Chapter 247: General Discussion
Ying Bai stated his answer, and everyone quieted down, with some people nodding in agreement, thinking he was very correct.
Ying Tong was very unconvinced and hoped his answer was also wrong.
Unexpectedly, the King of Fenye smiled and nodded, opening the box. It was indeed empty.
Everyone then suddenly understood; since there was nothing inside, it didn’t involve yin and yang, or odd and even.
Emptiness is something that can be infinitely expanded or infinitely shrunk.
And how can one seek and collect this thing? Because it is inherently unpredictable and beyond one’s control.
“Haha, Prince of Chu’s Heir Apparent is truly exceptionally intelligent! This celestial horse is yours.” The King of Fenye stroked his beard and laughed. “Prince Zhao’s Heir Apparent, although I don’t have a celestial horse for you, I have other gifts. You were very brave today, and I admire you greatly.”
But even with his words, Ying Tong was still unhappy.
Clearly, from childhood to adulthood, everyone said Ying Bai was inferior to him, yet today he had lost face in front of everyone, while Ying Bai had stolen the spotlight.
How could he possibly endure this feeling?!
The banquet continued, but some people had already lost their appetite.
Prince Zhao and Princess Consort Zhao feared that because of this incident, the Emperor would think their son was inferior to Ying Bai, which would imply…
Prince Chu and Princess Consort Chu, on the other hand, had mixed feelings. They were naturally pleased that their son was outstanding, but he had overshadowed Prince Zhao’s Heir Apparent, and had caused trouble.
The palace dishes were elaborate, served in sets, with at least five sets being changed.
During the change of dishes, some people went out to relieve themselves or change clothes. Princess Consort Zhao saw her son leave and quietly followed him.
She saw Ying Tong walking quickly, turning several corners to a secluded spot, and then beating a cypress tree with all his might.
It was as if he were treating the tree as Ying Bai, venting his anger.
“Tong’er,” Princess Consort Zhao had the accompanying maid keep watch, and she softly called her son’s name as she approached, “What are you doing?”
“What am I doing? What else can I do? I’ve already been outshone by someone else!” Ying Tong’s hand was scraped by the bark, and blood began to seep out.
“Oh dear, you child, that must hurt a lot!” Princess Consort Zhao tenderly took her handkerchief to wipe away the blood. “This was just a joke, you don’t need to take it to heart. What’s a horse? Besides, indulging in playthings can lead to a loss of ambition; it might not be a good thing for him to have it.”
But Ying Tong was, after all, a child and felt that face was of utmost importance. Moreover, he had been competing with Ying Bai lately, and losing to him felt like the sky was falling. What’s more, Sang Er was present, and when Ying Bai finally won, she had smiled at him, so sweetly.
She hadn’t even glanced at him.
“Today is a very important occasion. If people see you like this, won’t they think you’re even more inferior?” Princess Consort Zhao felt a headache coming on. “The most important thing for a man is magnanimity; those petty clever tricks don’t matter.”
But no matter how she spoke, Ying Tong wouldn’t listen, and his hatred for Ying Bai grew even stronger.
Princess Consort Chu saw that Princess Consort Zhao and her son had both left, so she also signaled to her own son.
Mother and son left one after another and found a quiet place to talk.
“My child, why don’t you remember your father’s and my instructions to you? Don’t steal other people’s thunder; it won’t do us any good.” Princess Consort Chu’s voice was very low, but her tone was urgent.
“Mother, I had no choice. I didn’t want to answer at first. But Ying Tong got it wrong several times in a row. If I hadn’t spoken, wouldn’t the King of Fenye and others laugh at our Ying family as good-for-nothings? I considered it carefully before speaking; it wasn’t about stealing his thunder.” Ying Bai felt wronged. “To make you and Father worry less, I haven’t told you many things. I don’t know what’s gotten into Ying Tong lately; he’s been targeting me everywhere.
Not only does he speak sarcastically, but he also picks fights and even lays hands on me. I’ve endured it repeatedly, but my constant yielding has only led to him pushing his luck. Is there no end to it?”
Princess Consort Chu’s eyes widened as she listened: “What, he even hit you? He… how could he lay hands on you?”
“That’s right, I don’t know what I did to offend him either.” Ying Bai sighed.
Princess Consort Chu thought for a moment and said, “How about this! After today’s banquet is over, you give him the horse. Say that you guessed the last question randomly and luckily got it right. Besides, you don’t usually like horse riding and archery much; he’s more fond of it. If you give it to him, I’m sure his anger will subside.”
To her surprise, Ying Bai shook his head and said, “I will not give up this horse for anything. I love painting horses the most, but after painting for so many years, I’ve never been satisfied.
It’s because I haven’t encountered such a fine horse. I want to be with it every day. Feed it grass and water, talk to it… Only then can I truly grasp the spirit of the horse.”
“My son, you cannot be so willful.” Princess Consort Chu was on the verge of tears. “If we cannot compare to others, we must be humble. What if in the future…”
“Princess Consort, Heir Apparent, Empress is asking where you went.” Gong Changan ran over at this moment. “Let’s hurry back and take our seats!”
“Ah, good child, thank you for telling me.” Princess Consort Chu had always liked Gong Changan. “Come visit our mansion sometime when you leave the palace. You’ve taken good care of Bai’er in the palace.”
Gong Changan quickly waved his hands and smiled, “Your Ladyship is too kind, how could I possibly take care of the Heir Apparent? It’s the Heir Apparent who takes care of me.”
“Changan, you usually play very well with both heirs apparent. If Bai’er has any shortcomings, please do explain them for him.” Princess Consort Chu was too worried about her son and kept pleading with Gong Changan. “Thank you in advance, I will always remember this.”
They returned to their seats shortly after Ying Tong and his mother.
At this moment, Zhuola Han also appeared. Her eyes were red, clearly having been crying.
“Where did you go?!” she grabbed Gong Changan and questioned him.
“I… I went for a walk.” Gong Changan winced from the pain in his wrist where she was holding him.
“Come out with me!” Zhuola Han was two years older than him and stronger, dragging Gong Changan out like a dog.
They arrived by an holly tree, and Zhuola Han asked him directly, “Gong Changan, do you like me? Will you marry me when you grow up?”
Gong Changan was startled: “Princess, what are you doing? We are both too young.”
“What do you mean too young? Don’t you Han people have a saying about childhood sweethearts?” Zhuola Han glared. “Anyway, I fell in love with you the moment I saw you, and I will never change.”
“We Han people also have a saying, ‘time reveals true feelings’.” Gong Changan was somewhat helpless. “We’ve only known each other for a few days; I can’t make any promises to you.”
“I don’t care, I just want you to remember me!” Zhuola Han said, and then bit down hard on Gong Changan’s shoulder.
Gong Changan almost fainted from the pain, gasping, “Do you mean you’ll bite me to death if I don’t agree?”
