Chapter 49

In the silence, the fruit’s appearance was like the largest sarcasm that was reflected on Cai Lin’s scratched face filled with fearful tears, as he look at Shen Miao standing still, full of indifference.

She kept the bow and bent over to pick up the fallen fruit before looking at Cai Lin and laughed, “You have lost.”

She originally looked delicate and from the beginning to the end was overly quiet that made others ignore her age. Now with a laugh, there were traces of naivety in her looks. Everyone looked carefully and felt that even if she was stupid in the beginning, she was not anymore. This little young lady actually looked bright and there were traces of gracefulness in her beauty.

Cai Lin could not say a single word, and there were traces of blood still on his face that have not been wiped away. The tears that trickled down were mixed with those blood traces, making his entire face red and looking like a sorry figure. At that moment he did not cared about any reputation and just looked at Shen Miao, with eyes full of fear.

Shen Miao’s brows raised, it seemed that he finally knew what was fear. It is good that he was afraid. Killing the chicken to warn the monkeys, in the future all these snakes, worms, rats and insects around her would then know not to go beyond their boundaries.

The servants supported Cai Lin, whose legs were scared weak, down the stage. The responsible examiner walked over to Shen Miao’s side and asked in surprise as he saw the fruit that the arrow pierced through, “Young Lady Shen practiced archery in the past?”

Not only the aim was good and the strength to pull the bow needed to be constant. Shen Miao, a delicate and pretty young lady, could pull it off so skillfully and that last shot, everyone could clearly see that Cai Lin fell down scared, whereas Shen Miao was still able to shoot the fruit even in the situation when Cai Lin was moving. This was something that was surprising.

Practice before? Shen Miao slightly tilted her head and got caught up with her thoughts.

That was during her first year as a hostage in Qin country. The Imperial family of Qin, regardless if it was the princesses or prince all loved to humiliate her, and seeing her an Empress suffering such insults, was an extremely interesting thing. Unfortunately she could not get angry about it as at that time Qin country was lending troops to Ming Qi.

Those princesses and prince invented a new way of playing, and it was like the rules that Cai Lin set in the academy examinations. Changing it to humans to hold the fruit. When she was wearing the target, they would deliberately mess up her hair or destroy her clothes with the arrows and even ‘occasionally’ injure her arms, neck or likewise. And she could only endure it.

At that time, she would always be in her own house every night carefully erecting a target and practicing hard. She imagined those people who had harmed her before as targets and with her serious practice and effort, she was able to shoot with unfailing accuracy.

But during the day when it was her turn to shot, she would still deliberately miss it or pretend to be unable to pull the bow apart. There was no choice as she was staying in another house and she needed to lower her head. She had to survive to return to Ming Qi in order to meet Wan Yu and Fu Ming.

That kind of hard work lasted for an entire year. Now that Cai Lin mentioned it, it suddenly made her return to those days of humiliation. Now there was no one else that has a handle on her, so naturally she could kill if she wanted and shoot if she wanted. Not being restricted in living, whoever that provoked her, she would get back to them viciously. The Cai family dared to speak about Shen Xin, she will make them shut their mouth in fear!

This was then what she should have done.

She smiled slightly, “Had seen Eldest Brother practice diligently in the courtyard. After seeing so many times, one would follow suit and did not think that one would succeed with a lucky stroke.”

This made the Cai husband and wife extremely furious. Their son who would usually get the first rank in archery, was not able to shoot the target at all today and was even made a fool in front of everyone. Shen Miao only said that she had followed suit and pulled the bow for the first time and she was able to hit the fruit target. What kind of silly thing was this?

“Pa pa pa.” Melodious claps were heard and everyone looked back to see Prince Yu clapping his hands, “It was indeed not bad.”

She took a glance at him but did not make a sound.

The examiner said, “For the topic on archery, is there anyone else who wants to challenge?”

Naturally Shen Miao was considered the winner of this match, and the others could come up to challenge her. If no one challenged then Shen Miao would be the first rank without any qualms.

Hearing this sentence, Shen Yue’s expression looked ugly in a short moment. This was the first examinations that she was completely overshadowed by Shen Miao. She looked at Fu Xiu Yi, who was talking to Prince Zhou and Prince Jing, from afar and her tightly clasped hands relaxed. She could not help but curse that useless Cai Lin in her heart.

But at the next moment, someone from the arena shouted, “I want to challenge Shen Miao!”

In the male side of the banquet, there stood a youth. This person looked around sixteen to seventeen year old and looked not bad. Unfortunately that pair of eyes were unable to conceal and revealed shrewdness that even if the tone of voice was filled with modesty, it made one feel that it was a hypocritical act.

With only one look, Shen Miao knew who this person was. She felt that it was somewhat funny in her heart as this was the Marquis of Lin An’s Shu son, Xie Jing Xing’s Shu brother, the Second Young Master, Xie Chang Wu.

This person does not have other abilities but was very slick and sly. In the official circles one must have a slick and sly attitude and must know how to butter up others. Afterwards when the entire Xie family collapsed, this pair of Shu sons and Madame Fang relied on the new Emperor’s compensation to the Xie family to live comfortably and Xie Chang Wu and his younger brother, Xie Chang Chao, even became officers in court. At that time she really disliked these two brothers because the Shu brothers of the Xie family stood at Mei Furen’s side and were in a good relationship with Fu Sheng and even often helped Fu Sheng to suppress Fu Ming.

The reason behind Shen Miao’s reminder for Xie Jing Xing to find an opportunity to eradicate his own Shu brothers, was because she was brooding about the events that happened in her past life. These two people cannot stay alive as they would only be hated.

Today she had not yet taken her revenge here, but they had taken the initiative to step forward. But whatever for? She looked at Master Cai’s seat and seeing Master Cai’s serious face, Xie Chang Chao seemed to have soothed him.

That is right. Recently the two Xie brothers were preparing to seek a job under Cai Daren and have always taken the initiative to approach Cai Lin. Unfortunately Cai Lin only wanted to get along with Xie Jing Xing and did not pay any attention to the two brothers, but was not today a good opportunity?

One had to know that in her past lifetime at the end of this year, it was when she was successful in forcing Fu Xiu Yi to marry her and Xie Chang Wu and Xie Chang Chao became Cai Daren’s subordinates. Afterwards… Two years later, the Cai family was embroiled in a corruption case and all their possessions were confiscated and the entire clan was exterminated.

There were many things that had changed but there were many that did not. As to those that have changed, the outcome had yet to be seen if it changed.

The two Xie family brothers want to use this method to fawn the Cai family and sweep her reputation to the floor?

Just as Shen Miao was about to answer, suddenly there was a sudden voice that prodded out.

That voice was somewhat lazy and filled with a unassailable ridicule, “You do not practice with this older brother on normal days at home, but now challenged a little girl? Xie Chang Wu, the more you live the more backwards you turn.”

Xie Jing Xing appeared on the stage as he folded his arms and looked at his two momentarily stunned Shu younger brothers with a smile but yet not a smile, “How about me challenging both of you? Let me discipline you younger brothers to not learn to be useless scoundrels and be a disgrace outside by fighting with females.”

He gave a glance at Shen Miao again and said, “You can withdraw.”

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