The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 680 - 642: Hai Dongqing

Song Yuanbao scratched his head, "I..."

Before he could finish, Zhao Xi had already lifted the curtain and entered the flower hall.

Song Yuanbao had no choice but to follow.

Ye Rong and the others had been waiting for a while. Seeing Song Yuanbao come in last, he scolded, "Dragging your feet, what were you doing back there?"

"I was getting some fresh air, is that not allowed?" Song Yuanbao pouted.

"Acting like a woman." Ye Rong mocked him, then turned with a smile to invite Zhao Xi to sit down.

Song Yuanbao snorted softly and took the initiative to lift the wine pot to pour for Zhao Xi.

When it was his turn, he only poured himself half a cup.

Ye Rong glared, "Have you forgotten the etiquette of offering a full cup? Who drinks only half a cup?"

Song Yuanbao said lazily, "I caught a cold yesterday, and this morning my mother repeatedly warned me not to drink too much."

Ye Rong rolled his eyes at him, "Bringing out your mother to back you up, what a poor excuse."

Song Yuanbao rubbed his nose.

No way around it, with Zhao Xi present today, if he drank too much and annoyed this ancestor who wouldn’t help him catch up on his studies later, he’d be at a loss.

——

After a few drinks, Ye Rong arranged for an archery game in the garden, with the prize being a young Hai Dongqing.

Its head and tail feathers were snow white, its body had gray-brown spots, its beak was thick and long, and its eyes were bright and keen.

Song Yuanbao was quite fond of it and asked Ye Rong, "Can it send messages?"

"Isn’t that obvious?" Ye Rong replied with a look as if he were staring at a country bumpkin, "This is the god of a thousand hawks, flies the highest, the fastest, personally trained by my uncle, still fresh!"

Song Yuanbao became even more interested, "So how long would it take to send a message from my house to the Imperial Palace?"

From the Song Mansion to the Imperial City usually takes more than half an hour by carriage.

If he could use the Hai Dongqing to send messages, wouldn’t that be much more convenient?

"That, I’ve never tried." Ye Rong shook his head, suddenly realizing, frowning, "Not to mention, would you dare send messages to the palace? With all those Bright Guards and Dark Guards, if this Hai Dongqing falls into your hands, it would be done for in two or three days. But to be honest, with your mediocre skills, thinking of winning against so many people and taking my treasure, seems a bit far-fetched."

Song Yuanbao wasn’t angry, "I may not have the ability to beat you, Third Young Master Ye, but I can ask for help."

He then looked eagerly at Zhao Xi, "Your Highness, could you help me win this Hai Dongqing?"

Zhao Xi asked, "If I win, why should I give it to you?"

"Consider it an early wedding gift for me." Song Yuanbao looked as if he was determined to get it, "Besides, if I have it, maybe in an emergency I could even send you messages!"

Zhao Xi withdrew his gaze, nodded and agreed, "Alright."

Song Yuanbao was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "Then you must win!"

Ye Rong protested upon hearing this, "I say, isn’t it a bit much for you two to team up and bully me? I invited His Highness to act as the judge."

Everyone knew the Crown Prince’s archery skills were formidable. Competing against him in archery, you’d already know the outcome before the competition even started, so what’s the fun in the bet?

Song Yuanbao chuckled, "If you’re scared, just admit defeat now and hand over the Hai Dongqing to me."

"Do you think I, your Third Brother, would give up so easily?" Ye Rong said as he signaled a servant to bring his Beast King Bow, then grasped it firmly, "Even if I lose, I must lose with dignity."

Song Yuanbao knew Ye Rong, understood that this person wouldn’t easily give up until the last result was determined. He shook his head with a smile and said to Zhao Xi, "Your Highness, whether we get the Hai Dongqing or not is all up to you."

Zhao Xi took the Tiger Roar Patterned Bow handed by Song Yuanbao, tested the string, and adjusted the tension.

The others also picked up bows and adjusted them.

Today’s competition not only tested archery but also required a good ear.

Because in a moment, pigeons would be released from the pavilion over there. The participants would need to blindfold themselves and rely on their hearing to determine the direction of the pigeons to shoot arrows. Each person had five arrows, and the one who hit the most would win. The loser would have to pay a weapon.

Song Yuanbao’s archery was lacking, so he served as the judge.

After Ye Rong explained the rules, servants brought blindfolds, and everyone took them efficiently and covered their eyes. Then, a loud gong sounded from the pavilion, signaling the start of the competition.

Dozens of pigeons were released, and in the blink of an eye, they flew high, with the sound growing softer.

The crowd focused their minds, occasionally twitching their ears, carefully and attentively capturing the source of the sound.

Ye Rong was the first to shoot an arrow. With a "swish," the feathered arrow broke through the air, whistling as it hit a gray-feathered pigeon, then fell with a "thud."

Following closely, two more arrows were released, none missing their mark.

From the pavilion came the cheers of the Ye family’s servants, "Hit, hit, all three arrows hit, Third Young Master is truly amazing."

Ye Rong curled his lips, took the remaining two arrows from his back, and shot them simultaneously, both hitting their targets instantly, bringing down two more pigeons.

"Ah, ah, ah, Third Young Master is truly formidable, having been personally trained by the General!"

Several servants rejoiced together.

Zhao Xi, blindfolded, heard the commotion and smiled faintly, "It’s been a few months since our last session, and Third Young Master Ye’s archery has improved again."

Ye Rong removed the black cloth, his dark eyebrows slightly raised, "Your Highness, it’s your turn."

A young gentleman named Chen said, "Third Brother clearly didn’t intend to lose the Hai Dongqing to us!"

"Enough chatter!" Ye Rong lightly snorted, "If you can’t afford to lose, don’t come next time."

Mr. Chen chuckled, "Being able to spar with Third Brother, it’s just a weapon, losing is losing."

As they spoke, Zhao Xi’s first arrow flew out with a whoosh. His arm strength was astonishing, and the feathered arrow sliced through the air with the momentum of a bamboo splitting, piercing directly through a pigeon’s belly, continuing forward to pierce the second, then the third, only falling due to being overweight.

The others, blindfolded, didn’t see it, but Ye Rong and Song Yuanbao watched the whole process with wide eyes.

Ye Rong was so shocked his entire demeanor was stunned.

During the spring hunt, after witnessing the archery skills of Yun Liulang and the Crown Prince, he secretly vowed to diligently practice, determined to at least equal these two, if not surpass them. Yet today, seeing the Crown Prince blindfolded, hitting three pigeons with one arrow, he felt he might never reach the Prince’s level in this lifetime, let alone exceed it.

In the pavilion, the servants, like Ye Rong, stood agape, taking a while before they found their voices.

"Good heavens, His Highness’s archery is incredible! Leaving no chance for others!"

"With one arrow shooting three pigeons, there’s no doubt His Highness will take first place today."

"How on earth is such advanced archery practiced? Our Third Young Master has worked hard enough, yet still..."

Ye Rong said nothing, repeatedly recalling the exquisite scene of Zhao Xi’s one arrow through three birds. After an indeterminate time, he sighed, "It was a complete defeat."

Song Yuanbao jumped down from the tree stump, smiling as he looked at Ye Rong, "So, do you admit defeat now?"

"But I lost to His Highness, not to you," Ye Rong said.

"It’s all the same, we are family."

Hearing the words "family," Zhao Xi paused in his action of retrieving his bow.

Ye Rong chuckled, "I nearly forgot, you truly are family. His Highness is your uncle, yet despite having been here a while, you haven’t addressed him. Come on, Little Yuanbao, go ahead."

Song Yuanbao pretended not to hear, turning his head aside.

While the two bickered, the other young gentlemen each released their arrows. Those who could come here typically had some martial arts background. Although they couldn’t match Ye Rong and Zhao Xi, they weren’t too weak.

Thus, those few also hit their targets, just not all five, the highest being four, and at least two.

Having delayed for a while, the pigeons had scattered too much. Zhao Xi’s remaining arrows couldn’t achieve another three-in-one shot, but with five arrows, he still shot a total of seven pigeons, unquestionably taking first place.

Removing the black cloth from his eyes, everyone looked at Zhao Xi and Ye Rong with admiration.

Ye Rong handed the cage to Song Yuanbao.

Song Yuanbao took it, his handsome face beaming, "Truly beautiful."

Ye Rong muttered, "Can it not be beautiful when it was won by someone like him?"

"Then I shall accept it gratefully." Song Yuanbao raised an eyebrow.

Ye Rong huffed.

Ye Rong understood well that as long as the Crown Prince was present, no one could win against him, whether in writing or combat. The reason for inviting him was merely to gain insight, to see if the Prince had improved and how much gap remained between him and the Prince, to push himself to try harder next time and perhaps catch up.

But upon witnessing it, he felt utterly defeated, thinking it might have been better not to see at all.

Glancing at Song Yuanbao, who was holding the cage with unrestrained delight, Ye Rong smiled and called over a servant, whispering a few instructions.

The servant quickly left the garden, and no one knew where he went.