After the mind-reading and gossip-eating incident, officials in the imperial city were demoted one a

"Brother Chengzu, you're quite good at pitch-pot!"

Ye Chengzhu threw three short arrows at once, all hitting their targets, and the young master beside him praised him.

"I play a few times occasionally in my spare time, and I just happened to hit the target by luck."

Ye Chengzhu waved his hand and smiled modestly, but a hint of pride was revealed in his eyes.

"Young Master Ye, you're being too modest! I can see your technique is skillful and your posture is perfect; it's not something you can achieve by just playing around a few times."

Some people didn't believe him, and Ye Chengzhu sighed.

"To be honest, my family wasn't well-off when I was young, and we didn't have many things to play with. This game of pitch-pot didn't cost much, so we often used stones to pass the time. Over time, I became quite skilled at it."

In fact, he knows all the things that rich kids do for fun.

"I see. It is truly admirable that Brother Chengzu was able to hone such skills in such harsh conditions."

"Brother, you flatter me. It's just a trivial skill, hardly worthy of serious consideration," Ye Chengzhu said humbly.

"Since you're so good at pitch-pot, how about we have a round of competition?"

Chu Hao appeared before everyone, his magnificent brocade robe slightly disheveled and his face flushed.

He picked up an arrow, his eyes glazed over, clearly having drunk quite a bit. He shouted loudly, drawing the attention of those around him.

"Young Master Chu, aren't you about to get married? How come you still have time to play around here!"

"Yes! Miss Tang is as beautiful as a flower, Chu Hao, you are very lucky."

"Brother Chu, you'll be getting married soon, so it's best not to indulge in pleasure too much, lest Miss Tang become unhappy and cause trouble."

"Haha, that makes sense."

As soon as Chu Hao appeared, everyone started talking at once.

The Pingyang Marquis's mansion has never had much of a foundation. The families that were exiled a few days ago have close ties with the Chu family, and this playboy from the Chu family still has the mind to have fun.

While everyone maintained smiles on the surface, they were filled with disdain for him in their hearts.

"That's not true. Let me tell you, the Tang family would love for me to marry Miss Tang right now."

As Chu Hao spoke, he laughed loudly, took the arrow, aimed at the mouth of the bottle, and threw it into the pot.

These words sparked much discussion, and many people lowered their heads and whispered among themselves.

"The Pingyang Marquis's mansion is getting worse every day, and the Tang family is even rushing to form a marriage alliance with the Chu family. I think there's something fishy going on here."

"Chu Hao is still so absurd. His wedding is approaching and he still doesn't know how to restrain himself. He is truly beyond redemption."

"According to Chu Hao's words, could it be that the Tang family is eager to arrange a marriage? That's just too absurd."

"Brother Chu, you're exaggerating. I haven't seen you interacting with Miss Tang before. A legitimate daughter like her wouldn't be in such a hurry to get married."

"Exactly, it's like you're saying that the girl won't marry anyone but you."

Chu Hao was indignant at their words and raised his voice to shout:

"Why is it impossible? Getting married within a month, do you know why we're in such a hurry? Let me tell you, it's because I'm afraid Miss Tang might have my child before the marriage."

Upon hearing Chu Hao's words, the crowd gasped and whispered among themselves, realizing that the marriage between the two families was actually due to premarital infidelity.

"So Prince Chu and Miss Tang have such a good relationship!"

A sly glint flashed in the eyes of the young master standing to the side, and he wore an expression that said, "I see."

The Empress ordered that this matter not be discussed outside, but Chu Hao, the person involved, leaked it, and from today onwards, the entire capital city will have a new topic of discussion.

"Alright, now you know I have plenty of time, right? Ye Chengzhu, let's have a match."

Seeing how unrestrained this playboy was, Ye Chengzhu hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, let's just treat this as entertainment."

"I'm tired of playing the same game all the time. Let's try something different: one of us shoots an arrow and the other acts as a rake, catching the arrow with our bare hands. Do you dare?"

Upon hearing about the new gameplay, everyone immediately gathered around.

"This is too dangerous, Prince Chu, don't be impulsive!" someone couldn't help but speak up to dissuade him.

Chu Hao, however, was completely unconcerned. "What's there to be afraid of? This young master just loves to play with excitement. Ye Chengzhu, do you dare? If you don't dare to be the scapegoat, I'll go first."

Ye Chengzhu frowned. "Young Master Chu, this is no joke. What if something goes wrong..."

"Stop rambling. If you're too scared, just say so!" Chu Hao interrupted him impatiently.

"Young Master, should we go and stop them?"

"What if Chu Hao goes too far and causes trouble?"

"Ignore them. I'd like to see what they're really made of."

Chen Feiyi smiled faintly as he and several young men looked down from the pavilion.

Ye Yaoyao and her triplets watched the contest between Chu Hao and Ye Chengzhu together.

[Haha! This Chu Hao is really something, he tricked his fiancée and put Ye Chengzhu in a dilemma.]

Ye Chengzhu looked down on this playboy and didn't want to compete with him, but he was surrounded by sons of officials, and he couldn't appear too timid if he wanted to enter this circle.

Ye Chengzhu took a deep breath and replied, "Since Young Master Chu is so interested, then I will gladly accompany you."

"Brother Ye, this is dangerous, and Prince Chu is drunk. I think we should just give up!"

The young master who was advising Ye Chengzhu said such things, but in his eyes he was actually looking forward to a good show.

"It's okay, I'll try to be careful."

These nobles were not minor officials, and Ye Chengzhu knew that they looked down on him, leaving him with no way out.

Upon hearing Ye Chengzhu's agreement, Chu Hao became excited and staggered to the spot where the copper kettle was placed.

"Good! That's great! Let's decide the winner with three arrows. I've never been the one to be the rake before, so I'll go first."

"Your Highness, it's dangerous, you should probably give up!" The attendant, seeing that he was serious, nervously advised.

"Get out of here, stop nagging." Chu Hao impatiently pushed the person away.

Ye Chengzhu picked up the arrow, gripped it tightly, and beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead.

Although the Chu family has fallen on hard times, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. If he accidentally hurts Chu Hao, his chances of passing the imperial examination are probably gone.

He was confident in his pitch-pot skills, but Chu Hao caught it with his bare hands; it was unclear what Chu Hao's motive was.

"Young Master Chu, you'd better stand firm."

The crowd erupted in an uproar; some were excitedly anticipating the event, while others were worried for them.

"Chu Hao can barely stand, how could he possibly catch it?"

Liu Langyue was surprised that this playboy was playing such a big game today.

Ye Lian'an's eyes were dark, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

"I'm ready, let's begin!"

[Chu Hao spoke casually, but I sensed he was somewhat nervous. System, check this person.]

[Ok, host. 】

Ye Yaoyao looked at Chen Feiyi on the upper floor.

[It turns out this was a gamble. Even though Chu Hao was naive, he knew that the Chu family was in dire straits. The Chu family was in a hurry to find a backer, and they wanted to rely on the Crown Prince. However, the Crown Prince's faction might not look favorably upon the Chu family.]

By offering himself as a shield, he was also telling Chen Feiyi the Chu family's stance: they were willing to go through fire and water for the Crown Prince.

It seems that Chu Hao isn't such a clueless playboy after all; at least he's better than Guo Deren.

As for Ye Chengzhu's current eagerness to enter the high-ranking official circle, it's likely he also wants to curry favor with the Crown Prince.