Remarrying Chun Yuan

Chapter 418 Ranking

Tuoba Yun really wanted to make money, but he dared not keep it to himself. Instead, he respectfully reported to Yuwen Chan, and even mentioned what Liu Yuechu had told him privately.

However, Tuoba Yun's words were not as firm as Liu Yuechu's, as hard as a stone frozen in winter.

In his letter, he told Yuwen Chan that Liu Yuechu believed the best items were worthy of the sect leader's status, so he would allow him to choose from the carvings in the final competition.

As expected, Yuwen Chan was overjoyed upon hearing this, convinced that Liu Yuechu still had feelings for him.

Unfortunately, she was already married, but he was not.

However, Yuan Cuo is not someone he can easily provoke. After all, he is the father of Emperor Qi Xiao and the mother of Emperor Chu. In terms of status, no prince can compare with him.

Moreover, the Yan state is now under his control...

"Did Liu Yuechu marry a devil?" Yuwen Chan pondered carefully, truly unsure how to evaluate Yuan Cuo.

But he had no time to think about it. Instead, he instructed those around him to make room for the next month and not to arrange anything.

He wanted to go to the capital of Daqi in person to accompany her to watch the final competition.

After receiving Yuwen Chan's reply, Tuoba Yun did not wait for the Mongolian merchants any longer, but directly sent people to buy all the carvings and transport them back to Daqi.

Although Liu Yuechu told him that he could sell it for three times the price, Tuoba Yun could only sigh that Liu Yuechu was being conservative.

Those items are worth far more than three times the price; even the most dilapidated ones can be increased to five times the price.

She was completely unaware of the Mongol people's preferences for and shortages of Qi goods. After all, they could rob them before, but not anymore... This created a gap in demand, allowing him to make a fortune.

Liu Yuechu had not anticipated that Tuoba Yun was more astute in this regard, nor had she focused her attention on the worst batch of items.

After all, she still had four more batches of more valuable items to sell, and this time she wasn't just going to the Meng Kingdom, but also contacting merchants from the Yan Kingdom and even the Chu Kingdom. She even sent people to try and woo them.

It wasn't to sell the silver, but to test the waters.

Just as she was busy and received the payment of 10,000 taels from the Mongol Kingdom for the carvings, the results of the second carving competition were announced.

As expected, T.V. Soong won first place, while Xu Shan was not second, as he was delayed by family matters and only ranked tenth.

Liu Yuechu took the list and searched for Xu Xianglan's name "Xu Lang," but unfortunately, the name was not among the top 100.

She had Xia Zhi and Hua Jiao look through the list carefully, and they found her at number 679.

"Judging from this, it's going to be difficult for Miss Xu to make it into the top 100!" Huajiao was also a little annoyed when she saw that name.

The fourth selection process will choose the top 800 carving masters, and Xu Xianglan barely made it into the list.

The third competition will only select the top 300.

Judging from her current level, isn't she definitely going to be eliminated?

But the conditions were set by Liu Yuechu, and she won't change them.

"The next competition is in half a month. Let's see if she can improve in half a month."

Perhaps she was nervous attending the conference for the first time, especially since she was dressed as a man, and her actions and speech were always timid and hesitant, preventing her from fully opening up.

Xu Xianglan indeed did not let go.

Aside from nervousness, she also used her brain for the first time and did not use all her abilities.

After attending the carving competition, she quietly observed the skill level of everyone. In just one day, she gained a clear understanding of her own carving skills and knew that she could probably rank among the top 800.

So she kept a backup plan, also because she didn't want to rank too high and attract Xu Shan's attention.

This is indeed a sign of a guilty conscience.

She even deliberately hid in corners these days to avoid being seen by Xu Shan.

She knew her father too well; he would only pay attention to a hundred or so people at most.

As long as she can stay in the lead and make a final, decisive move, she will achieve a great victory.

But she didn't tell Huang Wanwan or Liu Yuechu about this little scheme.

It wasn't that she didn't want to speak, but rather that she didn't have the opportunity. After all, Liu Yuechu would only participate in the final competition, and Huang Wanwan's presence there would be too conspicuous.

She just wanted to be an unnoticed duckweed, content to stay in a corner.

But whenever someone rushes to curry favor with Xu Shan, and Xu Shan remains gentle and polite...

He's a saint to outsiders, but treats her like a dog-training master, completely disregarding her as a human being.

How can a perfectly normal person have two faces? How can they act so well?

Unable to find an answer, Xu Xianglan could only concentrate on her studies.

Two weeks later, the third competition took place.

When Liu Yuechu received the list, she didn't look at it carefully and went directly to see Minister Li.

"Uncle..." Before asking for a favor, one should be polite; one shouldn't hit a smiling face.

Liu Yuechu did not go to the Li family to request an audience, but instead waited in a private room at Guiyue Tower, and had Li Chengyue invite the person over.

"You've given the Ministry of Rites so many responsibilities, yet you're still here leisurely enjoying yourself." Vice Minister Li liked Liu Yuechu, but because of Li Shu, their relationship wasn't as close as before.

But today, his son specifically sought him out and brought him to see Liu Yuechu. Clearly, these two had something to discuss with him, and it wasn't a trivial matter.

"Just say what you have to say. We're not strangers."

"Actually, it's nothing particularly big. It's just that a young man I know participated in this carving competition."

"It's not easy for her all by herself. Her carving skills are quite good, so we hope that Uncle Li can take good care of her so that she can be selected in the third competition."

Liu Yuechu smiled and stepped forward to pour tea, after all, this could be considered cheating.

But carving is not like the rigid, formulaic examinations where right is right and wrong is wrong.

The subjective evaluation of carving skills is more important.

Li Shilang paused in his tea-serving hand, his expression somewhat complicated. "Such a small matter, why do you have to make such a big fuss about me doing it? Once you give the order, who can not give you, the Duchess, face?" he said sarcastically.

The Liu Yuechu of today is not the Liu Yuechu who was best friends with her daughter; she is now the Liu Yuechu whom he has to treat with respect.

"As you know, I am now under the watchful eyes of everyone. If I praise anyone, these people will want to elevate them to the heavens. So I can only work behind the scenes."

The Duchess's status was prestigious, but it was also an invisible lock that bound her tightly.

If Xu Xianglan were to utter the name "Xu Lang" from her lips, she would be dug out even if she hid in a crack in the ground.

"Who exactly is this person, that he can't even be seen in the light of day?" Minister Li was quite surprised, not expecting Liu Yuechu to be hiding like this.

But then I thought about the sculpture competition, and the fact that it was a young person, so it couldn't be Liu Yuechu...

"Does the Duke of Yuan know about this?"

Li Shilang's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he kissed her cautiously.

Is this young lady taken a fancy to someone? Is she trying to avoid Yuan Cuo?