"Ye Yunfeng! Are you alright?"
The Assistant Teacher asked, his face etched with worry.
Ye Yunfeng said nothing, his gaze cold as he stared ahead.
Feng Zhang strode forward and shouted sharply, "Murong Ye! What do you think you’re doing!?"
At the furious shout, a collective shiver ran through the crowd.
Murong Ye’s brow twitched, and his arrogant deanor finally deflated a bit.
Although Feng Zhang wasn’t of high rank, he was backed by the National Guardian General—soone Murong Ye couldn’t afford to offend.
He flashed Feng Zhang an obsequious smile. "Lord Master, my sincerest apologies. My aim was off. I was trying to hit the target behind him, but this disobedient horse suddenly moved, and I... I swear, it wasn’t on purpose!"
Feng Zhang’s expression remained grim.
Everyone knew perfectly well who Murong Ye’s arrow had actually been aid at.
But if he refused to admit it, there was nothing anyone could do, especially since Ye Yunfeng wasn’t actually injured.
Besides, cases of accidental injury had occurred during previous monthly exams.
Feng Zhang rebuked him sharply, "Your aim was off? This isn’t your first day learning mounted archery. How could you make such a foolish mistake! Has everything you’ve learned gone to the dogs?"
The vast training ground fell silent, and the mocking smile on Murong Ye’s face froze.
He had never been publicly rebuked so harshly before.
But this was Feng Zhang, and he was indeed in the wrong, so he couldn’t even say a word in rebuttal.
Murong Ye suppressed his resentnt and turned to look at Ye Yunfeng, his lips twisting into a sneer. "The Lord Master is right to scold . I admit I was at fault, but... from the looks of it, Ye Yunfeng is fine. He’s not going to hold a grudge, is he?"
A cold glint appeared in Ye Yunfeng’s eyes as he said, word by word, "I. Mind. Very. Much."
Murong Ye’s gaze shifted down to the snapped bow in Ye Yunfeng’s hand, and he let out an indifferent scoff.
"It’s just a bow, isn’t it? I’ll compensate you! How much did you pay for it? I’ll give you double!"
Ye Yunfeng’s face was a mask of cold frost.
Murong Ye’s smile stiffened. For so reason, he felt an unnerving sense of danger from Ye Yunfeng.
It made him deeply uncomfortable.
He rubbed the back of his neck. "It’s just a bow. Do you have to be like that? Besides, it’s not entirely my fault. Your bow was just too flimsy—it snapped with one touch! Next ti, rember to buy a better one. Don’t be cheap and buy such low-quality junk."
Ye Yunfeng stared at him intently and spoke slowly, "Say that again?"
Murong Ye t those long, narrow, pitch-black eyes, and his heart skipped a beat. The words suddenly caught in his throat, and he found he couldn’t get them out.
He looked away, embarrassed, and his lips gave a weak twitch.
"The bow is broken, so you can’t continue the exam. Either forfeit or go borrow another one. Whatever you do, don’t waste everyone’s ti."
Ye Jingyan stepped forward. "A Feng, use mine."
’No matter what, we can’t back down now. Otherwise, we’ll beco a laughingstock for Murong Ye and his group.’
Ye Yunfeng squeezed his horse’s flanks, rode to the edge of the field, and handed the broken bow to Ye Jingyan.
Ye Jingyan studied his expression and reminded him in a low voice, "A Feng, do you rember what our sister told us before we ca?"
Ye Yunfeng paused, his lips thinning into a line. "I rember."
’This is the Capital City, after all.’
Ye Jingyan nodded and passed his own bow over.
However, just as Ye Yunfeng’s hand touched the bow, Murong Ye’s laughing voice sounded from behind him again. "Your bow was garbage, so your brother’s can’t be much better, can it? How about I lend you one?"
’This was blatant humiliation!’
Ye Yunfeng whipped his head around, his gaze frigid. But before he could speak, he suddenly heard a familiar voice from the side.
"Fourth Young Master Ye."
Ye Yunfeng turned toward the voice and froze.
The newcor was none other than Lian Zhou.
Seeing him, the Assistant Teacher and the students began to murmur among themselves.
"Who’s that?"
"You don’t know him? Didn’t you see the token on his belt? He’s with the Heir of Duke Dingbei!"
"I heard earlier that the Heir of Duke Dingbei was here. The Lord Master was so late—it was probably because of him, right?"
"Look, the person standing over there by the pavilion—I think that’s the Princely Heir!"
Shen Yanchuan’s visit had been a discreet one, so most people were unaware of his presence.
It wasn’t until the conflict between Murong Ye and Ye Yunfeng erupted and Feng Zhang appeared that everyone noticed the Heir of Duke Dingbei had also co. He had been by the pavilion the whole ti and had probably seen everything unfold.
Many of them grew excited.
Although many of them were also the sons of officials, they were still a far cry from Royal Nobles like the Heir of Duke Dingbei.
Now that they knew he was here, everyone was naturally buzzing with excitent.
But... why would his trusted aide suddenly approach them? And why was he looking for Ye Yunfeng?
Under the crowd’s confused gazes, Lian Zhou walked straight to the edge of the training ground.
He presented a rectangular rosewood box with both hands and said with a smile, "Fourth Young Master Ye’s bow is broken. Why not use this one?"
...
Dead silence.
Everyone was stunned, thinking they had misheard.
What... was happening?
Even Ye Yunfeng was taken aback.
"What?"
Lian Zhou explained with a smile, "Actually, when the Princely Heir learned that you two young masters had enrolled in the Imperial College, he specially commissioned two fine bows as gifts for you. However, since they were custom-made, they took quite so ti. Plus, Doctor Ye has been busy attending to the Eldest Princess’s health, so we never found the right opportunity to deliver them. It’s a happy coincidence that we ca to the Imperial College today, so we took this chance to present them to you directly."
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Qiao Zimo’s eyes widened as he stamred in disbelief, "...What does that an? The Princely Heir is personally giving them bows? And he’s been trying to give them for a long ti!?"
Murong Ye was utterly shocked.
’He knew Ye Chutang was acquainted with the Heir of Duke Dingbei and had heard she’d been frequenting the Long Princess Mansion, but—but—is her influence really that great!?’
’So many people sched for a chance to curry favor with the Dingbei Marquis Mansion, yet she, an orphan who had been in exile for three years, had actually...’
’You only ever hear of people failing to find a way to give the Heir of Duke Dingbei gifts. Who has ever heard of him being unable to deliver a gift he wanted to give, to the point of having to co to the Imperial College just to do it!?’
Ye Yunfeng was also a bit dazed and subconsciously looked at Ye Jingyan.
Ye Jingyan looked at the invaluable wooden box, his first instinct to refuse.
"Thank you for the Princely Heir’s kind intentions, but this gift is too valuable. We—"
"Doctor Ye perford a great service in saving the Eldest Princess. This small thank-you gift is hardly enough to show our respect," Lian Zhou said.
’With so many people watching, it would be a great offense to refuse him and make him lose face.’
Ye Jingyan paused, then looked toward the tall, slender figure in the distant pavilion. "In that case, we thank the Princely Heir."
...
The mont Ye Yunfeng opened the box, his eyes instantly lit up.
He picked up the bow. It was heavy and sturdy, with a significant heft.
He tested its weight, liking it more and more, and pulled an arrow directly from his quiver.
He drew the bow—the arrowhead aid straight at Murong Ye!
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