Chapter 50: The Delicate Maiden (1)

“So, Your Majesty, whom do you favor now? Could it be…” The minister who had spoken earlier ventured again, even mentioning his own granddaughter by name.

“Your granddaughter is not bad, but compared to her, my daughter stands a better chance! She excels in every art—music, chess, calligraphy, painting…” Another minister chimed in.

“What’s special about music, chess, calligraphy, and painting? That’s too ordinary. My daughter is different—she once studied under the famed Dance Empress herself. Her dance skills have inherited the very essence of the Dance Empress!”

“Dancing isn’t everything! My granddaughter—”

And so, the first debate of the day erupted in the throne room—perhaps the very first contest of the Talented Ladies Tournament, though this one took place outside the official arena.

“Ahem!” The Emperor cleared his throat, interrupting their spirited contest, and then spoke words that left them all astonished—

“Your daughters and granddaughters are all remarkable, truly worthy of being called the empire’s talented ladies. If this were any other time, I would surely select one among them. However, this time, I am still going to choose Zhen Xiaoyan!”

“Why? Under fair circumstances, she could never win.”

“You need not worry about fairness. If I say it’s fair, it will be fair. Though it may seem impossible to you, since that boy Ye Lang placed his bet on Zhen Xiaoyan, the outcome is hard to predict.” The Emperor could sense their lingering doubts—their suspicion of partiality—and so he once again clarified and reassured them.

“But why? Do you truly believe Ye Lang has the ability to change the outcome, to let that girl Zhen Xiaoyan—clumsy and as rotund as a pig—surpass so many beautiful and talented young ladies under absolutely fair conditions?”

“No, I do not believe he has that ability!” The Emperor immediately shook his head, and Ye Chengtian, standing nearby, seemed to agree. After all, Zhen Xiaoyan’s circumstances were simply unbelievable—no god could alter them, let alone Ye Lang, that scatterbrained little fool.

“Then—” The ministers had not finished speaking when the Emperor, with an air of solemnity and utmost seriousness, uttered something even more incredible.

“But, I believe in his luck!”

Everyone fell silent.

“You may question his abilities, but you must never question his luck! Lady Luck has always favored him—enviably so!” the Emperor said with feeling, and indeed, a trace of envy flickered across his face.

To this, the assembly had nothing more to say. Most of them had heard of Ye Lang’s uncanny fortune—how, despite his reckless squandering, he would always stumble upon some unexpected good fortune, the kind others could only dream of.

In truth, many of them did not know that Ye Lang’s luck extended far beyond his careless spending; it was evident in other aspects of his life as well. He had never suffered any accidents, which was remarkable given his absentminded gait—he should have been injured countless times by now.

In the past, it was not surprising with Hu Niu watching over him, but in the last five years, he often walked alone. There were times when he would step right up to the edge of a pit without noticing, and yet, by some miracle, he would always manage to step safely over the rim. Or while walking through the streets, something falling from above would, by all logic, have struck him, but for some strange reason, it would always drop just in front of or behind him—never touching him. He would only notice after the fact, glance back in mild curiosity, and continue on his way…

This, as the Emperor had said, could only be attributed to the excessive fondness Lady Luck had for him—she could not bear for him to come to any harm at all.

“But he isn’t always so lucky; often, he really does squander everything. How can you be so sure he’ll succeed this time?” someone challenged, and in truth, if he succeeded every time, everyone would be scrambling to follow his every purchase.

“It’s not about winning—it’s about losing! His goal is to squander!” Ye Chengtian corrected, and added, “This is all just a little wager; the outcome is left to fate!”

“Yes, the bet he placed was to make something inherently impossible become possible—but that does not mean it’s guaranteed. So if you want to follow our wager, be prepared to lose!” The Emperor smiled as he spoke.

Though the Emperor had made the risks clear and everyone understood them, and though none of them truly believed in Zhen Xiaoyan’s prospects, many still placed their bets on her. Thus, the originally disregarded Zhen Xiaoyan began to attract more attention.

The reason was simple: the Emperor himself had placed his bet. These courtiers, eager to curry favor with him, wagered accordingly—not as a real bet, but as a kind of social currency.

In truth, the focus of everyone’s attention was not on this wager, but on Ye Lang himself—where he was, what he was planning to do, and how he intended to approach the upcoming contest.

From the outset, many were waiting for Ye Lang to do something foolish—no, something utterly outrageous. They longed to witness such madness, for only then would it be truly exciting.

Many believed that Ye Lang’s only chance for Zhen Xiaoyan to win was to eliminate each of her competitors—this was the sole possibility. No matter how much effort she put in to change herself, there was simply no way for Zhen Xiaoyan to transform from her cocoon and become a phoenix in such a short time.

If there had been several months, perhaps there would have been a sliver of hope, though even that seemed unlikely. Now, with only twenty days left, unless a deity descended to earth, it was almost impossible for a mortal to achieve it.

Yet, in the end, everyone was disappointed. From beginning to end, Ye Lang made no move at all—everything remained peaceful and calm!

Could this simply be the calm before the storm?

Those anxious talented ladies and their families could not relax; until the very last moment, they dared not let down their guard. Because of this, when the contest began, the entire scene felt as tense as a battlefield. Squads of fully armed guards, mercenaries, and city watchmen made the atmosphere exceedingly tense.

“What’s going on? Did we come to the wrong place? Is this the Talented Ladies Tournament or a magical martial arts competition?” some of the clueless spectators asked.

“No, you’re in the right place—this is the preliminary round of the Talented Ladies Tournament!” someone replied.

“Then why…”

“You want to know why it’s so heavily guarded, right? Because someone has threatened the safety of the talented ladies, so everyone is on edge, protecting them.”

“What?! Someone wants to harm the talented ladies? Who is it? Tell me, I’ll destroy them myself!” someone shouted boastfully, and he appeared to be a person of some standing.

He thought his words would win everyone’s support—for the sake of the talented ladies, after all, everyone was here for them, and no one would want to see them come to harm.

But he was sorely mistaken. Instead of gaining approval, he was met with laughter and scorn.

———

My apologies, dear readers—if you spot any leftover chapter titles in the text, please point them out. When I was sorting the manuscript, I sometimes carelessly forgot to delete the physical book’s chapter titles.

Also, this is already the content of the second volume of the published edition and is soon approaching the third, but since I’m too lazy to divide it into volumes, I’ll keep referencing the first.

Thank you all for your support, and remember to dress warmly in this cold weather…