My Lord, your wife is spreading rumors about you again.

Chapter 18: Tossing pots? No, tossing people
He heard from Zhu that Mingli's right wrist had been seriously injured a year ago and failed to receive timely treatment, so he had been suffering from the disease ever since.

He pretended to consider it, and after a moment he said, "I won't take advantage of the second lady, so let's play pot-tossing?"

"Tossing pots?" Mingli chuckled. "A gentleman has six arts: etiquette, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics. If you want to compete, why not compete in archery or tossing pots? Oh, Mr. Mo, are you insulting the inheritance of the six arts, or are you simply looking down on me?"

Mo Zhengfeng blushed when he was told that. "Mingli, do you really think you are a god? I said we should compete in pitching pots, but that's just to give you a way out because you are a woman!"

"Thank you, I don't need it."

Mingli's expression was indifferent. She walked to the center of the waterside pavilion and said, "There are only women here. If we use arrows, they might get hurt. How about this, we don't compete in pitching pots, but in pitching people."

Mo Zhengfeng was startled: "Vote for someone?"

"Yes, invest in people."

The girl finally smiled. She raised her hand and pointed at a towering nanmu pillar. She said, "You and I, each with three arrowheads. If you throw arrows at me, tie me to this pillar and nail three delicate flowers around my body. No need for a bow or crossbow, just throw arrowheads in your hand. One arrow hits one flower. One shot that penetrates the wood counts as one point. Count the arrows at the end, and the one who hits more wins."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the women present broke out in cold sweats, but Mingli's next words were even more frightening.

She stood in front of Mo Zhengfeng and said in a brisk tone, "It's boring to just shoot flowers. Mr. Mo, do you dare to sign a life and death agreement with me?"

"Life and death warrant?!" Mo Zhengfeng widened his eyes.

This woman, don’t be crazy!

"That's right, a death warrant." Mingli's eyes flashed with ruthlessness. If you listen carefully, you can find that every word she said is bloody. "The competition between you and me is no joke. Under the arrowhead, life and death are irrelevant. What do you think, Mr. Mo Wu, if you are afraid, kneel down and kowtow to me, then go out and shout three times, 'The Imperial Censor of Lianghuai Salt is a pig!' I will show mercy and let you go."

How could this be a way to give Mo Zhengfeng a way out? It was clearly putting a knife to his neck, forcing him to agree to a life-or-death agreement.

However, not many people sighed for Mo Zhengfeng.

He suddenly felt a chill on his back, but he was in a dilemma. If he retreated at this moment, he might as well be shot to death on the stage!

"Okay!" He made up his mind and shouted loudly, "Just as you said, I'll surrender!" He turned around and shouted, "Go! Bring me some thick ropes, arrowheads, and flowers!"

Seeing such a big commotion here, the men on the other side also gathered over, but they did not dare to go past Zhang Zhi. At most, they stood side by side with him in front of the stone railing and looked out excitedly.

The young man who was held by the servant got a golden gong from somewhere. With a clang, the crowds were excited. He waved his arms and shouted, "It's open! It's the second Miss Ming versus the fifth son of the Mo family!"

"Master Ji, what are the odds?"

The young man called Young Master Ji lowered his head and counted on his fingers for a long time, "Second Miss Ming pays twenty for one! The fifth son of the Mo family pays two for one!"

Everyone present: "."

Hearing this, Zhang Zhi suddenly looked up and asked him, "Ji Yu, who are you betting on?"

"Did my second brother ask me?" Ji Yu thought for a moment, pulled out a jade pendant from his waist and held it up high: "I don't have any silver, so I'll bet a family heirloom jade pendant to help the second Miss Ming!"

"hiss--"

Hearing this, everyone instantly took a breath of cold air. Ji Yu was the only son of Duke Ji, and his biological mother was the sister of the current emperor. The jade pendant in his hand was enough to buy a city in the south of the Yangtze River.

As expected, the dandy boy who could be associated with Zhang Zhi could squander his money in such a horrific way.

Then, Zhang Zhi shouted loudly: "Okay, then I will bet one or two taels of silver to encourage Mr. Mo Wu."

Everyone laughed secretly.

"In addition..." Zhang Zhi continued, his voice dragging out, whetting everyone's appetite, "I'm betting 100,000 taels on behalf of Miss Ming Er. If she wins, it'll all go to her. If she loses, it'll all be mine."

"hiss--"

Countless breaths of cold air were heard again. Wuwei immediately reached into his sleeves, with one tael of silver in his left hand and ten thousand taels of silver notes in his right hand.

"The prince of Zhenbei Marquis's mansion is betting! Young Master Mo Wu is putting down one ounce of silver! Second Miss Ming from Zuo Xiangfu is betting one hundred thousand ounces of silver!"

Mo Zhengfeng was distressed when he heard this. Why did Zhang Zhi and Ji Yu protect Ming Li so much? Ming Li, who was standing by, was quite surprised and couldn't help smacking his lips. These two people were really rich.

As expected, Master always said that the capital is a good place. It turns out that there is real gold and silver everywhere.

The two major dealers on Mingli's side have already been confirmed, so there is no point for the rest of the people to place bets. Besides, they don't think Mingli will win.

Zhang Zhi and Ji Yu might have been playing around just for fun; after all, everyone knew about their dissolute personalities.

"Mr. Qi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, is betting! Mr. Mo Wu is offering one thousand silver coins!"

"Taipu Sisi is betting on the young master! Young Master Mo Wu has six hundred silver coins!"

"Mr. Wei, the deputy envoy of the Ministry of Public Administration, is betting! Mr. Mo Wu is offering nine hundred silver coins!"

"."

After the betting, no one bet on Mingli to win except Ji Yu and Zhang Zhi.

On the stage, several servants had nailed three bright red peonies to the pillars. They asked at a loss, "Sir, Miss, who will come first?"

"I'll do it."

Mingli walked over, looking extremely relaxed. They had just signed a life and death agreement, which was no different from going to the battlefield. But she looked like she was going to the building to listen to a play.

Mingli stood in front of the pillar and looked around: "Excuse me, who is going to tie me up?"

All the servants and maids who came from the Ming family were Zhu's people. Naturally, they dared not move a step without her orders.

The rest of the ladies had their own ulterior motives. Some wanted the Ming and Mo families to become enemies, some wanted to see how capable Ming Li would be after he returned from He Li. In short, more than 90% of the people present were there to watch the show.

Just when no one answered, Jiang Tong suddenly stood up and shouted, "Bring me the rope, I'll tie her up!"

"Thank you, Miss Jiang." Mingli stood against the pillar, with the three peonies right next to her head.

"Don't be afraid. If Mo Zhengfeng really dares to take advantage of the opportunity to hurt your life," Jiang Tong gritted her teeth and said, "Since this is a competition, I can't play dirty. If anything happens to you, I will avenge you with my own hands."

Mingli was stunned for a moment, then smiled and nodded: "Okay, thank you."

"You're welcome! If you win, I'll treat you to a drink!"

Jiang Tong patted Mingli's shoulder generously, tied her tightly to the pillar, and then turned around and sat next to Mrs. Jiang.

Mo Zhengfeng was very confused because of Zhang Zhi and Ji Yu's bet, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead. It was strange, he was the one who started it and insisted on competing with Ming Li, so why was he the one who was afraid of him now?

He was skilled in archery and pitching pots, but the pitching required one to exert force to make the arrow shoot straight out and nail it into the wooden pillar.

The aim of tossing a pot requires lightness, without brute force, but without the support of a bow and crossbow, it would require great strength to drive the arrow into the target.

"Ming Li."

Mo Zhengfeng swallowed his saliva. He regretted agreeing to the competition on impulse, but he didn't dare to offend the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion and the Jiguo Duke Mansion. What frightened him was Mingli's always calm look.

He hoped that Ming Li would beg for mercy: "We have signed a life and death agreement. Even if I kill you today, I don't have to bear any responsibility. After all, you are a daughter of the Ming family. As long as you kneel down and beg for mercy now, for the sake of Prime Minister Ming, this competition can be cancelled!"

"Mr. Mo Wu." Mingli raised his eyes, his gaze cold: "I also ask you to put away your nagging and nonsense for my sake and shoot the arrow!"

(End of this chapter)