts to cozy up to Cai Lin. Unfortunately, Cai Lin had only ever wanted to befriend Xie Jingxing, ignoring the brothers entirely. But wasn’t this the perfect opportunity?
In her past life, by the end of this year—around the time she successfully forced her marriage to Fu Xiuyi—Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao had both entered Cai Daren’s service. And then… two years later, the Cai family was embroiled in an embezzlement scandal, leading to their complete ruin.
Many things had changed, yet many remained the same. The path might differ, but the destination seemed unaltered.
The Xie brothers wanted to use this chance to curry favor with the Cai family—at her expense?
Just as Shen Miao was about to respond, a voice cut in lazily from the side, dripping with mockery.
“At home, you never practiced with your elder brother, yet now you challenge a little girl? Xie Changwu, you’ve truly regressed.”
Xie Jingxing appeared on the stage, arms crossed, smirking at his stunned half-brothers below. “How about I challenge both of you instead? Let me teach my brothers a lesson—don’t act like cowards, picking fights with women and embarrassing yourselves in public.”
He then glanced at Shen Miao. “You may step down.”
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