Mu Jin County Princess held a lower rank than Feng Jiangduo, so she yielded the first turn to her.
Feng Jiangduo was skilled in martial arts and had followed the King of Dingnan onto the battlefield. How could her abilities be compared to the Second Princess? Even these men raised in luxury could not match her.
Continuing the previous tradition, she easily shot down all of the Second Princess's arrows.
The Second Princess's face turned green with anger. She flicked her sleeve and said, "This is boring. I'm not playing anymore."
She turned and left.
The Eldest Princess quickly followed.
With the two prominent figures from Xia gone, the envoys naturally felt awkward staying alone. Some, with clear minds, apologized to Prince Rong and his companions before leaving.
Wang Qingyao shook her head, "They can't handle losing!"
Mu Jin County Princess patted her chest, "Fortunately, she left."
Feng Jiangduo glanced at her. She said sheepishly, "Actually, my archery is quite ordinary. I just came to make up the numbers." She then looked at Feng Jiangduo with admiration, "Little County Princess, you are truly amazing."
Wang Qingyao leaned closer, "Isn't your father a general, Mu Jin County Princess?"
Mu Jin County Princess said with some embarrassment, "I disliked practicing martial arts since I was young. My father always forced me to train."
With the Xia envoys gone, the remaining disciples of the Great Sheng Dynasty began to frolic freely. They were all children of noble families and usually played together. Although several princes were present, Prince Rong was benevolent, and Prince Wu and the Seventh Prince even joined in their games, so no one paid much attention.
Prince Qi approached Feng Jiangduo and said, "County Princess, your skills are truly excellent. My father has always lamented that I have no good teacher for archery. If the County Princess doesn't mind, could you perhaps be my teacher?"
At these words, a hush fell over the surroundings.
Everyone knew that Prince Qi had been showing favor to Wei Yu and was determined to be close to this cousin. How had his focus shifted so quickly upon seeing Feng Jiangduo today?
Although this little county princess from Nanzhou was beautiful, she was cold and aloof. The charming and lovely Second Miss Wei seemed more likable.
Wang Qingyao knew almost immediately that Prince Qi had somehow found out about what the Empress Dowager had "casually" said yesterday. It seemed Prince Qi had weighed Feng Jiangduo and Wei Yu and ultimately found Feng Jiangduo to be more valuable, hence his approach today. After all, Feng Jiangduo had the backing of the King of Dingnan, who truly held military power. Wang Qingyao felt that if she had to choose, she would also choose Feng Jiangduo.
Feng Jiangduo replied concisely with two words: "Cannot."
Prince Qi was taken aback, not expecting Feng Jiangduo to refuse him so directly without giving him any face.
He was not deterred and pressed further, "Why?"
Feng Jiangduo pursed her lips, truly finding it troublesome.
Prince Wu then came over, hooked his arm around Prince Qi's neck, and chuckled, "Fourth Imperial Brother, please don't make it difficult for the little county princess. How can an unmarried young lady like her be your teacher?"
Prince Qi naturally did not agree, but if some ambiguous rumors were to spread as a result, it would be beneficial to him. Moreover, constant proximity and the teacher-student relationship could easily lead to developing feelings.
Prince Qi said, "The little county princess is a heroine, unconstrained by convention. How can she be compared to ordinary ladies of the inner chambers?" Prince Qi persisted, adding a compliment to Feng Jiangduo.
Unfortunately, Feng Jiangduo did not accept this flattery and found it rather annoying.
"Your Highness Prince Qi overestimates me. I am no different from ordinary ladies of the inner chambers," Feng Jiangduo said coolly.
After receiving two rebuffs, Prince Qi's brows began to show a hint of anger.
Prince Rong called out loudly, "If you want to learn archery, learn from Fang Zheng. Even if the little county princess is unconstrained by convention, she is still a young lady."
Fang Zheng handed him a bow. Prince Qi, not expecting to win over Feng Jiangduo with his charm immediately, took a deep breath and went to shoot arrows with Fang Zheng nearby.
Wang Qingyao turned around and found that Mu Jin County Princess had quietly moved far away at some point. She then saw Prince Wu talking to Xiao Yun and began to understand.
After the archery, the court would host a banquet in the Southern Imperial Garden, and the Emperor would also attend. Mu Jin County Princess, unwilling to have further dealings with Prince Wu, had claimed illness and left early.
The Second Princess had been angry all afternoon. By the time of the evening banquet, she was no longer upset. She had also changed into a dress, also bright red, which made her long face appear less so. Although she was the Second Princess, she carried more authority than the Eldest Princess. The envoys from Xia, including the Eldest Princess herself, regarded her with utmost respect.
The banquet proceeded as seen on television: the Emperor sat at the head, the ministers of Great Sheng sat on one side, and the envoys from Xia sat on the other. Each table was for one or two people, clean and hygienic.
Xiao Yun pointed at the dishes on the table, "You cannot eat these, these, and these." The wine was also replaced with goat's milk by the palace maids.
Wang Qingyao ate a few bites of food and heard the Emperor ask the two princesses of Xia if they had taken a liking to any of the men from Great Sheng. If so, he would issue a decree for marriage that very day. The Eldest Princess and the Second Princess stepped forward to reply.
The Eldest Princess, with a delicate and shy glance at the Emperor, said, "I wish to be your Majesty's woman."
Hmph. This Eldest Princess, while appearing delicate, spoke with no trace of gentleness. The Emperor was startled, let alone those below.