Chapter 111: Hundred Paces Through the Willow

A newcomer in a white robe that outshines snow, a folding fan lightly swaying in hand, an air of charm about them, wafts of dark plum scent—if not Grand Tutor's Young Master Gu Dongliu, then who?

After offering his respects to Empress Gu Huanghou, Gu Dongliu learned the current situation, and when he heard that Ye Qingran had actually outclassed the five‑time champion archer Ling Shaoyang, ranking first in the Second Round, his astonishment was evident.

"No way, no way, such a grand commotion I must join!" Gu Dongliu gave his folding fan a shake, truly displaying his charming flair.

Originally he had no intention of entering the Archery Competition, because each year yielded almost the same results.

But this year, it seemed vastly different!

Excitement flickered like a faint light in Gu Dongliu's eyes.

Ye Huanhuan watched Gu Dongliu without taking him to heart. Last year Gu Dongliu had placed behind her in the Archery Competition, finishing fourth.

"Dongliu, you can challenge my sister Ye Qingran; she's this year's dark horse, surprising everyone!"

Ye Huanhuan smiled gently, doing mental calculations in her mind.

Although Gu Dongliu's archery skill was not extraordinary, if he performed exceptionally, beating Ye Qingran was not impossible.

If Gu Dongliu could defeat Ye Qingran, she could reap the fisherman's profit!

Gu Dongliu's eyes brightened as he looked at Ye Qingran, smiling, "Miss Ye, you truly are hidden talent! I admire you, admire you!"

"Young Master Gu, you wish to challenge me?"

Gu Dongliu, upon hearing this, lightly shook his head, waved his hand and said, "Miss Ye is the top, challenging you would be courting death. I decide to challenge the third place. By the way, who is the third place?"

Ye Huanhuan's expression froze on her face.

Gu Dongliu, what on earth is he up to?

What does he intend to challenge her for?

Does he really think she's an easy target?

Ye Qingran glanced at Empress Gu, then said softly, "Young Master Gu, you must think this through; if you fail the challenge, you'll have to kneel before everyone and kowtow to apologize. Empress, may I ask, is that correct?"

Empress Gu paused her tea‑drinking.

How could she not hear that Ye Qingran was using his own method against him?

Gu Dongliu is a member of her maternal family, indeed her nephew. If he loses and kneels to apologize on the spot, her dignified standing as the Donglin Emperor's Empress—where could it be placed?

However, she could not refute Ye Qingran's words, otherwise she would be accused of double standards as a dignified national Empress.

"Dongliu, since you missed it, let it be. It's just an Archery Competition, you can join again next year."

【5】 Gu Dongliu remained unmoved, smiling and bowing to the Empress: "Auntie, you don't trust me? Though I was only fourth last year, how could I possibly advance further this year!"

Gu Dongliu, however, remained unmoved, smiling as he bowed to the Empress: "Auntie, do you not trust me? Although I was only fourth place last year, this year I can surely make further progress atop a hundred-foot pole!"

"Nonsense!" Empress Gu glared at Gu Dongliu, her attitude decidedly firm.

Gu Dongliu's smile on his face slightly subsided, and the shaking frequency of his folding fan decreased.

"Auntie, rest assured, your nephew will definitely achieve a good result today!" Gu Dongliu, as if not grasping Empress Gu's meaning, bowed deeply, then ordered someone to fetch his bow and headed toward the archery field.

Indeed, he persisted!

Empress Gu, though dissatisfied inside, found it hard to persuade further.

Ye Huanhuan watched Gu Dongliu already nocking an arrow, her heart lodged in her throat.

She silently prayed in her heart that Gu Dongliu's results must not surpass hers!

…

Three arrows were released, each hitting the ten‑ring, and there were even two bullseyes!

Ye Huanhuan swallowed, greatly startled in her heart.

When did Gu Dongliu's accuracy become this good?

She clearly remembered that in last year's Second Round, his single arrows never hit the bullseye.

She couldn't understand, so she silently told herself that Gu Dongliu's multiple‑arrow shooting was worse than hers, and his moving‑target score was also inferior! Yet, as time passed, Ye Huanhuan's expression grew increasingly desperate, because Gu Dongliu's remaining two events oddly outperformed hers!

In the end, Gu Dongliu's score edged out Ye Huanhuan's by a small margin!

Everyone fell silent, glancing at Gu Dongliu and then at Ye Huanhuan, momentarily as still as cold cicadas.

Gu Dongliu's smile was faint, like a gentle breeze under a bright moon.

At this moment, Ye Huanhuan's face was already as pale as a vegetable.

The crowd sighed repeatedly.

Who could have imagined that Ye Huanhuan, burdened with high expectations and vowing to seize the top spot, would be utterly defeated, not only failing to claim first place but also performing worse than last year, falling out of the Top Three!

"Miss Ye, how are my results?"

Gu Dongliu sheathed his bow and arrows, smiling, and asked Ye Qingran.

"Young Master Gu, flawless shot, extraordinary skill, truly admirable!"

"Hahaha~" Gu Dongliu laughed heartily.

He looked at Ye Huanhuan, raised his voice and said, "Miss Ye, sorry, I'm slightly ahead of you!"

"Dongliu, your prowess is formidable; I lose with both heart and mouth convinced."

Ye Huanhuan's smile was uglier than crying.

Gu Dongliu naturally did not miss the resentment in her eyes.

But so what?

Ye Huanhuan wouldn't truly think that she always ranked ahead of him in previous years solely because her strength surpassed his, would she?

He doesn't claim he can surpass Ling Shaoyang; at least his strength is not beneath the Crown Prince!

If it weren't for Ye Huanhuan being the future Crown Princess, she could never possibly make the Top Three!

He had endured for many years only because his father often said that one must always consider the Crown Prince's reputation abroad. The Crown Prince is a bright moon; he is a star, whose brilliance must never outshine the nation's Crown Prince.

Thus, over those years, he pretended to be a dandy and flirtatious; the real reason was merely to temper his brilliance!

During this period, he personally witnessed Ye Qingran dazzling the Crown Prince on Xuanwu Street and shining brilliantly at the Welcome Banquet… what a breathtaking spectacle! He suddenly felt that the past twenty years had been muddled and overly passive!

He also realized that Gu Dongliu had never been anyone's subordinate; he was simply himself!

From now on, he, Gu Dongliu, will no longer be timid and hesitant; he only wishes to live as his heart desires.

The results of the Second Round are out: Ye Qingran first, Ling Shaoyang second, Gu Dongliu third.

There is no objection to the others' scores; as for the three of them, they still need to go through a Bird Shooting Contest to determine their final rankings.

"Every year it's just the Bird Shooting Contest, so boring."

Gu Dongliu shook his head, listless, but in the flicker of his gaze, when he saw Ye Qingran, his eyes lit up.

"How about we change the game? Miss Ye, do you have any good suggestions?"

"In that case, how about we play Hundred-step Willow Piercing?"

Ye Qingran pondered for a moment, then pointed to a willow tree not far away and spoke softly.

"Hundred-step Willow Piercing?"

Gu Dongliu's eyes lit up, then immediately showed confusion.

"How do we play this?"

"Beyond a hundred paces, shoot down the marked willow leaves in succession!"

Gu Dongliu's gaze followed the willow tree Ye Qingran pointed to. He saw the drooping willow branches swaying irregularly in the breeze, and moreover the willow leaves were narrow and small; let alone hitting them, even seeing them clearly from a hundred paces away was difficult for many.

"What? This is too hard!"

Gu Dongliu couldn't help but wail.

Ling Shaoyang's eyes also flickered slightly.

The game of Hundred-step Willow Piercing was something he had never heard of before; indeed, it was full of difficulty.