51: Xiu Nan Assessment

That night.

The high-hanging full moon cast a silvery glow over the entire Kyoto.

A room in the courtyard.

There was a gentle knock on the door.

Ji Youyu, who was practicing calligraphy strokes inside the room, paused her arm: "Come in."

"Creak~"

The wooden door always made a strange sound when it was opened or closed.

After the door opened, a figure wrapped tightly from head to toe carefully walked in.

"This humble man, Wu Teng, pays his respects to Ninth Princess Prince."

"You are the most handsome man in Central Domain, Wu Teng?" Turning around, Ji Youyu slightly frowned as she looked at the tightly wrapped man in front of her.

"Remove those wraps."

"Yes." The man said softly, pinching the cloth on his body with his index finger and thumb, while the other three fingers curled up, carefully lifting it.

It took a full half an hour.

Only then did the man remove the excess wraps from his body. When he was about to take off his clothes, Ji Youyu waved her hand: "No need."

Looking at the effeminate face of the man in front of her, Ji Youyu's thoughts drifted slightly to Lin Feng.

If it were before, this man would indeed be top-notch in her aesthetic view.

But looking at him now, she always felt a sense of disharmony that she couldn't quite describe.

"Do you have any talents?"

"I, I can dance." The man stood in front of Ji Youyu, pinching the corner of his clothes, feeling a little shy.

"Okay, dance a bit and let me see." Ji Youyu didn't show much facial expression.

"Alright." Wu Teng nodded and took out a sound stone from his person.

Soft zither music came from the sound stone.

Wu Teng also began his performance.

Pinching his collar and pulling it to his shoulder, his eyes revealed longing, sending electric gazes towards Ji Youyu. His body swayed like waterweed, biting his lower lip. This man could even let out inexplicable moans during his dance...

Gradually, the man danced towards Ji Youyu, his clothes falling off one by one.

"Alright, stop." Ji Youyu pursed her lips, her eyebrows already tightly furrowed.

However, the man seemed not to have heard and continued his dance.

With his collar pulled open, Wu Teng approached Ji Youyu.

"Princess Prince, how about letting this humble one serve you..."

Wu Teng believed that no one could refuse a handsome man like him. Women were all like pork trotters; as long as he was a little seductive, none of these women would refuse.

"If you don't stop, I'll throw you out!"

The painting brush in Ji Youyu's hand, in her patience, had already been squeezed into several cracks by her.

As soon as these words were spoken, Wu Teng immediately quieted down.

Looking at Ji Youyu, he squeezed out two tears from his eyes: "Ninth Princess Prince, was Xiao Teng's performance not good?"

Taking a deep breath, Ji Youyu closed her eyes and pondered for a long time: "Go back and rest, prepare well for tomorrow."

"Okay, Xiao Teng understands." Wu Teng lowered his head, a hint of resentment appearing in his eyes.

...

On the slightly dim street.

Wu Teng was still wrapped up tightly.

Looking around, after confirming that no one was following him, Wu Teng came to a hidden pavilion.

Here, there were three women wearing golden robes, sitting around a circular table.

"Xiao Teng is back?" The three women smiled when they saw the arrival.

"How was it? Did Ji Youyu believe you?"

Among the three women, the oldest one, who looked over forty, showed extreme concern about this.

"First Princess Prince, please rest assured, he completely believes me."

"Hahaha, good, good, good!" The three Princesses were full of smiles: "Tomorrow, when you change from representing them to representing us, I really want to see what expression Ji Youyu, that arrogant good younger sister, will have."

"Qing Youyu younger sister is indeed still a younger sister. She is still too naive in the struggles of the Imperial Palace."

The three women laughed heartily, and Wu Teng put on a pitiful look on his effeminate face again: "Three Princesses Prince, I was scolded by Ji Youyu for this. Do you have any rewards?"

"Rewards, hahaha, there are great rewards." The First Princess, who was over forty and had dark skin, pulled Wu Teng over: "Tonight, I will give you a good reward!"

Wu Teng: ... ... ...

...

The next day.

It was the day of the competition between the Xiu Nan of Tianwu Empire, the other two countries, and the Demon Path.

Tianwu Empire, the center of the Imperial Court.

This was a vast area.

The nine Princesses, accompanied by their retinues, arrived here early.

Lin Feng followed behind Ji Youyu and also had the fortune to come here.

Yesterday, for the sake of the spot, Lin Feng desperately searched for excuses, and his ultimate fate was being held in the arms of Ji Youyu, who was wearing a thin nightgown, and sleeping for a whole night.

Although the entire night was filled with the scent of milk, it was... humiliating!

"Are you still angry with me?"

Ji Youyu looked at Lin Feng, her voice gentle.

After making that presumptuous move yesterday, Ji Youyu was a little regretful at first, but now, she had unconsciously regarded Lin Feng as the Man behind her.

"If you let me go on stage now, everything is negotiable."

Under the mask, Lin Feng still didn't forget to fight for it.

After all, not being able to participate meant mission failure.

And mission failure meant the removal of a kidney! That's a kidney! How many kidneys can a Man have?!

"No." Ji Youyu shook her head without hesitation.

At this moment.

Three women, whose average age was at least a full cycle older, passed in front of Ji Youyu: "Oh, isn't this Ninth younger sister? You just rushed back to Kyoto yesterday. We thought you weren't coming back."

"Where would I have the leisure of you Sisters?" Ji Youyu smiled slightly: "This kind of good life, eating and sleeping like a fat pig, I, your younger sister, can't envy."

Their words were sharp and confrontational. Ji Youyu was not afraid of these few.

"Hahaha, very good, Ninth younger sister is indeed Ninth younger sister. No matter when, you are always so arrogant."

The First Princess sneered: "I hope you can still maintain this arrogant attitude later!"

While the Princesses were chatting with their retinues or acquaintances, the Imperial Court also welcomed several groups of people.

There were female Monks wearing prayer beads, holding golden bowls, and draped in kasayas.

There were women wearing fur coats, each with braids, and arms as thick as barrels.

The remaining large group primarily featured the color 'black', divided into several factions.

These groups of people were like a pack of hyenas, essentially driven by only two words: greed!

...

...

"Empress arrives!!!"

After everyone had arrived.

Inside the palace.

The voice of the old eunuch was clearly audible.

Amidst a grand fanfare, a tightly covered sedan chair slowly appeared before everyone's eyes.

Behind the sedan chair, a large group of palace guards followed closely.

"So this is the so-called grandeur."

When the Empress's sedan chair landed, the nine Princesses on the open ground all bowed and said: "Greetings, Mother Empress."

"Let's begin." A voice emerged from inside the sedan chair.

"It should have started long ago." In the Demon Path Domain, a skeletal woman laughed strangely: "Your Tianwu Empire is already like this, yet your Empress still puts on such airs, making all of us wait here."

"You! So ugly, and still talking!" Among the Princesses, the youngest, Thirteenth Princess, puffed up her small face and stepped out from behind Ninth Princess Ji Youyu.

This sentence made quite a few people chuckle, while the skeletal woman's eyes flickered with fierce light.

However, she also closed her mouth.

The eunuch from the Tianwu Empire side also began to introduce the rules of this Xiu Nan competition with his hoarse voice.

Each Xiu Nan participating in the competition needed to showcase their talent within one hour.

Afterward, the holy artifact of the Tianwu Empire, the Myriad Phase Mirror, would collectively score based on the micro-expressions shown by everyone present towards each Xiu Nan's performance.

It was that simple.

The stage was in front of them.

You needed to rely on yourself, no matter what talent, to conquer the audience.

"Please have your respective Xiu Nan contestants come on stage!"

The eunuch put down the rule book and looked towards the nine Princesses.

...

Two Xiu Nan immediately stepped out from among the other six Princesses.

"That's not right! Why did Wu Teng go there?" Ji Youyu's gaze sharpened.

Their Xiu Nan contestant, why did he run over to the First Princess's side at this time?

"Ninth Princess Ji Youyu, where is your Xiu Nan?"

The old eunuch watched the two Xiu Nan go on stage and then turned his gaze to Ji Youyu.

On the First Princess's side, several people were watching the show leisurely, their smugness completely undisguised.

"..." Ji Youyu was silent.

"Is Ninth Princess planning to give up?"

As soon as this sentence was spoken, Ji Youyu and the Fifth Imperial Daughter and Thirteenth Princess behind her instantly became the focus.

"Giving up before it even started? Tianwu Empire is being quite farsighted!"

From the Demon Path side, it was that skeletal woman who mocked again.

This time, Thirteenth Princess gritted her silver teeth but couldn't speak.

She and the Fifth Imperial Daughter looked at Wu Teng on the stage, their eyes full of anger.

Even though they weren't very smart, they all understood that Wu Teng had betrayed them at a crucial moment!

Give up?

Ji Youyu slightly clenched her fist.

Although she had other ways to ascend to the position of Empress, that kind of method was best avoided if possible.

And just as the entire venue was silent.

A figure flashed past Ji Youyu's side... and stepped onto the high platform!

That was Lin Feng!