Su Xiaoning shook her head, took the apple back from Su Qingcai's hand, and calmly said, "The one who's the target isn't the Ninth Prince, it's me. The Ninth Prince is here to throw the dart."
These words shocked everyone present.
Consort Zheng was also somewhat surprised and asked with some doubt, "You're here to choose a consort, aren't you afraid of hurting yourself by using yourself as a target?"
“It is precisely because I am here to select a concubine that I trust the Ninth Prince.” Su Xiaoning revealed a confident smile. “I will definitely not be hurt. This is what I am performing.”
Upon hearing this, the emperor's initial worries turned into interest, while Su Qingcai remained extremely anxious.
Holding the dart in his hand, Su Qingcai felt uneasy. "Your Majesty, please allow me to go and make some preparations."
The emperor agreed, and Su Qingcai pulled Su Xiaoning to a corner and said seriously, "This matter is of utmost importance. Go and tell the emperor to change the performance style, or at least not to perform at all. You must not risk your life."
Su Xiaoning shook her head and said softly, "I know you care about me, but I've already said it, how can I take it back? Miss Meng has already gone on stage to perform, so I definitely have to go on stage too. At worst, I'll just fail like her."
“But if this fails, it could endanger your life!” Su Qingcai frowned, feeling that this was unreliable no matter how she thought about it. “If you don’t want to say it, then I will say it for you. You must not perform this kind of show under any circumstances.”
Having said that, Su Qingcai was really going to ask the emperor for help.
Su Xiaoning quickly grabbed him and sighed, "Don't worry, have you forgotten that I have a koi fish mark on me? With the luck of a koi fish, how could anything happen to me?"
“But…” Su Qingcai pursed her lips, her eyes still showing a hint of worry.
Su Xiaoning gently took his hand and said softly, "You really don't need to worry. I have the koi fish mark, and I believe you won't hurt me. I want to create a show that everyone will remember, so I have to take an unconventional approach. If you really care about me, then agree to this."
She looked intently at Su Qingcai, her eyes sparkling.
Ultimately, all of this was for Su Qingcai; otherwise, she wouldn't have gone to such lengths. Thinking of this, Su Qingcai felt a bitter pang in her heart, knowing there was no going back, and could only nod.
After the two compromised, they stepped out of the corner and went on stage to begin their performance.
Su Qingcai brought over a few apples and, following Su Xiaoning's instructions, placed them on Su Xiaoning's head, hands, and toes.
Su Xiaoning, covered in apples, looked particularly comical, but everyone was on tenterhooks thinking about the darts performance that was about to begin.
Su Qingcai was extremely nervous. He desperately suppressed his panic, picked up the dart, and aimed it at the apple on Su Xiaoning's body.
He took a deep breath, and after confirming that he was on the right track, he threw the dart. The dart flew steadily, heading straight for Su Xiaoning's eye, and finally, under the watchful eyes of everyone, it struck the apple on her head.
Su Xiaoning's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. She relaxed her tense body and gave Su Qingcai an encouraging smile.
Su Qingcai felt much more at ease. He calmed his mind and threw a few more darts.
The darts all landed squarely on the apples, without missing a single one, and Su Xiaoning was completely unharmed.
At the end, cheers erupted in the Imperial Garden, and even the Emperor couldn't help but applaud.
Zheng Fei was the only one with a blank expression. She stared intently at Su Xiaoning, whose face was full of smiles, and snorted coldly.
"Well done, a truly magnificent performance!"
The emperor was generous with his praise, and Su Qingcai smiled and thanked him. Just as he was about to take Su Xiaoning away, Consort Zheng suddenly said quietly, "Your Majesty, I think the Ninth Prince cheated!"
"Why do you say that, my beloved concubine?"
"If he didn't cheat, how could he have performed such a difficult act flawlessly?"
Consort Zheng gave a reproachful look, leaned against the Emperor's chest, and said in a sickeningly sweet tone, "Your Majesty, the selection of consorts should be fair. Since the Ninth Prince cheated, they cannot be considered to have won this round. Although Miss Meng made a mistake, she is still much better than them."
This baseless slander clearly reached everyone's ears. Su Qingcai sneered and said in a cold voice, "Without evidence, Consort Zheng should be careful with her words."
“Who says there’s no evidence? My eyes are the evidence.” Zheng Fei blinked and gave Su Qingcai a provocative look.
Su Qingcai clenched his fist and was about to step down from the stage to argue with Consort Zheng.
Considering that Consort Zheng was a favored concubine, Su Xiaoning was afraid that the emperor would be dissatisfied with Su Qingcai, so she grabbed him and said to the emperor, "Ninth Prince definitely did not cheat. Since Consort Zheng does not believe us, let's perform again!"
Torn between his favored concubine and his own brother, the emperor was in a dilemma. Since he could indeed reenact the performance, he nodded in agreement.
Consort Zheng suddenly smiled and said to the Emperor in a coquettish tone, "Your Majesty, doing it the same way once is definitely not going to work. In my opinion, why don't we make it a little more difficult for them and have the Ninth Prince blindfolded?"
The emperor was greatly alarmed and immediately objected, "No! Blindfolding is too risky; we must not take such a dangerous step!"
"Your Majesty, is it really not allowed?" Consort Zheng gave a troubled smile. Suddenly, she stretched out her wrist and casually rang a bell in front of the emperor.
The bells rang, and the emperor's expression froze for a moment. The next second, he said seriously, "My dear consort's suggestion is good. Since the Ninth Prince is suspected of cheating, let him throw the darts blindfolded! My dear consort, you will blindfold the Ninth Prince."
"Your Majesty!" Su Qingcai exclaimed in disbelief, but the emperor completely ignored him.
Consort Zheng smiled gently, looking at Su Qingcai with a hint of smugness: "Ninth Prince, since the Emperor has said so, you mustn't disobey the imperial decree!"
She laughed heartily, took the blindfold handed to her by a palace maid, and gracefully walked towards Su Qingcai.
Su Qingcai glanced at Su Xiaoning with concern. Although Su Xiaoning's face was a little pale, she still managed a smile and whispered, "I'm fine, don't disobey the imperial decree."
Her smile was more painful than tears, and Su Qingcai's heart was filled with heartache, but there was no turning back, so he had no choice but to accept it.
Consort Zheng blindfolded him herself. She didn't go back, but stood on the sidelines like a spectator watching a play.
Su Qingcai's eyes were covered by a black cloth, and he couldn't see anything in the darkness. He could only rely on sound to determine his location.
He stood there listening attentively for a while, then suddenly a cold smile appeared on his lips. The next second, he picked up a dart and threw it straight at Consort Zheng!
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