43. Competition
Mo Beise chuckled softly, his voice was hoarse and magnetic, and the corners of his lips rose slightly.
"Since it's a party, we should have fun to the fullest, right?"
He glanced at the nobles beside him. Mo Beise on the stage narrowed his eyes slightly, as if thinking.
"Why not send a young master to compete with Bei Se in hunting? We can also test the virtues of these young masters. They shouldn't be as rumored, lacking even a little bit of your Majesty's style, right?"
He looked up at Xuanyuan Ying sitting on the high seat, smiling, his cat eyes sparkling with a wicked smile.
"Isn't that right, Your Majesty?"
Xuanyuan Ying frowned.
The barbarians were recaptured by the Qin family many years ago. Ever since Xuanyuan Ying came to power, he has always looked down on them and only treated them with superficial respect.
When he first came to the throne, the barbarians took advantage of the turbulent times to launch a war. Fortunately, they were suppressed by Lou Zhi, and the confrontation did not last long.
Since the ancestor suppressed the barbarians and signed a 100-year non-war treaty a hundred years ago, the barbarians have been much more obedient. However, nearly a hundred years have passed, and their inflated ambitions and desires have caused them to challenge the majesty of Daling time and time again.
If the barbarians had not made so many small moves and tested Daling's bottom line time and time again, Lou Zhi would not have had to guard the border for so many years.
Xuanyuan Ying's face turned cold.
The situation on the border is grim, and the barbarians are growing stronger. The famine in Longcheng is probably something that makes these foreigners happy.
Do you really think that there is no one in Daling and that they dare to provoke you every time?
The barbarian envoys also smiled as they looked at their own prince standing on the stage, provocative and aggressive.
However, Lou Zhi had left the capital and had never returned. The noble gentlemen had learned the Three Obediences and Four Virtues and the books of sages. How could they learn the wild nature of riding horses and shooting arrows?
The second prince, who had always been arrogant and unruly, also restrained his temper. He no longer rode horses, practiced archery, or hung out with the ladies.
At this moment, I couldn’t find a suitable person.
The court officials frowned. The hot-tempered Lord Chen could no longer sit still and wanted to stand up and denounce Mo Beise's rudeness. Many literary allusions came to his mind, and he was ready to use the words of the saints to scold this rude man.
“…Of course.”
Lord Chen blushed and was about to speak when he suddenly heard a hoarse voice.
Everyone in the hall was shocked and looked up at the man sitting beside the high platform - the second prince.
His face was calm and his lips were slightly pursed.
Mo Beise was slightly surprised, then looked up at him again and saw his beautiful pine green eyes.
He chuckled, the ending sound sticky.
"Who is Beise Dang? It turns out he is the famous second prince. Speaking of which..." He blinked his cat eyes and smiled happily.
"You and I are of the same race."
The second prince frowned and wanted to retort directly, but he paused, as if deliberately suppressing his voice.
"I am a member of the royal family of the Ling Dynasty. How can I be from the same clan as you? I cannot even remember when my mother gave birth to you."
Mo Beise's face froze for a moment.
Wen Yanhe, who was sitting in the audience, paused and couldn't help laughing out loud, with ripples in his eyes.
I have become smarter.
The second prince looked unhappy and disappointed, but he pursed his lips, walked down the platform calmly, and moved to the hunting ground with everyone else.
Qin Zhi lowered his head, and his expression was a little uncomfortable when he passed by Yun Zhihe. He deliberately avoided her gaze and lowered his eyes.
Yun Zhihe was a little confused, not knowing why he was uncomfortable. After thinking about it, he smiled to comfort him.
Everyone arrived at the small hunting ground and stared at the two people there.
Qin Zhi was dressed in a luxurious red embroidered robe, with a black leather waist belt wrapped around his waist, outlining his strong and slender waist and abdomen. He stood on the field, with the hem of his robe hanging in the wind, looking truly awe-inspiring.
The palace maid brought over a few rabbits, and Mo Beise smiled lightly at the second prince.
"Your Highness, let's keep this competition simple. Stand still, and whoever kills the most rabbits will be the winner. Is that ok?"
"……Can."
The palace maid opened the cage, and in an instant, several wild rabbits ran back and forth on the field. They were so fast that people could not see them clearly, and only their gray shadows were left.
Mo Bei raised his eyebrows with interest, picked up the bow and arrow, tilted his head slightly, looked at the hare, drew the bow and shot the arrow, and the muscles on his shoulders trembled.
"call out----"
The arrow flew so fast that it hit the hare's belly in an instant, and blood splattered. The nobles on the platform closed their eyes involuntarily, obviously frightened.
Mo Beise licked the corner of his lips, seeming to be very happy with such a bloody scene. With excitement in his eyes, he turned to look at Qin Zhi.
"Your Highness, Second Prince, why don't you draw your bow?"
He feigned surprise, his voice trembling at the end, "Is Your Highness afraid?"
"That's right... Your Highness was born in the imperial palace. He must have never experienced the joy and freedom of riding a horse, so he lacks the courage."
He seemed to be mocking the half barbarian blood in Qin Zhi.
Qin Zhi did not answer. He looked at the bow and arrow in his hand. His slender and beautiful fingers clenched and released it, with an unbearable dark emotion.
He took a deep breath, calmed the heaving of his chest, exhaled, drew the bow, narrowed his pine green eyes slightly, and aimed at the flying shadow.
"call out----"
In an instant, blood splattered again. The rabbit's head was shot through and it fell limply to the ground.
Mobei's expression paused slightly.
...He really has some skills.
Neither of them was willing to be outdone, and their momentum gradually grew.
But as the number of rabbits decreased, Mo Beise became a little confused. He had used all his strength and was sweating profusely. When he glanced over, he saw Qin Zhi biting his lower lip and his face was pale.
…The hand holding the bow was still shaking.
What are the rules for the prince of Ling Dynasty?
Mo Beise took a quick glance and started observing the hares again. As the number of rabbits decreased one by one, a sharp voice of judgment rang out from the palace servants.
"stop--"
Mo Beise frowned and looked at the pale-faced Second Prince beside him.
He admired him a little, but also felt a little confused.
It's just a competition, why do you look like you're about to cry?
...really delicate.
The two men put down their bows and arrows, and the palace servants began to count them. There were nine arrows with the second prince's red arrows, and seven arrows with the Mobei blue arrows.
Mo Beise knew the result as soon as the competition ended.
They believed in the principle that the strong are respected, so they put aside their arrogance, smiled at the second prince, and spoke softly.
"Your Highness's technique is excellent. Bei Se admires you immensely."
Qin Zhi ignored him and instead looked at the blood-stained bow and arrow in his hand, soaking his fingers that had been practicing embroidery skills. He lowered his eyes, threw the arrow aside, and turned and left.
“Tsk.”
Mo Bei frowned, then smiled again.
So proud.
...same as him.
The court officials' eyes were also filled with relief.
Although the Second Prince had a bad reputation and used to receive memorials impeaching him, he was not the one who was criticizing him for his achievements. But now he had gotten back at the rude barbarian prince.
Moreover, his temper has become much more restrained in the past six months, which is really gratifying.
They were happy and watched Qin Zhi walk out of the venue, and bowed and congratulated him.
"His Highness the Second Prince is still as handsome as ever, and looks as handsome as ever, just as handsome as my wife."
"Yes...you have to see the expression on that barbarian prince's face."
"Your Highness, you are so heroic and high-spirited, just like that heroic lady..."
They talked about this and that at once.
…
They were still complimenting him, but Qin Zhi said nothing, lowered his eyes, pursed his lips, and left quickly.
The other adults were still wondering about the Second Prince's silence, but Yun Zhihe saw a blush of tears at the end of his eyes the moment he left.
Crying?
Yun Zhihe was shocked.
She hesitated for a moment, but still followed him.
Qin Zhi walked into the empty side hall, and Yun Zhihe followed him.
As if he couldn't bear it any longer, he closed the door once he entered the room, leaned his back against it, and slowly slid down, his throat trembling and choking with sobs.
“Woo…”
Qin Zhi buried his head in his knees, bit his lower lip, suppressed his sobs, and choked with tears.
Yun Zhihe heard his suppressed crying outside the door, paused, and knocked on the door gently.
"Your Highness...are you alright?"
The crying from inside the door suddenly stopped, and no more sound was heard.
"…Is Your Highness injured?"
Still no answer.
Qin Zhi's tears flowed down his handsome face, making it wet. He suppressed his tears, and panic filled his heart.
Outside the door is Yun Zhihe.
...is his favorite wife.
He became like this because of her, worried about gains and losses and hating himself.
Yes, I hate myself.
The second prince, who has always been the most willful and capricious, abandoned his red horse and was willing to be a young master in the harem. He used to be flamboyant and willful, but now he hates himself.
His fingers were rough from archery and not as delicate as those of gentlemen and nobles, and he hated it.
His skin was rosy from riding horses, and it didn't have the fair and jade-like complexion of the young men in the capital... He hated it.
He was not good at music, chess, calligraphy or painting. When he was young, he was only half-hearted in learning it. He could only get the hang of it with difficulty. He thought that someone would pamper him like a queen every day.
He didn't know how to embroider or sew, and he envied those men who made beautiful purses, but he himself was clumsy and his fingertips were covered in blood.
He was also praised as being like a woman, arrogant, willful and graceful.
Qin Zhi closed his eyes.
He didn't care about these things in the past. He didn't care about other people's opinions or gossip.
But he was afraid that Yun Zhihe would view his willfulness as others did.
He couldn't help but compare himself to other noble men. Their skin was so fair and tender, their fingers were so slender, their voices were so gentle...
Qin Zhi originally thought that he was mocking those young masters who only knew how to embroider and cry, but he didn't know that those young masters were mocking him for only knowing how to ride horses and shoot arrows, which was so vulgar.
He restrained himself cautiously for half a year, learning the etiquette of a househusband, but for the competition with Mo Beise, he returned to his old ways.
What does he look like now in Yun Zhihe's eyes?
A strong and willful prince? Or a spoiled man with a bloodthirsty and murderous nature?
He had hunted tigers before without batting an eyelid, but now he was frightened by the warm blood of a few rabbits.
...It's just because of the love that brings disaster to people.
After hearing no response from the person inside for a long time, Yun Zhihe hesitated for a moment and continued to knock on the door.
"I don't know what sad things Your Highness has encountered, but... Your Highness still looks good when he smiles."
He laughed wildly and wantonly, showing his teeth.
Qin Zhi paused, then slowly raised his head, revealing his handsome face that was red from crying.
Finally, he couldn't help but speak in a hoarse voice through the door.
"I... am I really pretty?"
Yun Zhihe didn't know why he asked such a question. The Qin royal family was very good-looking. Although the second prince had a bad reputation, his appearance was still top-notch in the capital.
"Of course, Your Highness is graceful, awe-inspiring, and has a stunning appearance."
Qin Zhi pursed his lips, and the last word of his voice trembled.
"My skin...isn't white, and my fingers are rough...does this still look good?"
“……?”
Yun Zhihe was a little stunned.
Is he anxious about his appearance?
"Of course it's beautiful. Your Highness's appearance and grace are both unique in the capital."
"And snow-white skin is not necessary. Your Highness's honey-colored skin complements your appearance even better."
"Your Highness, riding a horse and shooting arrows, has brought glory to the Ling Dynasty today. Your grace is truly admirable."
…
Yun Zhihe tried to keep his voice soft and soothing.
She really didn't know that appearance anxiety could reach such a level that even the arrogant and unruly Second Prince would cry.
The more Qin Zhi listened, the more he wanted to cry. Ever since she left for Longcheng, he began to restrain himself and force himself to be virtuous.
It’s been a long time... I haven’t been sure of myself.
And her voice through the door soothed me again and again, as if with a smile of affirmation.
Qin Zhi was stunned when he heard this. He pursed his lips, tears streaming down his face, and sobbed in a hoarse voice.
He stood up shakily and opened the door.
Eyes are red.
Then she suddenly threw herself into Yun Zhihe's arms, her hair flying, and the embrace became extremely warm in an instant.
Yun Zhihe was stunned, but felt a wetness on his shoulder.
She heard him sob and say, "I, I don't know how..."
"A man like me... arrogant and willful, uh, and living like a woman, how can I make people, uh, happy?"
“…Why do we have to make people happy?”
She was a little confused.
"The Second Prince was previously full of vigor and was the most carefree and cheerful young man in the capital. Why would he hide his own emotions while making others happy?"
Qin Zhi felt her body temperature, his nose tip turned red and he sniffed.
"But, but I, I..."
He wanted to say.
I want to make you happy.
But he didn't dare to say it out loud, he just lowered his eyes and coveted her body temperature.
……like.
He asked, "...Are you happy? Like this?"
The look of being inferior because of love.
Yun Zhihe shook his head.
"Your Highness was already a very good person. There's no need to force yourself."
Qin Zhi was stunned.
...His embarrassment is meaningless.
He should still be the same Qin Zhi, as flamboyant and willful as fire.
This is what his happy wife said.
...He was already a very good person.
Qin Zhi burst into tears.
He cried in her arms for a while, then raised his head, wiped the tears from his face, and hid his embarrassment.
He lowered his head shyly, his face still flushed, not daring to look at her.
"This prince, I understand..."
He saw tear marks on Yun Zhihe's shoulders and avoided her gaze.
Such a miserable appearance is both pitiful and sympathetic.
Seeing that he had adjusted his attitude, Yun Zhihe took a step back, behaved politely, and then spoke.
"Your Highness, I will take my leave now."
"I……"
Qin Zhi wanted to say something, but seeing her turn around, he didn't say anything and just watched her leave.
Ethereal and... untouchable.
Yun Zhihe walked to the door of the palace, and as soon as he went out, he was dazed by a burst of red.
She saw the bright young man in red leaning against the wall, swinging his legs boredly as if he was waiting for someone. When he saw her, he suddenly smiled, revealing his fangs.
As bright as the sun.
"Sister... do you still remember me?"
The young master looked up at her, his eyes sparkling.
This is……
Yun Zhihe recalled what happened a long time ago, that day...a murder case in the downtown area.
He is Su Zheng.
Su Zheng seemed to have been waiting for her for a long time. As soon as they met, his eyes lit up and he looked at her. "Just now, were you having a tryst with the Second Prince?"
……Um?
Thinking this way is indeed misleading.
She started to defend herself, "That's not the case, I..."
Before she could finish, he heard "that's not the case" and laughed happily. Without listening to the subsequent explanation, he took her hand as if in joy, took a jade pendant from his waist, and placed it in Yun Zhihe's palm.
He said.
"I'm getting married."
Her little face was fair and tender, she looked at her intently, and her voice was extremely clear.
"Marry me, okay?"
The author has something to say:
I’ve been feeling a bit down lately and don’t feel like writing.
Oh, dears, don't learn from the Second Prince. He's a typical love-brained person. His low self-esteem is so intense that he's consumed by his inner energy. He's also forced to change his habits and self-esteem. Don't learn from him! If my sister were like this, I'd give her a couple of slaps to wake her up.
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