She was filled with joy, but her eyes flashed with a cold light. When she practiced the zither, she was also listening to Shen Lixue play. She didn't want to believe it, but she had to admit that Shen Lixue's zither skills were better than hers. Even if it was only by a little bit, it was still better. As long as Shen Lixue was there, she could forget about winning the championship!
She has been overlooked all along because she is not outstanding enough or eye-catching enough. So she must rise up, make a name for herself, stand out from the crowd, and stand at the highest point so that everyone looks up to her. Then, let's see who can ignore her again.
She's determined to reach the clouds, and no one can stop her. Shen Lixue is an obstacle in her path, and of course, she has to remove her.
Shen Caiyun washed her hands, sat down at the table, picked up her chopsticks and began to eat. The steaming lotus seed porridge emitted a fragrant aroma. She picked it up and drank several mouthfuls. Tomorrow was the day of the competition, and she needed to take good care of her health. She couldn't afford to make any mistakes. She was determined to win the zither competition!
The next day, Shen Lixue got up early, washed and dressed, had breakfast, and slowly walked out of the bamboo garden. Standing at the second gate, she looked in the direction of the cloud garden and asked, feigning ignorance, "The Jiaowei Qin Workshop requires us to arrive between 7 and 9 a.m., and it's almost time. Why isn't Fourth Sister here yet?"
Yan Yue stepped forward and said mysteriously, "Miss, you may not know this, but during the Yin hour (3 to 5 AM), the Fourth Miss suddenly fell ill for some reason. She had stomach pain, heart pain, liver pain, abdominal pain... in short, all her internal organs were aching!"
"Then she really fell ill at the worst possible time, the competition is about to begin!" Shen Lixue lamented, but in her heart she thought that Shen Caiyun's medicine was so vicious that she had to suffer the consequences herself, it was too good for her.
"Who can argue with that? Fourth Miss's piano skills are quite good. Even if she can't beat Miss, she is still someone many noble ladies admire. But now..." Qiu He sighed heavily.
"Since Fourth Sister is so ill, she definitely won't be able to participate in the competition. Yan Yue, go to Yun Garden and tell her that I'm going to Jiao Wei Qin Workshop first!" Shen Lixue's lips curled up slightly, revealing a cold smile.
"yes!"
Every fifteen minutes, Shen Caiyun would vomit and have diarrhea. Her whole body was already exhausted, and she lay weakly on the bed, listening to Yan Yue convey Shen Lixue's regret and blessings, and she gritted her teeth in anger.
She clearly instructed Xiao Tu to put the medicine in Shen Lixue's soup, yet she was the one who ended up being poisoned. It must have been Shen Lixue's doing. She went to participate in the competition and even sent Yan Yue to deliberately provoke her, who was seriously ill and unable to participate. Her purpose was self-evident.
She thought that letting Xiao Tu do things in the kitchen would be done without anyone noticing, but she didn't expect that Shen Lixue would still notice and turn the tables on her. She ultimately underestimated Shen Lixue!
"Xiao Si, help me up!" Shen Caiyun ordered weakly. As for Xiao Tu, he had been punished for his incompetence and had been given twenty lashes and sent back to his room to recuperate.
"Miss, what are you doing?" Xiao Si exclaimed, rushing forward to stop Shen Caiyun from getting up: "Miss is quite ill and needs to rest!"
"The competition at Jiaowei Qin Workshop is today, how can I rest!" Shen Caiyun gripped Xiao Si's sleeve tightly, swaying as she sat up. Her face was sallow, and her eyes were dull, but a firmness and resilience shone deep within them: "Go ask the doctor for some tonics. I need to quickly replenish my strength, and then participate in the competition!" This was a golden opportunity that she absolutely could not miss.
When Shen Lixue arrived at Jiaowei Qin Workshop by carriage, the workshop was filled with young ladies from prominent families, holding number plates and chatting and laughing in twos and threes.
Shen Lixue stepped off the carriage and headed to the hall to get her number. Qiu He followed behind, carrying her zither. After taking only two steps, a white figure emerged from the side and blocked her path.
"Dongfang Heng!" Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. He's always dealing with things, so why is he here?
"I came to watch you play the zither!" Dongfang Heng said softly, moving closer to Shen Lixue and lowering his voice: "We haven't figured out the last note from the zither shop yet. I feel like something's not quite right. You shouldn't participate in the competition anymore!"
Shen Lixue frowned: "Isn't a 'surprise' note a panacea?"
"That's indeed what people in the capital are saying, but think about it carefully. The note says 'mysterious surprise,' would they let people know so easily?" Dongfang Heng's voice lowered further, and his sharp eyes flashed with an unusual seriousness. Zi Mo discovered during his investigation that the owner of Jiao Wei Qin Fang was very mysterious, and no clues could be found related to him. Things were definitely not simple.
"But what if that miraculous medicine really is just what's mentioned in the notes?" Shen Lixue frowned. If she didn't participate in the competition, she wouldn't be able to get the miraculous medicine and cure Dongfang Heng's illness.
Dongfang Heng gripped Shen Lixue's hand tightly, the warmth from her hand seeping through his arm and into his body, soothing his heart: "I can wait for the Ghost Doctor of Southern Xinjiang, you mustn't take the risk!"
"In broad daylight, Jiaowei Qinfang shouldn't do anything unusual. Besides, with so many daughters of noble families participating in the competition, I might not be the winner!" Even if Qinfang has some special purpose, it probably won't be carried out in front of everyone.
"Sister Lixue!" Accompanied by a sweet female voice, Su Yuting walked over gracefully, followed by a maid carrying a fine zither.
"Prince An!" Su Yuting bowed to Dongfang Heng, then looked at Shen Lixue: "Sister hasn't received her token yet, why don't we go together!"
Chapter 101: Playing a Prank on Su Yuting
"Li Xue!" Dongfang Heng frowned as he looked at Shen Li Xue, the meaning in his sharp eyes was self-evident: do not participate in the competition.
"The competition is about to begin, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to withdraw now!" Shen Lixue replied to Dongfang Heng with difficulty, her cold eyes secretly observing Su Yuting.
Su Yuting's fresh smile froze slightly, and she asked in confusion, "Sister Lixue's piano skills are superb, and she is very likely to win the championship. Why did you withdraw from the competition?"
“He said that I am the future Princess Consort of Anjun, and I cannot play the zither in front of others casually!” Shen Lixue said softly, giving an irrefutable reason, her cold gaze fixed on Su Yuting’s every move.
Su Yuting's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal: "Sister is the future royal wife, so it is indeed inappropriate for her to display her skills in front of ordinary people. However, everyone in the capital knows that you have signed up for the competition. If you voluntarily withdraw before the competition even starts, it might cause controversy!"
Su Yuting's words were full of grievance, yet every sentence hit the nail on the head. At first glance, they sounded like advice, but upon closer examination, they carried a hint of threat.
The champion will be awarded a priceless ice-stringed zither, ten thousand taels of glittering gold, and a rare and precious elixir. The prizes are incredibly generous. Winning the championship is the dream of every young woman in the capital. With one less formidable opponent, they will have more hope.
Ordinary villains would do what Shen Caiyun did: devise schemes and tricks to prevent their formidable opponents from taking the field. But Su Yuting did the exact opposite; she threatened her formidable opponents, forbidding them from forfeiting.
If Shen Lixue only had some doubts before, she is now completely certain that there is a problem with this competition: "Sister Su is right. You can't just give up after participating in the competition. Let me persuade Prince An again. Sister, go and get your token first!"
Shen Lixue agreed to participate in the competition. Dongfang Heng's face turned extremely gloomy. Su Yuting did not say anything more. Her polite smile deepened slightly as she gracefully walked into Jiaowei Qinfang.
Dongfang Heng's handsome, sword-like eyebrows furrowed, and his obsidian-like eyes were as deep as a pool: "Li Xue, something's wrong with the competition!"
“I know!” Shen Lixue nodded, a hint of coldness flashing in her clear eyes.
"You knew that, yet you still participated?" Dongfang Heng's gaze sharpened.
"They went to great lengths to dig a trap for me. If I don't jump in, wouldn't I be letting them down?" Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow and a cold smile appeared on her lips.
"You're going to put yourself in danger?" Dongfang Heng's relaxed brows furrowed again.
As the sun rose higher and higher, the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) was almost over, and the competition was about to begin. The young ladies from prestigious families had all received their tokens and stood in front of their designated spots with Aiqin. Shen Lixue didn't have time to explain things to Dongfang Heng in detail anymore, and comforted him, "You can sit aside and watch the show. In the end, I might not be the one who suffers!"
Shen Lixue turned around and strode into Jiaowei Qin Workshop. She moved so fast that Dongfang Heng couldn't stop her. A hint of anger flashed in her dark eyes as she coldly ordered into the void, "Zimo, send more people to investigate that mysterious surprise. Make sure to find out the true contents of the surprise before the competition ends!"
The area around Jiaowei Qinfang was packed with people, with everyone from the elderly to young children coming to watch.
Shen Lixue received her name tag and walked out of Jiaowei Qin Workshop. Just as she stood in her place, several elderly men stroked their beards and slowly walked onto the judges' table. The sound of gongs rang out, and the lively venue instantly fell silent.
An exquisite box was placed on a small table in the center of the high platform in full view of everyone. Shen Lixue had seen the box before; it was the one that contained the divine medicine. It was locked with several locks and looked exactly the same as the one she had seen that day.
The five judges were all highly respected individuals, and their skills on the zither were all remarkable. After a few quiet discussions, an elderly man of about fifty years old stood up and announced loudly, "As you all know, there is a special surprise in this competition. As for the contents of the surprise, it is in that box. Let me be clear: after the champion is chosen, the box will be opened immediately, and the contents of the surprise will be announced. The winner must accept the surprise inside. Those who do not wish to accept it may leave now!"
After the old man finished speaking, the entire place fell silent. Everyone looked at each other, smiled and shook their heads. No one suggested leaving. The box contained a miracle cure that could cure all diseases. They couldn't even ask for it, so why would they refuse?