Chapter 270
**Chapter 268: The Prince's Assessment**
In the imperial harem, death is not uncommon.
However, it is truly bizarre that one or two eunuchs serving Li Chengzhen die every month. Shen Wei instructed Caiping, “Keep sending people to watch. If there are any new corpses, find a way to stop it.”
Caiping nodded, “Rest assured, my lady. I’ve already assigned someone to keep a close watch.”
...
A few days later, it was a day of rest.
The sun shone brightly in the training grounds as Li Yuanjing summoned several of his sons. Having ascended the throne for four years, the only child born in the harem was the son of Consort Lu Xuan.
Yet, before his reign, the Wang family had already produced several sons. Over the years, eight of them had survived.
Among them were Li Chengzhen, born of the Empress, the third prince Li Chengxun, three sons from other consorts, and the two sons from Consort Shen Wei, Chengtai and Chengyou, along with the son of Consort Lu, Chengjue.
“Your Majesty, the princes have arrived,” De Shun reported respectfully.
All the walking princes were present except for Lu Xuan’s son. Li Yuanjing called the children over mainly to assess their archery skills and literary knowledge.
Custom-made bows and arrows were handed to each prince.
Li Yuanjing sat under a shaded pavilion, sipping lotus flower tea while watching the children shoot arrows.
The eldest, Li Chengzhen, was already twelve. He skillfully drew the bow and released the arrow, which landed steadily on the target.
After shooting ten arrows, three hit the bullseye, which was quite impressive.
Li Chengzhen proudly set down his bow and walked over to take a refreshing drink of cool water from the old nurse. The Empress and the Dantai family had invested a lot of effort and money in Li Chengzhen, hiring the best archery and literary tutors to train him from a young age.
Though his talent wasn’t particularly high, years of hard practice had made his archery skills quite commendable among his peers.
“Second Brother, your archery skills have improved!” Li Chengyou, sitting on a small chair with a fresh peach in hand, looked at him with admiration.
Li Chengzhen snorted, “Of course. Better than you, you little brat with your child’s bow.”
Li Chengyou pouted, “I’m only four! When I grow up, I’ll definitely shoot better than you.”
Li Chengzhen dismissed him with a wave, not taking the little brat seriously.
The other princes began shooting in turn. Li Chengxun, the son of Consort Qiao, was among the older ones, but his archery skills were quite average, with only two of his ten arrows hitting the target.
He blushed with shame, shrinking into a corner, too embarrassed to look at his father or his brothers.
Next, several sons of less favored consorts took their turns, their skills even worse, causing Li Yuanjing to frown repeatedly.
Finally, it was the turn of the eighth prince, Li Chengtai. At only four years old, he couldn’t draw an adult bow and had to use a specially made smaller one.
With a determined look on his face, dressed in a black and gold vest and little leather boots, he gripped the small bow tightly, his expression serious as if he were heading into battle.
He drew the bow, aimed—
Thwack—
The tiny arrow struck the target not far away, though it was a bit off from the center. But Li Chengtai wasn’t discouraged; he adjusted his stance and shot again—
Thwack, thwack, thwack—
All ten arrows landed on the small target, with three hitting the dark red bullseye.
“Brother, you’re amazing!” Li Chengyou cheered, his eyes shining with admiration.
Li Yuanjing, watching from a distance, also showed signs of approval.
Li Chengzhen’s expression darkened, and he clenched his fists, coldly muttering, “A small bow is useless.”
Li Chengyou, with his keen hearing, caught every word and pouted in dissatisfaction.
Finally, it was the turn of the youngest, Li Chengyou. He was chubby and sturdy, having eaten well. He took the child’s bow handed to him by the eunuch, stretched his little neck, and wiggled his chubby waist, striding confidently to the shooting range.
He closed his eyes, feeling the strength of the wind in the training ground. Then, with a sudden snap of his eyes open, he focused intently, like an eagle soaring in the sky.
He drew the bow, aimed—
Thwack, thwack—
Ten arrows flew out one after another.
Five or six hit the bullseye, while the others scattered around the edges, which was quite impressive.
Li Chengyou, clutching his little bow, scampered over to Li Chengzhen, shaking it in front of him, “Who said this bow is useless? It’s fantastic!”
Li Chengzhen: ...
After showing off, Li Chengyou happily ran to Li Yuanjing, tugging at his sleeve like a kitten eager for praise, “Father! I hit the bullseye six times! Tonight, I want to eat fried crabs!”
Li Yuanjing patted his son’s dark cheek, “Alright.”
Looking at his sturdy little son, Li Yuanjing momentarily saw a reflection of his younger self. As a child, he wasn’t fond of studying and would sneak off to the training grounds to ride ponies and practice archery while his brother was busy with his books.
Li Chengyou spun around joyfully and rushed to tell Li Chengtai, “Brother, we’re having fried crabs tonight!”
Li Yuanjing called for De Shun to bring Li Chengzhen and Li Chengxun over.
Rubbing his temples, Li Yuanjing said, “There’s a military officer at Anguo Temple who teaches archery. How have you two been practicing? You’ve made no progress in months.”
The two boys looked stiff, like mice caught in front of a cat.
Especially Consort Qiao’s son, who wished he could bury his head in the ground.
Li Chengzhen lowered his head and stammered, “I... I know I was wrong. I’ll practice hard.”
Li Yuanjing grasped Li Chengzhen’s hands, opening them to inspect, questioning, “Is this how hard you’ve been practicing?”
Those who practice archery daily develop calluses on their finger joints. But Li Chengzhen’s fingers only had a thin layer of callus.
It was clear he hadn’t put in the effort.
Li Chengzhen remained silent.
After assessing their archery and horseback riding, Li Yuanjing called the children over again to quiz them on some literary knowledge. Their performances varied, with surprisingly the most knowledgeable being Li Chengtai.
Li Yuanjing’s heart was like a clear mirror; he had a rough understanding of his sons’ abilities.
...
That night, dark clouds loomed, and the air was unusually muggy. In a secluded palace, the study was lit by flickering candles. Under the light, Li Chengzhen clutched an ancient text, flipping through the pages repeatedly, trying to grasp its meaning.
The words were obscure, and the meanings difficult to comprehend.
Li Chengzhen’s eyes were red, wishing he could memorize every single character in the text. But the more he tried to remember, the more elusive it became.
The old nurse attending him felt a pang of sympathy and gently said, “Your Highness, it’s getting late. Let me take you to rest.”
Li Chengzhen clutched the book tightly, shaking his head in anguish, “I don’t want to sleep! Why, why can Li Chengtai memorize these difficult things, but I can’t!”
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