Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Chapter 445: Contest before the Emperor
The Queen Mother smiled and pulled her to sit next to her, took off a colorful purple gold bracelet with gems from her wrist, put it on her, and said with a smile: "This bracelet was given by Emperor Taizong back then. I'll give it to you today. From now on." As your dowry.”

Empress Chen said hurriedly: "Mother, this is your beloved thing for many years. Why did you give it to her? It is too precious and you must not give it to her."

If you look at the purple gold hollow pattern of this bracelet, it is inlaid with nine huge rubies, sapphires, yellow emeralds, turquoises, tourmalines, etc., in different shapes, naturally exquisite.

His eyes suddenly lit up. This bracelet was a rare treasure even in the palace.

The Queen Mother smiled and waved her hands, saying: "What is a little naughty thing worth?"

"Thank you, Grandma Emperor." Princess Ruyi said happily, fearing that the Queen would ask her to return it, so she held it in front of her eyes and looked at it carefully.

Empress Chen rolled her eyes angrily: "You are so old and still naughty."

The Queen Mother smiled and said: "Queen, don't be too restrained about her. I think it's good for her. Now that she's grown up, it's time to talk about her own family. Does the Queen have any ideas?"

Empress Chen smiled and said: "I have discussed this with Your Majesty and plan to point it out to Jia Cong of Rongguo Mansion.

The Ruyi talented man Zanshan Xue and the girls from Lin Da's family gave Dang Koubo his equal wife as a reward for his contribution to quelling the banditry in the south of the Yangtze River. "

Emperor Xifeng nodded slightly.

The Queen Mother nodded and said, "Where is Dang Koubo?"

Everyone in the hall listened to the Empress Dowager calling someone and hurriedly calmed down and looked at Jia Cong.

"I'm here." Jia Cong stood up.

"Queen Cai just said that she planned to point out Ruyi to you. I know that Dang Kou Boyun is a young and talented young man who is rarely seen in this country."

"I thank the Empress Dowager for your appreciation." Jia Cong accepted the offer honestly and waited to see what you could do.

The Queen Mother paused and felt angry. No one had ever dared to be so proud in front of her. She changed the topic and said, "However, Ruyi is my favorite. It is not that easy for anyone who wants to marry her."

Ruyi was worried on one side, but didn't dare to interrupt.

Queen Chen frowned slightly and looked at Emperor Xifeng. It seemed that the Queen Mother had other plans today.

Jia Cong said calmly: "What the Queen Mother said is absolutely true, and I deeply believe it. Princess Ruyi has golden branches and jade leaves, and she is a descendant of heaven and earth. How can she be matched by ordinary people?"

The Queen Mother said calmly: "As long as you understand, it just so happens that all the young heroes from the noble families of our country are here today. Since we are the children of martial arts, let's practice in the lunch hall. Let's also learn the stories in the storybook and have a martial arts competition. How about looking for a bride?"

Empress Chen said: "Mother, today is your happy day. If there is any injury, wouldn't it be unlucky? As a concubine, why don't we compare it to Wen Bi?"

Prince Zhongshun said with a smile: "The Queen's words are wrong. Since he is a disciple of Wu Xun, and he is not a scholar, he should compete with his skills on the battlefield. If he recites poems correctly, if word spreads, those scholars will laugh at Wu Xun's arty style."

The Queen Mother nodded: "This is a very kind statement."

Huo Peng already felt that something was wrong and hurriedly said: "The Queen Mother's words are reasonable, but it is not convenient to fight today, how about a competition another day?"

The Queen Mother smiled and said: "Although what Mr. Huo said is reasonable, if there is a foreign enemy attacking today, wouldn't it be possible for the warriors to stop fighting?

I think it's better to pick up the sun than to hit it. Wouldn't it be better to just settle down your wishful things today and add happiness to happiness? "

Huo Peng sat down helplessly.

Emperor Xifeng's expression did not change. He had already received the report from Dai Quan, so he nodded and said: "Since my mother is so elegant, I will obey her orders. I just don't know how to compare? Is it archery, riding or something else?"

Su Haochu said with a smile: "I have heard for a long time that Dang Koubo is brave enough to be worthy of all men. Your Majesty praises me as Zilong. Why don't you test your martial arts on the spot? It will not only broaden our horizons, but also contribute to the longevity of the Queen Mother."

"This is a very good idea." Song Rui and Shi Zhize both twisted their beards and smiled.

The Queen Mother also smiled and said: "Okay, that's it. Which prince dares to compete with Dang Koubo, the winner will be granted a marriage by the Queen. The Queen also said just now, not only Ruyi, but also girls from the Xue family and Lin Aiqing." "

Queen Chen's expression changed. The Queen Mother was trying to force Jia Cong to death. What did she mean?
As soon as these words came out, there was silence in the hall, and everyone looked at Jia Cong.

But I saw that his face was ashen, and his eyes were as murderous as knives. He couldn't restrain himself from shooting out, and his steel teeth crushed him. What an old bitch, you have humiliated me to this extent!
Tu Fei, Cao Jin, Li Meng and others looked at each other and smiled. After a while, Jia Cong would be furious and fighting desperately. The more intense his blood flow, the more intense the effect of the medicine.

Li Zhen, the son of Li Meng, the Marquis of Guanyang, stood up from the back row, walked to the front of the palace, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Li Zhen, is willing to fight for the princess. Please grant the Queen Mother's permission."

This person also had some issues with Jia Cong. The last time they had a wedding ceremony at Qingxu Temple, he led his men to ram Jia's mother's car and sedan, and was severely beaten in the face by Jia Cong. The eldest prince even had to pay him 20,000 silver. Decoction and medicine expenses.

The eldest prince put his hands on his hands and smiled and said: "Li Zhen is brave and good at fighting. He has a long history of meritorious deeds and a dignified appearance. He is worthy of fighting against Dang Kou Bo."

Several other princes and princes laughed and agreed.

The Queen Mother looked at Jia Cong and said, "Do you have any objections to Dang Kou Bo?"

Jia Cong chuckled, cupped his hands and said, "The Queen Mother's proposal is excellent. I have no objections. There is only one thing that I would like your Majesty and the Queen Mother to agree to."

"What's the matter?" said the Queen Mother.

Jia Cong said calmly: "Since it is a competition before the emperor, I will do my best and dare not make any lies.

It is just a competition of martial arts, swords and guns have no eyesight, and it is inevitable to be injured. If General Li accidentally injures or kills the minister by mistake, please do not punish him, because I believe that General Li must have made an unintentional mistake. "

When these words came out, a cold and murderous intent suddenly surged in the hall.

Everyone knew that Jia Cong was telling the truth and made it clear that he wanted to kill Li Zhen on the spot to vent his hatred for his wife.

Sun Can and Sun Chi both became nervous. They had heard about Li Zhen's martial arts for a long time. He was ranked among the top three among the nobles, but he may not be inferior to Jia Cong. In a life-and-death fight, the outcome would be unpredictable.

Ruyi was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot and almost cried. It was hard for her to imagine what she would do if something happened to Jia Cong. Li Zhen sneered, still bluffing at this point, and said loudly: "Your Majesty and Queen Mother, I am also like this."

The Queen Mother nodded and said: "In that case, I will grant your request."

At that moment, the two went to the side hall to change into their clothes and each picked their weapons.

Jia Cong checked it carefully and found that there was nothing wrong with the weapon.

The tables on both sides of the hall have been moved far away, leaving a large open space in the middle for the two men to compete.

Coincidentally, both of them chose big guns, one on the left and one on the right, standing three feet apart from each other.

Li Zhen was about in his early twenties, and he had just returned from Jiubian and became a guerrilla in the Beijing camp. His body is eight feet long, with a tiger-like back and a bear-like waist, a slender waist and a dignified appearance.

His eyes are dimly shining, his eyes are straight, his nose is straight, his lips are pursed into a straight line, and the lip line is as sharp as a knife, showing indescribable arrogance and self-confidence.

He did have the capital to be arrogant. Like Jia Cong, he came from a wealthy family. He guarded the border as a young man and killed countless enemies. He was promoted to guerrillas based on his own military exploits, which was not comparable to that of the useless officials in the noble family.

Even in Jia Cong's most conceited appearance, he does not fall behind at all.

"I have long heard that girls Xue and Lin are talented, beautiful and elegant, and I have admired them for a long time. I must offend my uncle today." Li Zhen cupped his fists and said with a smile, wanting to further anger Jia Cong.

A sinister smile appeared on Jia Cong's lips, and he nodded: "Everyone has a love for beauty, not just you and me."

"My uncle is so open-minded and has a large number of adults. I admire you. I will definitely treat you to a glass of wedding wine when the time comes. I hope you will appreciate it." Li Zhen said with a smile.

Jia Cong said: "Easy to say, I will also prepare a glass of wine for you."

"Both sides are in position, the competition begins!" Dai Quan announced sharply.

Jia Cong shouted loudly, twisted his arms, and the spear burst into a ball of rotten silver, and rolled straight towards Li Zhen. He was as powerful as a mad tiger, looking like he was mad with anger and eager to kill Li Zhen on the spot.

Li Zhen smiled slightly and did not advance rashly. He just blocked his body with his spear and protected himself from the wind and rain. He stood firm in front of Jia Cong's tidal offensive.

He knew that after a while, Jia Cong would be powerless, and then he could kill the enemy with one blow.

Jia Cong's seemingly fierce offensive actually only used seven or eight points of force. With a slight catch of the two spears, he immediately judged that Li Zhen's method was similar to that of Sun Chi. It was not difficult to defeat him. It would be one or two hundred people without any surprise. After one round, you can definitely kill him.

But what he wanted today was not as simple as victory, he wanted to give Uncle Ho a surprise.

If he wins with certainty, the old ghost Guanyang Hou sees that the situation is not good, and must admit defeat in advance to protect his son. It is inconvenient to pursue him in front of the emperor, so he prepares to lure the enemy deeper.

These damn beasts dared to take advantage of Baochai and Daiyu. If they didn't kill them on the spot, all their skills would have been in vain.

After Jia Cong "attacked with all his strength" for seventeen or eight rounds, he suddenly "went soft" and his gun became somewhat scattered, so he hurriedly retreated to adjust.

Li Zhen was overjoyed when he saw this, and the effect of Ruanjin Powder took effect! Without hesitation, he turned from defense to attack, and suddenly the momentum of the gun was strong, like the Yangtze River sweeping towards Jia Cong.

He was also afraid that Jia Cong would surrender, so even if he defeated him today, it would not be a full victory.

Jia Cong's eyes showed "sadness and anger". The opponent's gun was so fierce that he didn't give him a chance to speak. He had no choice but to retreat and block. He could only parry but had no power to fight back.

Li Zhen noticed that the force on the opponent's spear was getting weaker and weaker, and his moves were getting slower and slower. He was ecstatic and increased his strength by three points.

"No, no!" Sun Chi said with a frown. He knew very well that Jia Cong's martial arts skills could not be like this.

"What?" Sun Can asked hurriedly.

"Brother Cong is wrong today! He lost too quickly!"

"Could it be a ploy to lure the enemy?" Sun Can said.

Sun Chi saw that Jia Cong's face was full of anger, his eyes were about to burst, and he was struggling from left to right. He clearly tried his best and failed to lure the enemy.

"No, brother Cong is ill today. I want to ask my father to let them fight another day!" Sun Chi was about to get up.

Suddenly I heard Sun Can exclaim.

"Be careful!" Princess Ruyi also screamed on the imperial steps.

Sun Chi hurriedly looked around and saw that Li Zhen was looking at a flaw and pointed the barrel of his gun.

Jia Cong was weak and unable to resist the opponent's "strong force". The big gun in his hand was raised high, and the door suddenly opened.

Li Zhen shouted loudly and pierced Jia Cong's heart with the tip of his spear. According to his experience, Jia Cong would definitely die in the next moment.

Suddenly hearing a slight scolding, Jia Cong's eyes flashed with light. He turned over gently and skillfully to avoid the piercing spear point. At the same time, he twisted his waist and the big spear in his hand stabbed out from his shoulder like a ghost.

puff! The bloody half-tip of the spear penetrated from the back of Li Zhen's neck, and thick blood slowly dripped from the tip.

The Overlord responded with his carbine!
There was silence in the hall. Is that the end?
These few movements of rabbits and falcons were like lightning and flint. Except for Sun Chi and other practitioners, everyone else was confused.

Jia Cong was clearly in danger, so why did Li Zhen suddenly disappear?

"Zhen'er!" Li Meng said in shock as he lost his body.

Jia Cong used the tip of his spear to hold Li Zhen's body in front of Li Meng and let it slowly fall to the ground. Then he smiled and said, "I'm sorry, Marquis Guanyang, I made a mistake."

(End of this chapter)