The competition began after all the young ladies were seated. As the host, Princess Lingyu of the Chengwang Mansion was the first to step forward.
Each young lady then stepped to the center to showcase her talents. Zheng Qing'er and Huang Ziyao were the last two to appear, one playing the piano and the other dancing, winning much applause.
"Oh dear, what should we do!" After watching all the young ladies' talent shows, Princess Ming sighed, "Everyone has their own strengths. It's such a shame to choose one and let the others lose!"
After the competition, Princess Lingyu sat down next to her mother, Princess Cheng. Upon hearing Princess Ming's words, she immediately smiled and said, "Fifth Princess, what's so difficult about that? How about we pick all the fruit and then make a decision?"
Princess Lingyu's words immediately garnered the approval of many. After all, the competition wasn't over yet, and ranking everyone first, second, third, and fourth would make it difficult to determine the final results and could affect everyone's morale.
However, some people disagreed, including Zheng Qing'er. After Princess Lingyu finished speaking, Zheng Qing'er said, "Your Highness, I suggest that we determine the results of this round first, and then determine the results of later rounds later." After all, her dance was very good, and she should get a good result. Zheng Qing'er couldn't wait to know her ranking and couldn't wait to receive everyone's praise.
Princess Lingyu choked, and her gaze towards Zheng Qing'er turned unfriendly. What was wrong with this woman? Was she trying to argue with her? She had already said so, and most people agreed, so why was this woman interfering?
Immediately, Princess Lingyu asked unhappily, "Then according to Miss Zheng's wishes, how should the ranking be arranged later? Should it be combined or separated?"
Princess Lingyu came on strong, and Zheng Qing'er was momentarily speechless, but she quickly calmed down and replied with a smile, "Of course it's a combination of factors!"
Princess Lingyu refused to budge an inch. "If the one with the best dance performance picks the fewest fruits, how should we balance things out? Should we judge them based on their dance performance or the number of fruits they picked?"
"This..." Zheng Qing'er was stunned. She had never thought about this question.
“Your Highness, why don’t we follow Princess Lingyu’s suggestion and rank the participants after all the competitions are over?” Bai Nuo suggested. “It’s not that I’m unwilling to part with the things in the shop, but if the results of these two rounds are different, it might upset Miss Gewai!”
Princess Cheng nodded and looked at Zheng Qing'er. "Miss Zheng, I know you are concerned about the competition, but please don't be anxious. The competition is not over yet, and Princess Ming and I already know how everyone is doing!"
Zheng Qing'er was first rebuked by Princess Lingyu, then humiliated by Bai Nuo, and finally silenced by the Princess Consort. Her face burned with embarrassment, feeling like everyone was laughing at her. She was extremely unhappy; if she were at home, no one would dare speak to her like that. But in the Prince's residence, she had no choice but to swallow her anger and awkwardly said, "Yes, then I'll listen to the Princess Consort and the Princess!"
To curry favor with Princess Lingyu, Zheng Qing'er added Lingyu's name to the end.
Bai Nuo watched Zheng Qing'er sit down, and as she did so, Zheng Qing'er rolled her eyes at Bai Nuo, leaving Bai Nuo utterly bewildered. What was wrong with this person? She had just been trying to help her out of a difficult situation! If Zheng Qing'er continued talking, she would completely offend Ling Yu, making the rest of the competition extremely difficult.
You have to understand, this is someone's home. If they want to do something to you, it's incredibly easy for them.
Seeing that no one had any objections, Princess Cheng smiled and said, "Then let's go to the orchard now. Granny Zhu, you lead the way."
Granny Zhu responded politely, then walked to the center and said to everyone, "Ladies and young ladies, please follow me!"
After exchanging pleasantries, everyone followed Granny Zhu out. However, after everyone had left, only Princess Cheng and Princess Ming remained sitting in the hall. Princess Cheng looked at Princess Ming curiously and said, "Sister-in-law, aren't you going out?"
Princess Ming looked at the crowd leaving and pulled Princess Cheng aside, saying, "Sister-in-law, I have a question for you, so answer me honestly!"
Seeing the mysterious tone of Princess Ming's words, Princess Cheng sat down again and nodded, "Ask away, whatever it is, I'll answer you to the best of my ability!"
"Tell me!" Princess Ming looked at Princess Cheng with some surprise as she watched Bai Nuo leave. "Sister-in-law, why did you call all these people here? They have no manners at all."
This question really can't be answered! Princess Cheng paused for a moment. Could she tell Princess Ming her true intentions? No, if Princess Ming found out, the entire royal family would know. It wouldn't matter if the entire royal family knew, since there weren't many people who could rival her husband. But if her father found out, that would be troublesome.
Princess Cheng's mind raced, and she immediately laughed and said, "What are you thinking? I'm only doing this because of Princess Yuru. The Empress Dowager intends to take good care of the Hu family's young master, and I'm just going along with her wishes!"
Princess Ming pouted and stopped talking. Seeing her like this, Princess Cheng laughed and said, "Alright, alright, after all, she is the only descendant of Princess Yu Ru. Please bear with her. It's getting late, let's go out quickly!"
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