Shen Miao stared at him motionlessly.
She had warned Xie Jingxing and naturally prepared for his participation, but she hadn’t expected it to unfold like this. It almost seemed as though he had deliberately stepped in to help her, though that wasn’t the case.
Xie Changwu hadn’t anticipated Xie Jingxing’s sudden appearance either. Today, his sole purpose had been to curry favor with the Cai family. Since Shen Miao had already offended them, he figured that by humiliating her and teaching her a lesson on their behalf, the Cai family would surely look upon him favorably. Though Shen Miao’s mounted archery skills appeared decent, the physical disparity between men and women was undeniable. Moreover, Cai Lin’s defeat had been due to his own underestimation of her.
But Xie Changwu was not one to underestimate his opponent. If possible, he would even resort to subtle tricks with the arrows—after all, Shen Miao wasn’t a regular practitioner of martial arts and wouldn’t notice.
Such were his well-laid plans, yet he never imagined his elder brother would intervene midway.
Not only were the two Xie brothers stunned, but the crowd below the stage was equally shocked. If the Marquis Lin'an had been present today, he too would have been dumbfounded. Year after year, Xie Jingxing had never participated in the Verification. Yet despite this, everyone knew his prowess in both literary and martial arts, especially the latter. Though he never competed, his occasional military campaigns had left remarkable impressions. Were it not for the risk of drawing imperial suspicion by standing out too much, Xie Jingxing’s battlefield reputation might even rival that of seasoned generals.
However, his absence from the annual Verification wasn’t to allay the imperial family’s concerns. It was simply because he was an unrestrained man, seemingly born with a rebellious streak—or perhaps he deliberately opposed his father. In any case, he disdained the performances at the Verification. Precisely because he never participated, people had no choice but to turn their attention to the two illegitimate sons of Marquis Lin'an Manor. Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao had worked hard, often securing First Class rankings in the annual Verification.
But this year, with the most unconventional young marquis of the Xie family competing against his two outstanding illegitimate brothers—who would win?
Though Xie Jingxing’s reputation preceded him, people were more accustomed to trusting what they saw with their own eyes. In Fixed Capital, Xie Jingxing had never publicly displayed his talents. Women could only catch glimpses of his brilliance through fragments of praise from their husbands, but hearsay was unreliable, leaving room for doubt.
The other young men, though envious of Xie Jingxing’s carefree and unrestrained life, also harbored some jealousy. Now, seeing an opportunity to humble his arrogance, they were secretly pleased. Moreover, the two Xie brothers were adept at socializing, having cultivated many friendships, so the young men naturally sided with Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao.
As for the young women, their cheeks had already flushed at the sight of Xie Jingxing’s striking features. His extraordinary bearing, so unlike the soft and decadent air of Fixed Capital’s spoiled young masters, exuded a martial vigor—cold as blood-stained ice, yet always accompanied by a roguish smile, making him all the more captivating. Thus, the girls wholeheartedly rooted for Xie Jingxing.Shen Miao took in the expressions of everyone on the field. Most likely, these people thought that Xie Jingxing's sudden challenge to his two younger brothers was merely a whim, the capricious temper of a noble young master. However... Shen Miao smiled faintly. Xie Jingxing was not someone easy to deal with. Since he had already stepped onto the Verification ground, there was no way he would let his two illegitimate brothers leave unscathed. The difference between Xie Jingxing and her was that while she appeared reckless on the surface, she still followed a methodical approach, knowing that patience was key to achieving her goals.
But Xie Jingxing, relying on the backing of Marquis Lin'an Manor, seemed utterly fearless.
Yet, was Marquis Lin'an Manor truly his only support?
As she pondered, Xie Changwu spoke up from below the stage, "Elder Brother, this... might not be appropriate."
"What's inappropriate about it?" Xie Jingxing glanced at Shen Miao, then at Xie Changwu, and suddenly laughed. He said, "Or do you think Shen Miao is more challenging than me?"
A wave of laughter erupted from the crowd.
Xie Jingxing continued to scrutinize Shen Miao with a critical eye. "No internal energy, no martial skills, yet you challenge her to mounted archery. As someone trained in martial arts, challenging a defenseless woman—even I can't understand that." He suddenly smirked, his voice low and magnetic. "Though the little girl is quite pretty. If you're challenging her based on looks, then it's well-deserved."
This time, the young men who had been holding back their laughter burst out, some even casting suggestive glances at Shen Miao. Indeed, now that Shen Miao had shed her former foolish image, her features seemed to glow. She had always been quite lovely, with a charming and innocent appearance, yet exuding an unshakable calm—a contrast that was hard to ignore. However, her past reputation was so deeply ingrained that people struggled to adjust. Xie Jingxing's words, though, seemed to tear away that veil, and the young men readily acknowledged that Shen Miao was a uniquely beautiful girl.
The girls, however, were displeased. Xie Jingxing's words were clearly praising Shen Miao's looks. Shen Yue and Shen Qing both stiffened. Though they now admired Fu Xiuyi, there were many handsome and extraordinary men in the world, not just him. A young man like Xie Jingxing was one of a kind in Fixed Capital, even in all of Ming Qi. For such a youth to praise that Incompetent girl made the prideful Shen Yue and Shen Qing seethe with jealousy.
Yi Peilan frowned and muttered, "Has Young Marquis Xie gone blind? How could he think Shen Miao is pretty?"
"She must have bewitched him somehow," Bai Wei bit her lip, glaring at the young man on the stage. "Shen Miao is truly shameless. First, she clung to Prince Ding, and now she's after Young Marquis Xie."
Shen Miao was unaware of such gossip, but even if she had known, she would have dismissed it with a smile. Because she understood that Xie Jingxing's words were neither meant to tease her nor to help her out of a predicament. Instead, he was forcing the Xie brothers onto the stage in a way they couldn't refuse.
To be fair, the Xie brothers naturally had no desire to confront Xie Jingxing. Regardless of the outcome, Xie Ding had always favored his legitimate son. If illegitimate sons challenged their legitimate brother on the Verification ground, what would Xie Ding think? He would only see discord among brothers. And the biased Xie Ding would undoubtedly hold it against them.Therefore, Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao would definitely try to find excuses to refuse, but Xie Jingxing was also a clever one—he didn't force them, he simply provoked them.
Indeed, it was quite strange that Xie Changwu was unwilling to challenge Xie Jingxing but instead chose to challenge Shen Miao, who couldn’t even hold a chicken. His selfish motives were practically laid bare before everyone.
To dispel such suspicions and prove that he wasn’t just trying to climb the Cai family’s social ladder, Xie Changwu had no choice but to step onto the stage and compete with Xie Jingxing. It was a reluctant decision, but once he agreed, his scheme of using Shen Miao to gain favor with the Cai family was ruined—in other words, he had already lost.
He gritted his teeth and stood up. “Since my elder brother insists, how could I refuse?”
Xie Jingxing wouldn’t give him any chance to resent him. On the battlefield, if he wanted someone to lose, he would ensure their defeat was utterly humiliating.
“One person isn’t enough,” he raised an eyebrow. “Third Brother, join us.”
－－－－－－Author’s Note－－－－－－
Thesis defense is done! Next up—graduation photos! ~\（≧▽≦）~
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