The Crown Prince is Actually a Princess! SEASON 1

Chapter 61 Part 1 - "The Straw-bag Prince"

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A total of thirty-six young talents participated in the Competition for the Recruitment of the Consort Husband, and now that Fan Xiao Wen was dead, only thirty-five of them remained.
Due to the large number of people, Murong Ci and He Guang, the Minister of the Ministry of Etiquettes and Rituals, agreed that the Martial Arts Test would be divided into two days.

In the first match, the thirty-six young talents were supposed to be divided into groups of three people each, forming a total of twelve groups.
They would fight each other in each group, determining only twelve winners to enter the final match, the following day.
However now there was one person missing for one group, and they decided that the group would have had only two people in it.

The Martial Arts Test would take place in the Wenhua Palace, which was a magnificent and majestic Hall.
It had always been used as a Palace venue for Grand Ceremonies, such as the Emperor's Throne Ascending Ceremony, the Emperor's Wedding Ceremony, the Queen's Proclamation, and so on.

In addition, the Three Major Festivals of the Year, Longevity, New Year's Day, and Winter Solstice, were also held here.
During those events, the Emperor would proclaim civil and military officials, congratulare to them, and held a banquet for the Princes and Ministers of the Country.

The venue in front of the Palace was wide, and the Martial Arts Test was set here.
The officials of the Ministry of Etiquettes and Rituals set up three carved chairs and a small table on the corridor of the Hall, and a red carpet was placed under the front steps of the Hall for the Martial Arts Test matches.

There were many chairs on both sides for the ministers of civil and military affairs, and their families to sit and watch the matches.

On this occasion, the family members of the participants to the Competition were given special permission by His Majesty the Emperor to enter the Palace to watch the Competitions.
This was mainly to demonstrate the grandeur of the Recruitment of the Consort Husband and the importance of this event.

Differently from the scorching sky and shining sun of the previous few days, today's weather was cooler and the sky was covered with gloomy hazy clouds.

Before the starting time came, the Wenhua Hall was already full of people, and the voices were noisy.
He Guang, Minister of the Ministry of Etiquettes and Rituals, led a group of colleagues and servants to prepare the event.
He gathered the young talents together, and explained the way of drawing lots to determine who would compete with whom in the same group:
the number of groups would have been written on thirty-five pieces of paper, and each of them would draw one of them, determining the groups.
If three people draw into the same group, they would compete with each other.
Whether they drew a strong opponent or a weaker one required a bit of luck.

After the lottery was drawn, officials from the Ministry of Etiquettes and Rituals started the registration of the names.
Some people were happy, some were sad, some were indifferent, some were calm, some sighed, and some smiled...

The hour was approaching, and everyone was waiting anxiously.
Finally, the Crown Prince and the Royal King arrived.

Although in her heart Murong Ci didn't want to meet him right away, they happened to arrive at the same time and she met his figure in the Palace road ahead.
This time, she decided to be escorted in the carriage and didn't get down until the front of the Wenhua Hall.
Everyone bowed to greet them, in a human-shaped arch bridge and there were so many people.

'Did the family members of the fourth-rank-grade officials of the Country come into the Palace to watch the competition?
Or rather didn't those Noble ladies just come here to choose a son-in-law for their daughters instead?'

But she knew that these people were so respectful, mostly because of Murong Yu.

Murong Yu lowered his shoulders, with his stalwart posture, standing high between the sky and the earth, gorgeously and majestically.
His unpredictable deep and sharp eyes swept with frost in front of him, as if he wasn't looking at anyone in particular, and just merely looking beyond the mundane world, beyond all living beings, swinging towards the vast sky.
His stare was like the so-called, "View beyond the present world, free of dust and futility", or better said, "What's essential is invisible to the eyes".

"Everyone, no need for formalities."
His voice was deep and clear, cold and distant.

Murong Ci gave him a secret glance, turned her head and walked forward with disdain.

'Pretend to see nothing! Ignore it all!'

Because she walked too quickly, or didn't pay attention to her feet, she tripped over the corner of the red carpet, staggered, and then rushed forward.
This happened in an instant, and she didn't expect it at all.

In the sudden balance loss, she instinctively wanted to use her inner energy to stabilize her body, but on this occasion, she had to act as the "Straw-bag Prince", so she gritted her teeth, mentally prepared to end up facing the mud on the ground.

Although most people were paying attention to the Prince Regent, many people still witnessed the indecent state of the "Straw-bag Prince".

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END of CHAPTER 61 PART 1
.....................to be continued