The Third Prince took a deep breath. Although he was unwilling to admit it, he had indeed failed to surpass this poem. He swallowed back the sarcastic remarks he had prepared, feeling incredibly uncomfortable.
In this situation, if he chose to write a poem, he would only humiliate himself. To avoid losing face, he decided to admit defeat. Although that was also humiliating, it was better than writing a poem and having everyone know that his literary talent was inferior to Li Zhu's...
At least he could later argue that he didn't want to stoop to Li Zhu's level, thus salvaging some of his dignity...
Thinking of this, the Third Prince cupped his hands to the Emperor and said...
"Father, I admit defeat..."
"Third brother, we are brothers, and everyone knows that my third brother is very talented in literature. Today, in order to highlight that I, as the eldest brother, am more outstanding, he would rather admit defeat than embarrass me. So, my younger brother is truly outstanding!"
Father, I'll have to suffer a slight disadvantage; let's call this a draw...
Li Zhu spoke with such grandeur and authority that everyone couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, while secretly adding, "You're a real bastard..."
Killing someone is like destroying their spirit...
Who can't see that you won? Why do you have to put on this act of brotherly love and respect? You just tricked the Second Prince, making him accept a draw in an extremely humiliating way, and now you're using this almost humiliating way to make the Third Prince accept a victory. Is this something a human being would do?
The entire court was silent; even breathing became faint. The gazes directed at Li Zhu were filled with complex emotions, making everyone feel as if today had become Li Zhu's domain…
Only then did everyone recall Yelü Ti and Tian Can's words and suddenly feel that something was wrong, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it!
"Hmm, my son is truly kind. Let's call this a draw..."
The emperor reluctantly announced this result, but at least it was an outcome that everyone could accept!
"Third brother, no need to thank me..."
The Third Prince had intended to turn and leave, but upon hearing Li Zhu's words, he had no choice but to turn back and speak to Li Zhu.
"Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty..."
Although he felt disgusted, he had no choice but to say thank you against his will. It was really tough for a cunning guy like the Third Prince. He had originally planned to crush Li Zhu, but now he was the one being crushed. How could he possibly swallow this insult?
"Third brother, you're too kind. I should thank you for showing mercy. I'm also fortunate to have two good brothers who know to hold back, otherwise I would have lost face in front of foreign envoys. As the crown prince, if I had lost face, it would have been a disgrace to the entire new Tang imperial family..."
Now, my two envoys should understand the excellence of the young talents of my New Tang Dynasty, right? If it weren't for the mercy shown by my two brothers, I, the Crown Prince, would be nothing more than a supporting character…”
These words were a response to Grand Tutor Jiang's disdain, and also a declaration to everyone that Li Zhu was the most outstanding prince...
Li Zhu's witty remark left everyone with a fascinating array of expressions, even the Liao and Baiyue envoys who had come specifically for Li Zhu were filled with disbelief...
However, the most upset are the second and third princes. They can't even refute him now, and they have to endure the secondary damage caused by Li Zhu's witty remarks. Their mentality is about to collapse!
Before they could recover from their shock, Li Zhu grinned, looking at them with ill intent…
This gave them a bad feeling; they suddenly realized that Li Zhu hadn't even set the questions yet…
"Everyone has witnessed the excellence of your two younger brothers, and as their older brother, I truly admire them. I'll just ask a simple question to help them win this third match..."
really!
The two men clutched their chests, feeling that Li Zhu had gone too far. They had already won, but he insisted on pushing them to the brink of defeat. Even if the third match wasn't held, everyone present had already acknowledged that Li Zhu was superior. But he insisted on a third match; it was clearly an attempt to utterly destroy them, to utterly humiliate the Second and Third Princes…
"Big brother, you've gone too far..."
The second prince gritted his teeth and said, his eyes practically stabbing Li Zhu with murderous intent. It was a reaction of extreme grievance: gold, dancers, concubines…
Now even his physical strength is being completely crushed, but this nightmare isn't over yet. The other party still wants to continue to tormenting him. He really wants to say to Li Zhu, "A dog is definitely not a human, but you really are a dog..."
The Third Prince's heart wasn't much better than the Second Prince's. This was already the umpteenth time today that he had wanted to kill Li Zhu. There's a limit to bullying people; Li Zhu was clearly trying to wipe them out...
"Father, now that we've come this far, how about I set a question to liven things up for everyone?"
Li Zhu spoke casually, but who among those standing here wasn't a cunning old fox? Could they be so easily fooled? However, there were foreign envoys present, and the competition had indeed started with three rounds. If it ended so abruptly, it would truly be unreasonable…
"Alright, it's best for brothers to keep things peaceful..."
The Emperor instructed that he was worried Li Zhu might embarrass the Second and Third Princes, and this was a way of giving them a heads-up…
"Since Father agrees, I'll just ask a question casually. It's actually very simple. I just want my two younger brothers to tell me, which came first, the chicken or the egg?"
Upon hearing the question, the two breathed a sigh of relief. They had thought it was something extraordinary, but it turned out to be such a simple question!
The second prince even casually remarked, "Of course, it's the chickens we already have; otherwise, where would we get the eggs?"
The third prince countered, "No, the egg must have come first, because the chicken hatches from the egg-laying hen..."
"No, the chicken came first..."
"No, the egg came first..."
The two of them started arguing back and forth, completely forgetting that they were in the imperial court and that they were still in the middle of a competition...
By this time, the court officials had realized that the two princes were blinded by their own involvement, which was why they were arguing so endlessly. They found that no matter how they answered the question, something seemed off...
Some people even began to whisper among themselves, discussing the answer to the question. Once the discussion started, everyone held their own opinion, and it quickly descended into arguments. In just a few moments, the court resembled a bustling marketplace, filled with noise…
Those who say the chicken came first feel they are right, while those who say the egg came first also have their reasons…
Even the Emperor was pondering this question; every answer seemed reasonable, yet none of them quite fit…
"Big brother, tell third brother I'm right, the chicken definitely came first..."
"No, the egg came first..."
The two men pulled Li Zhu, trying to get him to say that their answer was correct, but Li Zhu just smiled and remained silent…
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