Selling wife for fame? Kick out the scumbag and marry the new emperor to enjoy the harem of favors

Chapter 259

"Miss."

Qingfang, with her sharp eyes, was almost the first to spot the pair and immediately leaned down to whisper a reminder in Xie Jiu's ear.

"Lord He and Lord Du are together."

Xie Jiuben was still chatting and laughing with Xin Baolin when he heard the voice beside him. His eyes flickered almost imperceptibly, and then he pretended to be nonchalant and looked at the field.

There were fifteen groups in total, with thirty people in total. He Anshi and Du Qian stood in the last group.

"Who is in charge of drawing lots?" Xie Jiu asked in a low voice.

It shouldn't be such a coincidence. It's already a coincidence that Xie Wei and Guo Cairen's brother were assigned to the same place, but how did He Anshi end up with Du Qian as well?

Both of them are her people.

“It’s Father-in-law Qingdong,” Qingfang replied.

Because Zhao Xingjin was present to watch the match, Yang Zhian asked Qingdong to personally oversee the process to prevent any mishaps.

Upon hearing this, Xie Jiu's expression relaxed. "That's alright, it should just be a coincidence."

Zhao Xingjin would naturally not use this to scheme against her; there was no need.

However, this combination still inevitably attracted Xie Jiu's attention.

Like Xie Jiu, Zhao Xingjin also noticed He Anshi and Du Qian. He was also quite surprised, but after confirming that it wasn't someone's deliberate arrangement, he didn't care anymore. Besides, it was a good opportunity to see the two's abilities.

The competition begins.

The atmosphere on the field immediately became lively.

Zhao Xingjin's question wasn't too tricky, but it wasn't easy to answer either, especially since it required composing a poem on the spot.

After two rounds, some people were under too much pressure and couldn't perform, so they withdrew on the spot.

However, some people, with their outstanding talent and skills, began to attract the attention of the audience.

This includes He Anshi and Du Qian.

Xie Wei and Guo Cairen's elder brother were naturally not bad, and it was clear that they were in the lead. To Xie Jiu's surprise, Zhou Zhiqing also had some skill, and his poems were all outstanding. However, the person in his group who was responsible for shooting arrows was not good at archery and was somewhat dragging the team down.

But it was precisely because of this contrast that many people on the field were worried for Zhou Zhiqing and held their breath for him, which also earned him a lot of attention.

However, Xie Jiu knew that Zhou Zhiqing's reputation among Zhao Xingjin was already bad. If he wanted to get ahead, he would have to work ten times harder than others to make it work.

By the fifth round of the competition, the winner and loser were basically already decided.

In terms of archery skills, Guo Cai Ren's elder brother and Du Qian were equally matched, but as Xie Jiu said, Xie Wei was not particularly outstanding in poetry. He was more skilled in writing essays and debating, while He An Shi was clearly more outstanding in poetry. Together with Zhou Zhi Qing, they produced many excellent lines.

Unfortunately, Zhou Zhiqing was dragged down by his partner and has long been left far behind.

In the end, Zhou Zhiqing had clearly given up on winning the championship and was only thinking about how to show off his literary talent. He secretly resented not finding a good teammate who dragged him down, while hoping that his poems and essays would be appreciated by the emperor, just like when he competed with Xi Chi, and that the emperor would praise him and truly remember him.

However, He Anshi, as the top scholar, was not just a pretty face; he was still superior to Zhou Zhiqing in three out of the five poems.

In addition, Du Qian's arrows were always accurate, hitting the bullseye every time. Undoubtedly, their combination became the focus of attention throughout the event.

In the end, it truly became a dark horse.

"Well, now it's all for naught. I'm afraid no one in the arena will bet on Scholar He and General Du. All my planning has been for nothing. I was hoping to earn some money!"

Xie Jiu looked at the two on the field and joked with them. Zhao Xingjin was also in a good mood at the moment, and teased her, "I see that you bet all your bets on your brother. Now that you've lost, go ask your brother for the money!"

"That's right!" Xie Jiu feigned regret. "I just saw that Lord Guo's archery skills are superb, hitting the bullseye every time, just like General Du. If it weren't for my brother's poor poetry skills, which dragged Lord Guo down, how could Consort Guo and I have made the wrong bet? My brother should compensate me for our losses!"

Hearing this, Consort Guo laughed and said, “Everyone has their strengths. If my brother had been to compose a poem and Lord Xie had to compete in archery, he would have been even more of a laughingstock. Since we are teammates, there is no question of him being a burden. We are meant to share both the glory and the loss.”

After she finished speaking, Xie Jiu curled the corners of her lips into a smile.

He turned to Zhao Xingjin and said.

"Your Majesty, look, Consort Guo really knows how to comfort people. I feel much more at ease now."

“You just like to take things too seriously, it’s not a big deal anyway,” Zhao Xingjin said, seemingly lecturing, but with a smile on his face. “You’re the one who started this commotion, and now you’ve lost money and need others to cheer you up.”

Xie Jiu snorted softly, "Your Majesty has a sharp tongue. I'd better speak to Consort Guo instead."

This charming appearance was completely unrestrained in front of Zhao Xingjin.

Zhao Xingjin, however, was quite taken with her act, and his smile widened. "Fine, fine, I can't say anything to you. In that case, I'll reward you and Consort Guo with a set of jewelry each. Consider it my way of subsidizing you. Is that alright?"

"Really? Then I thank Your Majesty!" Xie Jiu's worried expression vanished, and her beautiful eyes lit up.

Seeing this, Zhao Xingjin smiled and assured him that it was true.

Guo Cairen then thanked Xie Jiu, but she couldn't replicate Xie Jiu's manners, so she behaved herself properly.

After the competition ended, it was still early, and some military officers jumped out and said they wanted to have a duel.

The men enjoyed watching this, while some of the women, who weren't very interested, started leaving to get some fresh air.

The Empress was one of them.

Once they reached a deserted, empty place, the gentle expression on their faces finally vanished, and they appeared quite gloomy.

"This Consort Jin is now forming an alliance with Consort Guo. I tolerated her trying to win over Consort Liu in the past, as Consort Liu's family background was low and she couldn't cause any trouble. But Consort Guo is different. If the two of them join forces, wouldn't they be able to call the shots in the harem?"

Yunye frowned and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I see that the Emperor is increasingly favoring Consort Jin. He is so indulgent and coaxing her in front of so many people. I am worried that if this continues, it will not be easy to get rid of Consort Jin."

"Yes," the Empress said, her eyes darkening. "It's easier to make a move outside the palace than inside. If we miss this opportunity, we won't easily find another suitable one."

"Your Majesty, I have a plan."

A fierce look appeared on Tingyun's face.

"Your Majesty, among the people still alive in this world, who do you think hates Consort Jin the most?"

"Who?" The Empress frowned, momentarily confused.

Tingyun lowered her voice, "This servant thinks it should be Consort Jin's ex-husband, the former Marquis of Weiyuan."

These words immediately brightened the Empress's expression.

"He's still alive?"

"As far as I know, she is now living in Jinming Tower, and has been reduced to a male prostitute," Tingyun said.

The Empress frowned. "Is the news true? How did you know?"

“The daughter of the Marquis of Xuanwen married Zhou Zhiqing, a junior official in the Hanlin Academy. Only after the marriage did she discover that Zhou Zhiqing had a concubine who was actually the younger sister of the Marquis of Weiyuan. Although Wu is now a concubine, she was actually demoted from wife to concubine by Zhou Zhiqing. The daughter of the Marquis of Xuanwen felt disgusted and resentful, and she made things difficult for and humiliated her at every turn. It was she who found out where the Marquis of Weiyuan was now.” Tingyun said in a low voice.