On Our Wedding Night, I Discovered the Crown Prince's Hidden Illness

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: The Draw of the Game

Everyone looked towards Ye Yiheng as he pressed his fingers to his temples.

What kind of strength was this woman hiding?

Under such circumstances, how would she handle it?

The Mountain Master spoke, “Lady Cao, though I am ignorant of the art of dance, in my view, the dance performed by Leng Yu Yan and her group has shocked us all!”

He knew that his calligraphy mentor, Mr. Yan, had given him a surprise that extended far beyond calligraphy!

Just by watching them practice dance in his study, they were much better than those taught privately by Cao Shu!

Cao Shu was not at all intimidated; now that she had the backing of the Xu Family, the Mountain Master could not strip her of her role as a teacher.

And she had prepared a full set of justifications, so she explained loudly, “Crown Prince, Ninth Princess, Young Master, Mountain Master, and all teachers here, I, Cao Shu, judge fairly. To speak the truth, the reason why the team of Leng Yu Yan and Lai Jiajia cannot make it to the next round is not due to their dance moves.”

“Rather, it is because their appearances truly do not qualify for participation. For instance, Leng Yu Yan’s figure is acceptable, but her face has blemishes. Mi Xinmei has acne on her face, Luo Meng’er has an overly stout figure, and Lai Jiajia’s form is mediocre. The remaining two have overly plain faces with no sign of beauty.”

Cao Shu spoke with growing enthusiasm, “Everyone knows that Leng Yu Yan holds the only Jade Token of the Dance Society, but even so, I as a teacher cannot show favoritism. I can’t allow them to pass just because of the Jade Token.”

Leng Yu Yan smiled faintly, “There’s no need to bring up the matter of the Jade Token. Please take a closer look at Mi Xinmei’s face. The acne has already cleared up quite a bit; now only faint marks are left. And look at Luo Meng’er—”

As Leng Yu Yan raised her hand, she took hold of Luo Meng’er’s school uniform, with its waist billowing empty.

“Her figure has become more and more graceful; can none of you see that?”

“Lai Jiajia is still young, and it’s understandable that her figure isn’t as developed as others. As for the last two, aren’t they just ordinary people like the rest of you?”

As she spoke, Leng Yu Yan scanned the audience, then fixed her gaze on Cao Shu, “Lady Cao, being a teacher, should lead by example, teaching not only dance, but also the principles of being a person.”

“The principle is not to look down on others lightly! You should be good at acknowledging others’ strengths and not simply fixate on their flaws, belittling them.” Leng Yu Yan continued confidently, gestures showing her self-assurance, “Today’s judgment, I do not accept!”

Cao Shu’s face turned alternately pale and red as Leng Yu Yan lectured her on the principles of life.

Enraged, she yelled, “I have already made my judgment, and among those present, only I have the qualification to judge, not even the Mountain Master!”

Just as Leng Yu Yan was preparing to challenge Cao Shu to a contest of dance skills, the Ninth Princess spoke up, “Do you think, Cao Shu, that the Princess and my brother are as blind as you?”

“My legs may be crippled, but my eyes are not!” The Ninth Princess said coldly, “When I was the Flower God, you, Cao Shu, were still learning how to dance somewhere else!”

The Ninth Princess was known for her exceptional dancing skills; how could Cao Shu not know this?

Immediately, her arrogance diminished, “How do you think the result of this competition should be judged, Ninth Princess?”

“In my view,” the Ninth Princess stated, “the team of Leng Yu Yan and Lai Jiajia shall be the ones portraying the Flower God and Flower Fairy; there’s no need for a final comparison.”

Upon hearing this, the entire place was stunned!

Originally, they thought that the Ninth Princess would suggest that one of the poorest teams chosen by Lady Cao should be eliminated to make room for the ‘ugly woman’ team.

No one expected that not only would they make it to the finals, but they would be declared the winners outright!

Seeing the displeasure on Cao Shu’s face, the Ninth Princess snorted coldly, “How so, do you dare to disagree?”

Cao Shu quickly bowed her head, “The Princess is renowned for her dance skills, widely acknowledged; I am convinced!”

Upon this, the Ninth Princess turned to Ye Yiheng, “Sixth Brother, Sixth Sister-in-law’s dance skills are outstanding; even Ah Ju acknowledges this.”

Ye Yiheng nodded slightly, if even the fearless Ah Ju made such a statement, it appeared that Leng Yu Yan’s dance skills were truly formidable.

When the preliminary round concluded, the Mountain Master laughed heartily, inviting the Crown Prince, the Ninth Princess, and the Young Master to dine at the academy, with discussions about next steps to take place there in the afternoon.

Ye Yiheng did not object.

Nor did Ye Jiu object; since her legs had been crippled, she hadn’t left the palace in a long time.

Even if confined within Xinya Academy, it is better than being trapped in Xingning Palace.

Not long after seeing off the Crown Prince and the Ninth Princess from the school grounds, the students also prepared to disperse.

At that moment, Leng Yu Yan called out to Xu Yaxiang, “The time has come to settle the gambling bets!”

Xu Yaxiang trembled, “I need to calculate, I’ll give it to you all after I’ve calculated.”

“No need to calculate.” Leng Yu Yan strode over and pulled a small booklet tucked into Xu Yaxiang’s waistband, “It clearly records the number of people who bet on winning and losing, their names, and the amounts.”

Lai Jiajia laughed, “It’s quite simple, aside from our team who bet on our own victory, everyone else bet on our loss. Therefore, the silver they wagered should now belong to us, and our own principal should also be returned to us!”

Upon hearing this, Xu Yaxiang immediately clutched her purse.

Luo Meng’er and Mi Xinmei, along with their two companions, promptly advanced to take her purse.

Together, they declared, “Our win is fair and square!”

While speaking, they opened the purse for Leng Yu Yan and Lai Jiajia to inspect.

Leng Yu Yan glanced over it quickly, confirmed the number matched, and nodded.

The crowd around was silent.

After a long silence, many began to point at Xu Yaxiang’s nose and curse.

“It’s all your fault, what were you thinking setting up a betting stall?”

“You’re so desperate for money?”

“You made us lose our monthly silver.”

Lai Manting and Li Lu stood to one side, their eyes lost and unable to calm down for a long time; they were the two who had wagered the most silver on Leng Yu Yan’s team’s loss.

When most people had left, the two grabbed Xu Yaxiang and began to scratch and slap her.

Xu Yaxiang’s face was marked with several bloody scratches, and much of her hair had been pulled out, forcing her to yell like a madwoman, “Stop hitting me! It’s not my fault! You sisters are at each other’s throats, making a spectacle of yourselves for others to laugh at, and now you’re taking it out on me.”

In the midst of speaking, Xu Yaxiang grabbed ahold of Li Lu’s hair, “You concubine daughter, aren’t you just trying to climb on top of the ugly girl? Would you have put out 300 silver taels without that ambition?”

Hearing this, Lai Manting calmed down.

She straightened her clothes, “The three of us should not fight amongst ourselves. We need to look farther ahead. The best opportunity will be on the day of the Flower Festival!”

Upon hearing these words, Xu Yaxiang let go of Li Lu, and the three huddled together, whispering.

At the bend of the school field, Leng Yu Yan looked at their clownish antics, frowned, and shook her head.

Lai Jiajia whispered, “They must be up to no good.”

“Let’s not worry about them for now, we’ll go back and divide the silver,” Leng Yu Yan said with a smile.

They all agreed happily.

—

After class, just as Lai Jiajia and Leng Yu Yan were exiting the academy gate, they saw Li Yuyue coming their way.

Lai Jiajia waved excitedly, “Brother Lai, our team won so you have to keep your word and treat us to a meal!”

“Of course!” Li Yuyue raised his hand, “Whatever you want to eat, don’t be shy with big brother!”

Just then, a hand caught hold of Li Yuyue’s arm. @@novelbin@@

“Wouldn’t the Heir Lai refuse whatever I wish to eat?”