CHAPTER 83: PREPARING FOR THE CONTEST

In this way, Yue Mingxuan endured the most miserable night of his life.

The joy of obtaining the exam questions had long been drowned out by the pain of the massive loss in his wallet.

So the next morning, Sui He saw her master sitting at the desk with two huge dark circles under his eyes while muttering to himself: "Three thousand... three thousand..."

"Your Highness, a retainer of Prince Shang requests to see you," Sui He said.

Early in the morning, she had noticed a stranger at the courtyard gate.

However, before she could speak, the man claimed he was sent by Prince Shang to collect a debt, so she had no choice but to report it to Yue Mingxuan.

Yue Mingxuan waved his hand lazily.

At this moment, he did not want to hear anything related to Shang Qinghua, nor did he want to meet anyone connected to him.

"Tell him I’m not here," he said.

Sui He hesitated and glanced at him timidly. In a low voice, she said, "But... he said he was sent by Prince Shang to collect a debt and that he also has a message for you."

Hearing the words "collect a debt" made Yue Mingxuan’s heart tighten.

But, thinking of Shang Qinghua’s methods, he shivered.

He told himself it was just a case of losing money to avoid disaster.

"Prince Yue, I come by order of my lord..." Mo Yi started, but Yue Mingxuan interrupted sharply, "You come to collect a debt, right? I know."

With a wave of his hand, three thousand taels of gold appeared on the ground instantly.

Mo Yi looked at him in surprise, while Yue Mingxuan wore a pained expression, not daring to look at the gold directly.

Mo Yi put the gold into a bag and, as he walked toward the door, he said, "Your Highness, my lord asked me to deliver a message. To prove the exam questions are genuine, he suggested opening the questions for this talent contest this morning. The papers should arrive shortly and you can check them yourself."

After hearing this, Yue Mingxuan struggled hard to suppress the urge to leap up and curse every ancestor of Shang Qinghua.

He forced out a grimace that was even uglier than crying.

"Tell to the prince my thank you," he said through gritted teeth.

The expression was less of gratitude and more like a curse.

Seeing Yue Mingxuan’s bad expression, Mo Yi quickly withdrew.

At that moment, Sui He entered the room while carrying a sheet of paper. "Your Highness, since they are opening the questions this year, do you still want to look at last night’s set?"

Taking the paper from Sui He, Yue Mingxuan said through gritted teeth, "Of course I want to see it. If there is even one word different, he must refund me."

Sui He and Yue Mingxuan compared the two sheets carefully for a long time and sadly discovered that the exam questions were completely identical.

Yue Mingxuan’s plan to demand compensation had failed and he slumped in his chair, feeling frustrated.

If he won first place, he could exchange the prize for ten thousand taels of gold, meaning he would still have seven thousand taels left.

Following the principle of not taking a loss, Yue Mingxuan focused with Sui He on studying the questions.

This year’s topic was the Dance of the Four Heavenly Star Direction and as far as Yue Mingxuan know, Dongyue Kingdom had the Dongyue Feather Dance.

But what exactly was this Feather Dance?

The master and his assistant stared at each other blankly, completely clueless.

As the name suggested, it was probably a dance with feathers.

Yue Mingxuan picked up a brush and tried doodling on a blank sheet of paper, but anyone could see he had no idea how to dance...

Watching ten thousand taels of gold drift farther and farther away, Yue Mingxuan lay his head down on the desk in despair.

Seeing Yue Mingxuan looking so listless, Sui He grew a little anxious.

This time, her prince had finally gathered the courage to participate in the Shanshi Festival, but now he seemed ready to back out completely.

"Your Highness, maybe we shouldn’t participate," Sui He said cautiously while looking at him. "Dancing has never been your strength."

Yue Mingxuan glanced at Sui He.

He could see the disappointment in her eyes and could already predict the consequences if he gave up.

But if he fought, there was at least a one percent chance of winning; if he didn’t, there was absolutely no hope.

Yue Mingxuan then patting his own face and forced himself to gather his spirit. "We’ll participate. Why not? Maybe I can win first place."

"But..." Sui He started to protest, but Yue Mingxuan interrupted sharply, "No buts. Stop with the buts. Instead of talking, go prepare my dance costume. Even if my dancing is poor, our presence and energy cannot lose, right?"

After she heard this, a smile appeared on Sui He’s face.

If the master was fearless, what reason did she, a servant, have to be afraid?

She laughed and went inside to prepare the costume, while Yue Mingxuan leaned back, supporting his head with his hands, thinking about how to win this contest.

So the two of them worked separately, each focused on their task.

Soon, the day passed.

As the first rays of the setting sun spilled into the room, Yue Mingxuan suddenly had a spark of inspiration.

Sui He watched as Yue Mingxuan took the white feathers she had prepared and dyed them in bright colors. Then he strung two feathers together using a piece of string.

Sui He couldn’t help but ask, puzzled, "Your Highness, what are you doing?"

"Making props," Yue Mingxuan replied without looking up. "If I can’t win by skill, I’ll win with novelty."

Sui He looked at the strange and oddly decorated feathers in his hands.

For some reason, a faint sense of hope appeared in her heart.