CHAPTER 332: CHAPTER 317: FEELING SLIGHTED

Everyone was talking at once, voicing their dissatisfaction on behalf of Prince Rui.

Yun Ran raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping lazily over them, and a playful, mocking smile tugged at her lips.

What’s this demeanor about? Can’t afford to lose, can you?

Claiming the jade pendant was moved by the wind? That pendant was fixed as if it grew on the tree; how strong was the wind?

And was that wind hers? Was it only targeting Prince Rui’s jade pendant?

Taking three steps back? Weren’t you the one wanting to act righteous?

Yun Ran rolled her eyes silently, raising an eyebrow at Prince Rui, "Your Highness, shall we have another round?"

Prince Rui immediately replied with feigned sincerity, "A wager is a wager, I lost because my skills fell short. How can I blame this or that? This round goes to my sister-in-law."

But as soon as he finished speaking, those voices erupted again in chaos.

"It’s unfair!"

"A hollow victory!"

"Have a rematch!"

Prince Rui lightly coughed, feigning a serious face as he addressed the shouting crowd, "Everyone, calm down and listen. Princess Qin’s archery skills are exceptional, truly unparalleled. I must admit my inferiority!"

"Your Highness is being too humble! Who doesn’t know you’re the most renowned sharpshooter in our dynasty? The previous round doesn’t count; a rematch would be fair!"

"Yes! Yes! Have a rematch!"

Faced with the ’will of the people,’ Prince Rui seemed quite troubled, his brows furrowed as if they could squash a mosquito, "This..."

In her mind, Yun Ran disdainfully criticized Prince Rui and threw him a bone, "Prince Rui, let’s not delay any longer; let’s have another match."

"This... since my sister-in-law and everyone insist, it’s hard for me to refuse. I shall respect your wishes then!"

Yun Ran: "..."

[Get out of here! You’re just pretentious, weak, and fake!]

Someone immediately rushed to reset the jade pendant, but Yun Ran stopped them.

"Let’s play differently this time to avoid the trouble of the jade pendant being blown by the wind again later!"

"..."

Prince Rui’s expression stiffened for a moment at her words but tried to maintain a polite and gentlemanly smile, "Then what does my sister-in-law suggest?"

Yun Ran had six carrier pigeons prepared and attached six jade pendants to them with red strings.

Each set of three pigeons were kept in a cage; when the match starts, the cage door opens, releasing the three pigeons simultaneously.

The contestants must shoot the red string to retrieve the jade pendant, and shooting down a pigeon to get the pendant would be invalid.

After hearing the rules, everyone, including Prince Rui, was dumbfounded.

The pigeons fly high, the red strings are thin as thread. How easy is it to shoot down the pendant?

And still, three pigeons are released at once?

Can you guarantee which way the pigeons will fly? By the time you’ve shot one, who knows how high or far the others have gone?

The difficulty is somewhat...

Everyone looked at each other, momentarily at a loss for words.

Prince Rui secretly cursed Yun Ran, wondering if she was crazy.

How many does she think she can shoot down?

What if she shoots three arrows and not a single feather falls, doesn’t she fear humiliating herself in public?

"This method is brilliant! No need to worry about the wind blowing the jade anymore."

Suddenly, a loud and robust voice stood out amidst the murmuring whispers.

Everyone turned to look at once. Some initially wanted to retort with anger: Who’s this fool? Brilliant? Isn’t it when the jade pendants tied to pigeons swing dizzyingly without the wind?

But when they saw who was speaking, they all fell silent and quietly turned their eyes to the scenery.

Yun Ran also instinctively looked over at the speaker; it was the general who wielded the Red Moon Saber on the long street that day, imposing, stalwart, and bursting with bravado.

According to what Weixi said, he seemed to be the second son of the Yun Family, named Yan, known for being straightforward, decisive, and unparalleled in courage, often making enemy soldiers tremble at his name.

Noticing Yun Ran looking at him, Yun Yan nodded slightly in greeting, and Yun Ran immediately smiled at him, a friendly and sweet smile.

This scene was clearly observed by Nangong Mo, who had been watching her all along. His cold eyes narrowed slightly, casting a fleeting glance at Yun Yan.

Why does this little girl smile like a lovestruck fool at everyone but wants to fight him whenever she sees him?

Yun Yan’s earlier words somewhat displeased Prince Rui, as he felt it implied criticism. However, given Yun Yan’s special status, he’d rather curry favor than offend him.

Thus, Prince Rui smiled slightly and addressed Yun Yan in a loud voice, "What General Yun said is absolutely right. I also think this proposal is excellent. Why not have General Yun as the judge for this round?"

Yun Yan did not refuse, readily agreeing.

Soon, all the props were prepared, and the two pigeon cages were brought forward. Prince Rui once again offered for Yun Ran to go first, and this time Yun Ran went along with it, picking up the bow and arrow before him.

However, she then borrowed a sword, unsheathed it, and drew a circle on the ground.

Prince Rui was a bit puzzled, "What does my sister-in-law mean by this?"

Yun Ran returned the sword to the imperial guard, glanced at Prince Rui, "This is the boundary; we will stand within this circle to avoid any disputes over distance."

Prince Rui: "..."

Feeling somewhat criticized!

This vengeful crazy woman!

Silently gritting his teeth, he maintained the dignified composure of a Prince and nodded solemnly, "My sister-in-law is thorough in her considerations. This is a good idea!"

Yun Ran raised an eyebrow, saying nothing, bending the bow like a full moon, with three arrows successively placed on the bowstring.

Yun Yan personally opened the pigeon cages and counted down from ten, signaling the release of the arrows.

The voice was like a reverberating bell resonating across the sky. At the count of ’one,’ Yun Ran released all three arrows, flying like silver snakes piercing the sky, whistling through the howling wind toward the heavens.

Some opened their eyes wide in disbelief, their gaze following the arrows, their mood surprisingly tense, more so than if they were the ones competing!

Some sneered disdainfully: Hah! So arrogant! Daring to shoot three arrows at once? They’ll all miss for sure! Just wait to be embarrassed!

In those ten counts, the specially trained pigeons could fly quite high and far, so from the ground, many couldn’t see if the arrows hit the red strings.

The only thing to do was wait, wait to see if any jade pendants fell down.

"Ah! It’s falling!"

"One!"

"Ah! Two!"

"Oh my God! Three... three, three! All three came down!"

"Did she hit all three with those arrows?!"

The crowd erupted into cheers, with a few showing unpleasant expressions, unwilling to accept or face this reality. Yet, most were simply in awe and admiration.

Of course, there were also some whose eyes held deep consideration, looking at Yun Ran with a bit more depth, like the Crown Prince.

There were many military leaders present at this hunt, individuals well-acquainted with battlefields, swords, spears, and bows, their everyday tools of war. It’s said that amateurs watch for fun, while the experts observe the technique.

"This young lady, despite her age, has truly remarkable archery skills!"