Chapter 35 The Prince has already taken care of it.
Tang Xinuan had never encountered such a troublesome situation before.
"What should we do?" she said, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
The hundred taels of silver that were about to be in his hands were about to disappear.
She had promised Zhou Chuanxing that she would give him everything.
Just then, Zisu squeezed next to her and whispered, "Young master, don't worry. The prince already knows about their cheating and has taken care of it. You can focus on the competition."
Tang Xinuan was overjoyed, and a smile instantly appeared on her fair, wrinkled face. "Really?"
Zisu said earnestly, "How could I possibly lie to you, young master!"
Tang Xinuan was relieved and then told Sun Qingzhao, "My friend has already taken care of it."
Sun Qingzhao was shocked: "Your first friend?"
Tang Xinuan nodded: "Yes, he's very capable; he can do anything."
Sun Qingzhao was somewhat jealous.
However, he was already very honored to be Hanxi's second friend.
"That's all settled. Let's find a place to sit down."
Tang Xinuan hadn't seen Chu Yanqing yet, and the competition was about to start, so she called Xiaoqian over, "Have you seen my cousin?"
Xiaoqian shook her head. "That's strange. The Third Miss should have arrived long ago, but we haven't seen her yet. Surely she's not going to skip it."
Tang Xinuan was vaguely worried; as an orphan who had just escaped from the Marquis's mansion, she certainly couldn't help.
Unfortunately, she had never dealt with these kinds of things before.
She had no experience or case studies to follow.
If Erlang were here with her, she could ask him directly what to do since her cousin hasn't arrived yet.
Erlang will definitely give her some pointers.
But Erlang wasn't by my side.
Tang Xinuan remained silent, and Xiaoqian continued, "Yesterday, the Third Miss came in fourth place. She might be able to make it into the top three today. It would be a real shame if she didn't participate."
Just then, Prince Duan entered Caiyue Tower, fanning himself with a folding fan.
Tang Xinuan was overjoyed and quietly instructed Xiaoqian, "Go find Prince Duan and ask him to help me find out why my cousin hasn't arrived yet."
Xiaoqian left in a hurry.
There were so many people watching the game today.
Li Pixiu decided to move the competition venue to the street.
That way, as many people as want to watch it can.
However, an entrance fee is required to view the Caiyue Tower.
Once outside Caiyue Tower, he couldn't forcibly collect fees on the street, and he was initially unwilling to do so.
Prince Rui paid 20,000 taels of silver to buy him the right to relocate.
Li Pixiu, greedy for money, naturally agreed without any principles.
By this time, a stage had been set up on the street, and there weren't as many people in the Caiyue Tower.
Xiaoqian quickly arrived at Prince Duan's side.
She was truly terrified of this aloof prince, but she forced herself to speak: "This humble servant greets Prince Duan..."
Prince Duan guessed that she must have something on her mind, otherwise she wouldn't have taken the initiative to contact him in public.
"What happened?"
Xiaoqian truthfully replied, "The competition is about to start, and I haven't seen Miss Chu yet. I wonder if Miss Chu has given up on the competition."
Prince Duan was startled: "She hasn't arrived yet?"
Xiaoqian nodded, "Maybe there were too many people, and I didn't see her."
Prince Duan waved his folding fan, somewhat irritated. "Alright, go back and take care of your young master. I'll go look for him."
Prince Duan left Caiyue Tower and instructed his two personal guards: "You two, search inside and outside the building to see if Miss Chu has come."
Before he could finish speaking, he noticed Chao Li rushing towards him in a hurry. "What's wrong? Why are you in such a rush?"
Chao Li was also looking for Chu Yanqing. "Third Brother, isn't it strange? I arranged to meet Miss Chu at the teahouse, but I waited for her for half an hour and she didn't show up. She doesn't seem like the type to be late. The competition has already started, and she still hasn't arrived. Has she given up on the competition?"
Prince Duan had a bad feeling. "I'm going to the Marquis's residence. You stay here and wait for her."
Prince Duan arrived at the stables of Caiyue Tower, mounted his prized horse, and rode straight to the Marquis's residence.
Chu Yanqing was confined to her home by Chu Yannuo.
Last night, Chu Yannuo returned to the Marquis's residence and threw a huge tantrum.
He always felt that his whole family knew where his cousin had gone, but they were only keeping it from him.
He was on the verge of losing control.
Seeing Chu Yanqing happily going home, he stopped her and gave her a good scolding.
"Chu Yanqing, you're my only sister, how could you hurt me like this!"
Chu Yanqing knew he was going crazy over his cousin's matter and didn't want to talk to him.
“I warned you long ago that your cousin would leave you. Even the day before the wedding, I still held onto a sliver of hope and tried to persuade you, but what did you say?”
You think your cousin is stupid, can't be a good housewife, and can't have healthy children.
Now that you have the Wei family girl, she's smart and healthy, you should just take good care of her. Why do you still need to go find your cousin?
Chu Yannuo wished he could strangle his younger sister.
"She's such a fool, how will she live if she leaves the Marquis's mansion? Aren't you worried about her?"
Chu Yanqing scoffed, "Maybe they're living much better than they did in the Marquis's mansion."
Chu Yannuo became increasingly certain that his younger sister knew where his cousin was.
"Chu Yanqing, tell me quickly, where did my cousin go? I can forgive you for helping her escape without telling me, otherwise don't blame me for not showing any brotherly affection."
Chu Yanqing had no idea where Tang Xinuan was.
There's nothing I can do to tell him.
"Brother, I really don't know, I can't help you."
Chu Yannuo was furious. "Someone, take the Third Miss back. From now on, she is not allowed to leave the manor."
Since last night, Chu Yanqing's courtyard has been surrounded by the Marquis's guards.
Let alone a living person like her, not even a fly could get out.
This morning, Chu Yannuo got up early and interrogated all the maids and guards who had been guarding the Green Bamboo Garden.
Lime remembers it very clearly.
This was the sixteenth time the young master had interrogated her.
She repeated everything she knew until her lips were blistered; there was really nothing more to say.
"Your Highness, I truly do not know. Please, I beg you, spare me."
If Chu Yannuo hadn't wanted to get some clues out of her, he would have killed her long ago.
“Tell me every single detail, from the moment you noticed that Miss Biao was acting strangely.”
Qingning carefully recalled the time when the young lady was still in the manor.
"By the way, Your Highness, one day when you were in a bad mood, I asked Cuiliu to invite Miss Cousin. When Cuiliu came back, she told me that Xiaoqian said Miss Cousin's brother seems to still be alive..."
Maybe……
The young lady was picked up by her brother.
Chu Yannuo was shocked. "You mean what Xiaoqian said, that my cousin is still alive?"
With her life at stake, Qingning wouldn't be mistaken. "There was such a thing. Xiaoqian didn't explain it clearly, but she meant that Young Master Tang was still alive."
Chu Yannuo had vaguely heard gossip before that her maternal grandfather's entire family had been executed, leaving behind only a five-year-old granddaughter who was mentally challenged.
Some say the Tang family switched their grandson, and that someone else died.
Is this really true?
But that still doesn't make sense. If my cousin is indeed alive, and his only aunt is in the Marquis's mansion, why doesn't he come to seek refuge with her?
They also want to take their younger sister away.
Why should he, a dead man who can't see the light of day, drag his own sister down with him?
Staying in the Marquis's mansion is at least safe for my younger sister.
What benefit would he get from taking it?
Are there any other unusual occurrences?
Qingning racked her brains to recall, "That's right, on the night of the wedding, Prince Duan visited the vicinity of Cuizhu Garden."
Chu Yannuo was startled: "You mean Prince Duan? What did he do there?"
Qing Ning replied truthfully, "He said he lost something. He was drunk at the time and made a fuss about us all helping him find it. We didn't dare not help... Yes, that's exactly what happened. Miss Biao could only have left around that time."
This statement does coincide with what Chu Yannuo was thinking.
My cousin never goes out and has no chance to meet men outside the home.
But Prince Duan was an exception.
Some time ago, Princess Chaoli invited all the noble ladies in the capital to a palace banquet. My cousin got lost in the palace, and it was Prince Duan who brought her out.
He must have been lustful and abducted his cousin.
"Anything else strange?"
As Qingning recalled, she said, "For a few days, Xiaoqian kept running out of the mansion, saying she was going to buy snacks from Yueyang Tower for Miss Tang. We weren't on guard. We could only do our best to satisfy Miss Tang's cravings; how could we dare to stop her?"
It must have been around that time that she contacted the prince and had the young lady stolen away.
...
"Your Highness, Prince Duan has arrived."
Chu Yannuo hadn't finished interrogating Qing Ning when he heard that Prince Duan had arrived. He gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger, and said, "Please come in."
Prince Duan, upon seeing him, made no attempt to beat around the bush, asking, "Where is the Third Miss?"
Chu Yannuo gripped the hilt of his sword, standing opposite Prince Duan, and looked at him with narrowed eyes.
Prince Duan noticed the murderous aura emanating from him and frowned: "I haven't offended Prince Chu, have I? Why is Prince Chu acting like this?"
Chu Yannuo didn't intend to beat around the bush, "Hand over my cousin."
Prince Duan was amused by his words: "Prince Chu, have you lost your mind and become stupid? Why are you asking me for a cousin?"
Chu Yannuo tightened his grip on the sword hilt.
He could barely restrain himself and held the sharp sword to Prince Duan's neck.
"You dare say you didn't take my cousin away?"
Prince Duan looked at him speechlessly: "Prince Chu, are you out of your mind? I suggest you wash it off. Everyone knows I like Miss Chu the Third. Why would I steal your cousin?"
What Prince Duan said was true; Chu Yannuo had known all along that he liked his younger sister.
My cousin never leaves the mansion and has only ever been in contact with Prince Duan.
"Swear to me that my cousin isn't with you, or you'll never get the girl you like."
Prince Duan was extremely open and honest.
But he was a high-ranking prince; how could he swear an oath to his subjects?
"Unless you let Miss Chu San come with me to Caiyue Tower to participate in the competition now."
Chu Yannuo said without hesitation, "I will only agree if you swear an oath first."
Prince Duan raised his right hand helplessly: "I swear, if I have abducted the Crown Prince of Chu's cousin, may I lose my love forever."
The vow was made too quickly, and Chu Yannuo was unsure of its validity.
Prince Duan added, "If I like a woman, I won't do it secretly. I can ask the Lady of the Marquis for her hand in marriage, and I'm sure she won't refuse."
Chu Yannuo could tell that Prince Duan was probably not involved in this matter.
We finally found a clue, but then it disappeared.
I felt increasingly irritable.
"Go and invite Third Sister."
And just like that, Prince Duan took Chu Yanqing away.
After learning the whole story on the way, Chu Yanqing asked, "My cousin really isn't with you?"
Prince Duan raised his right hand. "You won't make me swear an oath to you again, will you?"
He likes Miss Chu the Third, so what's the point of him stealing her cousin?
You can't win her over anyway, why are you just making trouble for yourself?
Chu Yanqing also felt that Prince Duan had no reason to help her cousin.
My cousin has been gone for more than half a month without any news. She used to believe that her cousin would be happy, but these past two days she has started to worry.
"By the way, what brings you to the Marquis's residence all of a sudden?"
Prince Duan couldn't say that Xiaoqian had sought him out.
She simply said, "I didn't see you when I went to Caiyue Tower, nor did I see you in Chaoli. She asked me to go find you."
Chu Yanqing didn't want to talk to him anymore.
He pretended to be very affectionate, making no attempt to hide his feelings for her.
But what's the use? He's still dreaming of having three wives and four concubines.
Chu Yanqing either doesn't marry at all, or if she does, she'll be with one person for life.
"You don't need to be so nice to me, I won't marry you."
Prince Duan was so angry that his teeth itched. "Chu Yanqing, you were grounded by your brother. I swore and promised to bring you out, and you didn't even say thank you. You're just stabbing me in the heart!"
Chu Yanqing was also angry. Why did she fall for this unfaithful scumbag?
"I don't have to participate, there's no need for me to make you, Your Highness, feel wronged."
Prince Duan had never been talked back to like this before. "Then go back."
Chu Yanqing turned to leave, "I'll go back then."
Prince Duan instinctively grabbed her, "I was just joking, is it really that serious!"
Chu Yanqing is not absolutely required to participate in this competition.
However, participating will be beneficial and harmless to her.
Even if she gets fourth place like yesterday, she's still the only woman to make it to the finals.
By then, the whole capital will have heard of her name.
There would probably be more wealthy and influential families coming to propose marriage back then, giving her more options.
At that moment, she secretly glanced at Prince Duan.
If he knew that this was what he was planning, I wonder how furious he would be.
Because an additional revival round was added today, twenty people were selected from those who were eliminated yesterday to compete in the rematch.
The originally scheduled final match time was postponed by half an hour.
When Xiaoqian saw Chu Yanqing arrive, she quietly told Tang Xinuan.
Tang Xinuan was worried that her cousin would take his anger out on her because she had escaped from the Marquis's mansion, but seeing her in person finally put her mind at ease.
After Chu Yanqing left, Chu Yannuo's servant Qingzhu wanted him to go out for a walk and suggested, "The Third Miss went to Caiyue Tower. I heard that Caiyue Tower has been particularly lively these past two days. Why don't you go and take a look, Young Master? Maybe Miss Biao will go too."
Chu Yannuo was somewhat tempted.
However, my cousin is already struggling to survive outside the Marquis's mansion, so how could she have the leisure to go to a place like Caiyue Tower, where rich young men gather?
Although he couldn't see his cousin and share her joys and sorrows, he didn't want to enjoy himself alone.
"Forget it, I'm not in the mood. Tell them to search every brothel, entertainment venue, gambling den, and other places in the capital that can harbor filth as soon as possible."
...
The questions in the revival round were extremely simple.
Of the twenty contestants who didn't advance yesterday, five actually did.
A total of fifteen contestants ultimately participated in the final.
In the open-air venue, Li Pixiu prepared dozens of chairs, all reserved for noble princes and noblemen.
Prince Rui was originally sitting in the middle of the first row, but after Zhou Chuan came over, he moved away from the seat with a look of resentment on his face.
Zhou Chuanxing then sat down in his original seat.
On the left is Prince Rui, and on the right is Prince Duan.
Further to both sides, on Prince Duan's side were Chao Li and the other noble ladies.
On Prince Rui's side were the court officials who rushed over upon hearing the news.
...
The three most esteemed princes of the Great Zhou Dynasty all arrived at the competition venue.
This is unique in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The most excited one was Li Pixiu.
At first, he didn't recognize the Regent, but now that he saw him sitting between the Prince of Duan and the Prince of Rui, there was nothing he didn't understand.
Thinking about the ridiculous things he had done, he was afraid that the regent would hold it against him.
From this day forward, he, Li Pixiu, will be the most business-savvy boss in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
He personally served tea to them, saying, "Gentlemen, today's match will be absolutely fantastic; I guarantee you'll thoroughly enjoy it."
Zhou Chuanxing was dressed in a black casual suit. He didn't say much and sat upright in a rather cramped armchair, as dignified as if he were attending court.
Prince Duan often went out to mingle, leaning back in his chair with a jade pendant tassel dangling from his hand. To those who didn't know his identity, he looked no different from any other playboy.
Even when Prince Rui is angry, he can still manage a smile. He is the most refined, humble, handsome, and approachable of the three.
Zhou Chuanxing glanced at the tea but didn't take it.
Prince Duan raised his chin and tapped the table. "Put it there."
Only Prince Rui accepted it politely and said in a gentle and courteous manner, "Manager Li is very good at doing business."
Prince Duan knew that his fourth brother was adept at winning people's hearts.
If one were to become emperor based solely on personal connections, Prince Rui would undoubtedly be far ahead of the rest.
But the one he looked down on the most was Prince Rui.
I can't help but want to curse him in front of outsiders. He's so hypocritical!
However, he was stopped by a stern look from his second brother.
Soon, fifteen contestants took to the stage.
As Chu Yanqing passed by Chao Li, she grabbed his wrist.
"Princess……"
Chao Li smiled and encouraged her, "Yan Qing, you are the only woman here, you must make us women proud."
These words made Chu Yanqing laugh: "Then my task is so heavy!"
Chao Li clenched her little fist: "Go for it! If you make it into the top five, I'll give you a special reward."
Chu Yanqing received the blessing alone, and smiled brightly: "Thank you, Your Highness."
Prince Duan, sitting next to Chao Li, naturally witnessed the interaction between the two.
He then added, "I will also give you a separate reward."
Chu Yanqing gave him a cool glance.
Prince Duan was so angry that he almost vomited blood.
"Little sister, do you think I've treated her badly? What kind of attitude is this?!"
At this moment, Chu Yanqing had already taken her seat in the competition area.
Chao Li, making sure she couldn't hear him, said, "What people ask for is a lifelong, monogamous relationship. If you can't do that, then don't provoke them."
Noticing her second brother standing between her and her third brother, she leaned forward and said, "Second brother, I think Yanqing is a perfect match for you. What do you think?"
She had just finished speaking when she suddenly remembered the Empress and wished she could swallow her words back.
Meeting his second brother's ambiguous gaze, he said awkwardly, "Never mind what I said."
When Prince Rui heard his younger sister speak, he agreed wholeheartedly: "Miss Chu is indeed quite remarkable. She is beautiful, radiant, and flamboyant, and also talented. If Second Brother likes her, I will go to the palace this afternoon to ask Mother Consort for help in arranging things."
Zhou Chuanxing remained silent throughout.
If we were to ask who Prince Duan admires most in this world, who would it be?
It must be his second brother.
Look, his fourth brother is even helping him find someone to arrange his wedding, and he hasn't said a word.
Zhou Chuanxing was indeed not in a hurry.
Because someone else was more anxious than him.
Prince Rui, not feeling embarrassed at all when he heard no response, said, “Second Brother’s silence means he has tacitly agreed. I congratulate you in advance.”
Prince Duan gritted his teeth and said, "Fourth Prince, how dare you!"
Prince Rui laughed: "What, does Third Brother also like Miss Chu?"
Prince Duan chuckled: "Everyone in the capital knows, except you? Since you enjoy arranging weddings so much, why don't you ask the Dowager Consort to help me with the arrangements this afternoon?"
How could Prince Rui do something that brings no benefit?
"Third brother, it's not that I'm unwilling to help, it's just that Mother Consort hasn't been feeling well lately. Once she's feeling better, I'll definitely ask her to help with the arrangements."
Prince Duan sighed sadly, "Alas, with my parents gone, there's no one left to help arrange my marriage."
...
Tang Xinuan sat in the first row this time.
To her left is Sun Qingzhao, and to her right is Yao Qilin, who came in third yesterday.
Yao Qilin is the player who argued with Chu Yanqing over two points.
Since he sat down at the competition venue, he had been secretly observing Tang Xinuan several times.
The match hasn't started yet.
Yao Qilin hesitated for a moment, then moved closer to her. "Did Prince Rui's men come looking for you last night?"
Tang Xinu didn't recognize Prince Rui. "Should he be looking for me?"
Yao Qilin quickly determined that Tang Xinuan was not a pre-selected contestant.
"Then you probably won't make it into the top three today."
Tang Xinuan had just heard from Sun Qingzhao about the cheating at Caiyue Tower.
"Were you already chosen?"
Yao Qilin shook his head with a wry smile: "I still have that much backbone."
Tang Xinuan didn't understand social etiquette very well. She made several assumptions in her mind and made deductions for each one.
The final conclusion is, "So, he asked you to cheat, and you refused, right?"
Yao Qilin hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "We probably won't get any rankings today."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Zhou Chuanxing: My daughter is getting better and better!!!
I ate two peaches yesterday and I got food poisoning! I got food poisoning! I got food poisoning!!!
I felt dizzy, nauseous, and wanted to vomit; it took me most of the day to recover.
The peach looks fine, except for a slight rot on the bottom.
Learn from my experience: never eat spoiled fruit.
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