Chapter 245: Ershi Horse
But he still decided to endure, patted the dirt off himself, and said, “I lost. This is for you.”
He said this as he handed over the handkerchief, which was given to him by Gong Changan.
His handkerchief went missing during lunch, so Gong Changan took this one out from his sleeve and gave it to him.
Ying Tong had also calmed down by this time. Without a word, he took the handkerchief and turned to leave.
The fourth day after King Fenye, Qi Sihe, and his party arrived in the Capital City was the Double Ninth Festival. Every year there was a banquet in the palace at this time, but this year’s scale was exceptionally large.
Naturally, it was related to them.
The palace banquet on the day of their arrival was more like a family dinner, primarily attended by the imperial family.
The Double Ninth banquet, however, was different; important court officials and their families were all present.
For today’s banquet, the Empress had specially permitted Wen Mingqian to attend, mainly to serve by her side.
“Why isn’t Princess Zhuolahhan here?” the Empress asked after taking her seat.
“Haha, that girl is being willful and throwing a tantrum. You don’t need to mind her; I’ve spoiled her too much,” Qi Sihe said without concealment. “Don’t worry about her.”
“Could it be that someone serving her displeased the princess?” the Empress asked quickly.
“No, no, she misses her birth mother. It’s nothing,” Qi Sihe waved his hand. “When this girl throws a tantrum, you can’t force her to calm down; she has to come around on her own.”
Although she said this, the Empress couldn’t just leave it at that. She sent Yu Lu and Chun Ying, saying, “You two go and see the princess. Try your best to coax her into happiness. Whatever she wants to play with or eat, indulge her intentions. Poor child, she’s so far from home for the first time; it’s inevitable she feels a bit panicked. It’s also my fault for not being able to care for her properly; I am truly ashamed.”
“Empress, please don’t say that. I am, in a way, her birth mother! I didn’t expect this either,” Princess Duanmin said at this moment. “Those of us who don’t have children are like this.”
As soon as the princess finished speaking, the atmosphere immediately turned cold.
The Empress was naturally displeased, but she couldn’t show it immediately, as she had included herself in the statement.
“What kind of wine is this at the palace banquet today? It smells unlike the usual. It has a peculiar fragrance,” Princess Consort Zhao quickly interjected.
“Replying to Your Ladyship, this is newly presented tribute from Huizhou, a ten-year osmanthus wine. This is the first time it has been sent to the palace,” Zhou Fu, Yu Lu’s disciple, said busily.
The crowd then began to comment on the wine, and the atmosphere gradually warmed up again.
Qi Sihe said with a smile, “Thank you, Your Majesty and Empress, for your diligent hospitality. Our barbarian lands do not produce many things. Although we have presented some horses, cattle, and sheep this time, they are all rather ordinary. Fortunately, Your Majesty and the Empress can understand.”
It would be different for others, but this was the first time meeting the two Heirs Apparent, so the meeting gift naturally had to be thoughtful. However, there was one matter that made me hesitant for several days.”
“What is it that makes Your Highness so troubled? These two children are both excellent. It doesn’t matter what is given or not given, or what is given. What is important is the intention of an elder, that’s all,” the Emperor said with a smile.
Qi Sihe said, “Originally, I had prepared two excellent Ershi Horses to give to the two Heirs Apparent, but one of them died of illness on the way. Now only one remains.”
The people present couldn’t help but whisper amongst themselves. These Ershi Horses came from Ershi City deep in the Great Desert. In the past, Emperor Wu of Han spared no expense in his military campaigns to obtain these horses.
But even after conquering Ershi City, the number of heavenly horses obtained was not large.
In recent years, Ershi Horses have become almost extinct. It was already extremely rare for the King of Fenye to find two.
“Where is that horse? Why not bring it out for everyone to admire?” the Emperor suggested, seeing the murmuring below.
Qi Sihe then instructed his subordinates to fetch it. When the horse was led in, everyone was as if frozen, not daring to breathe.
They had seen many fine horses, and their own families raised horses year-round.
Especially families like Prince Zhao and Prince Chu, who raised thousands of horses.
But compared to this horse, all of them were utterly inferior.
The horse was tall and majestic, needless to say, and it had not a single mixed hair on its body.
But its coat color was difficult to describe. If one had to say, it should be a silver-white horse.
However, this white was very different from ordinary silver-white. It was like brocade, shimmering with a luster like pearl and gold dust.
If it were in the sunlight, its coat would gleam and flow, as if enveloped in golden light.
Therefore, as it walked in, the entire hall seemed to brighten.
“Indeed, it’s a heavenly horse! Indeed, it’s a heavenly horse from Ershi City! No wonder Emperor Wu sent hundreds of thousands of troops to seize it back,” the old General Huang said emotionally, tears streaming down his face.
As a military man, who wouldn’t love horses? He had seen countless horses in his life, and today he finally saw the divine product among horses.
“Tsk tsk, if one could ride such a horse, wouldn’t it be like ascending to immortality?” Almost all the men stared at the horse in a daze, their affection for it evident.
Ying Tong and Ying Bai also loved this horse from the bottom of their hearts. It was far more magnificent than the horses they usually rode.
Both of them developed a strong desire for this horse.
“This horse is named Zhaoye Xue,” Qi Sihe said. “I went to great lengths to obtain two of them, intending to give them to the two Heirs Apparent. Alas, only one remains.”
The Empress blinked and said, “Then let them share one horse! They can take turns, and neither should take more than their share.”
She felt that the method she proposed was very fair.
But Qi Sihe shook his head and said, “That won’t do. This horse has a very strong temperament. It only recognizes one rider; otherwise, something might happen.”
“Then this…” The Empress was also troubled.
In her heart, she felt closer to Prince Zhao’s Heir Apparent and naturally wished for the horse to go to him. However, she couldn’t say it herself, as it would appear too biased and unfair.
She then turned her gaze to Prince Chu’s Heir Apparent and Princess Consort Chu, her intention clear: if they generously stood up and voluntarily withdrew, wouldn’t the matter be resolved?
But Ying Bai sat upright, completely oblivious to her gaze.
Princess Consort Chu understood and also signaled to her son.
At this moment, Ying Bai was also in torment. He knew what the Empress and his mother wanted him to do, even without them looking at him.
However, just like usual, he avoided Ying Tong’s sharp edge in every way.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t, but today he simply didn’t want to.
Perhaps it was because Ying Tong had been sarcastic towards him all these days, or perhaps it was because yesterday during wrestling, he had used such heavy force. Even though he had already fallen, Ying Tong still wanted to step on him.
At that moment, Ying Tong’s expression was ferocious, which made him tremble with fear.
And today, this horse should have been his share, and he liked it so much. Why couldn’t he fight for it?
“Precisely because of this, I have devised a method. I will pose a question to the two Heirs Apparent. Whoever answers correctly will get the horse. I believe this method is acceptable; one must accept defeat if they lose a bet,” Qi Sihe said with a smile. “What do Your Majesty and the Empress think?”
The Emperor and Empress exchanged glances for a moment, thinking that they had no choice but to agree, as it was within reason.
Thus, they agreed to Qi Sihe’s request.
Upon hearing this, Ying Bai became even more determined. Since it was a competition, it would be based on individual ability. Whoever answered correctly would win, and whoever lost would have to accept it wholeheartedly.
