Chapter 558: Chapter 428: Who Is Hong Shisan?
"Mother, I have my own judgment." Hong Mingyue was still a picture of composure as she glanced at Ye Liuyun on the stage.
The recently victorious Ye Liuyun had a faint blush on her cheeks and her long hair fluttered in the wind, indeed she was in a class of her own in terms of elegance.
She was probably around sixteen or seventeen, with an adorable appearance that gave Hong Mingyue the impression that she bore some resemblance to Ye Lingyue.
Turning to look at the grandstand, where Xiahou Qi, who had now become the Crown Prince, looked slightly stunned with a face that seemed lost in thought.
As for Feng Xun not far away, he appeared as normal, seemingly unaffected by anything unusual.
Hong Mingyue slowly withdrew her gaze, sneering inwardly. Ye Liuyun’s skills were quite good; had she not hurt Hong Yulang, she might have made it into the top three of the Daxia Imperial Competition this time.
Unfortunately, Hong Mingyue’s eyes sharpened, she was Ye Lingyue’s cousin, a member of the Ye Family.
Just for that reason alone, Ye Liuyun must be crippled!
The Imperial Examination had entered its third day, and Hong Mingyue had not made a single appearance.
In her view, these people were not even worthy to face her. When she would strike, it had to be earth-shattering.
After stepping down from the stage, Lan Cai’er secretly broke out in a cold sweat.
"Liuyun, be careful. You’ve hurt Hong Yulang, and I’m afraid Hong Mingyue will come after you."
Lan Cai’er could guess the reason why Hong Mingyue had not yet taken action.
Not to mention anything else, just by standing on the arena, Hong Mingyue could cause a bunch of people to automatically surrender without a fight.
"Sister Cai’er, I actually hope Hong Mingyue would challenge me, but I’m afraid I’m not worth her attention," Ye Liuyun smiled. Participating in the Daxia Imperial Competition had been her aspiration since childhood.
If Ye Lingyue were alive, she would definitely want to stand on the stage of the Imperial Examination and defeat members of the Hong Residence.
A tree is only as good as its bark; a person only as respected as their pride.
Even if it meant using every bit of her strength, this time she was determined to fight for Ye Lingyue and pit herself against the Hong Residence.
On the sixth day of the Daxia Imperial Competition, the penultimate day of the event, the battles on the stage had reached a fever pitch.
Ye Yinsuang and others had already been eliminated in the earlier days, but this did not affect the spirits of the Ye Family People—as this time, the Ye Family had achieved their goal of training the younger generation by participating in the Imperial Examination.
Ye Huangyu also proposed that if the timing was right, the Ye Family should consider moving to Xia Capital since, although Li City was good, it was still just a small and tranquil town. If the Ye Family wanted to revive its former glory, they needed to establish a solid footing in Xia Capital.
Moreover, Ye Liuyun had been winning consecutively for several days, and at the very least, she would secure a place in the top ten.
In the evening of the sixth day, the arena tournament had ended, and several examiners were busy sorting out the competition results and the list of participants, discussing as they worked.
"This year’s competition is truly unprecedented with over two thousand participants, and most of them have already competed."
"Indeed, but I heard that the strongest contender, Hong Mingyue, hasn’t made an appearance yet."
"That’s not right, there’s another person who hasn’t appeared. Could it be that they’ve forfeited too?"
One of the examiners noticed a name while checking the list.
"Hong Shisan."
The reason this name stood out was because this person had signed up at the last minute, and it was this very same examiner who had registered him. The young man insisted on participating in this Imperial Examination, but after having his name registered, he was nowhere to be found.
"What do you think, who will be the final champion of this Imperial Examination?"
"That goes without saying, it must be Hong Mingyue. Haven’t you seen that she hasn’t made a single move yet? She probably wants to make a shocking entrance on the last day."
"I think Ye Liuyun also has the potential to be the champion. I heard that the Sixth Prince and Empress have both specially rewarded her. She is, after all, Ye Lingyue’s cousin."
Not only within the Imperial Palace and the court, the question of who will be the ultimate winner of the Daxia Imperial Competition has become the hottest topic of discussion throughout Xia Capital.
In Xia Capital, several gambling houses have even opened specific betting pools for this competition, including the Wanjing Gambling House, the largest den of iniquity in the city, secretly controlled by Heir Hong.
After acquiring Sha Sect, Heir Hong quickly discovered that the gambling house was a lucrative business, and he invested a considerable amount of gold to erect the Wanjing Gambling House.
The gambling house was flooded with patrons every day, especially recently since the start of the Daxia Imperial Competition. The gambling house acted as the bank and opened a big betting pool.
In the evening before the night approached, Heir Hong visited the gambling house to inspect the business transactions of these few days.
"How is the betting on the Imperial Examination going?"
"Reporting to the Princely Heir, the most bets are on Hong Mingyue winning, with external wagers already reaching over three million taels of gold. The gambling house sets her odds at one to two. Next is Ye Liuyun, her bets have also accumulated to one million taels of gold, with odds of one to five..." The owner of the Wanjing Gambling House quickly brought out the ledger, and the staggering figures recorded in it brought a smile to Heir Hong’s face.
Although he disliked the idea of Hong Mingyue winning, his niece indeed turned out to be a cash cow.
With Hong Mingyue’s help, not only had the Hong Residence established a connection with the Three-Life Valley, but they could also make a significant profit from this Imperial Examination.
Heir Hong now somewhat regretted that if he had known that a daughter could be so profitable, he should have had more children back in the day; perhaps he could have sired another Hong Mingyue.
Thinking about how his father had taken the Nine Revolutions Reincarnation Elixir, advanced successfully, and soon the entire Daxia would be under the Hong Residence’s control, and that he could make a huge profit from this bet, Heir Hong couldn’t help but feel elated.
He looked at the ledger one more time, noting that as of today, the dozen or so contestants who were left on the stage were all listed, with varying amounts of bets placed under their names.
There was one who surprisingly had no bets placed at all?
Heir Hong casually glanced at the name, which read "Hong Shisan."
In his memory, this person hadn’t appeared in the recent competitions; presumably, someone whose courage had been broken by the intensity of the competition and had withdrawn.
Six days of the Imperial Examination had passed, and tomorrow would be the last day.
Heir Hong thought no further, closing the ledger with a flick of his hand, and promptly consigned the person named "Hong Shisan" to oblivion.
At night, the business of the Wanjing Gambling House was still booming.
As the time was about to close, someone suddenly walked in.
"Can I still bet on the Imperial Examination match?"
The newcomer’s question was nonchalant.
"Yes, you can still place bets until just before the official competition starts tomorrow," the owner of the Wanjing Gambling House replied without even lifting his head. "Who are you betting on?"
Assuming that this latecomer was betting on one of the hot favorites, the owner asked as a matter of course.
The visitor laid down a name.
"Hong Shisan."