Chapter 39

Translator: Exodus Tales

Editor: Exodus Tales

“No need to trouble you for your worry.”

Old Madam asked Aunt Ji to take out ten thousand gold and generously bet on Nan Baoyi to win.

The servant smiled and said out, “Old Madam Nan bets ten thousand gold on Fifth Miss Nan! The odds are twenty to one!”

Second Aunt Madam Jiang also took out ten thousand gold and bet on Nan Baoyi to win.

Xiao Yi stroke the gold-braided hairband on his wrist and ordered Yu Wei, “Follow.”

Even Nan Baozhu took out two thousand gold of banknotes and bet on her sister without hesitating.

The Nan family spent money so extravagantly, making all the rich businessman surrounding them looked without blinking.

Nan Guang, who just came out of the ancestral hall saw his family’s wealth greedily. He touched his own sleeve pocket for a long time and could only pull out two gold miserably.

He carefully put his money on Nan Yan, under the fierce looks of his mother, sister-in-law, and niece.

This was not a joke, these two gold was everything he had!

He dared not waste it on Nan Baoyi!

As long as Yan’er won, he could still win some money to spend for a few days, couldn’t he?

The agenda for the girl’s competition was the most common four arts.

All participants must at least sign up for two events. The final ranking would be based on a comprehensive score.

Nan Yan was here to establish her reputation as a talented young woman so she refused to back off and signed up for all four events.

She stood next to Nan Baoyi closely, “I heard that Jiaojiao was learning from Xiao Yi recently, your four arts must have improved a lot. Which event will Jiaojiao sign up for? Why don’t you sign up for all four events like me? Madam Cheng is watching from the audience, Jiaojiao should properly perform well in front of her.”

She was secretly delighted.

As long as Nan Baoyi signed up for all four events, she could crush her in all events!

Nan Baoyi smiled lightly, “Sister really looks like a peacock.”

“Peacock?” Nan Yan looked shy, “Do you mean that I look extra beautiful today?”

“Oh no, I just thought the way you are showing off really looked like a peacock flaunting its feathers for a mate.”

Nan Yan’s face immediately turned red.

She gripped her handkerchief and gave Nan Baoyi a fierce look.

The little girls who were also participating laughed out.

Many of them hated Nan Yan but did not show it due to today’s special occasion. But Nan Baoyi’s straightforward mocking was such a delight!

The first round was music.

A total of six girls signed up for the event with two people in each group playing the zither together. Not only to test whose musical skill was better but also to test whether or not the other party could affect their concentration while playing the zither.

Coincidentally, Nan Baoyi and Nan Yan were in the same group.

Nan Yan took her seat casually, “Jiaojiao, which song will you be playing? Why don’t you play the same song as me? You only need to follow my rhythm, at least you won’t lose face if you played wrongly.”

As long as Nan Baoyi played the same song as her then everyone could hear how big of a difference their skills are!

“No need.”

Nan Baoyi rejected her offer.

Nan Yan smirked.

This little bitch wanted to save face and so she would reject.

That was fine, she would let her know how a good and natural music tune was supposed to sound like!

The official said loudly, “Start ―”

Nan Yan took the lead and fiddled with the strings, the tune sounded like flowing water, magically resonating the whole platform.

Everyone gradually fell silent.

The audience only felt refreshed and extremely stunned.

Nan Yan was playing a song called “Resentment on Golden Steps”, which showed the resentment of a woman in the deep palace. It really was mournful, and the audience felt as though they were actually in a deep imperial palace, hoping hard but did not manage to wait for the end of long lonely nights.

Just as the audience was in a sorrowful mood, a majestic tune was suddenly sounded!

It was like a violent wind slamming against pouring rain, like the roar of a thousand troops and horses in battle, and immediately dispelled the idea of being in a deep palace in grief and the audience felt as though they were standing in a battlefield!

Nan Baoyi’s eyes drooped and fiddled the strings with both hands, quick as a shadow.

For the past twenty days, she only practiced this song.

She practiced till her fingers had countless blisters, practiced till she was so familiar with the tune that she need not think to know which note to play.

And this song was called “Besieged on All Sides”.

She looked up and looked at the seats not far away.

All of the dignitaries in the Shu County were seated, all looking magnificent and elegantly dressed. While they laughed and talked, they looked kind. They were all good people in the country.

But in the previous life, it was this group of despicable people that divided the wealth of the Nan family.

Nan Yan betrayed her family and helped the Cheng residence to forge criminal evidence against the Nan family, framing the family for corruption and greed without thinking of the people she harmed and caused the entire Nan residence to be raided and ruined.

Money was carried out of the residence in many boxes. She cried and begged people everywhere but those officials refused to help her readdress the injustice and even said they deserved it.

Later on, she overheard Cheng Deyu and Nan Yan’s conversation and only realized that the money that was raided was not transferred to the state treasury but went to the pockets of those officials in Shu County!

Governor Cheng’s residence, Military Officer Zhang’s residence, Military Officer Xia’s residence, Commander Xue’s residence…

Until today, she could still recall the delighted looks on those despicable people’s faces.

Until today, she could still recall that helplessness that she felt as she was surrounded by enemies, besieged on all sides!

Harm came to them because they were wealthy and arouse the envy of others!

Hot tears filled across her entire face.

The sound of the zither underneath the girl’s hand was powerful, like a stormy rain, it was filled with sounds of despair and resentment.

As Xiao Yi said, hidden in the Nan residence was extreme wealth. With wolves surrounding them, they would inevitably suffer a fate like that in the end.

But in this life, before the Nan residence’s decline, she, Nan Baoyi wanted to stand up and protect her family, just like her family protected her in the past life!

Let all those despicable people go to hell!

The tune reached its climax!

The entire audience was silent, some even teared up unexpectedly.

They stared at the young but beautiful girl on the platform and for the first time, they understood what it meant for a butterfly to break out of its cocoon.

Nan Yan panicked.

She worked hard to display her skills, but the tunes of resentment were weak compared to the presence of an army, even she could not hear the sounds coming from her zither.

With a clang, she panicked and broke a string.

The outcome of this round was already obvious.

From her seat, Madam Cheng could not help but frown.

Madam Chang comforted her, “This is only the first round, it’s normal for the little girl to be nervous. Nan Yan signed up for all four rounds. There are three more rounds, don’t panic, don’t panic.”

The second round, drawing.

Nan Yan wanted to take revenge for the previous round and so this time she left nothing to chance. Once she got her brush pen, ink, inkstone, and paper, she immediately started drawing. Her beautiful unrestraint movements drew praises from the audience.

Madam Chang clapped and smiled, “This is it! Nan Yan would definitely win this round!

“It looks good to me. Nan Baoyi could win in the music round only because the song she chose was an opportunistic trick.” Madam Cheng took a sip of hot tea, feeling pleased, “As they say, it takes ten years to build something of substance. Drawing is a test of your foundation, using tricks would not be enough.”

Xiao Yi clasped his hands behind him, looking calm.

Calligraphy and drawing required knowledge of the fundamentals after all. Even if the little girl was very hardworking, she still could not catch up to Nan Yan in just a short period of time, so he advised her to only signed up for two events, music and chess.

Unexpectedly, the little girl actually signed up for drawing too…

The topic for this round is “Spring Flowers”.

A gentle breeze blew over the platform.

The little girl was sat on the platform in a decent manner, her blue-green flower dress swaying with the wind. A few strands of black hair fell from her forehead, framing her fair face beautifully.

She lowered her eyelashes, her tiny fair hands running around the drawing paper, unlike the other girls who were splashing ink all around.

She held a wooden ruler, carefully measuring and calculating with surprising caution.

Was there a need for a wooden ruler when drawing flowers?

What was she actually drawing?