The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat

Li Ji casually selected a bow from the many hanging on the wall, drew it, nocked an arrow, and fired it in a flash, barely bothering to aim.

His arrow also hit the bullseye.

Not only that, the arrowhead even pierced through the target.

This showed just how much strength he had.

But Li Ji looked relaxed, as if it had taken no effort at all.

Second Prince Li Hao’s eyes lit up as he watched.

He had loved playing with swords and spears since he was a child, and his father, the Emperor, had even hired famous masters to instruct him.

But none of those masters were as skilled as Prince Zhao.

Li Hao exclaimed excitedly.

"Teacher, how did you get so good at archery? Teach me, teach me! I want to learn too!"

He changed his form of address on the spot, no longer calling him Prince Zhao, but "Teacher" instead.

Fourth Prince Li Ying remained silent, but his gaze lingered on Prince Zhao for a moment longer.

Sixth Prince Li Yi was also momentarily stunned by Prince Zhao’s superb archery, but his attention soon returned to Lady Hua.

He was truly curious. Why would Lady Hua disguise herself as a man to come to Chongwen Hall?

The other three little princesses all gazed at Prince Zhao with looks of adoration.

They all thought Prince Zhao was just so amazing!

Fifth Prince Li Yan knew he couldn’t shoot through a target, but he refused to admit defeat and curled his lip in disdain.

"You’re a professional warrior. Of course your riding and archery are better than ours. What’s so great about winning at this? If you’ve got the guts, let’s compete in something else."

Li Ji said nonchalantly, "Fine. What else do you want to compete in?"

Li Yan answered without hesitation.

"Let’s play Go!"

In his eyes, Prince Zhao was just a brute. When it came to martial arts, Prince Zhao would naturally have the upper hand, but in a contest of the four arts—zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting—Prince Zhao would surely be found lacking.

Hua Manman recalled Prince Zhao’s skill at Go. His style was just like his personality: unpredictable and inscrutable. You could never guess his next move.

She couldn’t help but cast a sympathetic glance at Fifth Prince Li Yan.

’Young man, you’re still too green!’

Second Prince Li Hao had no interest in things like the four arts. Seeing that they were about to play Go, he said a word to Prince Zhao and went off to practice riding and archery by himself.

The group moved to the Octagonal Pavilion, where eunuchs set up a Go board and soft cushions.

Li Ji and Li Yan sat facing each other.

Li Ying stood silently to the side, watching.

The three little princesses also sat in a row nearby, watching the match with anticipation.

Hua Manman stood behind Prince Zhao, dutifully playing the part of a background prop.

She suddenly felt a tug on her sleeve. Turning her head, she saw Sixth Prince Li Yi staring at her without blinking.

Hua Manman jumped in surprise.

’When did this kid move next to me? I didn’t even notice.’

Li Yi lowered his voice. "Lady Hua?"

Hua Manman blinked. "What are you saying, Sixth Prince? I don’t understand."

Li Yi hadn’t expected her to so shamelessly feign ignorance even after he had exposed her identity.

He stared straight at her.

"You are Lady Hua."

Hua Manman gave an awkward yet polite smile.

"I am not Lady Hua. You must have the wrong person."

She had already made her "deny-till-you-die" attitude perfectly clear.

If Li Yi had any tact, he would have known to shut his mouth.

However, the boy was hopelessly stubborn and insisted on getting to the bottom of it.

He frowned and said, "But you are Lady Hua, why won’t you admit it? Are you afraid I’ll reveal your secret? I can promise you, I definitely won’t tell anyone else."

Hua Manman noticed the Fourth Princess glance in their direction.

Afraid of arousing suspicion, she could only whisper to Li Yi, "Quiet."

Then she ignored Li Yi and focused on the changing situation on the Go board.

Li Yi was quite displeased that he hadn’t gotten the answer he wanted.

But just then, the Fourth Princess spoke up, asking what he was talking about with Prince Zhao’s Attendant Student.

Li Yi had to temporarily give up on questioning Lady Hua further and replied to the Fourth Princess in a low voice, "Nothing much."

On the Go board, Li Yan’s white stones initially held the advantage.

He was quite proud of this. Things were just as he expected: Prince Zhao was nothing more than a reckless brute with an impressive facade.

’No matter how formidable a brute is, he can only show off on the battlefield.’

’Once they enter the royal court, brutes like Prince Zhao are just pawns to be manipulated!’

Just as the white stones were advancing like a hot knife through butter, about to encircle and annihilate the black stones, the black stones suddenly began to counterattack.

Li Yan was caught completely off guard.

He hastily placed his stones, trying to stop the black stones’ advance.

But the more anxious he became, the more muddled his thinking grew. The stones he placed not only failed to block his opponent’s assault but instead led him right into an encirclement by the black stones.

In just a few moments, the situation on the board had completely reversed.

Even though Li Yan did his utmost to salvage the situation, he still couldn’t halt the advance of the black stones.

An army in defeat is like a landslide. Soon, the white stones were completely wiped out.

Li Yan stared blankly at the board, unable to recover for a long time.

He had actually lost, just like that!

Li Ji yawned, looking thoroughly bored.

To be honest, a half-baked player like Li Yan was less of a challenge than even that abysmal player, Hua Manman.

At least Hua Manman, with her shamelessness as thick as a city wall and her scoundrel’s technique of taking back three moves for every one she made, could occasionally give him a rare taste of defeat.

Li Yan clenched his fists and said, unwilling to accept the loss.

"Let’s play another round!"

’It was only because I was too careless this time that Prince Zhao had a chance to counterattack.’

’Next time, I’ll definitely be more careful and cautious. I absolutely won’t give him another chance to strike back!’

Li Ji responded with a listless, "Oh."

After a little eunuch helped clear the board, Li Yan rallied his spirits and chose the white stones again.

He resolved in his heart that he would not underestimate his opponent this time.

However, this time he didn’t even get the chance to be careless.

Because Prince Zhao adopted an extremely aggressive offensive from the very beginning, with a rapid pace that gave his opponent no opportunity to counter.

Soon, Li Yan’s white stones were in a hopeless situation, with no room left for a comeback.

This time, his defeat was even faster and more brutal.

To make matters worse, this scene was witnessed by his other brothers and sisters.

Li Yan lost all face and dignity.

His face alternated between red and white, his expression a fascinating display. His hands, hidden in his sleeves, were clenched into tight fists, and his eyes were filled with resentment and indignation.

The previous loss could be blamed on his carelessness and underestimation of his opponent.

This defeat was a complete and utter rout based on pure skill.

He couldn’t even utter a single word in his own defense.

In the end, he could only stand up in silence and walk out of the Octagonal Pavilion without a backward glance.

Li Yi called after him, "Fifth Brother, where are you going? Aren’t you going to class anymore?"

Li Yan did not answer.

He had been utterly humiliated today. How could he possibly have the face to stay for class?

Right now, he just wanted to find somewhere to be alone for a while.