The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1119 - 1119 544 Tacit Understanding with Tang Jiao (First

Chapter 1119: 544 Tacit Understanding with Tang Jiao (First Update) Chapter 1119: 544 Tacit Understanding with Tang Jiao (First Update) This speech was simply lethal.

What was even more lethal was that Tang Yueshan actually blurted out the last two sentences.

The entire grassland fell silent, even the sparrows in the woods stopped moving, and Tang Yueshan, finally realizing what he had said, felt as if several crows were flying over his head…

Tang Yueshan wasn’t originally so sharp-tongued, not because he was broad-minded and plump, or because he had the patience of a Grand Marshal, but rather because there weren’t many military generals who were eloquent.

He would never lose in a fight, but in an argument, he couldn’t win.

Ever since he became bedridden and shared a room with Gu Chengfeng, he had been constantly insulted. Then, after being ridiculed time and again, it became second nature. Just now, he couldn’t hold back and blurted out whatever was on his mind.

It was all Gu Chengfeng’s fault!

He would never admit he was standing up for Gu Jiao!

No way!

Impossible!

The atmosphere at the scene was so awkward, one could practically carve out a mansion from Bishui Alley with their toes. Eunuch Wei gaped, glancing between Princess Ning An and his majesty, both of whom looked rather displeased.

You’re finished, Grand Marshal Tang, you’re finished.

Of all people to offend, you had to offend Princess Ning An!

Don’t you know Princess Ning An is the apple of the emperor’s eye?

Tang Yueshan, who wanted to cry but had no tears: …Although I spoke the truth, is it too late for me to regret it now?

“What’s happened here?”

A cool voice rose from behind the group.

Eunuch Wei, surprised, turned around and bowed, “Miss Gu? What brings you to the palace today?”

“I came to see my great-aunt,” said Gu Jiao.

She had been busy taking care of Mo Qianxue and hadn’t visited her great-aunt in the palace for a few days.

She just passed the Imperial Garden and heard the loud ranting of a certain marshal, so she came to see what was happening.

The emperor shot Tang Yueshan a cold glare, suppressing the urge to drag him away and beat him to death. He then said warmly to Gu Jiao, “Ah, it’s Jiaojiao.”

“Your Majesty, Princess Ning An, Grand Marshal Tang,” greeted Gu Jiao, in turn.

Her tone wasn’t particularly warm, nor was it the feigned politeness that Xiao Hen put on after becoming an official. It was cool and somewhat nonchalant.

If someone else had spoken in such a way, the emperor would have been angry, but knowing Gu Jiao’s temperament, he wouldn’t think she was being disrespectful to him or Princess Ning An.

“Are you practicing archery?” Gu Jiao inquired upon seeing the target not far from them, judging the distance to be about fifty paces.

Eunuch Wei chuckled and said, “Yes, Miss Gu, do you shoot arrows?”

Gu Jiao pondered: “Hmm, a little, I’m not very skilled.”

Eunuch Wei, ever the shrewd one, quickly asked with a smile, “Would Miss Gu like to give it a try?”

“Sure,” Gu Jiao nodded.

“Um…” Eunuch Wei glanced hesitantly at Princess Ning An; there was only one bow prepared.

Princess Ning An handed the bow in her hand to Eunuch Wei.

“Thank you, Princess,” Eunuch Wei said, taking the bow with both hands and respectfully handing it to Gu Jiao.

Gu Jiao fetched the bow with her right hand and the arrow with her left.

This caused both Eunuch Wei and the emperor to look at each other sidelong. Gu Jiao didn’t seem to be left-handed in daily life, so why was she drawing the bow with her left hand?

Could it be she really wasn’t skilled and, hence, unclear about which hand to use to draw the bow?

Gu Jiao, who claimed to be unskilled, took three arrows from the guard’s quiver, nocked them onto the bowstring and, after aiming, shot them out sharply!

The three arrows were released simultaneously, each hitting the exact center of the target and piercing through the center, breaking the heart of the target!

The emperor was so startled that he gripped the armrest of his chair, sitting up straight: “Is this what you call ‘not very skilled’?”

“Hmm,” Gu Jiao nodded earnestly, “The archers of the Tang Family can fire four arrows at once, and each arrow would hit the target at a hundred paces. Considering the size of this target’s heart and the distance of only fifty paces, any Tang Family archer could hit it with their eyes closed.”

She, however, still needed to keep her eyes open to shoot, and if it were a hundred paces, she wouldn’t be able to shoot with such accuracy even with her eyes open.

The emperor looked at the target pierced by Gu Jiao, then at Princess Ning An’s arrow that only hit the edge of the target’s heart, and suddenly felt that Tang Yueshan’s “even a blind man shoots better than you” wasn’t an offensive remark but a cruel reality…

“Are they really that amazing?” the emperor asked Tang Yueshan seriously.

“I dare not claim it to be so,” he replied.

While Tang Yueshan said this humbly, his hands drew his Tang Family bow and nocked four arrows, shooting them rapidly.

It seemed as though he hit nothing, but when Eunuch Wei led the guards to retrieve his arrows, they found each one had struck the stems of flowers and nailed them firmly to the branches.

This was much more difficult than splitting a willow at a hundred paces; after all, willow leaves are not so fine.

Eunuch Wei brought back the flowers.

The Emperor was now thoroughly at a loss for words.

“Gu Jiao and the Grand Marshal’s archery stance are quite similar,” Princess Ning An said. “Did you learn archery from the Grand Marshal?”

“No.”

“Not at all.”

Gu Jiao and Tang Yueshan denied in unison.

The next second, the Emperor and the others saw the two of them simultaneously take out handkerchiefs to wipe their bows, synchronizing their motions perfectly, and after finishing, habitually flicked the bowstring with the cloth.

The Emperor: “…”

Everyone: “…”

The Emperor had been so incensed by Tang Yueshan that he almost forgot the matter at hand until he saw him wiping his bow.

“Princess Ning An greatly admires your archery skills, Lord Tang. If you have time, please give her some guidance,” the Emperor said.

Overall, the Emperor was a benevolent monarch. This benevolence was a double-edged sword, allowing him to treat those around him with loyalty and righteousness, while also making him soft-hearted toward ministers who verbally offended him.

If it were the late emperor here today, Tang Yueshan would have been stripped of a layer of skin regardless of his remaining value.

Upon hearing the Emperor’s words, Tang Yueshan understood that his life was spared. He let out a sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and said with a bow, “In response to His Majesty, this humble servant is a rough man and ignorant of the proper etiquette, and I fear I may have offended Princess Ning An. If the Princess truly wishes to learn archery, this servant can recommend one or two candidates.”

The Emperor, having just experienced Tang Yueshan’s sharp tongue, was also worried that Tang Yueshan might offend Princess Ning An again. He turned his gaze to Ning An.

However, to everyone’s surprise, Princess Ning An did not mind at all and said, “It’s fine. Grand Marshal Tang is forthright, which makes him much more comfortable to be around than those who are deceitful and disingenuous.”

Tang Yueshan was entirely displeased.

The Tang Family’s archery skills were not to be lightly imparted; it was only because his father was drunk and rashly promised, and later felt too embarrassed to renounce, that Princess Ning An was able to learn some archery at the Tang Family, but she was not taught for long.

A few months later, they claimed that Princess Ning An had completed her training.

“Is the Grand Marshal unwilling?” Princess Ning An asked.

It was a question that could cost him his life.

Tang Yueshan coughed and said, “I just feel that…”

“He can’t teach,” Gu Jiao interjected. “He was injured at the frontier, and upon returning to the capital, he needs to undergo rehabilitation. Archery would affect the outcome of his rehabilitation.”

The scene once again fell into awkwardness.

Eunuch Wei’s gaze wandered between the several young masters. Princess Ning An was the apple of the Emperor’s eye, and the little divine healer also enjoyed great favor. Whose words would the Emperor heed?

Would it be his tenderly nurtured younger sister or the little divine healer who had once saved his life?

Just when the atmosphere had become so awkward it could freeze, Little Fat, Qin Chuyu, came running over with a cry of desperation.

“Father Emperor! Father Emperor! Save me!”

He practically threw himself into the Emperor’s arms without regard for anything else, little chubby hands grasping the Emperor’s robe, his little chubby body quivering uncontrollably.

This was a posture unbefitting of a prince’s dignity. The Emperor frowned, yet he also felt a pang of pity for his little fat son.

“What happened?” the Emperor asked with a grave voice.

Qin Chuyu was crying so hard he could barely breathe: “My dog… my dog…”

The Emperor scowled, “Speak properly. What happened to your dog?”

Qin Chuyu bawled out, “Huangfu Xian… Huangfu Xian killed my dog!”

Everyone’s expression changed.

It was no secret in the Imperial Palace that Huangfu Xian had a peculiar temperament, but killing a dog, particularly the prince’s dog, was going too far.

The Emperor’s brow furrowed as he tried to lift the trembling child from his embrace: “Are you mistaken? Why would your cousin Xian kill your dog?”

Qin Chuyu refused to rise from his Father Emperor’s embrace, burying his head deep within: “I saw it with my own eyes! Chengjing saw it too! He was there! Right by Taiye Pool! If you don’t believe me, Father Emperor, you can see for yourself!”

Princess Ning An stood up and said, “Your Majesty, I will take a look.”

The Emperor replied, “I will accompany you.”

Qin Chuyu tightened his grip on the Emperor’s robe: “Father Emperor, don’t go!”

The Emperor said, “Isn’t it you who wanted me to go?”

Qin Chuyu cried out, “What will I do if you go? I’m scared!”

A prince so cowardly was indeed a headache. The Emperor sighed, “Let Eunuch Wei take you back to Kunning Palace.”

As a result of this sudden upheaval, the Emperor was temporarily unable to deal with the matter of Tang Yueshan teaching Princess Ning An archery, and he left for Taiye Pool with Princess Ning An.

Watching the retreating figures, Tang Yueshan muttered, “These pampered princesses, they can neither be hit nor scolded when it comes to archery. Whoever ends up teaching them is just unlucky!”

As he finished speaking, he suddenly realized that Gu Jiao was staring intently at the Tang Family bow in his hands, eyes glowing green with desire…

Tang Yueshan felt a jolt in his heart and quickly hugged the Tang Family bow to his chest: “Don’t even think about it! I won’t let you touch it! If I do, I’m a donkey!”

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.