Xue Rui, Zhu Qingjue, and Jing Chen went ashore. A servant was already waiting for them on the shore. He took them to a room at the back of the garden to change their soaked clothes so that they wouldn't embarrass themselves in front of the nobles.
The few people who went ashore earlier had already spread the news that Xue Rui had found the Gold Core Night-luminescent Pearl Lamp. The girls who were watching from the bridge's veranda sighed. No one had expected that the lamp would be hidden under the water at the center of the lake.
Hearing this news, the one with the worst expression was Liu Yi. Xin Liu was standing close to him and heard him curse, "Useless thing." He didn't know who he was talking about.
Yu Shu saw that Xue Rui had come ashore safely and turned back. She was in a good mood and wanted to find Liu Yi to settle the score. But when she reached the place where he had been standing, she found that he had disappeared.
"Where's the Eleventh Prince?" she asked Xin Liu.
"He went that way." Xin Liu pointed to the direction under the bridge.
Yu Shu looked at the end of the bridge. "Let's go down and wait."
The group of girls walked back and forth, down the bridge, and came to the waterside pavilion again. Yu Shu looked around but didn't see Liu Yi. She knew that he was afraid of being taken advantage of and had slipped away. She laughed. He ran fast. If he stayed, she would make him jump into the lake to take a bath and practice dog paddling.
A palace servant came to report that the nobles in the waterside pavilion had different expressions when they heard about the three men jumping into the water to find the lamp.
Concubine Shu smiled faintly and said to Imperial Concubine Xue, "Sister is so clever. I admit that I am inferior to you. It's hard for the Xue family's eldest son to understand. People often say that your nephew is Aunt Xiao. It seems that there is some truth to it."
Imperial Concubine Xue frowned and said helplessly, "Cheng Bi has been smart since he was young. To be honest, I knew that he wasn't a good swimmer. That's why I thought of hiding the Luminous Pearl Lamp under the water to give others more opportunities. Who would have thought that he would still find it."
Her words were clearly distressed, but there was also a bit of pride. The Xue family didn't have many children, but they had one Young Master. There were many handsome men in the capital, but no one could compare.
Empress Shu encountered a soft rebuff, and her expression became colder and colder.
Duchess Furen teased: "Tonight, the two golden and jade hibiscus both have owners. First, I must congratulate Guifei niangniang for hastening the two marriages. I just don't know who those two children have their eyes on?"
The bystanders were also curious, but no one pointed out their names and made wild guesses. After all, it was a matter between a man and a woman. Tongue misunderstanding.
"Thinking about it, it has already been three years." Empress Shu took advantage of their discussion and muttered to herself, "Even His Majesty values a young man like Xue Rui who is both brave and intelligent. It's a pity that our Tenth Princess doesn't have that fortune."
Noble Consort Xue drank her tea, and a sneer flashed across the corner of her mouth. It was as if she hadn't heard Mo Tiange's words, and her eyes drifted away.
"Lotus Room, who do you plan to give the Golden Jade Hibiscus to?" Xin Liu looked at the wooden box in Yu Shu's hand and thought of the beautiful purple jade flower with a regretful look in his eyes. "It would be a waste to give it to anyone. If I were you, I would keep it for myself."
Yu Shu smiled and didn't speak.
Young Miss Ning pulled Xin Liu and moved closer to her ear to ask: "Does Lotus Room Miss have someone she admires?"
Xin Liu stupidly replied: "I haven't heard her mention it."
.....
Half an hour later, Xue Rui and the others had changed into clean clothes and were walking back and forth on the bridge.
When they neared, the people waiting outside the waterside pavilion finally saw the flower lantern that had tormented the men. They saw that the luminous pearl in Xue Rui's hand was glowing, the true gold wick glistening. It really was different from the masses, and one look was enough to tell whether it was real or fake.
"They're coming, they're coming. Look, it's the lantern in Sir Xue's hand."
"That's a luminous pearl on top. No wonder it can shine even when hidden underwater. Tsk tsk, it's really beautiful."
Xue Rui saw Yu Shu's figure in the crowd. Not bothering the others, he generously gave her a bright smile, causing the young girls behind her to blush.
Yu Shu had originally been a bit angry at him for seeking victory in the face of danger, but seeing him return in one piece, she couldn't help but feel happy. She was also worried that it would fall into the eyes of others, so she could only bitterly purse her lips.
Jing Chen indifferently walked at the back. He also saw Yu Shu, but seeing that she didn't even glance at him, he lowered his eyes in disappointment.
Noble Consort Xue saw the people standing outside the waterside pavilion, then opened her mouth to ask: "Who found the lantern?"
Everyone knew it was Xue Rui, but they still had to go through the formalities.
Xue Rui thus came forward with the lantern and replied: "It was this subject, Your Highness, please inspect to see if this is the lantern you were looking for."
The palace maid brought the luminous pearl lantern in. Noble Consort Xue took it in her hand and glanced at it, nodding in acknowledgment. She immediately opened the slightly long wooden box on the tea table and took out another golden jade hibiscus.
Only now did the crowd see the appearance of the golden jade hibiscus. It was actually very different from the one Yu Shu had previously obtained. It was a complicated purple jade hairpin, the workmanship excelling the heavens. With one glance, it was obvious that it was something worn by a woman.
Noble Consort Xue had another explanation: "I had people hide the luminous pearl lantern underwater. The flower lantern on the lake has its origin embroidered on its base. As long as someone finds the answer to the riddle, they will naturally know its whereabouts. However, only knowing its whereabouts requires extraordinary courage to dare to enter the water to search. In addition, one must find a key at the bottom of the water in order to retrieve the lantern. There is another fake lantern at the bottom of the water as a diversion. Only luck can one obtain the lantern."
Hearing her explanation, the crowd was shocked at the difficulty of finding the lantern. They also sighed in admiration at Xue Rui, the victor who possessed both courage, strategy, and luck.
"Cheng Bi, this golden jade hibiscus should be yours."
Xue Rui accepted it. Then, he saw Noble Consort Xue wave her hand and say, "Since the two of you have obtained the golden jade hibiscus, you should know that this is a heaven-sent marriage. His Majesty has ordered that tonight, you can take the token in your hands and express your feelings to the person you like. If the other party agrees, then you can find an auspicious day to get married. No one will dare to obstruct you."
Hearing this, Xue Rui's expression changed. He had come in joy, but he didn't know who among the female guests had obtained the golden jade hibiscus. If it was Xi Wen, then he would have to deal with her later.
As he was thinking, a person walked up from behind and stood beside him. It was clearly the woman who had obtained the golden jade hibiscus.
Xue Rui's gaze shifted and his heart suddenly jumped. He never would have thought that it would be her.
Seeing the surprise in Xue Rui's eyes, Yu Shu proudly raised the corner of her mouth. She thought to herself, "Who asked you to scare me just now? Now you've been scared by me."
The two of them stood side by side. Others didn't know what they were thinking. They only saw that the man was handsome and charming, while the woman was aloof and elegant. One was intelligent and brave, exploring the lake to retrieve the lantern, while the other was loyal and filial, and was good at deciding life and death. They were the most outstanding couple at the banquet, attracting much envy and jealousy.
Who didn't want to hear what would happen next? Who was the person they liked that made them give the golden jade hibiscus?
"How about it? Do the two of you have someone in mind? There's no harm in saying it. Perhaps that person is here and can fulfill your wish, or perhaps he's somewhere else. I will send someone to find him and help you decide. "
As Noble Consort Xue spoke, her gaze slowly moved between the two of them.
Yu Shu and Xue Rui briefly looked at each other. The former stepped forward first, bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. However, Yu Shu's victory tonight wasn't for the sake of marriage."
Not for the sake of marriage, but for the man she liked and not to let others covet him.
Everyone was speechless. Thinking about how she had been reprimanded by the three women before, they all revealed a look of understanding. If it wasn't for the sake of marriage, then it must be for the sake of pride.
Noble Consort Xue raised her eyebrows slightly. Her expression unexpectedly became somewhat cheerful. She turned to ask Xue Rui, "What about you?"
Xue Rui also took half a step forward, once again standing shoulder to shoulder with Yu Shu. He held up the purple jade hairpin in his hand and said in a clear voice, "I was fortunate enough to win tonight, but I don't want to give this golden jade hibiscus to anyone."
He didn't want to give it to anyone, but wanted to exchange it with the woman he liked as a sign of love.
Everyone looked at each other, then at Zhu Qingjue, who had an expression of 'I'm not happy' on his face. They immediately understood: He didn't want to give it to anyone because of the bet with Second Young Master Zhu.
Noble Consort Xue laughed this time. She leaned back on the soft pillow, feeling very amused. "Hehe, you two are really interesting. This is an opportunity that others yearn for but can't get, yet you two are throwing it away. What a waste, what a waste."
She laughed and scolded them for being wasteful, but those with eyes could see that Noble Consort Xue wasn't angry because of this. Instead, for some reason, she seemed very happy.
Consort Shu, who was at the side, frowned. Looking at the man and woman below, she said, "Have you two thought it through? There's no need for it now. After tonight, you won't be able to regret it. "
Yu Shu and Xue Rui said in unison, "I've made up my mind."
"I've made up my mind."
There was no need to look back. The two's minds were connected. They knew that this wasn't in response to Consort Shu's question, but for the sake of this relationship.
In the crowd, Feng Zhaomiao looked at the two's backs with a perplexed expression. He thought to himself: Aren't the two of them a couple? Why don't they look so good? Could it be that he was wrong?
Miss Ning, on the other hand, stared unblinkingly at the pair of figures that she thought were very compatible with. She thought to herself, "I can't be wrong. These two people are obviously a pair!"
.....
The two golden jade hibiscus flowers had found a home. It was already late at night. Consort Shu covered her mouth and yawned, reminding Noble Consort Xue that it was getting late and that it was time for the two to return to the palace.
Thus, Noble Consort Xue gave the order and went ahead with Consort Shu. The other noblewomen followed them and left in a crowd.
As soon as they left, everyone let out a sigh of relief. They didn't need to raise their spirits to face the situation. It was unknown who brought up the bet between Xue Rui and Zhu Qingjue, but they wanted the two to fulfill it. Especially Feng Zhaomiao, who took the opportunity to mock Zhu Qingjue.
Zhu Qingjue wasn't someone who reneged on a debt. He looked coldly at the complacent Xue Rui and said, "If you're willing to bet, you must be willing to lose. If you have anything to ask me, just say it. I'll definitely tell you everything I know."
The surrounding people pricked up their ears.
However, Xue Rui wasn't one to let others watch a good show. He glanced at Yu Shu who was waiting by the flower pond and said to Zhu Qingjue, "Tomorrow morning, I'll be waiting for Brother Zhu at the Forgotten Opportunity Tower. We'll talk then."
After saying this, he brought Feng Zhaomiao and walked towards Yu Shu.
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