Chapter 243 - 244: The Battlefield of Women
“Oh no!”
Zhu Minglang felt a sense of panic.
Why was this Floral Dragon Maiden so obsessed with him? They had met only once!
In the end, it was all about identity.
Although Miao Kingdom was far from the Imperial City, some powers within the kingdom still cared a great deal about the Zhu Gate, and thus they were relentless in their bidding, aiming to forge this marriage alliance.
Zhu Minglang certainly didn’t believe his charm was explosive enough to warrant the Floral Dragon Maiden spending over three million gold on him!
Princess Luoshui.
Bid some more money, won’t you?
If you think it’s too expensive, I’ll chip in a bit.
This young master might still have a chance to escape!!
Zhu Minglang now had a splitting headache, for he couldn’t very well hold a sword to Princess Luoshui’s neck and force her to continue bidding against the Floral Dragon Maiden.
At this moment, if Princess Luoshui was unwilling to raise her bid, he would truly become the Floral Dragon Maiden’s prize.
The Floral Dragon Maiden’s grand gesture had already deterred many Female Prefects and Female Marquises.
Initially, once Princess Luoshui made a bid, there generally wouldn’t be many competitors, since aside from her robust finances, all factions were expected to make way for the season’s main protagonist.
Unfortunately, it seemed that Master Hua wished to avoid entangling Zhu Gate with the Miao Kingdom Palace, and thus had unhesitatingly instructed his sister to snatch the love.
“Five million gold.”
Suddenly, a cool and detached voice rang out, its tone wonderfully melodious yet imbued with an icy, resolute determination!
“Five million gold!!”
The palace official couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.
A group of royal officials turned their gazes toward the speaker.
Those noblewomen also turned towards a breathtakingly beautiful woman, including Princess Luoshui who looked in astonishment at the woman who bid such a massive sum!
The Floral Dragon Maiden was stunned.
Three million two hundred thousand gold was already astronomical; the Hua Family would need substantial time to replenish their coffers. If the Zhu Gate weren’t of tremendous help to their current predicament, spending three million for a son-in-law would be a loss no matter how one sliced it.
But who could have anticipated an even more outrageous bid?
And from someone who had offered a staggering one million eight hundred thousand more than her own bid. Although the Master Hua had instructed her to hold nothing back, could the Hua Family really come up with such an amount on the spot?
Unveiled, her exquisitely captivating face drew the admiration of even other women. Her cool and proud bearing, firm and serene eyes, and demeanor made the reputations of some known Female Prefects and City Lords pale in comparison.
Princess Luoshui was watching her.
She recognized the woman, even though she wasn’t wearing a veil. Princess Luoshui knew she was the exceptionally talented female artist from the Miao Mountain Sword Sect—Nan Lingsha.
Using the painting as a medium to display the twelve falling swords of the Yao Mountain Sword Sect, she had probably shocked both the Miao Mountain Sword Sect and Yao Mountain Sword Sect’s Sword Groves.
She was bidding for Zhu Minglang.
And with a whopping five million gold that would not allow others to compete!
This suddenly reminded Princess Luoshui of the casual conversation she had with Zhu Minglang that day in the mansion.
“She’s just a Divine and Mortal in my Dragon Shepherd team; there’s nothing between us.”
Five million gold for a bid!
And still nothing between you???
Zhu Minglang was also somewhat taken aback.
Could it really be a case of a love muddle?
But she didn’t seem to be Nan Yuso…
Zhu Minglang looked over and saw that Nan Yuso was still wearing a veil, standing behind the bidding woman, with the Immortal Rabbit Dragon in her arms.
The bidding sister, Li Xinghua??
What on earth was Miss Xinghua doing??
Five million gold… even though it was being offered to him, half of it still had to be given to the palace, which meant a direct loss of two million five hundred thousand.
If she really had designs on him, there was no need to splurge like this in such a setting. On a long and quiet night, a whisper in his ear would have been enough, and that would cost not a penny!
No, wait…
She didn’t seem to be Li Xinghua either.
Those eyes, clear and calm, stood amidst countless distinguished and graceful women of the Miao Kingdom, yet emitted a formidable aura that was difficult to describe, like the bright moon amidst the starry sea.
Zhu Minglang looked at her.
Her gaze was also fixed on Zhu Minglang.
After a while, Zhu Minglang felt a surge of confusion.
For some reason, he felt that the person staring at him was not Li Xinghua.
Sure enough, the Immortal Rabbit Dragon suddenly sprang from the crowd and then hopped onto Zhu Minglang’s shoulder.
The Immortal Rabbit Dragon leaned close to Zhu Minglang’s ear and kept saying in a crisp and anxious voice of a little girl, “This is terrible, Li Yunzhi has awoken. This is terrible, Li Yunzhi has awoken!”
It was indeed Li Yunzhi!!
Tumultuous waves churned within Zhu Minglang’s heart…
Was it the Ancient Lantern Jade that had taken effect??
Awakening Li Yunzhi!
Li Yunzhi remained imperious, as her opening bid was five million gold, her eyes brooked no dissent, as though declaring the sole ownership of this man!
Perhaps, Li Yunzhi had many confusions deep inside, unable to understand why Zhu Minglang was standing on the stage for the competition for husbands.
But that didn’t deter her from bidding for Zhu Minglang.
“Li Yunzhi, we’re just playing a scene to get the Lamp Jade Ornament from the princess’s cheek, calm down!” cried Nan Yuso anxiously, not knowing how to explain to Li Yunzhi.
Without uttering a word, Li Yunzhi simply waited quietly.
Nan Yuso was also distressed, wondering why Li Yunzhi had to wake up at that exact moment!
Moreover, Nan Yuso had no way to deal with Li Yunzhi, who had always been uncompromising.
“Five million five hundred thousand gold!”
Suddenly, another bid was placed.
Just when it seemed that five million gold was the ceiling and Zhu Minglang was about to become the most expensive Champion Son-in-law, someone made a bid under these circumstances, sending the price soaring to an outrageous level!
Everyone immediately turned to see who had made the bid, and shockingly, the bidder turned out to be Princess Luoshui, who had previously chosen to withdraw!
It was Princess Luoshui!
The voice of Princess Luoshui, pure and gentle, seemed unwilling to lose to anyone in this setting. After stating her bid, she didn’t even glance at Zhu Minglang but locked eyes with the woman who induced a sense of unease and a tinge of unwillingness.
“Seven million…” Li Yunzhi stated almost without hesitation.
But as the first word left her lips, her strength seemed to be drained away by something, making her voice weak and feeble.
Nobody heard the bid of seven million gold except Nan Yuso standing beside her.
Nan Yuso quickly supported her and began to explain, “Don’t worry, Zhu Minglang only wants her Lamp Jade Ornament to save your life.”
Li Yunzhi slowly closed her eyes, as if falling asleep.
Nan Yuso took a deep breath of relief.
She could not have anticipated Li Yunzhi suddenly waking up.
However, Li Yunzhi’s awakening might not be a bad thing after all!
Her assertiveness just provoked competitiveness in the princess.
To outsiders, this stunningly beautiful woman appeared distraught, seemingly unable to bid any higher.
No one was able to offer a higher price.
Princess Luoshui seemed to have secured her final victory, her lips gently lifting into a smile.
No matter how dazzling this woman was, no matter how much she was praised by all the noblewomen of the entire kingdom, she ultimately lost.
This woman couldn’t move Zhu Minglang’s heart.
Yet she could.
Was the competition for husbands really about gaining a husband?
That might not be the case; the festival of choosing a husband within the blooming flowers has always been a battleground for women.
As the protagonist of the year, she would not allow anyone to overshadow her own radiance!
Moreover, the royal palace was hers.
The price she had to pay was no more than three million gold.
As a princess of the Miao Kingdom, she didn’t need to talk about fairness with those women.