Jiu Zhang Ji: The Daily Life of the Reborn Daughter

Chapter 4: Skirt-Tent Banquet ()

While the guests were guessing riddles, a stage had been built on the lake using two bridges.

This stage is detachable and easy to set up. When not in use, it can be disassembled and stored in the warehouse. The lake is still the lake, and the bridge is still the bridge. The idea is quite ingenious.

Yu Xinyao wanted to embarrass Qiao Lili at the banquet and ruin her reputation. She used her brain. She knew that music, chess, calligraphy, painting and dancing were all child's play for a daughter of a noble family. It was impossible to embarrass Qiao Lili. She had to find another way.

The wine is warm and the candlelight is red as we play the game of "shooting at the cover". I don't know what kind of play this "skirt-tent banquet" is about.

After the stage was set up, a group of Hu Ji in gauze dance costumes came on stage. The sound of stringed instruments rang out from the pavilion at the end of the lake. The Hu Ji twisted their waists slightly, wearing cool clothes and with gauze sleeves fluttering. The atmosphere of the banquet instantly became heated. The guests stopped talking and focused their attention on the dancing Hu Ji.

After the dance ended, Hu Ji left the stage, and servants came one after another to place the equipment for pitching pots on the stage. Then, the female official in charge announced that the male and female guests should each form a team to pitch pots.

As for which guests would go, it was not a matter of recommendation or self-nomination. Instead, the names of the guests, divided by gender, were placed in two lot tubes and drawn by the palace maid in charge.

Qiao Lili thought that she might not be chosen. "Qiao Lili." As expected, her name was read out loud.

"..."

"Bai Rouer."

"..."

Qiao Lili already smelled the scent of conspiracy at this moment.

Qiao Lili, Su Shiyun and Chen Ruxin bid farewell and went up to the temporary stage on the lake. The male guests had also assembled. When Cai Qi heard that Bai Rouer was there, her heart was in her throat. The servants and maids were not allowed to go on the stage. She was anxious and had no choice but to wait at the place closest to the stage.

At the command of the female official in charge, the game begins. The team with the most hits wins and will receive symbolic rewards. If the female team wins, they will receive hairpins, rings, and jewelry, and if the male team wins, they will receive pens, ink, paper, and inkstone.

The distance that the men's team throws the pot is farther than that of the women's team, so that it is relatively fair.

Each team sends one person to pitch the pot at a time, and every time an arrow hits the target, it will cause cheers and calls from both sides. There are competitions, prizes, and young men and women, making the atmosphere even more lively.

Who can forget worries and comfort loneliness? Summer is long and only a pot of wine can make it go away. Everyone sitting here wants to follow many horses, so why not stop the owl in the wonderful place?

After a few people competed, the men's team made more hits, and then it was Qiao Lili's turn. She had been practicing martial arts with Shang Zhen recently, and Concubine Yun also gave her some pointers. Her martial arts skills improved by leaps and bounds, and she was not afraid of archery, let alone throwing a pot.

There were three arrows in total, and he shot them just as he wished, without any fanfare or pretense. All three hit the target, and the guests on both sides of the lake applauded.

There were also discussions, "A tiger father will have a dog daughter." "She is worthy of being the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion, and she lives up to her grandfather's reputation." "This seemingly delicate and weak little girl is really capable."

At this moment, an arrow from the men's team seemed to have missed the target and went straight towards Qiao Lili's face. This arrow was different from ordinary arrows used in pot throwing. It was very powerful and Qiao Lili could even feel the strong wind coming towards his face.

If one couldn't dodge in time, the best result would be bruises all over the face, and the worst would be blood all over the face. The people who were praising Qiao Lili below couldn't even close their mouths.

Cai Qi was so frightened that she no longer cared about the rules and flew onto the stage.

Qiao Lili leaped forward to avoid the arrow and reached the edge of the stage. The people next to her took advantage of her unstable footing and pushed her waist with both hands, trying to make her fall into the water.

Although the guests below did not close their mouths, they still made sounds from their throats: "Ah," "Ah," and "Ouch," and the pitches of the sounds varied.

Because falling into the water, getting her clothes wet is a small matter, but if she is rescued by some dirty man, it will be a big deal. Qiao Lili is not someone else. She is engaged to the Sixth Prince. After such an incident, will the Sixth Prince marry her or not? In order to maintain the face of the royal family, will the Duke of Dingguo send her to the temple or let her die of illness?

This is not just a small fall into the water, it is life-threatening.

At the critical moment, everyone saw Qiao Lili using the force to turn around on the edge of the stage. Her body turned more gracefully than Hu Ji's dance. The person who pushed her used all his strength, so how could he pull it back? As she turned, she was carried away.

Then, with a splash, it fell into the lake.

The lake was not deep and there was no one there. After the man fell into the lake and struggled a few times, he cried for help: "Help, help." In the critical moment, the voice was already hoarse, but it still sounded very familiar.

Cai Qi had already run to Qiao Lili's side, "Miss, are you okay?" Qiao Lili shook her head. She was fine, but someone was in trouble.

She walked to the group of men who were playing pot throwing. She saw clearly that it was Zheng Xuede who had thrown the arrow at her. It was normal for the pot to miss the target, but it was not a coincidence that the arrow hit her and was thrown with full force.

If you think about it carefully, it makes sense. Zheng Xuede is the illegitimate son of Zheng Sheng, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue. He usually eats, drinks, gambles, steals, and does not do his job properly. He is nicknamed Zheng Quede. The Zheng family is the second prince's maternal family. Because the sixth prince is favored, the eldest prince and the second prince have always been in the same nest.

Qiao Lili didn't care whether the first and second princes cooperated or not, and she didn't care that her mother's family was a third-rank minister. She would get back at those who bullied her. She was the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, and she was the future consort of the Sixth Prince. If she was bullied and didn't say a word, it would damage the reputation of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion and the Sixth Prince's reputation.

Qiao Lili walked towards Zheng Xuede, who was one of the male guests. Zheng Xuede was so frightened when he saw Qiao Lili approaching calmly that he stepped back, shaking his hands and saying, "Yes, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."

This part was not designed before. In the design, Qiao Lili fell into the water, so how could she possibly cause trouble for him?

Without thinking about what to say or do in advance, Zheng Xuede panicked. Qiao Lili despised him in her heart. With such courage and mental quality, he still wanted to hurt others. Where did she find this idiot?

"You didn't mean it?" Qiao Lili tilted her head and asked harmlessly.

"Uh-huh, no, I didn't mean it." Zheng Xuede's face changed.

"Is that intentional?" "With ill intentions?" Qiao Lili approached him and was about to hit him in the face. She wanted to avenge the arrow that shot her. Cai Qi, who had caught up with her, quickly grabbed her and said, "Miss, be careful or your hand will hurt."

"Let go, let me do it." Cai Qi swung her fist and punched Zheng Xuede in the face. His face was immediately covered with blood and his nose was bleeding. Cai Qi still felt unsatisfied and thought that they were going to force the young lady to fall into the water. She raised her leg and kicked Zheng Xuede in the chest, sending him flying off the stage.

He did not fall into the water, but flew across the lake and landed on the shore, knocking over a table and scaring the guests at that table so much that they jumped far away.

"Ding ding dang dang," "Xili hua la," "Jili gurugulu," "Pi li pa." "Aiya aiya." It was louder than the sound of stringed instruments from the water pavilion just now.

Cai Qi said to Qiao Lili embarrassedly: "I'm sorry, Miss, I didn't control my strength and kicked too far."