pressing her displeasure."Your father-in-law passed away" Old Madam Li frowned. After all, they were peers, and hearing the news of death suddenly made her feel a little uncomfortable.Wu Cuifua nodded...The Noble Consort, fearing that the Third Princess would cause another commotion, quickly replied, “Your Highness is truly courageous! I presume Your Highness must have a plan in mind, otherwise, how could you propose such a thing!”

"In that case, it would be too time-consuming to have dozens of young ladies compete against the county princess. How about we select ten to compete against her"

Jia Yin's reply was curt, and she smoothly added, "Music, chess, painting, and calligraphy are too troublesome to compare. The outcome is difficult to judge. How about we compare poems instead You can come up with the topic!"

Some people gasped, their eyes bulging out.

To fight ten enemies single-handedly is already arrogant.

This is getting ridiculous! Adding a clause that lets the opponent choose the topic That's simply arrogant!

But, is it really arrogance

The jewel in the Li family's palm, the adopted daughter who was loved like her own by the Marquis of Xinting, could she possibly be this foolish and simple

A clever woman had already pulled her daughter away, quietly distancing themselves from the "battlefield".

But more people were so angry that their seven orifices were smoking, and they also planned to make a splash in front of the Noble Consort, showing themselves off!

"Your Majesty, I am willing to compete with the County Princess."

"I am a woman too."

"As a female subject, I have studied for over a decade and would also like to give it a try."

In the blink of an eye, over twenty girls had signed up.

Before the Noble Consort could speak, Jia Yin chimed in again, "I'm delighted to see so many willing to compete with me. But a simple contest would be rather dull. How about we add some spice to it"

"Gold and silver jewelry, silks and satins, I have plenty, and I presume you ladies do as well. "

Let's get practical. I challenge ten of you to a match, ten rounds in total. After each round, the loser gets slapped.

"I've lost, so let your maidservants or whoever you want beat me! But if you lose, you must also obediently take a slap from my maidservant."

"Having said that, she tapped Shui Ling and smiled, "Here she is, this little girl. She's thin and weak, don't be afraid!"

Youthful vigor, these four characters are not just describing a young man.

All the ladies present were practically fuming with indignation at Jia Yin's constant condescending remarks, their faces turning red with fury!

Nobody knows who started it, but they all immediately began shouting.

Okay, the penalty will be to have your mouth pulled.

"The county princess's face was swollen, don't cry!"

Jia Yin waved her hand dismissively, as if she didn't care about the people around her. Then she turned her head and told Shui Ling, "Be careful not to hurt your hands. Remember not to use too much force later."

The crowd was even more enraged!

The noble consort saw the whole situation unfold, she could even say that this situation was orchestrated by her. But at this moment, she suddenly felt a tinge of regret.

The Li family always possessed a certain magical power, otherwise they wouldn't have climbed from commoners to the esteemed ranks of Tianwu nobility in just ten years, a feat that would take others a century.

But at this moment, even though she wanted to take it back, she was already trapped in a difficult situation.

At that very moment, the Emperor arrived with seven or eight high officials.

Originally, the Third Princess was afraid that Jia Yin would be disadvantaged, so she urgently sent Caiyun to fetch reinforcements.

The Emperor was in council with several high ministers, it would be inappropriate to disturb him.

If someone else was there, Manager Yi would definitely not have bothered.

But hearing that Jia Yin was going to suffer a loss, he directly went in to report it.

Fortunately, the emperor also felt tired and was about to have tea and refreshments with several important ministers to rest for a while.

Yizong then told everyone about the events in Yu Garden.

The Emperor immediately got up, it was time for tea and snacks anyway. He might as well go see the commotion.

Several of the high officials' wives and daughters were also among the guests, so he brazenly followed behind them...

When the Noble Consort saw the Emperor and others approaching, she was also taken aback. She quickly got up to greet them.

All knelt and kowtowed, shouting "Long live!"

After much ado, the Emperor took his seat, flanked by the Third Princess and the Noble Consort. Several high-ranking officials each received a brocade stool.

Jia Yin smiled and stepped forward to greet him, asking, "Grand Uncle, did you come to support me because you know I'm going to slaughter everyone"

The Emperor couldn't help but laugh and cry. He replied, "You look so innocent, but you're actually braver than anyone else, and your temper is as strong as iron. Even though I've said to stop the competition, can you really stop"

"Of course not!" Jia Yin wrinkled her nose and insisted, "Although I am a woman and not a gentleman, the words I have spoken cannot be taken back."

And just now we agreed on the wager, ten rounds of competition. Whoever loses a round has to take a slap.

"I'm also worried about unfair judgment, and just as luck would have it, Uncle Huang is here. You are the master of the world, no one is more impartial than you!"

The Emperor, pleased and beaming, swept his gaze over the Noble Consort and the crowd, then declared, “Very well, I shall be the judge for this contest.”

The noble concubine had left, and the young ladies from all the prominent families below were incredibly excited.

As a woman, one cannot study for the imperial examinations. The opportunity to see the Emperor is extremely rare.

Now that we've won over Lady Kang Le, we're sure to be noticed by the Emperor. This is a fantastic opportunity with many benefits!

Compared to before, more people want to join the ten-person squad.

After some heated "discussions," a final decision on the number of spots was reached.

Power is always useful.

Of the ten slots, eight were filled by daughters of aristocratic families, including the daughters of several high-ranking officials. The remaining two spots went to girls who were truly well-read, but whose fathers and brothers were only ordinary officials...

Jiayin didn't care about their backgrounds. Today, she was determined to make a few of them cry and establish her authority!

When she was in Xin Du with her stepfather and father, it didn't matter if she kept a low profile, no one dared to bully her.

But now that these people see she's helpless, they actively provoke her. If she doesn't stand firm now, then anyone, any stray dog, will dare to bark at her recklessly in the future!

The third princess was in a panic. She ran to Jiayin and Baozhu, pulling up her skirt, and whispered urgently to Jiayin, "Can you do it or not Should we quickly find a few people to help you compose a poem on the spot"

Jia Yin heard the words and felt both warmth and amusement. She hugged the Third Princess on one side and Bao Zhu on the other, comforting them, "Don't worry! When have I ever suffered a loss Just wait and see the fun! Today, those slaps are guaranteed to fly!"

The third princess and Baozhu were dubious, but they couldn't stop it. They could only wait with bated breath.

Yi Zongguan was also worried. Taking advantage of the maidservants and eunuchs changing the tea and snacks, he came over and asked, "Miss, are you sure Among those young ladies, there are indeed a few with good talents..."

Jia Yin laughed and waved her hand, "Don't worry, Chief Steward, just wait and see the excitement in a while."

Yi Zongguan smiled wryly and hurried back to attend to the Emperor, thinking to himself, if somehow Jia Yin lost, he would have to help smooth things over.

I can't let my own little girl get slapped!

Soon, the competition began.

The first to appear was Miss Lu. Firstly, this matter originated because of her, and secondly, she came from the lowest social standing among the noblewomen. The other ladies also wanted her to go first, to test the authenticity of Jia Yin's abilities.

Lu Guiren suppressed her excitement and looked at Jia Yin, feeling like she had already won the game.

Because she was attending the Summer Palace banquet today and would be accompanying the Noble Consort to admire the flowers, she had composed several poems at home earlier in anticipation.

Little did I know, this would come in handy!

"My lady, for this first round, I shall pose a riddle about the peach blossom!"

Two updates today ~~ more elaborate. I wouldn't have the village women do a half-baked job; I hired a professional craftsman for this. That's how I found the Li family.The Li family was naturally overjoyed. Even Tao Hon...