My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 188 Recollection Part 2.11 - Thrilling

In the winter of the fifteenth year of the Tianlong era, Chu Ling moved into the palace of the Seventh Prince.

Two months later, Emperor Xuande issued an edict ordering the seventh prince to enroll in the Wenhua Hall.

Meanwhile, Chu Ling also transformed from the Fifth Prince's study companion to the Seventh Prince's study companion.

Inside the Wenhua Hall—

This place is where the princes study and practice martial arts, so it is quite large. It not only has two halls for civil and military affairs, but also residences for the princes to rest in, as well as several small kitchens.

Chu Ling followed behind Fu Tingyu, and as soon as he stepped into the hall, the previously somewhat noisy hall immediately fell silent.

Following that were several unfriendly glances.

Chu Ling frowned almost imperceptibly, then subtly raised his eyes to look.

Sure enough, the Fifth Prince was spotted among the group.

Surrounded by palace servants and companions, he sat alone in the center, his face gloomy.

This time, however, the object of his jealousy was someone else.

His eyes were fixed on Fu Tingyu the whole time, filled with malice.

Chu Ling frowned immediately, feeling a vague unease for some reason.

No one knew the Fifth Prince's temperament better than his former study companion.

Putting aside the previous grudge of being confined to his quarters, based solely on the feud between the Empress and Consort Chen, he would never easily let Fu Tingyu go.

Realizing this, Chu Ling's eyes flickered.

He quickened his pace discreetly, blocking Fu Tingyu's path and shielding him from the Fifth Prince's gaze.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out, breaking the silence in the hall—

"Seventh Imperial Brother, sit here!"

Look in the direction from which the sound came.

In the southwest corner of the hall, a round figure was sitting.

The man was wearing a very ornate brocade robe and a crown. He had a large, round face, and his belly was so fleshy that it made his clothes bulge out, making him look very wealthy.

This person was none other than the sixth prince, Fu Zimu.

His birth mother, Consort Rong, was the daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue. Although her background was not as high as the Empress's, she was still considered to be of high status and power in the harem and would not be hindered by anyone.

Therefore, he was one of the few neutral people in the palace, neither siding with the Empress nor being close to Consort Chen.

Her son inherited this trait well, and at a young age he was very good at judging situations and getting along well with the princes.

At that moment, he was smiling and waving to Fu Tingyu, thoughtfully pointing to an empty seat next to him, indicating that Fu Tingyu should sit down.

Fu Tingyu understood immediately, smiled and nodded at him, then led Chu Ling straight towards the empty seat.

"Seventh Imperial Brother, you've finally arrived!"

The Sixth Prince smiled warmly. After Fu Tingyu sat down, he laughed and said, "You have no idea how depressed I am here! It's bad enough that I can't learn my lessons and I get punished, but there's no one to talk to or chat with."

"Thank goodness I have you here to keep me company, otherwise these days would be unbearable!"

As he spoke, he casually put his arm around Fu Tingyu's shoulder, revealing a sullen expression.

Fu Tingyu, on the other hand, seemed to be used to it all along, and upon hearing this, he also smiled.

He joked, "Sixth Brother, do you mean I should be punished with you, or should I just chat with you?"

"This……"

The sixth prince hesitated for a moment, blinked, and then smiled憨厚ly, saying, "Can you accompany me for everything?"

Seeing that Fu Tingyu and the Sixth Prince were having a pleasant conversation, Chu Ling decided not to linger by his side any longer.

Just as he sat down at the empty table behind Fu Tingyu, a resentful voice suddenly came from beside him, "It seems you've been having a very happy time lately."

Chu Ling: "..."

He turned his head and met Chu Heng's gaze.

I almost forgot, the Sixth Prince's study companion is his own elder brother.

Originally, regardless of rank or age, Chu Heng should have been the Fifth Prince's study companion, and he should have been the Sixth Prince's study companion.

However, perhaps because Chu Ling left a more "deep" impression on the Fifth Prince during their first meeting, the Fifth Prince specially requested Emperor Xuande to allow Chu Ling to be his study companion.

Therefore, Chu Heng became the sixth prince's study companion.

Given the Sixth Prince's personality, while he wouldn't bully Chu Heng, he wouldn't necessarily treat him very well either.

This is why Chu Ling's injuries were much more severe than Chu Heng's.

Chu Ling: "...I can explain."

Chu Heng: "I won't listen, hmph!"

Chu Ling: "..."

Three days later, in the drill ground inside the Wenhua Hall—

According to custom, today is the day for the princes to practice martial arts and archery.

However, because Fu Tingyu was too young, even when he was on a horse, his feet could not reach the stirrups.

So while the first few princes were practicing horse racing outside the field, he could only hold a rather light bow and arrow and, under the guidance of his instructor, nock and shoot at a target not far away.

He took a deep breath, then his eyes sharpened, and he fiercely drew back the bowstring, aiming at the target in front of him.

With a "whoosh," the arrow was released from the bowstring in an instant.

But instead of flying out, it fell straight down.

Fu Tingyu: "..."

Seeing this, the sixth prince, who was too fat to mount a horse, immediately let out a gloating sound: "Hahaha, seventh prince, what excellent archery skills!"

Fu Tingyu: "..."

He narrowed his eyes, as if he didn't believe in evil, and after getting into position, he fired several more arrows.

Without exception, they all failed to achieve their goals and perished before they could even begin.

Fu Tingyu: "..."

The sixth prince's laughter grew louder.

Seeing Fu Tingyu's sullen expression, the instructor immediately stepped forward, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead while giving him a smirk.

"This is the Seventh Prince's first time shooting an arrow, and he has done very well!"

"There must be something wrong with this bow! I will go find you the most suitable one right away!"

Fu Tingyu: "..."

Not necessarily.

Before he could finish speaking, the instructor hurriedly ran off, determined not to give up until he found an arrow that could fly to the target on its own.

But the unexpected happened at that moment.

After the instructor left, a companion who had been riding a horse outside the arena suddenly found his horse becoming uncontrollable.

The horse seemed to be provoked by something, and began to kick its hooves frequently and shake its head constantly.

The next moment, the horse seemed to go mad, suddenly rearing up and starting to rampage wildly across the field.

Upon seeing this, everyone exclaimed in alarm and hurriedly spurred their horses to avoid being hit by the mad horse.

Those on horseback could still avoid it, but Fu Tingyu and the others who remained in the area had nowhere to escape.

Before they could even react, the mad horse had already shot off like an arrow, breaking straight through the fence and galloping towards them!