However, even this half of her heart was already at ease.
Li Qingchen took the sword from A Wuge, who was offering it with a strange smile, examined it carefully, uttered a few words of praise, and then returned the sword to A Wuge.
Awuge looked at Li Qingchen with great confusion: "Didn't you just say you wanted to test your sword?"
He heard Li Qingchen address the Emperor of Daye as "Father Emperor," so he spoke to him quite politely at this moment.
Li Qingchen smiled and said, "When testing swordsmanship, you always need someone to spar with."
Awuge understood; the other party wanted to duel him with swords. Just as Li Qingchen had said before, Ziyi Kingdom valued martial arts, and almost everyone had a good foundation in martial arts. Swordsmanship was his forte, and even if he wasn't the best in Ziyi Kingdom, he was definitely in the top three. Therefore, Awuge did not back down when he heard the proposal.
After glancing at the other man's unarmed state, he asked, "What weapon will you be using, sir?"
Li Qingchen's lips still held a faint, arrogant smile: "Today is the birthday of the Emperor of Daye. As a citizen of Daye, it would be somewhat disrespectful for me to use a sword. Perhaps..."
After a slight pause, Li Qingchen turned around and suddenly walked towards Wei Shuwan, smiling gently at him: "May I borrow the jade chopsticks in your hand?"
Wei Shuwan was startled, then her hand reacted before her brain, reaching out her hand. Li Qingchen took the jade chopsticks from her hand and turned back to the Emperor.
Awuge stared in disbelief at the pair of chopsticks in his hand, instinctively feeling it was a great humiliation. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and said, "You've gone too far!"
Li Qingchen showed no remorse whatsoever, and asked calmly, "The Crown Prince wields a sword, and I wield jade chopsticks. How does that mean I'm bullying you? If the Crown Prince is dissatisfied, he can turn the tables on you."
As he spoke, he handed the jade chopsticks in his hand forward.
Awuge hesitated for a few moments, but ultimately did not accept the challenge. He didn't know much about the prince of the Great Ye Dynasty, but judging from the other party's composed demeanor, he must be a master. In this battle, he could only win, not lose, even if it was an unsportsmanlike victory, it was still better than becoming a defeated general.
Therefore, Awuge did not respond to Li Qingchen's question, but instead asked, "What strategy do you intend to employ?"
Since it's a martial arts competition, there has to be a prize. Li Qingchen said with a smile, "Today's competition is just for making friends. We'll stop when we've made our point. If I'm lucky enough to win by a move or two, the Crown Prince will only have to drink three cups of wine as a penalty."
This was only half a sentence, but after waiting for a while, Awuge realized that the other party had no intention of continuing. So, this person was certain that he would win and had not considered the possibility of losing.
Awuge frowned and said angrily, "What if you lose!"
“If I lose…” Li Qingchen pondered for a moment, then turned to the person on the jade steps and asked, “Father, just now I heard the eldest prince seem to have a request to make.”
Emperor Pingjia laughed and said, "Very well, if my adopted son loses, then as long as the Crown Prince's request does not violate common sense and justice, and is not harmful to the interests of my Great Ye, I will grant the Crown Prince's request!"
These words were enough to embolden Awuge. Moreover, upon learning that the other party was merely an "adopted son" of the Emperor of Daye, Awuge became even more determined to teach the other party a lesson. He immediately drew his sword and assumed a fighting stance: "Sir, please!"
Compared to Awuge's affected manner, Li Qingchen stood calmly and composedly before the palace. Although his weapon was at a disadvantage, he was not in a hurry to strike first, but waited for his opponent to make a move before countering it.
Enraged by Li Qingchen's overconfident demeanor, Awuge roared, "I'll give you three moves!"
Li Qingchen, however, was unmoved, merely gesturing for the other to make the first move. This time, Awuge didn't hesitate, treating it as if he'd encountered someone suicidal, and forcefully attacked with his sword!
Li Qingchen only shifted his steps slightly when the person rushed in front of him, his body avoiding the sword's edge, his movements as graceful as if he were dancing.
A Wuge's all-out thrust failed, so he immediately spun around and attacked Li Qingchen with all his might again. However, this time Li Qingchen did a somersault in mid-air, causing A Wuge, who was rushing towards him, to miss again!
Awuge launched two attacks in a row, but failed to score. His opponent's attitude was extremely dismissive, as if he were being toyed with by a child. This severely damaged Awuge's self-esteem.
The military officers present were experts, and they could see the difference in strength between the two sides after just two exchanges, so they couldn't help but chuckle to themselves.
The civil officials who had previously retreated to the rear out of fear of Awuge regained their confidence as a great power due to Awuge's repeated embarrassments and returned to their seats. They drank to calm their nerves while watching the battle, secretly cheering for the young King Qiaochuan.
Meanwhile, Emperor Pingjia, perched atop the jade platform, was in a very good mood. Awuge's previous actions had truly embarrassed him, the emperor of Daye. He was furious, but he couldn't retaliate because of Awuge's repeated claims of sincerity in making peace.
Now things are better; Li Qingchen stepped in to avenge him and dampened Awuge's arrogance. When it comes to subtle cunning, Awuge is far inferior to Li Qingchen.
Eunuch Cao was adept at reading the emperor's mood. Seeing that the emperor was in high spirits and that all the officials had returned to their seats, he signaled to the palace musicians, whose performance had been interrupted by an accident, to continue playing.
Li Qingchen would sometimes lightly touch the ground with his toes, flying over Awuge's head; at other times, he would directly block the opponent's attacks, trapping the weapon known as the strongest in Ziyi Kingdom between a pair of jade chopsticks...
The fight in the hall was lively, accompanied by rousing music. In fact, anyone with discerning eyes could see that if he only wanted to win, Li Qingchen would have won long ago. But his intention was not to defeat Awuge at all. Like a cat that had taken a playful whim, he only regarded the mouse as a toy for amusement.
As the stirring battle song ended, Li Qingchen landed precisely on time, placing a pair of jade chopsticks against A Wuge's neck, forcing the latter to kneel on the ground.
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