I am born a beauty, and I am supreme

Chapter 11

This feeling is simply indescribable!

Tang Leyan was momentarily distracted. The person next to her chuckled and said, "It won't do for the top scholar to be so absent-minded. Come on, let's go."

He affectionately "held" her hand and led her toward the entrance of the Golden Palace.

Tang Leyan blinked, looking like a pitiful little lamb that had been caught, but suddenly said seriously, "I can walk by myself, please let go, Admiral."

"What, does the top scholar still worry about 'not touching hands' before marriage?"

Chu Gexing glanced at the person beside him.

Immediately, some court officials couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Chu Ge Xun is undoubtedly one of the best among them.

However, when the civil and military officials looked at the couple in the center of the red carpet... well... they were a "male-male" couple. Suddenly, they felt that the scene was indeed a bit strange. On the red carpet, there was a beautiful and slender admiral, dressed in red, a distinguished new top scholar. If someone were to jump out and shout "Husband and wife bow to each other and enter the bridal chamber together," it would be very, very fitting.

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The court officials breathed a sigh of relief after Tang Leyan was dragged out of the Golden Palace by Chu Gexing.

Just as I relaxed, I heard a heart-stopping scream coming from outside the door.

"No!" The angry voice carried a hint of disbelief.

The voice of the newly crowned top scorer.

In the Golden Palace, the ministers felt a tremor in their hearts and pricked up their ears.

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"Ah...you...stop!"

"Stop! How could this be!"

"This is outrageous! Hmph... Ouch, that hurts! Lord Chu, Lord Chu..."

"Now do you know what pain is? I thought the top scholar didn't know what pain was."

"Lord Chu, please spare me! I... I know I was wrong..."

"Is it too late to admit your mistake now? Take this!"

"You...you vicious..."

"Still dare to talk back!"

In a side hall next to the main hall, behind closed doors, figures flew about, punches and kicks flew, accompanied by screams of agony.

"Stop! Stop!" the man in red shouted, then drew closer and pleaded.

"Hmph!" A punch was thrown, landing squarely on the shoulder.

"You...you're going too far!" The voice rose, "It hurts so much!"

"So what if I'm bullying you!"

“I… then don’t force me to use my last move…” The man in red frowned.

The man in blue smiled faintly: "I'm waiting."

Without pausing, the blue figure flashed past, his arm flipping over from an unbelievable angle to grab the red-clad woman's wrist. Tang Leyan was shocked; seeing that the blue-clad woman was about to pull her into his arms, she hesitated no longer and called out in a low voice, "Senior Brother!"

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It's past midnight! Please give me votes, that'll motivate me to update more! # #

Chapter Ten: The Severed Arm

"You finally... called out." The man in blue chuckled softly, his peach blossom eyes lowered, his expression hazy with intoxication. "Leyan... Junior Sister."

Tang Leyan held a fan in her right hand, which was fixed to her chest. Her left arm was outstretched, just a hair's breadth away from hitting Chu Gexing's shoulder, but he grabbed it and stopped her.

Chu Gexing moved with ethereal grace, a flash of blue shadow, and he was already behind her, in a posture that almost resembled embracing a beauty.

Fortunately, Tang Leyan was quite shameless, so she didn't blush too much and even chuckled twice: "What a saying, when you're under someone's roof, how can you not bow your head? Lord Chu, can you let me go? This humble official is a bit too much to be teased."

Wow, what a respectful tone.

But some people just won't buy it.

"Wait a minute, I haven't heard enough yet." The Nine Gates Admiral glanced at her. "I haven't let go yet, and you've already changed your tune. This lack of sincerity makes it impossible for me to let you go willingly."

"What...what do you want to do?" She sensed something was wrong.

"That's clever. Of course, there's a price to pay." The person behind him chuckled softly.

Tang Leyan knew things were going badly and was about to take a deep breath, but it was too late.

In a flash, Chu Gexing released her left hand and swiftly slid his hand up her arm, instantly gripping her left shoulder firmly. Tang Leyan heard a cracking sound in her left shoulder, her heart sank, and in the excruciating pain, her arm felt as if it had broken. She had lost all feeling in her left arm, and only the broken part was in excruciating pain.

"Ah..." she couldn't help but let out a soft cry of pain.

Chu Gexing, however, let go at the same time.

"Since everyone already knows that I'm here to 'fight to the death' with the new top scholar, if the other one leaves 'unharmed,' wouldn't that be very suspicious?" Chu Gexing explained leisurely.

"Very good, very clever, what a bright and quick-witted person." Tang Leyan lowered her head slightly, her right hand supporting her severed arm, seemingly enduring the pain. When she looked up, a smile had already appeared on her face.

Chu Gexing's gaze swept across her fair face, then stopped when he saw the cold sweat rolling down her forehead, and he immediately understood.

"You are also very good and wonderful, still so stubborn."

"You flatter me, Lord Chu."

"This is what you deserve... It's been two years, and you still haven't broken this habit of sleeping in?" The tone was indifferent, as if it were a casual chat.

“If it had been changed, we wouldn’t have fallen into Lord Chu’s hands today.” Tang Leyan smiled, holding a folding fan in her right hand.

“You should know…” Chu Gexing turned around, his smile captivating. If he were standing on the city wall, he would surely be another version of the story of the princes being summoned by the beacon fires. But he said, “You have offended many court officials in one fell swoop. By doing this, I can relieve their resentment towards you. Also… I can make those good guys who don’t like me feel great sympathy for you. You will definitely win the hearts of the people in the court.”

Tang Leyan praised, "Hmm... Lord Chu truly possesses the great spirit of sacrificing himself for the sake of others."

"But when I made my move just now, Leyan, you didn't even let out a sound. That's not good... People outside might wonder why you suddenly..."

Before she could finish speaking, Tang Leyan took a deep breath and shouted at the top of her lungs:

"Chu Gexing...you despicable, shameless, treacherous, and cunning villain!"

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The grief, helplessness, and pain expressed in that cry were unmistakable.

The emperor in the Golden Palace heard it clearly, Chu Zhen heard it clearly, and Chu Gexun and all the ministers heard it perfectly.

The white clouds in the sky seemed to tremble three times.

When the door opened, the person in red was still there, and the person in blue was still there.

The Nine Gates Admiral even held the hand of the newly appointed top scholar, his gentle and beautiful face showing no sign of hostility or ferocity.

The newly crowned champion was still smiling, but his smile seemed forced. If you looked closely, you could see cold sweat streaming down his fair face. Some of it flowed down to his temples and dripped down, while some gathered on his chin before falling to the ground with a thud.

Upon closer inspection, the new champion's left arm looks strange, hanging down at his side like a puppet's broken arm.

No wonder, step by step, sweat drips onto the ground.

Those with discerning eyes who saw this immediately gasped in shock.

"The newly appointed champion is indeed highly skilled in martial arts. I am very pleased." The Nine Gates Admiral stepped forward and knelt down.

Tang Leyan smiled: "But he is still just a defeated opponent of the Nine Gates Admiral."

Chu Gexing turned his head and looked at her with a smile.

Tang Leyan ignored him, her gaze fixed arrogantly on the person on the throne, a hint of something in her eyes…

Chu Gexing's heart stirred.

Beside her, General Chu Gexun watched her smile and then saw her clearly severed left arm. He was shocked and overwhelmed with guilt.

Chu Zhen, with his keen eyesight, naturally saw that her injuries were severe, yet she still spoke so casually and carefree. Chu Zhen stared blankly at the incredibly stubborn young man so close to him. For some reason, a hint of stubbornness in her brows stirred something within him, a feeling he had seen somewhere before… Yes, it was that look—a look of pain so intense it seemed like she was about to burst into tears, yet she still managed to suppress a smile…

Where exactly have I seen this before?

This doesn't feel good. Chu Zhen frowned.

The emperor wasn't one to sit idly by. For a moment, he felt a pang of heartache. After all, this was a future subject under his command, and it was better for him to punish him himself than to let someone else do it.

After thinking about it, I realized I was an accomplice too. Now all I can do is try to salvage the situation.

So he softened his voice and asked, "Is Leyan injured?"

"Of course not," Tang Leyan said, delighted. She nodded, becoming even more elegant, and added, "The Admiral is very gentle; he is a kind person."

Who was it that just shouted "Chu Gexing, you despicable, shameless, treacherous and cunning villain"?

Sigh, look at him at such a young age, he's so sensible and knows how to strive to create a harmonious court.

Looking at her spirited face, the emperor felt even more sympathetic and said, "In that case, you should go back and rest first. I will send someone to your residence to deliver the imperial decree in a short while."

Tang Leyan smiled broadly.

Chu Gexing closed his eyes, as if deep in thought.

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Tang Leyan slowly walked out of the Meridian Gate, step by step.

It wasn't until he saw the figure leaning against the Meridian Gate with a sword in his arms that his true colors were revealed.

"Xiao Di!" Tang Leyan cried out in sorrow, like a wronged young wife.

A sound startled the person awake from their dream.

Xiao Di leaned against the white jade gate of the Meridian Gate, holding his sword. He seemed to be asleep with his eyes lowered, but in reality, he was listening intently to everything around him.

The sound of that person's footsteps was so familiar that it was almost uncanny, but today it seemed a little strange.

Ever since he left the main hall, Xiao Di had been keeping his eyes down, constantly listening for her footsteps.

He thought to himself: The voice was slightly frivolous, indicating that his internal energy was disordered and his true energy was insufficient. It seemed that he had fought with someone and seemed to be injured.

But... how could this happen in the grand imperial palace...?

Could it be that she was deliberately faking it to tease me, and that she was actually overjoyed because she had received a reward?

Just then, that voice rang in my ears.