Confiscating property? A stunningly beautiful substitute bride empties the national treasury and is

"Chenyu, it's your turn!"

Lu Zhaoyang smiled and took the sandalwood bow from the servant's hand, handing it directly to Xuan Yuan Chenyu. He then helped her stand up from the chair and walked to the designated place.

Xuanyuan Chenyu looked at everyone and explained in a low voice, "Originally, I was supposed to ride a horse and shoot at the target, but I can't ride for the time being due to physical reasons. However, to be fair, I can shoot with my eyes covered."

Wow, great!

Lu Zhaoyang clapped his hands with a smile, then ordered a servant to bring a brocade ribbon and personally tied it around his eyes.

Lu Junze leaned closer to his elder brother and whispered, "Brother, this kid is making things harder for you again. Even if he only hits 8 out of 10, that's still impressive, especially considering he's not feeling well right now."

"Brother, you absolutely cannot lose to him."

"Yes, I understand!"

Lu Junyao looked up at Xuan Yuan Chenyu and quietly observed him. Although he was young, as the ruler of a country, he still had courage and boldness.

Xuanyuan Chenyu's knuckles turned white from gripping the bow, the bowstring vibrated like a silver moon, and the arrow whistled sharply as it pierced the air, accurately embedding itself in the bullseye of the target a hundred paces away.

"Xuanyuan Chenyu, ten out of ten!"

Listening to the servant's report, Xuan Yuan Chenyu smiled faintly and tore off the brocade ribbon covering his eyes.

Lu Zhaoyang excitedly said, "Chenyu, you're amazing! You can hit the bullseye even with your eyes covered. It seems I still need to study and practice hard to catch up with you."

Xuanyuan Chenyu humbly replied, "Princess Zhaoyang is also very good; she is truly an outstanding woman."

"Really? Hehe..."

Lu Zhaoyang chuckled happily as she spoke, and Xuan Yuan Chenyu, seeing her cheerful laughter, couldn't help but smile as well.

Song Qingqian raised an eyebrow and whispered to Xuan Yuanxue, "This Chen Yu is quite good. It seems that Bei Dai has taught him very well. It's just that his personality is a bit too aloof, and he lacks some of the vitality of a young man."

Xuan Yuanxue nodded in agreement and said, "It's probably due to the environment. Many problems in the Dongling court are deeply rooted. It's not easy to completely take back power. Besides, they have no one to back them up. They have to rely on themselves for everything. Just thinking about it makes me feel very difficult."

Song Qingqian whispered to comfort him, "Chenyu is still young. The older he gets, the more he will show his talent and have unlimited potential. Those old fogies in the court are nothing to worry about. You have to believe in him."

"Ok!"

Xuan Yuanxue nodded with satisfaction.

Lu Xieyue leaned closer and whispered, "Third sister-in-law, I think Zhaoyang is too enthusiastic about the young emperor of Dongling. You should be careful, or she might end up marrying far away!"

Xuan Yuanxue quickly explained, "Xieyue, you're overthinking it. Zhaoyang is very kind to everyone. Besides, she's only eight years old. How would she know these things? And Chenyu is a year younger than her. There's absolutely no way that's possible."

"That's true. By the time Chenyu comes of age, Zhaoyang might already be married. Maybe I'm just overthinking it, but look at the way he looks at Zhaoyang, he clearly likes her a lot. But it could also just be that he's grateful to Zhaoyang for being nice to him..."

Lu Xieyue felt like she was rambling, but how to describe the feeling was like having her own perfectly good watermelon and always worrying that someone else would covet it.

Song Qingqian's gaze swept over the two children, then she smiled and said:

"There are genuine feelings between children too. They are at the purest and most beautiful age. As for the future, who can say for sure? Everyone has their own destiny. We, as elders, should just wait for each flower to bloom."

"Third sister-in-law, aren't you worried that your two children will marry far away?"

Lu Xieyue whispered and pressed for an answer.

Song Qingqian smiled and said, "What's there to worry about? All the land under heaven belongs to the king. As long as she's not doing well, I can take care of her and bring her back no matter where she is. If she's doing well, I'll be even happier for them and be their strong support."

Lu Xieyue quickly shook her head and retorted, "I can't, I can't bear to part with my Zhirou."

"Of course, marrying someone close by is the best option, but some people's destinies are destined to be far away. Don't believe me? Look at my second sister-in-law, didn't she marry someone far away? Ask her if she regrets it."

Song Qingqian chuckled and teased.

Xuan Yuanxue quickly explained, "Marriage is not about distance, but about the person you marry. A good person is more important than anything else."

"Look, it's Junyao's turn!"

Jiang Wanwan spoke excitedly.

The group looked over at the sound and saw Lu Zhaoyang and the others jumping up excitedly, saying:

"Wow, it's a cloud dragon! Big brother is going to ride the cloud dragon and shoot arrows! Big brother is awesome!"

Song Qingqian was also quite puzzled. This white warhorse had only been presented as tribute not long ago, and only Lu Jingchuan had ridden it. The two children had never heard of it. Moreover, this horse was very fierce and extremely difficult to tame!

Lu Junyao rode a cloud dragon, his face half-covered by a brocade belt. He was dressed in a black outfit, and the jade pendant on his belt danced in the wind.

He lightly touched the saddle with one foot, and his whole body rose into the air. The moment the feathered arrow left the bowstring, the air suddenly froze, and the sound of it cutting through the air tore through the silence. In an instant, three arrows passed through the ring and entered the bullseye, and wood chips flew everywhere.

"Crown Prince Lu Junyao hit the bullseye with all three arrows, scoring ten points each!"

A gasp of surprise erupted from the children. Lu Junyao raised his hand and pulled off the brocade ribbon covering his eyes, smiled faintly, and then rode away.

Xuan Yuan Chen Yu's gaze followed him, but he felt no resentment at being outdone; instead, he was filled with admiration. Even if his body had fully recovered, he still couldn't compare to him.

In truth, he couldn't compare to Lu Junyao in many ways. He envied Lu Junyao for having a loving family and so many brothers and sisters...

"Chenyu, why are your eyes red? You don't need to be sad. My elder brother has always been very strong. He was trained by my father. At his age, let alone riding horses and hunting, his achievements are unmatched in the entire Nanyuan!"

After comforting him, Lu Zhaoyang slipped a candy into his hand and said with a smile:

"We're all used to it, but this is the first time I've ever seen Big Brother ride a cloud dragon. It's so cool!"

"Yeah, I'm not sad, I'm envious!"

Lu Zhaoyang also popped a candy into his mouth, smiling and whispering:

"Try it, when you're in a bad mood, eating a piece of candy will make you feel sweet."

"it is good!"

Xuanyuan Chenyu smiled indulgently.

Suddenly, Eunuch Li, who was by the Emperor's side, rushed over anxiously and respectfully said to Song Qingqian:

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! A message has come from the border regions saying... that the Empress Dowager has passed away. His Majesty requests that you bring everyone there to discuss important matters!"

"Okay, let's go now!"

Although the Empress Dowager's health had been poor since the Lunar New Year, and she had been prepared, she still felt extremely distressed upon hearing the news.

Lu Lanyue and Lu Xieyue were already in tears in an instant. Jiang Wanwan was anxious to ask Lu Junze and Qinxin to take care of the children, and then helped them back to the main hall.

Xuanyuan Chenyu had been sitting for a long time and was starting to feel unwell. A servant helped him back to his bedchamber, and Lu Zhaoyang quickly followed, whispering:

"Chenyu, won't you be bored going back alone? Do you need me to keep you company?"

"Is it okay? You don't have to go with them."

Xuan Yuan Chenyu pursed his lips and tentatively asked.