Half a month later came the annual autumn hunt. During this period, everyone in the Palace was busy making preparations for the upcoming large outdoor event. Hong Xu was nowhere to be seen practically every day, and even Hong Qiang had been practicing horseback riding. Everyone was bustling about, and the only one who seemed to have nothing to do was ZiLi! Bored to death, ZiLi pestered Hong Xu relentlessly, coaxing, pressuring, and even resorting to bribes. After a long while, ZiLi finally got his wish fulfilled and managed to bring CunGong and CunShou into the Imperial Palace as personal guards, although more for entertainment than for protection.
CunGong and CunShou were deeply engrossed with developing unique concealed weapons, an interest that had intensified after suffering from numerous bandit attacks on their journey from Chi Xiang to Chu Jing, during which they got separated from their armed escorts and even lost that important letter they were carrying. With nothing on hand to defend themselves, they suffered a lot, which only deepened their interest.
“Boss, do you know what this is for?” CunShou asked, showing a dagger to ZiLi.
ZiLi took a bite of the big, red peach in his hand, “Daggers are everywhere, what’s so special about this one?”
“This dagger is not like the others! Big brother, show him!”
“All right!” CunGong responded, then jumped out, glaring at CunShou with a fierce expression. “Today, on behalf of all those you have harmed in the martial society, I will eradicate you, you villain!”
“Great hero, my humble self knows you are always kindhearted. I am well aware my sins are grave and that I have no face left to show in this world. Today, you don’t need to do the job yourself. My humble self will end it on my own, but I beg you, great hero, to leave my body intact!”
“All right, I promise you. Go on, end it!”
CunShou, with a determined look, pulled out the dagger and shouted, “I will end it!” He firmly stabbed the dagger into his heart up to the hilt and blood spurted everywhere! Then he fell to the ground with a heavy thud!
“If you had known it would come to this, why act as you did in the first place?” CunGong sighed, shaking his head with a face full of regret. Then, with a leap, he departed.
The ‘dead’ CunShou immediately got up, smiling as he pulled out the dagger, “It’s a tool for faking death!”
“A retractable dagger?”
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“Boss, you really are sharp! Just press here, the dagger can extend and retract freely. There is a blood pouch hidden in the hilt, and when the retracting blade pierces it, the blood gushes out, making it look even more realistic!”ZiLi nodded, “Hmm, the problem is, I already bought one when we went shopping last time!”
The two brothers’ faces immediately fell.
“But it is already impressive that you two even thought of this,” ZiLi quickly comforted them.
“His Majesty has arrived――” Suddenly, an eunuch announced.
The three of them turned around and saw Hong Xu approaching in his bright yellow robe.
CunGong and CunShou knelt to greet him, while ZiLi rushed over and gave Hong Xu a big hug.
Hong Xu first planted a firm kiss on ZiLi’s lips, then asked indulgently, “Did you miss me, baby?”
ZiLi snorted and said, “No, I was very busy. In the morning, I took Qu Zi for a ride, had tea with the ‘Holder of Panacea’ at noon, picked peaches in the Imperial Garden in the afternoon, and now I’m inspecting the invention of Xiao Gong and Xiao Shou. Sigh, I had no time to think about you at all!”
Knowing ZiLi was speaking sarcastically, Hong Xu pretended to be regretful as he said, “To make time to teach a certain heartless person archery, I worked myself to the bone for two days and even finished tomorrow’s tasks in advance. Since a certain someone does not appreciate it, I suppose we can forget it!”
Hearing this, ZiLi’s eyes widened. Even though everyone present was used to his audacious behavior, they still could not help but gasp as ZiLi grabbed Hong Xu’s cheeks and tugged at them, threatening, “You dare!”
Hong Xu smiled lightly without a word.
The next day, the shooting range was unexpectedly crowded. It seemed everyone had been secretly putting in extra effort and intensifying their practice, hoping to show off their skills at the hunting event.
“Paying respect to Your Majesty!” Everyone knelt and greeted in unison.
“You may rise!” Hong Xu was in a very good mood, and the imposing aura he usually carried had softened considerably. He swept his gaze over the scene and noticed that several of his sons were present as well, but to avoid letting ZiLi’s imagination run wild, he deliberately ignored their eager, expectant looks and led ZiLi toward a private shooting range.
Only now did ZiLi realize that, although archery looked simple, there were actually a whole lot of techniques to learn.
First, you need to determine which eye you use predominantly. If it is the right eye, use a right-handed bow, and if it is the left eye, use a left-handed bow.
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Next came the stance
平行式站姿 - PíngXíng shì zhànzī - Square Stance
开放式站姿 – KāiFàng shì zhànzī - Open Stance
闭锁式站姿 – BìSuǒ shì zhànzī - Closed Stance
Something like this:
All stances have there pros and cons, if you want to read more about archery stances, this website has more information about it.
1 . You could choose a square stance, an open stance, or a closed stance. Since he was a beginner, ZiLi was not suited for the first two, so Hong Xu had him adopt the more relaxed and natural closed stance, with his right foot slightly behind his left.
开放式站姿 – KāiFàng shì zhànzī - Open Stance
闭锁式站姿 – BìSuǒ shì zhànzī - Closed Stance
Something like this:
All stances have there pros and cons, if you want to read more about archery stances, this website has more information about it.
Then came the draw.
Hong Xu wrapped ZiLi completely in his arms from behind, covering the other’s hands with his own, and whispered into ZiLi’s ear, “Lift the bow and maintain your balance. Then, slowly feel the stretch in your left and right elbows, and keep your shoulders steady. Move your left arm toward the target, keeping each movement at the same height, while you pull with your right arm. Baby, it is time to focus. Look at you, your ears are all red. What naughty thoughts are running through your head?” Hong Xu could not help but nibble on ZiLi’s round earlobe, teasing the other softly.
ZiLi’s face turned even redder. “Who’s, who’s being lewd? You pervert, teasing me in broad daylight!”
“I am teasing because a certain someone is tempting me!” Hong Xu chuckled, sounding devilishly wicked in ZiLi’s ears.
Next was the anchor 2 .
When anchoring, the draw hand must be placed below the jaw or at the corner of the mouth. This requirement is very strict, because your position must not shift at all with each shot, which is not easy for a beginner.
Finally, aiming.
Hong Xu gave ZiLi a long, detailed explanation right by his ear, but in the end, all ZiLi remembered were: pre-aim, hold your breath, watch the arrowhead, align the bow string, aim at the target, steady the bow, and release.
The arrow flew off and landed four meters away on another target. ZiLi immediately slumped back to his seat, hanging his head.
Hong Xu peeled a tangerine and offered a sweet, juicy segment. “It is alright, baby. Practice a few more times and you will get it.”
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ZiLi stomped his foot, pointing at the pile of feather arrows scattered haphazardly, gritting his teeth in frustration. “I shot over a hundred arrows, drew the bow over a hundred times, my hands feel like they are breaking, and I didn’t even hit the edge of the target! Was my stance wrong? Was my draw off?”“Nothing was wrong! It is just, baby, you are not finding the right anchor point. Your aim needs improvement!” Fearing ZiLi might take it too seriously, Hong Xu suggested, “Let’s stop for today. We can practice more tomorrow, okay?”
ZiLi turned his head away, not sure whether he was mad at Hong Xu or himself. Then, he suddenly got up, once again unsteadily drew the bow, and fired arrows wildly without any direction.
“All right, all right!” Hong Xu, seeing him upset, stepped forward to take the bow and arrows from ZiLi, and dissuaded, “You are a beginner, so it is no surprise you cannot hit the target! You have already practiced a lot today, if you keep this up, you might strain your muscles!”
ZiLi’s expression sank as he dropped to the ground and turned to look at Hong Xu, asking, “Am I useless? I can’t do anything right, can I?”
Hong Xu’s heart ached as he took ZiLi’s hand, covered in blisters, “Baby, you have already worked very hard!”
ZiLi hung his head again.
Hong Xu pulled him into his arms and said, “You must be starving! Let’s go back!
That night, ZiLi’s entire body ached, especially his arms and shoulders. Even a hot bath did not bring him the slightest relief, and the soreness and heaviness made him nearly lose his mind!
Seeing this, Hong Xu’s heart ached even more. He tried massaging ZiLi’s limbs, but it had little effect. In the end, he called over the ‘Holder of Panacea’, who used medicinal wine to massage ZiLi, which worked much better.
Translation Notes
All stances have there pros and cons, if you want to read more about archery stances, this website has more information about it. 
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