The two of them who were happily biting each other stiffened when they heard this. An Hongche stretched out his claw and flicked the silk ribbon not far away. The bell outside the door immediately rang, indicating that he had agreed to meet with Chu Li. Just as he was about to change back, his paw was suddenly bitten by his younger brother. His Majesty was furious. How dare you sneak attack! He decisively fought back. The two kittens fought again, completely ignoring the uncles waiting outside the door.
Thus, when the two princes pushed open the door to the inner hall of the bedroom, they saw two furry balls squeezed together fall from the soft mattress to the ground. They struggled to climb back onto the soft mattress and continued to fight.
Prince Su: "…"
Prince Ling: "…"
Chief Eunuch Wang Fuhai sighed in his heart. He awkwardly bowed to the two princes and retreated.
Prince Su opened his eyes wide and stared at the two balls of fur. "Cough, cough …"
Prince Ling rubbed his hands, took half a step back, and rushed to the cushion like an arrow. "Seventeenth Uncle is here!"
A big black and yellow cat jumped on the cushion and pushed the two little balls of fur to the ground. He held them in his arms and rubbed them hard. The golden kitten was very dissatisfied. He shook his tail, and the tuft of white fur at the tip of his tail glowed slightly. He shook off the big cat and jumped up, fiercely pouncing and biting the big cat's ear.
The little fat cat rolled to the side. Seeing that his brother had the upper hand, he immediately went to bite the other ear excitedly.
"Ow, Thirteenth Brother, help!" The big cat kicked his paws and cried.
Seeing his younger brother being beaten up by his nephew, Prince Su's resolute and serious face cracked. He felt his hands itch and finally couldn't help but turn into a big cat and join the fight.
"Meow …"
"Thirteenth Brother, you're crushing my beard!"
The second round began in the afternoon. The imperial family had already arrived, but the two princes still hadn't arrived.
"The two princes are really extravagant," Su Ying stood behind the rockery and said while looking around.
The second round was held in the imperial garden. The men were chosen by the imperial family, and the women were chosen by the Empress Dowager. The harem ladies stood in the middle of a rockery. The rockery was so big that it could wrap around a small pavilion in the middle. There were layers upon layers of mountains, and they were exquisitely built. They could see the outside from the inside, but the outside couldn't see what was going on inside.
At this time, the Empress Dowager also did not come. The beauties curiously surrounded the rockery and looked at the men. Su Ying saw that the young lady of the Marquis Of Changchun beside her was somewhat impatient. She did not dare to complain about the Empress Dowager, so she complained about the two Princes.
Miss Marquis Of Changchun glanced at Su Ying, who had a flattering smile on his face. "What do you know? Even ten clan relatives can't compare to a prince."
Su Ying smiled embarrassedly and took the round fan from Miss Marquis Of Changchun to fan her. Su Ying had a good time these days because she had curried favor with the legitimate daughter of the Marquis Of Changchun. She felt that this young lady would definitely be chosen to become a noble consort. Not only was she beautiful, she was also very well-informed. When the time came, she would have a backer when she followed her into the palace. Naturally, she would serve her more diligently.
"I heard that your older cousin has curried favor with the Prince Of Lu," Miss Marquis Of Changchun sneered, "The people of your Su Family are really the same."
Hearing this, Su Ying immediately broke out in a cold sweat. She inwardly cursed Su Yu for causing trouble for him. This young lady of the Marquis Of Changchun always thought that her older brother was better than the Prince Of Lu. She always compared the two and asked about the men's situation every day. When she heard that everyone was more interested in the Prince Of Lu, she would be so angry that she would twist her handkerchief.
"He's just a fish seller. In a moment, he'll definitely make a fool of himself." Su Ying spoke without thinking in her panic.
"Oh? Fish seller? "Miss Marquis Of Changchun giggled," Nobles actually have fish sellers? "
"In a moment, everyone is going to display their civil and martial skills. What is he going to do?" Hearing this, the other beauties around her also came up to join in on the fun.
"Then do you know how to sell fish?" Someone mocked Su Ying.
"He's just a bastard son of my second uncle's family. He has nothing to do with me." Su Ying's face flushed red as if she was the legitimate daughter. She had completely forgotten that the set of clothes she wore to the palace had been sold by Su Yu.
Just as they were talking, the two princes who had arrived late finally arrived.
The members of the Imperial Family and the two princes each had a small booklet in their hands. On the booklet was written the name of each contestant, their family background, and the situation of the preliminary selection. After a person's performance, they could tick off their name. The preliminary selection was divided into four categories: "Low, Medium, High, High, High." Only with more than half of the "High" evaluation could one pass the preliminary selection and enter the final selection.
This time, the children of nobles and civil officials were no longer separated. They drew lots to determine the order of performance. Su Yu drew a lot that was very far back and then silently stood to the side. He quietly looked at the two princes who had solemn expressions and secretly wondered why His Royal Highness King Zhao hadn't come. Wasn't that guy always clamoring to vote for him?
The Imperial Family sat in a circle with the two princes sitting in the middle. Yang Gonggong held a piece of yellow silk in his hand and called out the names of the contestants one by one.
Most of the children of nobles performed their martial arts.
Prince Of Lu performed a set of spear techniques. The silver spear in his hand seemed to come alive, graceful and graceful like a swimming dragon.
"Good! Worthy of being called a tiger from a family of generals! "Prince Su clapped his hands and cheered. The members of the Imperial Family also praised him endlessly.
The performances of the children of civil officials were even more varied. There were poems and songs, zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. There were also a few people who performed couplets and poetry competitions. There was even someone who wrote a political essay on the spot.
The members of the Imperial Family sighed with emotion that each generation had a talent. His Highness Prince Su was more interested in martial arts, while Prince Ling was drowsy.
Su Yu watched for a long time and was even more certain that the purpose of this general selection wasn't to choose a consort, but to show one's face in order to seek an official career. Imagine the emperor marrying a consort who practiced spears and rods every day, or a consort who spoke about the national economy and the people's livelihood. How vexing that would be!
"Next, Su Yu." Yang Gonggong's sharp voice called Su Yu back to reality.
The young eunuch in charge of moving the props placed a table in the middle of the empty field. Everyone thought that Su Yu was going to perform painting. Who knew that the young eunuch placed a few knives on the table. Everyone guessed that he was going to perform carving. After that, he placed a chopping board on the table. Everyone …
Su Yu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and stood behind the table under great pressure. He silently fished out a lively fish from the wooden basin.
Zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, saber, spear, sword, halberd, he, Su Yu, really didn't know any of them! Even after racking his brain, he still couldn't find any special skills. The only thing he could use to perform was … the skill of killing fish …
"Su Yu, your performance is … killing fish." Yang Gonggong's sharp voice spread far and wide. The entire Imperial Garden was silent for a moment.
"Pu — —" Prince Ling suddenly spat out the tea in his mouth, splashing Prince Su's face.
Prince Su raised his hand to wipe off the water droplets on his face. He expressionlessly slapped Prince Ling on the back of his head.
Waves of stifled laughter came from the crowd. Su Yu braced himself and picked up a knife.
Not far away, a small golden cat gracefully jumped up the rockery and sat on the highest point. Behind it was a small yellow and white fat cat. Because the fat cat's legs were a bit short, it had to pull twice to climb up.
Taking a deep breath, Su Yu closed his eyes. Since it had come to this, he had to continue. No longer paying attention to everyone's reaction, he focused on the fish in his hand.
Knife skills focused on the wrist strength. It was like playing a musical instrument. Some people used knives. It looked complicated and flashy, but in reality, it was a waste of energy. The things that were cut were not very delicate. A true expert would return to simplicity. By adjusting the angle of the wrist, they could easily and freely swing the knife. Sometimes, it was even impossible to see the movements of the hand.
Su Yu's skill of killing fish was like this.
But since it was a performance, he had to make it look good. In his previous life, Su Yu had also participated in a gourmet food competition. In order to attract attention, he deliberately practiced some beautiful knife skills. Not only could he perform, but he could also kill fish clean.
He cut open the stomach, dug out the cheeks, and removed the scales. The small knife in his hand was like a living thing. His white and slender fingers moved slightly, and the small knife flipped nimbly between his fingers. It was like a small silver fish.
Putting away the knife, Su Yu placed the killed fish on the table. It still looked like a complete fish. He pinched the fish tail with two fingers, shook it gently, and pulled it out in an instant. The whole fish bone and the tail were pulled out, but the fish body was still intact!
"Meow!" The fat cat cried out in surprise.
The golden kitten patted its little brother's paw without looking back.
Su Yu heard the cat's meow. He looked up and saw the golden kitten squatting at a high place. He couldn't help but smile. He raised his hand and threw the fish meat into the bucket filled with water. The white and tender fish meat instantly separated. The pieces were shaped like flower petals, but the roots were connected. It was like a blooming peony.
"Wonderful!" Prince Ling exclaimed. With this technique, he didn't have to worry about the fish bones anymore! He couldn't help but elbow his brother Shisan.
Prince Su nodded slightly. This was indeed a rare talent!
Su Yu looked at the twitching expressions of the clan relatives and wiped his sweat. He had worked so hard, so he probably wouldn't be punished for his improper attitude. Of course, it was even more unlikely that he would be selected to advance.
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