As the eldest brother, the Crown Prince naturally couldn't really compete in archery with the Ninth Prince. He kindly patted the Ninth Prince and advised him to practice archery diligently and not be arrogant. Finally, he told the Ninth Prince to respect his brothers, after all, the Seventh Prince was his elder brother.
The Ninth Prince angrily shook off the Crown Prince's hand and turned back to his own target.
Qin Su, seeing the Ninth Prince's disrespect, frowned in dissatisfaction and was about to reprimand him when the Crown Prince shook his head, signaling him to desist.
After that, the Crown Prince patiently and meticulously instructed his younger brothers in archery.
The Third Prince and others thanked the Crown Prince. Compared to the Crown Prince, they were more apprehensive of Prince Dai. Towards the Crown Prince, they maintained a surface level of respect.
The Eighth Prince had always been personally taught horseback archery by the Crown Prince, and he had learned quite well. Among the princes, his archery skills were considered excellent.
"Eighth Brother, you've just recovered, it's not advisable to practice too much, let's stop here for today." Among all the younger brothers, the Crown Prince was most concerned and fond of the Eighth Prince.
During the Eighth Prince's illness, the Crown Prince often visited him and sent people to deliver things to him.
"Yes, Big Brother." The Eighth Prince obediently handed his bow and arrow to Yu Hai standing beside him.
The Crown Prince walked over to Zhao Yao and first asked Zhao Yao to shoot two arrows for him to see.
Zhao Yao shot those two arrows quite well. One hit the bullseye, and the other hit the eighth ring.
"Tenth Brother's archery is not bad," praised the Crown Prince.
Standing nearby, the Eighth Prince said, "Tenth Brother's archery has always been good."
Zhao Yao lifted his chin proudly and said to the Crown Prince, "Big Brother, I'm really good at archery."
Seeing Zhao Yao's smug expression, the Crown Prince chuckled lightly and gently tapped the right corner of Zhao Yao's mouth.
"Our Tenth Brother is really amazing."
"Hehe," Zhao Yao laughed with great satisfaction.
"Tenth Brother, being good at archery isn't enough," the Crown Prince squatted down, making eye contact with Zhao Yao, "you also need to be good at studying."
At the mention of "studying," Zhao Yao's smile instantly froze, and he pouted, saying, "Big Brother, don't mention studying, then you're my good brother."
The Crown Prince couldn't help but laugh, "Do you really dislike studying that much?"
"I'm not smart at studying," Zhao Yao said with a wrinkled face, "I prefer riding horses and archery to studying."
"Being not smart at studying is okay, but you can't dislike it," the Crown Prince gently touched Zhao Yao's small head, "If there's something you don't understand in your studies, you can come to Big Brother."
Zhao Yao cried out in his heart, "Please, not another one teaching me to study, spare me."
"No, Big Brother, you're so busy usually, I won't disturb you," Zhao Yao didn't want to get too close to the Crown Prince because it was too dangerous. "Fourth Brother usually teaches me, and so does Eighth Brother."
"Then you should learn well from Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother."
Zhao Yao said obediently, "I will."
The Crown Prince did not stay long at the martial arts arena. After instructing his brothers in archery, he left.
As soon as the Crown Prince left, the Ninth Prince mocked, "He really knows how to put on an act, who even cares about his archery guidance?"
The Seventh Prince sneered, "Just now, who was it that foolishly wanted to compete in archery with Big Brother? And after seeing how skilled Big Brother is, played dead."
"You..." The Ninth Prince's face turned red with anger as he stubbornly defended himself, "I'm still a child. If the Crown Prince had the ability, he would compete with my brother. My brother would definitely win. Competing with me is no big deal."
"Ninth Brother, you were the one who proposed competing in archery with the Crown Prince, wasn't it, not the other way around?" The Sixth Prince finally found an opportunity to retort to the Ninth Prince, "The Crown Prince won, and you didn't dare to say a word. Fortunately, the Crown Prince didn't mind."
"Ninth Brother, if you can't take losing, don't compete," continued the Seventh Prince sarcastically, "losing and then not admitting it, truly spineless!"
"Zhao Jing!" The Ninth Prince glared maliciously at the Seventh Prince, who was undaunted and continued mocking him, "Spineless! Coward!"
With a bang, the Seventh Prince was knocked to the ground by the Ninth Prince.
The Ninth Prince sat on top of the Seventh Prince and swung his fist at the Seventh Prince's face. The Seventh Prince was momentarily stunned, but then fought back. The two of them ended up wrestling with each other.
Zhao Yao and the others were shocked by this scene and momentarily forgot to step in and stop the fight.
The Fourth Prince was the first to recover and stepped forward to pull the Ninth Prince away.
The Ninth Prince, being stout and strong, forcefully broke free from the Fourth Prince and continued to hit the Seventh Prince.
In a head-to-head fight, the Seventh Prince was certainly no match for the Ninth Prince. He tugged at the Ninth Prince's hair.
Zhao Yao watched, mouth agape, as the Seventh Prince and the Ninth Prince pulled at each other's hair, thinking what kind of development this was. However, speaking of which, Ninth Brother and Seventh Brother finally fought. Unfortunately, Seventh Brother was no match for Ninth Brother.
Seventh Brother was really too weak, unable even to fight, just pulling at Ninth Brother's hair was useless. Hit the face! It'd be best to beat Ninth Brother until he's black and blue, that way, for a period at least, he wouldn't show up, making the world a much quieter place.
"Ah!" The Ninth Prince gave a miserable cry as the Seventh Prince had scratched his face. "Zhao Jing, I'll kill you!"
Qin Su returned to the martial arts arena just in time to hear the Ninth Prince's words, then saw the Ninth Prince charging at the Seventh Prince, as if he wanted to swallow him alive. He hurriedly stepped forward to pull the Ninth Prince away.
The Ninth Prince was still cursing at the Seventh Prince, kicking his legs towards him.
Qin Su sternly reprimanded the Ninth Prince, but the Ninth Prince insulted him, questioning his authority to control him.
The Ninth Prince, having been driven mad by the Seventh Prince, momentarily forgot Qin Su's position.
Without a word, Qin Su grabbed the Ninth Prince and headed for Chengguang Hall.
Of course, the Seventh Prince and Zhao Yao were to follow.
While being carried away by Qin Su, the Ninth Prince was still cursing, panicking when he realized they were heading to Chengguang Hall, "Qin Su, let me down!" He struggled mightily, but it was futile as he was like a mouse caught by a cat.
Following behind, the Seventh Prince's face was marred with bruises from the Ninth Prince's punches. However, his complexion was a bit pale at the moment.
Zhao Yao and the Eighth Prince walked at the back.
"Eighth Brother, will we get dragged into this and get scolded?" They had just been watching the scene, forgetting to flee, what a miscalculation.
The Eighth Prince consoled Zhao Yao, "We didn't fight, Father shouldn't scold us."
"That might not be certain, Father always likes to scold us together," Zhao Yao said with a heavy heart, "I have a feeling we'll be scolded."
"Then let it be scolding, as long as we're not beaten it's fine."
"Eighth Brother, between being scolded and beaten, I'm afraid Father will punish me with copying books." Zhao Yao hoped in his heart that when they arrived at Chengguang Hall, they wouldn't be implicated by the Ninth Prince and the Seventh Prince.
Qin Su arrived with the Ninth Prince just at the right moment; the Emperor had just finished his official duties, and was stepping out of Chengguang Hall, preparing to take a stroll through the Imperial Garden.
Upon seeing Qin Su carrying the Ninth Prince over, the Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly.
Seeing the Emperor, the Ninth Prince immediately tucked his tail, lowered his small head, looking thoroughly frightened.
Qin Su set down the Ninth Prince and saluted the Emperor.
The Emperor, seeing the wounds on the faces of the Ninth and Seventh Princes, immediately understood what had happened.
Qin Su reported what he saw to the Emperor.
The Ninth Prince, unwilling to back down, retorted, "It was Zhao Jing who called me spineless and a coward, so I hit him..." Before he could finish, the Emperor kicked him to the ground. Of course, the Emperor controlled his strength and didn't use much force.
"Father..." Though it wasn't overly forceful, it still hurt a bit; the Ninth Prince was frightened, his previously arrogant face now filled with terror.
"Father, it was Ninth Brother who spoke ill of Big Brother, so I scolded him..." The Seventh Prince's words were also cut short by a kick, sending him to the ground.
"Fourth Brother, what happened?" The Emperor directly asked the Fourth Prince.
The Fourth Prince recounted the events, from start to finish, to the Emperor.
"Father, it's my fault for not restraining Seventh and Ninth Brothers."
The Third Prince and others, showing their cleverness, followed in asking for punishment after hearing the Fourth Prince's admission.
Zhao Yao and the Eighth Prince also pleaded for forgiveness, but meanwhile tried to lower their presence.
"Lao Qin, it seems you've been too lenient with these rascal pups, allowing them enough energy to brawl."
"I am guilty, Your Majesty, please forgive me."
"Lao Qin, you're not at fault, the ones at fault are those two." The Emperor looked at the kneeling Seventh and Ninth Princes, "Since they have so much energy, Lao Qin, give them thorough training."
"Your Majesty, this..."
"Treat them like new recruits, drill them until they don't have the strength for fighting."
The Seventh and Ninth Princes, upon hearing this, turned ghostly pale.
"Father..."
The Emperor waved his hand, signaling Qin Su to take the Seventh and Ninth Princes away.
Seeing the Seventh and Ninth Princes leave dejectedly with Qin Su, Zhao Yao quietly sighed in relief, grateful for having avoided misfortune.
Just when he thought they could leave, the Emperor called out to them.
"You few..."
Zhao Yao's heart skipped a beat, sensing trouble.