Chapter 36: Your Highness, I Wonder If You Could Endure Falling from the Clouds into the Mud Back Then

Today was a good day. A gentle breeze brushed by, and the winter sky was clear. The azure sky was as pure as if washed, and the drill ground was quiet and serene.

The carriage hurried along, and the two of them arrived at the drill ground ahead of time.

Shortly after Su Yingxue and Chu Xingchen reached the archery range, Mr. Liu arrived as well.

“Your Highness, how has your bow-drawing practice been these past few days? Let me see,” said Mr. Liu, clad in armor but without a helmet, a long sword at his waist. His speech was rough and straightforward, bearing the demeanor of a military officer.

“Yes, sir,” replied Su Yingxue. She instructed Qiushuang to fetch the bow, then stood firm, took a deep breath, and strained to draw the bowstring just as she had practiced during her nightly training sessions.

Su Yingxue’s current body was far too weak. Having been pampered and spoiled for years, she was delicate and frail, lacking strength in her arms. Logically, someone who loved wielding the red whip to strike others shouldn’t be so physically feeble.

But over the past two months, Su Yingxue had incorporated modern physical conditioning exercises into her routine. Every night before bed, she ran 200 laps around the hall, followed by 100 push-ups and jumping jacks.

She even had Chunhua make her a jump rope, and she skipped 500 times daily.

Though her maids looked at her as if she were an oddity for exerting herself so much before sleep, heaven rewards the diligent. Through her own efforts, her physical condition had improved significantly.

While it still couldn’t compare to her modern body, she was no longer as delicate and frail as before. She had grown healthier, and her arm strength had increased considerably.

This time, Su Yingxue’s bow-drawing was noticeably better than before. Today, she could steadily draw the longbow, though she couldn’t hold it for very long. Still, Mr. Liu was quite satisfied, as there was progress—at least she could draw the bow now.

It was far better than the first month when she couldn’t even pull the bowstring. The child was teachable. Mr. Liu smiled with relief. “Just keep practicing, and you’ll be able to hold it longer.”

“Thank you for your guidance, sir,” Su Yingxue said with a smile, bowing in gratitude. Remembering that she hadn’t yet informed Mr. Liu about Chu Xingchen joining the lessons, she hastily explained with a smile, “Sir, this is Younger Brother Chu.”

Su Yingxue tugged at the sleeve of Chu Xingchen, who was standing behind her, pulling him forward a couple of steps. Smiling, she introduced him to Mr. Liu, “Younger Brother Chu has never learned archery, but he appears naturally intelligent and physically robust—surely a talent for martial arts. It’s a pity that circumstances delayed his training over the years. I hope you will take pity on him and instruct him well.”

Though Mr. Liu had long served as an external official, he was still part of the palace and was not unaware of recent rumors.

It was said that not long ago, the Eldest Princess accidentally fell into the lake and was rescued by the Hostage Prince of Da Qi, Chu Huangzi. The Eldest Princess had since changed her attitude toward him, showing him considerable care and concern.

This in itself wasn’t particularly strange. What was unusual was that the Eldest Princess was known for her fiery temper.

Being a martial arts practitioner, Mr. Liu merely listened quietly. He then reached out and symbolically felt Chu Xingchen’s shoulder and limb bones, remarking indifferently, “Indeed, his physique is sturdier than Your Highness’s, with better bone structure. Let’s hope he learns martial arts, archery, and horsemanship faster than you did.”

Upon hearing this, Su Yingxue’s face flushed as red as a ripe tomato, and she fell silent. After all, she couldn’t deny it, could she?

Fortunately, Chu Xingchen did not take this matter to heart. Perhaps it was because he had never seen Su Yingxue practice horseback archery, or perhaps it was because, although he had heard some rumors, he truly could not imagine just how poor a person’s horseback archery skills could be.

After all, Chu Xingchen himself had only learned horseback archery in recent years with the help of his Shadow Guards. He had left a Shadow Guard disguised as himself in the palace while he, posing as a palace servant, went out to learn. In truth, Chu Xingchen’s current horseback archery skills were far from ordinary.

Let alone basic techniques like drawing a bow and shooting at a target, with his current skill level, he could easily shoot birds from the sky while riding a galloping horse.

However, at present, Chu Xingchen needed to conceal his true abilities. After all, a Hostage Prince who was too outstanding and capable would not be a good thing in a capital like that of the Da Sheng Kingdom, where spies were everywhere.

Hiding one’s talents was inevitable. The moment Chu Xingchen lowered his head, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. As long as he endured this period, obtained the intelligence, and left Da Sheng to return to Da Qi, it would be the time for him to wash away past humiliations and fully display his brilliance.

Chu Xingchen calmly concealed all emotions in his eyes. He lifted his gaze and coldly looked at the blushing young woman not far ahead, yet he felt a flicker of curiosity. If one day Su Yingxue were to witness his true self, what expression would she wear?

Now, Su Yingxue was going to great lengths to cultivate and win him over, unaware that she was actually walking alongside a snake all along.

Chu Xingchen had been a hostage for ten years. His hatred for the Da Sheng Kingdom, born of national and personal grievances, was as deep as his hatred for Su Yingxue and all these people of Da Qi. He had been lurking in the shadows, enduring and biding his time, secretly gathering strength, waiting for the moment to strike a fatal blow. Wasn’t that just like a venomous snake hunting its prey?

He wondered what kind of splendid expression Su Yingxue would have if one day she discovered that the snake she had nurtured had bitten her to death? Disbelief? Bitter regret?

Thinking of this, Chu Xingchen felt an inexplicable sense of pleasure. After all, seeing her suffer and regret was the revenge he had secretly vowed to exact upon her all these years.

There was plenty of time ahead, Your Highness the Eldest Princess. He just wondered if, when you fell from the clouds into the mire, you would be able to endure such inhuman torture and humiliation as he once had.

Chu Xingchen gazed deeply at Su Yingxue, silently questioning her in his heart.

Mr. Liu taught Chu Xingchen and Su Yingxue a few basic techniques before leaving. He instructed them to practice on their own for a while and said he would return to check their progress after the time it took for two incense sticks to burn.

Today’s lesson was still about drawing the bow and shooting at the target. Even though Su Yingxue had been learning for over a month now, she still hadn’t grasped the essence of archery. Forget hitting the bullseye; even hitting the target itself was a problem.

Su Yingxue shot several arrows in succession. Even though her posture and technique were correct, she still couldn’t hit the target. She couldn’t help but feel somewhat discouraged.

Su Yingxue glanced at Chu Xingchen beside her. Even though it was his first time handling a bow and shooting an arrow, his posture and movements were so standard, as if they were molded from the same template as Mr. Liu’s.

Su Yingxue had shot numerous arrows and practiced for over a month, yet her arrows still couldn’t even touch the target. But Chu Xingchen, in just his first lesson, had managed to shoot his arrow straight onto the target. Although it was still far from the bullseye, at least in his very first lesson, he had effortlessly surpassed all her diligent practice.

Indeed, heaven never spoon-fed her. There were probably few people in the entire Da Sheng Kingdom as lacking in martial talent as she was. Su Yingxue sighed softly, not daring to rest. She continued to pick up arrows one by one, drawing the bow, aiming, and shooting, repeating the mechanical training over and over.