Yuying turns away almost immediately.
Liu Yuqi looked too much like Yuqing for it to not be weird.
Liu Yuqi's eyes faltered slightly when she saw "Ming'er" turn away from her.
Nevertheless, Liu Yuqi's sweet smile soon returned to her face as she thanked the some of the audience who'd gotten up from their seats to personally commend her for her impressive performance.
Yuying was slightly appalled by just how quickly the pout on Liu Yuqi's face was replaced with a nice smile. One that actually looked genuine rather than obviously faked.
It reminded her of Yuqing and her incredible ability to mask her emotions with a big smile.
Yuying recalled a period of time in which Yuqing seemed unusually quiet.
Yuying didn't know exactly what it was that'd made her like this, but she had a feeling that it had something to do with her then-boyfriend, Junxiong.
Yuying didn't know much about what happened between them. Heck, she didn't even know much about Junxiong.
After all, Yuqing never told her anything. They were pretty much strangers who happened to share the same parents.
Anyhow, Yuqing had been unusually quiet for a brief period of time. Yuying still doesn't have a clue what happened.
Nevertheless, in spite of this, Yuqing always kept up her bright and cheery demeanor in front of their parents, as well as for her guzheng recitals and concerts during that period of time.
Yuqing never sulked or whined, nor had she even broken down or cried. She'd warned Yuying to leave her alone before retreating into her room at most.
Then again, aside from that strange, brief period of time, Yuqing didn't really have a reason to whine or sulk about anything. After all, everything always turned out in her favor.
Yuqing was so perfect that she didn't seem to have a single flaw or weakness.
That seemed to be the case for Liu Yuqi too. Yuying watched on from her seat as the latter was swarmed by endearing members of the audience who were awed by her performance.
She felt like she was watching Yuqing being swarmed by her endearing friends and admirers after her recitals and concerts from afar.
However, Yuying had to remind herself that it was different this time.
/I'm a Prince./
/These girls are fighting to win my heart./
/I'm the centre of attraction./
"That was a remarkable performance," the Emperor commended as he rose from his seat .
This was the first time that the Emperor was commenting on a contender's performance. He merely clapped and nodded to signal the next contender to get ready for Zheng Yimeng and Hua Maque.
"Thank you so much, Your Majesty," Liu Yuqi beamed, her eyes twinkling as she bowed deeply before the Emperor.
"I spent a total of about eight or nine months perfecting the enchantment," Liu Yuqi revealed, "It wasn't easy incorporating the elements of cultivation medicine into cultivation guzheng."
"To be honest, I was on the verge of giving up," Liu Yuqi continued, "However, my love for both cultivation medicine and cultivation guzheng, along with my passion to help others, kept me going."
Liu Yuqi then spread her arms, gesturing for Ling, Madam Xie, and Huan to come over to her side, to which they did with bright smiled on their faces.
"I couldn't have done it without them," Liu Yuqi beamed as she wrapped her arms around all three of them. All of them were no longer suffering from the ailments that they'd been suffering from before.
"Everyone," Liu Yuqi suddenly said, "Please give a round of applause for Ling, Madam Xie, Huan! They're the ones who'd made this performance possible."
Just like this, the thunderous applause was renewed, with some people in the audience whistling and clamoring in approval.
>>>
"Do you think she could cure the Crippled Prince?" someone in the audience murmured to the person beside him.
"Hey, watch it," the person hissed, "No matter what, he's still the rightful Crown Prince. You ought to respect him.
"Yeah, right," the first person huffed, "We're literally sitting in the Main Hall for the Second Prince's Choosing right now."
"No one ever states it explicitly, but we all know what it means," he drawled.
"Hey, keep it down," a third person suddenly chimed in, "The Crown Prince is literally just sitting right over there."
Sure enough, Mingyi was just a few metres away from them. However, he doesn't seem to have heard them at all.
"And to answer your question," the third person whispers in a hushed voice, "As brilliant of a doctor as Liu Yuqi may be, no, I don't think she can cure him."
"That's right," the second person agreed, "Didn't she say that this enchantment was only for minor to moderate injuries at the start of her performance?"
The first person let out a scoffed before quickly concealing it with a cough. "That's true," he remarked.
"After all, the Crippled Prince is in such poor health and condition that he's beyond salvation."
"Ouch," the second and third person commented, even though they were snickering slightly. "Don't you think that's a little harsh?"
"It's not harsh at all," the first person says matter-of-factly with a shrug.
"It's the truth."
"Shh, pipe down," the second person urges, "Everyone's settling back down, the next performance is starting soon."
Just like that, the three men in the audience stop talking amongst themselves as they anticipate the next performance along with the rest of the audience.
They failed to notice Mingyi, whom they thought was oblivious to their gossip, grip the sides of his wheelchair so hard that his knuckles were turning white.
>>>
Soon enough, the fourth and fifth performances were finished. Needless to say, they dulled in comparison to Liu Yuqi's performance, as well as that of Zheng Yimeng and Hua Maque.
Yuying wondered how anyone was even going to top Zheng Yimeng, Hua Maque, and Liu Yuqi. The three of them ruthlessly overshadowed the other contenders.
They were so mediocre that Yuying couldn't even remember their names or faces. She didn't think anyone else could either.
As harsh as it sounded, it was pretty clear that this competition was solely between Zheng Yimeng, Hua Maque, and Liu Yuqi.
Yuying felt bad for the other seven contenders. It was clear that they didn't stand a chance against the first three.
/I would probably be the bottom of all the contenders if I was participating in this competition./
Yuying shuddered at the thought of standing in the middle of the Main Hall with all eyes on her, the idea of people judging her from every corner and every turn.
"Alright," the Emperor raised his hand as soon as the couple of unenthusiastic claps for the fifth contender had died down, "Let's have a short intermission before the second half of the contenders perform."
As soon as the Emperor had called for a short break, everyone stands up from the seats and bow to him, the Empress, and Yuying.
They rise back up only after the Emperor had given them the permission to do so. Some of the people stay in the Main Hall to minger around with one another, while others go out for a quick breather.
All ten contenders are escorted back to their respective seats, where their companions were waiting for them.
Yuying turns her gaze towards her brothers. Mingsan is talking to Mingyi, who currently has Mingwu bouncing up and down excitedly in his lap.
However, Mingyi didn't seem to be paying attention to what Mingsan was saying to him. Instead, his eyes were glazed over slightly as he seemed to be staring off into the distance.
Mingyi was staring right at...
"My dear Ming'er," a gentle voice suddenly sounds from behind Yuying as she feels an arm loop around hers.
Yuying jumps slightly before she realizes that it's the Empress. She's smiling softly at her.
"So, what did you think about the girls?" the Empress asks in a slightly cheeky tone, "Has anyone caught your eye or made your heart flutter so far?"
"M-Mother," Yuying stammers slightly, "It's still too early to tell! We're only halfway through the contenders, five of them haven't even gone yet."
The Empress chuckles slightly as she leans in towards Yuying. "We all know that they don't actually have to go," she whispers lowly into her ear, in a tone that Yuying hadn't heard her speak in until this very moment.
"After all, it's obvious that one of the first three girls will be the perfect choice for you."
Yuying widens her eyes at the Empress' tone.
/This is new./
/I haven't heard her speak like this until now./
/It's kind of scary.../
"I-I don't know, Mother," Yuying stutters, suddenly feeling nervous. "I'm still thinking about it."
The air in the Main Hall suddenly seemed even more stuffy than in was before.
"In my opinion," the Empress hums, "You should go for the third girl, Liu Yuqi. Wasn't her performance astounding?"
"Um," Yuying mutters slightly uncomfortably, "Yes, of course it was..."
"She's such a sweet and smart girl," the Empress sighs as though she was swooning over Liu Yuqi.
"Besides, that poor girl has been chasing after you for years. I still have no idea what's stopping you from marrying her already."
/What...?!/
This was new information to Yuying.
/Liu Yuqi has been chasing Ming'er for years...?/
/But he still hasn't accepted her feelings...?/
Yuying doesn't know why, but there's a tight feeling around her chest.
It felt as though Yuying's heart was throbbing relentlessly under her chest. It was a feeling that she'd never felt before.
"I'm sorry, Mother," Yuying murmurs to the Empress, "But I must step outside for a quick breather."
Yuying knows that she should've waited for the Empress to give her permission before she left, but she turned and headed straight for the main door without even waiting for her answer.
>>>
Yuying fumbles around outside the Main Hall for a while before she finally finds a quiet corner.
Yuying wheezes slightly as she clasps a hand over her chest.
/Why does my heart suddenly hurt so much...?/
Yuying doesn't understand what was happening to her and simply stands there with her hand over her chest.
>>>
Yuying doesn't know how long she'd been standing there for, but something told her that it was about time to head back into the Main Hall.
Yuying sighs at the thought of sitting through the second half of the Choosing as she takes a step forward...
Just then, Yuying hears something slice through the air from behind her. It was so close that she felt it brush against her ear.
Yuying immediately whips her head around and widens at the sight before her. It's a masked man with a sword.
/What the hell...?!/
/What the fuck are ninjas doing in China...?!/
/No, wait...he must be an assassin!!!/
Yuying doesn't even think twice before she runs as quickly as her legs could carry her.
The masked man pursues her from behind. He almost seemed like a ghost as his footsteps didn't even have any sounds.
Yet, Yuying knew that he was very real, and that she had to keep running, or else she would be dead meat.
/What the fuck is going on...?!/
Yuying is screaming internally as she literally runs for her life. She'd never though that she would experience this in her world, let alone in this world.
Just then, Yuying feels herself falling.
She looks down and widens her eyes. It's a flight of stairs. One that wasn't as long and steep as the main entrance, but still a flight of stairs.
Yuying doesn't even have the chance to escape her plight as she feels her body collide against the first few steps. The first shock of pain runs through her body.
Yuying continues to roll down the stairs, wave after wave of pain coursing through her veins.
Yuying is barely conscious by the time she reaches the bottom. Her vision is blurry as she lays sprawled helplessly across the floor.
/Is this really how I'm gonna die...?/
Yuying thinks she sees the masked man hovering above her.
It felt like a grim reaper coming to get her.
Just as Yuying's world completely faded to black, she heard someone call out in despair...
"Second Prince Zhao...!"