Chapter 66
On the fifteenth day, it was just dawn.
Du Er from Dujia Village harnessed a ox cart with many heavy objects on the cart. The ox had been moving for a while, but Du Er, his elder brother, and his elder sister-in-law did not sit on the ox cart. His elder brother pushed the two-wheeled cart, and his elder sister-in-law carried a rattan basket on her back. The three of them walked.
There was a little girl about eleven or twelve years old sitting on the bus.
That is Du Er’s niece.
Du Er is nineteen years old this year and has not yet married. He is a man with high standards and looks down on everyone. By chance, he can read and write and has a quick mind. During the slack season on the farm, he likes to go to the city to figure out ways to make money. Over the years, he has saved some money.
A few days ago, Du Er hurried back and said to his brother and sister-in-law: I want to do business.
Brother Du was anxious. This was not acceptable. They would just leave their fields uncultivated and switch to being merchants. That would be disastrous. Besides, business was not that easy to do.
Du Er said: "If I don't change my identity as a merchant, it will just be a small business for one day."
"Brother and sister-in-law, I have an idea. Cuiliu River is the river in the big manor where all the nobles live. On the 15th, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is going to have a water fight in the river..."
Such a detailed account was told, and naturally Du Er's words were also processed. He knew the family, and since their father passed away, A Niang and the eldest brother had become more honest and obedient. If they knew they were going to the imperial farm to sell food, they would definitely not be happy. Therefore, Du Er lied to the family, saying that some people had already gone there, and they would stay on the periphery and not move in, just to make some money from the food of the people who came to join in the fun.
"...There are a lot of people from Shengdu City who went to watch the fun. City people are more generous than village people, so they all bought some food. Besides, the weather is hot, so if you bring food in the morning, you can only bring dry biscuits. If you bring a bun, it will definitely go bad by noon."
Du Er persuaded his family until his mouth was dry. Du's mother was still unwilling, thinking it was too risky. There were officials over there, including Du's elder brother. She also said that they should just farm honestly. The situation was good now and people would not starve to death.
"I won't starve to death." Du Erxian said to his mother, "Mom, you agree to this deal. If you find someone to arrange a marriage for me, I will agree."
Du's mother suddenly became happy, "Really?" and then she relaxed, "That's fine." Look at the eldest brother.
After her husband died, the family relied on the eldest son to make decisions on all important matters.
Du Er said to his eldest brother, "I will pay for the business. If there is a loss, it will be my responsibility. If there is a win, we will split it in half. Brother, Niuniu hasn't worn new clothes for several years, and my sister-in-law is pregnant. We have to save some money to build a house."
"Okay, but you can't be the only one to provide the capital. We'll share the profits and losses from the business." Brother Du gritted his teeth and made the decision. When his father was alive, he often said that he was a dullard with only strength in his body. His younger brother was smart, so he might as well follow him and see the world.
No matter what the family decides to do, it is actually Du Er who comes up with the idea.
"It's hot, we can't make it at home and bring it over to buy. The nobles live in the manor, they have everything they need, but if the food is left to simmer, it will become unpalatable. We common people can't taste it, but the nobles will not want to eat it after just one bite. If we meet a strong one, don't let it destroy our stall."
Du's mother and sister-in-law were a little scared and wanted to go back on their word.
"Let's take the pot, charcoal, and stove with us. Don't think they are too heavy. Go there early when the time comes. I'll have a better place to go..."
The three of them came out with the children before dawn. Niu Niu and Mrs. Du walked around and took turns sitting in the car to rest. When it was daybreak, they saw the river. In the distance there were tents, sheds, and patrolling soldiers. The family immediately felt a little scared.
"It's okay, it's okay. We're almost there. Let's go to the back. There are no soldiers over there." Du Er said.
Niu Niu got off the ox cart and walked together, following her father.
The soldiers saw them from afar, and rode up to the Du family and called out to them. Du Er was brave, but he was a little scared when he met the soldier. Before his horse arrived, he took a few steps forward and bowed to greet them, "Master, we are villagers from Dujia Village in Tanshui Township, and we want to join in the fun today."
"Want to join in the fun? Then why don't you bring pots and stoves?" The soldier got off his horse and glanced at the things on the car behind.
Du Er's heart tightened, and he quickly begged for mercy, saying, "Actually, I just wanted to make some money today. If we put it farther away, it won't bother you--"
"You can't see any excitement from a distance. There's no one over there. Follow me."
Brother Du's face changed, and he begged for mercy immediately. Du Er was also afraid, and gave the soldier money, meaning that he would not do it if he didn't want to. He regretted it in his heart, fearing that he would lose all his money today and make a wasted trip.
The soldiers did not take the money. When they saw the two brothers and the women and children behind them were about to cry, they realized they had misunderstood and said, "What are you talking about? I told you to follow me. The riverside venue for the competition has been divided into areas. Lord Wen has issued an order that if ordinary people want to set up food and hawk food, there are designated areas. You can go to the riverside at will. Not to mention the chaos, if there is any trouble and someone bullies you, no one will care about you."
"I don't want your money, keep it quickly. I'll take it now, and we'll be the ones to be fined later."
The most important thing is that they had done a hard job, and Lord Wen gave them a high temperature allowance in advance. When they finished their work, they would be rewarded if nothing went wrong. Therefore, the common people stuffed a few dozen copper coins, but the officers and soldiers really didn't take it seriously.
He can tell the difference between what is important and what is not.
Du Er had been asking around for gossip before, and had no idea that there was such a good thing. He immediately wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, hurriedly agreed, and asked Sister-in-law Niu Niu to get in the car and follow the master.
"No hurry, let's go together, it's not far." The officer and soldier were in a good mood as they led the horses.
Sure enough, they arrived after walking for a while. The wide areas on both sides of the river had been cleaned up, and the nobles' tents and sheds were all under the willow trees. The servants were busy at this time.
The small vendors and the people hawking their wares were all at the ends of the river. They had weeded the ground and built sheds. The sheds were smaller and not as luxurious as the big tents and sheds of the nobles, but they provided some shade.
"Lao Jiao, you register the new arrivals. I'll leave first. As the day breaks, more and more people will come and I'll have to keep an eye on them." After the officers and soldiers sent the people there and completed the handover, they continued patrolling on horseback.
Du Er hurriedly bowed and called him "Master Jiao".
"I am a steward and cannot be called a master. My master is the timber merchant Mu Laoye of Hengliang Prefecture. This time, the venue is managed by our master. You came early, so hang this sign in front of the pillar of the shed. There is a stove in the back and food on the table in the front. You have to go to the toilet far away to a special place. If you need water, you have to go upstream and boil it. Pay attention to hygiene and don't get an upset stomach."
Du Er nodded in agreement and wrote them all down.
Then he asked fearfully, "Manager Jiao, do you want to collect the stall fee?"
Lao Jiao glanced at the other party and smiled, "We won't collect it in the first year, we'll see later. Lord Wen said that we won't make profits from the people, so hurry up and collect it."
"It starts at the end of the morning."
Du Er took note of it and bowed in gratitude. Lao Jiao thought this man was smart and sensible, so he waved his hand and went to work. The Du family began to unload things and put the ox cart at the back to watch these. Du Dasao was four or five months pregnant and had walked all the way here. Her husband asked her to take a rest, but Du Dasao said she didn't need to because she was not tired.
"Sister-in-law, please take a rest. My brother and I will move the heavy things down first. You will have to trouble me with cleaning and cooking later." Du Er said.
Mrs. Du sat down and said, "It's not tiring. Working all year round is nothing."
Niuniu went to pick up some light items, such as earthenware jars of seasonings, and after she had packed them up, there was a wooden table here to put things on. Seeing this, Brother Du whispered, "You didn't mention this when you came here. It's much easier for us to pack up."
"I didn't know that this place provides these." Du Er was also surprised and happy, and couldn't help but sigh: "That Lord Wen is really nice, I wonder where he works as an official."
The family quickly set up the place with quick hands and feet. Several more families came one after another, including small vendors from merchant families, peddlers, and most of them were villagers from nearby who came to try their luck.
They all looked terrified, fearing that the officials would cause trouble for them, prohibit them from doing business and drive them away. But unexpectedly, they were given a place to stay, which surprised them greatly.
…
At around eight o'clock in the morning, Xuanyifu led the team to the river to warm up. Not long after they arrived, Li Ze's team also arrived. The boats of both sides had already been transported to the river. They looked at each other and chatted for a while.
There is no smell of gunpowder.
"It's so lively.", "I saw my elder brother, Captain, can I go and talk to him?"
Many people asked, "Come back one stick of incense before the game. The gong will be struck at that time. Anyone who wants to join in the fun can go."
When Liu Qiang heard this, he took the lead and ran first, and then everyone ran away.
In the past, the competition was held in the Tai Chi Palace, with the whole class playing on their own. This year was different, as the venue was set up outside. Not to mention that all the families came, many ordinary people came as well. Young people like to join in the fun and save face, so they just took a stroll first.
After a while, Liu Qiang came back with a cake in his hand.
Large tents were built on both sides of the river. Because of the hot weather, they were not covered on all sides. The rectangular front was open and a mosquito net or gauze curtain was hung on it. There were chairs, tables and couches inside, and all the furniture was in place. Some girls had already arrived wearing veils, and when they saw their brothers coming over, they couldn't help chatting with them.
"I see so many people.", "Brother, there are so many people today. If I lose——"
"Bah bah bah crow's mouth, I will definitely win."
Some elders also asked, "How are your preparations going?" and "If you are competing with His Highness, don't use all your strength when the time comes."
"Mother, His Highness won't allow us to release the water. His Highness is not that kind of person."
"The captain has been training very hard these days, so he doesn't want Li Ze and the others to let him down."
After a few words, some said they were annoyed, because the adults were teaching them the ways of officialdom. These young masters knew that Manyu Fu was the crown prince and a half-king with a noble status, but they had been classmates, teammates, and opponents in the past. How could they not know what kind of person His Highness was after so many years?
If it was really because of this slacking, Manyu Fu would be even angrier and look down on them, and they would also look down on themselves. Since they were going to compete, they should compete fairly and honestly. Even if they lost, they would have no regrets.
The young man came out of his tent in great anger, and the air was filled with a strong aroma.
"Why are you so angry?" Liu Qiang took a pancake in his hand and took a bite happily. When he saw people looking at him, he said defensively, "What are you looking at my pancakes? I ran downstairs to buy them. They were bought by two brothers. An aunt kneaded and baked the pancakes. They were delicious."
"It tastes like wild vegetables and chopped green onions."
Liu Qiang took a big bite.
Li Ze's team: ...
"where?"
Liu Qiang pointed backwards with one hand and took another big bite. "It smells delicious. I'll eat one more after I finish the competition. No, two."
Xuanyunfu could see that everyone was a little excited and impetuous, and wanted to ease the team members' emotions.
Liu Qiang came over strolling over with a cake in his hand.
"It smells so good.", "Liu Qiang, did you go to buy cakes?", "Where are the cakes?", "You didn't chat with your grandfather?", "I thought you went to your grandfather's tent."
Liu Qiang said, "My grandfather hasn't come yet. Besides, he told me yesterday that I should compare them. I just ran to see the fun. Besides your families, there are many people on both sides of the river. This is wild onion and vegetable pancake. Have you tried it? It's delicious."
Xuan Fu was speechless at first and wanted to say something to Liu Qiang, but when he opened his mouth, he said, "Let me see, what kind of wild vegetables are in it?"
"Let me show you." Liu Qiang had almost finished eating.
Xuanyu Fu: "...You are quite generous."
"I only bought one. Not to mention that when I ate this cake, I thought of Sumak Pass. Now I'm full of energy." Liu Qiang made an excuse to buy himself a cake because Xuan Fu had not allowed them to eat too much since last night.
Xuanyun Fu knew what Liu Qiang was thinking. He noticed that everyone's attention had shifted to the food and he was not so nervous. He also saw that the bread was slightly yellow. It should be because the flour ground by himself was coarse. But don't mention it, coarseness has its own texture. It was baked golden and crispy, and was wrapped in a crescent shape. There were wild vegetables, garlic and chopped green onions inside.
Swallowed.
He didn't eat too much in the morning and had just done some warm-up exercises.
Manyu Fu: "I'm going to buy some cakes, who wants some?"
"Captain, don't ask Shuncai to go, let's go buy it."
"Yes, let's take a walk too."
Liu Qiang wanted to eat another one, so he asked how long it would take until the competition. When he heard that it would take half an hour, he said to the others, "I'll go buy one."
"Together, together."
Manyu Fu: "Then go ahead and bring one for me too."
After a while, a group of people came back, each holding a pancake in their hands. Liu Qiang handed the one he had to Xuanyuefu, and he had another one in his hand. Xuanyuefu took it and took a bite first. It smelled like flour, a very simple taste, and the wild onion tasted the best.
The prince's captain was eating biscuits and discussing tactics.
While talking for a while, accompanied by "It smells good", "It's a little hot", "Slow down", Xuanyu Fu also nodded and commented on the cake. Anyway, everyone is not nervous now, and the atmosphere is quite good. Xuanyu Fu mentally gave Liu Qiang a credit for buying the cake.
Li Ze was a little impatient, and Li Ze patiently comforted him again and again, but it was almost time to start, and they needed to warm up, and everyone was still a little out of shape. He wanted to say that several old friends had come, and he also wanted to ask about the prince's situation. Li Ze saw it, and said in a slightly tougher tone: "Don't worry about what's going on outside. We have been training for so long. Listen to my command and follow the previous training. I guarantee there will be no problem."
"Got it.", "Okay."
In fact, everyone is still a little curious about what the Prince’s team is doing.
After the prince's team finished eating the cakes to warm up and digest, they asked one by one, except Liu Qiang who ate two cakes, everyone else ate one. Liu Qiang said: "I am big, two is just right, don't worry, it will be no problem."
"Wang Yuansun, Liu Qiang is left to you." Xuanyifu said directly without any further ado.
Wang Yuansun nodded.
When it was about to begin, His Majesty the Nine Thousand Year Old arrived. Everyone came out of the tent and knelt to salute. The Emperor called out, and Zhao Erxi shouted again. The Emperor and the Nine Thousand Year Old sat in the largest bright yellow tent. The curtains were drawn, and the drums began to be beaten, with the sound of "dong dong dong" echoing along the riverside.
For some unknown reason, everyone felt a little nervous.
here we go.
The two sides are at the same starting line. This section of the river is relatively flat, with a moderate slope and no steepness, so there will be no danger. The areas flowing down from the tent camps on both sides of the river are all competition points, with special turns and forked rivers. This slightly steep section is a thrilling checkpoint.
Both teams knew about it and had checked it last night and this morning.
"Don't worry. Zhou Quan and Zhong Ziqin, take the boat down first. We will cover you and wait over there to see if we can launch a sneak attack." Li Ze said.
On the prince's side, Wang Yuansun said, "At the turn, Li Ze must want to cause trouble here."
"Don't try too hard at first." Xuanfu said, "Keep your distance and use arrows first. We have been practicing for so long. We should act according to the situation and pay attention to safety."
The gong-beating began.
The young masters and young ladies who had been sitting there all morning came out of the tents to take a look. Naturally, the elders asked the girls in the mansion to wear veils before going out. In fact, they were originally restricted from leaving the tents, but since everyone in the mansion had shown up, it didn't matter.
Everyone came out to watch the fun.
Two people from both sides lifted the boat into the water and then boarded it one by one.
Wang Yuansun said, "Liu Qiang, kill Li Ze and the others as soon as you catch them."
"Okay." Liu Qiang agreed readily.
As soon as the boat entered the water, Zhong Ziqin took the lead on the opposite side of Li Ze, and Liu Qiang and Wang Yuansun boarded the boat lightly. The two boats drifted down the water, and Liu Qiang and Wang Yuansun accelerated.
People on both sides of the river were shocked when they saw it.
"Why is the boat behind us so fast?", "Oh no! The boat in front is about to be overtaken."
The young masters and young ladies who were watching thought it was a speed contest, and before they could finish their sighs, they saw the boat at the back collide with the boat in front, and both boats were shaking and about to capsize - if one boat capsized, the wooden swords and paints on the boats would fall into the water. Although there were Jinwu Guards with supplies ten meters away on the shore, their combat effectiveness would be useless during this period.
Therefore, it is best not to capsize. This is a lose-lose strategy.
"Liu Qiang, are you mad dogs?" Zhong Ziqin cursed while steadying the boat.
Wang Yuansun: "Liu Qiang scolded you."
"He was scolding both of us." Liu Qiang finished shouting and dipped the wooden sword into the paint. Zhong Ziqin saw it and hurriedly urged his teammates behind him, "Let's go first--"
Liu Qiang put the wooden sword back into his waist and moved to the side. Behind him, Wang Yuansun had already drawn his bow and arrow. The boat was shaking so much that he had fully drawn the arrow and shot it out with a steady hand.
The arrows are blunt and wrapped in cotton cloth. They may hurt someone but are not fatal.
There were exclamations from the shore, and everyone was stunned. They didn't expect it to be so 'dangerous', and it turned out to be a real war. Some young masters were so excited that they wanted to join in, applauding and saying, "It's fun, fun." and "It's awesome."
"Did the arrow hit the target?"
"Yes, but it seemed to hit the arm."
A shot in the arm is not a fatal injury.
Wang Yuansun put away his bow and said, "Someone is coming from behind." Liu Qiang in front had already started paddling. The two of them cooperated very well. They knew each other's next step as soon as they opened their mouths. Liu Qiang knew that the arrow would not hit the vital point.
"Zhong Ziqin and the other two must be very panicked, let's deal with them first."
"OK."
There were people shooting arrows from behind the two men. The boat was dodging in the water. The two men sometimes leaned over, or listened to the sound of the arrows to determine their location and dodge them nimbly.
This water fight was extremely thrilling and exciting, and was praised by both sides.
"Master Wang is so amazing."
There were also people who praised Zhong Ziqin to Earl Zhongyi.
The adults were socializing on the shore, performing "official duties". The two teams had already come down in the river. When they passed the fork in the river, the arrows rained down on them. Some people were "hit by arrows", but their minds were still on the shore and their attention was not focused, so one arrow could capsize the boat.
Li Ze shouted and gestured, meaning to cover and protect the team members who capsized.
Xuanyuefu said: "Take advantage of him falling into the water without supplies to kill him!"
"I'll go." Zhong Ziming shouted.
"Okay." Xuanyu Fu agreed and said to Li Ang, "Let's go over and pack it."
Both teams were wearing light-colored clothes, the white team of Manyu Fuyue and the light pink team of Li Ze. It was difficult to distinguish them because they were wet, but both teams had headbands tied on their heads, one black and one red, the same color as the paint on their bows, arrows and wooden swords.
Because pigments would dissolve when in contact with water, the people from the Internal Affairs Office came up with a solution. They mixed lacquer into the pigment to blend it. Even though it dissolved a little when in contact with water, the 'wound' from the 'fatal blow' could still be seen, and there were Jinwu Guards on both sides to keep records.
Emperor Ningwu left the tent and looked out over the river. In the distance, he immediately recognized the boat of the Emperor Fu among the many boats. He said to the Emperor Jiu Qiansui, "He is not as fat as before. It is hard to recognize him now."
Xu Xiaoman stared at him intently and ignored Emperor Ningwu.
Zhong Jue:......
"Do you think he can outflank us?"
"Yes, but there is a possibility of capsizing," said Xu Xiaoman.
Sure enough, the captains of the two teams met, and the boat that fell into the water turned over. The soaked team members got on the boat, but the wooden swords and paint were all gone. Li Ze and one of the team's boats provided cover and happened to meet many Fu who came.
Li Ze's boat really collided with His Highness. Both boats did not capsize, but were shaking violently. Li Ze asked the team members to quickly evacuate the supply station. Many Fukuki swords were stained with paint, and they attacked Li Ze from the east and west, causing Li Ze's arm to be "scratched".
A fight broke out here.
Li Ang steadied the boat and drew his bow and arrow to shoot at the one running ahead.
Zhou Quan rowed over and bumped into them.
"Let's go." Xuanyifu put away his wooden sword and retreated first.
Li Ang looked at Zhou Quan, whose face was splashed with river water and whose eyes were red.
Very good, the murderous intention has come out.
Now no one cares what is said on the shore or who comes. Everyone is so bloodthirsty that they don't care about their status or interests. - There are interests too, the interests of the whole team, and the only way is to win.
Both teams were completely wet. Two people from Li Ze's side "died" first, and one person from Xuanyifu's side. The two sides fought for the bend and set up an ambush at the bend. Wang Yuansun also killed two people on the lone boat.
Li Ze started to launch an underwater attack. Xuan Fu led Li Ang to face the enemy head-on, stealing Li Ze's home and first dealing with the man on Li Ze's boat. Two against one was still very easy. Xuan Fu gestured, "I'll drive Li Ze's boat."
"I'll do it." Li Ang said murderously, "I know where Zhou Quan is. I'll seduce him."
Many blessings: ...
Before, I asked you to use the honey trap but you refused and were quite angry. Why are you not being so picky with your words now?!
"Okay, don't act on impulse, the overall situation is important, I'll go find Li Ze, I don't know where this guy has gone." Li Ze is quite good at sneak attacks. Xuan Fu didn't dare to take it lightly.
Li Ang: "Don't worry, if I can't get Zhou Quan, I will write a letter of apology."
"...It's not that serious." Xuan Fu was still very kind.
The weather was hot, and they got a little tanned from fighting underwater, but it was cool underwater. They set up tents on the shore, and the water fight team swam to the middle. The tent at the top was no longer visible, and the girls returned to the tent, and the boys followed suit and ran to the shore.
It's fun to go out and play without seeing any "war", especially the girls, who seldom go out to play all year round. Today, all the people are out, so they want to walk around and visit each other's tents to meet their good sisters, eat fruits, drink tea and chat, which is also a lively thing.
The people in the middle started shouting hello again, it seemed like the fight had reached that side.
It was hot at noon and I was hungry.
"I heard that there are food stalls downstairs, it's quite lively.", "My maid just went to see it and told me.", "It looks quite clean. There is a shop that makes fresh cakes. They taste a bit like game, better than the ones we brought."
He sent servants to buy some food from outside and deliver some to each household. The food outside was not as fine as that in the mansion, but it was rare for them to come out and play and try some.
Xu Xiaoman was not hungry and didn't want to eat, so he ran downstairs. Zhong Yun followed him and the two of them were accompanied by the Jinwu Guards. When they reached the middle of the river, they couldn't find Duoduo for a long time. Zhong Yun asked the Jinwu Guards where the prince was.
"Your Majesty, His Highness has gone to look for Young Master Li."
Xu Xiaoman said: "Hey, Li Ze must be used as bait to lure the enemy."
"Don't worry, let's go take a look."
"I'm not in a hurry. I believe Duoduo. It's not like Duoduo hasn't taken bait before." Xu Xiaoman said.
Zhong Yun suddenly remembered that when they were playing before, he asked Xiao Man to be the bait, and Xiao Man quickly agreed. It turned out to be this, so he smiled and squeezed Xiao Man's hand, "Then you were still like that just now."
"Excited, whether we can take down Li Ze depends on this. Let's go." Jiu Qiansui strode to look for someone while swinging his arms. He had no time to flirt with Emperor Ningwu.
Zhong Yun: ...Let’s go.
Both teams were broken up and each did their own thing. Without Li Ze's command, everyone still had a "formation" at first, but the river was not land, and when the fight started, the boats were quickly washed away by the river water. They forgot all about the formation and only focused on the present.
Xuanyun Fu remembered what his father said, that he had to be flexible, that they had tacit understanding in the past training, and that they formed a team one by one, with one brave and strong, and the other smart and capable of making judgments. At this time, he was fighting alone on a boat to find Li Ze.
Li Ze had no boat and did not show up, so it could only be said that he was lying in ambush in the dark, in the water or in the grass.
To catch a thief, first catch the leader. It seems everyone thinks the same way.
Li Ze was fishing for him, and at this moment he was also fishing for Li Ze.
Xuan Fu rowed the boat to the deserted water and glanced at the reeds on the shore, but he knew that Li Ze was definitely not there. He could find Li Ze and he could also think that Li Ze was -
In the water.
Almost instantly, many Fu boats were overturned. Li Ze, who had been prepared with a wooden sword in one hand and paint in the other, overturned the boat on the river. The two men faced each other. Li Ze also had a knife covered with black paint in one hand.
In a split second, it all depends on who is faster.
Xuanyi Fu threw the paint bucket in his hand at Li Ze. Li Ze dodged. At this time, Xuanyi Fu swam over and used the force to flip the boat over. He was very fast and the wooden sword in his hand was aimed at Li Ze's neck quickly and accurately.
Li Ze dodged, and many blessings entangled him. He had to hurry up, otherwise the paint on the wooden sword would fade. Both of them had no supplies -
The two men fought in the water, and it was difficult to tell who was the winner.
Until: "Captain, here I come."
Li Ang's voice.
An arrow shot towards Li Ze's shoulder. Li Ze dodged it, but was stabbed in the heart by Xuan Fu. Li Ang was afraid that Li Ze would not admit it, so he held a bucket of paint and said, "Captain, supply us."
Xuanyifu 'killed' Li Ze with three swords.
Li Ze was amused. "I'm dead, I'm dead. Do you really want to kill me like this?"
"You are a very cunning person. You will be very good at dealing with enemies. Fortunately, we are classmates." Xuanyufu wiped the water off his face and smiled happily. "I give you your boat. I will go find my teammates."
Li Zeyou went to flip his boat, climbed up and sat firmly, and shouted: "Hey, how is our team? Where is Zhou Quan?"
Li Ang was about to say something, but Xuan Fu first shouted: "You are dead, the dead cannot speak." This Li Ze still wants to cheat them of information!
Li Ze: …
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was too wary of him. However, Li Ze's face was full of excitement and joy, because His Royal Highness took him so seriously and regarded him as a difficult "enemy", which showed that he recognized his strength.
I also thought: Xuan Duofu is a respectable and charming captain.
Fortunately, they are classmates and not real enemies.
Li Ze covered his mouth, meaning he would not say anything more. He lay down on the boat to rest for a while. He had just held his breath in the water for a long time. He watched Li Ang and Fu go on the same boat to continue fighting.
No one came to find him... He failed as a captain. Li Ze only appeared for a moment and quickly shook his head. He couldn't doubt the team members like that. Maybe the team members were fighting hard even though they couldn't protect themselves.
On the boat.
Li Ang said: "I killed Zhou Quan."
“…”
Li Ang saw many of Fu's speechless expressions, and his teeth were all exposed when he smiled. Some of them were white because Li Ang was a little tanned. At this time, he said, "Don't you want to know why we quarreled?"
Manyufu pricked up one ear.
"I'll tell you after the fight. Anyway, after killing Zhou Quan, we reconciled. But he stayed with Li Ze for too long. He just wanted to pester me. Luckily I saw through him and came to find you first."
Xuanyunfu: ...a rumor or a preview, okay.
The game lasted for two full hours.
The horns blew, accompanied by the beat of drums, and it was over.
"Who won?", "The prince won.", "You didn't see how powerful the prince was in the fight just now.", "Li Ze and his team are not bad either.", "They are not bad, but the prince's team is more courageous."
"Your Highness is also good-looking."
Du Ertong's elder brother and his wife made wild vegetable pancakes for the whole morning and were busy collecting money. In the rare break, they could see the young men rowing boats on the riverside. It was a real fight, not a competition of who could row faster or slower.
Niu Niu is young, lively and curious. This is the first time she has seen such a scene in her life.
When they had some free time, Brother Du asked his daughter to go and see what was going on. Niu Niu didn't dare to, but a good-tempered maidservant next to them said that since they were waiting for the cakes to be cooked, they could go together and see.
Niu Niu followed her maid to the river.
She didn't know anyone, she only knew that there were young masters and nobles in the river, and the beautiful sister who bought their cakes was a maid, but she paid a lot of money, dressed well, and was pretty.
When the maid heard this, she covered her mouth with a handkerchief and laughed, saying that Niuniu had a sweet mouth and was brave.
"The people with red ribbons tied on their heads by the river are His Royal Highness's team."
Niuniu asked curiously: "Sister, where is His Highness?"
"I haven't seen him either." The maid finished speaking, and then added: "But I heard that His Highness is the most handsome and beautiful."
Niuniu was watching by the river. There were many people watching, guessing who was the prince. Niuniu saw a handsome man in the crowd and asked her sister, "He is good-looking. Is he the prince?"
Maybe the excitement was too loud.
Wang Yuansun looked over. Niuniu was so shy and scared that she hid behind her maid. Wang Yuansun replenished supplies on the shore and said, "I am not."
After resupplying, we left.
Liu Qiang on the boat said, "We have plenty of paint, why bother to add more? You just scared the child. I want to talk to the child, but if you are harsh, the child will be more scared. I know that little girl. I'll go to her house to buy cakes in the morning."
Wang Yuansun: “I remember.”
"After the fight is over, we'll go to her house and eat some cakes." Liu Qiang was hungry again.
Wang Yuansun nodded.
The maid on the shore also breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The young master was not angry either, but I heard that His Highness is very kind and has a good temper."
Soon Niu Niu saw His Highness and recognized him at the first sight. His Highness was sitting on the boat, wet all over, with his hair sticking to his cheeks. The nobleman behind him was a little dark, but His Highness was very fair and was waving to them.
The maid stared at him intently and said, "This must be His Highness."
"Sister, I think so too. Your Highness is good-looking and has a good temper."
After Xuan Fu had beaten Li Ze, he was indeed in high spirits. He sat on the boat and waved to the people watching on the shore, laughing happily and dazzlingly.
The competition ended when the sun was at its highest. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince won, and Emperor Ningwu was very pleased. He served wine and drinks to everyone, and also treated everyone to a banquet of roast lamb.
It was a hot day and no one left, wanting to avoid the heat. Unexpectedly, the emperor gave a banquet and soon jars of iced wine were delivered to each tent. Even the onlookers and vendors got a jug of wine and shared it to share the joy.
The wine was chilled, so I couldn't taste anything after taking a sip. It just tasted good.
At sunset, the riverside was cool and the day's heat dissipated. The roast lamb feast that the emperor had mentioned began. A bonfire was built and the air was filled with the aroma of meat.
Liu Qiang was extremely happy and said, "It feels just like returning to Sumak Pass."
Everyone changed their clothes and sat together. Regardless of whether they were from Li Ze's team or the prince's team, they were all happy and joking with each other about who had pushed whom underwater, killed whom, attacked whom, or grabbed his crotch in today's game.
"Ah? Is this true?" Xuanyu Fu's eyes widened.
The two of them blushed and said, "I didn't mean to do that. It would have been confusing and I didn't intend to grab you there. It was an accident."
Everyone: Hahahahahahahaha.
The prince's team won. After four hours of fierce fighting, only one person was left in Li Ze's team. The last person did not surrender, but "committed suicide" to say that they lost.
At this time, Li Ze's team came to pay their respects, and they were all delighted.
"After a year, your team has become stronger.", "Liu Qiang, you have a brain.", "I didn't let you down. You are really strong this year.", "You can even launch a sneak attack."
Liu Qiang cursed back first, as he was both brave and resourceful.
Zhong Ziming said, "In fact, you are also very strong, but we have a captain to lead us. This year, Your Highness will be the captain. I am not flattering you, but Your Highness is a good commander and trusts us."
In the past two years, Liu Qiang and Wang Yuansun had different ideas every day, one of them always wanted to compete with force instead of intelligence, while the other one ignored the personalities of the team members and just followed his own ideas.
"It's been really fun this year. Let's toast to the captain."
Manyu Fu raised his glass and started to act, "You're welcome. I can't help it. I am a general who can command troops like a god! Li Ze, you won't lose face if you lose to me."
Li Ze: …
Hahahahahahaha.
Cool!
The author has something to say:
Your Highness Duozi: No need to be low-key, be proud!
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