After an all-nighter, the Three Little Ones quickly found some food to fill their stomachs. Seeing that it was almost time, they set off for the Imperial Garden to participate in the competition.
It was the fifth day of the eleventh month, and the sun shone brightly.
A thin layer of snow covered the ground, which would probably melt completely in a few days.
The New Year was approaching, but the capital had not yet had a proper heavy snowfall.
It had only been a few sporadic light snows, which were not satisfying at all.
When the Three Little Ones arrived at the Imperial Garden, they found that many people were already waiting there.
They had set up several areas and were practicing Mu She, which they would be competing in shortly.
However, when the Three Little Ones entered, everyone, without exception, cast unfriendly glances at them.
Of course, most of the stares were directed at Princess Ankang.
Whether it was the Imperial Princes and Princesses or the imperial concubines, their expressions were all similar.
Previously, when they spoke ill of Princess Ankang, they would at least do it behind her back, sneering in private.
Now, they didn't speak, but just stared at Princess Ankang with hatred, as if devouring her alive wouldn't be enough to vent their anger.
This scene truly startled the Three Little Ones; they hadn't expected this group of people to be so united today.
"Meow!"
Li Xuan casually let out a soft meow, and instantly, the various gazes fixed on Princess Ankang scattered.
Princess Ankang also felt the pressure ease, no longer as uncomfortable as before.
And those who had been staring at Princess Ankang now collectively shifted their gaze, inexplicably feeling a sudden panic and disarray, either their hearts pounding wildly or skipping a few beats; in any case, it was very uncomfortable.
Li Xuan snorted, not taking these clowns to heart.
His Ghost Cry God Howl was currently only unable to achieve precise sound transmission; if it was just large-scale damage, then precise control wouldn't be necessary.
Li Xuan had just given them a warning; otherwise, with his current abilities, at least half of the people in the entire Imperial Garden would have already gone mad.
And those who were discerning had already realized that something was off about that cat's meow just now.
"Third Brother, Ankang's cat…"
The Ninth Princess said to the Third Prince beside her with a solemn expression.
"I'm afraid it's one of the most exceptional creatures among rare beasts, and I don't know when it fell into her hands."
The Third Prince's expression was no better.
During the Qúc Ju match at the Chongyang Banquet, it was this cat that directly shot the ball into his Fengliu Eye, making him lose face greatly in front of all the nobles in the capital.
Although he quickly fainted at the time, thinking about it now still made his hands and feet tremble, and he felt utterly humiliated.
This incident was such that even the Eighth Prince rarely joked about it in front of him later.
But the more this was the case, the Eighth Prince's expression of wanting to laugh but not daring to laugh whenever he saw him, instead, further deeply wounded the Third Prince's heart.
"Third Brother, don't think about it anymore."
"What's past is past!"
The Ninth Princess silently gripped the Third Prince's trembling right hand, comforting him.
As one of the spectators who witnessed it firsthand, the Ninth Princess could imagine the immense pressure the Third Prince was currently under.
The fact that the Third Prince could still appear in front of everyone actually showed immense courage.
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
The Third Prince forced a smile, not daring to look in Princess Ankang's direction anymore.
The Three Little Ones found a corner for themselves and noticed that several pavilions in the Imperial Garden had lit braziers.
However, none of the early-arriving imperial concubines were sitting inside the pavilions; they were all waiting outside respectfully, clearly waiting for their backbone to arrive.
The Three Little Ones had already mentally prepared for such treatment in the Imperial Garden today.
After all, those who could come here were probably all the ones whose monthly stipends had been cut.
As for those whose monthly stipends had increased, they probably weren't even allowed to set foot here.
"Honestly, none of them lack money, yet they care so much about it."
"How strange!"
Princess Ankang shook her head, indicating that she couldn't understand.
In her opinion, money was enough as long as it covered expenses.
Taking the Three Little Ones as an example, they didn't spend much money each day.
The supplies in Jingyang Palace and the stacks of silver notes in Li Xuan's di hong bone ring were just piled there, and who knew when they would ever be used.
But what Princess Ankang didn't know was that not everyone had lived through the hardships like those in Jingyang Palace.
Most of the people here were born into nobility, and many things they considered natural in their daily lives were built upon vast amounts of wealth, which they had yet to realize.
The financial views of these imperial concubines and Imperial Princes and Princesses were not normal; after all, who would count how many grains of rice they ate in a day and then research how much each grain was worth?
In their eyes, the luxurious and extravagant daily necessities of food, clothing, housing, and transportation were merely the most basic things they desired and deserved.
As for how much good this money could do for the Great Xing people, it simply wouldn't occur to them.
Li Xuan looked at the nobles in the courtyard, now daring not to speak their anger, and felt a sense of satisfaction.
However, on second thought, he couldn't help but sigh repeatedly.
As a dynasty with a thousand-year history, Great Xing's level of corruption far exceeded Li Xuan's imagination.
The ruling class nobles at the top of the dynasty had already adapted to such a life of exploiting the common people, and this was only Li Xuan's observation within the capital.
If he went to places outside the capital, the situation would probably be even worse.
Even without the current struggle between Emperor Yongyuan and Prince Zheng, the Daxing Dynasty would probably eventually erupt in even more intense conflicts.
Without a complete reshuffle, the fractured state of this dynasty could not be resolved.
At that time, it would remain to be seen whether Great Xing could still be preserved.
"Such a mess, yet they still squabble amongst themselves."
"Truly laughable!"
While Li Xuan was lost in thought, more and more people gathered in the Imperial Garden.
After several Imperial Princes and Princesses who were on good terms with Princess Ankang arrived, they all came to greet her.
"Ankang, you are truly heartless."
"You didn't even spare Eighth Brother's monthly stipend."
As soon as the Eighth Prince arrived, he began to complain endlessly to Princess Ankang.
The Fifth Prince, Seventh Princess, and Princess Yuan'an beside him also looked at Princess Ankang with blank expressions.
It seemed that the reduction of their monthly stipends had a significant impact on them as well.
"Hehehe~"
Princess Ankang gave a silly smile, making one wonder if she thought she was being praised.
"What are you 'hehe'-ing about?"
"Ankang, you've made quite a few enemies this time."
"The few of us are fine; we just lost some pocket money, but others are much worse off."
The Eighth Prince said, lowering his voice mysteriously, and the attention of the others nearby was immediately drawn to him.
"Do you remember the competition where we had to go out of the palace to do business?"
"Didn't many people lose money and have to slowly pay back the principal with their monthly stipends?"
"Now that Ankang has cut their monthly stipends, they'll never be able to repay that debt in their lifetime."
"Those unfortunate souls now have to figure out how to manage their monthly stipends themselves. Some even tried to fleece the Internal Affairs Bureau, but Chief Zhao turned them all away."
"They're living as Imperial Princes and Princesses, but it's truly stifling~"
The Eighth Prince said gleefully.
Li Xuan, nestled in Princess Ankang's arms, only remembered this matter when he heard about it.
At the time, Emperor Yongyuan's intention in holding the Monopoly-like competition was quite clear: to secure some sponsorship for the depleted national treasury.
But, good heavens.
These Imperial Princes and Princesses actually gave Emperor Yongyuan a hard time; not only did they fail to earn money, but they also lost all their capital.
If the children were ignorant, were the adults also ignorant?
The mothers of the Imperial Princes and Princesses and their families showed no reaction to this matter, allowing their children to submit a blank paper.
The meaning of this was already very clear.
"Your Majesty, no money!"
Not even replenishing the ten thousand taels of capital, such an insincere response, how could Emperor Yongyuan not be angry?
Li Xuan thought for a moment and suddenly understood.
"That's right, if those Imperial Princes and Princesses used their monthly stipends to repay the money, wouldn't it just be Emperor Yongyuan using his own money to repay his own debts?"
"Truly a big sucker!"
It seemed that Emperor Yongyuan's reduction of the Royal Private Treasury's expenses, besides solving practical problems, also had the intention of venting his own frustration.
"Then this competition today…"
Li Xuan looked up at the resentful people in the distance, thinking that there would probably be a good show for them to watch today.
After a while longer, most of the people had arrived.
At this moment, Zhao Feng also arrived late.
Zhao Feng came to the stage, looked around leisurely, and then slowly began:
"My ladies, Your Highnesses."
"Today we will compete in Mu She."
"Without further ado, let's start drawing lots for the competition now."
Zhao Feng took out the prepared lots, clearly wanting to finish quickly.
A group of Imperial Princes and Princesses went up to draw lots. When it was the Eighth Prince's turn, he couldn't help but ask Zhao Feng:
"Chief Zhao, you haven't announced the rules of today's competition and the prizes."
"Are we just starting so haphazardly?"
"The prize for this month's competition can't just be the restoration of our previous monthly stipends, can it?"
Zhao Feng smiled slightly: "Naturally, there are other prizes. Eighth Prince, please be patient; you will definitely not be disappointed."
Zhao Feng avoided answering, continuing to keep them in suspense.
Only Li Xuan knew clearly that Emperor Yongyuan's prizes were not decided in advance but would be changed temporarily.
When Princess Ankang won, it was one set of prizes; when others won the competition, it was another set of prizes.
On this point, the First Prince probably felt it deeply.
After the drawing of lots, Zhao Feng immediately arranged for people to set up the venue.
Since it was just playing Mu She, it didn't require much space and could be set up directly on the stage.
There were many participants, so they would directly play a points-based competition, with the person with the highest score winning.
Each person would throw five wooden balls, and then the scores would be ranked to determine the final results.
If there was a tie, an additional round would be played.
Their previous drawing of lots only determined the order of appearance and wouldn't have much impact, as it was self-scoring and there would be no head-to-head duels.
Princess Ankang's turn was later, so she could watch how others played.
Those who went first included Little Bean and some older Imperial Princes and Princesses.
Most people used the method of rolling the wooden ball to hit the bamboo-shoot-shaped wooden pillars, as this allowed for better control of the trajectory.
Of course, there were also some reckless individuals who directly smashed the wooden ball, creating a lot of noise, but their aim was poor, and sometimes the bamboo-shoot-shaped wooden pillars would even roll a few times after being hit and then stand back up.
If the bamboo-shoot-shaped wooden pillar didn't fall, it wouldn't count for points.
And there was a high probability of hitting a black bamboo-shoot-shaped wooden pillar outside their target, which would result in points being deducted.
Several people took turns, and some unlucky ones with negative total scores had already appeared.
The various strange and interesting situations on stage made Princess Ankang and her group laugh heartily.
Compared to the seriousness of others, their seemingly eccentric group was much more relaxed.
The Eighth Prince and others themselves didn't react much to the reduction of their monthly stipends.
Their mothers all came from prominent families, and their monthly stipends were at most just an extra bonus in their daily expenses.
Some people didn't care much about money at all, only focusing on things that interested them.
Moreover, they were all reasonable and knew that this matter probably had little to do with Princess Ankang.
People in the palace were never too foolish.
It was just that some people didn't dare to vent their anger on Emperor Yongyuan, so they had to pick on Princess Ankang.
If they suffered a loss, didn't they have to find some unlucky person to vent their inexplicable anger on?
Princess Ankang and the others were enjoying the competition, and it wasn't long before it was the Eighth Prince's turn.
The Eighth Prince was the earliest in their group to go, and he immediately rolled up his sleeves and confidently stepped onto the stage.
"It's time to show some real skill."
After the Eighth Prince stepped onto the stage, he took the wooden ball and, without much aiming, gently tossed it towards the target.
The wooden ball hit the top of a red bamboo-shoot-shaped wooden pillar, directly knocking it off balance, and it fell with a thud.
That wasn't all; the wooden ball continued to bounce, passed over a black bamboo-shoot-shaped wooden pillar nearby, and then hit another red bamboo-shoot-shaped wooden pillar, achieving a feat of killing two birds with one stone.
This scene even made Li Xuan, who was dozing off in Princess Ankang's arms, open one eye.
With his perception of the environment, even without using his physical eyes, he could be fully aware of what was happening around him.
The Eighth Prince's move was indeed clever, surprising even Li Xuan a little.
"This kid always comes up with some flashy tricks."
When it came to food, drink, and entertainment, there was almost nothing the Eighth Prince wasn't proficient in.
Even in Mu She, the Eighth Prince displayed an unusual special skill.
"If you knock down two at once, you can indeed get a perfect score."
In the Mu She game, there were a total of fifteen bamboo-shoot-shaped wooden pillars for scoring, of which only ten red ones added points, while the other five black ones would deduct points if knocked down.
As the competition progressed, besides a few Imperial Princes and Princesses with good cultivation, not many people managed to score a perfect five points in five attempts.
But with the Eighth Prince's first move, he directly broke this pattern.
After five attempts, the Eighth Prince, using the technique of killing two birds with one stone, steadily achieved a perfect score of ten points, standing out from the crowd.
Li Xuan watched the Eighth Prince swagger down proudly, couldn't help but smile slightly, and then closed his eyes again.
"Perhaps Emperor Yongyuan had anticipated Eighth Brother's skill, which is why he arranged the so-called additional round, adding an extra layer of insurance for Ankang."
Thank you, dear readers, for your monthly ticket support!
Hehe~ I woke up late today.