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Capítulo 97

In the end, only Xue Xing and the chief steward remained.

Xue Xing sensed something was wrong. Was the Queen really that old? He turned to look at the Grand Preceptor. At that moment, the Grand Preceptor's expression could only be described as tragic.

His face was pale, and beads of sweat were on his forehead. The sudden turn of events had caught him off guard. At the same time, he also began to have some thoughts in his mind. Perhaps from the very beginning, the Queen had already suspected that he and the Grand Eunuch would betray her, so she devised a plan to make them fall into her trap.

"Are there only two left?" The Queen waved her hand gently at her subordinates.

Then a maidservant carried in a tray with two wine glasses on it. The glasses were large and filled with reddish-purple grape wine, the rich aroma of which could be smelled from afar.

Xiao Dao had heard her mother say that if she had the chance to go to the Western Regions, she must try the local grape wine.

The Queen glanced at Xue Xing and the Grand Eunuch, and raised the corners of her mouth. "These two cups of wine, one is poisoned and the other is not. If you two want to choose the Ghost King, then each of you should choose one."

"What?" Xue Xing was stunned. Did that mean one of them would die?! He looked at the Grand Preceptor suspiciously... It seemed that this wasn't what had been agreed upon before!

The Grand Master was also sweating profusely. The Queen was indeed formidable. Regardless of whether this move succeeded or failed, he was certain that his deal with Xue Xing was off, and he would also offend the Beihai Sect.

If you have to choose between two drinks, who knows who might drink the poisoned one?

If she herself drank the poisoned wine, she would die instantly, and there would be no future for her. If Xue Xing drank the poisoned wine, the Queen might not marry her, Xue Xing would also die, and the Beihai Sect would certainly become her enemy. Even if Xue Xing refused to drink and left, she would feel she had tricked him, and his chances of entering the Beihai Crystal Palace would likely be gone forever.

The Grand Preceptor secretly admired her; the Queen was indeed extraordinary! He sighed softly and could only smile at the Queen, "This subordinate withdraws..."

The Queen looked at him and asked, "Why? Are you afraid of death?"

The Grand Preceptor looked dejected, looked up at the Queen, and said in a deep voice, "If we die, we will have nothing left. People are naturally afraid of death."

The Queen rested her chin on her hand and nodded gently, looking at Xue Xing, "And what about Young Master Xue? Choose one of the two cups."

Xue Xing hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, saying, "I also give up."

The Imperial Advisor and Xue Xing exchanged a glance. Xue Xing's eyes showed both confusion and dissatisfaction, while the Imperial Advisor could only lower his head and remain silent—he had been tricked!

Seeing that everyone had given up, the Queen simply smiled faintly, "Sigh...it's always like this." With that, she pointed to the glass, "Youyou, don't waste it, have a taste, it's a fine wine sent from the Western Regions."

Youyou ran down with a smile, took a wine glass, tasted it, and thought it tasted very good. She then gave the other glass to Xiaodao and the others. Xiaodao and Xiaoyue shared a glass and also found it refreshing and delicious.

Xue Xing frowned and looked at the Grand Preceptor.

The Grand Preceptor stood there awkwardly. In fact, he had suspected that neither cup was poisoned, but the Queen was too unpredictable, and he was unwilling to take the risk.

The Queen exchanged a few words with the maidservant beside her, who then summoned guards to take the Grand Preceptor away. Little Knife and the others knew perfectly well what would happen to him.

Holding the cup, Xiao Dao stared blankly into space.

"What are you thinking about?" Xue Beifan poured Xiaodao another glass of wine.

Xiao Dao then asked, "Tell me, how many men in this world would be willing to drink that glass of wine just now?"

"Youyou's dad, of course," Xue Beifan chuckled.

Xiao Dao pursed his lips, but before he could speak, the Queen said, "My selection of the Ghost King today is ruined, but you can all stay and watch another marriage selection."

Everyone was taken aback.

The Queen nodded to the courtesan. The courtesan then stepped forward and announced, "Today, Young Master Wang Bibo will have a martial arts contest with Young Master Xue Beifan in the back mountain."

Xiao Dao breathed a slight sigh of relief. Fortunately, the Queen hadn't blurted out that she was choosing a husband for her. Looking up, she saw Youyou wink at her, clearly having already reminded her mother.

Xiao Dao felt relieved and looked up. He saw Wang Bibo and Xue Beifan sitting there drinking calmly, neither of them looking at the other.

Hao Jinfeng asked Chonghua, "Who do you bet on to win?"

Chonghua smiled, "Xue Beifan."

Hao Jinfeng looked at Xiaoyue again.

Xiaoyue stroked her chin. "In terms of strength, I also think Xue Bei is more promising."

After discussing it, everyone felt that Xue Beifan had a better chance of winning. Finally, they all looked at Xiao Dao and asked, "What do you think?"

Xiao Dao glanced at Xue Xing and the others who remained in the distance, ready to watch the spectacle, and hesitated. There were many martial artists here. If Xue Beifan won decisively against Wang Bibo, wouldn't that be announcing to the world that he had been biding his time? This would inevitably lead to endless trouble in the future. But if he lost… well, it didn't matter anyway; he always craved an unpleasant reputation.

As Xiao Dao was feeling awkward to herself, Xue Beifan suddenly leaned over and asked her seriously, "Do you want me to win or lose?"

Xiao Dao looked up and met his gaze. "Why are you asking me?"

Xue Beifan curled the corners of his lips slightly, revealing a sly smile, "Want me to win a match for you?"

Xiao Dao quickly looked away, "What does this have to do with me?"

"Of course it matters. If I lose, I'll just give you the other person's spot, right?"

"Stop talking nonsense." Xiao Dao glared at him.

Xue Beifan gently pinched her sleeve with two fingers, persistently asking, "Do you want me to win?"

"You won, aren't you afraid of getting into trouble?" Xiao Dao muttered, glancing at Xue Xing and the others not far away.

Xue Beifan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "You silly girl, why are you so dishonest? I'm just asking if you want me to win, why are you worrying about all this other stuff?"

Xiao Dao lowered his head, seemingly pondering something. Xue Beifan shrugged, "If you don't care, then I won't risk my life. I might as well just lose."

Xiao Dao looked up at him. "You lost. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"

"So what if it's a joke?" Xue Beifan smiled indifferently. "Anyway, I'm used to being called a good-for-nothing."

Xiao Dao frowned. "That's not good."