“Miss Hongyu volunteered herself. Your close friend is truly shrewd and resourceful.”
Shen Yu was surprised and turned to look; it was actually King Jing.
She didn't want to talk to Prince Jing, lest she provoke Shen Jing's jealousy. So, she nodded and hurried away. Behind her, another round of cheers erupted, "They won!"
"To fight four against one, Miss Hongyu is truly a heroine among women."
“Bao Qianqiu is far inferior to her.”
"..."
Shen Yu was even more puzzled: Where did Bao Qianqiu go?
She walked towards Consort Kong's tent, only to see Bao Qianqiu running out clutching her stomach. Remembering Prince Jing's words, she guessed what had happened; Hongyu must have given Bao Qianqiu croton oil.
She stopped and turned around. Hongyu and Songhua had come down from the arena. The two were chatting and laughing as they passed by her and went into Consort Kong's tent.
Consort Kong was chatting and laughing with Hongyu when she saw Chenyu enter, and she pointed to the seat next to her.
Chen Yu sat down, facing Hong Yu.
Hongyu, beaming with joy, recounted the amusing incidents from the competition. She would glance at Consort Kong one moment and Songhua to her left the next. When she got to the exciting parts, she would gesticulate excitedly, making Consort Kong burst into laughter.
"Hongyu is truly a hidden talent. From now on, no matter whose polo match you host, you must not miss it. You must let the young masters of the capital witness your skills."
"You flatter me, Your Highness. Hongyu just didn't want to spoil the fun, so she volunteered to go on stage. I just wonder how Miss Qianqiu is doing?"
------
Bao Qianqiu walked in unsteadily and sat down next to Chen Yu. She was pale and weak, still thinking about the competition. She looked at Song Hua opposite her and asked, "Young Master Song Hua, did we win the competition?"
Song Hua was stunned, only then remembering his promise to Bao Qianqiu. At the beginning of the competition, Prince Xiang intended for the two of them to team up, two against four. However, Consort Kong's reward was only one item, so Song Hua promised that if the two of them won the championship, he would give Consort Kong's reward to Bao Qianqiu.
The reason he made this promise was that he wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Bao family, and Bao Qianqiu also had the same idea.
However, the game changed:
Just now, Songhua went to the stable and happened to run into Hongyu. He told Hongyu to just hide in the back and not to fight with anyone.
To everyone's surprise, Hongyu retorted, "I went up here to compete with others and win this match by my own strength."
Ha! Song Hua found it all laughable. A weak woman trying to win the competition all by herself? That was just wishful thinking.
Little did they know, this was Hongyu's trap.
To prevent the dragon and phoenix hairpin from falling into Bao Qianqiu's hands, Hongyu secretly put croton oil in Bao Qianqiu's hands, substitute for him in the competition, and even wanted to replace Bao Qianqiu in his engagement to Songhua.
Therefore, she abandoned her usual cautiousness and pretended to be innocent in order to attract Songhua's attention.
Songhua often spends time with children and genuinely likes their innocent and naive nature. When he saw Hongyu boasting that she would win the competition, he not only found it amusing but also worried that Hongyu would lose the competition and not be able to win the reward.
So he kindly advised Hongyu, "Miss Hongyu, don't be stubborn. I'll dribble the ball, and you just wait to score, okay?"
"Oh no! I'm going to have to fight four people by myself. I need Young Master Songhua to go to the red team."
"What?!" Song Hua was shocked and looked at Hong Yu. She saw that the small face, no bigger than a palm, was raised, with a pout, raised eyebrows, and rolling her eyes.
In his eyes, Hongyu at this moment was like a stubborn, unyielding, and ignorant child, which really surprised him. He never expected that Hongyu would be so naive after becoming a mother.
Furthermore, if it weren't for Hongyu helping him cover up in the bamboo grove in the back garden, his secret rendezvous with Consort Kong would have been exposed long ago.
Therefore, he agreed to Hongyu's request without considering the consequences. "Alright, you're on your own team. Don't cry if you lose." After saying that, he led his horse away, but Hongyu stopped him.
Hongyu spread her arms, tilted her head back, and stood there with her petite figure curvaceous and charming, speaking with great confidence:
"Young Master Songhua, if I win the competition, you must promise me one thing."
"Pfft!"
Song Hua couldn't help but burst out laughing, thinking to himself that although Zhang Hongyu was already a beautiful young woman, her innocence and naivety were no less than that of a young boy.
So, as if coaxing a child, he leaned forward slightly, peeked out, and asked softly, "What is it? As long as it's not murder or arson, I will definitely agree."
Hongyu's eyes reddened, her arms fell limply to her sides, tears glistening in her crescent-shaped eyes. Her voice choked with sobs, "Yesterday... at the Mu family home, Hongyu lost an earring. It's probably fallen into the river. The earring wasn't valuable, but it was something my mother left me..."
Seeing Hongyu in tears, Songhua quickly took out the earring and handed it to her. "Miss Hongyu, don't be sad. Your earring didn't fall into the river. Perhaps it fell into my clothes when I carried you ashore. There are so many people coming and going at this polo match. I was thinking of sending someone to return it to you. Now that no one is around, I'll return the earring to you."
Hongyu was displeased. Songhua's actions clearly showed that he did not want to be associated with her. In order to spread rumors with Songhua, she did not take the earring. Instead, she wiped away her tears and smiled, "Once I win the competition against four opponents, I will definitely ask Young Master Songhua to take back the earring. If I wear it now, I am afraid I will lose it."
After saying that, she left the stable, leaving Songhua staring at her longingly.
Song Hua never expected that Hong Yu could win the match against four opponents. At this moment, Bao Qianqiu asked about the result of the match, and he did not know how to explain it.
Consort Kong put away her smile, her expression becoming serious and composed, and said, "Just now, Hongyu stepped up for you and won the match against four opponents. Naturally, I must keep my promise and bestow the dragon and phoenix hairpin upon today's champion."
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