Chapter 90: Cruelly Punishing Gao Shanshan

Gao Shanshan was seen pulling the bowstring taut, aiming at the three copper coins a hundred meters away. She could only do her best to shoot further; she could no longer concern herself with accuracy. Gao Shanshan’s arrow left the string, but after tracing an arc in the air, it landed on the ground.

Gao Shanshan was seen standing there, stunned. Several guards ran forward, checked, and reported to Quan Wuji: "Reporting to Your Majesty, the arrow traveled fifty-nine paces, missing the target by one foot and six inches."

"Pfft, haha, it seems Miss Gao’s archery is nothing more than this!" Quan Aoyu burst out laughing, and Quan Tianchen also breathed a sigh of relief, a gentle smile appearing on his face.

Quan Tianyi was displeased and said:

"Fourth Brother, Sixth Brother, it won't be too late to laugh after Princess Qingping finishes shooting." Gao Shanshan was, after all, his maternal family's cousin; he had to defend her a little so as not to earn a reputation for being cold-hearted and ungrateful.

Grand Chancellor Gao, however, said nothing, the veins on his forehead bulging as he gripped his fists tightly.

It was Jun Zijin’s turn. She was seen riding forward with calm composure. Jun Zijin took a deep breath, squeezed the horse's flanks with her legs, and the steed galloped out like an arrow from a bow.

Her pace was neither fast nor slow, with no fancy tricks; it was standard, conventional, and extremely steady.

Seeing this, the crowd let out a sigh, and Princess Jiahe said with even more disdain: "Jun Zijin is nothing more than this; how dare she show off here."

The Fifth Imperial Prince, Quan Tianjiao, nodded upon hearing this.

The Second Imperial Prince, Quan Qiming, even laughed out loud, and the Third Imperial Prince finally felt at ease.

Gao Shanshan believed that if she couldn't hit it, Jun Zijin certainly couldn't either, and the heart that had been in her throat settled down slightly.

Jun Zijin was unaware of the reactions of the people in the stands. She was seen gazing with determined eyes at the three copper coins on the tree in the distance. A light breeze stirred her hair, but it could not blow away the confidence radiating from her entire being.

Just as the horse was galloping at a distance of over a hundred paces, she gently squeezed the horse's flanks with her legs, and the horse paused slightly. In that very instant, Jun Zijin nocked an arrow and drew the bow, her movements fluid and completed in one go.

At this moment, the entire horse track was so quiet that only the rustling of the wind through the leaves remained. The atmosphere in the stands became tense to the extreme, following Jun Zijin’s movements.

With a "whoosh," the sharp arrow left the string. Under the sunlight, the arrow flew out like a shooting star, accurately and flawlessly stringing the three copper coins together like beads.

Emperor Tianqi’s eyes lit up instantly, yet the arrow did not stop there; it continued to fly forward, carrying the three copper coins.

At this, Quan Aoyu sat up straight, for the first time not leaning lazily against his chair. Quan Aoyu opened his eyes wide, staring intently at the arrow still in flight.

The arrow, carrying the three copper coins, seemed to have eyes as it avoided the tree trunk directly in front, continued to fly forward for about fifty meters, and then actually circled in the air.

The moment the arrow carrying the coins avoided the tree trunk, the Emperor trembled all over. And at the instant it circled, for a brief moment, the Emperor felt his heart stop beating; he stared wide-eyed, fixed on the arrow.

Finally, with a "thud," the arrow was firmly pinned into the large tree ahead.

The entire horse track was silent; everyone held their breath. For a long while, until they were almost suffocating, no one knew who took the lead in starting to clap. Suddenly, thunderous applause and cheers shook the entire arena. They were crazy; the whole crowd had gone crazy.

"Good! Good! Good!" Emperor Quan Wuji stood up excitedly, slamming the table in applause, calling out "good" three times in a row.

"Sister-in-law is truly a heroine who does not yield to men." Quan Tianchen’s gentle face was filled with an excited smile.

"Wow, Sister Zijin, that was amazing!" the Seventh Imperial Prince, Quan Tianwu, shouted excitedly.

Jun Zhengming still hadn't recovered his senses. He had been able to accept that Jun Zijin knew medicine because she was Fang Jizhou’s granddaughter, but now it seemed his daughter’s martial arts were also this remarkable, and he had known nothing about it.

Jun Zijin turned her head to look at Quan Aoyu and saw that he had stood up and was giving her a thumbs-up.

Jun Zijin smiled triumphantly. She had practiced bitterly for several months; although she had recovered about fifty or sixty percent of the hard martial arts from her past life, the strength of this small body was ultimately insufficient. Shooting one hundred and fifty meters was already her limit. Fortunately, besides medicine, her favorite thing in her past life was archery, and today’s shot could be considered a clever trick.

"This... how is this possible? This... what kind of sorcery is this?" Gao Shanshan was completely stunned, and the bow and arrow in her hand dropped to the ground.

The crowd’s cheers for Jun Zijin dealt a severe blow to Gao Shanshan’s self-esteem, and she became angry out of shame. She stood there, her face full of annoyance and humiliation. She never expected Jun Zijin to have such superb archery skills. Unwilling to lose face in front of everyone, Gao Shanshan glared at Jun Zijin, a flash of viciousness in her eyes.

Gao Shanshan suddenly pulled a small hidden weapon from her waist and shot it toward Jun Zijin’s face. The hidden weapon traced an arc in the air, flying straight toward Jun Zijin.

This action shocked everyone present. The people in the stands saw clearly that Gao Shanshan was vicious-minded despite her young age. Everyone broke into a cold sweat for Jun Zijin.

"Gao Shanshan! Aren't you afraid of embarrassing yourself by doing this?" He Linger, Quan Qingle, and the others shouted loudly.

Jun Zijin’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she let out a cold snort:

"Seeking death." She originally didn't want to bother with a clown, but if someone was ignorant enough to court death at her hands, that was a different matter.

Jun Zijin casually fished two pieces of broken silver from her waist and threw them. A flash of silver light streaked by, and with a crisp "clink," it hit Gao Shanshan’s hidden weapon precisely, instantly rebounding it back.

"Ah!" With a cry of surprise, Gao Shanshan was hit by her own hidden weapon, her body swayed, and she fell hard from her horse.

The stands were in an uproar again. Princess Qingping’s archery was so remarkable, and she even knew martial arts?

Quan Qingle and the others shouted even louder: "Zijin, well hit!"

Gao Shanshan sat on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. She widened her eyes, clutching her chest where she had been hit; it hurt terribly, as if it had been caved in. She looked at the Jun Zijin before her in disbelief.

Then, Gao Shanshan pointed a trembling hand at Jun Zijin, who was looking down from horseback, and roared:

"Witch, Jun Zijin must be a witch!"

Before Gao Shanshan’s voice had faded, a black-clad figure on the stands leaped up, used light-body technique to instantly land on Jun Zijin’s horse, and pulled Jun Zijin tightly into his arms with one hand. With a loud "crack," Quan Aoyu raised his whip with his other hand and lashed out at Gao Shanshan.

Gao Shanshan could not dodge in time and was struck squarely.

"If you dare to slander my wife one more time, I will take your life!" Quan Aoyu roared.

The crowd was intimidated by Quan Aoyu’s aura, and for a time, no one dared to make a sound.

Gao Shanshan’s cheek was grazed by the tip of the whip, and a bloody mark appeared instantly. Her clothes were shredded, revealing her blood-stained inner garment. She didn't even groan before her eyes rolled back and she fainted.

Grand Chancellor Gao stood up with a "whoosh," then slowly sat back down. Recently, the Emperor had been critical of the Gao family; if not handled properly, Quan Wuji might use this as an excuse to act against them. Grand Chancellor Gao looked at Quan Aoyu and Jun Zijin with venomous eyes. He was about to open his mouth to ask the Emperor for permission to carry Gao Shanshan away for treatment.

At this moment, Quan Wuji spoke slowly:

"Princess Qingping wins this round. Gao Shanshan has shown a lack of decorum before the Emperor; she is forbidden from entering the palace for three years."

Quan Wuji paused slightly:

"As for you, Minister Gao, you must be too focused on state affairs and have neglected the education of the children in your household. Come to think of it, it is I, the sovereign of a nation, who has not been thoughtful enough. Here is what we shall do: I will grant you a three-month vacation. For these three months, Minister Gao, do not attend court. Enjoy your vacation well and spend time with your children. Minister Gao, please hand over your current political duties. Everyone, please be accommodating and do not disturb Grand Chancellor Gao with troublesome matters while he enjoys his family time."

Quan Wuji spoke in plain, blunt language, leaving everyone stunned.

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, a group of officials immediately knelt on the ground: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. For the sake of Grand Chancellor Gao, we are not afraid of fatigue and will certainly live up to your high expectations."

Grand Chancellor Gao was so angry his vision went black. *Damn it, who asked you to give me a vacation?* If a minister doesn't attend court, are they still a minister? Not to mention three months, even one month, and he would likely lose a huge portion of the power in his hands. *These shameless colleagues, who asked you to be accommodating?*

Grand Chancellor Gao wanted to decline, but as soon as he opened his mouth, a mouthful of blood sprayed out.

"Oh my, Minister Gao, you must be exhausted from state affairs. I would not want to earn a reputation for mistreating and exploiting my ministers. Here, I will grant you another three months of vacation; you must go back and properly recuperate your health!" Quan Wuji exclaimed in surprise.

Hearing that he was to be given a six-month vacation, Grand Chancellor Gao could no longer hold on; his vision went black, and he fainted.

Quan Wuji made a "tsk-tsk" sound and shook his head:

"With such poor health, it is indeed time to recuperate."

Quan Wuji then turned to the stunned eunuchs and said: "What are you still standing there for? Why haven't you sent the Grand Chancellor and his daughter back to the Chancellor’s residence yet?"

Gao Shanshan, who had been lying on the ground for a long while, was finally carried away.

Imperial Consort Gao on the high platform had not said a word from beginning to end, but her pair of venomous eyes stared fixedly at Jun Zijin, not knowing what she was brewing.