Chapter 11: Is Sister Shen Going to Commit Perjury?

"Still putting up a desperate struggle? It's useless to look at anything now, we..."

The speaker suddenly cut himself off, his face flushing deep red as he stammered, unable to finish his sentence.

"Each person had three arrows. All of mine hit the bullseye. Perhaps you all would like to guess why this arrow is here, and why the horse went mad?"

Others standing further away had not seen clearly, but Shen Xianyue and Bai Jin, positioned on the highest platform, had seen everything perfectly. Xiao Liyang had stopped at nothing to win, even resorting to such despicable tactics.

"Someone, go and investigate for me! Check if there are truly only six arrows on that target!"

Bai Jin was fuming, his teeth gritted. His attendant, knowing who among this crowd held the real authority, trotted off to inspect the target.

After a long moment, the attendant returned holding five arrows, not even pausing to wipe the sweat from his brow. "Reporting to Master Bai, there are only five arrows. To avoid confusion before the match, the Marquis of Champion's arrows were marked with red paint. Currently, there are three red arrows here and two without marks."

Bai Jin folded his arms. "Did you hear that? That arrow belongs to Xiao Liyang. Perhaps someone realized they were about to lose and made a foolish move, only to end up hurting themselves. That is what you call reaping what you sow."

"Bai Jin, don't speak so harshly!"

"I'm speaking harshly? Why didn't you think it was harsh when you were talking about Zishu earlier? Now you bring this to me? Let me tell you, as long as Shen and I are here, this slop bucket won't be dumped on Zishu's head."

Someone ignorant of the truth, hearing him mention Shen Xianyue, asked curiously, "Miss Shen, are you certain you saw that arrow being shot by the Young Prince Xiao?"

Shen Xianyue, who had been acting as a background fixture for so long, was finally remembered. The Young Prince Xiao had a cherished younger sister, after all. Since she had been standing with Bai Jin, if he had seen it, she surely must have as well.

If she simply insisted it wasn't the Young Prince's doing, the matter would be dropped. Otherwise, if it blew up, the Young Prince's reputation would certainly suffer. Consequently, the eyes of Xiao Liyang's faction turned toward Shen Xianyue with even greater heat and anticipation.

Shen Xianyue put on a startled expression, her eyes glistening with moisture, which softened the hearts of those watching.

"I saw..."

"What did you see?"

"It wouldn't be appropriate to say it in such a public place. Couldn't we just let this matter pass?"

Xiao Tuyu felt a sense of conflict, his thin lips pressed tightly together, a trace of melancholy in his expression. "Very well, then let this matter..."

"Absolutely not!"

Xiao Liyang, having recovered from the initial pain, shouted out: "Yueyue, say exactly what you saw. Don't be intimidated by anyone. I am your brother, and I will protect you. Don't be afraid!"

Shen Xianyue only shook her head, looking as if she had more to say but was holding back.

Xiao Tuyu stood in front of her, shielding her from their gazes. "To pressure a lady like this is hardly the behavior of a gentleman."

"What do you mean by pressure? We only want the truth. If the Marquis of Champion is being so evasive, could it be that there is something hidden underneath?"

Bai Jin retorted: "What could be hidden? I saw it clearly; it was Xiao Liyang who meddled. He tried to steal a chicken but lost his rice, and now he's trying to shift the blame."

"Your word doesn't count. Everyone knows you are close with the Marquis of Champion. How can your words be taken as evidence? Let Miss Shen speak on what she saw!"

Shen Xianyue bit her lip in distress, casting a subtle glance at Xiao Liyang.

Xiao Liyang forced a smile. "Yueyue, you don't need to worry about saving face for anyone. Your brother is here; just say what you saw."

"Re... really, brother?"

"Of course!"

Xiao Liyang was lying, but as long as Yueyue provided the testimony, he could muddle through this and eventually turn a major disaster into a minor incident.

"Actually, I didn't want to say anything. After all, we are all one family. It is also possible that I saw wrong..."

"How could you have seen wrong? Just say what you saw."

Xiao Liyang's air of certain victory made even Bai Jin feel a moment of doubt. What had seemed like an open-and-shut case now made them look like the ones slandering others.

"Zishu, you said Miss Shen is your fiancée. Would she help Xiao Liyang give false testimony?"

Xiao Tuyu clenched his fists, his expression darkening. If it were any other matter, he could have spoken without hesitation and with full confidence, but regarding this, he truly didn't have absolute certainty.

"Miss Shen is not that kind of person."

After a long pause, that was all Xiao Tuyu could manage.

Bai Jin scratched his head in frustration. "If Miss Shen gives false testimony, I'm going to take back the osmanthus cakes I gave her earlier."

Shen Xianyue sensed that everyone's eyes were fixed on her, some filled with anxious scrutiny. She knew exactly who the owner of that gaze was.

"I actually don't know if I saw it clearly. That arrow was definitely my brother's, but it was too far away. I only saw my brother raise his bow and aim at the Marquis of Champion. It is possible I saw wrong, so please, everyone, don't overthink it."

As soon as these words left her lips, Xiao Liyang’s face turned deathly pale. He tried to rise in a fit of rage, but the movement tugged at his wounds, causing cold sweat to pour down his face, leaving him unable to utter a single word.

"Miss Shen, Young Prince Li is your brother! How could you help an outsider?"

Bai Jin was delighted. As long as he could make them unhappy, they were his friends.

"What do you mean by that? Miss Shen only said what she saw. How does that make her 'helping an outsider'? Unless you lot are all the type to favor kin over justice? If that's the case, I'll have to ask my father to submit a memorial to investigate whether you people are corrupt or shielding your own relatives."

This statement escalated the situation to an unnecessary height. Those people were only there to watch the show; they didn't want to get themselves dragged into it. Furthermore, the elder Master Bai was notoriously unreasonable. While he hated that his grandson was a good-for-nothing, his doting was also absolute. If he actually listened to this rascal and submitted a few memorials, it would be the end of them. After all, as officials rose in rank, their households were never entirely clean; no one dared to gamble that their own house was spotless.

"Besides, if we're talking about closeness, Zishu will be the person closest to Miss Shen in the future. The weight of an adoptive brother can hardly compare to that of a husband!"

Xiao Liyang was already injured, and between Bai Jin’s sharp retort and that final sting, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted completely.

The group, having lost their leader, looked at each other, not knowing what to say. After all, Miss Shen had just said that everyone was family and that she wanted to keep things behind closed doors to avoid damaging the harmony. They had been the ones to force her to speak, and now that the words were out, it was too late to regret it.

The scene was awkward. Bai Jin pulled out the two remaining osmanthus cakes and stuffed them into Shen Xianyue's hands. "Don't fear them. With Zishu here, they won't dare to bully you."

Shen Xianyue nodded, when suddenly, someone in the distance began to shout.