mesbooks Chapter 272 The Princes
Chapter 272 The Princes
The third prince Zhou Chengluo raised his head slightly and glanced at Emperor Shenwu. The feeling of the sixth prince's arrow was clearly very similar to that of their father!
The Third Prince, Zhou Chengluo, couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness in his heart. Every prince was different. This archery skill was clearly taught by his father himself! When the Sixth Prince was born, his mother, Concubine Yang Gui, held him in her palace and sighed distraught, "Concubine Yi's child is born. This child has occupied your majesty's mind since he was in her womb. I'm really afraid that your majesty will ignore the other princes!"
Although the emperor did not ignore these princes and taught them according to the royal ancestral system, when the sixth prince was over three years old, the emperor's care and attention still made the other princes feel a huge gap and imbalance.
But thunder and rain were all the emperor's grace. Moreover, the Sixth Prince was already the son of the designated master of the Six Palaces. He would be the legitimate son of his father in the future! The crown prince of the Dasheng Dynasty! How could these illegitimate princes compare to him!
As expected, from Concubine Yi to Consort Yi, Imperial Concubine Yi, and finally Empress, each time she was promoted, her position leaped forward. Year after year, the Emperor favored the current Empress and her children, the princes and princesses. The Three Palaces and Six Courtyards had become a mere formality.
The third prince also wanted to sigh like his mother did back then.
On the high platform, the Shenwu Emperor was quite satisfied, but the Sixth Prince in the audience was not so satisfied. He frowned slightly and looked at the bow and arrow in his hand. After a few breaths, he turned around and bowed to the Shenwu Emperor: "Father, I want to see you shoot arrows again!"
The second prince remained calm, as if he was already accustomed to his father and the sixth prince getting along like ordinary father and son. The third prince glanced at Emperor Shenwu again without leaving any trace. Would his father agree?
But in the blink of an eye, the Shenwu Emperor stood up and walked off the field. He laughed heartily and said, "Alright! I'll show my son my archery skills!"
The eunuchs in the audience quickly prepared a bow and arrow that the emperor often used when practicing archery.
The Fourth Prince Zhou Chengyu's expression was even calmer, but his eyes finally revealed some jealousy and resentment. How could these illegitimate princes, including the Second Prince Zhou Chengjin, have ever received such treatment?
The fifth prince Zhou Chengrui rolled his eyes and curled his lips slightly, barely perceptible.
The second prince Zhou Chengjin and the seventh prince Zhou Chengjing just pretended to watch. They were only interested in literature and had no interest in martial arts.
Only the eldest prince Zhou Chengxuan sincerely wanted to watch his father shoot arrows so that he could make up for his own shortcomings, so he watched very seriously.
Lan Qingwu, who was sitting at the top, paused slightly. She glanced at the Fourth Prince lightly, then picked up the teacup beside her and took a sip of the fragrant tea. The fragrance of the tea was long-lasting, but Lan Qingwu's heart was slightly moved again.
As the princes in the harem gradually grow up, the dispute between concubines in the palace will gradually evolve into a dispute between the princes!
In reality, it was a struggle for the throne, a struggle rife with blood and bones, far more brutal than the struggle for favor among concubines! One wrong step could wipe out the entire family.
Emperor Shenwu had already arrived at the arena. He looked relaxed and casually picked up the bow and arrow. He glanced at the arrows presented by the eunuchs in his hands, and the arrows were shot out one after another as if they were his own arms and fingers. Without Emperor Shenwu making any movement, the arrows were shot out.
Three arrows were shot, and all three hit the bull's eye. What was even more surprising was that the three arrows of Emperor Shenwu tightly surrounded the arrow in the center of the bull's eye, and the four arrows were closely connected.
Emperor Shenwu lowered his bow and arrow. "How is it? My son, can you tell the difference between your shooting and yours?"
The Sixth Prince's eyes sparkled. He exclaimed in admiration, "Father, your skills are truly remarkable. I, your son, will certainly be just like you in the future!"
Emperor Shenwu put down his hand that was about to touch the Sixth Prince's head and patted him on the shoulder instead: "Okay! Father is waiting for that day!"
The father and son had a very pleasant conversation. Their identical phoenix eyes and profiles were seen by everyone on the platform, and they all had mixed feelings in their hearts.
After shooting the arrows, the Emperor Shenwu led the Sixth Prince to the platform. The next moment, he noticed Lan Qingwu's tired expression, his hand resting lightly on his forehead. The Emperor Shenwu took a few quick steps and approached Lan Qingwu's side. "What's wrong? Are you tired? I'll accompany you back to the palace to rest."
Lan Qingwu nodded. The seventh princess had been born for two months, but she still felt weak from time to time. She did not refuse and stood up. Emperor Shenwu had already reached out and held Lan Qingwu's hand.
Emperor Shenwu shook Lan Qingwu's hand, then turned to the other princes and said, "Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, Sixth Prince, shoot twenty more today! Xiaoqi will return to Fengqi Palace with father, the emperor, and mother, the empress, later."
The three princes followed their orders and left. Emperor Shenwu turned to the eldest, second, and third princes and said, "Xuan'er is already fifteen, and Jin'er and Luo'er are already fourteen. Your father and your mother have specially assigned two palace maids to each of you to teach you about the affairs of the imperial court."
Lan Qingwu was startled, but the Emperor Shenwu held his hand tightly. In Lan Qingwu's opinion, a boy of fourteen or fifteen was still too young. Moreover, such imperial rules were unfair to the palace maids. Even if they were given official titles later, they would be extremely low. At their age, they already had personal maids to serve them. Would Chu Ming and Xiao Qi also have the same in the future?
The three princes bowed and expressed their gratitude with a normal expression, as if they had expected it.
It seems that only my ideas are out of tune, Lan Qingwu thought helplessly.
The seventh prince just blinked his eyes and waited for his father and mother.
Emperor Shenwu said again: "From today on, the three of you must shoot thirty arrows every day. Don't slack off!"
The three princes bowed in response, and then watched as Emperor Shenwu carefully helped the empress onto the dragon chariot. The seventh prince followed closely behind, and the emperor and empress rode away together on the dragon chariot.
Only after the dragon chariot disappeared did the three princes stand up. The eldest prince stared at the direction where the dragon chariot left for a long time before he went down the field with the second and third princes to practice archery.
After the six princes left the archery pavilion, the eldest prince turned to the sixth prince and said, "Sixth brother, all my brothers, I am grateful for the generosity of our father and mother. I will stay in the palace from now on. We have not been together much in recent years. I have prepared a feast for tomorrow. How about we brothers get together?"
The Second Prince and the others remained silent, all looking at the Sixth Prince. They had all heard about the dangers encountered when the Sixth Prince was born. The First Prince seemed to be inviting all the princes to the banquet, but in fact he was only seeking the Sixth Prince's opinion and silently asking for the Sixth Prince's forgiveness.
The Sixth Prince couldn't help but slightly curl the corners of his lips, his narrow and long phoenix eyes showed a ripple. This eldest brother was really interesting. He put everything on the table and came at him openly. He said such words to all the princes. If he really didn't respond, he would be really brainless. When Emperor Shenwu heard about it, he would also think that he was not getting along with his brothers.
The Sixth Prince stared at the First Prince for a few moments, but found that his elder brother really had no such intention. He really felt that by accepting the banquet, the ice and snow between them would melt away, and all their problems would be over!
In an instant, the Sixth Prince nodded slightly: "Big Brother, then I will respectfully obey your command!"
The smile on the Second Prince Zhou Chengjin's face gradually widened. "That's great! Then, my dear brother, we brothers will bother you tomorrow."
The Fourth Prince nodded silently, the Third Prince echoed him, and the Fifth Prince spoke quickly, "Sixth Brother, your schoolwork is so full with Father's schedule, can you go?"
The Sixth Prince looked at his Fifth Brother speechlessly. There was a hint of pressure in his phoenix eyes, which immediately shut the Fifth Prince up. The Fourth Prince, who was beside the Fifth Prince, could not stand the pair of sharp phoenix eyes that resembled his father's, so he lowered his head slightly.