Chapter 76 – Injured (1)

Lu Shiming went back to the capital early morning of the next day, leaving his family in Zhuangzi.

On the other hand, Lu Xiangzhi followed Lu Lingzhi in hunting and have yet returned.

Ye Zhen has been learning etiquette and writing these past few days. Etiquette was relatively easy to learn as she learned it since she was little!

But writing proved to be a difficulty for her.

Ironically, she was not afraid of not being able to write well, but worried that her writing was too good to arouse Mister Shan’s suspicion!

To avoid this morbid possibility, while practicing in front of her teacher, she put down the ink and faked a frustrated face.

“Sir, writing can’t be learned in a day or two anyway. Why don’t I practice riding and shooting instead?”

She was not worried of Mister Shan recognizing her handwriting as the same as that of the original Ye Zhen. During the two days in the palace, she practiced various copybooks** when she had nothing to do.

**T/N : A copybook is a book used in education that contains examples of handwriting and blank space for learners to imitate.

She could write any kind of words she wanted in different handwriting if she wished!

But every time her ink touches the parchment of paper, it was evident that her writing skills were accumulated from years of practice.

Lu Yaoyao didn’t pay much time in academics, and writing too well was never in her character.

Thankfully, Mister Shan agreed with her and felt that instead of spending time writing and reading, it was better to practice what she was good at.

“Let’s learn riding and shooting tomorrow!” he said, “Hhm…we will practice riding in the morning and archery in the afternoon.”

Ye Zhen immediately bobbed her head up and down. She was well aware that doing this would not put her chance of entering the college in jeopardy — she could still pass up by mastering the arts of music, archery, riding and etiquette.

In the evening, Dai Mei went into her mistress’ chamber and asked Ye Zhen if she wanted to go bathe in the hot springs.

Ye Zhen hesitated for a moment. Since she met Mo Rongzhan, she hadn’t gone to the hot spring for the past two days, thinking that he was still in the hunting ground.

“Go bathe for a while. I want to rest.” Ye Zhen ushered her handmaiden. Ever since her arrival in the baths, she hadn’t drank even a drop of the miraculous liquid from her palm.

Ah! She would surely look like a ghost if she did!

However, when she was drinking that day, she quietly dropped a drop into the hip flask. Lu Shiming, his wife and Mr. Dan drank it.

The next day, they looked much better, but their was not as visible as hers.

Maybe it was the dosage. As far as she could remember, she drank one drop all to herself while the three of them shared one drop equally.

Henceforth, she became afraid to use these drops at will now, but still insisted on dropping it into the water she uses to wash her face.

At night, Ye Zhen came to the hot spring pool again. This time she didn’t let Dai Mei go out. Instead, she just let her wait nearby. She didn’t swim out of the wooden wall again and went out of the water when she finally felt tired.

The next day, she came to the garden to practice archery with a spirit of one hundred times better than yesterday!

She wore new clothes made not long ago, a sleeved riding outfit specially made for the convenience of her riding.

The plush peach-colored riding outfit made her look even more spirited. Her face was not smeared with herbal juice, and her hair was simply pulled up, leaving beautiful tresses hanging by the sides of her face.

Mister Shan saw her plain and elegant dress, with a satisfied smile on his face. Although this Lu Yaoyao was not as brilliant as Ye Zhen, she had a talent in showing her most beautiful side.

“Sir, when I take the archery test in the college, how many steps away will the target be?” Ye Zhen asked, pretending not to know.

“Twenty steps, but you better start practicing thirty steps away from target.”

Having heard that, she took 30 steps from the target, positioned her arrow and bow, tensing her wrists.

She looked sharply at the target in front of her and pulled the bowstring in full blast, letting go of the arrow.

Straight to the heart!

A loud applause came from Mister Shan who believed in his heart that the girl’s ability in riding and archery was exceptional.

As long as he deliberately makes things difficult for her, Ye Zhen entering the college would be a piece of cake!

Despite this, there was still something that worried him. Mo Rongzhan.

He thought day and night if Mo Rongzhan remembers the late Wang Fei and would see her in Lu Yaoyao. But a consoling thought entered his mind, the emperor left for war right after his wedding, he might not remember Ye Zhen’s face at all.

He just wished that what he was thinking was true… Lu Yaoyao earning the attention of the emperor would not bring her any good.

More importantly, Lu Yaoyao was not surnamed Ye and had no deep hatred towards Mo Rongzhan.

“Sir, sir?” Ye Zhen has shot all the arrows in her hands. Looking back, she saw Mister Shan in a daze. She called him several times but he was unresponsive.

Mister Shan returned to his awareness and looked at Ye Zhen and smiled. “What’s the matter?”

“Sir, why don’t you go back to the house and have a rest first? My brother should be back in the afternoon. Then he will accompany me to ride outside.” Ye Zhen thought he was tired, thus sending him off to have respite.

Before Mister Shan could refuse, Pei Shi came in view at a distance, waving her hand in panic. “Yao Yao!”