The two unwarranted taunts left Yan Shaoheng, who was always concerned about his reputation, feeling embarrassed. He secretly vowed to eliminate this person once he left Yue Kingdom.
"Based on his own abilities? Hahaha..." When Young Master Qian heard someone speaking up for the second prince of Yan again, the sarcasm on his face became even more obvious.
"You don't know, do you? How did your Second Prince manage to kill a lion? Well, let me tell you. He, Yan Shaoheng, poisoned the lion to death. Hunting? How can you hunt with poison? I'm ashamed for him."
"What? Poison? No wonder. I saw that the lion's wound was black yesterday. Could it really have been poisoned to death?"
“If poison is used, that is certainly not the act of a gentleman.”
"Yes, yes, everyone else uses bows and arrows, other weapons. This second prince uses poison, which is indeed a bit unfair."
"If you ask me, it takes skill to poison such a big lion. If you're so capable, try poisoning one yourself!"
As soon as this person finished speaking, some people fell silent and stopped expressing their opinions, because they didn't even dare to step into that forest, let alone poison such a big lion.
"I don't know when I developed a personal grudge against this young master, yet he dared to slander me in public."
Yan Shaoheng's lips curled into a cruel smile, his narrowed eyes gleaming with the predatory light of a wild beast, as if he wished he could tear this man to pieces right now.
"A grudge?" Young Master Qian shook his head. "No, I just like seeing that look in your eyes that says you can't do anything to me. Who are you trying to impress with that aloof act?"
Young Master Qian indeed had no grudges against Yan Shaoheng. However, since childhood, Young Master Qian had been a spoiled brat in Feng Kingdom, and wherever he was, he was bound to be the center of attention.
Since he came to the Moon Kingdom, his brilliance has been overshadowed by Yan Shaoheng, so he just doesn't want Yan Shaoheng to have his way.
"If this lion was indeed hunted with great effort by the Second Prince, why not say it here in front of everyone?"
The Crown Prince of Feng Kingdom remembered what his father had instructed him to do and couldn't help but want to stop him, but Young Master Qian didn't take the Crown Prince seriously at all.
"Yes, yes, I don't believe the Second Prince is that kind of person."
"Using poison to hunt is inherently an unfair victory."
"It takes skill for someone to think of using poison, and the Moon Emperor has never said that poison cannot be used."
The crowd quickly split into two factions: some agreed with Yan Shaoheng, some did not believe that Yan Shaoheng used poison, and many others thought that Yan Shaoheng was not in line with the people's will.
Suddenly, everyone started arguing in the main hall of the front courtyard.
"His Majesty has arrived! Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress! Long live the Empress!"
"Greetings to the Moon Emperor and the Moon Empress."
No need for formalities.
"Greetings, Moon Emperor. We have a question that we humbly request your clarification."
At this moment, Young Master Qian stepped forward, and it was too late for the Crown Prince of Feng Kingdom to stop him.
Fortunately, this young master Qian was not really a fool. In front of the Emperor of Yue, he restrained himself a bit.
"Oh? I don't know this gentleman?"
"My name is Qian Sheng, the younger brother of Consort Qian of Feng Kingdom. I am here on behalf of my sister. Thank you for the hospitality of the Moon Emperor. The Moon Kingdom truly deserves to be the leader of the four kingdoms."
Everyone immediately understood that, in the end, this guy was just a relative of one of the emperor's concubines, not even related to the imperial family. Some people looked at him and thought he was a bit smart despite his stupidity.
"What does this young master Qian have to ask me?"
"Your Majesty is kind. It is like this. Yesterday, I happened to hear someone say that the lion that the Second Prince of Yan hunted was killed by poison, not by a weapon. If that is the case, then the Second Prince of Yan will not be the winner of this hunting competition."
"Since Young Master Qian has asked, then I will answer Young Master Qian, which can be considered as giving everyone an explanation."
Everyone present held their breath, for every word the Moon Emperor uttered foreshadowed who would fall into the hands of this legendary weapon.
Moreover, winning first place in the quadrennial hunting competition is the ultimate honor, bringing glory to one's ancestors and guaranteeing promotion and wealth.
"The lion hunted by the Second Prince of Yan has been examined by the imperial physician and has indeed died from poisoning. However, whether the Second Prince poisoned it is impossible to verify. Moreover, I did not state before this competition that hunting with poison was prohibited, so the Second Prince of Yan's results still count."
Before the Moon Emperor could finish speaking, a commotion erupted below. Some thought it was too frivolous, while others thought it made some sense.
"Silence! Silence!"
Seeing that some of the people were behaving inappropriately, Eunuch Li stopped them on the spot.
"Gentlemen, I have overlooked this time, but the Yue Kingdom has always been a man of its word. As long as the winner of this competition comes first, I will naturally reward that person with the Cloud Piercing Spear. The other participants in this competition will also receive different rewards according to their rankings."
After the Moon Emperor said this, some people felt that they would also receive a reward, so they stopped saying anything.
But Qian Sheng was about to say something more when he was stopped by the Crown Prince of Fengguo.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Second Prince of Yan, Yan Shaoheng, is both wise and brave, and is invincible. He has won first place in the hunting competition. He is hereby awarded the Cloud Piercing Spear. So be it."
Yan Shaoheng stood up in the center of the main hall, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Thank you, Moon Emperor."
"Second Prince, this is the Cloud Piercing Spear. Please keep it safe."
After eunuch Li finished announcing the imperial decree, he handed the Cloud Piercing Spear to Yan Shaoheng.
As rumored, after Yan Shaoheng touched the Cloud Piercing Spear with both hands, he was indeed able to hold his breath, concentrate, and cultivate his mind. His earlier desire to get rid of Qian Sheng had long since disappeared.
The Cloud Piercing Spear is finally mine!
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will certainly cherish you."
"That's excellent."
As the crowd gazed at the Cloud Piercing Spear in Yan Shaoheng's hand, some eyes held greed, some envy, and some jealousy...
However, they dared not object, since the truth was indeed as the Moon Emperor had said: whether or not poison could be used was not predetermined, which meant that Yan Shaoheng's actions were not problematic.
Because everyone had their own ulterior motives, the banquet ended early.
Qian Sheng, who had returned to the state guesthouse early, pointed at the Crown Prince of Feng State and was about to start cursing, "If you hadn't stopped me, this Cloud Piercing Spear would have been mine, you coward, you wimp."
"Father forbids me from doing anything reckless with you, and we can't afford to make any mistakes in the Moon Kingdom. Besides, even if the Cloud Piercing Spear doesn't belong to the Second Prince of Yan, it can't be yours anyway, since you're not the second-ranked one."
"You!" Qian Sheng pointed at the Crown Prince of Fengguo, so angry he could hardly breathe, and then he turned and left.
The Crown Prince's personal guard immediately gave his master a thumbs up, saying, "Your Highness, what you just said really angered Young Master Qian. I have never seen you speak to him like that before. He was so angry that he was furious. You are truly amazing."
"Is that so? I don't think so."
The crown prince of the fiefdom doesn't seem to have realized how powerful the second-place contender truly is...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
