Chapter 52 Cheng'er Surprises Xie Yan

Chapter 52 Cheng'er Surprises Xie Yan

"No matter how much you practice, you shouldn't be able to miss at this distance!"

"With archery skills like this, you dare to make a fool of yourself in front of everyone."

"Haha! He wasn't wrong just now, he came here to make a fool of himself! It's so embarrassing!"

The children's unbridled contempt.

Shen Nanzi looked anxiously at Xie Chengze, only to see him calmly draw another arrow from the quiver behind him.

His small body leaned back slightly, his eyes narrowed, as he adjusted the height of the bow and arrow.

Once the target is clear, pull the bowstring taut, and the arrow whistles past.

"Smack!"

It landed on the ground again.

A chorus of boos erupted in the hall, followed by even louder laughter from the children.

"It's confirmed. He's a complete waste. Our royal family has never produced such a useless person before."

"Haha! Useless grandson of the emperor, don't even think about achieving anything in the future."

"With such archery skills, how can he go to the battlefield? Even if he does, he will be ridiculed by the enemy."

"From now on, no one should associate with trash."

"Yeah, yeah, don't play with him, he's too stupid! He can't even hit the target!"

After landing twice in a row, even the emperor's face showed disappointment.

Consort Wei sighed slightly, trying to save face for Cheng'er, "The child is too young, I'm afraid he doesn't have the strength!"

The Emperor snorted, "Isn't Hongrui the same age as him? He hit the bullseye three times!"

"Back when I was six years old, I couldn't hit the bullseye either. Hongrui worked very hard, and he wasn't in good health either."

"If you calculate it this way, Chengze just wasn't putting in the effort."

Everyone listened to the Emperor and Consort Wei's words and couldn't help but feel a chill for Xie Chengze.

From today onwards, this child will likely be left with the Emperor's impression of not being serious or studious.

Xie Chengze fired his third arrow, which barely grazed the target before falling to the ground.

"Nan Zi and Cheng Ze both really need to improve their archery skills!"

Xue Qingning, standing beside her, said in a seemingly concerned tone, "Children shouldn't be spoiled too much. They need to be supervised when necessary. Too much pampering will only make them pampered."

“My son Hongrui is not in good health. I heard that he is competing in front of the Emperor, so he dares not slack off at all.”

"For the past six months, I have had to set aside some time to practice every day."

Shen Nanzi had no time to argue with her; she looked at Xie Chengze with concern.

He whispered to him, "Xie Chengze, it's okay. You're already incredibly skilled at drawing the bow and almost hitting the target!"

"Don't panic, and don't let other voices distract you."

Listening to the conversation between the mother and son, Xie Yan looked at Shen Nanzi. Her eyes were clearly anxious, but she still had a smile on her face, gently encouraging Xie Chengze.

He couldn't help but remind them, "Keep your hands steady, use your back muscles, and aim for the bullseye!"

Xie Yan's voice surprised Xue Qingning.

Shen Nanzi seemed not to hear, her eyes fixed on Xie Chengze.

Lie Feng also chimed in, "Your Highness, don't get distracted, stay calm!"

Xie Chengze remained calm, drew the bowstring taut, aimed at the bullseye, and released the shot.

The arrow shot out in a straight line, gradually advancing forward.

With a "snap!" the arrow struck the target, its shaft still trembling violently and emitting a slight buzzing sound.

"Hit!" Lie Feng and the palace servants couldn't help but shout.

Everyone had already given up hope on Shen Chengze. Even if he hit the target, he would probably just brush against it!

Shen Nanzi was so happy when she saw the arrow hit the target that she almost jumped up and excitedly waved her claws.

Wow! Xie Chengze is amazing! He hit the target!

"Congratulations, Your Highness, on hitting the bullseye!" the palace servant announced.

What?! The bullseye?!

Everyone thought they had misheard. How could someone who hadn't even hit the target three times hit the bullseye on the fourth arrow?

Upon closer inspection, everyone saw that the arrow was firmly planted in the center, right on the bullseye.

Even the extremely disappointed emperor perked up and took a few more glances.

Xie Yan raised his head, looked at the target, then at Xie Chengze, his expression unreadable.

Bullseye! Shen Nanzi hadn't expected it either, but the target was too far away to see clearly.

The palace maid said that when she looked closely, heavens, she had indeed hit the bullseye.

Good heavens! Her Cheng'er hit the bullseye today! What incredible talent!

Shen Nanzi felt both happy and worried, fearing it was just a coincidence, since he wasn't an expert. He nervously clenched his hands in front of his chest.

"A blind cat stumbled upon a dead mouse!" one of the children said.

Other children immediately chimed in.

"That's right, three arrows landed in a row just now, this time it was just a stroke of luck."

"Yes, yes! It was just luck!"

"Nothing to worry about! The arrows that follow will probably all fall to the ground."

What followed was nothing but the children's laughter!

When Shen Nanzi heard the first child's voice, who else could it be but Xie Hongrui?

Neither of them, mother and son, are kind people.

One framed her, while the other secretly provoked Xie Chengze into violence.

"Xie Chengze, stay calm!" At this moment, all she could do was offer words of encouragement.

"Don't worry, Mother! Your son won't let you down!"

"Speak!" He drew another arrow and nocked it to his bow.

"Smack!"

"Your Highness has hit the bullseye again, making it twice in total."

This time, the previous shouts and mockery were gone, replaced by surprised looks at Xie Chengze.

Having hit the bullseye twice, Shen Nanzi was already satisfied. Even if she missed the next shot, it wouldn't be too embarrassing.

"Only twice? If you're so capable, hit it again!" Xie Hongrui seemed unconvinced and raised his voice again.

His supporters immediately followed suit.

"That's right! Hitting the bullseye is nothing special; an arrow that falls to the ground is laughable!"

"That's right! Not a single one of our arrows landed!"

Xie Chengze remained silent and fired another arrow.

"Congratulations, Your Highness, on hitting the bullseye three times in a row!"

Then the seventh arrow.

"Congratulations, Your Highness, on hitting the bullseye four times in a row!"

"Congratulations, Your Highness, on hitting the bullseye five times in a row!"

"Congratulations, Your Highness, on hitting the bullseye six times in a row!"

"Congratulations, Your Highness, on hitting the bullseye seven times in a row!"

As Xie Chengze fired arrow after arrow, the laughter that had been echoing in the hall ceased.

Gradually, it turned into amazement, astonishment, and then admiration.

Xie Yan's usually indifferent face showed a hint of surprise as he listened to the flattering voices around him.

"The young prince has inherited Prince Jing's wisdom! Apart from the first three arrows, none of them missed."

"Prince Jing was also an unparalleled archer in his day. Like father, like son! He truly is a father who has no weak son!"

"Prince Jing has a worthy successor!"

"Our nation is full of talented people!"

"A child who is only six years old is truly gifted!"

Xie Yan looked at Xie Chengze, this child whom he had never taught anything!

These accolades now fill him with both shame and a touch of pride.

Xie Chengze is just as good at shooting as he was when he was a child.

This was without him having practiced at all; how could Xie Yan not be shocked?

For the first time, he looked closely at the child with whom he shared blood ties.

Everyone says he looks like him, and now that I look closely, he's more than just similar; he's practically a carbon copy of myself when I was a child.

A strange feeling inexplicably arose in my heart towards this child.

I felt a mix of pride, satisfaction, unfamiliarity, and instinctive resistance.