It took a lot of persuasion from Marquis Yong'an to dissuade Princess Zhaoyang from her idea of catching a wild boar as a mount.
Ouyang Xiuqi was not so lucky.
The next day, Ji Yunhua and Zhao Ziqian went to the mountains and caught a wild boar, which they then enthusiastically began to tame.
Although the smell of wild boars was not much stronger than that of horses after washing with soap, Ouyang Xiuqi just couldn't get over that mental hurdle.
Even before getting close, I could smell the stench.
There was simply no way I could enjoy the fun of training pigs with Ji Yunhua.
Zhao Ziqian got it for nothing.
I fully experienced what it means to lift a rock only to drop it on your own foot.
He couldn't feel happy at all on the way to Baihe Prefecture with Marquis Yong'an, Princess Zhaoyang, Ji Yunhua, and Zhao Ziqian.
I felt like an outsider, completely unable to join their conversation.
"Your Highness, I've given it a name, Black Whirlwind."
Ji Yunhua pointed to the Wild Boar Trail, which had been violently suppressed for several days and had learned to walk obediently.
Princess Zhaoyang looked on with admiration.
"That's a good name. I haven't named my pig yet, so I should give it one."
She pondered for a while, and when she saw that her number one pig had a tuft of white hair on its forehead, she suddenly had an idea.
"I've decided, I'll call him Fair-faced Gentleman."
Ji Yunhua laughed: "Good job, handsome young man. You are a perfect match for my Black Whirlwind."
Zhao Ziqian chimed in, "They can be paired up."
Marquis Yong'an nodded: "We should be able to cultivate a batch of good seedlings."
Ouyang Xiuqi: Hehe, hehe.
Who would have thought that such a down-to-earth conversation came from the top echelons of Dae Hee?
Such a charming and charismatic man would one day find himself out of place with the nobility because he was too serious.
This feeling of being an outsider became even more pronounced in Baihe Prefecture.
Each state in Nandan has its own totem, and the pig is the totem of the state of Kampong Cham.
Throughout the state capital, one can see various pig-themed stone carvings, brick carvings, wood carvings, and paintings.
Because tomorrow is the pig-riding competition, and many participants are gathering, the streets are full of people walking pigs.
These pigs are not as clean as those of Princess Zhaoyang and Ji Yunhua.
Everything is very natural and untouched.
He exudes a wild aura.
It poops everywhere it goes, and there's no one to clean it up.
Ouyang Xiuqi felt as if he were riding a bicycle in a pigsty, not in the city.
He looked at the Marquis of Yong'an, who remained completely unmoved, not even frowning, and leaned closer to whisper, "My lord, don't you find the smell unpleasant?"
"I think so."
"Then how come you look perfectly fine?"
Marquis Yong'an glanced at him indifferently.
"If you've ever bred pigs yourself, you won't care about such trivial matters."
Ouyang Xiuqi: "..."
Sorry to bother you.
He doesn't deserve it.
A noble marquis would condescend to breed with a pig for a bite of meat, yet this dissolute man complains that pigs smell bad.
It's all hype and no substance.
Marquis Yong'an: It's not for the meat, it's for you, my love.
He composed himself; although he still felt the stench was unbearable, he was now quite calm.
As for Ji Yunhua and Princess Zhaoyang, they seemed to be oblivious to the fact that they didn't have noses, and were observing their opponents with great interest.
"That pig has such a pink nose, it's so cute."
"This pig has such long legs, it looks like it will run very fast."
"There are even pigs with completely white fur! That's amazing."
"..."
To avoid trouble, the Marquis of Yong'an and Princess Zhaoyang did not reveal their identities; they all presented themselves as friends of Ouyang Xiuqi.
Ouyang Xiuqi was an imperial envoy appointed by Yi Shuihan to supervise the construction of academies in various prefectures, and should have been living in the official residence of the prefectural government.
But since the Marquis of Yong'an and his companions were staying at an inn, he stayed there as well.
This way I feel more comfortable.
After learning that he was staying at the inn, the state officials came to visit him. Seeing that the inn was full of idle people, they advised him to stay at the official residence.
Ouyang Xiuqi refused.
"We have enough guards here, so there's no need to worry about security."
The officials then cleared out the other guests.
Because of the pig-riding race, rooms in the prefectural capital were in high demand, and this inn was also full. Many people didn't want to leave when they were asked to leave.
Especially those living in large, shared dormitories on the ground floor.
Most of the participants were villagers, and the communal sleeping area was the most sought-after; there was simply no other place to stay.
A little girl with two pigtails sticking up high, wearing a faded blue cotton top, was holding a short-legged black pig and said pitifully, "Sir, can we stay one more night before we leave? None of the other inns have large dormitories left."
"No, there's no room for discussion."
The officers carrying out the task showed no mercy.
Two lines of tears welled up in the little girl's eyes.
When Ouyang Xiuqi and his companions came downstairs and saw this scene, they were stunned.
After hearing the official's explanation, Ouyang Xiuqi frowned: "Why clear out the inn? We can't possibly have that many rooms."
"But that wouldn't be safe."
The official receiving the delegation looked embarrassed.
This is an imperial envoy!
If anything were to happen in Baihe Prefecture, they would be devastated.
“Don’t worry,” Ouyang Xiuqi replied, “We’ve been doing this all along. If you kick them out, where are they supposed to sleep? On the street? It might rain tonight.”
He talked for a long time before finally persuading the official to leave.
Seeing that she didn't have to move, the little girl led the little black pig over to thank him: "Thank you, big brother. Little Black and I thank you both."
Princess Zhaoyang asked curiously, "Are you here to participate in the competition as well?"
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