The emperor had already arrived on the high platform and had invited the empress dowager out today. The only thing that surprised Xiao Li was that the queen had also come. His eyes shifted slightly and he saw Wang Wanqing among a group of palace maids, not surprisingly.
There was no court session today, but all civil and military officials above the fourth rank were present, along with the children of prominent families. All three stands were filled with people, making it a rare spectacle.
Although Xiao Li was reluctant, he still went up to pay his respects.
Because of the life-saving incident, even though the Queen Mother still couldn't like Xiao Li, her attitude was at least not as cold as before.
The emperor was unable to see the undercurrents. He only knew that the empress dowager was satisfied with him as a son, and that Xuanyang, his sister, respected him as a brother the most.
Of course, although he was very tolerant of Xuan Yang, he couldn't be too indulgent towards her.
"You must win first place in the horse race today, or I will not forgive you."
Xiao Li chuckled: "My royal brother is so fierce, it seems that I have to show some real skills."
He turned his eyes to the side, smiled at the queen, and turned away.
Jia Ruo and Lu Ling walked up the stairs side by side and met Xiao Li.
Lu Ling's eyes lit up: "Princess."
Disdain flashed in Jia Ruo's eyes, but she deliberately joked: "Mr. Lu was just talking about the imperial sister. I didn't expect to meet her now. It's really fate."
Xiao Li glanced at her with a half-smile: "Do you think I dare to hit you in front of His Majesty?"
Jia Ruo's smile disappeared instantly. She glared at Xiao Li hatefully and left pretending to be calm.
As we passed each other, his face was distorted and he gritted his teeth in hatred: Just wait, I won’t let you be so rampant for too long.
Lu Ling was reluctant to leave, staring at Xiao Li's arrogant face infatuatedly: "It's been a few days since we last met, and the princess is still as charming as ever."
"I heard that the princess is going to participate in the horse race. I know that she will definitely crush everyone. I wish her a successful start."
It was rare for Xiao Li to stand here and listen to his nonsense. After he finished speaking, he asked him, "Have Lu Ye and Lu Chengzhi arrived?"
Lu Ling's smile faded slightly: "What do you mean, Princess?"
Xiao Li glared at him coldly: "Some people want imperial power, some people want revenge, and now they've all come together. This saves me the trouble of searching for them one by one."
She walked down two steps and looked Lu Ling in the eye. Deep in her calm dark eyes was a turbulent madness.
"I'll play this round with you. You'd better kill me, otherwise I won't let any of the nine members of your Lu family go."
Full of irony and provocation.
Lu Ling's eyes followed her departing figure, tightly gripping the bone flute in his hand as he murmured obsessively, "I can't bear to see you die, but it doesn't matter if you die. You will be my most beloved corpse puppet."
It was a rare occasion for the emperor to visit the Bingmasi, and of course it wasn't just to watch horse racing.
The warm-up program was a military parade, where soldiers in armor practiced sword and gun formations to show the Chirong people the soldiers of Longsheng.
Today we picked the most organized and powerful team in the Bingmasi. Coincidentally, the leader was none other than Deputy General Liu who served as Rong Qing's deputy when Xiao Li selected him.
When Lieutenant General Liu saw Xiao Li, he nodded from a distance and continued to command the soldiers.
"You're finally here."
Mu Yunzhu came over riding a tall horse. Her horse was brown and was also a Ferghana horse.
She was wearing riding clothes, which covered her whole body. Her charm and allure were restrained, and she had the heroic spirit of the children of the grassland.
She dismounted and came in front of Xiao Li, full of fighting spirit: "Your opponent today is me."
Xiao Li retracted his gaze and looked at her: "Oh, really?"
Mu Yunzhu narrowed her beautiful eyes and said angrily, "Could you please stop treating me like this?"
Xiao Li looked at her and said, "Okay, wait until you beat me."
----
After the Longsheng soldiers had practiced, the Chirong soldiers came forward and performed the Chirong army dance, which was passionate, unrestrained and full of power.
However, this dance full of masculine power is not welcomed by people like Long Sheng who advocate Confucianism. They think it is barbaric and terrifying.
After their respective performances, the two sides will compete in archery, horse riding, gladiatorial combat, and finally horse racing.
Rong Qing was waiting at the starting point with Chi Yan. Xiao Li walked over while adjusting his sleeves. He raised his hand to grab the reins and was about to mount the horse, but he saw Rong Qing kneeling on one knee with his neck leaning forward, exposing his entire shoulder and neck.
Xiao Li frowned: "What are you doing?"
Rong Qing lowered his head and said, "Rong Qing is willing to be the cornerstone for the princess and escort her to her horse."
It’s not that Xiao Li doesn’t know how to ride a horse, so why does he need to step on someone’s shoulders to ride up?
"stand up."
Rong Qing looked up at her with a firm gaze, "Princess, feel free to step on it."
Mu Yunzhu had already mounted her horse. She looked over here with a charming smile, "Princess Xuanyang, he is declaring his loyalty to you."
Xiao Li grabbed the reins and now he only needed to flip over to get on the horse.
She hesitated for a moment, then raised her foot and placed it on Rong Qing's shoulder. She only exerted a little force, but Rong Qing used his tall body and strong arms to lift her up steadily.
After Xiao Li sat firmly, Rong Qing helped her adjust the reins and finally handed the whip to her.
The tall figure looked up at her, his eyes firmer than his features. "I have said that I am willing to serve the princess as her vanguard, even until my death. Until now, I have never wavered for a moment."
Xiao Li looked down at him, suddenly laughed, raised his hand and clenched his fist to knock on his shoulder: "I understand, my general."
I don’t know what Mu Yunzhu is like. She insists on getting close to Xiao Li and even wants to sit next to her during the competition.
"Who was that just now? He was tall and mighty, he didn't look like someone from your Longsheng. The way he looked at you, he must be terribly in love with you."
Xiao Li glanced at her sideways. She was a princess, but she was so noisy.
Chi Rong and Long Sheng each sent out five people, a total of ten riders. In addition to the two princesses Mu Yunzhu and Xiao Li, Chi Rong had four soldiers escorting the delegation, and Long Sheng also had carefully selected generals.
At the sound of a gong, all the horses rushed out.
During horse racing, the horse is the key. Whether the person on the horse has high martial arts skills does not have much impact on the situation.
The horses of Chirong are generally strong and have great explosive power.
Long Sheng's men fell behind from the beginning, and only Xiao Li's Chi Yan could keep up with them.
The horse racing route is divided into five sections: the starting section, the bush section, the woods section, the return section, and a lap around the field.
It means going around half of the hill opposite you, coming back and going around again, and the final sprint decides the outcome.
At first everyone was just competing for ranking, but once they entered the woods, the trees blocked their view, and the soldiers of Long Sheng and Chi Rong immediately started fighting, and soon two of them were kicked out.
Xiao Li and Mu Yunzhu took advantage and rushed to the front.
Originally, Xiao Li was a little ahead, and Mu Yunzhu was trying her best to overtake her. At this moment, Xiao Li suddenly reined in her horse. Mu Yunzhu rushed out half a body length before she saw a trip rope with thorns suddenly erected in front of her.
"Whoa!"
Both of them pulled the reins hard, and the horse's front feet flew into the air and spun half a circle before it barely avoided the attack.
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