Chapter 1187: Even the Black Box Fails Sometimes~_2
Although Chen Xi turned the Mandarin Duck Turning Heart Pot, it doesn't mean Wang Yi can draw the best prize, just that the probability of drawing a good one is higher. Unexpectedly, Wang Yi drew the ultimate prize.
"Cough, cough, let me announce, the first treasure has been drawn." Chen Xi said to the people opposite, "Drawing 'a treasure that guarantees no worries for your livelihood' allows you to enter the second round. Every prize in the second round is sufficient to ensure a worry-free life. Of course, to be worry-free for a lifetime, you must enter the second round first."
Chen Xi's words made everyone look at Wang Yi with a touch of envy, while Wang Yi unconsciously looked at Chen Xi, "I always thought only my intellect could keep me from worrying about my livelihood. I'm curious how other things can guarantee a life without worries."
"It's just a saying, the difficulty of being carefree has been reduced to extremely low." Chen Xi rolled his eyes and said, "Even if I gave you a 'Golden Finger', if you can't use it, you'll starve to death, and that's not my fault."
Wang Yi nodded and retreated, then a large group of sisters surrounded Wang Yi, looking at that paper with envy, and the enthusiasm for the lottery grew higher.
Then, relying on a large number of sisters, Gan Ning had one of them successfully draw, followed by Chen Xi's distant relatives drawing the prize, and finally Sun Qian's daughter drew the last one.
During Xin Xianying's turn, Chen Xi still chose to manipulate the lottery, but unfortunately, the divine skills couldn't surpass fate, and Xin Xianying drew a red pony, which she then exchanged with her senior brother Lu Xun for tea sets.
Overall, Chen Xi manipulated the lottery many times, but it had basically no significance regarding the main outcome, enhancing the probability at best without playing for real.
"There is still one last spot to enter the second round that hasn't been drawn. Who hasn't drawn yet?" Seeing most people had finished their draw, Chen Xi knew the real maneuvering opportunity had arrived.
"Great Scholar Cai hasn't drawn yet…" a student of Cai Yan replied.
"We haven't drawn yet," Wu Yuan raised her hand and said. They had been watching game theory on the side and didn't want the lottery to end so quickly.
As they were speaking, Cai Yan came out from the rear courtyard, and Chen Xi quickly manipulated the lottery to put the prepared items in. Now, all ten balls in the lottery barrels were the same item, ready to switch once Cai Yan finished drawing since she wouldn't be participating in the second round.
As Chen Xi predicted, when Zhen Mi and others saw Cai Yan arrive, they all stepped back to let Cai Yan draw first, and Cai Yan didn't refuse, casually picked one up, opened it, "Stamp for every book."
"Thank you, Marquis Chen." Cai Yan, with her sharp mind, instantly understood how this played out. Others might not know about the Mandarin Duck Turning Heart Pot, but Cai Yan had read about it.
On the other side, Huang Yueying, standing with Zhuge Liang, said, "Kongming, it seems today's lottery is only for Great Scholar Cai and the last two people. Although there was some maneuvering before, it still stayed within the limits."
"It's within reason." Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "But Yueying, you actually drew the Weng Golden Hammer…"
Huang Yueying's face darkened instantly, cursing Chen Xi inwardly. Everyone here today was women; what was the point of preparing such a prize?
Cai Yan's item can only be said to be a small stamp, others drawing it might not understand its significance, but Cai Yan understood; later on, every book in the Library Pavilion that she handled could get stamped with her seal.
Of course, this doesn't mean Cai Yan would do that; she would at most stamp a book once because the stamp is a private seal, marking that the book is by her or belongs to her, meaning Chen Xi entrusted "Rebellious Elderly Scholar's" book to her there.
"No need to be polite; most of this is due to your own abilities, and I'm not much involved in this," Chen Xi said calmly.
Cai Yan nodded, said nothing more, knowing it wasn't the place for discussion, bowed and retreated, then went to the inner courtyard of the Chen Family. It is said Cai Yan also taught Fan Jian and Chen Lan; most noble girls attended her classes.
Actually, sometimes Chen Xi is quite curious if Cai Yan has read any banned books above certain levels; it would be hard to believe she hasn't read "Prescriptions of the Mysterious Woman," "Sutra of the Plain Girl," or "Left Nerve."
After all, Cai Yan slipped up occasionally, and she was at least theoretically proficient in these areas, perhaps not having actual experience. But thinking about it, when Cai Yan was betrothed to Wei Zhongdao, given Cai Yong's style, he might have provided Cai Yan with a bunch of books for self-study.
However, considering that Wei Zhongdao died before Cai Yan could marry him, indeed it was a pitfall, and how the Hedong Wei Family thought, not fetching Cai Yan, she should be considered their Matriarch, even if not yet married, still it was all arranged with three letters and six rites.
"Zichuan, what are you looking at?" Zhen Mi slightly annoyed, as Chen Xi was staring at Cai Yan's back without turning.
"Just thinking about some things. Do you two know about 'Sutra of the Plain Girl,' 'Left Nerve'?" Chen Xi smiled at Zhen Mi and Mi Zhen.
Zhen Mi's face flushed immediately, she circled the table ready to grab Chen Xi, while Mi Zhen was totally puzzled, clearly demonstrating the difference instantly between someone engaged and someone without a match; Zhen Mi walked over to Chen Xi's side and lightly kicked him as reproach.
"You scoundrel!" Zhen Mi blushed and chided.
Mi Zhen was puzzled but guessed seven or eight parts seeing Zhen Mi's expression, her face instantly reddened, clearly having peeked similar contents, indeed indicating the Han Dynasty was more liberal than many later eras.
"Alright, just these few left, you two draw. Then I'll draw for my daughter." Chen Xi laughed.
While Chen Xi was acting playful earlier, he had prepared the lottery box. Mi Zhen, with a thin skin, didn't look and simply drew and left, while Zhen Mi glared at Chen Xi after seeing Mi Zhen off and then casually drew one.
"What did you draw?" Chen Xi leaned to see and asked Zhen Mi, who carefully unwrapped it, glanced inside, and said.
"I entered the second round." Zhen Mi said with a smile, instantly leaving Chen Xi dumbfounded; he mixed the items, "Quickly close it up; don't tell anyone. Why would you need something to ensure a worry-free life; even a gold mountain can't compare to my touch stone to gold Golden Finger; quickly switch with Mi Zhen."
"Huh?" Zhen Mi froze, feeling both happy and uneasy, "You're not interested in Sister Zhen'er, are you?" Despite the comment, Zhen Mi still closed the wooden ball, while cheers of congratulations came from Mi Zhen, who also drew "a treasure that makes you carefree."
"Interested in what?" Chen Xi said with annoyance, "It was only because you acted too nostalgically that I had any drive; then it was mostly you blocking me."
"Humph." Zhen Mi snorted unpleased, "So if Sister Zhen'er pesters you, there's a chance then!"
"I find your way of seeing things quite peculiar." Chen Xi touched Zhen Mi's hair and said, "Mi Zhen, you might call me Teacher's wife, later on."
Suddenly, Zhen Mi froze, imagining Mi Zhen who often played with her, one day serving her tea and calling her Teacher's wife, feeling a very subtle mood.
Then turned to look at the slightly older Mi Zhen and younger Lu Xun, Zhen Mi suddenly smiled openly, "It does seem quite fitting after all; if Boyan is really as you said, offering a lifetime without worries indeed has no issue."
"Though, when will you marry me." Zhen Mi turned to ask Chen Xi.
"Eager to take advantage of Sister Zhen'er, huh." Chen Xi chuckled, "But you'd better grow some more, at least to fifteen or sixteen."
Now Chen Xi wasn't insisting on sixteen or seventeen, the age requirement lowered a bit. Otherwise, waiting another three years would leave Zhen Mi with too much resentment.
"Still have to wait for a year!" Zhen Mi pressed both hands on the table with dissatisfaction.
"No, it's two years…" Chen Xi wasn't about to relent fully, after all marrying Zhen Mi would be as a wife, not a daughter, needing her to mature further.
At that moment, Zhen Mi looked at Chen Xi with great grievance, still two years, you Chen Zichuan dare to say that indeed. (To be continued. If you enjoy the work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to recommend and vote for tickets; your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please check m.qidian.com to read.)