86: Chapter 73: The Love of Beauty_6 86: Chapter 73: The Love of Beauty_6 Jiang Youyao was indeed beautiful, but Jiang Li was not the slightest bit inferior!
Just as that thought crossed her mind, she saw the handsome young man in red suddenly lift the corners of his mouth in a smile, holding a folding fan in hand.
With a carefree gesture, he pointed in a direction and said indifferently, “Let it be her.”
Everyone hastily looked in the direction he pointed!
The golden silk folding fan, light as a cicada’s wings—when closed, was merely a narrow strip.
The plaque pointed to by the fan displayed, starkly, two characters.
Jiang Li!
Jih Heng had chosen Jiang Li.
The heart of the Immortal Jing Hong relaxed, not knowing why, but she felt considerably relieved.
After accepting Ji Shuran’s silver, she had indeed helped Jiang Youyao, but it was Duke Su who had spoken personally, an affair beyond her control.
And Jiang Li was indeed worthy of the name.
Xiao Deyin, however, still stubbornly said, “Your Grace, do not make light of this.
The examination is no trivial matter…” She swallowed her words mid-sentence, simply because Jih Heng had glanced at her.
That glance was cool, laden with a touch of mockery, as if he pierced through the secrets in the depths of her heart, sending her into an ice-cold abyss in a moment, leaving her unable to utter another word.
Mian Ju made a decisive move.
With a bold stroke of his brush, he wrote Jiang Li’s name at the top of the red list.
The dust had settled!
Xiao Deyin watched, her eyes wide, as Jiang Li’s name dominated the red list without any room for recourse.
Meanwhile, Duke Su, Jih Heng, chuckled lightly, stood up as if intending not to stay any longer, ready to leave his seat.
Before departing, however, he shot a seemingly inadvertent glance in Jiang Li’s direction.
Jiang Li was also staring at Jih Heng, still pondering over his intentions, when unexpectedly, just as he was about to leave, he glanced at her again.
She was startled for a moment, feeling that he truly embodied the word “unpredictable,” completely at a loss as to what he might be thinking.
But was he really about to leave?
Still stunned, a young boy with a red sash began reading from the freshly written red list.
From back to front, Liu Xu scored a medium grade, Jiang Yuyan and Jiang Yue fared slightly worse, while Meng Hongjin took the sixth place.
The closer to the front it got, the more anxious Jiang Youyao became.
Could she secure first place?
The red-sashed boy called out her name: “Jiang Youyao, second place—”
Jiang Youyao felt her mind go blank, her legs gave way, and she nearly fell to the ground.
Luckily, Ji Shuran steadied her.
After regaining her footing, she trembled slightly, despairing as she waited for the boy to announce the final name, inwardly screaming that it couldn’t possibly be that one.
Then her fate was sealed to be contrary to her wishes.
“First place, Jiang Li!”
The two definitive words shattered Jiang Youyao’s unrealistic fantasy, piercing her heart like a sharp sword.
Meng Hongjin was wounded as well.
Meng Hongjin shook her head, pinching herself hard, as if trying to discern whether all this was a dream or reality.
The clear sensation of pain from her hand reminded her that this was indeed real.
Adding on to ‘achieving three levels of examination’, Jiang Li had now secured four first places in total.
If this continued, she would lose the bet and become the laughingstock of Yanjing City in front of the Imperial College gates—she was doomed to lose!
At that moment, the only thought in Meng Hongjin’s mind was this.
Ye Shijie, standing a distance away, let out a sigh of relief.
Seeing Jiang Li claim the first place, he found it both unbelievable and entirely justified.
He didn’t even realize the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth when he heard Jiang Li was ranked first.
The battle was won.
Amid Liu Xu’s continuous congratulations, Jiang Li’s smile was gentle, and she didn’t seem overly excited.
The truth was, using her scholarly talents to participate in Mingyi Hall’s examination was like bullying these young students.
Yet, observing the buzzing crowd on the Inspection Field, Jiang Li felt a moment of joy in her heart.
With this battle, she had made a modest name for herself, which would make her future path much easier.
Jiang Li turned her head, intending to look at Jih Heng again, but only caught sight of his red-garbed silhouette fading into the lingering twilight.
Never mind, Jiang Li thought.
Perhaps she was overthinking it.
After all, Duke Su had no ties with the Jiang Family.
How could he pay any attention to a minor girl like herself?
It was nothing more than a passing fancy, similar to his interest in actors who learned new scripts.
Understanding this, Jiang Li felt at ease.
Liu Xu, more excited than if she herself had claimed the top spot, said, “Jiang Li, you’re first, did you hear that?”
“I heard it,” Jiang Li smiled and replied.
“How come you don’t seem excited at all?” Liu Xu looked at her suspiciously.
“Don’t you feel happy?”
“How could I not be happy?” Jiang Li answered, “I’m just concerned about the upcoming Imperial Archery events, that’s all.”