Even after leaving the forest, Li Wuting didn’t manage to figure anything out.

Li Yingtang and Li Jingyu sighed in amazement behind him…

Ning Rushen gazed at Li Wuting’s steady figure, regretfully squeezing the pearl and jade in his hand as he comforted himself.

After all, he’s the emperor of a nation, not so easy to manipulate.

The game hunted by the emperor and officials was being tallied by the guards according to the arrows used, and the final results were reported, with the emperor deciding the first prize.

Officials gathered around to listen to the tally, offering congratulations to each other. The scene was lively and buzzing with excitement.

Ning Rushen, with his hands in his sleeves, strolled over with Geng Yan.

The one who claimed the first prize was a middle-ranking official from the Ministry of War, receiving a sharp blade bestowed by the emperor that could cut through iron like mud. He knelt and thanked the emperor excitedly, with his colleagues casting envious glances.

Other rewards were also announced one by one by the eunuchs.

However, Li Wuting was the one who had actually taken the shot; it wasn’t really his accomplishment…

The colleagues nearby noticed and turned to greet him, “Lord Ning, did you enter the hunting grounds today?”

Ning Rushen nodded.

One of them asked curiously, “Oh? Did you catch anything?”

Ning Rushen shook his head, “I didn’t hunt.”

The group exchanged puzzled glances, “Then what were you doing?”

Ning Rushen said, “I was there to protect the emperor.” After he said that, he paused, realizing how absurd it sounded.

The surrounding colleagues predictably fell silent, all staring at him, “……….”

Geng Yan tried not to sound too offensive, “Is this a new joke of yours?”

Ning Rushen narrowed his eyes slightly, resisting the urge to kick something.

Just then, the voice of the eunuch announcing the rewards seemed to stumble for a moment.

“Grand Scholar Ning Shen, meritorious in… protecting the emperor—”

The previously lively crowd suddenly fell silent, as if cold water had been poured into boiling oil. Everyone turned to look at Ning Rushen.

“A carved bow, bestowed by the emperor!”

Ning Rushen’s heart skipped a beat as he looked up at the platform.

A beautifully carved bow was being lifted up. The bow was half as tall as a person, its material gleaming like flowing light, more elaborate and luxurious than the treasure blade given to the first prize winner.

Him: ……

From a distance, De Quan raised his voice delicately, “Lord Ning, aren’t you going to accept the reward and thank the emperor~”

Ning Rushen moistened his dry lips.

Then, under the gaze of all the powerful generals, the highly skilled guards, the distant Yin Zhao, and the official from the Ministry of War holding the treasure blade… he tried to maintain a composed expression as he walked up.

Up close, the bow appeared even more solid and heavy.

Li Wuting casually looked at him, “Ning Qing has done well, so you deserve a great reward.”

Ning Rushen’s fingertips trembled, what a heavy reward indeed.

He took a deep breath and raised his hand, “This subject… thanks Your Majesty.”

As the heavy wooden bow landed in his palm, his arm wobbled slightly, and he almost lost control of his expression.

What is this supposed to mean?

Was Li Wuting giving him the strongest possible rebuttal under the guise of moral obligation?

From above came a calm-sounding “Mm” that didn’t seem in a bad mood.

·

The eunuch had the bow delivered to his tent.

Though the bow was beautifully crafted, it wasn’t just an ornamental piece; it was a fine bow capable of serious hunting.

Ning Rushen didn’t want to waste such a masterpiece.

Since it was already late, he decided to find someone the next day to teach him how to use it.

…

The next morning, after a good night’s sleep.

Ning Rushen saw that Geng Yan and his son were still in the tent, with Geng Yue sitting nearby, playing chess with a colleague.

After washing up, he called out to Geng Yan, “No hunting today?”

Geng Yan walked over, “Most people take part on the first day, after that, it’s more relaxed.”

Ning Rushen understood and then pulled out the bow, “Perfect, you can teach me archery.”

Geng Yan’s expression instantly twisted, “Are you joking? I’m also a civil official. Besides, if I damage this imperial gift, I’ll lose my head.”

He thought for a moment, “Why don’t you ask my father? He’s older and stronger.”

“……”

Ning Rushen glanced at Geng Yue’s old limbs not far away and sighed softly, “You really are a filial son…”

Geng Yan flushed slightly.

Ning Rushen lifted the tent flap and looked out.

He saw that most of those who remained were civil officials and elderly ministers, or the Assistant Minister of War who had won the first prize yesterday.

Cradling the bow that represented the emperor’s favor, he asked, “What do you think of me asking the Assistant Minister of War to teach me?”

Geng Yan remembered the Assistant Minister’s tiny knife, “You’d look like you’re pretending not to show off.”

Ning Rushen, “……”

He sighed, leaned against the tent, and thought for a while, when suddenly someone came to mind, “Oh, I’ve got it.”

Geng Yan, “?”

Ning Rushen patted his shoulder, refused the eunuch’s help outside, and carried the bow by himself as he left.

At the entrance to the hunting grounds.

Yin Zhao stood tall like a pine tree, gripping his Xiu Chun blade.

Ning Rushen found his way there, noticing that not far away, a group of palace attendants stood by, and Li Wuting was sitting there, not having gone hunting either.

Li Yingtang was riding a horse with Li Jingyu, seemingly teaching him.

From the distance, it wasn’t clear what they were doing, so Ning Rushen shifted his gaze and approached Yin Zhao, “Commander Yin.”

Yin Zhao looked down with cold brows, “What is it?”

Ning Rushen lifted the bow, “Can you teach me how to shoot?”

Yin Zhao, as rigid as ever, replied, “As the emperor’s blade, I must be cautious. I cannot touch an imperial gift.”

“……”

Ning Rushen almost wanted to applaud him, You really know how to draw the line!

He can’t touch the emperor’s bow, yet he’s always taking apart the emperor’s stage.

Looking at Yin Zhao, still stationed at the entrance today, Ning Rushen was speechless for two seconds before bidding farewell, “Goodbye.”

…

Not far from the clearing.

De Quan squinted into the distance and exclaimed, “Isn’t that Lord Ning?”

Li Wuting followed his gaze.

Sure enough, he saw Ning Rushen wandering around with that large bow.

De Quan cautiously asked, “Shall I call him over?”

Li Wuting cast a glance, “What for?”

“What? Call who?” Li Yingtang just happened to be riding Li Jingyu’s small horse over and turned his head to look, “Oh!”

He called out loudly, “Lord Ning—”

The person wandering with the bow stopped and turned around: ?

…

Since Li Yingtang had called him, Ning Rushen had no choice but to respond.

He walked over to Li Wuting and the other two, giving them a respectful bow.

Li Yingtang asked curiously, “Lord Ning, what are you doing?”

Ning Rushen replied, “His Majesty bestowed me a bow, and this subject doesn’t dare waste the imperial favor, so I’m looking for someone to teach me.”

After speaking, he paused and looked more closely at Li Yingtang.

Come to think of it, Prince Xuan seemed to be quite skilled. Didn’t he even bag a deer yesterday?

Just as he was thinking, Li Yingtang suddenly clutched his wrist, “Ah! I twisted my hand!”

Ning Rushen, “……”

Next to him, Li Jingyu watched for a moment, then mimicked, “Ah! I twisted my hand too!”

Ning Rushen, “………”

That was totally unnecessary.

He sighed inwardly, unsure of what these two brothers were up to now. Do they really not want to teach him archery that much? Weren’t they just gifting him jade and pearls yesterday?

Li Yingtang, clutching his wrist, sneaked a glance at Li Wuting.

The latter didn’t seem to react. But thinking about the manipulations, the tests, and the hunting… Li Yingtang felt quite pleased with himself, convinced that he was handling this well.

He cleared his throat, “Actually, my archery isn’t that great; His Majesty is the real expert, hitting the mark every time.”

Ning Rushen: ?

He turned to glance at Li Wuting.

At that moment, Li Wuting also looked back at him. Their eyes met, and Li Wuting said, “What, do you want me to teach you personally?”

Ning Rushen, “I wouldn’t dare.”

As he said this, his gaze began wandering among the guards behind Li Wuting, as if considering which one to target for help.

Li Wuting, “…”

Li Wuting’s temple twitched, “Even if you want to learn, this bow… is not—” He paused before finishing the sentence, swallowing the word “suitable.”

Ning Rushen, “Not what?”

Li Wuting pressed his lips together without speaking.

If he said the bow wasn’t suitable, wouldn’t that make it seem like he was deliberately causing trouble by gifting it?

After two seconds of silence, Li Wuting stood up, “It’s not that hard to learn.”

Ning Rushen blinked in confusion.

What’s going on? That ‘not’ just changed tones.

Li Wuting walked past him toward the clearing, his tone firm, “Why aren’t you coming?”

“…Yes.”

·

In the open space, the eunuchs had already set up a target.

Li Wuting stood beside him, giving instructions, “Raise your arm higher, don’t grip too tightly, and don’t push your shoulder.”

Just holding the bow was enough to make Ning Rushen’s wrist tremble, and he couldn’t pull the string all the way back.

He awkwardly asked, “Is this okay, Your Majesty?”

Li Wuting frowned, clearly not satisfied with his posture, “Relax your wrist and arm, use the strength from your shoulder and back.”

Ning Rushen was bewildered—

Isn’t the wrist, arm, shoulder, and back all part of the same body? How do I relax one part and use strength in another? Am I supposed to dislocate my bones?

“This subject…” Just as he began to speak, a hand suddenly pressed down on his shoulder.

“Here,” a low voice said near his ear.

Ning Rushen wasn’t prepared for the sudden touch. A wave of tingling sensation rushed from his shoulder straight into his ear, causing his whole body to shiver! Reflexively, he grabbed his ear with one hand.

Li Wuting, “…”

Li Wuting, “What are you trembling for?”

Ning Rushen, still holding his ear, turned his head, only to find that Li Wuting was standing very close behind him—probably to see if he was aiming correctly.

He was startled, “This subject’s ear…”

He paused mid-sentence. Ning Rushen felt like saying “sensitive” sounded strange, especially since, from the corner of his eye, he could see two pairs of bright eyes behind a horse, as if they were lurking.

Ning Rushen said softly, “…It cannot bear such noble sounds.”

“………” What answered him was a cold chuckle, “Heh.”

Five or six steps away, De Quan was sneaking glances boldly.

From behind, he could only see His Majesty bow his head slightly, causing Lord Ning to shudder and clutch his ear, his eyes widening, and even his earlobes turning red.

Oh dear~ De Quan’s heart was fluttering with excitement when he noticed a small eunuch next to him also peeking out.

He snapped his duster at him, “Go!”

What are you looking at? How could you watch this?

…

In front, Li Wuting had already taken a half-step back, “Pick up the bow.”

Ning Rushen let go of his ear and did as he was told.

He had just raised his arm when a pair of hands reached over. Li Wuting grasped the bow with one hand and his wrist with the other, applying force to pull it back—

“Is it really that hard?” His tone seemed genuinely puzzled.

With Li Wuting’s rough fingertips brushing against his wrist, Ning Rushen felt a mixture of heat and discomfort, struggling to hold onto the arrow properly.

The bowstring fully drawn, the moment his hand trembled, the first arrow flew out.

Whoosh! It hit the edge of the target.

The string snapped back, and Li Wuting released his hand.

Ning Rushen glanced down at his fingers, seeing the red marks where the string had cut in.

Li Wuting noticed too, “Where’s the jade ring?”

Ning Rushen took a moment to remember the jade ring Li Wuting had given him earlier. He said, “It was too big, this subject couldn’t wear it.”

To prove that it really didn’t fit, he fumbled around his waistband for a moment. After a bit of rummaging, he finally pulled out the jade ring—only for a bunch of other items to come tumbling out as well.

There was the jade given by Prince Xuan, the pearl gifted by Prince Jing, and even some scattered snacks like sunflower seeds.

“……”

De Quan, watching from a distance, started sweating.

Who in the world keeps imperial gifts together with snacks!

Li Wuting looked at the pile of random items, his gaze lowering, but he didn’t say anything.

The atmosphere grew slightly tense, even the eyes behind the horse seemed to dim a little, reducing their presence.

Ning Rushen swallowed.

After a pause, Li Wuting finally spoke slowly, “Ning Qing’s waistband is quite… a treasure trove.”

Ning Rushen, feeling embarrassed, hastily stuffed everything back into his waistband, “Just a humble collection.”

“……”