Chapter 38: One Girl, One Leaf

Chai Xiao knew it would be difficult to explain everything at once, so he held up two fingers to indicate a two-step plan.

First, he pointed to the female guards who had been following Zhuque not far away.

“How many female guards are there in total?”

“How skilled are they?”

Zhuque was momentarily taken aback, unsure of what this young master was up to, but she answered truthfully.

“They all came out with me from the inner palace, some for nearly two years, others for about a year.”

“Each one’s skill is one in a hundred; at least ten of them can keep enemies at bay without being approached closely.”

Chai Xiao nodded and proceeded to the second step.

He took a few steps forward, flipped over the city defense map on the stone table, dipped a half-stick of wood into a teacup of water, and began to draw.

“If we use your appearance, Zhuque, as a template to sketch a portrait but with a veil covering the face,”

“Then for the body shape and posture, we take an approximation somewhere between yours and theirs.”

“In other words, this portrait, when revealed, will resemble both you and the others.”

“That means the person who steps onto the stage to compete isn’t just you alone, nor any one of the female guards.”

“But rather, from a team, one person is selected!”

“We can give her an individual name, something like your ‘Zhuque’, but call her ‘Danhuang’ or ‘Yanluan’.”

“This is a fictional character!”

“Do you understand what I mean?”

Zhuque felt that the young master’s thoughts were on an entirely different level from hers. Though seemingly unconventional and bizarre, they were not truly absurd—just far ahead of the times, making it hard for others to keep pace with his rhythm.

Therefore, it was more fitting to call it a “brilliant and imaginative idea.”

Chai Xiao then dipped the stick in water again and drew a fighting arena on the back of the city defense map, outlining many small squares beside it.

“As for the fighting contest, it will be set up in three stages.”

“First, self-presentation.”

“The contestants must showcase their entire martial arts foundation as soon as they step on stage!”

“You will watch backstage and make evaluations.”

“Second, elimination rounds.”

“Divide into groups! Start with round-robin battles, fighting in sequence. Then proceed to knockout rounds, where one match decides who wins and who loses!”

“For example, if there are sixteen participants, divide them into four groups of four, conducting round-robin matches in turn.”

“Each person fights three matches, and the top two in each group based on wins proceed, while the rest are eliminated.”

“In the knockout stage, the top two from each group cross-fight.”

“Like the first place in Group One versus the second place in Group Three, and the first place in Group Two versus the second place in Group Four.”

“The match decides the victor in one battle; it can also be done in rounds, best two out of three, with the winner advancing and the loser eliminated!”

“And this fictional character called ‘Danhuang’ or ‘Yanluan’ shouldn’t only appear in the final act but should be active at different stages to liven up the atmosphere.”

“For instance, if someone stands out with three consecutive wins in the group stage and gains popularity, they can earn a challenge opportunity.”

“You analyze and decide which female warrior to send out—ideally, one who barely wins so that the challenger loses but still wants to fight again.”

“At the quarterfinals, you can also design a spectacular ‘revival’ round!”

“From the four eliminated, choose the two best performers, have a female warrior step up, with a limit of forty moves.”

“If she endures all forty moves, she revives; if not, she’s eliminated.”

“If both revive, they can fight the third and fourth place finishers; the winner advances, the loser is eliminated.”

“The final four are matched by drawing lots.”

“It’s best to cultivate their own strong ‘admiring fan base’ here.”

“From four to two, from two to one. Just watch carefully and step in if needed, otherwise wait.”

“The final champion—that depends on how you handle it!”

“According to your mother, no one in the entire inner palace of Great Qi can match you, Zhuque, and here in Great Xu, even less so!”

“So, if you find the champion appealing, lose to him and marry him—that wouldn’t be bad!”

“If not, then defeat him decisively and show him there are greater forces beyond!”

“If you don’t fancy him but the guards do, we won’t stop anyone. Whoever catches their eye can take him away!”

“When the time comes, at the Prince’s Mansion, we will certainly offer a dowry no less than one hundred taels of silver!”

“Pfft!”

Hearing this, Consort Yun and Zhuque both smiled softly, even laughing aloud. However, unlike Zhuque, whose blush gradually faded, Consort Yun sensed a different “sign.”

“This virtual ‘martial contest for marriage’ sounds truly interesting!”

“And I can imagine it will be spectacular, a roaring spectacle in the royal city.”

“But why do I see the stage setup, the participants, and even the final dowry of one hundred taels all as losing ventures?”

“Doesn’t this make gathering one million taels of silver even more distant?”

Chai Xiao looked up, his eyes expressing confusion as if he had lost his memory and no longer recognized his own mother.

Then, he glanced at Zhuque with that same expression until she lowered her head.

After a long pause, it seemed as if he had retrieved his memory from some corner and slowly said,

“Mother, I heard you right, didn’t I?”

“This is the first time you’ve asked me how to make money on your own initiative and the first time you didn’t scold me for being obsessed with money!”

This time, the blush rose on Consort Yun’s face, but it was clearly different from Zhuque’s girlish feelings.

“You brat, how dare you joke with your own mother—looking for a beating?”

Consort Yun raised her hand, pretending to strike.

But after a moment, she lowered it, a mischievous smile spreading across her face.

“Alright then!”

“You’re addicted to gambling, aren’t you?”

“I’ll bet these fifty taels of silver and see if you can come up with a profitable scheme!”

After speaking, Consort Yun really took out a fifty-tael silver note from her bosom.

Unexpectedly, Zhuque also reached to take out a silver note.

However, her tight military uniform didn’t have pockets for money, so she took it from a delicate embroidered pouch at her waist.

“I’m betting too!”

“Though my salary is meager, it’s fifty taels!”

“If the young master wants to raise the stakes later, I can’t match it!”

Chai Xiao, still smiling, first stared blankly at them.

Then, in the blink of an eye, his eyes flashed with the hunger of a wild wolf starved for a long time, snatching the silver notes from their hands.

“You brat! You—”

“Young master!”

Consort Yun and Zhuque tried to chase after him, but he only tucked the money into his robe and showed no intention of running, instead sitting back down at the stone table.

More astonishingly, six or seven female guards standing nearby, perhaps having keen hearing and sensing this was a bet related to their own marriages, stepped forward eagerly.

“We want to bet too!”

“Young master, we don’t have fifty taels, only twenty. Is that alright?”

“I only have fifteen; count me in!”

Before they finished clamoring, another five or six female guards from the outer circle ran over to join.

Three women make a drama; these more than ten women truly made it a grand spectacle.

Zhuque glared sharply and shouted,

“What are you doing?”

She expected them to retreat immediately but was surprised when they quietly stared at the corner of the silver notes in the young master’s hands.

It meant: Why shout at us? Didn’t you bet too?

Zhuque was about to act but was held back by Consort Yun.

“Girls at this age all have little schemes.”

“They’re just betting on whether this ‘martial contest for marriage’ will be profitable, and they’re all going to take the stage. It’s settled!”

With her mother’s permission, Zhuque finally lowered her hands.

Chai Xiao wasted no time; as soon as Consort Yun said “it’s settled,” he swiftly collected all the women’s silver notes.

Then he counted heads and silver notes, mumbling to himself.

“Twelve people have raised the stakes later. Six with twenty taels, four with fifteen, two with ten, totaling two hundred taels.”

“Even flies are meat!”

“Adding the previous fifty taels each from mother and Zhuque, that’s three hundred taels.”

The twelve female guards jumped anxiously.

“Young master!”

“You haven’t even explained how to make money yet, why did you take all the money?”

“You’re a ruler of a nation; no cheating allowed!”

Chai Xiao tucked the silver notes away and smiled quietly at them.

“The ‘fictional character martial contest for marriage’ is actually easy to profit from.”

“Here’s what—each of you pick up a leaf, and I’ll tell you a method. How about that?”