Luo Cuiwei was not skilled in martial arts and knew nothing about this unique "custom" of Linchuanju. She could only stare blankly at the two men in the arena, wondering what kind of deep-seated hatred they had for each other, and deeply reflect on whether she had misunderstood the relationship between Yun Lie and Xiong Xiaoyi.
****
The intensity of this competition was truly rare within the Zhaowang Palace.
Yun Lie and Xiong Xiaoyi had been comrades-in-arms for many years, going through life and death together. Their martial arts skills and experience were comparable, and they knew each other's moves very well. At this moment, both of them went all out without holding back, and the fight was evenly matched. The scene was so exciting and thrilling that it was impossible to look away.
Occasionally, when one side makes a slight mistake, the onlookers on the sidelines tense up with worry; once the crisis is over, everyone can't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
This thrilling and suspenseful battle was so intense that even Luo Cuiwei, who was completely clueless about the game, couldn't help but clench her clothes and hold her breath along with everyone else, her heart rising and falling with the situation on the field.
The two fought until late afternoon before a victor emerged.
Yun Lie, who seemed to be about to exhaust himself, suddenly leaped up and kicked the long stick in Xiong Xiaoyi's hand away in mid-air.
Seeing the long staff fall to the ground, Xiong Xiaoyi, though his face was dark with resentment, still clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, acknowledging defeat.
Some bettors cheered while others wailed, and chaos erupted in the stands.
Luo Cuiwei laughed as she watched, finding these young men quite interesting. Their interactions in private were so lively, straightforward, and vibrant, unlike the dull and boring image she had originally imagined.
"You lost fifty gold coins for nothing, and you're still laughing?"
Yun Lie, who had appeared before them at some unknown time, slightly raised his chin, exuding the arrogance unique to victors.
“It’s a hundred gold pieces,” Luo Cuiwei said, regaining her senses. She took a slight backseat and smiled softly. “They said that if you bet on the wrong winner, you have to give the winner an additional compensation equal to the bet.”
This new rule was added by the guard who opened the gambling game today. Yun Lie was distracted and missed it.
Yun Lie inwardly cursed these guys for their nonsense, and frowned, saying, "So, this is... a forced smile?"
Although the Luo family is known as the richest family in the capital, one hundred gold coins is still a considerable sum. Even if they regard money as dirt, the feeling of "losing" is never pleasant.
Luo Cuiwei smiled, a hint of regret on her face. "It was my own ignorance; I thought it was a contest of strength. General Xiong looked as burly as a small mountain and ate a lot... I never expected Your Highness to be so formidable!"
This simple yet sincere praise pleased Yun Lie greatly, giving him a sense of triumph and triumph.
Seeing the look of pleasure gradually appear in his eyes, Luo Cuiwei took out another silver note from her sleeve and respectfully presented it: "I am willing to accept this bet, Your Highness."
“They’re just making a fuss, why are you joining in?” Yun Lie paused in surprise, then waved his hand with some annoyance. “We’ll have them return the silver note you had earlier to you later.”
"That's not fair," Luo Cuiwei said sternly, stubbornly stuffing the silver note into his hand. "No take-backs after a bet, that's the rule. Don't I have any pride?"
Yun Lie didn't really want to take advantage of her again, but he also knew that her 100 gold coins today were a timely help in raising winter clothes and food to relieve the urgent needs of the Linchuan army.
After a moment's hesitation, he put the silver note away and said solemnly, "It would be impolite to refuse, so thank you very much."
He will remember this money and will definitely pay it back in the future.
“Your Highness is too kind,” Luo Cui smiled, then noticed glistening beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. She changed the subject, “It’s chilly, Your Highness should wipe your sweat so you don’t catch a cold later.”
Yun Lie's eyes flickered strangely for a moment before he nodded stiffly.
After a moment, seeing that she was still standing there without moving, he had no choice but to say helplessly, "You... are blocking my way from getting the towel."
Did she think he came specifically to collect money?
Luo Cuiwei turned her head and saw that there was indeed a small dark red wooden frame behind her, with many clean, thick towels for wiping sweat hanging on it.
She quickly bit her lip, her smile utterly awkward. She grabbed a handkerchief without thinking and pressed it against his cheek: "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention..."
Yun Lie's wide-eyed stare snapped her back to reality: What kind of ridiculous hand is this?! Why does it wipe everyone's sweat?! This is His Highness Prince Zhao, not Luo Fengming!
"Your Highness, please." Luo Cuiwei's cheeks were burning hot. She awkwardly took the towel off his face and handed it back to him as if nothing had happened.
Fortunately, the guards were busy settling the bets and no one noticed this intriguing scene.
Yun Lie cleared his throat awkwardly, quickly took the handkerchief, and roughly covered most of his face, leaving only his chin exposed.
****
Today, Luo Cuiwei not only brought the Luo family's chef, but also thoughtfully brought a lot of rice, meat, fruit and vegetables, benefiting the entire Zhaowang Mansion. The whole mansion was filled with joy as if it were New Year's Day.
Dinner was served at 5 PM, and Luo Cuiwei naturally sat down in the dining hall with Yun Lie and Xiong Xiaoyi.
The sight of a lavish spread of wine and meat on the table dispelled Xiong Xiaoyi's dejection from the day's defeat, and he began to eat heartily and chat warmly with Luo Cuiwei.
"I thought you weren't coming today!"
Yun Lie didn't say anything, but kept his head down picking up food, though he couldn't help but silently prick up his ears.
Luo Cuiwei took a small sip of soup before looking up and smiling, "How could that be? I keep my word. But something came up at home, and I was busy looking for someone this morning."
"What's up?"
Yun Lie's sudden outburst surprised not only Luo Cuiwei, but even the easygoing Xiong Xiaoyi couldn't help but look at him strangely.
"What kind of look is that?" Yun Lie couldn't be too fierce with Luo Cuiwei, so he turned to Xiong Xiaoyi for trouble. "You're beholden to someone who's eating your food. You don't even ask about their family's troubles? Are you even human?"
Xiong Xiaoyi felt wronged: "I was going to ask that too, but you spoke first, which suddenly made me seem like a bad person."
In any case, Yun Lie's initiative to inquire about the difficulties the Luo family was, in Luo Cuiwei's view, a small step forward in her recent shameless attempts to get closer to them.
So she casually mentioned a few words about what happened yesterday, saying that Luo Fengming stood up for his cousin and beat him up, without mentioning that Gao Zhan was also involved.
After all, this wasn't a good thing for a family like the Duke of He's mansion, and she didn't want to gossip and cause trouble.
"What the hell? People who harass young girls get away with it, but people who stand up for them get arrested and fined?" Xiong Xiaoyi's face darkened with anger. "Is there no good person left in this capital prefecture?!"