diskusbooks Chapter 172 The Competition Ends
Chapter 172 The Competition Ends
At that moment, the total number of flags in everyone's hands stopped at 191, and no new flags appeared. Ying Wuyou naturally understood that some flags might be hidden extremely well and difficult to find. Moreover, she felt that the number of people who passed the competition was roughly sufficient, and it was not necessary to reach 200. Those who failed to find a flag could only be said to have been unlucky in this competition. Therefore, after thinking for a while, Ying Wuyou decided to directly declare the competition over.
But just at this crucial moment, a bruised and battered man stumbled over, carrying a small flag. Ying Wuyou looked closely and saw that his face was covered in wounds, clearly indicating that he had just been in a fierce fight. She knew immediately that he must have suffered a great loss in the struggle for the flag.
Ying Wuyou's gaze swept across the entire arena, and she shouted loudly to the numerous soldiers, "I now declare this competition over! After a fierce contest, a total of 192 soldiers have successfully passed the competition. From this moment on, these 192 people will officially become my guards!" After speaking, she smiled and turned to look at General Meng Tian beside her, and nodded slightly.
Meng Tian understood and immediately waved for the soldiers behind him to call out the names of the 192 people who had passed the competition. Each time a name was called out, the corresponding soldier would excitedly step forward, indicating that he was indeed the one who had passed. These lucky individuals quickly gathered their belongings and happily followed Princess Ying Wuyou as they prepared to leave.
Meanwhile, those who had searched the mountain in vain gradually descended. Some, still unwilling to give up, hoped to continue their search. However, upon learning that the competition had long since ended, despite their regret and reluctance, they were ultimately powerless to change anything. Finally, like deflated balloons, they listlessly and dejectedly left the mountain, heading back to the military camp.
When the dejected soldiers returned to their camp, they were surprised to find that Princess Ying Wuyou and the other soldiers who had passed the competition had already set off. It was getting late, and the sun was about to set. Ying Wuyou estimated the time and realized that if she rushed back to the palace now, it would be too late. Traveling at night was inconvenient, and the roads were difficult to navigate after dark, increasing the risk of danger. Therefore, after careful consideration, Ying Wuyou decided to rest at a nearby estate and return to the palace at dawn the next day.
To ensure the King of Qin was aware of his situation and to prevent him from worrying, Ying Wuyou specifically dispatched his guard Zhou Xun to return to the palace immediately to deliver the message. Zhou Xun, upon receiving the order, dared not delay for a moment and galloped swiftly towards the palace.
Upon arriving at the estate, Ying Wuyou immediately sought out Uncle Liu and asked him to properly settle the guards who had accompanied her. After everything was arranged, she hurriedly returned to her own quiet little courtyard.
The estate is now quite large, and it is fully equipped with all kinds of daily necessities. Before long, a clever and lovely little maid came in quietly, carrying a basin of steaming hot water for washing, with a delicate soap with a faint fragrance next to it.
Ying Wuyou first washed her face, then gently removed the exquisite hairpin from her head, letting her long, black hair cascade naturally over her shoulders. After doing all this, she slowly walked to the bedside, gently lay down, and soon, like an extremely tired kitten, quietly drifted into a sweet dream.
Meanwhile, far away in the Zhangtai Palace, the King of Qin paced anxiously back and forth. He had been waiting for a long time, but had received no news of Ying Wuyou's return to the palace. As time ticked by, the sky outside the window grew increasingly dark and gloomy, and the King of Qin's anxiety intensified. At this moment, he was extremely agitated, like a tiger trapped in a cage, with nowhere to vent his anxiety and unease.
Just then, a soft footstep sound came from outside the hall, followed by a guard respectfully reporting, "Your Majesty, Princess Jiayang's guard requests an audience." Upon hearing this, the King of Qin's tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed, and he hurriedly ordered, "Let him in quickly!"
A moment later, a burly man with a resolute face strode into the Zhangtai Palace. This man was Zhou Xun. Upon seeing the King of Qin, he immediately knelt on one knee without hesitation, gave a standard military salute, and shouted, "Your subordinate greets Your Majesty!"
The King of Qin asked impatiently, "Has Jiayang returned?"
Zhou Xun hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, the princess, seeing that it is getting late and knowing that traveling at night is inconvenient and unsafe, has decided to rest at the manor for the night and return to the palace early tomorrow morning."
Hearing this, the King of Qin felt somewhat relieved, but a trace of dissatisfaction still welled up in his heart. He frowned slightly and said with a hint of reproach, "Why couldn't you return earlier? Why did you have to wait until nightfall to begin your journey home? It's just selecting 200 guards, why did it take so long?"
Faced with the King of Qin's questioning, Zhou Xun was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond. After a slight hesitation, he finally forced himself to answer, "Your Majesty, the princess specifically set two tests to ensure that the selected guards are truly capable of fulfilling their protective duties. These tests are quite tedious and complex, and have therefore consumed a considerable amount of time. The princess knows that Your Majesty must be worried about this matter, so she specially dispatched me to report to Your Majesty."
After hearing Zhou Xun's words, the King of Qin's expression softened slightly. He waved his hand gently and said, "Enough, I already know. You may leave now." Zhou Xun bowed as if granted a pardon and slowly withdrew from the hall.
After leaving the palace, Zhou Xun knew that both the King of Qin and everyone in the Chaohua Hall were probably deeply concerned about the princess's safety. Therefore, he went straight to the Chaohua Hall without stopping. Upon arriving at the entrance, Zhou Xun briefly spoke with the young eunuch guarding the hall, carefully instructing him to relay the princess's situation to everyone inside. Only then did Zhou Xun leave with peace of mind.
Having received Zhou Xun's instructions, the young eunuch dared not delay and hurriedly entered the palace to inform Cui'er that the princess was resting at the estate and would not be returning that night. Cui'er, who had been anxiously waiting, finally breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. She first methodically arranged the various affairs within Chaohua Palace, instructing everyone to rest early; then, she personally went to Lady Wang's quarters to report the princess's situation in detail. Only after doing all this did Cui'er finally feel completely at ease.
Upon hearing that her daughter was staying at the estate and not returning to the palace, Lady Wang was like an ant on a hot pan, and tears streamed down her face like a burst dam. Fortunately, Dongmei's earnest persuasion finally stopped her crying, and she obediently went to bed.