Chapter 484: Didn’t Even Draw a Single Bow?

Chapter 484: Couldn’t Even Draw a Single Bow, Huh?

Next, the noble ladies showcased their talents in their own unique ways—some sang, some danced, and some painted on the spot—the atmosphere was buzzing.

Amid the excitement, Yu Mingzhu suddenly asked Xingxing, "Township Lady, why don’t you also perform something? After all, it’s just us girls here. You can do anything for fun—it’s all among sisters."

Her words were tactful, but they pinned Xingxing down.

Nie Yuke smiled faintly, as if missing the pointed tone, and took a leisurely sip of tea without intervening.

"Yes, Township Lady, don’t be shy!" several noble ladies egged her on.

After a moment’s thought, Xingxing smiled gracefully. "Guess I’ll have to make a fool of myself."

Yu Mingzhu perked up and chuckled lightly. "Oh? What will Township Lady perform? Poetry, singing, or dancing?"

Xingxing replied with a smile, "I wasn’t aware of the custom of preparing talents, so I didn’t come prepared. After some thought, perhaps I’ll show off some archery for everyone."

Archery was one of the core skills of Chinese nobility, making it a legit skill.

She added, "But I didn’t bring a bow. Does Miss Nie happen to have one here?" She shrugged. "If not, then I suppose it can’t be helped."

Nie Yuke laughed. "For you, Township Lady, even if I didn’t have one, I’d find one for you."

She turned to Shuilü and said, "Fifth Brother has many bows. Go borrow one suitable for a young lady from him."

Shuilü nodded and hurried off, soon coming back with a young nobleman in fine attire—Nie Lvming, the fifth son of the Nie family’s main branch.

As they were all part of the same noble crowd, the noble ladies stood to greet Nie Lvming without hesitation.

Nie Lvming returned the greeting with utmost seriousness.

Nie Yuke raised an eyebrow. "Fifth Brother, why are you here?"

Nie Lvming replied eagerly, "I heard a young lady wanted to borrow a bow, but I wasn’t sure how much draw weight (a bow’s resistance) she could handle. So I brought several options."

Archery was Nie Lvming’s passion, and his eyes sparkled at the mention of bows.

Nie Yuke was both shocked and exasperated. "Draw weight? Fifth Brother, have you lost your mind? We’re delicate young ladies, not hulking brutes!"

"Oh, that’s why I brought a variety to choose from," Nie Lvming grumbled. "What if she *is* a burly young lady?"

He glanced around. "So, which sister needs the bow?"

Xingxing raised her hand. "Me, me!"

Nie Lvming looked over and saw a dimpled, rosy-cheeked girl waving at him.

Her voice was sweet, too!

This was… *nothing* like the burly figure he’d imagined!

Flushing slightly, Nie Lvming coughed and gestured for his attendants to bring forth the bows. "…I wasn’t sure what you could use, so I brought extras. Go ahead and choose."

But inwardly, he wondered—such a petite girl? He could take down three like her with one punch. Was she *actually* gonna draw a bow?

Xingxing had no idea Nie Lvming was thinking about taking down three of her with one punch. She stepped forward to start selecting a bow.

Nie Lvming enthusiastically recommended one to her: "This bow is newly acquired, Master Liu the bowmaker's masterpiece, crafted from green willow wood grown near the Heavenly Pond..."

Xingxing obligingly picked it up and tried to draw it.

...She couldn't draw it.

Holding the bow that was almost taller than her shoulders, Xingxing was rather embarrassed.

Nie Lvming scratched his head and blurted out, "That weak?"

Xingxing's face turned beet red.

A noblewoman couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up for Xingxing: "Master Nie! The Lady of Blessed Peace is just a young girl! That bow is almost taller than her—how could she possibly draw it?"

Nie Lvming hastily apologized: "Sorry, sorry, that was careless of me. Why don't you give this bow another try?"

He enthusiastically recommended another bow.

Xingxing gave it another try as suggested...

Alas, she still couldn't draw it.

Xingxing: "..."

Nie Lvming frowned, not ready to give up, and recommended two lighter bows in succession.

Xingxing tried them but still couldn't draw them.

Xingxing: "..."

Great recommendations—maybe don't recommend next time.

Nie Lvming now began to doubt Xingxing: "Little sister, can you even do this?"

Xingxing's face turned beet red.

Nie Yuke, putting on an understanding air, chided him: "Fifth Brother, how can you speak like that? Auntie expressly told me to take good care of the Lady of Blessed Peace..."

The words themselves were proper enough.

But in this context, it seemed as though Xingxing couldn't do it but insisted she could, and Nie Yuke was making excuses for her out of respect for the Empress.

Xingxing thought that if nothing worked, she might as well go break off a willow branch and make a simple bow herself!

But before she could speak, an amused voice came through: "Ah Ming, what are you doing here?"

A young nobleman in brocade robes approached, attended by several retainers.

At the sight of him, all the noblewomen started and hurried to rise and bow.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Nie Yuke's face flushed slightly as she bowed with surprise and delight, then stood up first: "Cousin Crown Prince, to what do we owe this visit?"

The newcomer was indeed the Crown Prince of the current dynasty, Wei Shiqing.

This was Xingxing's first time meeting the Crown Prince, and she followed the other ladies in bowing respectfully.

The Crown Prince's voice was magnetic as he smiled and said, "Please rise. I recently acquired a small bow and came to seek Lvming's opinion. Just now, I heard he was here, so I came to take a look."

Nie Lvming straightened up after bowing. "Cousin, I was helping someone choose a bow."

Wei Shiqing said "Oh," his gaze pausing briefly somewhere before he asked with a smile, "Choosing what kind of bow?"

Nie Lvming pointed at the young lady. "This young lady here. She said she wanted to demonstrate archery, so I brought several bows, but she couldn't draw any of them..."

There was a moment of silence as the Crown Prince remained quiet for a while.

Nie Yuke found it strange and softly called out, "Cousin?"

Only then did the Crown Prince seem to return to the present, smiling as he asked, "...She couldn't draw any of them?"

Nie Yuke's heart skipped a beat at his words.

Was she overthinking it?

Why did she feel that the Crown Prince's tone carried a hint of recognizable affection?

Xingxing couldn't help but blush and defend herself, "...These bows are all a bit heavy. I'm not strong enough."

As she spoke, she glanced up at Wei Shiqing and froze for a moment.

It was because the Empress bore some resemblance to Wei Shiyan in her features, and this Crown Prince, being the Empress's eldest son, also bore some resemblance to Wei Shiyan. Xingxing couldn't help but study him curiously.

Wei Shiqing smiled at her. "Is that so?"

Nie Yuke's eyes had been fixed on Wei Shiqing the whole time, and seeing him smile so warmly, her heart pounded fiercely.

Nie Lvming, however, remained oblivious to his sister's girlish thoughts and eagerly said to Wei Shiqing, "Cousin, you mentioned you brought a bow for me to get my opinion on? Where is it? Shall we go?"

"Wait a moment. Most of the bows in your collection are meant for men—it's only natural a young lady couldn't draw them." Wei Shiqing chuckled and summoned an attendant, retrieving an exquisite small bow. "This was something I sought out for the Crown Princess to practice with casually—well-suited for ladies. Lady of Blessed Peace (Xingxing), would you like to try it?"