On the Lantern Festival, the palace held a banquet in the Fengtian Hall to entertain the envoys of the Chagatai Khanate and important officials of the court.

Shen Qingchen, dressed in formal court attire, accompanied Crown Prince Zhu Yulu to the banquet.

Emperor Zhu Ruishan arrived late. After sitting on the dragon throne, he glanced around and paused slightly when he saw the familiar figure behind Zhu Yuluo.

Inside the main hall, the lights were bright, as bright as day. The figure in blue was still slender, with a white collar covering his delicate neck. Beneath the black gauze hat, his dark hair was soft and shiny, and his profile was still as handsome and refined as ever.

He had personally discovered this talent, a rising star of the Ming Dynasty, and he hadn't seen her for some time. Unexpectedly, less than half a month after she arrived at the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince had already summoned her to a banquet.

It seems that the son highly approves of the teacher he carefully selected for him.

After Zhu Rui withdrew his thoughts from Qing Chen, he ordered the people from the Guanglu Temple to bring tea, wine, and dishes, and at the same time ordered the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) to begin a dance and music performance.

Opposite Crown Prince Zhu Yulu sat the delegation of the Chagatai Khanate, including the Khanate's heir apparent, Harutimur, and other accompanying officials. Around them sat cabinet ministers, high-ranking military officers, princes, nobles, and ministers from various departments.

As the second-in-command of the cabinet and the Minister of Rites, Song Yue sat very close to Zhu Yuluo, and Qingchen could see him with just a slight turn of his head.

Today's banquet is actually a combination of two banquets: the Chagatai Khanate's tribute banquet for mounting their horses, which is also a farewell banquet before their departure, and the Lantern Festival banquet in the palace.

The so-called tribute system was actually a face-saving project for successive monarchs, and it was highly valued by emperors. Even the emperors of fallen dynasties did not slack off on this matter. This was also the case in the Ming Dynasty.

For a long time, the Ming Dynasty implemented a policy of "generous gifts and meager returns." While the foreign tribes ostensibly came to pay tribute, they actually took far more money away than they brought. The phrase "tribute from all directions, homage from all nations" sounded like a unified empire, a source of immense glory and pride, but in reality, it was all about losing money and gaining empty boasts. And year after year, it placed an increasingly heavy burden on the national treasury.

Even so, monarchs throughout history still had to put on a show of wealth, not only sending a lot of "return gifts" but also hosting lavish banquets for envoys who came to pay tribute.

Hearing that there was good food and drink to be had, more and more foreign envoys came, and the visits became more and more frequent. It wasn't until the previous dynasty that the late emperor ruthlessly ordered control over the number and frequency of tribute missions, which slightly improved the situation where tribute envoys were bankrupting the Ming Dynasty.

When Zhu Rui came to power, he maintained this tradition, prioritizing face above all else. Song Yue, who had served as Minister of Rites for over a year, had suggested three times that he reduce tribute expenditures, but Zhu Rui ignored him each time. After all, it was the people's money, money left by their ancestors, so he wasn't too bothered. Conversely, if word got out that the Ming Dynasty had become "unfriendly" to foreign powers under his reign, he would lose face immensely.

Meanwhile, Grand Secretary Xu Yan, adhering to his usual sycophantic approach, believed the Emperor was always right as long as it didn't harm his own interests. Regarding the tribute system, Zhu Rui, having postponed Song Yue's proposal once or twice, feigned a desire for the cabinet to discuss it. At this point, Xu Yan stepped forward, the first to object. Since the cabinet was divided, they decided to wait until a consensus was reached, and Zhu Rui was happy to have the Grand Secretary as a shield, thus indefinitely delaying the matter.

Therefore, the Ming Dynasty's tribute missions were always a losing proposition; there was never a single instance where they were profitable.

After a performance of song and dance by the Imperial Music Bureau, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices poured wine for everyone present, and they toasted the Emperor. Following this, Song Yue, as Minister of Rites, exchanged greetings and drank with Prince Harutemur of the Chagatai Khanate on behalf of the Emperor. After drinking, as was customary, he expressed gratitude on behalf of Zhu Rui for their tribute.

Later, according to custom, everyone offered a toast.

After several rounds of drinks, Crown Prince Zhu Yuluo touched his wine cup and glanced back at Qingchen. Qingchen looked at his slightly flushed face and nodded slightly to him.

Zhu Yulu understood immediately, so he pretended to be drunk, knocked over his wine cup, and said, "Prince Haru, I have seen the horses you have presented as tribute. You all say that the horses you have presented to my Great Ming are the best, but I can't see what's so good about them. They are short and unattractive, not at all like the well-fed and strong horses of my Great Ming. I... I am not convinced, and I don't believe they can be better than the horses of my Great Ming."

Upon hearing this, Harutemur laughed and said, "Your Highness is young, and I'm afraid he can't hold his liquor and is drunk. I've said it before, if Your Highness doesn't believe that the horses we're offering are good, then let's have a race and see whose horse runs faster."

"I...I don't need to compare...there's no need to compare, it's obvious at a glance."

Zhu Rui sat on the dragon throne, his brows slightly furrowed, looking at his son, then at Qing Chen. Qing Chen's expression was calm as he gently shook his head at him; he quickly understood what was going on.

He knew his son's temperament. Zhu Yulu had already made a slip of the tongue once before, and he must have felt guilty and remorseful, learning from his mistake and not repeating it. In addition, he brought Qingchen to the banquet today, so he must have a plan to resolve the horse racing problem. Therefore, this "slip of the tongue after drinking" was probably just an act.

Thinking this, Zhu Rui remained calm and simply watched his son silently while holding his wine.

"Your Highness keeps saying that the horses we presented weren't good enough. It seems you have some prejudice against us," Harutemur said, his face flushed from drinking, looking somewhat excited. "But you refuse to race against us. Are you afraid of us? Haha."

"I...who said I'm afraid of you? My Great Ming Dynasty is vast and rich in resources. What kind of rare and exotic beasts don't we have? Why would we be afraid of your short and ugly horses?" The young crown prince's voice was slightly immature, and his words, though feignedly drunk, were very direct and carried a touch of childishness.

"Since you're not afraid, let's have a competition. We'll know whether it's good or bad in one race!" Harutemur was already feeling uncomfortable after being told that his horse was inferior.

"I..." Zhu Yulu was so engrossed in her act that she forgot what to say next, so she turned to look at Qingchen.

Qingchen quickly pretended to help him up and whispered a reminder in his ear.

“I… it’s not that I’m afraid to compete,” Zhu Yuluo continued. “It’s just a simple matter of determining a winner and loser without any real benefit, so it’s pointless for either of us. I, the Crown Prince, am not competing… it’s just that I think your horses are not good enough.” Although Zhu Yuluo’s words were somewhat shameless, since he was only twelve years old and still a child, no one could criticize him.

Harutimur was both amused and exasperated, thinking that Harutimur couldn't even come up with an excuse, so he immediately said, "What Your Highness says is easy to do. How about we bet something on it? Wouldn't that make things less boring?"

Zhu Yulu shook his head repeatedly, his handsome face, still bearing traces of youth, flushed red. "How about we race next year? You'll be returning to your country in a few days, and racing horses now would be a bit too hasty."

Harutimur laughed twice. "Next year? Does Your Highness intend to wait until the foals are grown up before the race? We're not in a hurry to return home, so let's have the race in the next few days. To be fair, you can choose the race location. That way, if you lose, you won't say we bullied the young Your Highness."

Other envoys from the Chagatai Khanate echoed their sentiments, their spirits high after drinking, as if victory was already assured.

Zhu Yulu seemed to be caught in a dilemma, and could only lower his head awkwardly and say, "Let's forget about it."

“Hey—His Highness just said that the Ming Dynasty has all kinds of rare and exotic animals, so why would it be afraid of our dwarf horses?” Harutemur persisted. “Now that we are in front of the Ming Emperor, why don’t we make a bet and have a horse race to show our country’s sincerity in paying tribute to the Ming Dynasty.”

After saying that, he glanced at Zhu Rui.

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the lights shone brightly, illuminating the colorful ceiling and making the golden dragons soaring through the clouds on the pillars look imposing. Beside the Emperor's steps, wisps of smoke rose from the openwork incense burner.

After a long pause, Zhu Rui, seated on the dragon throne, finally spoke, his voice deep and clear, "If that's the case, then let's have a competition. If my Great Ming loses, the silk, jade, and other gifts we bestow in return will double. If my Great Ming wins... Your Highness, you decide."

Qingchen did some mental calculations for a moment, then leaned close to Zhu Yuluo's ear and whispered a few words. Zhu Yuluo immediately replied, "The gifts we've given in return, converted into gold and silver, could buy 20,000 of these short horses from your country. Prince Haru, I won't take advantage of you. Anyway, your horses are short and ugly. If the Ming Dynasty wins, you can just give us 20,000 of these short horses and that will be fine."

"This—" Now it was Harutemur's turn to be speechless.

He hadn't expected the stakes to be so high—20,000 warhorses. However, in return, if the Ming Dynasty lost, the other side would give him a great deal of silk and porcelain, which was quite tempting. Besides, things had already come to this point; he was in a bind and had no choice but to agree.

"Alright! It's settled then! We'll compete the day after tomorrow!" Without much hesitation, Harutemur, who was becoming increasingly excited due to the alcohol, accepted the bet.

Zhu Yuluo picked up her wine cup and drank three full cups with him, as if making a vow with wine that she could not go back on her word.

After Harutemur finished his drink and sat down, he glanced at Qingchen next to Zhu Yuluo. He felt that something was amiss.

This handsome official, dressed in a blue robe, was clearly of low rank, yet he was seated beside the Crown Prince. When the bet was made, this man quickly calculated that Zhu Rui's promised reward was equivalent to 20,000 warhorses, leading the Crown Prince to deliberately downplay the value of their horses and thus guide him into accepting a fair and equal wager.

However, in his tributary trade with the Ming Dynasty, the exchange was never equitable; the Ming Dynasty should have paid more. He hadn't thought anything of it at first, and had forgotten this crucial point before agreeing—how foolish of him!

Who exactly is this person?

Harutemur was unaware that Qingchen was a rising star in the Ming Dynasty who had offered Zhu Rui an ingenious plan to raise funds and had gained the Crown Prince's trust in just half a month. He was also unaware that he had fallen into the trap he had dug himself and was about to lose 20,000 warhorses.

Who knows, the Ming Dynasty's long-standing losing business is finally about to make a profit.

The one who knew all this was Song Yue, who was watching his beloved display her wit at the banquet.

After the banquet, the distinguished guests were invited to watch the fireworks and lanterns outside the Fengtian Hall.

Zhu Yulu was very excited and satisfied with his performance tonight. Watching the dazzling fireworks, he couldn't help but share his joy with Qingchen.

Song Yue was standing not far from them.