Team up
I must say, the food at Fangting Waterside Pavilion was quite delicious. After playing a game, Zhu Qinghe was starving.
Liang Youan stared at the two people opposite him, and after a long while, he exclaimed in surprise, "You two are actually assassins? I never would have guessed that!"
Zhu Qinghe picked up a piece of tempting braised pork and said, "You'an, you're still too naive. How can you believe everything others say about this kind of game?"
"Qiu Ru is really impressive. She dared to step forward and claim her official status right from the start. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't have won."
Bai Qiuru scooped soup into the bowl with a spoon, "I just think that assassins have many limitations. Rather than waiting to be killed, it's better to take the initiative."
“Indeed, the longer this rule drags on, the less beneficial it is for assassins,” Zhu Qinghe agreed.
Liang Youan poked at the rice in her bowl: "Playing games with you guys was such a terrible experience. I didn't even get a chance to say a few words."
These two freaks have already won, and they won as assassins no less.
Is there any justice left in this world?
“However,” Zhu Qinghe leaned closer and lowered her voice, “what did Number Twelve mean by what she said back then?”
Liang Youan: "Which sentence?"
Bai Qiuru: "Regarding the line about lovers."
“Oh, that,” Liang Youan also lowered his voice, “Sister Fuying does have a bad reputation in this regard. Because she comes from a good family and is beautiful, many young men like her, and she doesn’t really refuse them, so it’s become like this over time.”
Having caught a glimpse of the gossip, Zhu Qinghe was about to continue gossiping when someone sat down next to her. "Number 5 and Number 11, so you're here."
Zhu Qinghe turned her head and saw that it was number twelve.
She smiled and said, "We meet again."
"Oh right, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Mu Chengwen. What about you?"
"Zhu Qinghe."
"Bai Qiuru."
Mu Chengwen looked at Liang Youan, "What...what's your number again?"
Liang Youan: "I am number nine. My name is Liang Youan. Sister Chengwen, don't you remember me? Last year, when Brother Mu won the martial arts championship, our family went to your mansion to attend the celebration banquet."
Mu Chengwen remembered and clapped his hands, "Oh, it's you, the chubby little girl who got lost in the kitchen."
Liang Youan: "...Sister Chengwen, I've already lost weight."
"Indeed, she's a girl who's neither fat nor thin now, but her face is still quite round." As he spoke, he reached out to pinch her cheek.
Liang Youan wrinkled her nose and backed away. "Qinghe, Qiuru, save me!"
Zhu Qinghe watched the commotion with a grin, when suddenly a figure flashed past the opposite window.
She stopped smiling and stood up: "I'm going to the outhouse."
Watching her retreating figure, Mu Chengwen asked, puzzled, "Why did she go to the toilet right after eating?"
Liang Youan: "...Pfft—"
Bai Qiuru withdrew her gaze.
Zhu Qinghe moved to the back where no one was around, peeking furtively and whispering, "Lord Shen—Shen Wumei?"
The next second, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him behind a rotten wooden shelf next to him.
Zhu Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the person in front of her clearly, and carefully put her eyes back into their sockets, which had almost popped out of their sockets: "You didn't even say hello, you scared me."
"You came pretty quickly, did you miss me?" Shen Wumei teased her.
"Tsk, you have the nerve to say that? Flashing around by the window in broad daylight, that room is full of pampered young ladies, aren't you afraid of being mistaken for a ghost?"
"If people are frightened, Prime Minister Shen will be in a difficult position."
"You don't sound very happy. Is the game fun?" Shen Wumei asked.
"It was alright, I won easily, not much of a challenge," Zhu Qinghe said.
"The old man thinks highly of you; you did a good job," Shen Wumei praised her.
Zhu Qinghe's lips curled up slightly. "That's normal, I'm so outstanding."
"However, this is only the first hurdle; it will get harder and harder from here on out."
Zhu Qinghe frowned: "Prime Minister Shen is making such a big fuss, is this really just a simple marriage selection banquet?"
Moreover, if it's about choosing a wife, wouldn't it be enough to just look at her character and talent, and maybe even her appearance? Why go through so many hurdles? Even the emperor didn't go through this kind of ordeal when choosing his concubines.
Something feels off.
Shen Wumei smoothed her brow: "I'm not sure either. If you don't like it, we'll leave immediately."
“That won’t do,” Zhu Qinghe refused decisively. “Lord Shen is so outstanding, it’s normal for the tests to be a bit rigorous.”
"Since I made this choice myself, I'll persevere to the end no matter how difficult it gets, and then I'll conquer Prime Minister Shen and carry you back in a grand sedan chair."
Shen Wumei chuckled: "Alright, then I'll be waiting for you."
"Don't worry, none of them are a match for me." Zhu Qinghe began to show off and boast in front of her sweetheart, "I can beat them easily, and then you'll be mine, hehehe."
Zhu Qinghe was lost in her own imagination, and her smile gradually turned lewd.
Shen Wumei put his arm around her waist, bringing the two of them incredibly close, their noses almost touching.
Shen Wumei's voice was low but earnest, filled with boundless affection: "I was always yours."
After meeting her lover, Zhu Qinghe returned to her room in a good mood.
As soon as the door was opened, Bai Qiuru, Liang Youan, and Mu Chengwen were all there.
No, Bai Qiuru and Liang Youan are one thing, since they already live in this house.
Isn't Mu Chengwen from the next room? Why is he here too?
"Haven't you finished chatting in the dining hall? Come visit!" Zhu Qinghe closed the door behind her and asked Mu Chengwen.
Mu Chengwen: "Watching the gossip unfold."
"What gossip?" Zhu Qinghe became interested. What kind of sister would she be if she didn't share any gossip with her?
Mu Chengwen clicked his tongue and shook his head, sighing, "Zhu Qinghe, you're not being fair. Why does it take so long to use the outhouse? Are you hiding something from us?"
Zhu Qinghe: Oh no.
This group of people is quite perceptive.
How can we get away with this?
Liang Youan chimed in, "Qinghe, just tell the truth. Qiu Ru already said that you went to see your lover."
...Good heavens, I forgot about that. Bai Qiuru has seen her and Shen Wumei before.
It seems there's no way to smooth things over this time. Zhu Qinghe sighed deeply.
After hearing the whole story, Mu Chengwen was the first to speak: "If we had known that Prime Minister Shen's son already had someone he loved, why would we have come to join in the fun?"
Zhu Qinghe: "So you really did all this just to marry into the Prime Minister's household?"
Mu Chengwen shrugged: "To be precise, it was our parents who thought about it. Otherwise, we wouldn't even know if that Young Master Shen was round or square, so what would we have to think about?"
Liang Youan nodded in agreement, "I really just want to stay at home and be lazy, and I don't want to get married yet."
The way you put it, who wouldn't want to be lazy and good-for-nothing?
Zhu Qinghe shifted her gaze to Bai Qiuru beside her: "Qiuru, what about you?"
"Qinghe should know, right?" Bai Qiuru said calmly.
"I know your purpose, of course, but there are many ways to do this. Which one do you want to choose?"
"Qinghe, rest assured, I will naturally not take what others want. However, if all other methods fail, I will have to resort to petty tricks."
"I won't give you that chance."
"Then help me," Bai Qiuru said calmly at the end.
Mu Chengwen looked bewildered: "What are you two talking about?"
Liang Youan was already quite used to this: "Sister Chengwen, give up, you can't understand what they're saying."
"Let's be happy little fools together."
The day passed peacefully and uneventfully. After breakfast the next day, the chime bells were rung again.
Aunt Tan stood in front of the group of thirteen people and slowly began her introduction to the second round of the competition.
"I believe that after passing the first round, you ladies have a basic understanding of our selection system. For this second round, you will need to split into two teams."
"Thirteen people, divided into two teams, each team must have no fewer than five people and no more than eight people."
Yesterday, number six, who always tries to stand out, said directly, "Auntie, why don't you just say we'll split into six-person teams and seven-person teams?"
Aunt Tan smiled and said, "Five or eight people are fine too."
Number Six disagreed: "Then the five-man team is doomed to lose."
In team battles like this, having fewer people puts you at a disadvantage.
Aunt Tan didn't say anything more, and said, "Then please, ladies, form groups first."
The young ladies started discussing forming teams with their close friends. Zhu Qinghe and her friends stood at the back of the line, looking quite calm.
Mu Chengwen spoke up: "The four of us definitely need to be a team, but we don't have enough people. Let's recruit three or four more. More people means more strength."
"And most importantly, you absolutely cannot be in a group with Chen Fuying."
"Based on her performance yesterday, no one will be in a group with her today. Let her embarrass herself."
Zhu Qinghe looked at Chen Fuying, who was isolated in the crowd. She still stood proudly with her chest out, but her face was very ugly.
She was both angry and a little aggrieved. In the past, these noble ladies would fawn over her, but she wouldn't even bother to look at them.
Just because of that stupid game yesterday, this group of people automatically put themselves on a moral high ground and look down on her.
She just wanted to win, what's wrong with that?
Number Six is very popular and has a good ability to inspire others. Her group has already gathered quite a few people. Mu Chengwen tried to recruit several people, but they all refused her and joined Number Six's group instead.
By the end, number six had formed an eight-person group, leaving only Zhu Qinghe's four people and the lone Chen Fuying on the field.
Aunt Tan glanced at them and said, "They've already been formed, right? Five-person groups and eight-person groups."
Mu Chengwen objected: "I don't want to be in a group with her."
Chen Fuying sneered: "I'm not going to be in your group either."
Aunt Tan: "Leave the game if you don't team up."
"..."
Zhu Qinghe spoke up: "Let's team up."
Zhu Qinghe tugged at Mu Chengwen: "It's just a game. Let's put aside our personal grudges for now and go over there."
Zhu Qinghe stood next to Chen Fuying, with Bai Qiuru and Liang Youan to her right. Mu Chengwen, who really disliked Chen Fuying, stood the furthest away.
Chen Fuying: "You don't need to pretend to be a good person. If it weren't for you yesterday, I wouldn't be isolated today."
Zhu Qinghe said lazily, "Miss Fuying, let's be reasonable. Everyone's just trying to win. It's just a game, don't take it so seriously."
Chen Fuying snorted coldly and remained silent.
Another group of maids came over carrying trays, and Aunt Tan began to explain the rules of the game: "Each person will receive their own identity card, which indicates their martial arts value, two hundred per person, and each team's position will be at the north and south ends respectively."
"At the start of the game, each team stays in its own territory and guards its own treasure."
"Each team can send someone to the opponent's position to seize treasures. There is no limit to the number of people, but each person can only choose one target to attack. If the target does not have any treasures, the two people will compare their combat strength. The one with higher combat strength wins and takes all the combat strength of the loser."
"If the other party has treasure, the treasure hunter fails and all of their combat power is deducted and given to the other party."
"As long as you hand over your identity card to the other party, you can transfer and give them combat power. However, if a person with zero combat power is attacked, they will die. The successful attacker will receive an additional 200 combat power. If the team has fewer than four members or the team's total combat power is less than 500, the team will be declared a failure."
"Similarly, a team that has a total combat strength of over two thousand wins."
"Then wouldn't our group of five be in great danger?" Mu Chengwen said anxiously.
There were only five of them; if just two of them died, they were finished.
Aunt Tan: "That's how it is."
The eight people opposite them burst into gloating laughter.
Their group of five is doomed to lose.
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