Chapter 246: Competing for Victory
Ying Tong felt even more indignant towards Ying Bai, convinced he was cunning and deceitful.
In ordinary, minor matters, he would act like a gentleman. But when it came to crucial moments, he wouldn’t yield an inch.
If he won’t yield, then I’ll win this horse back with honor, letting everyone know I’m better than him!
“Consider it adding some amusement to the banquet. There will be three challenges, and the one with the most remaining at the end will win this horse. If there’s a tie, we’ll add another challenge. What do Your Majesty and the Empress think?”
“Excellent, it sounds very interesting,” the Emperor said. “I’d like to hear what your three challenges are.”
“For the first challenge, each Heir Apparent will be given a tangled hemp. They must carefully unravel the red silk thread within. This will depend on who can do it first; the one who finishes first wins.” King of Fenye’s first challenge wasn’t particularly difficult; it only required patience and nimble fingers.
Tangled hemp, by its nature, has no clear beginning, and soon, sweat appeared on Ying Tong’s forehead.
He had more bravery than patience, and under everyone’s gaze, he couldn’t help but become increasingly anxious.
In contrast, Ying Bai was much calmer, focusing intently on unraveling it inch by inch.
Everyone could see that in this round, Ying Tong was likely to lose.
Indeed, after the time it took for one stick of incense to burn, Ying Bai let out a long sigh and successfully unraveled the red silk thread.
Ying Tong merely rolled his eyes slightly upon seeing this, thinking, “It’s just one round, let’s see what happens later!”
“For the second challenge, I would like to invite the two Heirs Apparent to feed the beasts in the cages,” King of Fenye said. “They have been starved for three days and are eager to eat. The two Heirs Apparent can only use their hands to toss the meat. Whoever finishes feeding the meat first wins.”
After he spoke, people brought in two large iron cages. The cages were completely covered with black cloth, but low growls could be heard from within. Judging by the sound, they were likely tigers.
“This… this won’t do, will it?” Princess Consort Zhao couldn’t help but feel scared. “What if someone gets hurt…”
No matter how good that horse was, they didn’t care about it. The important thing was that their son wouldn’t get hurt.
Princess Consort Chu nodded in agreement, her thoughts the same.
But Ying Tong said, “What’s the big deal? Aren’t there cages? How can the sons of our Great Xia be so timid? It would invite ridicule!”
He then looked at Ying Bai and said, “Of course, if anyone is afraid of getting hurt, they can withdraw. There’s no shame in that; a true man knows when to bend.”
Ying Tong was naturally a little scared, but having come this far, admitting defeat would be too humiliating.
So he said, “My courage may not match my elder brother’s, but I am willing to try.”
Those people then removed the black cloth covering the cages. They were two half-grown tigers, their paws larger than an adult’s hand.
The tigers pressed their faces against the bars, smelling the meat, and became agitated.
In order to win against Ying Bai, Ying Tong was the first to pick up meat and offer it to the tiger’s mouth.
The tiger’s tongue flicked out and snatched the meat into its mouth. The tiger’s tongue touching his hand sent a sharp sting. The tiger’s tongue had barbs, and the sensation sent a chill down Ying Tong’s spine.
But he also realized that firstly, since it was through the cage, as long as his hand didn’t extend too far, he wouldn’t be bitten.
Secondly, he had to be fast. The faster he fed the meat, the less agitated the tiger would be, and its emotions would naturally be more stable.
His courage was already greater than Ying Bai’s, and moreover, he was fueled by resentment, wanting to compete with him.
Therefore, he worked with both hands, continuously feeding meat into the tiger’s mouth.
Soon, the entire basin of raw meat was finished.
Looking at Ying Bai, he had naturally done his best, but he was still a step slower.
This was because the first piece of meat he couldn’t get into the tiger’s mouth; his hand trembled and it fell to the ground.
“I deliberately didn’t mention it earlier, but these two tigers are trained. No matter how hungry they are, they will never bite. Otherwise, how would I dare let the two Heirs Apparent take such a risk?” King of Fenye stood up and apologized. “I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”
“I understand your intention. If you had told them beforehand, these two children would naturally not have been afraid, and it would have been difficult to determine the winner,” the Emperor said.
In fact, most people present had a general idea of what was happening. Only the two Princess Consorts, worried for their sons, had spoken out to stop the competition beforehand.
Two of the three challenges had already been completed, with each person winning one round. Therefore, the third challenge became particularly crucial, unless they tied, in which case another challenge would be added.
“For the third challenge, it’s this box,” King of Fenye said, taking a box from a follower and holding it in his palm. “Whoever of the two Heirs Apparent can guess what is inside this box first will win this round.”
“There must be some hint, otherwise,” the Empress said with a smile, “wouldn’t we be guessing until the end of time?”
“Her Ladyship is right. Then I shall give the hint,” King of Fenye cleared his throat. “This object is neither yin nor yang, neither single nor double. It can be large or small, difficult to find and hard to hide.”
After he finished speaking, everyone began to ponder.
Both Heirs Apparent frowned, racking their brains based on the riddle.
“Could it be water?” Ying Tong was the first to answer.
King of Fenye smiled and shook his head: “Think again, Heir Apparent.”
Everyone also felt his guess was incorrect. Although water has no distinction between single and double and can be large or small, water is clearly yin.
Ying Tong was unwilling to give up and began to furrow his brow, searching his mind.
“It’s ginseng! No, no, no, it’s ginseng soup!” After a while, he stood up again. “I heard from my Granny that people who dig for ginseng have a hard time finding it; that thing often becomes a spirit and can transform. When it’s boiled into soup, one bowl can be divided into several bowls, and several bowls can be combined into one. Where is there any distinction between single and double?”
King of Fenye looked at Ying Tong’s eager eyes and shook his head: “Heir Apparent, you haven’t guessed correctly this time either.”
Everyone also felt Ying Tong’s answer was a bit far-fetched. The legend of ginseng becoming a spirit was just a myth. When did the ginseng they kept at home ever grow larger or smaller?
In fact, let alone him, the other officials and noble ladies hadn’t guessed what was inside either.
Ying Tong had guessed incorrectly twice in a row, and he couldn’t help but feel discouraged, but he was certainly not willing to give up.
He glanced at Ying Bai opposite him. Ying Bai had been looking down the entire time, resting his chin on his hand, but he hadn’t answered once.
Many things flashed through Ying Bai’s mind, but he immediately dismissed them.
He wasn’t as reckless as Ying Tong, but he wasn’t much smarter than Ying Tong either.
He regretted it at this moment. Why couldn’t he have been bolder during the second challenge? Feeding the tigers meat with both hands like Ying Tong, then they wouldn’t have needed a third round.
Just as he was at a loss for ideas, Gong Changan, who was sitting next to him, quietly reached out and wrote a character on his leg.
Ying Bai’s heart stirred, but he showed nothing outwardly.
He pondered the character Gong Changan had written for a while and felt it was very likely.
Only then did he slowly stand up and cup his hands towards King of Fenye, saying, “Your Highness, this junior guesses that this box is empty. Empty means nothing; there is nothing inside.”
