Lu Qifeng was shooting arrows with Jian Guozhi. "I have heard of the Crown Prince, mostly. There is a terror of the Crown Prince among us, but seeing the Crown Prince with the Princess of Juyan was shocking, First Prince," Lu Qifeng stated.
Jian Guozhi aimed at the target and then turned to look at Lu Qifeng. "Prince Qifeng, their marriage was an alliance so, indeed the Crown Princess could not step back from that," Jian Guozhi asserted.
"First Prince, the Crown Princess is not someone who agrees to the decision without her involvement. I wonder why her father did so," Lu Qifeng stated.
"It seems that Prince Lu knows the Crown Princess at a personal level. Pardon me, but the way the Prince is speaking is proving that," Xue Yu-Yan who was watching them, finally spoke.
Lu Qifeng peered at Xue Yu-Yan. "My father and the late father of the Crown Princess were close allies. So, I know a little about the Crown Princess, Princess Consort Xue," Lu Qifeng stated. Qi Jing, who was seated on the round wooden stool beside Xue Yu-Yan, got curious.
"It means you are a close friend of the Crown Princess. But she does not tell us about this. I think she wants to hide it from us," Xue Yu-Yan proclaimed and glanced at Qi Jing.
"No, I am not a close friend of the Crown Princess. Please refrain from using that word, Princess Consort Xue. I have gone only once to Juyan that was when I was a teenager," Lu Qifeng replied.
Lu Qifeng turned back and picked the arrow to shoot it at the target, but this time he missed it. "You need to meditate, Prince Lu," a voice was heard which was of the Crown Prince.
They all turned to the Crown Prince who had a menacing expression on his face. "Since you are going to be the husband of my sister, I will not say anything to you for talking about the Crown Princess," Sheng Li pronounced and stepped towards Lu Qifeng.
Qi Jing and Xue Yu-Yan stood up from their seats seeing the Crown Prince there.
"Her marriage with me should not bother you, Prince Lu," Sheng Li added. Lei Wanxi, who had come there with Sheng Li, stood beside Jian Guozhi.
Lu Qifeng passed a smile to Sheng Li. "Forgive me, Crown Prince" he bowed and lifted his head, "I just wanted to share my thoughts."
"No one has asked about your thoughts, Prince Lu," Sheng Li proclaimed and looked at Qi Jing. "Sister Jing, forgive me for being rude to your soon-to-be husband!"
"Let's start the game, then. First Brother, it is good to see you here," Sheng Li said. Jian Guozhi nodded and asked the servant to bring a bow for the Crown Prince.
"Sister Lili should have been here. She has great shooting skills. I heard from General Wang how she bravely saved Brother Sheng when an assassin tried to harm him," Lei Wanxi praised Ying Lili.
"Really? The Crown Princess is truly amazing. But Brother did you find anything about the assassin?!" Qi Jing questioned.
"No, he was dead by then," Sheng Li lied. "Let's not talk about those things. I do not like to openly discuss my personal matters," Sheng Li stated and took the bow from the servant.
He put the arrow and pulled out the string. The arrow shot the middle of the target easily. "Prince Lu, it's your turn," stated Sheng Li.
Xue Yu-Yan looked at Qi Jing who was smiling while looking at Lu Qifeng. "Princess Jing has a deep respect for Ying Lili, but that will not be anymore. It seems Lu Qifeng admires Ying Lili. If Lu Qifeng and Ying Lili are seen together, then it would be great. Ying Lili will not only lose her image but also the trust of Sheng Li in her," Xue Yu-Yan thought and smirked.
"Lei Wanxi, do you want to shoot arrows?" Jian Guozhi asked.
"I wish I could, but I have poor shooting skills. Moreover, I do not want to hurt my fingers. I shall take my leave," Lei Wanxi said and walked away.
An hour later, the game was over. "Thank you, Crown Prince, First Prince, for playing this game. I enjoyed it," Lu Qifeng stated.
"We need to leave, Prince Lu. It was indeed fun," Sheng Li stated and looked at Jian Guozhi. "Brother, we need to discuss the matter with Brother Nianzu. Let's meet him," Sheng Li pronounced and left with Jian Guozhi.
Qi Jing was earlier called by the Empress so now, on the playing grounds, only Xue Yu-Yan and Lu Qifeng left.
"Prince Lu, you might have known Hu Jingguo as well. Last month, he saved the Crown Prince from a deadly poison," stated Xue Yu-Yan.
Lu Qifeng was astonished to learn about that. "Hu Jingguo was a keen learner of medicine. He is a close friend of the Crown Princess. Was he here? I missed the opportunity to meet him." Lu Qifeng heaved a sigh.
"The Crown Prince was furious with the Crown Princess when he learned about Hu Jingguo. But then, the Crown Princess adjusted well with everyone. If I would be at the place of the Crown Princess then, I would have accepted death instead of surrendering myself," Xue Yu-Yan remarked.
Lu Qifeng raised his brow but then turned normal. "The Crown Princess is not someone who will accept death easily. She loves to fight against the odds. That makes her different from the other women in this patriarchal society. Princess Consort Xue, it was a nice conversation with you. I shall leave." Lu Qifeng bowed and walked ahead.
Xue Yu-Yan clenched her fists. "Why does every man think of her differently? Well, she will receive her first punishment today. She made me wash clothes that day. I will request punishment for flogging her! That way she will not be able to get up for a few days," Xue Yu-Yan grinned, thinking about this.
