When Qiu Xinran arrived at the hunting grounds, Li Hanyi was already there, as expected.
Emperor Xuande was in high spirits for the hunt, and the annual autumn hunt was a prime opportunity for the generals to show off their skills. Many officials accompanied the emperor into the mountains, but several young men from the academy stayed behind at the grounds.
Qiu Xinran strolled over slowly and overheard Li Hanyi arguing with Li Hanling. Seeing her, Li Hanyi grew impatient and roughly pulled her over. First, he scolded her: “Why are you so slow?” Then, without waiting for her apology, he continued, “We were just discussing how to compete. My idea is simple: both sides go into the mountain to hunt, and whoever catches the most wins. But Fourth Prince disagrees—says that’s boring. What do you think?”
Qiu Xinran cast a discreet glance at Xia Xiuyan and feigned hesitation: “Competing that way doesn’t seem very fair…”
Li Hanyi frowned. “Why not?”
“Well, Second Prince, our original plan was to be fair, each picking a helper. But now, forgetting the helpers… ahem… if we just compare how many animals we catch, how is that different from me competing with you alone?”
Li Hanyi found her reasoning somewhat convincing and growled in frustration, “Then how do you suggest we compete?”
Qiu Xinran pretended to ponder in silence. After a moment, Li Hanfeng spoke up: “I have an idea. Second Brother, would you like to hear it?”
“Go ahead!”
“Since it’s a team competition, we should combine the strengths and weaknesses of both sides,” he explained. He summoned a small eunuch to relay some instructions, then shared the plan with everyone. Li Hanyi considered it for a moment, then hesitated: “What do you think?”
Zheng Yuanwu smiled and agreed: “I think Sixth Prince’s idea is interesting.”
No one objected, and they all headed toward the archery range.
Two tables were set up. On the left was a lightweight wooden bow and arrows; on the right was a heavy iron bow. Li Hanfeng asked, “Which will you choose?”
Li Hanyi went first. He picked up the iron bow on the right. Made of iron, it was extremely heavy. He tried to draw it single-handedly but couldn’t fully extend it, so he placed it back on the table.
The wooden bow on the left was light and could be drawn easily, but its range and power were far less than the iron bow.
“Each person shoots twice. Everyone must try drawing the bow. Total the scores from both rounds; the highest score wins,” Li Hanfeng explained, pointing to the iron bow. “The iron bow has greater range. Move the target back by one zhang; if you hit it, you get two extra points each round. Thoughts?”
Li Hanling was confused: “Why use two types of bows?”
“For fun,” Li Hanfeng laughed. “It’s fine if both sides just choose wooden bows.”
The eighth prince, Li Hange, was only fourteen—the youngest—and slightly timid. He whispered: “Giving extra points for the iron bow seems unfair.”
Li Hanfeng hadn’t responded when Li Hanyu snorted: “Don’t talk about fairness. Who here could even draw that iron bow? If someone could, one extra point wouldn’t make a difference.”
Encouraged, everyone took turns trying the iron bow. Most could draw it partially, but no one could fully extend it with one arm. Only Zheng Yuanwu managed to pull it fully, though his arm trembled and quickly lost strength, earning exclamations of “too bad” from the others. This proved that indeed, no one could easily handle the bow.
Li Hanyi exhaled, then said proudly: “Then there’s no choice—only the wooden bow remains.” He picked up the wooden bow and looked at Qiu Xinran, who had been standing silently.
The young woman in short hu clothing stepped forward, hesitated, and looked between the bows. “What does Your Highness intend?” she asked.
Xia Xiuyan, who hadn’t tried a bow yet, glanced at the tables and scoffed: “If a man has the ambition to shoot the sun, he chooses the iron bow. Choosing the wooden bow is just playing around in the palace.”
Li Hanyi turned red with anger at the provocation: “You—” The others quickly held him back. Qiu Xinran, too, was momentarily stunned, thinking Xia Xiuyan must have run into a ghost today. She quickly smoothed things over: “It seems His Highness is giving me a graceful exit. I, a young girl, cannot draw this bow, so losing with the iron bow is no shame—it’s my gain. Fine, we’ll choose the iron bow!”
Li Hanyi paused, realizing her reasoning was sound. Perhaps Xia Xiuyan had chosen the iron bow so she would have a dignified excuse if she lost. He calmed down, though his expression was still sour. “Planning to lose before the competition even begins—you think ahead well.”
Zhou Xian, who had been nervous about choosing sides, relaxed seeing Qiu Xinran diffuse Li Hanyi’s anger.
The palace staff set up the target. Zhou Xian volunteered to go first. Not good at mounted archery, he feared watching others would make him nervous.
Li Hanyi glared as Zhou Xian took his position, drawing the bow carefully. He licked his lips, focused, and released. The arrow hit the target with a “snap.”
A palace attendant ran over to report: “Prince Zhou scored eight rings.”
Not extraordinary, but very good for Zhou Xian. Li Hanyi finally smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.
Qiu Xinran found his reaction amusing, but before she could comment, Li Hanfeng signaled it was their turn.
She stepped up, lifting the iron bow—it was indeed heavy. Everyone watched, curious how she would draw it.
Qiu Xinran glanced at Xia Xiuyan. He paused, then stepped close behind her, half a step away, ready to assist.
“Wait—” Li Hanyi frowned, “what are you doing?”
“This bow is too heavy for one. Two of us will draw it,” she said with a nervous laugh.
Zhou Xian looked astonished. “Is that allowed?”
Li Hanfeng hesitated, then said, “I only said everyone must take a turn—didn’t specify that this is forbidden…”
Li Hanyi opened his mouth to object, but Qiu Xinran quickly added: “If Second Prince thinks this is unfair, I’ll admit defeat. I truly can’t draw it alone.”
Li Hanyu sneered: “What do you mean admit defeat? Two of you—does that guarantee a hit?”
Her words reminded everyone that while Qiu Xinran’s skill was unknown, Xia Xiuyan was renowned. Even if they could draw the heavy bow together, hitting the target was not guaranteed.
Li Hanyi nodded reluctantly: “Fine, you two go together.”
Others had no objections and watched intently, intrigued by this unusual competition.
Xia Xiuyan positioned his hands with hers, holding the bow and string. Qiu Xinran, tall for her age, realized he was even taller, and when he assisted her in drawing the bow, his body cast a shadow over hers.
Being so close to a stranger, she could faintly smell the bitter scent of herbs on his clothing. She felt flustered, oddly nervous.
“Focus.”
The cold voice startled her. Her ears warmed, and she forced herself to concentrate, pulling the bow steadily.
A low murmur ran through the crowd—they watched, amazed, as the two of them slowly drew the heavy iron bow, the arrow steady, aimed at the bullseye.
Li Hanyi tensed, fingers clenching inside his sleeves. A sharp “whoosh” cut through the air, followed by a solid “thwang”—the arrow hit the target.
“How many rings?” someone asked eagerly.
A palace attendant ran back: “Qiu Sichen—six rings.”
A collective gasp and murmurs of excitement rose. The scores were tied.
Qiu Xinran had hoped for a tie, and now it was real. She felt a strange mix of satisfaction and disappointment at the close call.
Xia Xiuyan released his hands and stepped back, noticing she was still dazed. “Why are you still standing there?”
Blushing, Qiu Xinran returned the bow and walked off the platform, her ears still burning from the memory of his whispered “Focus.”
Now it was Li Hanyi’s turn. Emperor Xuande had complained about his inattentiveness in studies, but he was always showy in the training ground. Holding the wooden bow, Li Hanyi drew and released, hitting the bullseye.
The crowd cheered. Li Hanyi strutted off, proud, signaling Qiu Xinran to perform next. She found his display amusing but felt a flicker of nervous energy.
Back on the platform, Qiu Xinran focused, drawing the iron bow with all her strength. Suddenly, she heard a soft chuckle behind her—so close it seemed almost imagined.
She hesitated, arrow aimed, and he whispered just for her ears: “How many rings are you aiming for this time?”
“How many I aim for… determines how many I get?” she wondered.
Something about the lingering laugh in his voice made her pulse quicken.
“Ten rings!”
The girl standing before the target made a decisive choice, teeth clenched.
The boy behind her smiled faintly. He relaxed his grip, and their combined strength sent the arrow flying like a meteor. With the resounding whoosh, she heard him whisper in her ear: “Good.”