Qiao Chu

The competitions nowadays were vastly different from before.

The content was no longer limited to music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—anything could be contested.

There was a young lady surnamed Cong who enjoyed fishing. She was naturally timid and quiet, but caught up in the fervor of the other girls, she unconsciously stepped forward and shouted, "I can fish! Does anyone dare to compete with me?"

After shouting, Miss Cong herself felt ashamed—what kind of talent was fishing? But someone actually took up the challenge, and in the end, Miss Cong won.

Chu Zhao immediately pointed at that person and laughed, "You can't even beat a girl in pastimes."

Thus, activities like riding, archery, and fishing were all brought out for competition. Today's contest was pitch-pot. Teams of ten were formed, and because Chu Zhao could ride and shoot arrows—excelling in both arm strength and aim—she was allowed to join a team.

"But you should know, pitch-pot is different from archery," Qi Leyun still anxiously reminded her. "Don't just throw blindly. If we lose, you'll make us all lose face together."

Chu Zhao laughed and pointed at the screen set up in the flower hall. "Who has lost more face here?"

After each competition, the winners were recorded, and the losers were too—this way, the winners were even more motivated to win, while the losers, to clear their names, became even more eager to compete.

Qi Leyun had lost more times than Chu Zhao.

Everyone could see it, and though Qi Leyun wanted to refute it, she had nothing to say. Gnashing her teeth in anger, she retorted, "We've both lost face. It's like the fifty steps laughing at the hundred—and you're still so proud of yourself."

Qi Leyun was no longer afraid that Chu Zhao would hit anyone—in fact, despite Chu Zhao's fierce words, aside from that one incident with Liang Qin, she had never struck any other girl. Several times Qi Leyun had deliberately provoked her, but Chu Zhao only retorted with words and never resorted to violence.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Chu Zhao merely laughed, and the other girls laughed along—they had long stopped fearing that Chu Zhao would hit anyone.

They even felt that the previous incident of her fighting wasn't such a big deal.

Girls were human too, and since they were human, they had all sorts of temperaments. What did it matter if some girls had quicker tempers? When playing together, arguments were inevitable—didn't sisters at home often quarrel and bicker too?

Moreover, Chu Zhao and Liang Qin's fight had a clear cause and effect; it wasn't a case of harboring ill intentions to harm others without reason.

When boys gathered, aside from discussing poetry and principles, they often fought over disagreements. After fighting, they didn't hold grudges and continued to interact, even earning praise for being open and forthright gentlemen.

Then naturally, they could be open and forthright too.

"Alright, you two, stop arguing about wins and losses," the girls laughed, pointing ahead. "Go and win against them instead."

……

……

Chu Tang sat on the second floor.

Hearing the cheers and laughter from outside, the maids organizing the account books said with a smile, "Miss Azhao and the others have won."

Unlike her usual habit of sitting and reviewing the accounts, Chu Tang stood up and walked over to look. She saw the girls cheering and leaping with joy, with Chu Zhao surrounded in the center. Several girls were holding Chu Zhao's hands—

"Miss Azhao has become very close with everyone," one maid said with a laugh.

Chu Tang nodded with a smile. "Yes, everyone likes her very much now."

And this liking wasn't because Chu Zhao had become like them, but precisely because she was different from them.

Chu Tang found it amusing yet completely understandable. In truth, people were more curious about those who differed from themselves. Once curiosity took hold, their hearts became attached. For women, this led to acceptance; for men, it sparked a desire to conquer—

The Crown Prince of Zhongshan must have been like this.Chu Zhao spoke vaguely, unwilling to tell her the details, but after some thought, she guessed what had happened—especially after questioning Chu Ke.

However, Chu Ke was unaware that Chu Zhao had fallen into the water and been rescued by the Crown Prince of Zhongshan, indicating this occurred before Chu Ke caught up with them.

Still, Chu Ke confirmed that along the way, Chu Zhao had treated the Crown Prince of Zhongshan with great disrespect.

"The Crown Prince of Zhongshan was so kind, amiable, and courteous, treating her so well—" Chu Ke still fumed with indignation.

Indeed, other women, even without the debt of a life-saving grace, would have eagerly and respectfully approached at the mere mention of the Crown Prince of Zhongshan's name.

The women the Crown Prince encountered daily were undoubtedly like this, so meeting someone as defiant and unruly as Chu Zhao naturally drew his interest.

Though she had little experience interacting with men, having grown up in an academy where she observed many young men's behaviors, Chu Tang believed she understood them well.

Chu Zhao, being an ignorant country girl raised by her uncle to be arrogant and disdainful, did not grasp this, but Chu Tang knew exactly what it meant to secure the favor of a man like the Crown Prince of Zhongshan.

"You compete for admiration among the girls," Chu Tang murmured softly. "I, on the other hand, will seize the opportunity to secure my future."

The maids, hearing her whisper, were about to ask when a servant woman approached cheerfully.

"Miss A-Tang, the people from Drunken Immortal Restaurant have brought the new order," she said.

Chu Tang smiled at the woman and picked up the account book from the desk. "I'll go take a look."

The maids thought nothing of it, bowing as they saw her off. Shortly after, Chu Tang's maid Linglong returned and spoke with Chu Zhao downstairs. Chu Zhao then told the other girls, "I won't be participating further. Don't lose without me."

The girls laughed and playfully shooed her away.

Only then did Chu Zhao follow Linglong and leave.

The maids upstairs paid it no mind. Although Miss Azhao had entrusted the affairs of Chu Manor to Chu Tang, it was impossible for her not to intervene at all. Important matters still required Miss Azhao's approval.

...

...

With Chu Zhao gone, the competition continued. Her participation was no longer crucial unless someone specifically requested to challenge her.

After Chu Zhao left, new girls immediately joined in. Ten versus ten, and in this round, the girls still emerged victorious.

The girls cheered and celebrated, while the young gentlemen across from them shook their heads. Some even bowed respectfully to the girls, though one remarked, "We are no match for you in such frivolous pastimes."

The girls naturally detected the sarcasm in his words, but it did not provoke angry retorts.

Instead, one girl smiled and asked, "Young master, you are so learned and talented. What is it that you excel in?"

The young gentleman knew exactly what the girl intended by her question, but since she had first praised him, he could not refuse to answer without appearing uneducated.

Moreover, he no longer dared to underestimate these girls. After careful consideration, he selected a skill he was most proficient in.

The girl smiled and said, "I happen to know a little about that as well. I would be honored to learn from you through a friendly match."

With such polite words, the young gentleman had no choice but to agree. The two began their contest, and this time, the girl lost.

The young gentleman breathed a sigh of relief but refrained from any arrogant or insulting remarks. Instead, he bowed to the girl and said, "You are quick-witted and intelligent. I merely won by luck."

The girl sincerely thanked him, saying, "This exchange has been most enlightening."The two separated, yet neither the male onlookers nor the women made any clamor. The men offered no praise to the winner, instead pointing out his shortcomings, while the girls encouraged the loser, urging her not to be disheartened by defeat.

The atmosphere of contests at Chu Manor had changed as well. Competitions were no longer about crushing or defeating others but had become a means of sparring to determine superiority.

Since it was sparring, one should neither grow arrogant in victory nor discouraged in defeat. Learning was endless, and no one dared claim invincibility after a single win.

This also meant being regarded as a worthy opponent, being seen and acknowledged.

The girls gathered around the defeated girl, chattering and laughing in a joyful commotion, when suddenly a woman's scream pierced the air, followed by the heavy splash of something falling into water.

"Miss—" a shrill cry rang out immediately after.

Everyone's gaze turned in one direction—not far away, just across the platform by the lakeside near the rockery, stood a maidservant.

The maidservant was no stranger; everyone knew her as A Le, who was inseparable from Chu Zhao.

But at this moment, Chu Zhao was not by A Le's side. A Le's face was pale with terror as she screamed toward the lake.

"Help—!"

Help? Had Miss Chu Zhao fallen into the water? The crowd was shocked, their eyes scanning the lake, but before they could discern anything, another splash was heard.

Someone rushed over, swift as the wind, and leaped into the lake, sending a large spray of water into the air.