The more Yongqi thought about it, the more he missed her, but he could only miss her; he couldn't go to her. "Little Swallow, do you miss me as much as I miss you?"
Afterwards, Yongqi struggled to leave Xiaoyanzi's room, returned to his own room, lay down, and fell asleep with difficulty.
The next day, he got up early, ate breakfast, and went to the Imperial Study. Ji Xiaolan and the others were very surprised to see Yongqi arrive so early, but after the surprise, they returned to normal, because they had almost forgotten that Princess Feiyan was no longer in the palace. This master was gradually going crazy!
After finishing Ji Xiaolan's lesson and having lunch, he went to the martial arts arena to prepare for the afternoon's competition.
This is an activity that Yunxi proposed last year. A martial arts competition can be held at a certain time. Everyone must go all out and show their best skills.
Of course, he originally didn't want Qing'er to participate, fearing that she might be accidentally injured during the competition, and he wouldn't be able to explain it to the Empress Dowager. However, Qing'er insisted on participating in the competition with everyone, and he only agreed to let her participate after the Empress Dowager couldn't persuade her otherwise.
"There are ten people participating in the competition, and we have ten number plates. The number plates are randomly matched. It could be number one against number ten, or number two against number three. These are all uncertain. Who your opponent will be depends on your luck."
Xiao Jian needed to make ample preparations for the imperial examination, so he was not included in this martial arts competition.
Yunxi randomly shuffled the numbered tags, then randomly selected five palace maids and five eunuchs, and had them each draw a numbered tag. Then, she paired the maids and eunuchs according to their ages, with the oldest paired with the youngest. Even if they were born in the same year, there would be different months. If there were people born on the same day, month, and year, then the other person would draw a different number...
After matching the number cards according to the ages of the ten people, the number cards were posted on the bulletin board. The final decision was that number one would match number eight, number two would match number nine, number three would match number six, number four would match number seven, and number five would match number ten.
Then Yunxi took out another set of number plates and looked at the princes who were going to participate in the martial arts competition, "Princes, Princess Qing, come and take your number plates."
"The Third Prince Yongzhang versus the Fifth Prince Yongqi."
"Fourth Prince Yongcheng versus Princess Qing"
"Sixth Prince Yongrong versus Fu Erkang."
After Yunxi announced the list of opponents one after another, the Sixth Prince Yongrong was the first to wilted. "No way, I'm going to fight Erkang? Doesn't that mean I'm bound to lose?"
His first thought was, if he was destined to lose the contest, what was the point of having one?
Yunxi said, "Sixth Prince, let me ask you this: if you encounter a powerful enemy on the battlefield, and you know you are no match for them, would you desert and allow the enemy to invade the country?"
Yongrong immediately shook his head, "Of course not! Even if we can't win, we must never be deserters on the battlefield!"
"If that's the case, are you going to forfeit this competition?"
Yongqi added, "Sixth Brother, I remember Xiaoyanzi once said, 'Losing isn't scary, what's scary is not even having the courage to go to the battlefield, that's truly terrifying!'"
"Whether you win or lose in the end, you just need to give it your all. As long as you fight with all your might, no matter the outcome, everyone will only praise your courage and won't say anything against you!"
Yongrong nodded in agreement, "You're right, I really shouldn't have given up before the competition even started!"
"If no one has any objections, please proceed to the waiting area." Yunxi instructed the participants to wait. After Yunxi had made the arrangements, Qianlong rose and declared, "I hereby declare the martial arts competition officially open!"
"The first to appear are the Third Prince Yongzhang and the Fifth Prince Yongqi."
As soon as Yunxi finished speaking, the Third Prince Yongzhang and the Fifth Prince Yongqi stepped onto the dueling platform one after the other. "I reiterate, today's duel is open to all, regardless of gender or age. No one is allowed to hold back. If you deliberately go easy on each other today, then don't bother coming to my class in the future! Do you understand?"
"Understood! Third Brother, come on."
"Fifth brother, watch carefully."
Their first duel was a contest of martial arts skills. The two exchanged blows for a quarter of an hour before the Third Prince stepped down from the platform. "I declare the Fifth Prince the winner!"
Yongqi looked at Yongzhang, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Third Brother, you flatter me."
Yongzhang returned the greeting and said, "Fifth Brother, your kung fu has improved again. It seems that since Xiao Yanzi left, you, the Fifth Prince, have indeed worked harder!"
Well, even Yongzhang, who is usually quiet, started teasing him. It's clear that under Xiaoyanzi's influence, he has become much bolder.
Yongqi glanced at Yongzhang with a mischievous grin, then looked at Qianlong on the stage and shouted, "Father, I think it's about time you arranged a marriage for Third Brother. He's obviously lonely without a wife..."
"...Fifth Brother!"
Yongzhang never expected Yongqi to pull such a trick on him. "Fifth brother, don't joke around. Father, I don't want to get married yet!"
Emperor Qianlong could tell that Yongqi was joking, so he didn't take it seriously. However, he played along and said, "Yongzhang, if you take a fancy to any girl, you must tell us in time, or you'll regret it later!"
"Father, why are you joking with me like my fifth brother?"
"The Emperor is right. Yongzhang is almost of marriageable age, it's time to think it over carefully!"
Seeing Yongzhang's face turning from blue to purple, Qing'er kindly spoke up to defuse the situation, saying, "Fifth Prince, that's enough, Your Majesty. Let the Third Prince decide this matter himself. Let's focus our attention back on the martial arts competition!"
Qing'er spoke up to defuse the situation, and Yunxi followed up, "Yes, let's watch the second match, Fourth Prince Yongcheng versus Qing Gege."
Qing'er and Yongcheng went up on stage one after the other. Qing'er looked at Yongcheng and said with a smile, "Fourth Prince, you mustn't hold back!"
Yongcheng swallowed hard, unsure how to answer.
If he goes easy on her, and Yunxi notices, she won't be able to attend his classes anymore, which would be terrible.
But if he doesn't show mercy and accidentally hurts Qing'er, wouldn't the Empress Dowager and Xiao Jian kill him? That would be terrible!
He never considered the possibility that even if he went all out, he might not be able to defeat Qing'er!
Seeing Yongcheng's hesitant gaze, Yunxi glanced at him and said coldly, "Do I need to emphasize the rules again?"
"No need, I'll give it my all!"
If Qing'er is accidentally hurt, the worst that can happen is that the Empress Dowager and Xiao Jian will beat her up.
However, if I can no longer attend Yunxi's classes, then it would be a great loss!
Yongcheng showed no mercy, and two quarters of an hour later, he lay on the ground panting. He looked at Qing'er in shock, and Qing'er said triumphantly, "Fourth Prince, you flatter me!"
Qing'er's victory over Yongcheng delighted the Empress Dowager and the concubines in the harem. Qing'er proved with her actions that women are no less capable than men!
Emperor Qianlong clapped his hands and laughed heartily, "Qing'er is truly remarkable! She has the same imposing presence as your father back in the day!"
Qing'er quickly bowed and said, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. I am unworthy of such praise!"
Emperor Qianlong smiled and looked at the Empress Dowager. "Empress Dowager, do you think Qing'er has caught up with her father, Prince Yu's, aura? Would she be considered a heroine of our Qing Dynasty?"
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