Feng Suige stood motionless, his hand clutching tightly at the fabric over his chest. The two golden dragons embroidered on his robe appeared fierce and menacing, their forms distorted by the wrinkles in the cloth. Ye Duanfang hesitated, then stepped forward to check Gu Yu's pulse. He shook his head and retreated behind Feng Suige, saying softly, "He's gone."
Feng Suige remained silent, but Yi Xiao suddenly whirled around, her tear-filled eyes blazing with hatred as she glared at Ye Duanfang. "If you wanted my life, you could have come for it openly! Why involve an innocent? You're despicable! Shameless!"
Ye Duanfang's jaw tightened. He replied grimly, "If you can't defeat me in fair combat, you'll have failed to honor his sacrifice—and you won't deserve to hear my explanation."
The last drop of water fell in the clepsydra. The competition grounds fell silent, everyone craning their necks toward the dense forest. Feng Qishan tapped the armrest of his chair with growing agitation and instructed the palace guard beside him, "Send more men to investigate. Now."
After one incense stick had burned, the previously dispatched soldier galloped back. He dismounted and knelt in the center of the field, reporting uneasily, "Your Majesty... the prince says he cannot return at present. He requests Your Majesty and the officials to..."
Feng Qishan shot to his feet, his face draining of color. "Is Suige injured?!"
"The prince is unharmed," the soldier hesitated. "The specific situation remains unclear to this one, so..."
"Enough." Feng Qishan swept his sleeve imperiously. "Lead the way."
The carriages of the nobles followed Feng Qishan's royal coach along the forest path, slowly entering the dense woods. Feng Qishan's body swayed gently with the carriage's movement, his expression shifting unpredictably. That person had calculated everything—but overlooked two fire arrows. Not only had the plan failed at the critical moment, but who knew what other complications might arise...
The carriage finally stilled, the rumbling behind it gradually ceasing. After a moment, the herald approached trembling to lift the curtain. "Your Majesty, the prince is ahead."
Feng Qishan emerged from the royal carriage with studied calm. As his gaze fell upon the scene, his heart first skipped a beat, then relaxed slightly—only three people stood ahead. Feng Suige and Ye Duanfang stood side by side, each holding a blood-stained hemp sack. Not far before them lay a massive, blood-soaked corpse—who else could it be but the giant called Gu Yu? A short distance behind the two men, Fu Yi Xiao knelt on the ground, covered in blood, methodically counting collected bundles of arrows without raising her head.
As Feng Qishan stepped out, all the soldiers around—including Marquis Jianxin Ye Duanfang—knelt and called out, "Long live Your Majesty!"
Only two people remained upright: Feng Suige, who stood tall and defiant, and Fu Yi Xiao, who continued counting arrows as if deaf to the world.
Feng Qishan's brow furrowed. "It's understandable if Fu Yi Xiao doesn't know proper etiquette, but why are you also—"
"Father." Feng Suige interrupted, turning his sack upside down. Bloody deer ears immediately scattered over Gu Yu's corpse and rolled across the ground. Feng Suige announced in a clear, unwavering voice, "The deer ears are here. Please, Father, verify them publicly."
The atmosphere turned oppressive. The ministers who had followed stood uneasily, exchanging nervous glances, not daring to breathe loudly.
Someone had died—yet why did the king seem unconcerned, caring only about whether the prince had bowed?
Someone had died—yet why did the prince seem unconcerned, insisting on verifying deer ears first?
Someone had died. Indeed, someone had died...
Ye Duanfang silently rose and poured out his hunted deer ears on the opposite side. Every eye immediately focused on the ground—two piles of deer ears, seemingly similar in number, requiring careful count to determine the winner. But without Feng Qishan's order, no soldier dared step forward to verify them.
After a long, tense silence, it was Ye Duanfang who spoke first. "I admit defeat."
Before he finished, even Fu Yi Xiao and Feng Suige looked at him in surprise. The ministers behind Feng Qishan burst into buzzing discussion. Feng Qishan's eyes narrowed dangerously. "We haven't ordered a count yet. Why does Marquis Jianxin say this?"
Ye Duanfang remained silent for a moment, then turned to Fu Yi Xiao and picked up a bundle of arrows from the ground. "I may not have lost to the Junior Consort in hunting skill, but I lost to these arrows—or rather, to the person who used them."
Silence fell like a shroud.
Feng Qishan said nothing. Ye Duanfang's brow furrowed deeply as he spoke clearly and forcefully, "If this were a fair competition, win or lose, I would accept it wholeheartedly. But—" He pointed to Gu Yu's corpse. "The Junior Consort was ambushed during the competition. Her attendant lost his life protecting her. Even if I won, it would be a dishonorable victory!"
Suddenly, large tears welled up in Fu Yi Xiao's eyes. She wiped her face roughly with her blood-stained sleeve, gathered all the bloodied arrows from the ground, and strode boldly toward Feng Qishan. Immediately, several civil and military officials rushed forward to shield Feng Qishan behind them.
Yi Xiao laughed coldly. "Why so nervous? Is it because someone has done something unconscionable?" She threw the bundles of arrows at Feng Qishan's feet. "Including those in Marquis Jianxin's hands, there are seventy-four arrows in total. Sixty-seven of them were extracted from Gu Yu's body."
She turned and pointed at Ye Duanfang. "Don't think admitting defeat will clear you of suspicion. As long as I draw breath, I swear to avenge Gu Yu!"
Ye Duanfang nodded expressionlessly, offering no defense.
Feng Qishan nudged the arrows at his feet with his toe and snorted coldly. "I will investigate this matter thoroughly. Come—gather the deer ears and count them publicly to determine the winner of the archery competition."
Before he finished, Ye Duanfang had already knelt again. "For the sake of my reputation, I beg Your Majesty to withdraw the order!"
Seeing the soldiers step forward only to freeze in place, Feng Qishan shouted angrily, "This matter has nothing to do with the archery competition. I command you to—"
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!" Ye Duanfang's voice rose with sudden passion. "If I cannot clear my name, what use is winning the competition? How can I face the army? How can I face the people of this nation?"
Feng Qishan trembled with rage, his lips quivering and hands shaking. Before he could speak, Feng Suige, who had been silent throughout, said slowly, "Your son believes that only an insider could coordinate with outside enemies. Therefore, Father should not dwell on the archery competition now, but should swiftly and thoroughly investigate the mastermind behind this incident to prevent further complications."
"Rebellion. Utter rebellion." Feng Qishan laughed, his fury reaching its peak. "For the sake of a stupid, dim-witted doorkeeper, you all dare turn around to lecture your king?!"
"How dare we speak of rebellion?" Yi Xiao smiled slightly, but the expression held no warmth. "Your Majesty never makes mistakes, so how could we dare lecture Your Majesty?"
She paced a few steps, her cold gaze sweeping across the officials behind Feng Qishan. "I merely want to remind those with ill intentions that assassinating a member of the royal family is a capital offense—one that implicates the entire clan. And as you all know, Fu Yi Xiao comes from a military background. I only understand one principle: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
Her voice dropped to a deadly whisper that somehow carried to every ear. "Whoever tried to push me over the edge today—from this moment forward, you can forget about living peacefully."
The threat hung in the air like a blade.
Feng Qishan's face had gone from red to white. The gathered ministers stood frozen, uncertain whether the greater danger lay in the assassination attempt or in the Junior Consort's open declaration of vengeance before the king himself.
Feng Suige watched Yi Xiao with an unreadable expression. In that moment, covered in blood and grief, making threats that could see her executed for insubordination, she had never appeared more magnificent—or more dangerous.
Gu Yu's body lay between them all, a silent testament to the price of palace politics. And everyone present knew: this was far from over.
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