Feng Suige stood motionless, his hand clutching tightly at the fabric on his chest. The two golden dragons on his robe appeared fierce due to the wrinkles in the cloth. Ye Duanfang hesitated, then stepped forward to check Guyu’s pulse. He shook his head and retreated behind Feng Suige, saying softly, “He’s gone.”

Feng Suige remained silent, but Yixiao suddenly turned her head, her tear-filled eyes glaring at Ye Duanfang. She spat out hatefully, “If you wanted my life, you could have come for it openly. Why involve others? You’re despicable! You’re shameless!”

Ye Duanfang’s mouth twitched slightly. He replied grimly, “If you can’t defeat me, you’ll have failed to honor his sacrifice, and you won’t deserve to hear my explanation.”

The last drop of water in the clepsydra finally fell. The scene was completely silent, with everyone craning their necks towards the dense forest. Feng Qishan lightly tapped the armrest of his chair and anxiously instructed the palace guard standing beside him, “Send more people to check again.”

After one incense stick had burned, the previously dispatched soldier galloped back. He dismounted, knelt in the center of the field, and reported somewhat uneasily, “Your Majesty… the prince says he cannot come now. He requests Your Majesty and the officials to…”

Feng Qishan immediately stood up, losing color. “Is Suige injured?!” “The prince is not injured,” the soldier hesitated, “The specific situation is unclear to me, so…” “Enough,” Feng Qishan swept his sleeve imperiously, “Lead the way!”

The carriages of the nobles followed Feng Qishan’s royal carriage along the forest path, slowly entering the dense woods. Feng Qishan’s body swayed gently with the movement of the carriage, his expression changing unpredictably. That person had calculated everything but had overlooked two fire arrows. Not only had the plan failed at the last moment, but who knew what other troubles might arise…

The carriage finally stopped swaying, and the rumbling behind gradually ceased. After a while, the herald came over trembling to lift the carriage curtain. “Your Majesty, the prince is ahead.”

Feng Qishan walked out of the royal carriage with a calm expression. As his gaze fell upon the scene, his heart first skipped a beat, then slightly relaxed—there were only three people ahead. Feng Suige and Ye Duanfang stood side by side, each holding a blood-stained hemp sack. Not far in front of them lay a blood-soaked, massive corpse on the ground—who else could it be but the giant called Guyu? A short distance behind the two men, Fu Yixiao sat on her knees, covered in blood, counting the collected bundles of arrows without raising her head.

As Feng Qishan stepped out, all the soldiers around, including Marquis Jianxin Ye Duanfang, knelt and called out “Long live Your Majesty!” Only two people didn’t move: Feng Suige, who stood tall and proud, and Fu Yixiao, who focused on counting arrows.

Feng Qishan frowned. “It’s understandable if Fu Yixiao doesn’t know the etiquette, but why are you also…” “Father,” Feng Suige interrupted, turning his sack upside down. Bloody deer ears immediately scattered over Guyu’s corpse and rolled across the ground. Feng Suige announced in a clear voice, “The deer ears are here. Please, Father, verify them publicly!”

The atmosphere was eerie. The ministers who had followed surrounded the area, looking at each other uneasily, not daring to breathe loudly.

Someone had died, yet why did the king seem unconcerned, only caring about whether the prince had bowed?

Someone had died, yet why did the prince seem unconcerned, insisting on verifying the deer ears first?

Someone had died, indeed someone had died…

Ye Duanfang silently stood up and poured out his hunted deer ears on the other side. Everyone’s eyes immediately focused on the ground—two piles of deer ears, seemingly similar in number, requiring a detailed count to determine the winner. But without Feng Qishan’s order, no soldier dared to step forward to verify the deer ears.

After a long while, it was Ye Duanfang who spoke first. “I admit defeat.” Before he finished speaking, even Fu Yixiao and Feng Suige looked at him in surprise. The ministers behind Feng Qishan burst into a buzz of discussion. Feng Qishan narrowed his eyes sharply. “We haven’t ordered a count yet. Why does Marquis Jianxin say this?”

Ye Duanfang remained silent for a moment, then turned to Fu Yixiao and picked up a bundle of arrows from the ground. “I may not have lost to the Junior Consort, but I lost to these arrows, or rather, to the person who used these arrows.”

Silence fell.

Feng Qishan said nothing, while Ye Duanfang’s brow furrowed into a frown. He spoke clearly and forcefully, “If it were a fair competition, win or lose, I would accept it wholeheartedly. But—” He pointed to Guyu’s corpse on the ground. “The Junior Consort was ambushed during the competition, and her attendant lost his life protecting her. Even if I won, it would be a dishonorable victory!”

Suddenly, large tears welled up in Fu Yixiao’s eyes. She wiped her face roughly with her blood-stained sleeve, gathered all the bloody arrows from the ground, and strode boldly toward Feng Qishan. Immediately, several civil and military officials rushed forward to shield Feng Qishan behind them.

Yixiao laughed coldly. “Why so nervous? Is it because someone has done something unconscionable?” She threw the bundles of arrows at Feng Qishan’s feet. “Including those in Marquis Jianxin’s hands, there are 74 arrows in total, 67 of which were extracted from Guyu’s body.”

She then turned and pointed at Ye Duanfang. “Don’t think admitting defeat will clear you of suspicion. As long as I live, I swear to avenge Guyu!” Ye Duanfang nodded expressionlessly without saying a word.

Feng Qishan nudged the arrows on the ground with his toe and snorted coldly. “I will investigate this matter thoroughly. Come, gather the deer ears, and count them publicly to determine the winner of the arrow competition.” Before he finished speaking, Ye Duanfang had already knelt again. “For the sake of my reputation, I beg Your Majesty to withdraw the order!”

Seeing the soldiers about to step forward and freeze in place, Feng Qishan angrily shouted, “This matter has nothing to do with the arrow competition. I command you to—” “Your Majesty, please consider!” Ye Duanfang suddenly became agitated. “If I cannot clear my name, what use is winning the competition? How can I face the army and the people of the country?”

Feng Qishan was so angry that his lips trembled and his hands shook. Before he could speak, Feng Suige, who had been silent all along, slowly said, “Your son believes that only an insider can cooperate with outside enemies. Therefore, Father should not dwell on the arrow competition now, but should quickly and strictly investigate the mastermind behind this incident to prevent further complications.”

“Rebellion, utter rebellion,” Feng Qishan laughed in extreme anger. “For the sake of a stupid, dim-witted doorkeeper, you’re all turning around to lecture your king?!”

“How dare we use the word ‘rebellion’,” Yixiao also smiled slightly. “Your Majesty never makes mistakes, so how could we dare to lecture Your Majesty?”

She paced a few steps, coldly glancing at the officials behind Feng Qishan. “I just want to remind those with ill intentions that assassinating a member of the royal family is a capital offense that would implicate the entire clan. And as you all know, Fu Yixiao comes from a military background and only understands the principle of an eye for an eye—whoever tries to push me to the brink, from now on, can forget about living peacefully!”