That makes sense. Based on previous results, Li Junru should have advanced directly, but he so openly accepted Yi Shizi's challenge.
Whether you win or lose, you'll save face.
However, I definitely don't want to lose.
"Very good, very good, you certainly have guts, Minister Li, you have raised a fine son." The Emperor nodded and laughed heartily.
The decision was final.
The match began immediately.
Now there are three pairs competing on the field at the same time.
Xie Lingqin then realized that Li Junru had been holding back during his match with Ye Tianhao, and this was only when he fought Yu Qingyi that his true strength was revealed.
At first, Li Junru was full of confidence and seemed to be handling things with ease. However, Yu Qingyi, despite her seemingly chaotic and nimble movements, repeatedly made Li Junru feel extremely frustrated.
this……
Xie Lingqin understood.
“He’s clearly doing this on purpose to mess with them,” Xie Lingqin said to the Crown Prince instinctively.
The crown prince gave her a cold glance. "Are you worried?"
"I'm worried?"
I'm actually quite happy that Li Junru got beaten up.
I don't like him at all.
"It's best not to worry." The Crown Prince looked at Xie Lingqin's face and sneered.
Xie Lingqin was somewhat puzzled, and frowned, deep in thought.
The Crown Prince took in Xie Lingqin's expression, and a hint of a smile flickered in his eyes.
This woman, when acting like a man, her voice, expression, and mannerisms were all perfectly executed.
It's getting more and more interesting.
About half an incense stick's time had passed, and the results for the other four people had been determined.
Yu Qingyi and Li Junru, however, remained entangled and inseparable.
To be honest, it wasn't a close contest; Yu Qingyi clearly had the upper hand, but he insisted on acting as if he had done his best.
Li Junru's expression was not good at this moment, and he had long lost his previous ease and confidence.
He knew that Prince Yi was quite skilled in martial arts, but he thought that as a prince, he only knew how to have fun and that he was just here for something new and wouldn't take it seriously.
Furthermore, although they rarely interacted on a regular basis, he had not offended him and would certainly not make him lose face.
However, right now, he is clearly stalling him, not letting him win, but not defeating him all at once either.
"Your Highness, what has Junru done to offend you? Junru apologizes to you."
During the exchange, Li Junru said softly.
Upon hearing this, Yu Qing smiled and said, "You haven't offended me."
"and you……"
"I find it fun."
"It's fun... ah."
Before the words were even finished, Li Junru suddenly took several steps back, trying to steady himself, but Yu Qingyi, who had been far away just moments before, suddenly leaped up and delivered a back kick.
Li Junru was thus kicked off the competition stage.
The result, naturally, was a loss.
The title of top scholar was now out of his reach.
I was unwilling to accept it, but I was powerless to do anything about it.
Xie Lingqin's gaze swept over the other two selected candidates.
However, one of them, judging from his previous results, should have been third place.
Although both are in the top three, third place is always third place and is not as important as the top two.
This is also the real reason why Xie Lingqin has stayed here.
She absolutely cannot let that person surpass the top two.
I was initially worried, but now Yu Qingyi is definitely going to take the top spot. There's no doubt that the other two will either be the third or second place.
But……
"Alright, we've fought enough, it's not fun anymore, I'm quitting."
Yu Qingyi, standing in the center of the field, suddenly flung his hand away, jumped onto the stands, and... quit.
Xie Lingqin...
It's really a case of big eyes staring at small eyes.
Li Junru has now been decisively defeated.
But Yu Qingyi voluntarily withdrew.
In that case, Junjunru can only come on as a substitute.
As a substitute, he naturally missed out on the top two spots and could only become the third-place finisher.
That second-place finisher, or the top-ranking scholar...
Xie Lingqin sighed helplessly.
Fate plays tricks on people.
"How about that? Aren't I amazing?" Yu Qingyi was completely unaware of Xie Lingqin's thoughts. When he walked up, he was smiling brightly.
Xie Lingqin looked at her, not even bothering to glance at her, "You might as well not go on stage."
“I didn’t fight well? I can tell you don’t like that Li Junru. I helped you injure him, shouldn’t you be happy?”
Xie Lingqin rubbed her forehead, "Compared to..."
Well, the result is already decided, there's no point in saying anything more.
Yu Qingyi was somewhat confused and looked at the Crown Prince again.
The crown prince merely glanced at him indifferently and remained silent.
The result was almost exactly as Xie Lingqin had predicted.
Li Junru came in third place.
Tan Hua (third-place finisher in the imperial examinations)
The top scholar was the son of Xing Bu.
As for the runner-up...
When the results were announced, Li Junru, though not losing face, was clearly unwilling. However, he dared not harbor resentment towards Yu Qingyi, so he petitioned the Emperor to pull the huge bow and crossbow in the center of the arena.
For a moment, there was complete silence.
The crossbow weighed a thousand catties, and over the years, fewer and fewer people dared to try to move it.
Of course, if the examinee has great courage and is willing to shake the bow and arrow in the center of the field, it will be the icing on the cake for them.
However, with so many failures, people are hesitant to try, because they don't want to suffer losses.
"Your Majesty, Li Junru, son of the Minister of War, wishes to challenge the archer."
The announcer then conveyed the message again.
The Emperor frowned.
Xie Lingqin looked at General Xie.
General Xie's brows were also furrowed tightly.
Not only them, but also the Marquis of Zhongyong and several ministers seemed to be lost in thought for a moment.
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