Chapter 47 Mei Junrong
The man fell backwards into the crowd and lay on the ground screaming "Ouch, ouch". Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.
When the others saw the captain's tough look, they didn't dare to act rashly again.
For a while, no one came up to compete.
Just as the atmosphere was about to fall silent, a penetrating voice reached everyone's ears, "I'm coming!"
Before everyone could react, a flash of light appeared before their eyes, and a figure leaped onto the platform.
Looking up, I saw a heroic girl with a silver crown on her head, a red round-necked robe and a leather belt around her waist. She looked tall and agile, and it was obvious that she was a martial artist.
Looking at her face again, her eyes were bright and deep, and her brows revealed a confident temperament, as if she was confident about this competition.
In the audience, an old woman holding a basket exclaimed in surprise, "What a pretty girl! I'm afraid even the princess wouldn't be her match."
Next to him, a middle-aged man in a short-sleeved shirt raised his chin and said in a gruff voice, "This is my daughter. She's loved boxing and stick fighting since she was little. I've taught her all my boxing and kicking skills. Not only women, but even men are no match for her!"
The old woman was surprised. "She's really raising you like a son. How could you bear to let her join the army?"
"Why would she want to be a soldier? I was counting on her to start a family and find a son-in-law to carry on the Mei family line! I asked her to compete on the stage just for the 100 taels of gold."
The middle-aged man spoke in a proud tone, as if the one hundred taels of gold were already in his pocket.
Wherever there is a competition, there are always bets. Before the fight even started, someone set up a casino below the stage to bet on who would win and who would lose between the princess and the red-robed girl.
Immediately, all the passers-by gathered around, even the street vendors and theatrical performance leaders left their business and squeezed into the crowd to watch the fun.
The news of the Jinwu Guard recruiting soldiers spread, and as more people knew about it, it was inevitable that some ordinary families would be tempted.
"My daughter will only be able to eat food if she stays at home. If she goes to serve for a few years, she will be exempt from taxes. Besides, she will be serving under the princess, and since we are all women, we don't have to worry about ruining our reputation."
"That's right. Maybe after returning from military service, with the title of Golden Crow Guard, my status will rise, and I can even find a better family."
As a result, applicants gathered in large numbers, and the recruitment registration area was quickly packed with people.
On the other side, the middle-aged man took out all the silver he had and put it on the gambling table, "I bet my daughter Mei Junrong will win!"
"She has been learning martial arts from me for more than ten years. It's not just fancy moves, it's real hard work!"
When everyone heard this, they took out their money and bet on the girl in red robe, but no one placed a bet on the princess.
The dealer's face turned pale immediately. If the princess lost, how much money would he have to pay?
Suddenly, a gentle voice sounded, "I bet on the princess."
With a clang, a silver ingot fell into the plate.
Everyone looked in surprise and found that it was a gentle woman, about twenty years old, with two faint red moles under her mouth, and a calm demeanor.
The middle-aged man couldn't help but say, "Little girl, you've made a wrong bet. The princess is a master of gold and jade, but she's no match for me. I advise you to put the silver away so it won't go to waste."
Xue Qi turned to look at him and said calmly, "No, I don't need this little money."
The middle-aged man choked at her words and snorted coldly, "You little girl, I'm kindly reminding you, but you don't appreciate it. You'll cry later!"
As soon as the sound of the voice fell, a loud shout came from the crowd, "It's begun!"
The dealer immediately shouted, "Buy and leave, buy and leave!"
The middle-aged man also hurriedly turned his head and looked at the stage. He saw Mei Junrong picked up a single sword from the weapon rack, with the tip of the sword facing down, and saluted the princess with his fists.
He shouted excitedly, "Jun Rong, don't be afraid, just compete with confidence. If you win this hundred taels, Dad will buy you some nice clothes!"
On the high platform, Mei Junrong raised his eyebrows, with a confident posture, and said loudly: "Princess, I'm sorry!" He swung his sword and slashed at Zhao Mingyue.
The blow was so powerful that Zhao Mingyue was startled. He immediately raised his sword to block it. The sound of weapons clashing was heard, and his wrist was hurt.
Zhao Mingyue immediately realized that she was no match for this man, and her heart was startled.
If we lose right after the competition begins, it will be extremely embarrassing, and what's more important is that it will damage the reputation of the Golden Crow Guard.
Mei Junrong attacked faster and faster, and the knife in his hand turned into a ball of light and shadow. Zhao Mingyue found it increasingly difficult to defend herself. Suddenly, with a "swish", her left arm was cut by the opponent's long knife, causing her a sharp pain.
When he turned around, he saw a huge wound on his arm, and the blood instantly dyed his clothes red.
Mei Junrong stopped, looking a little surprised, and afraid that he had hurt the princess. "Princess, are you okay?"
Zhao Mingyue stood still and heard a cry of surprise from the audience.
In a trance, she seemed to hear a few mocking voices: "What princess? As the leader of an army, you have no power at all. How dare you come to recruit soldiers?"
I seemed to hear my mother's voice: "Mingyue, you disappoint me so much."
And Master Xue said, "Princess, you are too cowardly and not worthy of my assistance."
No! That's not the case!
Zhao Mingyue suddenly gripped the hilt of the knife tightly and slashed towards the opposite side like lightning. Mei Junrong hurriedly raised the knife to meet him.
With a clang sound, Mei Junrong's knife flew out. She widened her eyes in surprise and was about to move when she felt a chill on her neck. The steel knife in Zhao Mingyue's hand was already against her neck.
"You lose."
Mei Junrong's expression remained unchanged as he smiled and said, "Actually, I just wanted to test the princess's strength, not to win."
Zhao Mingyue was stunned. If she didn't want to win, then what was she doing on stage? Just as she was about to ask, the other party had already turned around, took the pen handed to him by the guard next to him, signed his name on the list, and pressed his fingerprint.
Below the stage, the middle-aged man stared in astonishment, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. “Lose, lose…lose?!”
The person who bet on Mei Junrong to win immediately burst into tears and pulled him aside to demand an explanation, "Didn't you say your daughter would win? Pay me back!"
Xue Qi stood by, smiled, pocketed all the winnings, and turned to leave.
The middle-aged man pushed away the hand that was pulling at him, panting heavily, and squeezed through the crowd to run to the front, shouting in frustration, "Mei Junrong, get off right here! Do you think I can't see that you're losing on purpose? I told you to go earn money, but I didn't expect you to do this to me!"
The captain of the guards came over and said sternly, "What are you making a fuss about? As long as you sign and seal your name, you are a member of the imperial court. Are you looking for death by making a fuss here?"
The middle-aged man was so frightened that his face turned pale. He didn't dare to shout. He slapped his thigh and howled, "Commander, please have mercy on me. I only have this one daughter. I was counting on her to find a husband to support the family. Now that she has joined the army, I have no hope!"
"You have no hope? I see you're strong and healthy, with all your limbs intact. What a pitiful thing to do. Go away and cry!"
The middle-aged man didn't dare to say a word after being scolded. He wiped his tears and walked out. Someone saw him and advised him, "It's a good thing that your daughter is enlisting. She has such good skills. It would be useless to keep her at home. If she joins the army, she might even become an officer!"
"That's right, I don't think the princess will go to the front lines to fight. She's just recruiting some female soldiers to make her look good. At most, they'll be part of the imperial guard."
The others thought about it and agreed with this.
In a short time, the number of applicants was overwhelming and the guards were overwhelmed.
On the stage, Zhao Mingyue stood there with her sword in her hand, but few people came up to compete with her.
Even if someone was jealous of the gold, after seeing Zhao Mingyue's skills just now and considering their own weight, they would give up all thoughts.
————
In the restaurant, Xie Qinjian looked at the crowd that swarmed over and his expression immediately changed. "Uncle, this is bad!"
"Ahem, why are you shouting for no reason?" Zhen Ruicai slammed the table and cursed loudly. He was drinking, and Xie Qinjian's shout was so abrupt that he choked and almost choked to death.
Xie Qinjian frowned, "Princess Mingyue stepped out to challenge and recruit soldiers, and suddenly many people came to apply."
In his impression, Zhao Mingyue was just a delicate and gentle little princess. How come she suddenly became so powerful?
Xie Qinjian almost suspected that he had recognized the wrong person.
Unfortunately, his eyesight was very good and he could see things clearly a hundred meters away. He had already pictured Zhao Mingyue's face hundreds of times in his mind, so it was difficult for him to make a mistake.
"You're seeing things, aren't you?" Zhen Ruicai scoffed in disbelief. "Do you really think everyone in the world is Zhao Yuzhang? Those women who can't even lift anything, who spend their days painting their eyebrows and eyes, and fighting for favors in the harem, dare to join the army? They can't stand the hardship."
Xie Qinjian walked up to Zhen Ruicai and looked anxious, "But, are they really-"
Zhen Ruicai interrupted him impatiently, "Alright, this commotion is nothing to watch. Even if we give them another month, they won't be able to recruit more than a thousand people. Let's go back."
He stood up and was about to leave when the door was violently pushed open from the outside, and a guard from the Left Eagle Guard rushed in. "Sir, this is bad! Princess Mingyue's name has spread all over the place after the competition. Many people are vying to join the Golden Crow Guard. If this continues, I'm afraid all the women in the world will be proud to join the Golden Crow Guard!"
Zhen Rui was stunned. "What did you say?"
He quickly turned around, leaned over to the window and looked out, and sure enough, he saw that the recruiting platform was crowded with heads of people.
Zhen Ruicai's face turned ugly. How come the situation changed just because he knew kung fu?
Xie Qinjian took the opportunity to say, "Uncle, please let me go meet Princess Mingyue. This will be a good opportunity to curb the arrogance of the Golden Crow Guards."
Zhen Ruicai thought about it and realized that Xie Qinjian was quite skilled and could handle Zhao Mingyue with ease. He nodded and said, "Okay, you take the people from Zuo Yingwei with you."
"Since Princess Mingyue wants to challenge us, let's dampen her spirit and let everyone know that Princess Mingyue is just a show-off and not worth mentioning at all!"
Xie Qinjian responded solemnly, "Yes!" He turned around and immediately raised a smug smile at the corner of his mouth.
Although according to the plot, now is not the time for him and Zhao Mingyue to meet, but since Zhao Mingyue's personality has changed, it is not a bad thing to meet earlier.
He pushed the door open and was about to walk out when Zhen Ruicai's voice came from behind him again, "Wait, you can't make a mistake again this time."
Xie Qinjian didn't look back. A hint of impatience flashed in his eyes, but his tone was still brisk. "Uncle, don't underestimate me. I'm not that bad as to lose to Princess Mingyue."
After saying that, he strode out of the room. A guard beside him handed him his red tassel spear, but he stretched out his hand to push it away, "No need."
Then he pulled out the folding fan from his waist and unfolded it with a swish. He looked like a handsome young man, with a smile on his face, and walked down the stairs leisurely. "To deal with Zhao Mingyue, a folding fan is enough."
Zhen Ruicai looked at his dissolute back and frowned fiercely. What was wrong with his nephew? Could he have the same problem as his brother and also miss Princess Shang?
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