When Fu Xuechen first transmigrated, driven by intense curiosity, she had practiced archery for quite some time by relying on the original host’s muscle memory. Unfortunately, while the original host was skilled in martial arts and weaponry, her archery was mediocre. When Fu Xuechen took over, her performance declined even further—from hitting the target seven or eight times out of ten to barely hitting half at best. It was disheartening, and she eventually gave up, never practicing again.Now, she had to compete in archery. What a situation…A row of over a dozen targets stood about a hundred meters ahead. The young participants were divided into two groups, each shooting ten arrows within half a ke—equivalent to fifteen minutes in modern times. Fu Xuechen chose a Four-dou Bow, which had a slightly longer range than the Three-dou Bow but wasn’t as physically demanding as the Five-dou Bow.Looking around, she noticed that the sons of civil officials mostly used Three-dou or Four-dou Bows, while the descendants of military nobles almost exclusively wielded Five-dou Bows. As the second-generation legitimate son of the illustrious Jingbei Marquis, Fu Xuechen was truly embarrassing her father.She sighed inwardly but stuck to her plan of maintaining appearances. From drawing the bow to releasing the arrow, she focused on perfecting her posture and projecting an elegant demeanor. As for whether the arrow hit the bullseye or flew off target entirely… well, she would just do her best.Surprisingly, Zhang Chuyang’s archery skills were among the best of the young participants. Not only did he hit the bullseye with all ten arrows, but he also finished quickly, completing the test in under three minutes and earning an excellent score. He then slipped over to Fu Xuechen’s side, just as she was preparing to shoot her third arrow.Watching Fu Xuechen take her time aiming with a calm, almost lazy elegance before finally releasing the arrow—which barely struck the outermost ring of the target, nearly missing it entirely—Zhang Chuyang was speechless. “Yuchen, you…”“What about me?” Fu Xuechen replied self-deprecatingly. “Were you going to say I haven’t improved at all?”Zhang Chuyang hesitated, scratching his head. “No! You never used to be this patient when shooting arrows before. Whether you hit the target or not, you’d just fire them all in one go. You’ve never taken this long to aim a single arrow. Actually, this is progress! Yes! My father always said that to master archery, aside from talent, diligence comes first, and patience second. Being able to patiently and seriously treat every arrow you shoot is already half the battle. If you keep practicing like this, you’ll definitely develop excellent archery skills in the future.”Fu Xuechen was speechless. As a woman, she would never have the chance to go to the battlefield. What use would she have for excellent archery skills? No, she wouldn’t practice!In the distance, a few young girls who were watching and gossiping whispered among themselves. Fu Xuechen’s unique style had long caught their attention.“What’s going on with this Fu Yuchen?” Cui Xiaoyue asked, puzzled. “Is he seriously shooting arrows, or is he just going through the motions?”“He must be serious, right? He takes so long to aim each arrow.”“Then his archery must be terrible! Even with all that effort, he hasn’t hit the bullseye once. He’s worse than you, Xiaoyue!”“But I think he looks quite casual. Maybe he doesn’t care much about his archery results?”“Even though his results are mediocre, the way he draws the bow and shoots is really handsome!”“I think so too! So handsome!”…"Cheng Defang truly excels at archery, even surpassing me, and achieved the top score! Xie Yucheng isn’t bad either—who would have thought that such a scholarly fellow could manage nine hits out of ten arrows? But you, Xuechen…"Zhang Chuyang watched as Fu Xuechen missed two arrows in a row and grew anxious. He wished he could take her place, but with Master Liu overseeing the archery assessment from behind, it was impossible. In archery, a hit is a hit, and a miss is a miss. Even if the examiner were lenient, the gap couldn’t be too wide."Relax!" Fu Xuechen whispered to reassure him instead. "I’ve realized this assessment isn’t all that strict. The results are just a reference. When it comes to the royal family, who they favor and ultimately choose is unpredictable. I noticed the Sixth Prince seems quite interested in you. Who knows? Maybe Cheng Defang, Xie Yucheng, and I will all fail, and you’ll be the one selected. There’s no telling, so worrying is pointless."Zhang Chuyang was startled. "Me? The Sixth Prince… is interested in me?"He was completely unprepared to become a prince’s study companion. Glancing back quickly and stealthily at the Sixth Prince observing from behind, he nearly locked eyes with him. Coincidentally, the Sixth Prince’s gaze was fixed precisely on him and Fu Xuechen.Shifting his feet, Zhang Chuyang instinctively stepped aside slightly, clearing the line of sight between the Sixth Prince and Fu Xuechen. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and chuckle, "Xuechen, you’re joking! I think the Sixth Prince is paying attention to you. After all, your mother and the Imperial Consort are cousins from the same clan. As for me, I never stood a chance from the start.""What does being from the same clan matter?" Fu Xuechen dismissed it. "If we’re talking about kinship, Xie Yucheng’s father and the Imperial Consort are from the same lineage and clan. I heard they’re distant cousins—much closer than my connection."Zhang Chuyang hesitated, wanting to say more but holding back. Unfortunately, his friend’s archery performance seemed capped at five hits out of ten arrows. Without his help in horsemanship, she’d likely lose to Xie Yucheng as well. Even in kinship, she couldn’t compare. The only area where she surpassed Xie Yucheng was the written exam. Truly, Xie Yucheng was his friend’s greatest competitor.Fu Xuechen, on the other hand, put on a show of fierce effort, only to end up with a mediocre result—four hits out of ten arrows. She trailed Xie Yucheng by five arrows and couldn’t compare to Cheng Defang, who took first place. In the end, she received a "Fair-Low" rating, which was rather embarrassing.But she suspected this score was already the result of Master Liu’s leniency. Many others with six or seven hits out of ten only received a "Fair-Medium" rating.By noon, all assessments had concluded. The final results wouldn’t be announced until the next day at the earliest, so everyone left the palace gates and returned home. There was no opportunity to speak with the princes during this time, and catching a glimpse of the Princess seemed to be the greatest reward of the trip.This was only possible because the customs of the Great Rong Empire were similar to those of the pre-Qin era, the Tang Dynasty, and the Yuan Dynasty, where girls faced fewer restrictions.As for Fu Xuechen’s original self, she had already seen the Princess earlier in the year, but it was during a grand occasion like a palace banquet. With a large crowd of women present, the younger generation stayed close to their elders, only catching distant glimpses without any chance for conversation, so no lasting impression was left.Fu Xuechen had only crossed over in the middle of the year, and this was the first time he had gotten a close look at the Princess. He had to admit, her appearance was quite striking, with a somewhat naive and charming demeanor. She was quiet and didn’t speak much—a pity, really, since he couldn’t approach her while posing as Fu Yuchen.All in all, Fu Xuechen felt this outing had been somewhat interesting. In high spirits, he returned to the estate and, as previously agreed, went to visit Fu Yuchen after lunch, who was confined to his room to recuperate from his injuries.
Chapter 6
The Prince Does Not Compete for the Throne