Chapter 302: So it was you who stirred up trouble behind the scenes, wasn't that right?
Yu Sui dressed Li Jinshuang up very beautifully.
Li Jinshuang wore a long dress with a predominantly purple hue, adorned with bellflower patterns. Her dark hair was tied up in a high bun, revealing her slender and graceful neck. The gold hairpin securing her hair was also in the shape of a bellflower, with long purple beaded tassels hanging from the flower petals, making a soft, rustling sound as she moved.
The dress accentuated her figure, and Yu Sui used makeup to cover the injuries on Li Jinshuang's shoulders, back, and face, making her exposed skin appear flawless.
Li Jinshuang was always habitually silent. Although she softened her expression at Yu Sui's request and no longer tried to pretend to be a cold and deep man as before, the years of pretense had sculpted her into someone who was not good at speaking.
Therefore, Li Jinshuang's cold demeanor, combined with her outfit, made her appear even more mysterious, elegant, and even sacred and inviolable.
Before getting off the carriage, Yu Sui checked Li Jinshuang's attire one last time, and finally squinted her eyes in satisfaction: "There are quite a few beautiful and kind young ladies here today, you can chat with them more."
Li Jinshuang shook her head.
She is not good at making friends, and she will never take the initiative to make friends.
“If you don’t like it, just don’t say anything. No one will force you,” Yu Sui said. “But I have to tell you in advance that after tonight, Xun Zhiya may no longer believe you.”
Everyone is equal at Taiyi Academy, and there is no emphasis on status or position. However, there are always some people who cannot let go of their pride and cannot forget their status or position.
Xun Zhiya always kept in mind that she was the Holy Maiden of Nan Jing, so when dealing with the people of Nan Jing, she would subconsciously place herself in the position of the Holy Maiden, either ignoring them or ordering them around.
“Xun Zhiya clearly treats you as a subordinate in Taiyi. Perhaps she thinks she needs you, but she doesn’t completely trust you, and may even doubt you.”
“You are a sharp and useful knife, but she just doesn’t know how to use it, which I find a bit of a pity. If Xun Zhiya really needs you, she will come to you on her own. If she doesn’t even have that much confidence, I advise you to give up on this Holy Maiden.”
When she said this, Yu Sui had to admit that she had a bit of a provocative intention, but Li Jinshuang was completely unaware of it.
Although Yu Sui had mentioned this issue before, it only shook Li Jinshuang's resolve. This time, Yu Sui wanted Li Jinshuang to leave Xun Zhiya directly and focus on her own cultivation in Taiyi, instead of compromising herself for Xun Zhiya's orders and becoming a tool in Xun Zhiya's hands.
If Xun Zhiya had given Li Jinshuang an invitation or directly taken her to tonight's Golden Pearl Banquet, Yu Sui wouldn't have resorted to this tactic.
Looking at Li Jinshuang, who was deep in thought with her head down, Yu Sui continued, "The hope of the Li family is you, because you can become stronger. That's why the Holy Maiden needs you, and others need you too. Now the choice is in your hands, not theirs."
As long as you become strong enough.
Taiyi can give you this opportunity.
If you continue to follow Xun Zhiya and obey her orders, you will lose this opportunity.
"You'd better think it through before you get off." Yu Sui got off first, glancing at Li Jinshuang as she lowered the carriage curtain.
Li Jinshuang also turned her head to look at her. The carriage curtain was lowered, blocking the light outside and separating the two of them.
Li Jinshuang had considered the things Yu Sui mentioned, but she would subconsciously stop herself whenever she had to make a choice.
Yu Sui directly pointed out Li Jinshuang's thoughts tonight, leaving her with no way to avoid them.
Li Jinshuang had been working in the palace for a long time, so she came to Taiyi a few years later. She remembered that when the palace agreed to let her go to Taiyi to cultivate, she thought that the other party meant that she should go to Taiyi to help the Holy Maiden.
But now that I think about it, it doesn't seem to be entirely that meaning.
The heir was chosen early on, but there are too many variables. The person in that position would not like power to be dispersed among others. That lord agreed to let her go to Taiyi, also to see what the Li family could achieve.
The choice is yours.
Yu Sui's voice echoed in Li Jinshuang's mind.
She is now in Taiyi, not Nanjing, where she is no longer under constant scrutiny and has more time and opportunities.
Li Jinshuang glanced at the short sword beside her out of the corner of her eye, and reached out to touch the exquisitely patterned scabbard.
Even the sharpest sword must learn to follow the right master.
Li Jinshuang put the short sword into her sleeve, got up, lifted the carriage curtain, and got out.
Yu Sui was talking with several young ladies from prominent families in Qingyang when she heard the commotion and turned around. When she saw Li Jinshuang coming down, her smile deepened.
"Who is that?" someone next to Yu Sui asked in a low voice, "She's so pretty."
Another person whispered, "It's Li Jinshuang from the Nan Jing military family, right? I've seen her before. She looks so beautiful when she changes back into women's clothing."
“It’s Li Jinshuang.” Yu Sui waved to Li Jinshuang, signaling her to come over, and then said to the ladies around her, “She’s a very nice person. She taught me all my military swordsmanship.”
"Really?" The ladies were both surprised and curious.
Miss Jiang from Qingyang Weizhou and Yu Sui had a good relationship. Jiang Zhiyue was the only daughter in her family, but she was from Pingshu. Because she did not live in the capital, the two did not meet often. However, whenever Jiang Zhiyue went to the capital for a banquet during a festival, she would invite Yu Sui to go out together.
Jiang Zhiyue's family sent her to Taiyi so that she could make friends there. Jiang Zhiyue herself was a talkative person. When Yu Sui mentioned Li Jinshuang, she said, "Many people are interested in her, but she has always followed the Holy Maiden of Nan Jing, so no one dares to take the initiative to greet her."
"Why?" Yu Sui said with a laugh, "She doesn't eat people!"
Jiang Zhiyue smiled mysteriously. She had arrived in Taiyi two years earlier than Yu Sui and knew more about it.
“We all know that Princess Shangyang really likes Gu Gan. But in the past few years, Gu Gan has also become close to the Holy Maiden of Nan Jing.” Jiang Zhiyue whispered in Yu Sui’s ear, “The princess doesn’t like Xun Zhiya, and she doesn’t allow us to play with the Holy Maiden either.”
Yu Sui also asked quietly, "What if we don't listen to her?"
“We’re not like you, we don’t have the choice not to listen.” Jiang Zhiyue raised her hand to cover her face with her sleeve and continued to whisper to Yu Sui, “Look at you, you’ve been nagged by the princess all these years. If it were us, it would be more than just nagging.”
If Princess Shangyang can't control Nangong Sui, can't she control them too?
With the favor of Emperor Qingyang and the support of her maternal clan, Princess Shangyang was fearless. Others were the ones who feared her, but she didn't care about anyone else's opinion.
Although Yu Sui didn't like listening to Princess Shangyang, she would still follow the rules when she was in Qingyang.
Over the years, as Nangong Ming's power grew, Princess Shangyang was reprimanded by the Empress several times, which prevented her from being as arrogant towards Yu Sui as she was when they were children.
If you act impulsively in the heat of the moment, you might take action without thinking. But if you want to take action later in life, you have to consider many more things.
“The Holy Maiden is the Holy Maiden, and Li Jinshuang is Li Jinshuang. She has no relation to Brother Gu, and Princess Shangyang will not dislike her,” Yu Sui said.
Seeing that Yu Sui was surrounded by many people, Li Jinshuang hesitated whether to go over. Jiang Zhiyue took the initiative to greet her, but Li Jinshuang looked blank.
Yu Sui naturally walked between the two women and led them forward, introducing them to Li Jinshuang as they walked: "This is Miss Jiang from Weizhou. Although she is from Pingshu, she is very skilled in riding and archery. She just told me that she wanted to learn a thing or two from you. Would you like to?"
Li Jinshuang glanced at Jiang Zhiyue's kind smile and nodded in agreement.
The young ladies and princesses who came to Lingxiao Manor for the banquet today were not there for the dinner prepared by Princess Shangyang. Before the banquet began, everyone was free to move around, and places for people to play had already been prepared in the manor.
There were archery matches on the outer field and literary duels on the inner field.
Jiang Zhiyue led Yu Sui and Li Jinshuang to the archery range, where there were already quite a few people. Laughter and chatter could be heard from inside even from the outside.
When Yu Sui and his group entered, they attracted a lot of attention.
The people who were watching the archery competition all looked curiously toward the corridor and whispered among themselves, asking which one was Nangong Sui.
"Look, the one walking in the middle, wearing a blue dress, is Princess Nangong of Qingyang."
Upon hearing the news that Yu Sui had arrived at the archery range, the young lady from Dan Kingdom sent someone to inform Wei Jianing.
Jiang Zhiyue led the group toward the empty window for archery and horsemanship, saying along the way, "The Golden Pearl Banquet has a place for ordinary people to play and a place for sorcerers of all ranks to compete, but it's just for fun, not for winning or losing. So, for the military strategists, they will compete to see whose sword spirit is better at hide-and-seek."
After listening, Yu Sui looked up at Li Jinshuang beside her.
Li Jinshuang: "..."
Don't look at me, I can't win this one.
Her sword spirit was so big that there was nowhere to hide; it was always the most conspicuous one wherever it went.
"By the way, the Ghost Daoists also use Ghost Dao Summoning Techniques to compete, Princess. Do you have your own Summoning Technique?" Jiang Zhiyue turned around and quietly asked Yu Sui.
Although she was a layperson, she had studied at Taiyi Academy for over two years and knew quite a lot.
Yu Sui asked in surprise, "Isn't there a realm restriction for the Ghost Daoist to form a contract and summon gods? The lowest realm is the eighth realm."
Jiang Zhiyue raised her hand and slapped her forehead, exclaiming "Oops!" with an apologetic expression. "I was too talkative. There are other things to do at the Ghost Dao family. Comparing spells is also very interesting. If the princess wants to go and take a look later, just ask me to lead the way."
Yu Sui smiled slightly and said, "Okay."
Li Jinshuang stood in front of the empty platform selecting bows and arrows. A young girl mustered up her courage and approached her to talk, asking her questions about bows and arrows. Li Jinshuang answered her seriously and helped her adjust the string.
After she adjusted the bowstring, the bow felt much better to hold, and others came forward to ask Li Jinshuang for help with the adjustment as well. Soon, more and more people gathered around Li Jinshuang.
The ladies who asked Li Jinshuang to adjust the bowstring included people skilled in martial arts and those from various schools of thought, but none of them were military strategists or sorcerers. They also didn't practice physical skills much, and only occasionally dabbled in horseback riding and archery. They didn't know much about it, so they were able to ask many questions, which Li Jinshuang was able to answer one by one, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.
Yu Sui stood at the back, selecting bowstrings, his gaze casually sweeping across the arena. The viewing booths and corridors were filled with people.
Before long, more and more people came to greet Yu Sui. Seeing that more and more people wanted Li Jinshuang to adjust the bowstring, Yu Sui gave Jiang Zhiyue a wink.
Jiang Zhiyue understood and stepped forward to lead Li Jinshuang away from the crowd. The other young ladies complained, "Jiang Zhiyue! What are you doing!"
“She just came out of military training and her hands are still injured. You all want her to tune the bowstring. Can’t you do it yourselves?” Jiang Zhiyue turned around and said, “I’ve already taught you the method. Isn’t it more fun to do it yourself?”
"Hmph, I think you just want to steal Miss Li to tune your bow."
Jiang Zhiyue said with a grin, "Everything is about first come, first served. I made an appointment with Miss Li outside to have a competition, and she went to tune your bows. What am I supposed to do?"
The other ladies laughed and said, "You want to have a competition? Okay, then I'd like to see how you lose."
News of Yu Sui's arrival at the archery range spread thanks to the efforts of all parties.
Wei Jianing had already led her people on their way. On the way, she encountered the angry Princess Shangyang and couldn't help but tease her, "Your Highness, why do you look so sullen?"
Princess Shangyang was about to reply when she saw Xun Zhiya and her entourage emerging from the side path ahead. She rolled her eyes and snorted, "Why should I be angry? I think Xun Zhiya will be even angrier than me later. The people from Nan Jing didn't come with her to the Golden Pearl Banquet, but instead followed Nangong Sui. They completely disregard her as the Holy Maiden. It's utterly shameful!"
Wei Jianing said leisurely, "Miss Li and Princess Nangong are just on good terms in private. It doesn't mean she doesn't respect the Holy Maiden. If the Holy Maiden had extended an invitation, would Miss Li have dared not to come with her?"
The two men's words clearly reached Xun Zhiya's ears, but she did not respond and pretended not to hear them, walking straight ahead.
Shu Chujun was so angry that her teeth itched. She glared hatefully in the direction of Princess Shangyang and Wei Jianing, then caught up with Xun Zhiya and said, "Li Jinshuang, that traitor!"
Xun Zhiya frowned slightly. She hadn't sent Li Jinshuang an invitation because she had heard that Li Jinshuang had been injured during the trial in the Broken Sword Domain, so she hadn't invited her to the banquet.
Since Li Jinshuang knew that Nangong Sui was going to attend the Golden Pearl Banquet, she should also know what kind of occasion the Golden Pearl Banquet was, but she didn't come to ask her.
Xun Zhiya would not interfere with Li Jinshuang's friendships, but it was Nangong Sui who became close to Li Jinshuang.
The subtle feeling that Li Jinshuang listened to Nangong Sui so readily made Xun Zhiya somewhat annoyed, and it was hard for her not to care.
Xun Zhiya arrived at the archery range first and was slightly taken aback when she saw Li Jinshuang surrounded by a crowd.
After Li Jinshuang changed back into women's clothing, her attire at the academy was mostly simple and plain, unlike her exquisite and flamboyant style today.
She stood there, attracting everyone's attention, shining like a dazzling pearl.
Li Jinshuang stood on the field with her eyes closed, drew her bow and shot an arrow that hit the bullseye, drawing applause and cheers from the others. This scene was unfamiliar to Xun Zhiya.
This was a scene that would never have happened in Nanjing, not to mention that those cheering and applauding for Li Jinshuang were all young ladies from aristocratic families.
Yu Sui did not participate in the competition. Instead, she stood in the corridor and waved to Li Jinshuang. Li Jinshuang smiled as she looked at her lively appearance.
Because the corridor was too crowded, the way the girl hopped on tiptoe and waved was quite funny, completely different from when she threatened people. Li Jinshuang couldn't help but turn her face away.
She turned her head and bumped into Xun Zhiya, who was looking at her.
A complex expression appeared on Xun Zhiya's usually indifferent face.
Li Jinshuang paused for a moment, nodded to Xun Zhiya from afar, and then naturally turned her gaze away.
Shu Chujun was furious: "Holy Maiden, how dare she provoke you just now!"
"This is outrageous! Where does Li Jinshuang get her confidence from..." Shu Chujun glanced at Yu Sui in the corridor. "Could it be that Nangong Sui instigated her to oppose you, Holy Maiden? She must be..."
"What are you doing standing here?" Princess Shangyang's impolite voice rang out from behind. "Afraid to go in?"
When Princess Shangyang arrived, Shu Chujun had no choice but to shut up and stare at Li Jinshuang and Yu Sui in the distance.
Wei Jianing greeted Xun Zhiya with a smile: "Holy Maiden."
Princess Shangyang walked past the two of them and toward the crowd, calling out loudly, "What are you competing in?"
"Princess!"
Soon, greetings to Princess Shangyang rose and fell, and Princess Shangyang became the center of attention as soon as she arrived, which made her very happy.
Someone explained to Princess Shangyang, "We're having a horse archery competition. Miss Li, as expected of someone from a military background, can hit the bullseye even blindfolded!"
"Nangong Sui." Princess Shangyang raised her chin towards Yu Sui in the corridor. "Come here. This princess has had a long time without a match with you."
"Me?" Yu Sui rolled her eyes. "I'm not good at riding and archery, and everyone would like to see Li Jinshuang. Your Highness, please don't spoil the fun."
"Me, spoil the fun?" Princess Shangyang laughed in exasperation, then pointed at Li Jinshuang: "Then let's have the three of us compete together!"
Li Jinshuang didn't really want to continue; her hands were about to need a rest. Just as she was about to refuse, she caught a glimpse of Xun Zhiya walking forward.
Princess Shangyang noticed this and had a wicked idea. She said loudly to Xun Zhiya, "It just so happens that the Holy Maiden has also arrived. Why don't the four of us have a competition to see if Qingyang's archery skills are the best, or if your Nanjiang's archery skills are superior?"
This statement framed the competition as a battle between Qingyang and Nanjing, making it difficult for anyone to refuse.
"Would Miss Li really be so disrespectful?" Princess Shangyang, having forgotten about Yu Sui upon seeing Xun Zhiya, began to poke at people's hearts. "Holy Maiden, should you step in and persuade Miss Li to do us the honor?"
Let's see if you can persuade them.
Princess Shangyang didn't want Li Jinshuang to listen to Xun Zhiya. She wanted to refuse Xun Zhiya, but Nangong Sui persuaded her to come back. Just thinking about how Xun Zhiya would react was hilarious!
Xun Zhiya remained silent, but stepped forward amidst the curious and inquisitive gazes of the others. She took out a bow and arrow from beside her position and handed it to Li Jinshuang, asking, "Shall we have a match?"
Since she took the initiative to speak, Li Jinshuang wouldn't embarrass her in front of so many people, so she nodded in agreement.
Xun Zhiya received a response, then stepped aside and went to his position to adjust the bowstring.
Shu Chujun glared at Li Jinshuang resentfully before going to Xun Zhiya's side to help.
Seeing that Li Jinshuang had agreed, Princess Shangyang turned to call Yu Sui: "Nangong Sui, come here!"
Yu Sui walked over slowly, glanced at Li Jinshuang's hand, and asked softly, "Does your hand hurt?"
Li Jinshuang hummed in agreement.
Yu Sui then said, "Losing to her isn't shameful."
Many people present knew that Li Jinshuang had an injury to her hand. The reason they cheered earlier was because they were amazed that Li Jinshuang could still achieve such accuracy while blindfolded and with an injured hand.
Princess Shangyang turned to Yu Sui and said, "What are you two whispering about? Nangong Sui, how dare you steal someone from the Holy Maiden of Nanjing right in front of her? Aren't you afraid our Holy Maiden will be jealous and angry with you!"
“How could the Holy Maiden be so petty?” Yu Sui said seriously as she walked towards her seat.
Princess Shangyang was ready and eager to compete: "Let's make this clear first, I don't do competitions without a prize. It's a six-round moving target contest. The person who hits the most targets wins, and I can ask the loser to do something. How about it?"
“No good.” Yu Sui was the first to object, drawing the bowstring to get a feel for it while keeping an eye on the situation, and said with one eye open and one eye closed, “If this is the case, I won’t compete.”
Xun Zhiya and Li Jinshuang have no objections for the time being.
Princess Shangyang asked Yu Sui through gritted teeth, "Then what do you want?"
Yu Sui said, "There can only be one winner and three losers. If we can assign all three of them to do the same thing, that would be too unfair."
"Hmph, it's your own fault for being less skilled. A loss is a loss, why talk about fairness?" Princess Shangyang said. "I think you're just scared before the battle even begins, afraid of losing to this princess!"
Yu Sui looked innocently at Princess Shangyang on her left: "I'm not good at riding and archery, so I definitely can't win. Since I'm going to lose anyway, why should I make a difficult bet?"
Princess Shangyang took a deep breath: "Then what do you want?"
“The princess just wants to play Truth or Dare, so let’s make it Truth or Dare,” Yu Sui said. “The winner can ask the loser a question.”
Princess Shangyang thought it was a good idea and readily agreed, saying, "Alright, then let's do it your way."
There are six rounds of moving targets. In each round, four people have three chances to shoot arrows. The first person to hit the bullseye can end the round and start the next round.
Therefore, this competition requires not only accuracy but also speed. While being confident of hitting the bullseye, one must also be fast enough to leave no chance for others.
The four of them were positioned close together, with little space between them. To Yu Sui's left was Princess Shangyang, and to her right was Li Jinshuang. Her hand rested on the slender, sharp bowstring as she looked up at the shooting range ahead.
In the square shooting range, six targets were moving rapidly. Jiang Zhiyue and the others were dazzled by the sight and could only shoot blindly with their eyes covered. However, the four people in the range were completely focused and concentrated. When they drew their bows, they had already set their targets.
In the first round, all four archers shot at the same time. Three of them missed, while only Li Jinshuang hit the bullseye.
Jinzhi shouted from the shooting range, "Li Jinshuang wins the first round!"
Princess Shangyang retorted defiantly, "Again!"
Yu Sui didn't seem to be in a hurry at all, and slowly pulled out the arrow again: "Princess, we can't use the Five Elements Qi in this competition, can we?"
"Of course not!" Princess Shangyang said angrily. "What do you mean?"
Yu Sui said innocently, "It doesn't mean anything. I just wanted to confirm."
During the conversation, she released the bowstring, and the long arrow flew out. Although it hit the target, it was close to the outer ring. Princess Shangyang only felt a scare. After glancing at Yu Sui, she focused on herself and shot an arrow, which hit the target!
Before Princess Shangyang could even rejoice, Jinzhi announced, "Li Jinshuang wins the second round!"
Although it hit the bullseye, Li Jinshuang's arrow was faster than Princess Shangyang's.
Princess Shangyang felt frustrated and her competitive spirit flared up, making her even more serious.
Yu Sui glanced at Xun Zhiya next to Li Jinshuang. If Li Jinshuang won the next round, the winner would basically be decided.
As for herself, she never even considered winning.
Although Xun Zhiya's second arrow hit its mark, its speed was much slower.
She thought she shouldn't hesitate for too long.
Xun Zhiya adjusted his breathing, his gaze becoming more focused. After two attempts at archery, he had regained some of his feel for it.
The third round was nerve-wracking from the very beginning. Li Jinshuang shot the arrow even faster than in the first two rounds, but failed to hit the bullseye, so she frowned and drew her second arrow.
Princess Shangyang and Xun Zhiya fired arrows together, both choosing the same target, but both narrowly missed hitting the bullseye.
All three had already fired their first arrows, and Yu Sui was still drawing the bowstring. After seeing that none of the three of them had hit the target in this round, she let out a soft "oh".
Princess Shangyang glared at her, signaling her to shut up and not speak.
Yu Sui casually released the bowstring, and the long arrow flew out, hitting the bullseye perfectly.
From afar, Jinzhi announced in a trembling voice, "Princess Nangong wins the third round!"
"Impossible!" Princess Shangyang glared angrily at Yu Sui immediately.
Yu Sui exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect that either, Princess. It's all about luck, not skill!"
Princess Shangyang was so angry at her flippant remark that she gritted her teeth. Just as she was about to speak, Yu Sui said, "Besides, Princess, are you comparing Qingyang or Nan Jing? We're on the same side, so why are you questioning me? Aren't you happy that I hit the target?"
"I'm so happy!" Princess Shangyang said through gritted teeth.
"As long as the princess is happy," Yu Sui said with a smile. "Now the pressure is on the Nanjing side."
The final three rounds.
Xun Zhiya continued to adjust his breathing, clearing his mind of distractions, and picked up the long arrow again.
Of the four, only Li Jinshuang is a disciple of a military school. The other three will train in physical skills and archery for a long time. If the target is not moving, all four are confident that they can hit it. At that time, the competition will be about speed.
Now, facing a moving target, it's still quite challenging for Yu Sui and his two companions.
In the fourth round, Li Jinshuang slowed down due to her hand injury and did not shoot first. Xun Zhiya did not look at Li Jinshuang this time, focusing on the moving straw target.
Yu Sui was still gesturing when Wei Jianing's voice came from behind, neither too loud nor too soft: "Princess Nangong's arrow just now was truly brilliant."
It sounded like a compliment, but Wei Jianing looked at the person in front of her with their back to her, her gaze full of meaning.
Standing behind Yu Sui, Miss Xu from Dan Kingdom sneered, "After all, if the young lady of the Nangong family gets a bow and arrow, she would even dare to shoot the young lady of the Zhongli family. Just that courage alone is enough for the princess to win this competition."
Jiang Zhiyue frowned and looked over: "What nonsense are you talking about? The princess is cultivating in Taiyi, how could she have anything to do with the young lady of the Zhongli family?"
"How come there are still people who don't know?" Miss Xu raised her hand to cover her face and laughed. "The Nangong family gained a new young lady last month. She is the princess's twin sister and was personally brought back to the palace by the prince from Bingjia Chongtai."
Those who were unaware of the situation were immediately in an uproar upon hearing this.
"How is that possible!"
"She's the princess's twin sister? Then why was she only recently brought back? Could she be an illegitimate child from outside the family..."
"What does this have to do with the Zhongli family?"
"This young lady from the Nangong family injured the young lady from the Zhongli family and was imprisoned in the Bingjia Chongtai by the Zhongli family."
Several young ladies who supported the Nangong family stepped forward angrily and said, "Xu Qianqian! Stop talking nonsense!"
Xu Qianqian snorted, "I'm talking nonsense? I'm not the only one who knows about this. Your Miss Chu from the capital of Qingyang, who was known as the Little Medical Sage of the medical family, who knew that she was colluding with the rebels in Qingyang and plotting to frame the Zhongli family, was actually captured by your Second Prince Nangong himself..."
"Shut up!" Miss Song from Qingyang stepped forward and sternly stopped her. "The military expert has already investigated this matter and found that Miss Chu is innocent. Now that she is a member of the Nangong family, she cannot be slandered at will!"
Xu Qianqian was taken aback, then smiled and said, "So you knew."
Miss Song's expression froze, and her eyes darted away.
Standing in her position, Yu Sui frowned, while Princess Shangyang beside her was also distracted by the conversation behind her and began to listen intently.
At that moment, no one released the bowstring and fired the arrow.
Yu Sui was the first to put her hand down, turned around and looked at the crowd in the corridor behind her, and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Faced with Yu Sui's question, the people arguing hesitated to speak for a moment.
Princess Shangyang couldn't hold back any longer when she saw Yu Sui turn around and ask directly. She turned around and angrily rebuked, "Did the Holy Maiden have you deliberately say these things behind our backs to distract us and make us lose the competition?!"
"Xun Zhiya, how could you be so despicable!" Princess Shangyang turned and angrily rebuked Xun Zhiya.
Xun Zhiya looked straight ahead and said calmly, "It wasn't me."
As soon as she finished speaking, she and Li Jinshuang released their bows simultaneously, the two long arrows flying almost side by side, creating a sharp whooshing sound. Xun Zhiya's longsword was unstoppable, pressing down on Li Jinshuang's arrowhead as the two arrows collided, and hitting the bullseye first.
Li Jinshuang's long arrow, however, was deflected and fell to the ground.
Jinzhi glanced at it, and was about to announce it when Xun Zhiya said, "This round doesn't count."
She glanced at Li Jinshuang's hand, said nothing, and turned to look at Yu Sui and Princess Shangyang, indicating that she was waiting for them to resolve their dispute and resume the competition.
As for what Xu Qianqian and Miss Song were talking about, Xun Zhiya already knew about it.
Yu Sui was still looking at Xu Qianqian and Miss Song, urging, "Why did you stop talking? Who did my second brother arrest? Who did my father take away from Bingjia Chongtai? Who is my twin sister?"
Her persistent questioning made Xu Qianqian and the others feel like she was putting pressure on them.
Wei Jianing then spoke up gently, saying, "This is originally a family matter of Princess Nangong, and it's not appropriate for us to discuss it here."
"What's inappropriate about it?" Yu Sui raised her chin slightly at Xu Qianqian. "Some people have already started to slander the Nangong family as having connections with the Qingyang rebels. If I don't clarify things in front of the princess, won't people say I'm a spy sent by the Dan Kingdom to Qingyang when I get back?"
Upon hearing this, Princess Shangyang turned her attention to Wei Jianing: "Wei Jianing, it was you who stirred up trouble behind the scenes, wasn't it! I felt something was off when you first said you wanted to invite Nangong Sui, so this is what you were waiting for!"
Wei Jianing said innocently, "Princess, I was just curious about Princess Nangong. These are all family matters of the Nangong family, but who knew that the princess knew nothing about them, that's why..."
Xu Qianqian stepped forward and faced the angry Princess Shangyang directly, saying, "Everyone really didn't expect that the princess was unaware of this. Chu Jin, the little medical saint of Qingyang, is the eldest daughter of Prince Nangong and the princess's own sister. She committed a crime in the capital and was personally arrested by the second prince and imprisoned in the Military Academy. When she came out, she had her arm cut off by General Zhongli. This matter is not a secret in Qingyang, is it?"
When Yu Sui heard this, she looked surprised, and the bow and arrow she was holding fell to the ground. Anyone who saw this would think that she had suffered a great shock.
Even Li Jinshuang looked at her with some concern.
Xu Qianqian said, "We were just saying something that everyone knows, why should the princess be angry about it?"
"Everyone knows? You're up to no good by saying this now!" Princess Shangyang strode forward angrily. "I think you just want me to lose this competition!"
Seeing Princess Shangyang about to rush over and hit Xu Qianqian, Wei Jianing quickly stepped forward to stop her: "Hey, Princess!"
"You're no better than me!" Princess Shangyang shoved Wei Jianing away.
Wei Jianing was pushed and fell to the ground, which drew gasps from the others. One group of people went to help Wei Jianing up, while another group went to stop Princess Shangyang. The corridor instantly became noisy.
Yu Sui's eyes were red, and she pretended to be aggrieved as she bent down to pick up the bow and arrow that had fallen to the ground, but she laughed out loud in her heart.
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