The next morning.
In the antique courtyard, a woman dressed in blue was practicing martial arts with an orderly pace, holding a whip. Beside her, her maid, Xingxing, cheered for her mistress. In Xingxing's eyes, her mistress was the most dazzling and radiant being.
Just then, a man dressed in yellow suddenly appeared at the door. Indeed, this was Yongqi.
When Yongqi saw his cousin practicing martial arts so diligently, he was amazed and full of admiration.
After all, my cousin often did surprising things. For example, when Master Ji required everyone to practice calligraphy, many people in the school persisted for the first month. After half a year, only a handful of people remained. After two years, only my cousin was still persisting.
My cousin's perseverance in literature was already remarkable. But her dedication to martial arts was equally unwavering. Regardless of the season, she consistently rose at 3:45 AM every day to practice. She eventually mastered excellent swordsmanship, archery, and light-body skills—all of which were top-notch. She even possessed unique insights into military strategy.
Yongqi remained silent, waiting quietly for his cousin to finish practicing before going forward.
When Anke finished practicing and Xingxing handed him a warm handkerchief, Yongqi clapped and walked forward.
"Fifth Brother, what brings you here?" An Ke heard the noise and looked straight towards the door. She was quite surprised to see that it was the Fifth Prince.
Logically speaking, aren't they planning a balloon competition right now? Why would he, the captain of the princes' team, come to the Cining Palace?
"My cousin is really amazing. She still practices her skills at the same rate. Otherwise, I don't know when I would have come to find you," the Fifth Prince said with a self-deprecating smile, but his eyes were full of admiration and appreciation.
"Constant dripping wears away a stone, and the same principle applies to literature and martial arts. One must persevere to make progress." Anke wiped his face carelessly and handed the handkerchief in his hand to Xingxing.
Xingxing took the handkerchief from her mistress and silently rolled her eyes at the Fifth Prince. Of all times, why did the Fifth Prince have to come when her mistress was practicing? The mistress usually finished practicing and was having breakfast by then. Could it be that this Fifth Prince was here to freeload? Thinking this, Xingxing pouted even more.
Fifth Prince: Me? Me, freeloading?
Xingxing: Otherwise, why are you standing suspiciously at the door?
Fifth Prince: ...6
"Fifth Brother, you must have something to say. This hesitant manner is not like you. Is there something you need your cousin to do?" An Ke really couldn't stand the man's stammering manner. If you have something to say, just say it directly. What's with all this beating around the bush?
Yongqi awkwardly touched the tip of his nose; his cousin's temper was as fiery as ever. "You've probably heard that the palace is going to hold a balloon-throwing competition for men and women, right?"
An Ke nodded obediently. She did know about it, and there was nothing to hide. After all, there were only so many interesting things happening in the palace. If it was already causing such a stir, how could she not know?
“Yesterday I heard Benjamin say that they still have some strength left to hold on. Xiao Yanzi and the others will send a group of palace maids, so we'll cheer them on.” After saying this, Yongqi observed his cousin’s expression.
"Oh, really? But what does this have to do with Fifth Brother coming to see me?" An Ke's gaze was fixed on the Fifth Prince, as if trying to see through his body into the depths of his soul.
Yongqi, having already spoken, naturally wouldn't give up easily. She swallowed hard and continued, "Erkang originally wanted his cavalry to come and race around, but I figured Father would definitely disagree. And if we go with a bunch of eunuchs, we'd feel inferior to them in terms of presence, so I was thinking, could you send your guards to cheer us on?" After saying this, the Fifth Prince didn't dare look at his cousin's expression, lowering his head straight down, even bracing himself for rejection.
[The imperial guards mentioned here refer to the secret guards that the Emperor knew about. Prince Rui, fearing for his beloved daughter's safety, had specially trained them from a young age. These guards did not receive a salary from the Emperor; they were all under Prince Rui's command. However, the Emperor was aware of their existence.]
"Qi'er Liding"? Isn't that just cheerleading? In the original storyline, the princes' team indeed had no one cheering them on, while the princesses' team received a surprise prepared by Consort Ling. But shouldn't the princes' team only find out on the day itself? They even denounced Benjamin as a "traitor." How come they know about "Qi'er Liding" so early now?
It's really puzzling, and how did they end up asking me for help?
“If I disagree, what should Fifth Brother do?” An Ke looked at Yong Qi with a smile in her eyes.
Yongqi glanced at Anke, unsure of what her smile meant—whether it signified agreement or disagreement—and his heart pounded like a drum. "If you disagree, Fifth Brother, I'll think of another way."
Seeing the Fifth Prince's hesitant and bargaining manner, An Ke felt a slight softening of her heart. Besides, she was a member of the royal family and his cousin, having grown up together.
Consort Ling's actions were extremely unethical. If you prepared a "Qi Li Ding" (a skill that allows one to stand upright) for the princesses' team, why not also prepare one for the princes' team? Although the princesses' team doesn't have a significant advantage in this competition, according to the original storyline, they still have quite a few underhanded tricks up their sleeves.
Some players can endure the humiliation of being forced to crawl between someone's legs, others can use a hat to catch the ball, and still others even resort to seduction. And what about the older team? They seem stronger than the younger ones, but in reality, they're either worried about this or that, and they have no real strategies; they just rely on perfect teamwork and playing together.
Fine, I'll play the saint this time. It'll be helping the Fifth Prince and repaying the favor I did for him when we were kids, always dragging him into taking the blame for me. We can't really leave the princes' team without anyone cheering them on.
"Alright, then lend the guards to Fifth Brother for a few days. But I need to be there to guide and observe them, to see what they need to practice and how they need to do it." After all, they are his guards, and as their master, he must have the right to know what they are doing, lest someone "rebel" among them. Although they are said to have been trained since childhood, who knows if they might have disloyal intentions or be able to resist temptation? After all, you can't see into someone's heart, so you really need to be wary.
As for the Fifth Prince, he was overjoyed to hear that his cousin wanted to lend him the guards. How could he possibly refuse such a small request? Besides, the guards belonged to her, so it was perfectly reasonable for her to watch from the sidelines.
"Alright, then I, your fifth brother, thank you in advance, cousin." Yongqi clasped his hands in a fist salute to Anke and bowed slightly.
After seeing the Fifth Prince off, An Ke took a food box containing breakfast and headed towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Although the guard team is his own and he can do as he pleases, it's still best to inform his uncle, the Emperor, beforehand, to avoid keeping him in the dark.
Reaching the Hall of Mental Cultivation, I saw Li Yu and Xiao Luzi outside. I casually handed them another food box. The contents of the two food boxes were different, but it was both a token of my goodwill.
"Princess, you've arrived!" Li Yu and Xiao Luzi rushed forward as soon as they saw An Ke, taking the food box she handed them.
"Is the Emperor still handling state affairs?" An Ke asked them with a smile.
"Yes, I just finished talking with Lord Emin and Lord Fuheng." Xiao Luzi had been guarding the door the whole time, so he naturally knew which minister the Emperor had finished talking with. As for these matters, there was no need to hide them from the Princess, after all, she had even attended court with her and participated in discussions of state affairs!
"Oh, this food box is full of breakfast. Li Yu and Xiao Luzi, you should try some too. See if there's anything that needs improvement." After saying that, she smiled at them and walked inside before they could refuse.
Li Yu and Xiao Luzi watched the princess disappear into the distance, their eyes brimming with tears. Only the princess thought of them in everything she did; even when she invented new foods, she would bring them a portion. So, money can buy anything, but what matters most is this thoughtfulness, isn't it?
"Uncle Emperor, have you had breakfast? An'an brought you some breakfast." An Ke took out the breakfast from the food box and placed it in front of the Emperor.
The Emperor picked up a piece of mung bean cake from the plate and looked at An Ke with amusement. "Speak, what do you want to tell your uncle now?" He slowly put the piece of mung bean cake into his mouth.
The first sip is bursting with the sweet flavor of mung beans, complemented by a hint of rose aroma. Paired with a sip of Longjing tea, it's simply divine!
"Oh dear, I heard there's going to be a balloon-releasing competition in the palace. The princesses' team has a surprise arranged by Consort Ling, and Fifth Brother wanted one too, so I lent him my guards." An Ke stepped forward and tugged at the Emperor's sleeve. "Isn't this also to cheer Fifth Brother on? Otherwise, he'd be at a disadvantage in terms of morale. Consort Ling prepared a surprise for the princesses' team, and it would be a bit unfair if the princes' team didn't get anything."
After listening to An Ke's words, the Emperor also felt that Consort Ling's handling of the matter was unethical. He said, "If you're going to prepare, prepare for both sides; otherwise, don't prepare for either. Otherwise, what if the princes' team feels a bit resentful on the day of the competition, affecting the outcome?"
So he didn't say anything more. He reached out and patted Anke's hand, smiling as he said, "Do whatever you want, you don't need to tell your royal uncle."
An Ke knew exactly what the Emperor was thinking, so she went along with him and said, "Isn't it because I was worried that if my guards suddenly showed up on the day of the competition, my uncle would think something had happened? I'm letting you know in advance so you can be prepared and not be kept in the dark?"
"Alright, alright. Have you had breakfast? You can't lose weight here in the palace, or your father will hold me accountable." The Emperor had watched An Ke grow up, and naturally doted on and loved this niece immensely.
"I've already eaten. An'an just came to tell you, Your Majesty. If there's nothing else, then An'an will take her leave." An'an took the opportunity to slip away.
"Wait." Sure enough, before they could even make their escape, the Emperor called them back.
"Is there anything else, Uncle?" Anke asked, blinking her big eyes.
"Nothing's wrong, what could possibly be wrong?" The Emperor patted An Ke's hand, gesturing for her to sit down beside him.
An Ke didn't hesitate at all; this was the dragon throne, and she sat down without any precautions.
Anke: It's not like it's the first time I've ridden in it, what's there to be hesitant about?
"It's a good opportunity for you to discuss this with me. Do you think the Princess's team or the Prince's team will win?" the Emperor said to his niece, seemingly having nothing else to say.
"Uncle Huang has his own conclusion on this matter. The Princess Team will definitely come up with some unexpected tricks, as for the Prince Team, I don't think Fifth Brother is the type to come up with any underhanded tactics," An Ke said quietly.
"I think so too." The Emperor stroked his chin, looking enigmatic. "I think Yongqi..."
The laughter and merriment in the Hall of Mental Cultivation lasted for a long time that day!
After that day, Anke followed the Brothers' team every day, thinking about ways to cheer on the guards.
Ertai, who had been quietly watching Princess Yong'an from the sidelines, was overjoyed. He never expected to see the princess while participating in a competition.
Ertai: Abi! Abi! (≧?≦)\/
——
In the midst of everyone's excitement, the palace's first men's and women's balloon-throwing competition began.
The princesses, princes, and concubines of the palace all came out to watch the spectacle. They were all waiting inside for the Empress Dowager and the Emperor to arrive. So they silently split into two groups: on the left were the princesses, princes, and concubines of the palace, and on the right were some of the more favored ministers.
At this moment, the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the high-ranking concubines slowly made their appearance.
Everyone bowed again.
Because Anke was a princess who received a prince's stipend, her seat was relatively close to the front, and she was seated at the table to the right of the Empress Dowager. As for Qing'er, she originally wanted to stand next to the Empress Dowager, but when she saw Anke waving at her, she sat down with Anke instead.
Next up were the Brothers' Team and the Princesses' Team.
Next appeared Benjamin, the referee. Then they, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, bowed once more.
The Emperor, sitting in the center of the guard, had a clear view of them and frowned, saying, "What's going on with this princess contingent? Why are there tall ones, short ones, fat ones, and thin ones? Isn't this a 'ragtag army'? How can such a team win?"
"Originally, I did not agree to hold this competition, but seeing how excited everyone in the palace is, I think it is reasonable to hold the competition," the Empress Dowager said kindly from the side.
"Your Majesty, don't underestimate these people. Perhaps the Princess Team has some tricks up its sleeve," Qing'er said from the side, acting like a commentator.
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