The Tyrant’s Drama Queen Empress
CHAPTER 16: Bao Fei’s Archery Talent
Xie Yuanxun pulled Shen Ling into his arms. She was shorter than him, so standing in front of him, she could feel his breath sprinkling over her head. Shen Ling hadn’t even figured out why he had grabbed her into his arms when he caught her hand, placed it on the arrow, and held her as they aimed at the distant target.
The arrow flew out and hit the bullseye.
Shen Ling’s attention was completely drawn to it. Her eyes blazed as she stared.
—Wow!
—Turns out I have a talent for archery!
—I’m amazing! Hitting this on my very first try!
Xie Yuanxun: “......”
He lowered his gaze to look at her. Archery talent? Was she for real?
Shen Ling was still lost in her own thoughts:
—If I’d known I was this good, I should’ve said I could shoot earlier. Ugh, what a mistake.
—Look at this shot, how fluid and unstoppable it is, like wind and lightning combined!
Xie Yuanxun: “......”
He made her shoot a few more arrows, and throughout the process, Shen Ling’s inner monologue was rich and overflowing. Xie Yuanxun watched as she praised herself so shamelessly it could make someone blush.
Xie Yuanxun: “Pft.”
Shen Ling: “???”
Huh???
Did she just hear him laugh?
Before Shen Ling could decide if she’d misheard, Xie Yuanxun tossed the bow and arrows to the palace attendant and wrapped his arms around her, laughing out loud. Shen Ling was completely baffled, having no idea why he found it so funny.
Shen Ling didn’t pay it much mind. After all, a normal person could never really understand how a lunatic thought. She probably would never figure him out, Shen Ling hesitated in her thoughts. No, no, no—definitely never.
Xie Yuanxun’s voice carried a teasing lilt as he asked, “So, can you shoot arrows now?”
He expected to hear Shen Ling give a confident, unwavering yes. After all, she had just been praising herself in her own mind as a master archer.
Instead, what he heard was—
“No!”
Shen Ling’s denial hit like a hammer.
Xie Yuanxun: “......”
He couldn’t help but reach up and pinch her cheek. Little liar, who said in their heart that they could shoot arrows? He really thought she would admit it, and yet… it was just a paper tiger, all bluff. One poke and it popped.
Shen Ling’s expression stayed perfectly normal. She was just idly praising herself in her head. None of it was serious. Sure, she had been proud when she hit the bullseye while shooting with Xie Yuanxun, but she knew exactly why that arrow had hit. Wasn’t it allowed for her to have a little grandiose fantasy in her mind?
Xie Yuanxun said, “But I want to see you shoot.”
Without looking up, he ordered the attendant, “Bring a bow for Bao Fei.”
Shen Ling: “......”
—Wait, did I even agree to shoot?
—Or did I? Did I forget?
Shen Ling was driven to the brink of despair by Xie Yuanxun. She suddenly felt insecure about her own memories; she was still young, and didn't want to develop dementia!
Soon, the attendant brought the bow over. Xie Yuanxun held it and said, “This bow is light. You just hold it and shoot. Even if you don’t hit the bullseye, you should at least hit the target, Bao Fei. Right?”
Shen Ling: “......Y-yes, Your Majesty.”
—Your Majesty, my foot!
—It’s my first time shooting, and you already expect me to hit the target? Are you a demon?!
Xie Yuanxun’s mood was cheerful. “You can start.”
Shen Ling recalled how Xie Yuanxun had held her before, placing the arrow on the bow. She lifted it, drew the string back—
Nothing.
She couldn’t pull it.
She tried to pull again, but still nothing moved.
Shen Ling: “......”
She glanced at Xie Yuanxun standing beside her. “Your Majesty, is this bow broken?”
—Say yes, quick!
—If it’s broken, I don’t have to shoot! Just say it’s broken!
Xie Yuanxun’s voice was cool and flat. “Broken?”
“Someone, kill everyone who has touched the bow Bao Fei is holding.” If he meant what he said, that was a long list—the bow’s maker, the transporters, and the attendant who just fetched it.
Shen Ling didn’t actually want to shoot. She also didn’t want anyone to die over a single lie she’d told. That would be way too unfair, and she could never let that happen.
Shen Ling steeled herself, her face flushed, and drew back the bowstring, exclaiming with delight. “Your Majesty, look! The bow’s fine—it’s not broken!”
Xie Yuanxun didn’t even seem to notice she had been lying. “Oh, it’s fine? Then no one needs to die. I was just teasing you. How could I possibly kill so many people over one bow?”
Shen Ling let out a soft “hehe” with a smile.
—How could it be impossible? You’re the most likely one to do something like that!
—I completely believe you’re capable of anything. There’s nothing you couldn’t do, I have that much confidence in you!
Xie Yuanxun watched her. Shen Ling tensed up.
—Ahhhhhh!
—I’m going to embarrass myself, embarrass myself, embarrass myself!
Shen Ling let go of the string. The arrow shot forward—just five steps before it wobbled and fell to the ground, completely still.
Shen Ling: “......” She knew this would happen!
Xie Yuanxun laughed so hard he could barely stand it. “Hahahaha.”
Shen Ling: “......”
—Hehe, laugh all you want, laugh yourself to death, you bastard!
—You knew I couldn’t shoot, and yet you made me do it! You’re sick! Trashy man!
Shen Ling quickly tossed the bow and arrow to the attendant beside her. No more shooting, ever, really!
Xie Yuanxun lost interest in archery too. He suddenly asked, “Someone from outside brought a card into the Palace today. I heard it was your mother. Didn’t you see her?”
Shen Ling: “Your Majesty hears so many things.”
She remembered last time, after talking with Jing Fēi, she came to Xie Yuanxun and got hit with one of his endless “I heard...” questions.
Xie Yuanxun’s expression darkened. He said flatly, “So many, huh?”
Shen Ling suppressed a laugh. She knew she shouldn’t be laughing now, but the way he separated her words like that just tickled her funny bone.
But Shen Ling didn’t dare let Xie Yuanxun stay in a sour mood. She lifted the silk handkerchief embroidered with sparrows to cover her nose and mouth, leaving only her eyes visible, and said shyly, almost trembling, “Your Majesty, everything you’ve heard is about me. I—I’m really touched that you care so much about me, I… ah, I don’t even dare look at Your Majesty…”
—Just ask me if you believe this fake coy rescue line!
Xie Yuanxun: “......”
Heh.
He didn’t say anything. Shen Ling sneaked a glance at him, and her eyes met his expressionless face. Her heart lurched. Why was he reacting like this?
—Something’s wrong……
—Usually, when a man hears words like this, shouldn’t he be happy?
Xie Yuanxun withdrew his cool gaze from her. After all, he’d seen her acting differently in words and heart plenty of times—this wasn’t anything new.
Shen Ling didn’t dare babble nonsense anymore. She hurriedly answered his question, “My mother came to the Palace today, but she went to see Jing Fēi first. Maybe she plans to see me only after meeting Jing Fēi.”
Xie Yuanxun snorted. “What is she worth?”
Shen Ling instinctively asked, “Your Majesty, who do you mean by ‘she’?”
Was it Jing Fēi, or Madam Jiang?
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