Foiled, Slapping the Emperor’s Face Is the Best

People who don’t know any better just assume the Emperor is trying to boost Colin Si’s reputation, but Serena Feng can see right through it—the Emperor is regretting ever putting Colin in charge, but now he doesn’t have a good enough excuse to replace him, so he’s using this whole spectacle to set Colin up.

If Colin Si messes up at the city gate today, the Emperor will finally have a reason to swap him out, and it won’t stir up unrest in the army.

“I wonder if Young Marshal Colin Si will disappoint the Emperor today.” Honestly, I hope he gives the Emperor a solid slap in the face—only then is this trip worth my time.

Most people don’t have Serena Feng’s insight. When they see Colin Si draw his bow, they cheer him on, convinced he can do no wrong.

“The Emperor really knows how to put on a show.” Even Doudou, that homebody, knows about Colin Si’s parade into the Capital. Clearly, someone’s been spreading the word on purpose—just to set Colin up for public humiliation.

If Colin Si fails today, the Divine Arrow Battalion’s reputation will be ruined, and Colin’s standing in the military will be finished.

In the army, what matters is strength—especially for someone like Colin Si, a young marshal whose authority comes from real skill.

Cages full of birds were carried outside the city walls. Serena Feng watched coldly, secretly hoping Colin Si would pull off something spectacular—if he could shoot down all two hundred birds, then...

...the Emperor’s little scheme would fall completely flat.

She didn’t care who led the charge against Lyndaria—if the Emperor was unhappy, that was enough to make her day.

“Release!” The soldier in charge waited until the crowd was whipped into a frenzy, then nodded, satisfied.

The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.

Twenty cages opened at once. The birds, suddenly free, flapped wildly in every direction—no order, no pattern.

Two hundred birds scattered across the sky. Hitting one or two would be easy, but to bring down all two hundred? That’s another story.

Colin Si’s eyes burned with focus, never leaving the flock. When the birds reached about three meters high, he finally gave the order: “Shoot!”

At his word, a wave of black arrows soared into the sky, perfectly synchronized toward the flock. Fifty archers, one hundred and fifty arrows—amazingly, not a single arrow collided.

“That’s some serious training and teamwork,” Serena Feng couldn’t help but praise.

The Divine Arrow Battalion’s soldiers were almost on par with the Black Riders under Ninth Royal Uncle—just lacking their brutality and killer instinct.

Arrows fell like rain; birds dropped one after another, thudding to the ground. Every arrow had at least one bird skewered, some even had three.

Even so, a few birds managed to fly higher. Just as the crowd thought they might escape, Colin Si drew his bow again—three arrows, but with a force that outmatched even the previous volley, shooting straight through the chaos above.

With a sharp whistle, three arrows shot out at once—the outer two angled wide, flying off to the left and right.

Thud, thud, thud—each arrow struck a bird, but none of them slowed down. They just kept going, straight as ever.

Thud, thud, thud—every arrow skewered a whole string of birds. Serena Feng couldn’t even count how many; all she saw was Colin Si turning the flock into a bunch of candied hawthorn skewers.

Not a single bird was left in the sky. For a moment, the city gate was dead silent—Serena Feng had never seen it so quiet. But as soon as Colin Si lowered his bow, the crowd erupted: “Ahhh! Young Marshal Colin Si is incredible!”

“Young Marshal is too strong!”

“He hit every single one! Young Marshal’s arrows are insanely accurate!”

“Young Marshal is unbeatable! Young Marshal is unbeatable!”

...

Listening to wave after wave of cheers, Serena Feng knew Colin Si had won—won beautifully. No matter how much the Emperor grumbled, he couldn’t swap commanders now.

A ruler’s word isn’t a joke. If the Emperor wanted to go back on his own decision, he’d need a flawless reason—otherwise, every civil and military official would be chilled to the bone.

“He really is a divine archer—what a show.” Serena Feng had never seen anyone better than Colin Si.

“Amazing! I’ve decided—I’m going to be his apprentice.” Doudou pumped his fists, grinding his teeth. “Once I master that move, I’ll be able to kill someone from a hundred meters away and no one will ever know.”

Uh... The first part was ambitious, but the second part? What the heck?

Serena Feng honestly didn’t know what to say to Doudou. In the end, she just left him there and walked off.

Whether Doudou got lost or not was none of her concern.

Either way, Doudou would never die—if a bad guy ran into him, it’d be the bad guy’s bad luck.

Serena Feng left early, not bothering to join the crowd in expressing admiration or respect for Colin Si.

Back at Feng Manor, Prince Samuel Zhai came to find her. After hearing her account of the city gate spectacle, he sneered, “The Emperor underestimated Colin Si. His archery has reached the peak—there’s no one in the world who can match him.”

Serena Feng didn’t comment. She believed there were always greater talents out there, and her world was still too small—there were plenty of people and things she hadn’t seen yet.

Seeing there was still time, Serena Feng changed clothes, grabbed her medicine chest, and headed to the palace to re-examine the Eighth Prince.

Okay, she admitted it—she was also going to dig up some information. Since she’d be dealing with Colin Si in the future, it couldn’t hurt to be prepared.

After changing the medicine for the little prince, Serena Feng recounted the city gate incident, emphasizing Colin Si’s skill. Imperial Noble Consort Helena was sharp—she immediately shared everything she knew about the Si Clan and Colin Si.

Old Marshal Si may have been Prince Samuel Zhai’s confidant, but he was upright and stubborn, never all that close. Eventually, a falling out over certain matters led Old Marshal Si to take his whole family to the border—they hadn’t returned to the capital in over a decade.

As for Young Marshal Colin Si, he was the Si Clan’s successor. He’d spent some time with Dominic Zhai as a child, but after leaving the capital, there’d been no news.

From Imperial Noble Consort Helena, Serena Feng learned the Si Clan was loyal to the Emperor. But since they’d spent years at the border, few in the capital really knew them.

Serena Feng thanked her and took her leave. On her way out, she ran into a few other concubines and checked their pulses. Faced with their desperate hopes for children, Serena Feng felt the pressure.

The Emperor was getting old, and lately he’d been indulging way too much. These concubines would have a tougher and tougher time getting pregnant—but Serena Feng couldn’t say it outright, so she just dropped a few hints.

Even those hints were enough to leave the concubines frustrated. They were all still young, but with the Emperor’s age, if they couldn’t have children, what hope did they have?

Serena Feng sympathized, but there was nothing she could do. Once you entered the palace, your life was no longer your own.

Held up by the palace women, Serena Feng only left at dusk. She thought the day had been uneventful, but outside the palace gates, she ran into the man of the hour—Young Marshal Colin Si.

Prince Rowan was walking with him, the two deep in conversation. But something about Colin Si seemed off...

Serena Feng narrowed her eyes, a hint of amusement flickering within. She glanced at Colin Si from afar, then decisively turned and walked away.