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"Alright, this year's difficulty has increased, so teams of two are allowed," the elder announced.
Wei Yuanyao exclaimed happily, "That's great! Cousin, we're definitely going to be unbeatable!"
The elder continued loudly, "Now, let's move on to the riddle segment. The rules are simple: I'll present the riddles, and the first to answer correctly with the most correct answers wins. Everyone, get ready."
The crowd below was buzzing with excitement.
Even if they couldn't win the grand prize, they could still win a lantern for their loved ones.
"Alright! Listen carefully, I'll now present the first riddle!" the elder declared.
"Gazing south at a lone star, the crescent moon rises. Guess a single character."
As soon as the riddle was announced, the crowd fell silent.
Wei Yuanyao whispered, "Why is this year's riddle so hard? Cousin, do you know the answer?"
Su Li replied softly, "It's the 'Zhuang' village."
The elder smiled, "Ah! This young lady is correct! Indeed, it's the 'Zhuang.'"
Someone in the crowd asked, "'Zhuang'? How does that make sense?"
Seeing Wei Yuanyao's eyes light up, Su Li guessed she had figured it out.
Su Li explained gently, "In the traditional orientation, 'north is up, south is down, west is left, and east is right.' 'Gazing south' refers to the lower part of the 'Wang' king. 'Lone star' refers to a dot, and 'crescent moon' refers to the rising moon, which looks like a slanting stroke. Adding the slant to the left of 'Wang' and the dot above it forms the 'Zhuang.'"
As Su Li finished speaking, applause erupted around her.
"How impressive! Which family's daughter is this? Such remarkable talent!"
"Even though she's wearing a veil, you can tell she's a beauty!"
Just then, a voice called out from behind the crowd, "Sister!"
Su Yue stepped forward with a sweet smile, "I didn't expect Sister to be so talented. You must have memorized the riddle from a book."
The crowd immediately began murmuring.
"So she already knew the riddle?"
"That's the second young lady of the Shangshu Mansion. If she's calling her 'sister,' then isn't that the so-called 'useless' young lady?"
"Oh, so it's the disfigured girl. No wonder she's wearing a veil."
Hearing these comments, Su Yue's lips curled slightly, pretending to be innocent and unaware.
Wei Yuanyao glared at the crowd and shouted, "Shut up! You're the useless ones! My cousin could solve it even without seeing the riddle! You—"
"Cousin, no need to argue," Su Li calmly interrupted, ignoring Su Yue.
Su Yue snorted inwardly and turned her attention to the stage.
She had arrived too late. With her here, Su Li wouldn't get a chance to shine!
That first riddle was just a lucky guess.
Despite the murmurs below, the elder handed a lantern to Su Li, "Young lady, you answered correctly. This lantern is yours."
Su Li smiled, accepting the lantern, "Thank you."
The elder nodded and addressed the crowd, "These riddles were created by our host. They're not from any book, so the young lady couldn't have known them beforehand."
The crowd buzzed again.
Su Yue cursed the elder under her breath but quickly smiled and said, "Oh, I see. I must have been mistaken."
Su Li continued to ignore her, letting her flail about without so much as a glance.
The elder announced the next riddle, "Gone with the wind, yet returning again; geese fly askew before the peak. Guess a plant."
Before Su Yue could think, Su Li answered unhurriedly, "Impatiens."
The elder exclaimed in surprise, "This young lady is truly knowledgeable! Two correct answers in a row! This lantern is also yours."
Su Li took the lantern and handed it to her maid, Mo Hua.
Su Yue bit her lip in frustration.
Wei Yuanyao looked at Su Li with admiration and asked, "Li'er, why is it Impatiens?"
Su Li explained, "The 'wind' loses its inside, leaving 'Several.' Adding 'again' forms phoenix. 'Before the peak' refers to 'mountain' , and 'geese flying askew' resembles the person tilted to the side, forming the radical Combining these gives Impatiens."
Wei Yuanyao's eyes sparkled. Noticing Su Yue's clenched teeth, she raised her chin and taunted, "What's wrong? Aren't you the talented lady of Tianqi? Can't even beat my cousin? Hmph! Overrated!"
Su Yue, furious, retorted, "I'll get the next one!"
The elder presented the next riddle, "A guest arrives from Penglai. Guess a character."
Su Yue, who was still quite knowledgeable, thought for a moment and answered, "Mountain!"
The elder smiled, "Correct! This lantern is yours."
Su Yue took the lantern, raised her chin, and smirked at Wei Yuanyao.
Without being asked, she explained, "'Penglai' is the mythical mountain where immortals reside in the Bohai Sea. A guest from Penglai is an immortal. Adding person to mountain forms immortal. So the answer is 'mountain'!"
Many young men in the crowd applauded and cheered. After all, Su Yue was both talented and beautiful, far more appealing than the disfigured Su Li.
The elder on stage chuckled, "Today seems to be the ladies' day. What are the talented gentlemen of Tianqi waiting for?"
The men in the crowd shouted, "Hurry up with the next riddle!"
"I just arrived!"
"I lost to the second young lady of the Su family, but I'm convinced!"
Su Li, holding two lanterns, stepped aside.
"Cousin, why aren't you guessing anymore? Look at how smug Su Yue is!"
Su Li smiled, "We only need one lantern to advance to the next round. No need to pay attention to her."
Even if Su Yue got a lantern and advanced, Su Li was confident she could defeat her.
Let her have a little hope first. It would be even better to crush her when she thought she was about to succeed!
The elder announced the next riddle, "Shrimp play in the mountain streams on all sides. Guess a character."
As the crowd pondered, a clear, melodious voice rang out, "It's the thought"
The crowd parted, and a commotion arose.
At the forefront were three outstanding young men.
It was Jun Mo and his companions.
Su Li glanced over. Jun Mo was as gentle and refined as ever, her cousin was tall and handsome, and the third must be the third young master of the Ji family.
Dressed in ink-painted robes, wearing a felt hat, and fanning himself elegantly, he looked every bit the scholarly talent.
Su Li hadn't expected that the legendary Ji San, known for his mastery of mechanics and calculations, would look like such a delicate scholar.
She turned to her cousin and saw her staring blankly at Ji San in the crowd.
The cousin who had been so resistant—had she taken a liking to him?
Su Li couldn't help but chuckle. Wei Yuanyao snapped out of her daze and blushed.
"What are you laughing at?"
Su Li teased, "Cousin, how do you find your future brother-in-law? Not bad, right?"
"What future brother-in-law! Don't talk nonsense!"
"If you don't act fast, such a talented brother-in-law might be snatched up by someone else."
Wei Yuanyao looked over and gritted her teeth.
Su Yue was approaching Ji San with a shy, delicate demeanor, softly asking, "Young master, how did you solve that riddle?"
She even cast a coy glance at the other two men.
Su Li's lips twitched. Which of the three had Su Yue set her sights on?
Ji San fanned himself leisurely and explained, "'Mountain streams on all sides' refers to combining four mountain into a field. The shape of a shrimp resembles a hook, and 'playing in the water' means adding a few dots around the hook. Combining these forms the thought."
Su Yue curtsied gracefully, "Thank you for the explanation, young master."
Wei Yuanyao snorted, "Hmph! Peacock!"