The Eighth Prince felt the same way as everyone present.
Though they didn't understand why the opening speech was so unconventional, they found themselves inexplicably captivated.
After just one recitation, everyone from the sixty-year-old elder to the five-year-old child could memorize it.
The shopkeepers who came to watch smiled with their eyes crinkled, like blooming chrysanthemums.
Also beaming with joy in their hearts was the instigator of the entire affair, Lin Qingge.
This was because embroidering shop names on the Cuju uniforms was one price, but having the advertising slogan spoken by the Eighth Prince, a member of the royal family, was another entirely.
In just the time it took for the opening, she had already profited immensely.
To prevent any more peculiar things from intruding, the Second Prince directly stole the spotlight and had the Cuju teams from the four prefectures draw lots to decide the order of matches.
Fengtian Prefecture sent Lu Mingxuan, who was quite skilled in the art of gambling.
Lu Mingxuan did not disappoint Lord Lin, drawing one of the two teams other than Shuntian Prefecture.
Since Cuju had always been dominated by the Shuntian Prefecture Cuju team, led by the Second Prince, one could say that the skill level of the other three prefectural Cuju teams was roughly similar.
With Lin Qingge's arrangement, Fengtian Prefecture, while not necessarily on par with Shuntian Prefecture, was clearly a cut above the other two prefectures.
In the first match, despite Fengtian Prefecture being short one player, they won without suspense.
Halftime.
Lin Qingge sent someone to bring the little black dog, Xiao Hei, who had been left at the prefectural office, and said menacingly:
"Find Master Hua for me. If you can't bring him back, the victory banquet tonight will be dog meat hot pot."
!!!
Xiao Hei's eyes widened.
The next moment, it bolted away several yards.
On the other side.
Hua Jinrong, who was observing the match from a private room in a nearby restaurant, picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
He was met with a cold stare from the person beside him.
Immediately after, Lin Ziming, sitting opposite him, put down the half-eaten chicken leg in his hand and asked curiously:
"Uncle Hua, aren't you a member of the Cuju team?
Why are you eating with us instead of going to find Father and the others?"
"Be good, Mo'er, call me brother, and I'll tell you~"
Sensing the increasingly cold gaze from the person beside him, Hua Jinrong quickly added:
"Of course, if Mo'er doesn't call me brother, then brother won't tell you~"
Murong Bai, sitting on Hua Jinrong's other side, spoke leisurely:
"Tsk, first time I've seen someone so eager to be someone's nephew.
Come here, big nephew, call me uncle."
"Uncle Murong, I've been feeling uneasy lately, lacking appetite, and often dreaming of people impersonating my elders and then choking to death on food, or drowning while drinking water, or being hit by a carriage when going out.
I wonder if Uncle Murong has a cure?"
Facing Hua Jinrong's teasing, Murong Bai didn't even lift an eyelid and directly concluded:
"The illness is incurable, and no medicine can help. You can start preparing for the funeral."
...
After glaring at Hua Jinrong and Murong Bai, who were bickering, Lin Moyuan gave Leng Ningyue a apologetic smile and said, "The two of them are like this whenever they meet. I hope Madam Lin doesn't mind."
"It's alright. It was my unreasonable request to begin with. It's already quite remarkable that Young Master Lin agreed."
As Leng Ningyue spoke, she looked out the window at the Cuju match venue not far away.
"Mother, didn't Father forbid us from watching the match?"
Having finished his chicken leg, Lin Ziming picked up another piece of roasted meat. Before he could even put the tantalizingly fragrant meat into his mouth, his mother's clear and cold voice sounded in his ears:
"So, if Father asks?"
"Mo'er will say he's been studying in Teacher Murong's room!"
Startled, Lin Ziming answered without the slightest hesitation. However, due to his exaggerated movement, the roasted meat that was supposed to go into his mouth fell onto the table with a 'plop'.
Just as Lin Ziming was about to cry, two more chopsticks of vegetables appeared in his bowl...
"Tsk tsk, Madam Lin truly has deep affection for Lord Lin. Some people should stop being a bother."
As soon as Hua Jinrong's sarcastic remark finished, the door was pushed open slightly from the outside.
Immediately after, a dark figure darted in and headed straight for Hua Jinrong.
Just as Hua Jinrong's folding fan was closed and about to be raised, Lin Ziming called out first:
"Xiao Hei, why are you here?"
Xiao Hei grabbed the cuff of Hua Jinrong's sleeve and, without any explanation, dragged him outside.
With no other choice, Hua Jinrong resigned himself to being dragged away by Xiao Hei.
As soon as Hua Jinrong left, Yan Xiuping and his wife entered from outside.
"As expected, you've booked this room with the best view!" Kai Shu Ge
The beautiful woman sat down by the table and beckoned the waiter to order more dishes.
At the same time.
Hua Jinrong, dragged by Xiao Hei to Lin Qingge, hid his face with his folding fan and feigned surprise as he greeted:
"Lord, what a coincidence~"
"Hurry up and go change your clothes. If you don't want to change, you can just go up there naked.
Ling Han, Constable Yan!"
Seeing that the other party was about to call for people, Hua Jinrong's composed expression disappeared, and he hurriedly begged:
"No, no, no, it's just changing clothes. How can a student trouble Ling Han and Constable Yan?"
After Hua Jinrong reluctantly put on the Cuju uniform, which clashed terribly with his temperament, a black mask, identical to Ling Han's, was added to his face.
After the third competitor was decided, the main event of the day finally began.
The Cuju match between Fengtian Prefecture and Shuntian Prefecture.
The two teams stood facing each other. Having changed out of their splendid attire into neat Cuju uniforms, the Second Prince raised his chin proudly and said, "Lord Lin, I concede."
"I dare not accept. Your subordinate only hopes that Your Highness the Second Prince will go easy and not let our Fengtian Prefecture lose too miserably."
"Hmph, at least you have some self-awareness."
The Second Prince's gaze swept over the 'gaudy' Cuju uniforms of the Fengtian Prefecture team, his eyes filled with disdain and contempt.
As the Eighth Prince, who served as the referee, gave the order, the match officially began.
Unexpectedly, both sides played to a draw.
Although Lin Qingge's side had a few players with poor skills, and even one who was merely slacking off, thanks to the active play of Lin Qingge, Yan Tinghao, Ling Han, Ye Shengxiao, and the Yu family trio, they managed to hold their ground.
By the end of the first half, the score was a tense four to four.
After a brief rest, the second half continued.
However, at the start of the second half, Lin Qingge noticed something was amiss.
As soon as the Cuju ball was passed to her by Ling Han, she was brutally bumped from behind at a tricky angle.
Thus, her delicate body tilted uncontrollably to one side. Fortunately, before she fell, she passed the Cuju ball to Yan Tinghao beside her.
However, Yan Tinghao was surrounded by four strong and robust Shuntian Prefecture players.