The young master got angry.
Yang Cong couldn't fight city hall. Despite Yang Shen's repeated instructions, Yang Cong was still asked to leave with a perfunctory and helpless expression.
Having lost face in front of the girl, Yang Cong, without thinking, retorted angrily, "Are we still brothers?"
"Yang Cong, I'm very curious, where did you get this idea? Young Master Qi is arrogant, and you've known him for a long time. And what's with your outfit? Did you escape from some dog hole? I almost couldn't bring myself to hit you today."
Wen Ruo smiled. Young Master Zhao was indeed quick-witted; no wonder he could charm so many women. She glanced at the double-sided brocade robe with Jiangnan red silk sleeves and flying needles, noting several inconspicuous repair marks. The technique was exquisite; only an expert could see the difference. They looked like scratch marks from fingernails. This was interesting.
Qi Guanlan, who was always fawned over, would never swallow this insult. Today was a big day for Yang Cong, so he had no choice but to blame Zhao Heng. "Zhao Heng, you've been shameless enough today. Come on, let's have a one-on-one fight."
Zhao Heng moved with a light, graceful step, standing beside Wen Ruo with his hands at his sides, his tone disdainful, "I want to accompany the beauty, who wants to roll around on the ground with you and dirty my hands."
Qi Guanlan: "You're asking for it."
"Young Master!"
Qi Guanlan subconsciously turned around. He had been glaring menacingly at his mortal enemy, wishing he could tear him in half and throw him into the river to feed the fish. Now, he had lost his composure and startled the servant into stopping in his tracks. Wen Ruo couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Poor little Shun, he'd run into such a lucky time.
The young master's eyes were terrifying. He had been running for most of the day and was panting and exhausted. The servant gave him a resentful look. The young master was taking his anger out on him again. Who made the young master unhappy? He looked directly at Zhao Heng, then glanced to the side. Huh, he looked at him again in disbelief.
"Xiao Qiangqiang, you look really beautiful dressed up, but you're standing in the wrong place. Aren't you always the one who likes the young master the most?" The servant's thick, dark eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two. No wonder the young master is so clear about his likes and dislikes. Where did your eye for talent go? You're probably going to be in trouble later.
Several gazes turned to one person, fixing on Wen Ruo's helpless face. She slowly smoothed the wrinkles left by the second young lady on her sleeves and said self-deprecatingly, "Maybe I have a kind of affinity with the Bodhisattva."
With the servant's support, Qi Guanlan finally straightened his back. He said it wasn't his fault. He pressed the servant's head down and apologized on his behalf: "Xiao Shunzi, you've mistaken me for someone else. This is Miss Xi You, who just arrived in the capital. But it's not your fault. I also mistook her for someone else at first."
"It's nothing," Wen Ruo thought for a moment, then asked curiously, "Does she really look that much like me? Where is she? Maybe she's a distant cousin. I'm all alone now, it would be so nice to have a sister."
The two of them naturally couldn't answer; they were so easily fooled. Wen Ruo looked regretful. "Since it's all a misunderstanding, why not turn hostility into friendship? Sister Zhou said she'd like to play pitch-pot today. What do you all think?"
Zhao Heng smiled and said, "Of course it would be good, but judging from Young Master Yang's expression, I'm afraid he wouldn't dare."
"Who said that? Let's play then."
The fish took the bait, and Wen Ruo cast a grateful glance at Zhao Heng. Yang Cong then began to speak sarcastically, "It's an eyesore. Why don't you go back to your beds and play with your petty characters?"
Qi Guanlan kicked him. "Miss Zhou is still here. What nonsense are you spouting?" He then turned and stared straight at Wen Ruo, saying, "We haven't finished our competition yet."
Wen Ruo declined, saying, "Young Master Qi, please don't steal the spotlight."
"Looks like you've forgotten all your manners." After scolding, Zhao Heng started to fan the flames again, "Those who want to call for reinforcements should do so in advance, lest they are outmatched and lose face."
Without Yang Shen keeping an eye on him, Yang Cong immediately forgot the pain of his past wounds, and the small flame in his eyes flared up again, spreading like wildfire. This time, he was still a little cautious, pulling the man to his side and saying:
"Guanlan, you're on my team. We can play whenever we want. It's two guys against two girls, so it's okay if we lose, we have our protector, Young Master Zhao!"
"Zhao Heng, shall we bet?"
Yang Cong looked confident. The women of the Zhou family were always decided by Madam Zhou. Madam Zhou came from a scholarly family, and her daughter was well-educated and polite. It's not worth mentioning anything else. He could tell at a glance that she liked to write poetry and compose verses with her hands, and she was very aloof.
Qi Guanlan had a lot to say, pointed to the bronze pot in the distance, and then to Wen Ruo, "See that? She threw one of the arrows inside. She's probably not simple."
Seeing their little antics, Zhao Heng chuckled twice and said smugly, "You're not scared, are you?"
"Who's afraid!"
With Qi Guanlan around, so what if she's powerful? Is he really inferior to Zhou Xuanyan?
"Despicable!" Zhou Xuanyan cursed under her breath. Did they think she wouldn't think of that? "If I win, will you two grant me a favor?"
"Give up, Qi Guanlan will never marry you," Yang Cong mocked.
Zhao Heng sat casually behind him, at a table and chairs that had been moved from somewhere, and even started drinking. His face was slightly flushed as he said, "His family is a den of thieves. I heard that a maid was thrown out of the house for trying to get a proper title, and her fate is unknown."
Zhou Xuanyan remained calm and composed. "You two are joking. Even if I win, it will be Young Master Yang who will do the work, while Young Master Qi will only need to observe."
If things don't work out, it won't make a difference this time. Besides, this woman is fickle, and if he talks to her properly, she might calm things down for a while. Yang Cong smiled maliciously and gave Qi Guanlan a look. Qi Guanlan couldn't help but frown, but after hesitating, he finally agreed.
The pitch-pot game started again. Yang Congqi stood on the west side, while Zhou Xuanyan and Wen Ruo stood on the east side.
The match began with Qi Guanlan and Wen Ruo going first. The first arrows were evenly matched, with one narrowly missing the target and the other hitting it.
Being outshone under Qi Guanlan's nose, Zhou Xuanyan's face darkened again. She bit her lip and looked at Wen Ruo with a hint of pleading.
How can I help you? The other side is sticking to their game. I can only guarantee you won't lose. You want to win and save face at the same time? There's no such thing as a free lunch.
With a pained expression, Zhou Xuanyan gritted her teeth, took off her jade bracelet and beaded necklace, and gave them both to Wen Ruo, even considerately putting them on her wrist. "Wishing you a successful start, sister." She was begging her sister to go easy on her!
Wen Ruo felt her arm was incredibly heavy, and she couldn't tell whether it was from fatigue or pain. What if she lost or fell? Before she could even figure it out, she heard Qi Guanlan's awkward voice: "I underestimated you!" He stood beside her and didn't even give her a proper look when he spoke.
Wen Ruo blinked, her eyes suddenly changing color, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly. "Young Master Yang is making a match, and so many people are watching behind us. If we ruin the marriage between the two families, the sin will be enormous. I can't bear that responsibility. Isn't Young Master Qi here to help bring them together?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuanyan was about to turn hostile. Was she taking the money and not doing the job? But as she looked up, her gaze swept over the arrow she was holding down, and a thought flashed through her mind. She immediately lowered her eyes, as if her secret had been exposed.
Qi Guanlan paused, then calmed down. It wasn't his fault that he was less skilled, and his mother couldn't say anything to him anyway. Seeing his stubbornness, Wen Ruo could only sigh, "It seems being Young Master Qi's friend is quite tiring."
"Zhou Xuanyan, one more shot!" After several arrows missed their mark, she had to find another way. Now that the arrow had landed steadily in the pot, her face immediately lit up with a radiant glow.
The opponent's arrow fell again, and Zhou Xuanyan immediately raised her eyebrows in triumph, straightening her chest to avenge her grudge: "Young Master Yang missed again!"
"I'll let you have a turn." Yang Cong's face darkened. Who knew his aim would be so bad today? He looked behind him, wondering if Zhao Heng had secretly pulled some trick.
Every time it was his turn, a strange gust of wind would blow from somewhere, causing him to instinctively close his eyes and lose his aim.
When it was Wen Ruo's turn again, she held the arrow but was lost in thought. She only came to her senses when she heard the urging. "Young Master Qi's skill is superb, and I am completely convinced. My sister and Young Master Yang have already lost their harmony, so I dare not hit them with this arrow again. I will play the villain instead."
Her expression was no longer as serious and competitive as before. She casually tossed it aside and said in a very low voice, "I'll give it to you, young master."
"..."
"I don't need you to give way," Qi Guanlan glared at her. This person was so casual, what did she take him for? On one side were the mocking insects and flies, and on the other side were countless hands pulling his ears and lifting his arms. His face turned ashen, and he turned his head away, "None of your business!"
Qi Guanlan snapped out of her reverie, gripping the arrow tightly. She was caught between breaths, feeling humiliated if she lost, but also frustrated if she won! She really was cunning!
Damn it, what she said was actually true.
Seeing that Wen Ruo's slightest remark had already upset Qi Guanlan, Zhou Xuanyan next to her instantly perked up, her expression becoming even more serious. She could lose, but she couldn't be completely outmatched.
In the next round, when it was the two's turn, the weather seemed to be against them. A cold wind swirled with withered leaves, occasionally grazing the arrowheads and sometimes hitting the arrow shafts, as if intentionally helping them avoid the enemy's sharpness. Their once-sharp aim suddenly became off.
"Witch!" Qi Guanlan gritted his teeth and released his grip.
Yang Cong was overjoyed. He said it was the wind's fault, that Heaven had changed its ruler, and that he was determined to restore his former divine power.
Nine arrows flew, leaving the ground in a mess. "How many more times do you want to go? Do you want a draw with me, young master?" Zhou Xuanyan said smugly, stretching out her hand. "Why don't you go first? I want to keep the last arrow as a souvenir."
"you!"
After ten arrows, Zhou Xuanyan was as happy as a butterfly, jumping and skipping with Wen Ruo in her hand, completely forgetting her ladylike demeanor, and even forgetting Qi Guanlan, "You lost!"
The silver-topped sandalwood sedan chair, used exclusively by the Prince's Mansion, was carried by eight people, one in front and one behind, and swaggered from the Hundred Gardens to the city gate, passing through a small part of the capital, attracting many onlookers and people giving way.
Yang Cong stood at the city gate, his feet seemingly rooted to the spot. He turned to look at Qi Guanlan, his chin held high, refusing to lower himself even slightly. Reluctantly and helplessly, he walked up the city wall and stood atop it. Looking down, he saw several men baring their teeth and brandishing their claws. He gritted his teeth and shouted at the top of his lungs, his face turning red and his neck thick with rage:
"My name is Yang Cong. My good brother Qi Guanlan and I lost the pitch-pot competition to Zhou Xuanyan, the second young lady of the Zhou family. Yang Heng is a good-for-nothing and is not worthy of the second young lady."
Before he could finish shouting three times, Qi Guanlan put his hands on his hips and yelled, "This young master didn't lose!" He turned around, about to say that he was a perfect shot, but then he remembered that he had been forced to deliberately lose points, and his lips trembled slightly but he couldn't open his mouth.
She did it on purpose!
She tried to please me, but she ended up making me lose face too!
The person who had been shouting from above quickly came down, fearing a beating from Qi Guanlan, and after giving a distant greeting, hurriedly turned and ran.
"It was clearly Young Master Qi who was being courteous!" Wen Ruo coaxed. She had been too presumptuous with the young master today, and if he took his anger out on Xiao Qiang, she would be the one who suffered.
Unfortunately, she didn't know that just now, the young master had made up his mind never to fall for her tricks again.
Seeing the young master looking at her, Wen Ruo quickly gave him a thumbs up, a slight smile in her eyes. This kind of straightforward praise was the young master's favorite.
But in Qi Guanlan's eyes, it just looked like: You're so easy to fool!
With a snap, Qi Guanlan lost his temper and pressed forward to settle the score with her, his first words being a threat, "Is it fun to play with me? Where do you live? Let's fight one-on-one!"
Did she get confused? Wen Ruo's smile didn't have time to fade before she heard, "Where do you live? How can you say that?" She immediately frowned, looking at him with disgust as if he were a lecherous scoundrel. Qi Guanlan, who was standing nearby, was stunned and a hint of anger crept onto his handsome face.
"Don't flatter yourself! Even if I liked a pig, I would never like you!"
"You have the nerve to argue with a girl?"
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