As two burly men approached, menacingly trying to drag Luo Zhiheng away, she remained calm. She grabbed a calligraphy brush, roughly dipped it in ink, and with a flick of her wrist, splattered ink all over the two men. Then she said to the judge, "I have already demonstrated my talent; there is no reason for the competition to disqualify me."
"You showed it? So you threatened and scared people away?" The chief judge sneered. If Luo Zhiheng wasn't eliminated, it would be ruining the century-old reputation of the competition.
Luo Zhiheng shook her head and rattled off her words, angrily accusing, "That's ridiculous! Which eye of yours saw me threaten that person? Scared them away? It can't be that bad. I kept saying I could automatically withdraw and let her win. Are your ears stuffed with feathers? I even offered to help her. She insisted that I let go. I obediently let go, so I'm wrong? If I didn't let go, would you say I deserved to die? How can you be like this? Just because you don't like someone doesn't mean you can suppress me like this!"
She suddenly pointed angrily at the crowd, her words becoming increasingly arrogant and sharp: "Or is it that your competition is really so unfair? I won, that fact is right here, and just because of the pressure from those who hold a grudge against me, you want to make an innocent person like me bear this heavy responsibility? Are you going to do something unfair? Aren't you afraid that God will punish you for hurting an innocent person like me!"
The faces of everyone, including the judges, were a kaleidoscope of colors, stunned by Luo Zhiheng's unreasonable and self-righteous words and demeanor. Their expressions were strange and restrained. Could this woman be any more shameless?
The chief judge clenched his fist and sneered, "Facts? The fact I see is that you haven't shown any talent at all! This is the First Talent Competition, not a place for scheming and plotting. If you have the ability, let your talent speak for itself; if you don't, then..." Ultimately, he was a person of status, and he swallowed the word "get lost" firmly. The chief judge said, "Leave here immediately!"
"You're wrong again! Are you suffering from dementia? Or is your memory failing? How can someone like you be a judge? If you can't handle it, replace you. Don't delay our serious competition!" Luo Zhiheng's words immediately attracted a lot of killing intent, but she was determined to carry on her idiotic style, so she was fearless and continued, "I clearly asked you clearly just now. You yourselves said that this competition doesn't require any specific events, just show what you're good at, whatever it is. Didn't your people admit that I did?"
With one hand on her hip and the other pointing angrily at the judge, her veil billowed as she spoke, making her look like a shrew ready to fight. Her aura, amplified by her posture and fiery red attire, was so overbearing that the competition fell silent once again.
Some people realized that this was exactly the case. It was the competition itself that said it didn't matter what the competition was about, as long as they were good at it. And Luo Zhiheng was good at making jokes and being shameless.
Damn it! How could this idiot and scoundrel have gotten away with this!
The judges' faces were incredibly grim. Each of them was so self-important and thought they were so great, but they never expected that one day they would stumble and be thrown off by Luo Zhiheng, this crippled horse. One wrong step and they would regret it forever! At this moment, the judges were in complete agreement, all pointing their sharp eyes at Luo Zhiheng, their voices filled with imposing force.
Any other girl would probably have been terrified and run away in terror. But Luo Zhiheng wasn't afraid at all; in fact, she was excited. She loved taking on a group of people single-handedly, until she had them completely routed. That was the only way she could show off her superiority and skill. Let them see how cool a cultured bandit can be!
"So your specialty is to use shamelessness to threaten people?" The judges gritted their teeth. They were all pampered people who always persuaded others with reason and never needed to argue. So, for them to try to gain the upper hand verbally against the shameless Luo Zhiheng was a complete waste of time.
Luo Zhiheng suddenly extended a slender, golden finger and said righteously, "Wrong! The talent I displayed today is called the mystery of language! That girl was stunned by my extraordinary language, which is why she suddenly realized her shortcomings and failures, willingly admitted defeat to me, and left on her own. For this, I must say that the girl's attitude of accepting people who are better than her is still commendable."
"You narcissistic idiot! Get off here, you're disgusting!!" The crowd was furious and about to explode. Their refined manners were torn apart, and their veins were bulging. They had never seen such a self-important person. She was already qualified to ascend to heaven and become an immortal, what a conceited immortal.
Ignoring all that, Luo Zhiheng asked the judges with a smile, "Now, are you still going to disqualify me? I won fair and square, so you have to be fair too."
The chief judge, barely suppressing the urge to rub his forehead, felt a sense of defeat and unspeakable bitterness for the first time. Yes, regardless of the past, Luo Zhiheng had won, and won the competition while remaining completely fair and without violating any rules. This also revealed a huge loophole in their competition rules, which had been incredibly detrimental.
But they could no longer refuse Luo Zhiheng's words; she was indeed in the right. So, the very unwilling judge announced a disheartening and infuriating result: "In this round, Luo Zhiheng has successfully advanced."
"Hahaha!" Luo Zhiheng laughed loudly, spreading her arms wide, before leaving the stage without any regard for her image. During this time, many dissatisfied people tried to attack her, but they were all stopped by the burly men who had to protect her and had ink splashed all over them. Feeling very guilty, Luo Zhiheng took ten taels of silver from her wet nurse and gave it to the two burly men: "Take this and buy some wine. Consider it an apology."
Luo Zhiheng's steps were stopped by Luo Ningshuang in front of the carriage. Luo Ningshuang, dressed in flowing white and looking pure and delicate, said with joy in her eyes, "Sister, you are so amazing! I told you before that you should participate in this competition, but you didn't come. If you had come earlier, you might have won the championship for so many years."
Luo Zhiheng squinted. The two sisters looked exactly alike, and now they were both wearing veils, but one was dressed in white and the other in red, making them look like two extremes.
Luo Zhiheng despised Luo Ningshuang's feigned innocence, and Luo Ningshuang despised Luo Zhiheng's red attire. Because Luo Zhiheng's red outfit was like a glimpse into the future—so flamboyant, so flamboyant that it made Luo Ningshuang feel as insignificant as dust! It was too dazzling, making Luo Ningshuang want to tear Luo Zhiheng's fiery red outfit apart!
Luo Ningshuang really knows how to talk. If the old Luo Zhiheng had heard this, she probably would have been smug and acted even more like she did today. That Luo Zhiheng was too naive. She laughed loudly and said arrogantly, "You're right. If I had come earlier, how could you have been number one? But don't be afraid. You are, after all, my own sister. If I'm number one, I'll naturally save second place for you. You are second."
Luo Ningshuang was taken aback by Luo Zhiheng's words, and her face immediately turned cold. Luo Zhiheng then got into her car and left, leaving Luo Ningshuang standing there, exposed to the gazes of many.
Luo Zhiheng casually glanced at the invitations for the competition after advancing, thinking that the purple invitations weren't as nice as the gold ones. However, because of the judges' unpleasant expressions when they handed out the invitations, Luo Zhiheng was still quite happy. She despised those people who were biased and quick to condemn others; it wouldn't hurt to use this opportunity to give those old scholars a hard time.
Luo Zhiheng's victory was completely unexpected, and the details of her win quickly spread. Intertwined with the scene of the sisters' final conversation, it gradually evolved into a melodramatic story of love, hate, and bloodshed between sisters. But Luo Zhiheng was unaware of all this. She returned to the palace, rushed into her room, and before Mu Yunhe could react, buried her face in his arms, sobbing softly.
Mu Yunhe had just finished thinking about how Luo Zhiheng had "detoxified" him again, and was comfortably savoring that unknown pleasure after changing his clothes. Suddenly, something like a ball of fire rushed in and bumped into his arms, almost knocking his lungs out before he could even catch his breath.
Before he could even get angry, he heard an unfamiliar sobbing sound. It was indeed Luo Zhiheng on the soft body, but her crying was exaggeratedly fake; he'd never seen her cry so weakly before. Mu Yunhe was startled, his mind a little slow. He held her anxiously, asking, "What's wrong? Were you wronged? Did you fail to qualify? Don't worry, you can participate again next year. That's not important. Don't cry. I'll give you even more rewards than they did, okay?"
Luo Zhiheng was increasingly amused and exasperated, but she chose to continue crying. She nestled weakly against him a few times, then playfully leaned against his chest, looking up domineeringly and saying, "Why can't you think of anything good about me? Others can look down on me, but you can't! Others think I'll be eliminated, but you must firmly believe I'm the champion! Even if I'm not the champion of the competition, in your heart I must be the champion! Mu Yunhe, do you understand?"
The moment Mu Yunhe saw her big, smiling eyes, all his anger and anxiety vanished, and he couldn't even muster the temper to lash out. He couldn't help but pinch her cheek and sneer, "You're such a troublemaker, always pretending. You're never satisfied with making a scene." But the moment he pinched Luo Zhiheng's cheek, he heard her let out a bloodcurdling scream, making him jump. "What is it now?"
"Ouch! I'm doomed, am I really going to be disfigured?" Luo Zhiheng jumped up in fright to look in the mirror. When she lifted her veil, her face was already greasy, but the redness and swelling on her right cheek were clearly visible.
Mu Yunhe also saw it, and his handsome face darkened, his voice unusually sharp: "How did this happen? Come here and let me take a look."
Luo Zhiheng felt wronged and, while washing her face, told her nanny and Mu Yunhe about what had happened that day. Mu Yunhe had two reactions after hearing the story: one was murderous intent—someone actually dared to attack her! The other was astonishment—she had actually passed the preliminary selection? Although the competition process sounded like a fluke, Mu Yunhe firmly believed that Luo Zhiheng must have played some trick.
"Where is the person who attacked you? Have you brought him back?" Mu Yunhe's voice was cold. He didn't know why, but he cared more about this matter. Just thinking that Luo Zhiheng might encounter this kind of thing again when she went out tomorrow made him feel uncomfortable and restless.
Luo Zhiheng changed her clothes, washed her face, and took off all her messy clothes, becoming a fresh and invincible young beauty once again. However, the redness and swelling on her face and her deliberately aggrieved, watery eyes still made her look extremely cute and pitiful.
Mu Yunhe realized that he couldn't maintain his fiery temper any longer. As she sat down in front of him, his hand naturally pulled her limp body into his embrace. His cool fingers gently caressed her cheek, and his voice was enigmatic: "I'll have Xiao Xizi go to Mother's to get some medicine later. Mother has many things that are good for women. Does it still hurt?"
The day felt like a battle. Beneath Luo Zhiheng's cheerful exterior lay a constantly tense and strained heart. She was exhausted and felt wronged. But returning to this ambiguous home, she inexplicably felt an anticipation of seeing Mu Yunhe. She naturally nestled into Mu Yunhe's arms. Although his chest wasn't strong and his arms weren't powerful, at this moment, because this usually cold and aloof man was willing to accept her and offered such a thoughtful and considerate greeting, Luo Zhiheng felt that all the exhaustion was worthwhile and no hardship was insurmountable.
This embrace, as long as she protects it, will always grow stronger. This man, as long as she safeguards him, will always survive! In this unfamiliar ancient world, Luo Zhiheng knows that her only asset is Mu Yunhe, her partner whose fate is unknown. If she perseveres, will there come a day when this man she has always protected can also grow into a safe haven that shelters her from the storms of life?
She was so excited...
Perhaps she was too exhausted, for she fell peacefully asleep in Mu Yunhe's soft embrace. Mu Yunhe looked down, his deep eyes filled with frost, and the red, swollen mark on her quiet sleeping face stirred up the dormant anger in Mu Yunhe's heart!
It took him a great deal of effort to finally get Luo Zhiheng onto the bed, using his limited strength. He was now panting heavily from exhaustion, but she was still sleeping peacefully in his arms, no longer as mischievous and playful as usual, and was so well-behaved that it broke his heart.
He watched silently, his eyes brimming with an unnamed sorrow and melancholy, which was ultimately frozen solid by a chilling intensity that ran deep within him. Had his indifference all these years resulted in this day of concessions and groveling? Had it meant that those he cared about, and those around him, were constantly in danger, living in constant fear?
If his yielding and non-competitive nature becomes a reason for others to perceive him as weak and easily bullied, thereby harming those around him, then what is the point of his yielding, non-competitive, and unyielding nature? No one can give him a vast and open sky, nor can anyone give him a peaceful and idyllic land. In the dirty vortex filled with killing and conspiracy, he is the most foolish person!
So, not competing is still competing! Then why is he still being polite to that group? He can't just stand by and watch the people around him get into danger because of his incompetence. Cheating is one of them.
"Xiao Xizi, go and invite the Princess Consort here. Tell her everything about the young Princess Consort, and remember to ask for some medicine to treat the redness and bruises." Mu Yunhe gave the order in a cold tone, his voice fundamentally different from his usual gentle and refined manner. Cold, aloof, and carrying a hint of murderous intent!
The princess arrived quickly, only to find Mu Yunhe standing in the unused study. She was surprised that Mu Yunhe was willing to stand up. While excited and happy, she also sensed some changes in her son. His thin back no longer looked pitifully weak, but instead gave people a sense of vitality that, although frail, could be stubborn and proud and would never collapse.
"Yunhe!" The princess's voice was somewhat excited and cautious. She was very afraid that this was her son's last moment of lucidity before death, a moment that seemed to be constantly on the verge of life and death.
Mu Yunhe turned around, his pale face unable to conceal his stunningly handsome features. He spoke in a hoarse voice, his clear and cold tone making everyone on high alert: "Mother, is there anyone reliable in my maternal grandparents' family?"
The princess was stunned. This was the first time in so many years that Mu Yunhe had mentioned her family. The princess was quite taken aback: "Yes, why is Yunhe asking about this?"
"I want to ask my mother to ask my maternal grandparents for help in getting the person who attacked Aheng back from the First Talent Competition." At this moment, Mu Yunhe's words and expression had a strange and sinister feel to them, and the fierceness between his brows intensified the moment he mentioned that person.
The princess's heart skipped a beat, her emotions a jumble of feelings. On one hand, she was happy that her son was willing to fight back; on the other hand, she was saddened that he was only doing so for Luo Zhiheng. Ultimately, she was happy. In the past, Mu Yunhe had been too indifferent to worldly affairs, to the point that the princess, filled with guilt and despair, had given up on competing. But now their situation was precarious; if they didn't become more assertive, Consort Li would soon be swallowed up.
"Alright, Mother will write a letter right away, which will hopefully help your uncle." The princess had complicated feelings towards her family, because they disapproved of her marriage to Prince Mu, but because it was a marriage bestowed by the Emperor, the family could not resist. Therefore, the princess and her family had not maintained close contact for many years. But none of this could stop the princess from having a loving older brother who doted on her.
Mu Yunhe was shrewd. He knew that he couldn't take any action on his own now, so he could only rely on external forces to demand the release of Luo Zhiheng from that behemoth of a clan. Mu Yunhe even considered the possible forces behind the person who attacked Luo Zhiheng, so he could only find a representative with influence to demand the release. His maternal family was the best representative.
A family of Confucian scholars with a century-long history of scholarship spanning two dynasties—this ancient noble family, while not necessarily guaranteed to win against a mysterious clansman, could certainly manage on its own.
"Is Yunhe feeling any better lately? How is Zhiheng treating you?" The princess was pleased with the good relationship between the young couple, but she hoped even more that Luo Zhiheng would have a deep affection for her son, so that Luo Zhiheng would be more willing to give and sacrifice for Mu Yunhe.
Mu Yunhe softened his sharp edges and smiled at his mother, "Your son is very good. With Aheng around, he will only get better."
The princess was pleased to hear this, and at the same time became even more convinced that Luo Zhiheng was a child born with great fortune, and that she should treat him even better in the future. As long as Luo Zhiheng stayed by Mu Yunhe's side to give birth to him, it was not impossible for him to recover one day.
While the princess considered Luo Zhiheng a lucky star, some outsiders had already exaggerated Luo Zhiheng's reputation as an unlucky and unfortunate person to a certain extent.
Rumors are flying everywhere, and they're absolutely astonishing!
Luo Zhiheng is an unlucky person, and she'll be unlucky for the rest of her life! The reason is that on the first day of the competition, during the preliminary rounds, she was attacked right at the start. She was also questioned during the competition. After the competition, her sister was threatened, with the implication that she should force her sister, Luo Ningshuang, to withdraw so that she could win the championship.
Such a shameless scoundrel is utterly unforgivable! She has absolutely no talent whatsoever, so why should she make the rightful champion, Luo Ningshuang, step aside? She even harms her own sister repeatedly; what right does she have to participate in the Talent Competition? Because of Luo Zhiheng's participation, the Talent Competition has faced intense scrutiny, and its fate has plummeted! Not only has Luo Zhiheng suffered misfortune herself, but she has also dragged down the once peaceful and prosperous First Talent Competition.
Then some people put forward new arguments to prove that Luo Zhiheng is an unlucky jinx!
Why was it that Luo Ningshuang, who was supposed to marry that frail young prince who had never even seen the world, was switched at the last minute before her wedding? Was Luo Ningshuang truly unlucky? Yet she didn't marry the sickly man. Was Luo Zhiheng truly fortunate? Yet she willingly went to marry a sickly man. This was a life-altering event; if Mu Yunhe died after the marriage, she would be a widow; even if he lived, she would be living a life of forced widowhood. It's clear how unfortunate Luo Zhiheng's fate was.
Then, someone dropped another bombshell to prove Luo Zhiheng's tragic fate.
Mu Yunhe, the only legitimate son of Prince Mu, will definitely not live past the age of twenty!
In other words, Luo Zhiheng is about to face the predicament of becoming a widow! How resilient is her life! She's only been married for a short time, but Mu Yunhe is already nineteen years old. In a few months, Mu Yunhe will turn twenty. When Mu Yunhe dies, some people will say that Luo Zhiheng brought him to his death! Because before Luo Zhiheng married the young prince, there was no such saying, but immediately after Luo Zhiheng married him, a famous doctor made that conclusion. If it wasn't Luo Zhiheng who brought him to his death, then what was it?
All the rumors were directed at Luo Zhiheng, and each one was so reasonable and well-founded that it was impossible not to believe them.
Luo Zhiheng's reputation became unprecedentedly controversial and subjected to a barrage of criticism overnight. Such a powerful onslaught of rumors could easily shatter a person's confidence, leaving them with no courage to ever appear in public again. It was as if my attack on Luo Zhiheng out of hunger had somehow become the talk of the town.
But Luo Zhiheng was completely unaware of these comments. At this moment, she was being held in Mu Yunhe's arms, fast asleep. She could never have imagined that the first challenge and ordeal she would face in the official competition tomorrow morning would be a powerful barrage of rumors.
Can she continue to forge ahead amidst such a massive and extremely malicious stream of rumors?
Waking up, Luo Zhiheng felt a cool, comfortable sensation on her face; the pain and swelling were gone. She stretched comfortably and snuggled into Mu Yunhe's arms. Perhaps it was simply a matter of habit, or perhaps they both subconsciously enjoyed each other's embraces.
So Mu Yunhe's arms would no longer close tightly in rejection, but would be outstretched within her reach, a silent act of indulgence and acceptance. Luo Zhiheng seemed oblivious to this change in Mu Yunhe, yet she could always easily nestle into his chest at such close range, resting her head on his arm, and sleep soundly until dawn.
Luo Zhiheng opened her eyes with a bright smile that instantly brightened anyone's mood. She met Mu Yunhe's cool gaze, pointed to her injured face, and said in a coquettish tone, "Can I kiss your cheek today? Your lucky kiss was very effective. Let's kiss again today."
Unexpectedly, Mu Yunhe didn't hesitate or refuse today. Instead, he lowered his head and pressed his thin, cold lips heavily against her cheek. His warm breath and trusting words struck her ear: "Aheng will definitely be number one. Even if she's not number one in the competition, she'll be number one in my heart. No one can replace her!"
Luo Zhiheng's heart began to pound wildly and erratically...
First update! There will be more updates today, please vote, leave comments, and give monthly tickets. Thank you all for your support, my darlings! I will work even harder! *kiss*
124 Mu Yunhe's protection, and the Li family's reaction!
Updated: 2013-06-23 13:29:27 Word Count: 3399
Accustomed to his sharp words, cold attitude, and affected manner, Mu Yunhe's sudden emotional outburst threw Luo Zhiheng into disarray, silencing her usual playful teasing. She hurriedly got up, her face flushed, and went to wash and change. She thought angrily, "Could Mu Yunhe have flirted with me? Has that kid learned her shamelessness too?"
Mu Yunhe was still savoring the smooth and soft feeling between his lips and teeth, and his mind was still filled with Luo Zhiheng's blushing face, which was probably from shyness. His mood, which had been gloomy all night, inexplicably improved.
Luo Zhiheng changed into an even more flamboyant outfit than yesterday, a bright red dress, still adorned with gold and silver jewelry, and her face covered in rouge and powder. Her slicked-back, glittering nude photos were back, still full of fighting spirit.
But she didn't hesitate any longer. Instead, she rushed to Mu Yunhe's side, her eyes filled with surprise and joy, and asked, "My swelling isn't there anymore. Did you fix it for me?"
Mu Yunhe's face was cold. He dared not let Luo Zhiheng get cocky after receiving the benefit. He said coldly, "It was Mother who sent the medicine after knowing you were injured."
Luo Zhiheng's face fell instantly: "Can't you be nicer to me? I've been fighting for both of us, for goodness' sake. I'm leaving."
Mu Yunhe ignored her complaints and asked, "Aren't you going to eat?"
"Why not take advantage of the food from the competition?" Luo Zhiheng put on her veil and left with her wet nurse, fully focused on her task.
A moment later, Xiao Xizi came in, his face beaming with joy, and said, "Master, we have received news from the Princess Consort. She is about to be released. This is a letter from her to you."
Mu Yunhe was not as optimistic as Xiao Xizi. After reading the letter, he had only one thought: to destroy the Li family!
Because what he saw in this letter was the Li family's hostility towards Luo Zhiheng, the Li family's arrogance, and the threat to Luo Zhiheng's life!
Even if Li Xian'er were audacious and powerful, she couldn't possibly persuade a son of an official to do such a thing for her. Therefore, it's clear that someone is supporting Li Xian'er's actions! This is a provocation, and even more so, a blatant and naked contempt! The provocation isn't just directed at Luo Zhiheng, but also at the person behind her! The contempt extends to the entire Princess's faction!
No matter how good Mu Yunhe's character was, or how unassuming he was, he would never allow the Li family to be so arrogant! Were the former imperial family so great? If they were truly that great, they wouldn't be history! He was the emperor's direct nephew; in terms of arrogance, besides princes and grandsons, he was the most qualified!
This was the first time in his life that he had such a strong urge to kill! As expected, this matter was related to the Li family, and it was not difficult to find out. Li Xian'er of the Li family, relying on the fact that she was going to marry into the royal family in the future, regarded Luo Zhiheng as a thorn in her side and even dared to bribe others to harm Luo Zhiheng.
At the same time, Mu Yunhe also realized from this letter that this matter seemed to be related to Luo Ningshuang. Luo Ningshuang probably knew that Li Xian'er was going to target Luo Zhiheng, but she not only did not stop her, but also did not remind Luo Zhiheng. This alone made Mu Yunhe hate Luo Ningshuang.
Mu Yunhe recalled the words he had spoken on his wedding day with Luo Zhiheng, and now felt truly ashamed and embarrassed. He had actually been thankful that he, a dying man, hadn't married the talented Luo Ningshuang, fearing he would be burdened with too much debt and ruin Luo Ningshuang's life. At that time, he even thought that marrying the infamous Luo Zhiheng wasn't so bad, at least he wouldn't have to feel guilty towards a woman with a tarnished reputation.