Chapter 99

On New Year's Eve, the Yin King's Mansion held a bestowed banquet, but none of that required the Highness's worry; the Highness only needed to take care of themselves and just show up on time.

So as soon as the Highness opened their eyes, they brought the whole family straight to the Training Ground to practice archery; as soon as the Sun-shooting Bow appeared, it did not blind Zhao Chuan's eyes.

When the Highness drew the bow and an arrow flew past the scarecrow, hitting a flower wall at the edge of the Training Ground, the arrowhead sank deep into the wall, and Zhao Chuan's smile froze on their face. What the hell?!

They looked back and forth between the distant flower wall and where the Highness stood—this couldn't be right? Were their eyes playing tricks on them?

The Highness had already lowered the bow, likewise wearing an expression of disbelief, but it was obvious they and Zhao Chuan were not on the same wavelength.

"It's over, it's over—I don't even know if that brick broke or not, Tong Chen, hurry up and go look!" If it's broken, we'll have to buy a replacement in the mall; thinking about the price, the Highness felt this arrow was reckless.

Tong Chen responded with an acknowledgment, turned, and ran toward the opposite side, while the Highness kept muttering that the scarecrow was useless…

Zhao Chuan looked at the Highness and their flashy bow with newfound respect.

They had thought it was just showy… turns out it really is a precious bow.

The Highness noticed Zhao Chuan's gaze, raised the bow again, took out a new arrow, and this time aimed at the rising sun on the horizon, saying, "How imposing, it's called the Sun-shooting Bow~"

They compared them, and thereafter never dared to shoot arrows carelessly again.

"It's just that its lethality is huge; later we'll find a forest to go hunting and really let loose!"

Zhao Chuan carefully examined the Sun-shooting Bow; in the sunlight it was simply dazzling, and from the gem's glow they guessed it might be worth a fortune. The bow's body was golden yellow—could it be made of gold? No, gold is too soft! And the arrow, upon close inspection, was exquisitely crafted. The arrowhead wasn't the usual currency they used, just a sharpened piece of metal; at a glance the arrowhead was a precision‑made streamlined shape with several ridges, and even had barbs at the back.

Zhao Chuan sucked in a breath of cold air—if an arrow hit a person, pulling it out would take a chunk of flesh!

Your, Your Highness, may I take a look?

The King lowered his hand and passed it to him, saying, "You may look, but don't shoot—it's my treasure."

Zhao Chuan felt the bow's weight in his hand; he was sure it wasn't gold, as gold would be heavier. It felt ice-cold, like metal and jade alike—definitely not an ordinary item.

His eyes were glued to it, unable to look away, "Congratulations, Your Highness, on obtaining the precious bow!"

The two of them were happily admiring the Sun-Shooting Bow when Wei Shen, who had returned to land to catch some sleep, finally showed up.

He immediately noticed that the King's pet entourage, squatting beside him, had gained one more member, and he burst out laughing, "Your Highness Prince You has fine taste! Others keep hawks and ride horses, or at least keep a laughing thrush to sing, but you keep a chicken—hahaha..."

The King turned his head to look at his cloud-rolling eagle, unsure whether its small wings hadn't grown yet or it simply hadn't learned to fly; in any case, it had never flown. From the start until now, it just shuffled along on its little short legs, taking slow, unhurried steps.

But the King trusted that it was a product of Mengmeng.

"You're the one raising chickens! This is my cloud-rolling eagle, an eagle! It's mightier than a hawk!"

"An eagle? What kind of eagle is this fat? Can it even fly like that?"

The King: ……Really annoying!

In the afternoon, Wei Shen finally heard that the Second Prince's people had bought a platinum wild horse from the King, then came running back to pester the King, saying he wanted to take a look first; the King finally had a chance for revenge, giving him a cold shoulder.

That evening, the King held a banquet in the Mingguang Hall; when Zhu Ti arrived, he brought Ling Yin, who was said to have been introduced by her brother Zhao Zhuge, skilled in swordsmanship, and could take charge of the King's safety.

Then these two non-human beings stood one on the left and one on the right of the King's table; the King himself felt quite imposing, but the ministers below found it strange however they looked.

The King trusted Master Zhao too much—well, never mind that, but how did this woman also end up standing here?

After a couple of drinks, someone seized the chance to speak up; the first to stand was an old man from Youzhou, the former Commandant Zheng An.

He used to oversee Youzhou's military and public security; originally, with no grain salaries to pay, he had hardly any subordinates, but when the King arrived, he had thought he could be transferred or reused, at least to change the situation, right?

Who would have thought that Prince You had no intention of rebuilding the city guard; the Chancellor's first order was to discharge a batch of old soldiers back home to reclaim land and farm, leaving only a few able-bodied youths, and the vacancies were to be filled only by rotating shifts of the Prince's Personal Guard.

Zheng An of the Personal Guard Battalion couldn't get a foothold, so as a military officer of Youzhou he had practically become a bare-bones commander, worse off than before.

At year's end, after much difficulty hearing that the King planned to rebuild the Youzhou Guard, he turned out to be just a gofer, with the real authority lying in the Personal Guard Battalion's Zhang Tu and Zhao Chuan.

By then, the original three top officials of Youzhou knew he had no future there, and each day grew more depressed.

After two drinks today, the sword-bearer didn't say anything—counting as the King's personal guard standing where he should—but the King let a woman come to the banquet, standing beside him like a close attendant, which just didn't seem right! He downed two cups, bolstered by the alcohol, rose to his feet, and said, "Your Highness, may I ask whether this lady beside you counts as my colleague?"

The King couldn't drink alcohol, watching everyone else's lively drinking, he stared blankly, feeling bored, so he just chatted with Zhu Ti. Hearing this, he didn't feel questioned at all, and replied amiably, "What difference does it make whether it counts or not?"

Zheng An shouted, "The King's banquet is attended by all Youzhou officials; letting a woman enter the hall—what propriety is this! I, a rough man, might not care about such things, but the Chancellor and the Grand Tutor are seated below!"

The King caught on, "Oh dear, you're blaming me?!"

"I see you're quite particular. At the New Year's Eve feast, everyone just joins in the fun; they're all people I need around me—do we really need to rank them? Zhu Ti is my personal Commissioner of Commerce; isn't he fit to share a room with you?"

Zheng An objected, "A woman's place is at home, tending husband and children; how can she be mentioned in the same breath as your fellow officials?"

The King's eyes lit up; he figured it out—this Zheng An looked down on Zhu Ti.

"I recall you're a military officer, right? If so, dare you compete with Zhu Ti? In my service, only ability matters, not gender; if you win, I'll at least hear what you have to say."

Zhu Ti had three abilities that were maxed out; aside from his useless good looks, he also showed talent in business. He personally managed the several shops on Vermilion Bird Street in perfect order, and even had time to set up stalls at his residence, selling pearls. The only thing never seen was his equally maxed-out martial prowess.

Chancellor Xue wore a vexed expression, rubbing his forehead; he felt the King's face was writing three words: "Let's fight!"

The Commandant Wei Shen seated below also, fearing the world wasn't chaotic enough, joined the clamor, "Your Highness is right! Military officers naturally let their fists do the talking!"

Zhu Ti was even more straightforward, simply lifting his leg and walking to the open space in the middle of the hall, "Sir, please!"