Dressed as cannon fodder and vowing to kick the heroine’s head off

Following the order, the organizers took quick action and divided the young men into four teams by drawing lots. Each team had young men who were famous in the capital, so they were evenly matched, and the fierce competition that was about to begin was imaginable.

What was truly astonishing was that the extremely noble and respected Crown Prince Xiuqi actually personally participated in this event and even joined one of the groups!

This move undoubtedly made this already highly anticipated selection even more eye-catching, full of suspense and expectations.

The prince had a round, fair face, a straight nose, rosy lips, and bright eyes, which made people like him at first sight. He was elegant in his manners, and exuded a noble temperament in his every move, which made many people feel ashamed in front of him.

When the ministers saw the prince for the first time, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief: Not bad! He doesn't look stupid!

Everyone was discussing this, secretly wondering what kind of extraordinary performance this distinguished Crown Prince would have.

When the young men who participated in the selection learned that Crown Prince Xiuqi wanted to compete alongside them, complex emotions suddenly surged in their hearts.

On the one hand, they were extremely excited to have the opportunity to compete with the prince, knowing that this was a rare and precious opportunity; on the other hand, they also felt a heavy pressure because their opponent was the prince.

They knew nothing about the prince's true strength. If they performed too well in the competition, they might inadvertently offend the prince, making him lose face and unhappy.

But if he showed weakness on purpose, he was worried that the prince would look down on him and he would miss this hard-earned opportunity.

As a result, every young man, with an uneasy mood, carefully watched the changes in expressions of other people around him, trying to catch some clues from them to find out the true thoughts in other people's hearts.

The whole scene was filled with a tense and subtle atmosphere, as if a silent psychological battle was quietly unfolding...

"Everyone, here are several paintings and calligraphy. You can pick any one of them and write a poem based on your own understanding. If you have the energy, you can write more. After the end, the last champion of this dynasty, the second champion of the previous dynasty, and two gentlemen from the Imperial College will evaluate them.

In order to ensure fairness, all written competitions today will be scored anonymously.

In each competition, the top three will be selected.

When all the games are over and all the scores are added up, the final winner, regardless of whether he is chosen as the prince's companion or not, will receive a prize.

First place: a three-courtyard house in a luxurious area of ​​the capital, a rare book, a set of four treasures of the study, and a blood jade pendant; second place: a painting by a great scholar, 1,000 taels of silver, and a white jade pendant; third place: a copy of Master Wang’s calligraphy, a set of four treasures of the study, and a ruby ​​ring.

In addition, three encouragement awards will be selected, each with a reward of 500 taels of silver.

All the above rewards can be exchanged for official positions in this dynasty, depending on your wishes."

Just as the eunuch had not yet finished reading his words, the entire scene suddenly fell into an uproar.

The young men stared with their eyes wide open, their faces filled with astonishment. They had never expected that they would receive such a huge surprise when they came to participate in this competition today! The dazzling array of rewards before them simply dazzled them and made them feel overwhelmed.

With such a generous reward in front of them, why should these young men hide their true strength? At this moment, they only have one thought in their minds - go all out, use all their skills, even if it takes the last bit of strength to get this tempting reward!

If one could successfully enter the court and serve as an official, it would be a great honor for the family!

Therefore, everyone was ready to try and show their strongest side in the next game.

The eunuch smiled and said loudly: "Don't worry, everyone, just listen to me. This time, the Queen has spoken personally. The final candidate for the position of the Crown Prince's companion will be officially announced the next day. Today is just a simple competition. You just need to do your best to win the first place today!"

Soon, the place was bustling with people, and the teenagers couldn't help but greet each other and start active discussions.

Xiuqi slowly walked through the excited young men with red faces and came to a painting. He pondered for a moment, picked up the brush under the tree, and began to paint.

"A few plum blossoms stand alone in the corner of the wall, braving the cold. I know from afar that it is not snow, because of the subtle fragrance. I live in a forest of ice and snow, not mixed with the fragrant dust of peaches and plums. Suddenly, the fragrance spreads overnight, spreading spring to the world."

He stood tall in front of the table, the brush in his hand was like a dragon, splashing ink on the snow-white rice paper. Every stroke was full of power and charm, as if it contained endless poetry and talent.

Just then, several figures quietly appeared behind him.

They first stood there quietly, staring intently at the dancing pen tip, afraid of missing any wonderful moment.

Gradually, one of them could not help but read out what he had written in a low voice. Although the voice was low, it was clearly audible, as sweet as the sound of a yellow oriole singing in a valley.

When Xiuqi finally finished the work, he gently put down the brush in his hand and slowly turned around.

At this moment, the young men who had been watching him silently also looked at each other. In this brief exchange of glances, everyone saw the surprise that was difficult to conceal in each other's eyes.

The prince's poems are so well written!

The prince’s calligraphy is so wonderful!

As if guided by an invisible tacit understanding, they all took firm and powerful steps almost at the same time, as if they had discussed it beforehand, and rushed towards Xiuqi in a unified manner.

The speed was so fast, like an arrow shot from a bow, catching people off guard.

Before the others could recover from this sudden change, they had already blocked his way like a thick human wall.

They all bent down slightly, their expressions extremely respectful, their movements were so standard as if they had practiced countless times, and they lowered their voices to beg, "Prince, your poems are so good, please teach us, okay?"

Xiuqi frowned when he saw this, and said slowly: "Everyone, you don't have to be so polite, just use what you have learned to your heart's content."

However, those people had no intention of backing down and still surrounded him tightly, shouting in unison: "Prince, we really don't know how!" Those anxious faces were filled with a desire for knowledge and skills.

Facing the people's pleading, Xiuqi simply smiled faintly, and that smile was as warm as a spring breeze.

Then, he gently stretched out his hand, pushed away the hands of the people approaching him one by one, and then walked sideways through the gap in the crowd. He walked lightly and gracefully, as if strolling in a garden, and continued to walk towards the next interesting game. Only the group of people behind him, who were full of loss and helplessness, stared blankly at his back as he walked away.