Huang Qi thought for a moment and had someone help Huang Yu, and the two of them went to the main hall together: "So it is the chief clerk of the prefectural governor's office."
"Lord Huang, the yamen received the case, but the Prefect was busy with other cases and couldn't get away, so he sent me to inquire about the details before opening a case for investigation. Please don't blame me, Lord Huang." The clerk was very respectful, and Huang Qi's previous resentment towards the Prefect of the Capital for not coming could no longer be expressed.
"What are you saying? I understand that the Prefect of Jingzhao is busy. Please, have a seat."
The clerk looked at Huang Yu, who was being helped to sit down, and was somewhat surprised. Was this still a human face? Even the Ministry of Justice wouldn't use torture to inflict so many injuries on the face. Huang Yu must have many more injuries on his body. He had been beaten quite badly. "Young Master Huang, you have suffered. I wonder if you still remember what the person who beat you looked like, how he did it, and whether he had any accomplices?"
Huang Yu snorted, frowned, and then exclaimed, "How could this princess remember any of that? That man was very quick back then. As soon as I got off the carriage, he hit me over the head. How could I possibly see his face?"
"Ah, Young Master Huang didn't see what the person who hit you looked like?" The registrar was taken aback. "Young Master Huang was beaten so badly, hmm... this person had been attacking for at least a while, and Young Master Huang didn't see what happened during that time?"
Huang Yu angrily said, "What do you mean? Didn't I say that I didn't see clearly when he hit me? Then he kept hitting my eyes. My eyes were hurting so badly at the time, how could I see who hit me?"
The clerk was speechless. They hadn't even seen who had beaten them. Where were they supposed to find them? There were hundreds, if not thousands, of people walking on the streets of the capital every day. If they didn't even know who the person was, how were they supposed to find the culprit like looking for a needle in a haystack?
Huang Qi's expression also changed, and the registrar had no choice but to ask, "Young Master Huang, have you made any enemies recently?"
"Make enemies? This young master is very popular. People are too busy flattering me to make enemies." You're being incredibly arrogant, not making enemies at all. Huang Yu couldn't help but snort, "However, this young master is usually quite dashing, which has led to some romantic entanglements. Perhaps some woman was unintentionally bewitched, and the man she admires found out, so it's possible she's seeking revenge." The clerk smiled, but his expression was somewhat somber. He thought to himself with dissatisfaction, "Is the Huang family playing a joke on the Jingzhao Prefecture? Huang Qi is a fourth-rank official, and this matter has actually reached the Jingzhao Prefecture. At first, he even raised his status, thinking that as a lowly fourth-rank official, he wanted the Prefect of Jingzhao to personally come and investigate the case. Does he really think he's something special? Look at his son, even more narcissistic and arrogant. This kind of person has offended countless people. It would be a miracle if they could find out who did it."
The registrar asked a few more casual questions and said, "I have already learned the general details of the case. I will definitely report it to the prefect when I get back and ask him to make a decision."
Huang Qi smiled and said, "The registrar has arrived."
Huang Yu then said, "When you solve the case, hand the man over to me. I will definitely beat him to a pulp."
The clerk's lips curled into a smile, but his eyes were cold as he took his leave. Huang Qi frowned at Huang Yu: "Yu'er, what nonsense are you talking about? This matter has been handed over to the Jingzhao Prefecture, so we can't interfere. Besides, we have too little evidence, and we don't even know if we can catch the person. If you do this, you'll make them resentful and they won't handle the case properly for you."
Huang Yu, however, said nonchalantly, "Father, what are you afraid of? You are the Emperor's man. Do you think they would dare to disobey you in public?"
"You!" Huang Qi shook his head helplessly.
As soon as the registrar left the Huang residence, he hadn't taken more than two steps when his face immediately darkened. A constable next to him said, "Registrar, the Huang father and son are really arrogant."
"Hmph! It's nothing but a paper tiger. That yellow weapon is nothing in the eyes of an adult." The clerk sneered disdainfully.
The constable continued, "But how are we going to investigate this case? Even this young master Huang couldn't see the man's face clearly."
"Investigate? Investigate what? Since someone dared to block the entrance of the Huang residence and beat Huang Yu, it means they are not afraid of you at all, sir. The reason why you are not coming is that you do not want to get involved. Fortunately, Huang Yu did not see the person's face clearly, so you have even more reason not to investigate. These two teachers do not even know that they have offended someone important. They are really stupid!" The clerk sneered, and the constable suddenly realized and said "Oh".
Imperial Study
"How dare you! You're getting bolder and bolder, actually letting someone beat one of my men!" Emperor Mingxian glared angrily at Baili Chen, who was sitting in front of his desk.
Baili Chen said coldly, "If you dare to fight, then fight. Since I dare to fight, I have the guts."
"How dare you speak to me like that! Don't think I don't know what you've done. You sent someone to beat Huang Yu. Are you doing this to me? Aren't you afraid of being impeached? You're just trying to cause trouble and make people come after you!" Emperor Mingxian rebuked.
Baili Chen smiled mockingly at Emperor Mingxian: "Isn't this exactly what Father Emperor wanted? Back then, Father Emperor favored me so that I would become the target of everyone's criticism. It wouldn't make any difference if I did one more thing, would it? Or is it that Father Emperor is heartbroken because I offended one of Father Emperor's people?"
"you!"
"If Father has nothing else, I will take my leave." Baili Chen knelt down, bowed, and then left.
Emperor Mingxian suddenly sighed and said to the old eunuch beside him, "Fushun, was my decision back then wrong?"
Fu Shun had followed Emperor Mingxian before he ascended the throne and was one of the people who knew him best, but at this moment he had no idea how to answer.
The following day, the competition to narrow down the contestants from nine to seven officially began. On this day, the judges had the nine ladies stand on the stage first. The nomadic priest said, "This year's beauty pageant, after discussion among the seven judges, has decided to make some changes to the competition. The competition will be more exciting and also more dangerous, so that we can better select the truly unique and accomplished beauty of the world!"
As soon as the priest finished speaking, a murmur arose: Why change the competition? Wasn't it going well before?
Ouyang Yue frowned, but her gaze unconsciously drifted towards the Miao Jiang Holy King, who was sitting in the main judging seat. The latter was looking at her with a smile that could charm the world...
☆、139, we've all been tricked!
"I wonder how the competition rules will change?" The audience below the stage were discussing among themselves, but the most nervous ones were actually the nine contestants on stage, as Jiang Huan had already asked.
"Good question. This beauty pageant seeks women who are both talented and skilled in martial arts. However, in previous years, martial arts have only been secondary. In fact, you may have some doubts. This beauty pageant usually selects not only women who are talented and beautiful, but also women who are skilled in martial arts. However, this year..." Mr. Qi said loudly, and Jiang Huan and Baili Nan, who had previously sought out Dai Qi, both changed their expressions.
When this beauty pageant was first held, it was indeed intended to select women who were both literate and skilled in martial arts. However, as it developed, it gradually evolved into a competition to select women who were skilled in martial arts. This was a clever trick, and since the pageant had not previously stipulated that it was not allowed, it became a tacit understanding. But it is impossible for anyone to advocate this practice.
Mr. Qi continued, "For this competition, we judges discussed it and decided to increase the difficulty. However, the previous competition events will remain largely unchanged, only the difficulty will be increased. Moreover, the final crucial championship round will also be related to martial arts."
"What!" Jiang Huan was shocked. She had been very confident about the beauty pageant, but if the rules were changed this year, it would be very disadvantageous for her.
The carefree king of Black Teeth Kingdom laughed: "But please rest assured, everyone. Although the competition rules have been changed, we have also considered the difficulties that the last-minute changes will bring you. Therefore, the final martial arts competition allows for the selection of team members to participate. The current rounds of nine to seven and seven to five are mainly artistic, which is the perfect time for everyone to showcase their talents." Black Teeth Kingdom currently only has Yan Xue'er participating, and for the carefree king, there is little chance of winning. Moreover, the carefree king is called the carefree king precisely because he enjoys life. Mr. Liu and Mr. Qi have a good personal relationship with him, and they prefer to see spectacular competitions. This sudden change in the competition rules will make the contestants feel lost and make it easier to select good contestants who can remain calm under pressure. Therefore, when the Holy King of Miao Jiang first proposed it, everyone except the Taoist priest who was doing great work agreed.
Most of the contestants on stage were still dissatisfied with this explanation, but they also understood that it was something they had to accept. Moreover, according to what Xiaoyao Wang said at the end, they could have teammates for the final competition. They could call more people with high martial arts skills, which would not be a problem. For example, the guards that Jiang Qi brought this time were all highly skilled in martial arts, which would actually be more advantageous to her.
Mr. Qi then said, "Alright, the competition to narrow down from nine to seven has begun. The rules this time are quite interesting. Each contestant on stage will choose a talent, and then the other contestants on stage will perform it. If no one can surpass the first contestant, that contestant will win two points. Conversely, if one of the eight challengers beats the first contestant, the winner will gain one point, and the loser will lose two points. The top seven contestants with the most points will advance to the next round."
To put it bluntly, this competition is just another talent show, and whether someone succeeds or fails depends on whether their talent is so unique that everyone else fails to challenge them.
Yan Xue'er was the first to step forward and said, "As anyone who studies dance knows, the spin is the most difficult. Not only must you show balance and grace in the spin, but you also can't be careless at the end, otherwise it will directly detract from the dance. And what I want the eight of you to challenge is this spin. Please watch carefully." As she spoke, Yan Xue'er swung her arms and began to spin on the stage.
Yan Xue'er's proudest talent is dance. Her body is flexible and supple, and her rainbow-colored dress, specially designed for dance, adds greatly to the performance. Standing on the stage, Yan Xue'er spins and remains stationary within a circle of about half a meter, her legs never exceeding this circle during the spin. Anyone with discerning eyes knows that few can surpass Yan Xue'er's dancing skills; her foundation is extremely high. Her spins are incredibly beautiful, and the rainbow skirt beneath her dress gives her a dreamlike quality, truly a rare talent.
"One, two, three... ten, eleven... Ah, it's not over yet!"
"My God, how many times is she going to spin around? I think she's about to get dizzy."
However, Yan Xueer's spinning never stopped.
"Fourteen... It's stopped, it's finally stopped!"
Yan Xue'er on stage stopped after spinning fourteen times. Her face was flushed, her chest heaving, yet she wore a smug smile. The audience was astonished. Fourteen spins was an incredible feat. Only those who had studied dance knew that most people could only manage three or four spins at most. Yan Xue'er, however, was within half a meter of the target area, and she absolutely could not exceed that circle while spinning. This level of difficulty was almost comparable to winning the beauty pageant. Jiang Huan, her face grim, knew that Yan Xue'er's best talent was playing the zither. Although she had some knowledge of martial arts, she could barely manage two or three spins, and not every time. Fourteen spins? Probably no one present could do that. Yan Xue'er had brought out her most treasured talent. Who could possibly win?
Looking at the disbelieving gazes on and off the stage, Yan Xue'er's smugness deepened as she said, "Whoever can spin half the number of characters seven times will have succeeded in the challenge." That's what she said, but those seven spins were already extremely difficult.
The eight contestants on stage fell silent. Suddenly, Zi Er stepped forward and said, "I'll give it a try."
Zi Yi and the other three were all quite skilled in martial arts and very confident in their dancing abilities. Yan Xue'er's eyes flickered slightly, but she simply smiled at them. Wu Er immediately stood in the center of the stage, spread her arms, and began to spin. However, on her fifth spin, she suddenly stumbled and failed. Yan Xue'er breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to Zi Er, smiling as she said, "Miss Zi Er is indeed remarkable. She managed to spin five times before stopping. However, dancing is different from martial arts. It requires a certain finesse. You can't do it if your body isn't flexible enough. Even if Miss Zi Er had spun seven times, you would still have failed."
"What do you mean by that?" Zi Er's face darkened. Wasn't Yan Xue'er's statement mocking her?
Yan Xue'er shook her head and said, "Miss Zi, please look at your feet. I sprinkled some powder in this spot. Did you notice? Your footsteps are messy, and some footprints have gone outside the circle. You only noticed the rotation, but in reality, you failed the challenge from the very beginning."
Zi Er snorted coldly with a sullen face and turned away. Next, Ning Xihe, Baili Nan, and Mu Cuiwei all failed to complete the challenge. Jiang Huan, Zi San, and Zi Si did relatively well, at least spinning around four times. Yan Xue'er looked up at Ouyang Yue and said, "Miss Ouyang, it's up to you now."
Ouyang Yue stared intently at the circle Yan Xue'er had drawn, narrowing her eyes as she said, "Is it true that as long as you rotate it in the correct position, and don't leave this circle, you'll succeed after seven rotations?"
Yan Xue'er nodded: "Of course."
Ouyang Yue raised her eyebrows slightly. She had already entered the circle. Just as Yan Xue'er had said, this spinning dance technique was considered a relatively difficult skill in dance, regardless of the type of dance. However, Ouyang Yue knew of a dance that was famous for its spinning.
"Snap!" As soon as she entered, Ouyang Yue suddenly jumped slightly, then the toe of her right shoe touched the ground. Everyone was stunned. What was Ouyang Yue doing? At this moment, Ouyang Yue's left foot was half-bent and pressed against her right leg. Even Yan Xue'er was very surprised by this movement. She racked her brains but couldn't remember any dance that would have this movement. At this moment, Ouyang Yue suddenly moved. Her left foot slowly opened, and then her whole body spun rapidly like a spiral. Moreover, her arms and legs opened and kept swinging in beautiful arcs. The beauty of this dance posture was no less than that of Yan Xue'er.
Yan Xue'er's face was pale because she had already sensed the subtlety of Ouyang Yue's move. She vaguely felt that she had lost. She had always been so confident, but she never expected to lose to a once infamous playboy. No, it should be said that everyone had been deceived. Based on her experience in dance, Ouyang Yue's dance talent was no worse than hers. This series of movements also showed that her foundation was very good. How could someone with such talent be as rumored? Rumors are misleading. At first, she did not take Ouyang Yue seriously. Now she realized that she had miscalculated.
"Snap!" Suddenly, Ouyang Yue stopped abruptly, startling everyone present. Some were incredulous, but then Ouyang Yue blushed and said embarrassedly, "This spin is too difficult. I twisted my ankle, and I'm afraid I can't keep going."
"Oh no, I twisted my ankle. What a pity. Was that the sixth lap?"
"Yes, yes, I was counting along on the sixth lap. It's such a pity that Miss Ouyang was just one lap away from succeeding in the challenge."
"This is already quite remarkable. I've never heard of Miss Ouyang learning any dance. If she's already this amazing without even learning it, what would she be like if she did? She would definitely be even better than Yan Xue'er."
"That's right, that's what a genius is, learning without studying. How can they compare to those people?"
"Miss Ouyang is amazing!"
"Great! Great! Great!" The audience from the Great Zhou Dynasty shouted, and even the audience from the other countries looked at Ouyang Yue in surprise. It could be said that if Ouyang Yue had persisted a little longer, Yan Xue'er would have lost. Moreover, this was something that none of the other seven challengers could do.
Yan Xue'er ran into the circle, and what she saw made her gasp. She stared at Ouyang Yue in disbelief. The shoe toe print only showed traces of rotation, and after six rotations, it hadn't exceeded three. What kind of skill was that? Even she couldn't do that. This...this...
The Miao King, sitting below the stage, wore a meaningful smile, his eyes fixed on Ouyang Yue. Ouyang Yue turned to meet his gaze, then looked away again. Was it a pity to lose the challenge? Not to her. She had caught a glimpse of the Miao King's strange look as she spun around, so she decided to accept defeat. After all, there were other competitions to come. She always felt the Miao King was very odd; his knowing expression earlier had displeased her, leading her to make this unexpected decision.
In the following challenges, the other eight participants each displayed their unique talents: some played musical instruments, some composed poems in a chain, and others engaged in drawing. It was clear that everyone had suddenly begun to conceal their true abilities, and the other challengers were obviously not putting in their full effort. In fact, this competition of ninety-seven participants had a trick: as long as two people were eliminated, the remaining seven, regardless of their scores or rankings, would secure a place in the top seven. Of these nine, the six with established reputations all possessed considerable talent, so if they could protect themselves and successfully challenge the other three, they could all advance.
The seventh one was Ouyang Yue, who was also the one these people were preparing to attack collectively.
Ouyang Yue stood in the middle of the stage and laughed: "Well, the question I'm going to ask is actually very simple. As long as you can answer it, you'll be fine. To succeed in the challenge, you need to answer at least three questions correctly."
"Three questions? Heh, Ouyang Yue, you're far too confident." Jiang Huan sneered. She had been well-versed in literature since childhood. While she couldn't answer all the questions, they were certainly not difficult for her. Asking her to answer these questions was simply courting death.
"Miss Ouyang, please." Yan Xue'er and the others said confidently.
Ouyang Yue reminded everyone, "Actually, the questions I asked are all very simple, but it's best if you don't think in the same way, otherwise none of you will be able to answer them."
"Hmph, just say it." Mu Cuiwei looked at Ouyang Yue's smug expression and couldn't help but sneer in her heart. This Ouyang Yue really only has this much ability. It seems that it won't be a problem to push her out of this round. Next, as long as Zi Er and Zi San are pushed out, there won't be any problem. Zi Si is somewhat capable, but if Zi Er and Zi San are pushed out, she can easily advance to the next level. It's very easy.
“Alright, then I’ll give you a riddle. A bull plus a cow, guess three words? What do you think they are?” Ouyang Yue said with a smile.
"What? What kind of question is this? Are you trying to play a trick on us?" Mu Cuiwei said with a dark face. What bull and cow? It sounded so vulgar. The other ladies also looked uncomfortable. The audience was stunned. What was Miss Ouyang saying? What male and female? Is this something a woman should say?
Ouyang Yue smiled, her eyes crinkling, a subtle glint in them: "How can this not be a question? If there were farmers here, they would know that oxen are treasures to them. Without oxen, how could they plow the fields? If the fields aren't plowed, where would we get rice to eat? It's like men and women; I'm just stating the sex of the two oxen. What's wrong with that? Please, ladies, answer my question. Who can answer this question? Please speak. A bull plus a cow, guess three words, what is it?"
Zi Er said with a stern face, "Give birth to a calf."
The other seven young ladies all looked distressed at being beaten to it. Ouyang Yue looked at them and smiled, "Do you all think so too? You all have the same answer." The seven women thought about it and nodded in agreement. Some of them hadn't even figured it out yet, but they immediately nodded in agreement for fear of being criticized.
Ouyang Yue curled her lips and looked at the confident Zi Er, saying, "Wrong!"
Zi Er's smug face froze, and she immediately retorted, "Wrong, how could it be wrong? A bull plus a cow will produce a calf, won't it?"
Ouyang Yue smiled, pursing her lips. "It's not that complicated. I'm just saying a bull plus a cow. I'm sure even the kids in the villages know that. One plus one equals two, right? Two cows. Why are you so complicated, Miss Zi Er? Simple-minded people wouldn't even think about calves." She looked at Zi Er meaningfully, and Zi Er's face immediately stiffened. Wasn't Ouyang Yue mocking her for thinking such obscene things? But what she instinctively thought of was two cows together giving birth to a calf! This despicable Ouyang Yue was deliberately misleading her!
The other young ladies dared not speak, for if they were accused of having impure thoughts from the beginning, it would damage their reputations. They all lowered their heads and pretended not to see the argument between Ouyang Yue and Zi Er.
"Okay, next question. Listen carefully: how would an ant die if it fell from a mountain peak millions of meters high? Please answer."
"Isn't that simple? They'll definitely fall to their deaths."
"It was blown away by the wind and then died."
"If you fall to your death, you'll be eaten by other animals; you'll be dead beyond any hope of survival."
Ouyang Yue laughed: "Is this your answer?"
Jiang Huan said, "I told you so, it will fall to its death." Jiang Huan puffed out her chest slightly, looking smug.
Ouyang Yue looked at her, her mouth moving slightly: "Wrong!" Jiang Huan immediately frowned, "How am I wrong? How could I be wrong?"
"How would an ant die if it fell from a mountain peak millions of meters high? Do you know when it would die from such a long distance?" The others remained silent, but Ouyang Yue continued, "Because of the long time, it would starve to death before it even falls to its death, so the answer is starvation."
"What kind of question is that? It's completely irrelevant. You're clearly just making excuses. My answer should be correct." Jiang Huan retorted with a dark face. The other young ladies also nodded in agreement. Ouyang Yue's questions were very strange. Although they thought Ouyang Yue's answers were correct, who could answer such questions correctly?
People's minds are generally limited. People who don't play with brain teasers will find it difficult to answer these questions at first because they can only answer questions with instinct and don't think about them in a different way. So Ouyang Yue took advantage of this.
Ouyang Yue turned her head and said, "Seven judges, is there a problem with my question or with my answer? Since this is a talent performance, intelligence is also a kind of talent, right? Just because the eight ladies couldn't answer a question, does that mean my question was wrong? You seven judges are all knowledgeable and experienced; you won't make a mountain out of a molehill like ordinary people. If my talent doesn't count, I'll automatically withdraw from the competition. This is the only talent I can think of for this round. If it doesn't work, then there's naturally no need for me to participate."
Ouyang Yue first offered some flattery, then a threat. The seven judges, seeing the watchful eyes of the audience in the other stands, couldn't very well refuse. Besides, Ouyang Yue's words made sense; not being able to answer didn't mean it was a problem. Mr. Qi, on the other hand, said enthusiastically, "Miss Ouyang's question is truly interesting; it's the first time I've heard it like this. Continue, please continue." Mr. Qi was already racking his brains for an answer.