The Noble Consort is the most favored in the harem

Chapter 54 - Jumping off the Boat to Survive

Chu Guiren's brother, Chu Xin, was standing at the forefront of the white team, his attire slightly different from the others, making it clear that he was the leader of the white team.

He had a similar appearance to Chu Guiren, but was more robust.

He looked very spirited, but like Chu Guiren, there was always a hint of mockery in his eyes.

No wonder they were siblings!

Observing their behavior, one could guess what kind of upbringing they had at home!

Today's white team consisted of people from the Northwest, many of whom had fathers or brothers holding positions in the Northwest Army.

Therefore, they were determined to win today!

Chu Xin, now twenty-five years old, was the oldest among them and had already made a name for himself in the Northwest Army, so no one questioned his leadership.

Standing on the white team's dragon boat, Chu Xin raised his arm and shouted,

"Men of the Northwest!"

"Here!"

Today, we must perform well and demonstrate our skills to the emperor. Let's not dishonor the general of Northwest's training!

"Yes!"

The white team started first, and the other teams quickly followed, shouting their slogans.

The scene became increasingly lively, with everyone looking excited and enthusiastic.

Only Lin Xingzhi and Jiang Huanqing seemed out of place.

One was there to see his sister, and the other was there to accompany his friend to see his sister, so their thoughts were naturally different from the others.

Unlike Lin Xingzhi, who was focused on his sister, Jiang Huanqing, though young, spoke with great maturity.

Chu Xin's face, eager to show off his skills to the world, was an eyesore to Jiang Huanqing.

Rolling his eyes, he pulled Lin Xingzhi aside and said,

"He Song, get ready. Your sister is watching too. Look at how confident that guy is. You can tell his sister must be quite influential in the palace!"

Although Jiang Huanqing had never been to the palace, he seemed to understand its workings well.

His words were all key reminders.

Lin Xingzhi glanced at him, nodded in agreement, and then began to prepare.

Although he and Jiang Huanqing were both late additions to the team, they hadn't slacked off during training.

Otherwise, the two of them wouldn't have been so tanned.

The green team members were mostly quiet and not the strongest among the eight teams, not favorites to win.

But because of this, they had no psychological burden of competition, so they were all very calm.

While the other teams were still noisily shouting slogans, the green team members were already seated in their dragon boat.

They closed their eyes, focusing on the waves and the oars.

This calmness caught the attention of the emperor and the Fourth Prince.

Both squinted, watching the green team's distinct behavior, with a hint of a smile in their eyes.

The reason for inviting the Fourth Prince today was to select new recruits for the Imperial Guard Army.

The Fourth Prince had no intention of recruiting people like the white team members, who were already in the Northwest Army. He disliked those who were overly showy and arrogant.

So, he quickly dismissed the flashy ones.

But the green team's actions made him take a second look, wondering how their focus would translate into performance.

The war drums sounded, and everyone sat in their dragon boats, ready to go.

Compared to Chu Xin and others' determination to win, Lin Xingzhi appeared more composed.

For him, the most important thing was how to cooperate with his teammates to make the dragon boat move more steadily.

So, when the command was given, the entire green team showed extreme harmony and coordination.

Their slogan chants were also uniform.

The drummer at the front was undisturbed, focusing on beating the drum for their dragon boat.

The rowers were also focused, following the drummer's rhythm with all their might.

Heave-ho, heave-ho, heave-ho!

The dragon boats below raced towards the finish line, with the white team naturally taking the lead, followed by the red team.

The two teams were neck and neck, each trying to outpace the other.

The green team was in third place, while the other teams, having started slower, were already half a boat length behind and unable to catch up.

Chu Xin, sitting at the front of the dragon boat, was both the leader and the first rower.

His rhythm was crucial.

During practice, everyone followed his rhythm.

But today, the rowers in the red team were also competitive, speeding up their rowing rhythm, so their boat slightly overtook the white team.

Seeing this, Chu Xin couldn't sit still.

With a loud shout, he ignored the drumbeat and sped up on his own, disrupting the entire dragon boat's rhythm.

The people behind couldn't keep up and started rowing chaotically.

Seeing the rowing speeds out of sync, the dragon boat naturally slowed down.

It was like a person running at full speed suddenly becoming uncoordinated, naturally leading to a fall.

The white team quickly fell behind the red team by an arrow's distance, which Chu Xin couldn't tolerate!

In a fit of rage, he shouted at the people behind,

"Are you all blind? Row!"

The others, never having seen such a scene, were so frightened by the enraged Chu Xin that they almost dropped their oars into the water.

Seeing the gap widening to half a boat length, they were not only out of the race for the championship but also at risk of finishing last.

Chu Guiren, standing by the railing, turned pale and shouted down,

"Brother, row faster!"

Her shout prompted other palace concubines and relatives with family members on the dragon boats to start shouting as well, creating chaos.

At this moment, the green team was advancing rapidly towards the finish line.

The red team was also not far behind, appearing slightly ahead from above.

Seeing that he couldn't win, Chu Xin swung his oar, causing the boat to capsize and people to fall into the water.

He also managed to break the red team's boat tail.

The red team, losing balance, started spinning in the lake, affecting the purple and blue teams nearby.

"Oh no."

The red team's boat was taking on water quickly, with water gushing in through the broken tail.

With the weight of the people on board, the water filled even faster.

Soon, they had to jump into the water to save themselves.

The dragon boat race, halfway through, was now filled with people and sideways boats.

Chu Xin, fuming, watched the front.

Soon, a dragon boat crossed the finish line.

Cheers erupted from the stands!