Provocation
Shangguan Yuqi's cool and composed voice rang out: "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint Your Highness. I have no skills other than swordsmanship, and I'm not good at any of the four arts."
Hearing this, A Qiu secretly clicked her tongue in amazement, thinking that Shangguan Yuqi was really straightforward, almost admitting that she was illiterate. Not to mention the noble ladies of the Southern Dynasty, even though A Qiu was trained as an assassin in Lanling Hall, she was still exposed to the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting as the basic cultivation of Lanling disciples.
If Hulü Guang were a normal person, he would be dumbfounded upon hearing Shangguan Yuqi's answer and would be better off giving up the idea of marrying her. Because no prince would want to marry such a woman as a concubine.
To everyone's surprise, Hulü Guang was only slightly taken aback before he immediately said in a gentle tone, "If Miss is interested, I can teach you all of these." Then, without waiting for a reply, he said to his servant, "Go and fetch the chessboard and chess pieces. I want to play a game with Miss."
As she thought this, her gaze involuntarily drifted down from the building, a habit she instinctively developed as an assassin—to survey the terrain and devise an escape strategy.
To everyone's surprise, they were stunned when they saw it.
There was no other reason than that a person stood beside a cluster of peonies, only his back could be seen, and he was looking at the flowers with his hands behind his back.
That clump of peonies, however, was two-colored, blooming in pink and white. It was a rare variety that she had brought back from the southwest, grafted from the pink "Neirenjiao" onto the snow-white "Yulouqing" mother plant. Later, Gu Yi forcibly changed its name to "Brotherly Love and Respect".
The man was tall and elegant, with a refined and divine air.
The only unique thing about them is that, like them, they cover their faces and hair with conical hats and veils, so only their figures can be roughly seen.
But what was strange was that this vast garden, which had been completely deserted, suddenly had a person appear, and no one knew when he had arrived, as he had done so without making a sound. This alone was enough to send chills down A Qiu's spine and set off alarm bells in his mind.
A soft "snap" sound came from inside the room, as if Shangguan Yuqi had placed her palm on the table and said calmly, "There's no need for Your Highness to trouble yourself. I've already made my point clear. If Your Highness still wants to marry me, you must have a battle with me. The time will be after the state banquet."
Hulü Guang finally became serious and said, "What if Your Highness does not agree?"
Shangguan Yuqi said, "Your Highness may refuse this challenge, but there is no need to mention marrying me again, because Shangguan Yuqi will never marry someone who doesn't even have the courage to test my sword."
Knowing this, A Qiu realized that Shangguan Yuqi had already resorted to provocation.
At this moment, Hulü Guang had no way out. He had two options: either agree to fight her or give up his wish to marry her.
It must be said that, having come this far, even A Qiu secretly admires Shangguan Yuqi's decisiveness and strength. Up to now, she has been pressing Huli Guang step by step, forcing him to respond to her demands. This is also a very high level of swordsmanship.
Hulü Guang let out a long sigh of relief. A Qiu's heart suddenly jumped into her throat. Her gaze couldn't help but sweep over the person standing downstairs again, only to find that the figure beside the peony had vanished without a trace.
She had made a pact with Shangguan Yuqi that if any problems arose, they would signal by smashing a cup. However, she was also worried that Hulü Guang's side might have a similar pact. Given Shangguan Yuqi's unwavering stance, would Hulü Guang resort to force to arrest her?
At this moment, the situation at Bifu Pavilion was suspicious in every way, and she could only stay by Shangguan Yuqi's side and dare not go elsewhere to check the truth.
Then Huli Guang said leisurely, "I can accept the challenge from Miss, but would Miss be willing to play a game of chess with me?"
Shangguan Yuqi wanted to refuse, but Huli Guang said, "If I can defeat Miss in the martial arts competition a month from now, then there will be no other choice. There will be many more opportunities to face Miss in the future. But if I lose, then today's meeting with Miss may be the only one in my life."
He hesitated, then said deeply, "I have heard that General Li Mingyuan, the Marquis of Guannei, traveled thousands of miles to pay homage to the capital, but his fate with Empress Xining was only that one fleeting encounter in the Golden Palace."
Upon hearing this, even Shangguan Yuqi fell silent. After a moment, she softened her tone and said, "Okay."
Shangguan Yuqi previously said that she was not good at any of the four arts (music, chess, calligraphy, and painting), which was naturally to make it clear that she did not respect Hulü Guang. Her entry into the forbidden area to learn swordsmanship was after the death of Empress Xining. Before that, it was impossible for her to really stay by Yanxiu's side without learning anything and just remain an illiterate person.
Hulü Guang smiled and said, "Thank you for the honor, Miss. Please bring the chess pieces."
Hearing the orderly sound of chess pieces being placed on the board, A Qiu wondered about Shangguan Yuqi's skill level. Then he heard Huli Guang say gently, "I wonder who will win this game. How about we place a small bet?"
Shangguan Yuqi remained calm and composed, saying, "Your Highness, please feel free to do as you please. I am at your service."
Hulü Guang said, "If I am fortunate enough to win, I would like to ask Miss Shangguan for the jade hairpin in your hair as a memento. If Miss Shangguan wins, you may make any request to me, and I will do my best to fulfill it."
A Qiu thought to himself, if this request were made to another woman, she would likely soften and be moved, appreciating his sincerity. In that case, even if she won the duel a month later, she probably wouldn't go all out. This Hulü Guang is truly a first-rate diplomat; his art of winning hearts and minds is indeed superb.
If a woman feels that a man truly loves her, even if she doesn't like him that much, she rarely has the heart to be ruthless towards him.
But this tactic was clearly ineffective against a Daoist swordsman like Shangguan Yuqi, who was detached from worldly affairs. Shangguan Yuqi calmly said, "According to the customs and rules of the Southern Dynasty, unmarried women are not allowed to give their hairpins and jewelry to men outside the marriage or exchange them privately. Please do not make another request, Your Highness."
Then one could hear the sound of her placing a piece, perfectly composed and completely undisturbed by Hulü Guang's request.
Huli Guang was rebuffed, and his laughter became somewhat forced. He said, "I know that your court values the distinction between men and women. However, I thought that with your elegant and carefree nature, Miss, you would not care about worldly views. Therefore, I dared to make this request."
Ah Qiu thought to himself, "Your request is more than just excessive. Only engaged couples can ask for a token of love. I'm afraid this custom is the same all over the world."
The moment her thought crossed her mind, she suddenly caught a faint, familiar scent in her nose. She couldn't help but sniff it deeply, trying to discern the fragrance.
She hadn't been exposed to many spices in her life, but this one was one she had smelled after entering the palace.
The fragrance is extremely mild and rich, yet it has a slightly intoxicating quality, making its characteristics very distinct.
She took a few more breaths and suddenly realized what it was, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head.
This is the "Polo Powder" mentioned by Gongye Fusu. When used with red coral, it has an aphrodisiac effect. The reason she found the scent familiar was because she had smelled this fragrance formula twice in the hot spring water.
She immediately recalled that Gongye Fusu had said that the best way to use these two incense sticks together was to add them to tea, as this would be the most effective. However, Shangguan Yuqi would certainly refuse to drink it, so Hulü Guang had the incense burned indoors.
If you listen closely to its scent, you'll find it's slightly different from ordinary prajna. Ordinary prajna is simply mild and fragrant, while this fragrance also has a slightly intoxicating quality.
Ah Qiu suddenly understood why Hulü Guang insisted on inviting Shangguan Yuqi to play chess.
Since playing chess takes at least the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he had a reason to keep Shangguan Yuqi indoors, giving her ample time to take her medicine.
Therefore, it is clear that all his previous claims of genuine admiration and that he would not harm Shangguan Yuqi were false. They were merely attempts to distract Shangguan Yuqi, make her make wrong judgments, and lead her by the nose, so that he would have time to carry out his despicable plan.
But since he was waiting outside, he wondered what methods Hulü Guang would use to deal with him.
With this thought in mind, she disregarded everything else and immediately knocked on the door to enter.
She had just raised her hand when she heard a soft sound of a chess piece falling onto the board, and then Shangguan Yuqi's calm voice rang out: "Your Highness Prince Ning, you have lost."
The room was completely silent, as Hulü Guang couldn't accept for a long time the fact that she had lost to Shangguan Yuqi in just a few breaths.
Just moments before, he had shamelessly declared that he would teach Shangguan Yuqi how to play chess.
Shangguan Yuqi said calmly, "May I leave now?"
Huli Guang recovered from his shock and said decisively, "Miss Shangguan, please forgive my rudeness. I used to want to marry you, but that was only because I admired your family background and reputation. However, after seeing your beautiful face, I am even more certain that I will marry no one but you. I know that you will not give in so easily, so I had to use a little trick. Please forgive me."
Before Shangguan Yuqi could answer, A Qiu burst through the door and saw a white glazed vase with a stick of incense burning on a tall, round table in the corner of the room. A third of the incense had already burned down. Wisps of smoke were rising from the vase.
With a flick of her sleeve, A Qiu extinguished the incense, and the white glazed bottle fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.
She said coldly, "Your Highness's so-called method is to secretly poison Miss Shangguan with Brahma Powder and Crimson Coral?"
Hulü Guang finally regained his true colors, stood up and laughed, "Most Han women are strong-willed, and it is difficult to subdue them without some means. Miss Shangguan is the epitome of a lady, and I am completely inferior to her in both talent and temperament. Without medicine, I'm afraid Miss Shangguan would rather die than marry me."
A Qiu signaled to Shangguan Yuqi with her eyes not to act rashly, because she did not want Shangguan Yuqi to reveal her true strength at the moment, lest Huli Guang refuse the duel a month later.
As she subtly approached Hulü Guang, she said, "If Your Highness Prince Ning really manages to bring down Miss Shangguan, you're truly courting death. Miss Shangguan is the most virtuous lady among the noble families of this dynasty. Not only will the Shangguan family not let Your Highness off the hook, but the royal family and other powerful clans will not let you go either."
Hulü Guang retreated warily, having witnessed A Qiu's methods of killing. He smiled and said, "I do know a little about your Han customs. If this matter is as I wish, the Shangguan family, to avoid making a fool of themselves and losing face, will surely be happy to betroth their eldest daughter to me. This would be a win-win situation."
He said coldly, "I never expected that the person accompanying the young lady would not be an ordinary maid or servant, but rather you, the ruthless successor of the young master, Lord Si Le."
Ah Qiu then realized that, according to Huli Guang's estimation, even if Shangguan Yuqi knew martial arts, her skill was limited, and if the people who accompanied her were just ordinary maids and servants, then trapping the two of them in this Youlan Pavilion would be an easy task.
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