At this moment, the passersby downstairs who had been watching the fierce competition began to whisper among themselves.
“In previous years, those who could answer up to the fifth level were already extremely rare. Could it be that these two really have a chance to win the title of ‘King of the Light’ this year?”
The other person immediately retorted, "Don't worry! How could the title of King of the Lanterns be so easily taken by someone?"
"Indeed! The riddles on the sixth and seventh floors were all set by Lord Yun when he was still alive. So many years have passed. Our famous scholar Ning from Yunzhou only took a quarter of an hour to successfully reach the fifth floor, but in the end, he was still trapped on the sixth floor and could not move forward!"
"Gentlemen, in my opinion, it is already quite difficult to successfully climb to these five levels. However, I wonder how the outcome of this competition will be determined?"
A murmur arose from the crowd.
At this moment, one of Wang Gongzi's classmates stepped forward and tried his best to defend him.
"Is there even a question? Young Master Wang was the first to reach the fifth floor, so he should be considered the winner!"
However, some people have offered a different perspective: "You can't say that. When the two of them made their bet, they agreed on who would ultimately win the title of 'King of Lanterns,' not simply a contest of who could guess the riddles the fastest."
"In that case, tell me, what is the most appropriate way to judge this?"
For a time, everyone held their own opinion and the debate raged on.
Just then, Zhao Zhao appeared out of nowhere.
She walked up to the waiter in the building, took the pen and ink from his hand without saying a word, and then walked slowly toward Moonlight Tower.
"Huh? Where did this little girl come from? Why did she come up here too?"
Seeing this, some of the more curious people in the crowd were about to step forward to see what was going on, but they were immediately blocked by the servants who were responsible for maintaining order.
"Sir, please be patient for a moment. Our Moonlit Pavilion has its own rules. Only three guests are allowed to enter the building at a time to participate in the riddle-solving activity. Only after someone comes out can others be let in. Why don't you go and have a pot of tea over there and wait for them to come out before going upstairs?"
Zhao Zhao guessed all the way upstairs, and when she saw Ming Xuan again, it had only been a quarter of an hour.
At this moment, gasps of amazement rose from the surrounding crowd.
"This young girl is truly extraordinary; she's about to break the record set by Ning, the great talent!"
"You're absolutely right, that's amazing!"
"What are you all arguing about! We haven't even reached the sixth floor yet! Don't jump to conclusions!" A loyal supporter of Ning Caizi immediately jumped out to refute these words.
Just as the argument between the two was about to escalate into a heated quarrel, suddenly, someone nearby shouted at the top of their lungs, "Look! That girl has already gone up to the sixth floor!"
This shout was like a thunderclap, instantly attracting everyone's attention. The two people who were originally at loggerheads stopped arguing and raised their heads at the same time, looking towards Moonlight Tower.
Everyone's eyes followed Zhao Zhao's movements closely, their hearts in their throats.
Before long, another cheer rang out: "The King of Lamps has appeared!"
Then, the huge and magnificent lamp was slowly extinguished and carefully removed by the servants.
People began to whisper among themselves, discussing, "Whose daughter is this? She's so intelligent and clever, truly remarkable!"
"That's right, that's right! This is the first time in all these years that the King of Lamps has been taken down!"
Amidst exclamations of admiration and surprise, Zhao Zhao calmly descended the stairs.
Upon reaching the fifth floor, Zhao Zhao immediately spotted Ming Xuan, but she seemed completely oblivious to him, walking past him without even glancing at him.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Mingxuan, like a wronged wife, followed Zhaozhao downstairs.
Unexpectedly, they were blocked by the Moonlight Pavilion manager who rushed over halfway down the stairs.
Mingxuan immediately stepped forward and pulled the person into his protective range.
"What do you want to do!"
The shopkeeper was seen running hurriedly, constantly wiping the sweat from his forehead.
When he reached her, he took a few deep breaths before speaking, "Please don't misunderstand! I've come here simply to discuss with this young lady whether it's possible to sell this King of Lamps to our Moonlit Pavilion."
It should be noted that although this lamp is extremely expensive to produce, it is not very practical for ordinary households.
But for Moonlit Pavilion, it's a completely different story.
Every year, Yuehuilou relies on the "King of Lanterns" for various marketing activities and charges exorbitant tea fees in return.
It's no exaggeration to say that this "King of Lights" is their absolute cash cow.
At this moment, Zhao Zhao slowly walked out from behind Ming Xuan. "I can agree to the shopkeeper's request, but I also have a small condition that I hope the shopkeeper will grant."
"Please speak, young lady! I will do my utmost to fulfill your request, as long as it is within my power."
Zhao Zhao nodded slightly and continued, "My elder brother made a bet with that young master Wang, and the outcome is still undecided. I'm thinking that rather than letting them continue to be deadlocked, it would be better for everyone to make peace. However, this would mean missing an opportunity to turn things around, so..."
At this point, Zhao Zhao paused deliberately, her gaze slowly sweeping over the shopkeeper.
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper understood Zhaozhao's implied meaning and hurriedly agreed, "Miss is very thoughtful. This is a fine festival, and we certainly can't let it end so unpleasantly. Don't worry, I'll take care of it. I'll send someone to fetch an extra lamp and personally deliver it to Mr. Wang!"
The shopkeeper turned and hurriedly ran to the storeroom, returning shortly with two lamps.
Although these two lanterns are not as magnificent and dazzling as the previous lantern known as the "King of Lanterns," they are still among the most exquisite works of art in the entire lantern festival.
The shopkeeper handed one cup to Zhaozhao and the other to the scholar from before.
Zhao Zhao took the lantern. "Since you chose it yourself, shopkeeper, it must be excellent."
The shopkeeper was a smooth talker; he managed to win over the scholar, surnamed Wang, with just a few words.
Seeing this, Zhao Zhao shoved the lantern she was carrying into Ming Xuan's hands, and without saying a word to him, she hurried downstairs.
Mingxuan stood there blankly, staring at the beautiful lantern in his hand, his heart filled with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow.
On the one hand, he was overjoyed to receive the lantern as a gift from Zhaozhao.
However, on the other hand, she felt extremely ashamed and guilty.
It's so shameful that a grown man like me has to rely on Zhao Zhao to clean up my mess!
To make matters worse, Zhao Zhao left looking so angry, clearly furious with herself.
And so, until the Lantern Festival ended, Zhao Zhao didn't even have time to buy her favorite fried cakes before heading straight back to the mansion.
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