Furthermore, Jiang Huan discovered something quite interesting. Ouyang Yue and Mu Cuiwei had a history of conflict. If these two were to enter the top three, they would inevitably fight to the death, and she would be happy to watch the show. Zi Si also had a rival to Ouyang Yue. If these three could fight to the death and all three were eliminated in the finals, wouldn't she have gotten a huge advantage and won the beauty pageant without lifting a finger? But such a good thing probably wouldn't happen. She might as well observe more and decide later.
Thinking this, Jiang Huan said with a stern face, "Forget it, Miss Mu Cuiwei has already fainted from fright. I think it's better not to upset her. This princess is too merciful to bother with it and is willing to withdraw voluntarily."
Ouyang Yue glanced at Jiang Huan with suspicion. Jiang Huan was so sharp-tongued, yet she withdrew like this. What was she planning?
Mr. Qi was somewhat surprised by Jiang Huan's withdrawal, but he still said, "Alright, the top three are Miss Ouyang Yue, Miss Zi Si, and Miss Mu Cuiwei. The final of the beauty pageant will be held in three days. Let me first explain what the final competition will be about. The final competition will test teamwork, leadership, and of course, martial arts skills are also very important. The final competition will last for five days and four nights. During these five days and four nights, you will enter the royal hunting grounds of the Great Zhou Dynasty, which are not open to the public. You can choose nine team members to accompany the contestants. Team members can be male or female, young or old, and their status is not limited. Of course, the number of people is limited to nine. During these five days and four nights, you must do your best to hunt. The person who gets the most prey at the end will be the champion of the beauty pageant."
Everyone was dumbfounded. The last event of the beauty pageant was hunting. If it was hunting, a few servants could have gone along. What kind of competition was this? Anyone could participate. For a beauty pageant, this event was too ordinary, which made people feel quite disappointed.
Jiang Huan was initially stunned. It was just hunting? She should have known better than to withdraw from such a simple competition. But then she realized something. There were no restrictions on the nine team members, and the royal hunting grounds were not usually open to the public. They housed many rare and ferocious beasts, making it far more complex than she imagined. Moreover, if three contestants went in, they might fight to the death for the final victory. And for safety reasons, spectators were unlikely to be allowed inside the hunting grounds during the competition. They would only be able to hear the commotion from the outside; they wouldn't see or care about the fighting inside, nor could they perceive the level of danger.
Jiang Huan sneered; it seemed everything was indeed developing as she had predicted.
Ouyang Yue's expression changed slightly. Upon hearing the competition rules, she immediately grasped the implications. Indeed, this could be considered the final test, with unknown dangers still lurking. Zi Si, however, wore a cold smile. "Ouyang Yue," he thought, "that hunting ground will be your burial ground!"
"Alright, we will arrange a viewing area for everyone three days from now on the outskirts of the Royal Hunting Grounds. That's all for today." As soon as Mr. Qi finished speaking, murmurs arose, and people left their seats in twos and threes.
Mu Cuiwei was taken directly home by the servants. As soon as she arrived home, Mu Cuiwei woke up: "Ouyang Yue, how dare you!" She sat up abruptly, startling everyone in the room. Mu Cuiwei turned her head and realized that she was in her own room. She was stunned for a moment, "When did I return to the manor?"
"Miss, you just woke up when we got back." A maidservant immediately replied in a low voice. Mu Cuiwei frowned and asked in surprise, "How's the competition going?" Although she had already given up hope.
"Miss Hui, you've made it into the top three. The final competition will be held in three days. The competition will take place in the Royal Hunting Grounds and will last for five days and four nights. The one who gets the most prey will be the most beautiful woman in the world."
"What?" Mu Cuiwei was stunned, still somewhat incredulous: "The final competition is this? What exactly is going on? Tell me in detail."
The maid immediately repeated all the competition rules and precautions that Mr. Qi had mentioned. Mu Cuiwei heard this, her eyes flickered slightly, and after thinking quietly for a while, she suddenly said, "Prepare the carriage, I'm going to the Fu residence."
The maid was taken aback and quickly said, "But Miss, you've just woken up from a coma. You should rest more now."
"Shut up, get the carriage ready!" Mu Cuiwei was furious. The moment the maid mentioned that she had fainted, she thought of the humiliating incident on stage. She had actually fainted on the competition stage. Just thinking about it made her ears burn, and her hatred for Ouyang Yue rose even higher. How dare Ouyang Yue humiliate her like that in front of everyone? She had to get revenge.
Seeing that Mu Cuiwei was angry, the maid felt a little wronged despite her good intentions, but she didn't dare to delay. If this young lady got angry, she would be ruthless and would not recognize her own family. How could a mere maid like her dare to offend her?
Before long, Mu Cuiwei arrived at the Fu residence by carriage. Mu Cuiwei and Fu Meier were quite close, and the servants of the Fu residence all recognized her. They warmly went in to announce her arrival and soon invited Mu Cuiwei into Fu Meier's room.
Fu Meier's room was decorated in a very luxurious style, so much so that even Mu Cuiwei's eyes were a little dazzled every time she entered. However, there was a lot of mockery in her eyes. This was what people without substance were like; they always wanted to plaster the whole room with gold to show off their wealth, which was actually very vulgar. However, Mu Cuiwei would not say such things. After all, she had received a lot of benefits from Fu Meier, and she would never do such a thankless task. Mu Cuiwei entered the inner room with ease. At this time, a gauze curtain was placed on the bed in the inner room, obscuring the scene inside, allowing Mu Cuiwei to vaguely see a figure.
"Mei'er, how are you feeling? When will you recover?" Fu Mei'er was stung by bees and her body was covered in welts. The swelling would only subside and the injuries would gradually heal after the stings were removed. This was not something that could be done overnight. Fu Mei'er was naturally not well now, but Mu Cuiwei did not know how serious her injuries were. No one saw her when she treated Fu Mei'er at the competition. Even now, Fu Mei'er dared not leave her room. It was difficult for even the people in the Fu family to see Fu Mei'er's current condition.
"It's nothing serious, I'll be fine soon, heave!" When Mu Cuiwei heard Fu Meier's gasp, she immediately knew she was lying. She was in so much pain that she could barely speak. Was her previous injury really that serious? A glint of light appeared in Mu Cuiwei's eyes. The more she was like this, the greater the chances of what she needed to accomplish this time.
"Sigh, I really didn't expect that you wouldn't make it into the top ten, but instead Ouyang Yue got all the glory." Mu Cuiwei said through gritted teeth. No one knew better than her how Ouyang Yue got into the top three; she was the direct victim.
"Hmph, that little bitch, I'll get my revenge sooner or later!" Fu Meier glanced at it, then angrily pulled her hand back.
Mu Cuiwei sighed again, "Yes, I was lucky to make it into the top three, but I never expected that Ouyang Yue would also make it into the top three."
"What?! Ouyang Yue actually made it into the top three?! How is that possible?!" Fu Meier suddenly excitedly lifted the curtain. Mu Cuiwei immediately looked up. If it weren't for her strong mental fortitude, she probably would have fainted again. She forced back the scream that was about to come out of her mouth.
Fu Meier's head was now wrapped up two or three times larger than normal, revealing only her eyes, nose, and face. She was surrounded by white cloth, and her eyes were wide open with bloodshot veins. She looked no different from a demon. Not only Mu Cuiwei, but even the maid who served Fu Meier lowered her head silently upon seeing her. Clearly, after serving Fu Meier for so long, no one could bear to see her in such a grotesque state.
"Sigh!" Mu Cuiwei bit her tongue, forcing herself to swallow back her scream, and asked with concern, "Mei'er, you... why are you bandaged up so badly? Is the injury really that bad? Will it... ruin my face?"
Fu Meier's eyes were noticeably darker. The imperial physician only said that after removing the poisoned needle and applying medicine, the swelling on her face would subside. As for whether she would be disfigured, it would depend on her recovery. The physician couldn't guarantee it 100%, only saying that she would be generally fine. But Fu Meier didn't care about the general condition; she wanted absolute certainty. She couldn't tolerate any injury or even disfigurement on her face. So, during this period, Fu Meier had difficulty sleeping at night, and the bloodshot in her eyes increased. If she suddenly looked at someone, she really did look like a demon.
"Hmm, there's no major problem. You said Ouyang Yue made it into the top three? With her abilities, how could she possibly be in the top three? Are those judges blind to let such a nuisance into the top three!" Fu Meier worked so hard back then, partly because she wanted to shine and make a name for herself on the Langya Continent, and partly because she wanted to beat Ouyang Yue. Who knew she wouldn't make it into the top ten, while Ouyang Yue did? Ouyang Yue won the bet they made back then. They were talking about who would rank higher, or who would enter the top ten. Fu Meier was stuck in the top ten, and now Ouyang Yue is in the top three. She made the bet in front of so many noble ladies of the Ming Dynasty; if she lost, wouldn't she lose face terribly?
Her bet was to kneel and kowtow to Li Rushuang thirty times, shouting "I was wrong" with each kowtow. How could Fu Meier be willing to do that? Her fists clenched tightly. Thinking of that scene, she wished she could kill Li Rushuang to fulfill the bet.
Mu Cuiwei watched as Fu Meier's gaze grew increasingly cold, a clear picture forming in her mind: "Isn't that right? But in the end, she inexplicably made it into the top three. To be honest, Meier, during the top five to top three round, she deliberately scared me, making me faint on the spot." This was an extremely embarrassing matter, and Mu Cuiwei had originally intended to avoid mentioning it, but now she couldn't care less.
Fu Meier sneered: "This Ouyang Yue still dares to be so arrogant. I want to see how long she can keep up her arrogance."
"Mei'er, you probably don't know the details of this top three competition, do you?" Fu Mei'er asked, surprised. "What details?"
"It's a five-day, four-night hunting competition, and we need..." Hearing Mu Cuiwei's words, Fu Meier immediately understood Mu Cuiwei's purpose. She was just asking to borrow people from her. In order to participate in the beauty pageant, all the contestants would select more people who were both literate and martial to prepare for any eventuality. Fu Meier had no chance of entering the top ten, so her people were useless. Although Mu Cuiwei had also made preparations, she couldn't guarantee how useful her people would be in the top three competition. Therefore, she wanted to borrow people from Fu Meier so that the best one could be selected to lead the team.
Fu Meier frowned and remained silent, while Mu Cuiwei said, "This Ouyang Yue is really too much. Meier, you were supposed to perform attracting butterflies, but instead, bees came. I feel that Ouyang Yue is very strange. Maybe she used dirty tricks to harm you. Otherwise, why would she deliberately cover me up and scare me during the top five to top three competition when she was clearly shooting normally? We are all in the same boat, we are all on the same side, but Ouyang Yue is an enemy. Our goal is actually the same, which is Ouyang Yue!"
Fu Meier's eyes turned cold. Mu Cuiwei was right; the bees that appeared during the competition were very strange. She hadn't thought about it carefully at the time, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt it was someone's doing. She didn't know if it was Ouyang Yue, because anyone could be involved in the competition; anyone who wanted a good ranking could be the one to do something underhanded. However, she preferred to believe it was Ouyang Yue, because she had the biggest grudge against Ouyang Yue, and she was also the one among this group who most wanted Ouyang Yue dead. Wasn't Ouyang Yue the one who wanted that dead?
So even if Ouyang Yue didn't do anything dirty, it doesn't matter. Ouyang Yue must die. If Ouyang Yue wins a prize, or finishes the competition safely and gets into the top three, she will have completely lost her bet. But if Ouyang Yue dies, it's different. Then she won't have a prize, and their bet will be invalid. She won't have to lose face. Fu Meier sneered, her eyes filled with killing intent: "Fine, just tell me who you need, but there's only one thing: I want Ouyang Yue dead!"
Mu Cuiwei smiled, but her face was undeniably cold: "Don't worry about that, I want Ouyang Yue dead even more than you do."
Mu Cuiwei chatted with Fu Meier for a while longer, then selected a few people and sent them quietly to the Mu residence before bidding farewell to Fu Meier and leaving. However, as soon as she stepped out of the residence, her mouth was suddenly covered. Mu Cuiwei was startled and tried to struggle, but a cold voice rang in her ears: "Don't move. If you move again, I'll kill you right now." This person exuded a strong killing intent, which frightened Mu Cuiwei so much that she dared not move. She could only obediently follow this person away, but her heart was filled with worry. Who was this person? Would she be in danger?
As they walked, Mu Cuiwei clearly sensed that they had entered the backyard of some kind of mansion. The carriage continued for a while before slowly coming to a stop: "Get out of the carriage."
Mu Cuiwei lifted the carriage curtain and saw an unfamiliar courtyard. She felt increasingly uneasy. The man led Mu Cuiwei through two more turns and suddenly pushed her into a room. The door closed behind him. Mu Cuiwei was startled and immediately went to knock on the door, but a voice came from inside the room: "Miss Mu, don't be afraid, come and sit down."
Mu Cuiwei was startled by the voice and quickly turned her head. When she saw the person, she realized that she had not misheard. She immediately knelt down and bowed, saying, "Your subject Mu Cuiwei greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"Hmm, sit down." Baili Cheng simply said, and Mu Cuiwei dared not speak. She quickly sat down to Baili Cheng's left, but she was only half-sitting in the chair, behaving very properly.
Baili Cheng paid no attention to any of this and said, "Miss Mu, it is already very rare for you to be able to enter the top three in the beauty pageant. This is a very good achievement in the history of our Great Zhou Dynasty. Even I am happy for you."
"This humble woman dares not. This humble woman has done her best in the competition. It is this humble woman's blessing to serve the Great Zhou Dynasty. This is all what this humble woman should do." Mu Cuiwei was as docile as a little lamb at this moment. Although she had been by Baili Jing's side for a long time, she had only seen Baili Cheng a handful of times. Moreover, she always noticed that Baili Jing was very respectful to Baili Cheng, yet also seemed somewhat afraid of him. This made Mu Cuiwei feel a little fearful of the Crown Prince from the bottom of her heart, so she dared not be presumptuous.
"Hmm, you're a sensible person. However, once you get into the top three, the next round will be even more difficult. Miss Mu, are you confident?" Baili Cheng was dressed in the casual attire of a prince today, exuding an air of nobility. However, his upright face was very gentle, making him appear kind and approachable, which dazzled Mu Cuiwei.
This is the second most noble man in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the most likely person to become the emperor in the future, the current crown prince. Who has ever seen him with such a peaceful expression? Mu Cuiwei immediately felt overjoyed, her face showing a look of realization, and her eyes showing a hint of infatuation: "Well, Your Highness, I am not entirely confident either."
Baili Cheng sighed, "Yes, I've watched a few matches as well. This competition is indeed unexpected and extremely reckless. It's as if they're treating human lives like a game. It's simply outrageous."
Mu Cuiwei immediately said, "Please calm down, Your Highness. I think it was the Miao Jiang Holy King who was making the most trouble. His maidservant participated in the competition and was quite skilled in martial arts. That's why the competition events kept changing. Zi Si is indeed quite capable, and her horsemanship is superb. It was really not easy for her to win the championship."
"Hmph, how can the small Miao region compare to the prosperity of the Great Zhou Dynasty? They certainly have plenty of ambition. Actually, the reason I summoned you here is indeed because I have something to say." Mu Cuiwei feigned a submissive listening posture, while Baili Cheng coldly said, "I find this Miao King rather arrogant. Does he really think that just because he's judging this beauty pageant, he can have absolute authority? Actually, I could have guessed it. The Miao King's actions are likely to make things easier for Zi Si. This beauty pageant is being held in the Ming Dynasty. If the Great Zhou Dynasty can't win a championship, it will be a laughingstock. I know you're the Second Princess's person, and I've witnessed your abilities and talent along the way. I believe you are the undisputed number one."
Mu Cuiwei's face lit up with joy, surprised that she held such a high position in the Crown Prince's eyes. She couldn't help but feel proud: "However, what if we fail?" Mu Cuiwei's heart skipped a beat.
"Clap clap clap." At this moment, Baili Cheng suddenly clapped his hands, and five men in black walked into the room. Among them was the man who had coldly kidnapped Mu Cuiwei earlier. Mu Cuiwei's heart skipped a beat, and she looked at Baili Cheng nervously. What was the Crown Prince going to do?
"What do you think of those five people, Miss Mu?" Baili Cheng smiled slightly, but it made Mu Cuiwei's scalp tingle. She hesitated and said, "His Highness the Crown Prince's people are naturally all highly talented and skilled, far beyond what ordinary people can compare to."
Baili Cheng nodded slightly and said, "You are right. These five are my personal guards, but I rarely need them. They rarely appear in public, and not many people recognize them. I can lend them to you for a few days until you win the championship at the end of the competition."
"What!" Mu Cuiwei was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. The people bestowed by His Highness the Crown Prince had frightened her into silence with just a single voice, which showed how superb their martial arts were. With their help, the beauty pageant champion was sure to be hers: "Your Highness the Crown Prince... Your Highness the Crown Prince does not know how to thank you enough, but I will do my best to win the championship."
"Alright, I only lent you people because I saw that the Miao Holy King was too arrogant. However, this matter must be kept secret. Later, the five of them will secretly go to your residence. You should know what to do then."
"Yes, yes, I understand. I will grit my teeth and never tell anyone, even if it means my death," Mu Cuiwei nodded repeatedly.
Baili Cheng waved his hand: "Miss Mu must be tired too, go back and rest first."
"This subject takes her leave." As she left, Mu Cuiwei glanced at Baili Cheng with some reluctance, but dared not linger and departed.
"Brother, you actually assigned the secret guards to Mu Cuiwei. You really let her off easy." At this moment, a sweet voice suddenly rang out. Then, the curtain of the inner hall was opened, and two palace maids invited Baili Jing out. They themselves retreated back, leaving only Baili Cheng and Baili Jing in the hall.
Seeing Baili Jing pouting and looking dissatisfied, Baili Cheng smiled and said, "You know perfectly well why I used the secret guards, yet you still act all cute with me. You deserve a beating."
Baili Jing snorted and swayed over, saying, "I'm just not satisfied. You always refuse to lend me one bodyguard, but now you've sent five. Mu Cuiwei doesn't need them at all. You could have killed Ouyang Yue alone. Sending five is just putting them in a bad position." Baili Jing continued to complain.
Helpless, Baili Cheng took her hand and patted it: "You should know that in my opinion, anyone can be the winner of this beauty pageant, except for Ouyang Yue." As he said this, a hint of murderous intent flashed in Baili Cheng's eyes.
Baili Jing naturally knew this as well, but she still pouted with some dissatisfaction and didn't say anything. Back then, when Ouyang Yue broke off her engagement with the Hong family, everyone with eyes could see that Baili Cheng played a decisive role in it. It was one thing for Ouyang Yue to have a bad reputation, but no one would think that Baili Cheng made a mistake in his decision. However, if Ouyang Yue won the beauty pageant, Baili Cheng would really be putting his face on the ground and letting others trample on it. He was unwilling to bear the crime of being blind to talent when he had a phoenix.
Mu Cuiwei and Ouyang Yue already had a grudge. This person lent the prize to Mu Cuiwei under the guise of helping her win the championship, but Baili Cheng knew very well that in Fu Meier's hands, it would become a weapon to kill Ouyang Yue. For Baili Cheng, reputation was paramount; even the smallest thing could affect his ascension to the throne, so he had to be cautious. As for people like Ouyang Yue and Mu Cuiwei, the death of one, ten, or a hundred was irrelevant to him. Even if Mu Cuiwei and Ouyang Yue fought to the death and both perished on the hunting grounds, Zi Si winning the championship would make no difference to him. The beauty pageant was merely a matter of prestige; it had no effect on the affairs of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and he didn't care at all.
Baili Jing's eyes darted around as she said, "I don't care, Your Majesty must compensate me, or I won't listen to you."
Baili Cheng squinted and smiled: "Oh, what kind of trick are you up to now? Tell me."
Baili Jing immediately beamed and whispered something in his ear...
The General's Mansion was unusually lively at this time. Ouyang Yue had suddenly jumped from being the most unexpected to entering the top three, which caused a sensation throughout the capital. No one expected it, and even the people in the General's Mansion were surprised. Compared to the indignant feelings of Ning Shi, Aunt Hua, and Ouyang Rou, Ouyang Zhide was overjoyed. As soon as he heard that Ouyang Yue had entered the top three, he had the kitchen prepare a sumptuous feast, saying that he wanted to celebrate Ouyang Yue's success. Old Ning Shi also dragged her body and chatted and laughed with her.
Although the Ning family members looked a little stiff, they still had to pretend to celebrate for Ouyang Yue. However, as they talked, Ouyang Zhide became worried: "The final competition is hunting. I know that the royal hunting grounds are indeed very dangerous. It seems that I need to find some good people to take you there. It would be best if you won the championship, but life is the most important thing. The most important thing is to finish the competition safely."
Just as Ouyang Yue was about to speak, a servant came in to report: "Master, the Seventh Prince, the Second Young Master Leng, the Acting Minister, and General Xuanyuan are outside the mansion requesting an audience."
"What? Quickly, please come in!" Ouyang Zhide was taken aback and hurriedly said. He then quickly led the women of the mansion out to greet them. Ouyang Zhide could ignore the others, but he could not treat Baili Chen and Xuanyuan Chaohua the same way as before. As soon as he welcomed Baili Chen into the house, Baili Chen smiled and said, "General Ouyang, there is no need for formalities. This time, I have come specifically for Miss Ouyang."
Ouyang Zhide was taken aback, looking at Yue'er, wondering what the Seventh Prince meant.
At this moment, Baili Chen couldn't help but turn to look at Ouyang Yue, a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes. However, Ouyang Rou, who had been following behind with her head down, saw this and a cold glint immediately flashed in her eyes!
☆、144、Siege!
Ouyang Rou stared intently at Baili Chen, but in the blink of an eye, Baili Chen had already turned his gaze away. So fast that even Ouyang Rou doubted the authenticity of his look, but she saw it, and there was no doubt about it. She narrowed her eyes slightly, staring at Ouyang Yue's back, her eyes flashing with boundless jealousy.
Ouyang Zhide asked in surprise, "Why is the Seventh Prince doing this for Yue'er?"
“General Ouyang, let’s talk inside.” Baili Chen simply nodded and walked inside. Ouyang Zhide followed without a word of complaint.
Upon entering the hall, it was natural to offer the seat of honor to Baili Chen, but Baili Chen directly took the head seat. Ouyang Zhide declined a couple of times, but Baili Chen waved his hand and said, "Alright, let's get back to the point. This beauty pageant's final competition has attracted the attention of people from five countries, and I, as the prince, am also very interested. Moreover, after watching so many performances on stage, I'm quite itching to participate. I would like to take this opportunity to enter the royal hunting grounds with Miss Ouyang. Of course, Caiwen, Daiyu, and General Xuanyuan all feel the same way."
"ah?"
Everyone in the hall except for Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue was dumbfounded. Who was Baili Chen? He was the most favored prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty. This final competition was obviously extremely fierce and dangerous. No one could let Baili Chen go. Ouyang Zhide quickly said, "Thank you for your trouble, Seventh Prince. This humble subject is already selecting suitable candidates to accompany Yue'er to the competition. Seventh Prince, your status is too noble. How can you take such a risk?"
Leng Caiwen laughed, "General Ouyang, that's not quite right. This beauty pageant is about selecting beauty, not treating it like a monster. It's just hunting a few prey, what danger is there?" Leng Caiwen spoke as if it were nothing serious, laughing and waving his fan, "Haha, General Ouyang, are you worried that Miss Ouyang might have some other accidents while staying with us? Don't worry, sending a few more girls along won't be a problem. I wouldn't dare accept Miss Ouyang." Leng Caiwen spoke carelessly, but his eyes seemed to be glancing at Ouyang Yue.
Ouyang Yue wore a faint smile, completely unaffected by the words. Leng Caiwen's words implied a slight disdain for Ouyang Yue, as evidenced by Ouyang Zhide's sullen face. However, upon closer examination, he realized it was a promise. Besides, Ouyang Zhide knew the true relationship between Ouyang Yue and Leng Caiwen, so this reassured him somewhat. Nevertheless, he couldn't agree to it. Even so, once inside, no one knew the situation. If danger arose, they couldn't bear the responsibility for Baili Chen's safety.
Baili Chen smiled and said, "Alright, it's settled then. I'm finding this royal beauty pageant increasingly interesting, and I absolutely must go in and take a look this time. That's all I wanted to say. General Ouyang, we'll be taking our leave now."
"Oh, Seventh Prince... Your humble servant respectfully sees you off, Seventh Prince." Ouyang Zhide was taken aback, but seeing that he couldn't persuade him otherwise, he could only bite the bullet and send Baili Chen out of the mansion. When he returned, everyone in the hall had different expressions. Old Madam Ning frowned slightly and said, "What does this Seventh Prince mean by insisting on going with Yue'er? He can enter the royal hunting grounds whenever he wants, can't he? If he goes in with Yue'er, we have to protect his safety. It's like he can forget about participating in the beauty pageant."
Old Ning is quite right. With Baili Chen around, anyone would probably be wary. How could the competition be held like this? Ouyang Yue just listened quietly without saying a word. Seeing this, Ouyang Rou couldn't help but laugh and said, "It seems that my sister doesn't care at all. Do you understand why the Seventh Prince did this?"
Seeing Ouyang Rou's eyes fixed on her, with something gleaming in her dark depths, Ouyang Yue said softly, "Second Sister, what do you think I know, and what should I know? The imperial court is unpredictable. Do you think I can fathom these royal children? Second Sister, you understand. Why don't you enlighten Yue'er? Yue'er is very curious."
Ning and the others had their eyes fixed on Ouyang Rou, whose body tensed up: "Sister, you really spoke. How could I possibly fathom the imperial might? I was just asking out of curiosity later."
Ouyang Yue smiled faintly: "If that's the case, then Second Sister, you shouldn't ask questions out of curiosity in the future. You should know that not everything you ask out of curiosity can be answered. Trouble often comes from the mouth, so Second Sister, you should be careful with your words."
Ouyang Rou's face paled, and Ouyang Zhide coldly glanced at her: "Yue'er is right, you should say less about royal matters." After saying that, he turned his head away. Ouyang Zhide still hated Ouyang Rou very much. Back then, the matter of Aunt Hong almost implicated the General's Mansion. Although Ouyang Rou was the daughter of the General's Mansion, Ouyang Zhide protected her. But it was unlikely that he would treat Ouyang Rou the same as before.
Seeing this, Ning's eyes flashed slightly. Looking at Ouyang Rou's ashen face, she smiled meaningfully.
Imperial Palace, Imperial Study
Emperor Mingxian was carefully reviewing memorials, and in the imperial study, besides his personal eunuchs, there was another person standing there. He stood casually, not at all intimidated by Emperor Mingxian's imposing presence, and just waited quietly.
Emperor Mingxian wrote down a few comments, then suddenly slammed his pen down: "Go to the royal hunting grounds! You are a prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, what are you doing participating in a women's beauty pageant? Don't you feel ashamed!"
"Shameful? I don't think so. I'm quite curious. After so many matches, watching these women fight has been quite interesting. Of course, we can't just follow them into the final, which I find very regrettable. This is a solution I came up with after much thought. Only by being there in person can we see it clearly, so I've decided to go in and take a look." Baili Chen said with a grin, completely disregarding Emperor Mingxian's anger.
"How could you not know how dangerous it is there? This time, each team is only allowed to bring ten people in. There are no eyes in the swords and spears inside. What will you do if you get hurt? You'll have nowhere to cry then." Emperor Mingxian's face became even more gloomy.
Baili Chen sneered, "Does Father look down on his son so much? Besides, what does it matter whether I live or die? I'm more concerned about who can kill me. Otherwise, it's troublesome to want to die every day but not be able to. If I can die successfully in this royal hunting ground, it will fulfill one of my wishes, and I will have to thank them. Father, remember to give them some rewards to express your gratitude."
"What nonsense are you spouting? This is utterly absurd!" Emperor Mingxian slammed his fist on the table in anger.