latelenovela Chapter 147 Once the bet is placed, it's done.
Chapter 147 Once the bet is placed, it's done.
The Imperial Guard, the emperor's personal army, was selected in basically three ways: first, through family connections, such as Wei Chao, the heir of the Earl of Ninghai; second, through nepotism, such as Jiang Se; and third, which was more inspiring, through sheer hard work and fighting one's way up from the ranks.
After seeing off the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree, Shen Shi frowned and pondered for a moment before turning his head and saying, "Qingxi, are you prepared to accept?"
"Of course, seeing is believing. I need to let them know that I'm not some delicate lady. I have plenty of strength and means."
"..." That's the gist of it, but something doesn't quite feel right.
"What kind of talk is that!" Li Su still couldn't accept that her gentle and virtuous daughter had suddenly become so bold, and she couldn't accept that she would give up her peaceful life to go and fight. On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes!
Li Su was unwilling to give up and still wanted to salvage the situation. With tears in her eyes, she held Shen Qing's hand and said, "It's not too late to turn back now. Let your father go and refuse His Majesty."
"..." Shen Che secretly glanced at Shen Shi's less-than-pleasant expression and felt sorry for his father.
“Mother, once the arrow is released, there’s no turning back.” With the heart of a parent, Shen Qing could only patiently comfort her, “Your daughter will become the first female general of Xuan Kingdom. History will surely record my name. Mother should be happy for me.”
Li Su's eyes instantly reddened. Who cared about that worthless empty title? Wiping away her tears, she choked out, "As a mother, I only wish for my son's safety."
“Mother, every soldier in the army is the apple of their mother’s eye.”
"How can they be compared to you? You are of noble birth, how can they possibly be compared to you?"
“What’s the difference between both protecting our country and defending our home? My daughter’s ambitions are not confined to the home.”
Looking into Shen Qing's resolute eyes, Li Su suddenly heard that person's voice echoing in her ears.
"A-Su, Xuan Kingdom lacks the conditions for my revenge."
"Alright, the Imperial Guard competition is in three days. Qingxi, go and make your preparations."
"Yes."
Shen Qing bowed and was about to slip away when Li Su suddenly grabbed his sleeve, looking somewhat panicked, "You must come back!"
Shen Qing sensed that Li Su's gaze was somewhat strange, containing too many emotions, but he still replied, "Of course."
On the way back to Yilan Courtyard, Shen Qing frowned and pondered as she walked.
[Relax~ With the martial arts level in this world, you could easily dominate the entire arena in a one-on-one fight.]
"I'm not thinking about how to win. Unless the other side is also cheating, the outcome is a foregone conclusion."
Then why are you looking so gloomy?
"I'm not worried, I'm thinking."
【...Alright, then may I ask what the wise and insightful host is thinking?】
"I'm wondering, what's the coolest way to move around?"
[...] The system remained silent for a long time, repeatedly confirming that it hadn't misheard, [Handsome?]
Shen Qing nodded seriously, "Experts see the details, while laymen just watch the show. Taking down one person in one move seems too ordinary. The nobles watching will probably have a hard time understanding the true value of it."
Shen Qing casually broke off a twig and gestured, "Visual impact is very important. For example, if an actor makes a few random gestures on set, the editing, special effects, and background music can be used in post-production to make a 1/10 level of skill appear as 10/10."
"But I'll be doing a live broadcast three days later, and there's no post-production team, so I have to plan my performance in advance."
[…Are you treating this like a stage play?]
"That's not entirely wrong."
[...] The system then remembered that Shen Qing was a movie star with an extremely heavy idol image.
Do you think I did this to show off in front of others?
【Isn't that right? (￢_￢)】
Shen Qing sighed softly, "I am a woman. Even in later generations, as long as a man is not stupid, he can inherit the family business, while a woman has to be ten times more outstanding to be qualified to compete with him, let alone now."
"Therefore, I must win with an absolute crushing victory so that others can only look up to me and I can convince the public."
·
The news that the Minister's daughter would participate in the Imperial Guard competition in three days spread like wildfire, and betting games were set up everywhere.
"Place your bet now! Place your bet now!"
"Tang Zhou, a marksman who could shoot an arrow through a willow leaf from a hundred paces; Zhao Kuan, a horseman of unparalleled skill; Li Ang, strong enough to capture a tiger..."
"Will the champion of this competition be the favorites Tang Zhou, Zhao Kuan, Li Ang... or the unexpectedly emerging daughter of the Minister of Rites!"
……
"Young lady, I went to take a look, and there are very few people who have bet on Third Sister."
Li Wan frowned. "Go, collect one hundred gold coins and bet on my cousin to win!"
She has to uphold her cousin's dignity!
……
Upon hearing this, Qiu Yinong pondered for a long time, then said, "Go and prepare the century-old wild ginseng from the warehouse."
The maid Qinghe's eyes widened. "This is the young lady's most treasured dowry!"
Qiu Yinong chuckled and tapped the little maid's nose. "Look at how stingy you are. It's just for emergencies. We don't always have to use it."
The maid rubbed her nose, puzzled, and asked, "In what situation would you need to use it?"
“Those who do not want the Shen family to gain military power, those who want to seize military power in the southeast, and those with ulterior motives... may all use this competition to create trouble and take Qingxi's life.”
Qinghe felt a chill run down her spine as she listened to her mistress's words.
All parties responded to the news.
Imperial Guard Battalion —
"Brother, if you become rich and powerful, don't forget me!"
Why are you suddenly saying that?
"According to reliable sources, this competition will receive unprecedented attention because of Shen San Niangzi's participation. All the officials, princes and nobles will be present to watch. If you perform well and catch the eye of some important figure, even if you don't join the Imperial Guard, your future will be limitless."
Li Ang fell into deep thought after hearing this.
·
Yilan Courtyard —
Fangyu, as if injected with chicken blood, prepared all sorts of snacks, hot water, towels, wound medicine...
Looking at the little girl spinning like a top, Shen Qing said helplessly, "What are you busy with?"
"The competition is about to begin. Don't you ladies need to practice martial arts? These skills will come in handy if you get hungry, injured, or sweaty later."
Shen Qing sighed, "Don't try to cram at the last minute."
"What can this servant do for you, young lady?"
“Yes,” Shen Qing tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said under Fang Yu’s expectant gaze, “Go and call Wen Ying.”
Fangyu, looking like a wilted eggplant, walked out of the door dejectedly, shouting angrily, "Wenying! The lady is calling for you!"
When Wen Ying came in, Shen Qing handed her a design and said, "Make it within three days."
"promise."
Fangyu leaned closer to see what task the young lady had assigned her, and where she was lacking. After seeing it, she became obedient and said, "You do it, you do it."
"Are you really going to dress so flashy to participate in the Imperial Guard Competition?" The system's voice rang in Shen Qing's mind.
"If I could, I would even like to bring an orchestra to play background music."
【…】
The system loves to exaggerate; Shen Qing simply added some details to the traditional outfit to better showcase the "stage" effect.
Shen Qing decided to give the ancients a personalized and shocking experience.