Shocked and trying to steady herself, she suddenly tripped and was pushed from behind. Her forward-leaning body could no longer be stopped, and she fell straight off the platform.
The pain in her internal organs was suppressed with medicine. After this fall, whether it was because the fall was too severe or the medicine wore off, her internal organs were in excruciating pain again, and all the bones in her body felt like they were falling apart. She couldn't get up no matter how hard she tried, but her mind was still very clear, and she heard every word of the crowd's discussion.
"How did he suddenly fall off the platform while he was walking along?"
"In my opinion, they got carried away and didn't watch where they were going!"
"She spoke politely. If it were me, I would also be proud to have made it into the top three... But she was too proud, she actually fell off the platform..."
"She's an illegitimate daughter, inexperienced and naive. She got so excited about making it into the top three that she accidentally turned her joy into sorrow... Tsk tsk, what a disgrace..."
The onlookers chattered amongst themselves, almost all of them gloating and belittling Shen Caiyun. Shen Caiyun had indeed become famous, first for good reasons, then for bad ones. She was so angry that she gritted her teeth, but she was powerless to refute them.
"Sister Caiyun!" Su Yuting exclaimed, and was about to step down from the stage to see her when her gaze swept over Shen Lixue. She saw Shen Lixue looking at her with a faint smile on her lips. It was very faint, but it was unfathomable, as if she could see through everything!
A sudden jolt went through her! Upon closer inspection, she saw Shen Lixue quickly descending the platform to check on Shen Caiyun's injuries: "Sister's injuries are quite severe, quickly fetch a doctor!"
"You bitch, I don't need your fake ape act!" Through her hazy vision, Shen Caiyun saw Shen Lixue walk up to her, offering one false word of concern after another. She was angry, furious, and opened her mouth to retort, but a metallic taste surged up her throat and gushed out. The last bit of strength in her body was drained, and her vision became even more hazy.
"That Miss Shen brought this upon herself!" The Fifth Prince stood by the window and glared fiercely at Shen Caiyun, who was being carried away for treatment.
Those standing around didn't see the truth, but those sitting on higher ground had witnessed the entire scene: "If she hadn't framed her own sister, she wouldn't have fallen off the platform. Is first place really that important that she'd harm her own family to get it?"
The Crown Prince shook his head, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes: "Fifth Brother, people are complex and unpredictable. You will gradually understand this in the future!"
The Fifth Prince pursed his lips, not quite agreeing with the Crown Prince's opinion. No matter how complicated and unpredictable things are, you can't harm your own siblings, they are your closest relatives!
On the high platform, Shen Lixue and Su Yuting stood side by side, and the Fifth Prince's depressed mood rose again: "Guess who will win the championship, Shen Lixue or Su Yuting?"
The Crown Prince's deep gaze swept over Shen Lixue. Su Yuting said, "In terms of musical skills, Shen Lixue is a notch above. What do you think, Fourth Prince?"
"Great minds think alike!" Dongfang Zhan glanced at the high platform and answered casually. Su Yuting's zither playing was also very nice, but it was somewhat rigid and self-imposed. Her playing was elegant but a bit too proper. Compared with Shen Lixue's unrestrained and free-spirited style, it lacked that original spirituality!
In another private room, Dongfang Heng sat by the window, his sharp gaze looking through the window at the exquisite wooden box on the high platform. His dark eyes were unfathomable; he was about to win the championship!
Shen Caiyun was seriously injured and could no longer participate in the competition. Shen Lixue, who drew the number two card, was the first to go on stage to demonstrate her zither skills.
Everyone had heard Shen Lixue's zither playing. When she came on stage, they nodded in admiration. The judges also smiled at her. This time, the championship was probably hers!
Shen Lixue sat in the center of the high platform, her hands gently caressing the strings of the zither. The clear and melodious music flowed slowly from her fingertips, like the music that heaven had inspired, cleansing people's souls. This music was dreamlike and ethereal, and no one else could surpass it. She was the champion, and no one else could be her.
A white figure flashed past the window of a private room directly opposite Shen Lixue. Wearing a white hat and a white dress, it was Qin Ruoyan. Her admiring gaze was not directed at Shen Lixue, but at Su Yuting. This woman was meticulous in every step, calculating every detail. Every step she took was planned flawlessly. Her scheming was truly formidable. Shen Lixue's defeat at her hands could be considered a defeat without being humiliated.
Su Yuting stood below the platform, listening quietly to Shen Lixue's music. There was no sign of defeat in her beautiful eyes; instead, a hint of joy appeared.
On the night of the banquet at the Prime Minister's residence, she secretly crept down outside the bamboo garden. Nangong Xiao, Lin Yan, and Ye Qianlong were all inside the bamboo garden. She dared not get too close. Their voices were intermittent, and she could not hear them clearly, but the heavy word "medicine" echoed in her ears again and again.
Knowing that Shen Lixue needed medicine, she had the Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang use the medicine as bait and a musical skills competition as a cover to set up this scheme specifically for Shen Lixue.
Shen Caiyun overestimated herself and tried to ruin her plans. Pushing her off the stage was a lesson for her.
In the final round of the competition, only she and Shen Lixue remained. After Shen Lixue finished playing the piano, she only needed to play a symbolic piece to appease her and let Shen Lixue win the championship. Then the game would be a success!
"Your Highness!" As Shen Lixue's piece was nearing its end, Dongfang Heng's brows furrowed even more, his expression growing increasingly serious. Zi Mo suddenly appeared in the private room, his young face filled with deep anxiety and worry: "That mysterious surprise... I've already found out..."
"What?" Upon hearing Zi Mo's report, Dongfang Heng's handsome face turned terrifyingly gloomy, his sharp eyes flashing with a cold light, and the surrounding temperature instantly dropped, the chilling aura sending shivers down one's spine: the zither competition was a trap set specifically for Li Xue, and even his people dared to covet it, what audacity!
Dongfang Heng's sharp gaze pierced through the window and looked toward the high platform. He was about to leap out and interrupt Shen Lixue's playing when he saw Shen Lixue suddenly raise her head, her cold gaze like a sharp sword, coldly shooting toward the private room opposite.
Qin Ruoyan, who was in the private room, was startled. She quickly turned around and concealed herself. She was shocked. How did Shen Lixue know that she was here?
Qin Ruoyan remained hidden, while Shen Lixue calmly turned her smiling gaze to Su Yuting. A faint smile flickered in her beautiful eyes, a smile that, though warm, appeared mysterious and enigmatic in Su Yuting's eyes…
"Oh no!" Su Yuting was startled. Before she could react, she saw Shen Lixue looking at her triumphantly. A strange smile suddenly appeared on her beautiful face. To Su Yuting's shock, the corner of her mouth curled up and she snapped her own zither string!
"Buzz!" The piercing sound of a snapping string instantly jolted the engrossed crowd awake. They stared blankly at the broken zither in front of Shen Lixue. The string was broken; it was perfectly fine, how could it have broken...?
"What a pity, this piece is about to end..."
"Yes, yes, if she finishes playing, the championship title will definitely belong to her..."
Everyone sighed in regret, but Shen Lixue remained unconcerned. Amid their lamentations, she slowly rose and bowed to the shocked judges: "The strings are broken, and Lixue can no longer play the piece. It is clear that I have no chance of winning the championship. I forfeit and withdraw from the competition!"
A murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd, and shocked gazes fell upon Shen Lixue. She had actually forfeited, voluntarily relinquishing the championship title? Although she had broken a string, the piece was almost finished, and she could still have gotten a decent score. If Su Yuting had also made a small mistake, she could still have taken first place. Why did she forfeit?
Ignoring the confusion and bewilderment of the crowd, Shen Lixue looked at Su Yuting, a meaningful smile flashing in her beautiful eyes: "Congratulations, little sister Su!"
First, she was lured into the competition with a miraculous drug, then she was motivated and defiant by beautiful music, and finally she was directly shown off to her to ignite her fighting spirit. Step by step, she was slowly led into the deepest trap, eventually winning the championship and falling completely into the snare. She was really clever, but she was not someone to be easily manipulated and would not obey Su Yuting's arrangements.
Su Yuting's face turned deathly pale instantly, devoid of any color. Shen Lixue had already noticed her scheme, but had been pretending not to know. Shen Lixue's cooperation with her plan was not because she had truly fallen for the trap, but because she wanted to turn the tables on her.
In the final round, she competed against Shen Lixue for the championship. She used tricks to make Shen Lixue play the piano first, hoping to give the championship to Shen Lixue. Unexpectedly, Shen Lixue struck first, broke the piano string, withdrew from the competition, and cut off all her escape routes. Only she was left in the top three. Even if she didn't play the piano, the championship would still belong to her.
"Shen Lixue has withdrawn from the competition? I didn't hear wrong, did I?!" Nangong Xiao exclaimed, opening his fan with a whoosh and fanning himself rapidly a few times. "The Ice String Guqin, worth ten thousand taels of gold, if she doesn't want it, she can give it to me. Why did she have to withdraw from the competition?!"
After a moment of shock, Lin Yan quickly recovered and said, "Li Xue definitely has her own reasons. Just wait and see!"
Dongfang Heng's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly calmed down. He sat back down in his chair, looked at the high platform, and his sharp eyes were filled with a cold light. The person who set up this scheme would not give up easily!
The Crown Prince, Prince Zhan, and the Fifth Prince remained silent, their gazes fixed on the high platform through the window. They had already guessed that things were not simple; otherwise, Shen Lixue would not have so easily given up her rights.
"Miss Shen, are you forfeiting?" The judges snapped out of their daze and all looked at Shen Lixue, exchanging knowing glances. "Actually, Miss Shen's zither playing is quite good, if..."
"Judges, the competition has many rules, and there's no rule against abstaining, right? If someone abstains, the champion can be decided immediately, which is a great thing. Why are you still unwilling?" The judges had all conspired with Su Yuting, and Shen Lixue knew what they were going to say next, so she spoke first to cut them off.
"Since you've come to participate in the competition, you should play to the end. What kind of behavior is it to give up halfway through?" With a delicate shout, Qin Ruoyan, dressed in white, slowly floated down in front of Shen Lixue.
Through the veil, Shen Lixue could not see the expression on her face, but she knew that she must be very angry at this moment: "Has Princess Qin never participated in the imperial examination? During the competition, contestants can withdraw at any time, and no one has the right to interfere."