Ouyang Yue was slightly taken aback and asked, "You mean, you suspect that it was done by the Holy King of Miao Jiang?"
Baili Chen shook his head: "I can't be sure about that. I'm about the same age as him, so it's unlikely back then, but I feel it has a lot to do with him."
Ouyang Yue fell silent. Even before, she had felt a strange sensation towards this Miao Jiang Holy King, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She could only say, "His sudden appearance was indeed unexpected by everyone. However, the Gu poison in your body has been neutralized, so there shouldn't be any major problems. Don't worry."
Baili Chen said, "I don't know what his purpose is in coming here, but I have a bad feeling." Yes, she did too…
"And look at how flamboyant he is! Caiwen complained to me for ages. Tomorrow he's going to wear red instead. Look at the way men and women in the whole hall are looking at him when he arrives! Those infatuated girls are even more outrageous, they're arguing over him! It's really unbelievable. The things he's made look like ghosts, really weird, not good-looking at all, right, my wife?" Baili Chen looked at Ouyang Yue questioningly. Ouyang Yue was speechless. She felt like Baili Chen had just used his words to gain her sympathy before, but this seemed to be the real point he wanted to make today. But seeing Baili Chen looking at her with bright, expectant eyes, she nodded speechlessly.
“Right, I think so too. My wife is so much better. How can she be like those infatuated girls?” Baili Chen nodded quickly, giving Ouyang Yue a flattering smile. Ouyang Yue’s lips twitched, and she said helplessly, “I don’t have any feelings for him, so of course I won’t be like those young ladies.”
"Really?" Baili Chen asked hurriedly.
“Yes, why would I lie to you?” Baili Chen chuckled, lifted his buttocks, and snuggled up to Ouyang Yue, saying, “This person seems very strange to me. It’s best if we avoid contact with him and be vigilant at all times. Look at the four maids around him, their martial arts and archery skills are so outstanding. Although my men are no less skilled than his, it’s hard to say what will happen if we let our guard down and they take advantage of us.”
Ouyang Yue nodded in deep agreement. However, there was no conflict of interest between the two parties, and it didn't seem necessary to do so now. While she was still thinking, Ouyang Yue suddenly felt something soft near her lips. Turning her eyes, she saw Baili Chen's handsome face magnified. Speechless, she turned her head away. Baili Chen was somewhat displeased and directly used his arm to trap Ouyang Yue between his arm and the bed. He lowered his head and buried it in Ouyang Yue's neck: "My wife, I can't wait any longer. When are you going to marry me? I'm really afraid of hurting you, but if this continues, I might not be able to control myself and hurt you one of these times."
Ouyang Yue turned her head and looked at Baili Chen's serious expression. Her eyes flickered, but she didn't say anything. Baili Chen was a little disappointed, but at this moment he heard Ouyang Yue's calm voice: "Of course it depends on you. You haven't won my heart yet, so how can I agree to your request?"
"Huh?" Baili Chen was puzzled for a moment, then his eyes widened and he laughed, "My wife is saying that as long as I win you over, you'll agree, hmm... Although it feels like the same as before, I know my wife is moved and happy, isn't she?" Ouyang Yue was speechless; Baili Chen always liked to find loopholes in her words.
However, in fact, Ouyang Yue had never said such a thing before. It seemed that she was intentionally trying to encourage Baili Chen to work hard. This was already very rare for Baili Chen. Baili Chen smiled broadly and said, "My wife is too kind. But this won't do. I must confirm it to prevent my wife from denying it in the future."
"You... ugh..." Ouyang Yue was about to speak when her lips were sealed. Ouyang Yue was a little annoyed. This scoundrel was clearly going to use this trick whether she agreed or not. Baili Chen was very satisfied. He wrapped his arms around Ouyang Yue's hand and kissed her passionately. Their breathing gradually became heavy, and Baili Chen's kiss was gradually getting out of control. But at the crucial moment, he turned his head and leaned on Ouyang Yue's shoulder. He kissed Ouyang Yue's cheek wildly as if venting his anger. He even bit her cheek afterward as if grinding his teeth, which made Ouyang Yue angrily punch his back.
"You're covered in drool, you're so dirty!" Ouyang Yue said with displeasure.
Baili Chen grinned wickedly, his face and eyes turning red: "Then I'll lick it clean."
Ouyang Yue was so angry that she reached out and covered Baili Chen's face: "No... we can't continue." Even Ouyang Yue's breath became a little cold. Baili Chen snorted in dissatisfaction and lay on top of Ouyang Yue, refusing to get up.
"You're heavy, get up quickly." Ouyang Yue nudged him.
"No, we can see it but not eat it. Can't we at least put some pressure on ourselves?" Baili Chen muttered.
Ouyang Yue was speechless. She couldn't help but think of something from her past life that involved overwhelming her. Although Baili Chen was clearly different from what she had imagined, she still felt uneasy. She reached out and pushed Baili Chen off the bed. Baili Chen rolled over on the bed and then rolled to Ouyang Yue's side. He sighed and said, "Ah, if only we were in the cave in Tianshan. Coming back to the capital involves so many rules and so much trouble. I don't feel comfortable at all."
"Your unease is probably because of your vulgar and scoundrel-like behavior, isn't it?" Ouyang Yue glanced at him sideways and snorted coldly in dissatisfaction.
Baili Chen chuckled: "My wife, don't mind. Anyway, I've made up my mind about you, and you've made up your mind about me. It's only a matter of time. It's just a matter of a little while. It's just that we haven't reached the final step yet, so it's fine."
"Nothing's wrong, of course!" Baili Chen had already trespassed into her boudoir and even got into her bed. Now she's asking if he doesn't mind? He really has the nerve to say that. However, after spending the night naked in the Tianshan cave, Ouyang Yue really couldn't bring herself to resist such a thing. It was also because Baili Chen was such a rogue that Ouyang Yue felt that getting entangled with him would immediately shorten her lifespan by ten years. So she was simply ignoring him, that was all, and it had nothing to do with anything else.
"Since my wife asked me to pursue you, I'm trying my best," Baili Chen said shamelessly, bringing his face closer.
Ouyang Yue's face darkened: "Is this how you chase someone? This is shameless."
"I don't care about shamelessness or not, as long as I can get her, I'll use any means necessary," Baili Chen said nonchalantly.
Ouyang Yue glared coldly at Baili Chen: "You are the most shameless rogue I have ever seen in the world."
Baili Chen smiled broadly: "But I'm only a rogue to you, my wife. Just keep it to yourself and don't spread it around."
Ouyang Yue closed her eyes speechlessly. Baili Chen leaned in and kissed Ouyang Yue on the cheek. Ouyang Yue opened her eyes because she had sensed Baili Chen's unusual behavior: "Wife, I have to go back. All four kingdoms have gathered in the capital of Great Zhou. The palace is now under stricter guard. I can't stay too long. I have to go now."
"Okay, go ahead."
"Smack!" Baili Chen kissed Ouyang Yuechen again before leaving, satisfied. Ouyang Yuechen stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.
After quietly returning to Chenyu Palace, Baili Chen's face darkened as he said, "Send people from the organization to keep an eye on the people from the four countries."
"Yes, Master."
In the master bedroom of the Miao Jiang Inn, the Holy King was holding a scroll and looking at it, a smile playing on his lips: "It really is her." Upon closer inspection, the person in the painting was indeed Ouyang Yue. In the painting, Ouyang Yue was dressed in green, with a sea of flowers behind her. She was like a flower fairy, with a lifelike expression and a slightly upturned mouth that seemed to be smiling at the person outside the painting.
"I've found you, and you... can't escape now. My prey is never one I can't catch!" As she spoke, the Holy King wore a strange smile, enigmatic and alluring.
Fifteen days later, the beauty pageant officially began. All five countries attached great importance to this pageant. Even the Great Gan Dynasty, which had won the championship for two consecutive years, put in a lot of effort. They wanted a three-peat. Among the five countries, the nomadic peoples also cared a lot. However, they were obviously the weakest, but their fighting spirit was no less than anyone else's.
Nearly 10,000 contestants from the five participating countries were narrowed down to 1,000, 500, 300, and finally 100. In the initial selection, talent was secondary; a beauty pageant is about choosing the best of the best, the most beautiful of the beautiful. Talent wasn't the primary focus in this 100-person selection; rather, it was based on physical appearance. If someone couldn't even make it into the top 100 in terms of beauty, then there was no point in discussing talent; no matter how outstanding they were, they wouldn't be eligible to participate in the real competition.
After a brief competition, 50 people were selected from the remaining 100. Today's competition is also a 50-to-10 contest. These 50 people are already the most outstanding young ladies from the five countries, and it can be said that each of them is quite capable.
All the contestants gathered together, waiting to be called on stage to perform. Jiang Huan walked up to Fu Meier and mocked, "I didn't expect Miss Fu to participate. I thought you were scared."
Fu Meier sneered: "Princess Jiang, I won't make any more mistakes. Just wait and see how I defeat you."
"Oh, then we'll see." Jiang Huan turned and left disdainfully. Fu Meier's face also darkened, but her eyes swept over someone, Ouyang Yue, who was standing alone to one side. She walked over with a sneer: "I didn't expect Miss Ouyang to be so lucky as to make it into the top fifty. It's quite surprising. But you definitely won't make it into the top ten. I just hope that Miss Ouyang won't forget our previous agreement."
Ouyang Yue smiled faintly: "Miss Fu, just don't forget."
Not far away in the stands, Baili Chen waved his hand towards Ouyang Yue and Fu Meier. Leng Sha immediately bowed his head. Baili Chen said something, and Leng Sha stared at Ouyang Yue and Fu Meier with wide eyes: Master, your idea is too vicious!
☆、136、Punish Fu Meier with cruelty!
The competition to select ten out of fifty will be a talent show.
The competition venue was located in the suburbs, and only this place had the largest space to accommodate the contestants from the five countries, as well as the nobles and commoners who came to watch. A platform was erected in the middle of the venue, and around it were stands for the royal families and nobles of the five countries to sit on. At the very front, many wooden slats were placed for the common people to sit on.
Extending out from the other side of the arena was another tent, where the top fifty participants of this year's competition were housed. The competition to narrow down the top fifty to the top ten was exceptionally exciting. In terms of sheer numbers, only ten people from the top nation could participate. The top ten talented and beautiful young ladies from each nation were already extraordinary.
Of these fifty people, the Dagan Kingdom had the most, with a whopping twenty-five, equaling the combined total of the other four kingdoms. The Black Teeth Kingdom had eight, the Miao Territory had seven, the Great Zhou Dynasty had only seven, and the nomadic tribes had the fewest three. Based on this ratio, the Dagan Kingdom had the most participants in the top ten, which undoubtedly put pressure on the other four participating countries. Of course, this only applied to a portion of them; many others, like Fu Meier, were brimming with confidence.
Of the seven people who entered the Great Zhou Dynasty, the only ones that Fu Meier feared the most were Princess De and Ning Xihe, the most beautiful of the three. She didn't take the others she knew, such as Mu Cuiwei and Ouyang Yue, seriously at all, as they were no match for her.
At this moment, Emperor Mingxian laughed and said, "Alright, this year I have also selected some very famous and talented people from the five kingdoms to be the judges. They are Master Minghui, the highly respected abbot of Wuhua Temple in the Great Zhou Dynasty; Master Li of Chenggan Hall in the Great Gan Kingdom; the Holy King of Miao Jiang; the Carefree King of Heichi Kingdom; a priest from a nomadic tribe; and two other people, Mr. Li, a talented scholar who has traveled around the five kingdoms in a carefree and uninvolved manner, pursuing poetry and painting; and Mr. Qi, who is known as a polymath who knows everything about astronomy and geography. There will be seven judges, and at the end, there will also be audience judges. The Great Zhou Dynasty is striving for fairness and impartiality in holding this beauty pageant this year, and it will definitely not disappoint you all."
People like Master Minghui and Daoist Li are used to a leisurely life and don't have a strong desire to compete. Master Minghui and others are monks, so they speak more fairly. Mr. Li and Mr. Qi only speak based on their talents, so they are qualified to be judges. The only one added now is the Miao Jiang Holy King. Emperor Mingxian hadn't expected this before, so he directly replaced the Miao Jiang judge he had originally invited with someone else. The Miao Jiang judge was very sensible and agreed immediately. He probably wouldn't dare to compete with the Miao Jiang Holy King for something.
The seven judges sat directly on one side of the stage, where a tent was set up, and tea and fruit were laid out on the table. Watching the beautiful women perform their talents was undoubtedly a pleasure.
"First place, Miss Liu from Black Teeth Country..." This Miss Liu performed a dance. Her figure was slender and graceful, and her movements were quite charming. However, her dance was somewhat unsatisfactory, and she was immediately rejected. The next three performances also failed one after another, which put even more pressure on the contestants who followed.
"Fifth place, Miss Fu from the Great Zhou Dynasty."
Dressed in a vibrant red outfit, Fu Meier walked gracefully towards the stage. Her exquisite makeup and delicate jewelry, combined with her striking beauty, made her truly eye-catching. Two rows of ruby pendants cascaded down her cheeks from her hair, enhancing her delicate features. She smiled faintly on the stage, a radiant smile that captivated countless men. Seeing the infatuated expressions below, a smug glint flashed in Fu Meier's eyes, and she couldn't help but glance at the person she had been longing for.
Baili Chen had a faint smile on his lips, but seeing Fu Meier, his smile widened even more. Fu Meier felt her heart pounding wildly. The Seventh Prince was actually smiling at her! The Seventh Prince used to be cold and aloof to everyone; when had she ever seen him smile like this before, and this smile was clearly meant for her? Yes, making it into the top fifty of the beauty pageant already made her an exceptionally outstanding woman in the five kingdoms. If she were to enter the top ten, the Seventh Prince would naturally pay even more attention to her. Her initial thought had indeed been very correct.
Fu Meier smiled sweetly, her face flushed with shyness. She rose and walked to the wooden table in the center of the stage, where paper, pens, and other items were already laid out, all prepared by her maids. The top fifty contestants all knew that these fifty talent performances were merely a process of advancement; the competition would only get more difficult later on. To avoid upsetting their opponents, they would hold back a few tricks. But Fu Meier didn't think that way. She wanted every performance to be spectacular. She would be the best in every competition, giving it her all in every single one. If she made it into the top seventeen, the prince's gaze towards her would change drastically.
From the stands, Baili Chen asked, "Ready?"
Leng Sha immediately replied in a low voice, "Master, everything is arranged, but... will it work?"
"Hmph, let's see. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. We're just using her as an experiment anyway. If it works, of course, that's even better." Baili Chen said indifferently. Leng Sha looked up at Fu Meier, who was full of confidence, and for some reason felt a little sorry for this Miss Fu.
In the competition to narrow down the fifty to ten, Fu Meier chose to paint. As soon as the competition started, Fu Meier began to seriously wield her brush, occasionally dipping it in various colors. Before long, beautiful flowers had bloomed. She truly deserved to be one of the three beauties of the capital, and her talent was indeed remarkable. Fu Meier's painting paper was about a meter long, and in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, she painted more than a dozen flowers, some large and some small, each with a different shape, which could be considered excellent.
"Time's up."
Fu Meier immediately stopped writing, then took a sip of water from the table in front of her. With a "pfft," all the water in her mouth sprayed out, a little of it landing directly on the painting and sticking to the flowers. The water droplets didn't fall, but looked like dewdrops growing on the flowers, vividly elevating the painting to a whole new level. When the two men carrying the painting lifted it up and walked around the stands, incredulous gasps of surprise rippled through the audience.
"Hey, look at that! The water droplets didn't fall down at all. It's just like the flowers in the garden with dew on them. It's so well drawn."
"Yes, yes, the drawing is so good, so lifelike, just like the real thing! It's amazing, she definitely has to be in the top ten, in the top ten!"
"This Miss Fu truly lives up to her reputation as one of the three beauties of the capital. While her looks were certainly a factor in her selection as one of the three beauties, her talent was absolutely essential as well. She is truly a woman of both beauty and talent."
"Yes, yes, Miss Fu is a blessing to our Great Zhou Dynasty. This time, Miss Fu will definitely achieve a good ranking, or even win the championship."
"To the champion!"
The audience on stage were buzzing with discussion. Fu Meier's smile was just right, neither overly flamboyant nor too humble, but the smugness in her eyes was impossible to hide. Originally, she could have put this talent competition later, but she brought it out now precisely for this purpose: to amaze people and put pressure on those who came after her. With her talent, entering the top ten was inevitable, and she would become the first to enter the top ten today. That would also put pressure on her other competitors, which would be entirely beneficial to her. Thinking of Baili Chen's smile earlier, Fu Meier suddenly felt her heart flutter. More importantly, she wanted to show the Seventh Prince her multifaceted talents and beauty, so she put a lot of effort into studying for each competition. And this painting was not just about drawing some flowers.
The seven judges frowned as they looked at Fu Meier's painting. Fu Meier's painting was indeed good, but the entire meter-long paper was covered with flowers. Although the flowers varied in size, the layering was lacking, and the variety of subjects in the painting was too monotonous. Apart from the ingenious use of water droplets to represent dew, there were no other distinctive features. In particular, Mr. Liu, who was obsessed with calligraphy and painting, frowned and shook his head, saying, "Bad, bad, far from good."
The seven judges were all well-informed and naturally agreed, but at that moment Fu Meier's voice rang out: "No, this painting is not finished yet."
"Not finished?" The seven judges looked at Fu Meier, and the audience below the stage also looked at Fu Meier. Fu Meier smiled and said, "Listen..." She suddenly pointed to the sky, and everyone pricked up their ears in confusion. Fu Meier took the painting and held it to her chest with a confident smile on her face.
The contestants waiting to go on stage on the other side also looked out curiously. Jiang Huan said with a sullen face, "Hmph, what a show. Let's see what tricks she's up to. With her painting skills, she thinks she can win the beauty pageant? She's dreaming." Then she turned to look at Ouyang Yue, who was watching quietly, and couldn't help but laugh, "Your name is Ouyang Yue? I saw you arguing with Fu Meier before. It seems you two don't get along."
Ouyang Yue turned to look at Jiang Huan, seeing her calculating expression, and slightly curled her lips: "Princess Jiang must have misjudged."
"Oh, whether you really misread it or not doesn't matter. I think you also want to defeat Fu Meier, right? I can help you." Who here wouldn't want to defeat a potential champion? Jiang Huan clearly had an intention to entice her, but Ouyang Yue just smiled faintly. "How I can defeat Miss Fu is none of your concern, Princess Jiang. It's just that Princess Jiang did defeat Miss Fu once in the main hall. Are you afraid now?" Ouyang Yue hated being used by others the most.
Jiang Huan snorted coldly: "Afraid? Do you think I'm afraid? I'm giving you this chance, and you're not even seizing it. Don't blame me for being impolite then."
"Oh, is Princess Jiang threatening us? Getting angry because you couldn't get the stepping stone you wanted? This is hardly the demeanor of a princess of a nation." Another indifferent voice came. Jiang Huan and Ouyang Yue looked over and saw Princess Baili Nan, the Princess of De, walking slowly towards them. It was Baili Nan who had embarrassed Jiang Huan in the main hall. Seeing Baili Nan, Jiang Huan's face became even more gloomy and unreadable. "How can a princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty meddle in everyone's business? This is far too much meddling."
Baili Nan looked at Jiang Huan indifferently: "I don't care about others, but since Miss Ouyang is from the Great Zhou Dynasty, I naturally have to take care of her. Why does Princess Jiang want to seduce her in front of me?"
"Hmph!" Jiang Huan snorted coldly, turned around and sat down to the side. Ouyang Yue immediately bowed to Baili Nan: "Ouyang greets Princess Nan."
"Hmm." Baili Nan looked at Ouyang Yue and nodded lightly, "As a citizen of the Great Zhou, you should do things that are beneficial to the Great Zhou. You've made it into the top fifty, so you're not stupid. You should know what to do. The further you go in this competition, the more difficult it becomes, and the more temptations there are. There might even be people from other countries trying to entice you. You can hold on. If I find out that you've done anything that is detrimental to the Great Zhou, don't blame me for being cold-blooded."
Ouyang Yue frowned slightly. She naturally had no intention of cooperating with Jiang Huan, but Baili Nan seemed to think she had been persuaded? How could he make such a conjecture about her? However, she would not confront a princess directly, so she lowered her head and said, "Ouyang Yue understands. I didn't intend to agree to anything she asked just now."
Baili Nan simply glanced at Ouyang Yue, said nothing, and turned to leave. Ouyang Yue stared coldly at Baili Nan.
She had heard of Baili Nan before. In fact, Baili Nan was quite famous in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Moreover, Baili Nan became famous earlier than Fu Meier and others. She could write at the age of three, paint at the age of five, and write poetry at the age of seven. She was a well-known talented woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty. In addition, her status as the legitimate daughter of the Emperor's only younger brother, Prince De, Baili Qia, further spread her fame. However, given her status, she naturally could not compete with Fu Meier and others for the title of "Three Beauties". There was no selection process at the time, otherwise Fu Meier probably would not have been able to become one of the so-called "Three Beauties".
Ning Xihe walked over with a smile: "I didn't expect my cousin Yue'er to also make it into the top fifty. We are both contestants from the Great Zhou Dynasty, and we are also relatives. We should help each other out."
As Ouyang Yue watched Ning Xihe approach with an elegant demeanor, a slight sneer appeared in her heart. Ning Xihe was very much favored by the old lady of the Ning family. Although she was only the daughter of the second branch, she was the most talented, beautiful, and successful among the young ladies of the Ning family. She had never seen Ning Xihe so enthusiastic before. Could it be that Jiang Huan's behavior just now had given her some inspiration? Ouyang Yue simply smiled faintly: "It is my honor to do my part for the Great Zhou Dynasty. I will definitely do my best."
Ning Xihe's eyes flickered slightly as she looked at Ouyang Yue for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course." But as she left, she glanced at Ouyang Yue again, unsure whether her words were intentional or unintentional.
As Fu Meier pointed, many people looked up at the sky, but after waiting for a long time without hearing any sound, they looked at Fu Meier with puzzled expressions. Fu Meier smiled slightly and said, "Butterflies, it's butterflies. This painting needs butterflies to be perfect."
Butterflies? This is the countryside, where would you find butterflies?
However, as soon as Fu Meier finished speaking, everyone heard a buzzing sound coming from not far away, which made them very curious. They didn't expect that what Miss Fu said was true. Fu Meier on the stage was also very excited. She had practiced this performance many times at home. The beauty of the scene of the butterfly landing on the painting was sure to make her stand out in the beauty pageant, shocking everyone, making the Seventh Prince look at her differently, and causing Ouyang Yue to suffer a crushing defeat. She was incredibly excited just thinking about serving him for a month.
The buzzing sound in the air grew louder and louder, indicating that there were definitely a lot of people there. Everyone looked surprised and began to imagine the beautiful scenery that Shi Meier had described.
"Buzz~ Buzz!"
Suddenly, the buzzing sound intensified, and with a whoosh, a shadow fell across the sky. Everyone was terrified, and someone shouted, "Ah, that...that's not a butterfly!"
"What?! Bees! It's bees! Run!"
The onlookers were shocked and immediately began to scatter, but they stopped after only a few steps because they suddenly realized that the bees weren't targeting them at all; no one else had been stung. Fu Meier, standing on the stage with a confident smile, turned pale with fright when she saw the swarm of bees flying towards her. She trembled, unsure what to do: "This...this...how can these bees? Aren't they butterflies? How come there are bees? This isn't right!"
Just as Fu Meier was beginning to doubt, a swarm of bees flew over and landed directly on the painting in her hand. After pausing for a moment, the bees seemed to sense that the flower was not real and began to swarm. One of them suddenly flew down onto Fu Meier's hand and stung her.
"Ah!" Fu Meier cried out in pain, immediately flinging the painting in her hand and throwing it directly off the stage. The bees that were still on it also fell down and flew up. The painting was now very close to the stands, and the bees seemed to be enraged, flying directly towards the stands.
"Run! The bees are coming!"
"Damn it, what kind of butterfly is this? It's utterly useless! Can't even tell the difference between a butterfly and a bee? A talented woman, my foot! What a load of bull!" The man cursed angrily as he saw the bees flying by. However, what others found rude was actually quite true. Fu Meier's performance of her talent had attracted so many bees, putting them at risk of being stung. She was truly causing them great harm.
"Ahhh, get away, get away!" Compared to the audience in the stands, Fu Meier on the stage was clearly in a worse state. Many bees had flown towards her earlier, and although she had thrown the painting away, some of them hadn't flown away at all. It felt like they were all "swarming" towards Fu Meier. With a "gulp," Fu Meier opened her mouth wide, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in her throat, as if she had swallowed something. She immediately gagged, and the bees angrily stung her directly, especially on her sleeves and collar, as if they had seen flowers.