CHAPTER 600: CHAPTER 498: LET YOUR GRANDPA GO UP

After two rounds of competition, it was already noon.

The civil and military officials, having endured a morning full of thrills and excitement, were drenched in sweat and parched-throated.

Emperor Liang graciously allowed everyone a brief respite, instructing that the horseback archery trial would resume after an hour.

During this break, the Empress had the Imperial Kitchen send tea, snacks, fruits, and food; the officials all praised her virtuous benevolence.

In the pavilion of Prince Jin, Prince Jin, Prince Rui, King Qi, and Lu Qi were eating the lunch laid on the table. Beyond the Empress’s offerings, there were also restorative soups and dishes sent by Consort Hu through her attendants.

However, none of them had much of an appetite at this moment.

King Qi said, "Big Brother, Third Brother, I think there’s no reason for you to fret. Lu Linyuan is just full of some minor tricks. When it comes to actual strength, he’s helpless."

Prince Rui shot him a glare. "You really think he can’t draw a three-stone bow?"

King Qi was nonchalant: "So what if he can? Even Qi’er can draw one. At most, it’s a tie. Besides, don’t we have our contingency plans?"

Lu Qi frowned slightly. "Fourth Uncle, I can win on my own. I don’t need you playing any tricks in secret."

Prince Rui patted Lu Qi on the shoulder. "It was him who resorted to trickery first. Using the method of bloodletting to provoke a wild horse into a frenzied state is already against the rules."

King Qi immediately added, "Exactly, Qi’er. You want to be an upright gentleman, but you can’t prevent others from resorting to all means."

Lu Qi hesitated and said, "But the Minister of Agriculture said he was just removing ticks from the horse."

King Qi scoffed, "Don’t listen to that old fool. He and Minister Meng have long been bribed by the Crown Prince Mansion. If you believe them, you’ll fall into their trap."

Prince Rui said, "And that white horse wasn’t even a wild horse prepared by the stables. Who knows how it got mixed in? Who can guarantee it wasn’t secretly arranged by the Crown Prince Mansion ahead of time? The people of Miaojiang are skilled in Gu techniques. Other than Gu, I can’t think of any method that could make a wild horse unafraid of the king of horses."

Prince Rui’s words struck a chord in Lu Qi’s heart.

He was more willing to believe Lu Yuan was up to something rather than admit Lu Yuan truly had the skill.

What he always wanted was a fair competition. But if Lu Yuan had broken the rules first, then he didn’t need to swallow the humiliation passively all the time.

Seeing his expression soften, Prince Rui secretly breathed a sigh of relief, chuckled, and said, "Don’t worry. If he doesn’t play dirty in the next round, we won’t do anything to him. On the contrary, if he remains stubborn, we’ll make him pay dearly."

Lu Qi nodded. "Hmm."

"Second Brother, what do you think they’re whispering about?"

In the Crown Prince Mansion’s pavilion, Prince Ming shot several glances at Prince Jin’s group.

Lu Zhaoyan picked up some greens with his chopsticks. "Eat your food."

Prince Ming protested, "I don’t eat greens!"

Lu Zhaoyan ignored him.

Prince Ming decisively transferred the greens to Prince Fu. "You eat them."

Duke Jiang also dumped the greens from his bowl into Prince Fu’s and transferred the meat from Prince Fu’s bowl into his own.

Prince Fu: "..."

Lu Yuan wasn’t in the pavilion; after losing the second trial, he had gone to the stables alone.

Zhang Qufeng mocked him for being unable to accept the loss, sulking about not being able to draw a bow. Compared to the calm and composed Commandery Prince, he seemed completely lacking in grace.

Prince Ming sneered coldly. "Oh, really? Who can compare to him? Losing so often, his skin must have grown thicker."

King Qi slammed the table. "Who are you calling thick-skinned?"

Prince Ming chuckled. "Don’t you know who I’m talking about? Why the fuss?"

King Qi rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight.

"Hey—stop, stop!"

Duke Jiang scrambled to mediate and swiftly removed the braised pork and fish from the table. "Alright, now you can fight."

King Qi: "..."

Prince Rui dragged King Qi back to Prince Jin’s pavilion, and King Qi sat down, cursing under his breath.

Lu Qi put down his bowl and chopsticks. "Father, I’m full. I’ll go feed the horses."

Prince Jin said, "Don’t wear yourself out."

"Understood."

Lu Qi stood up, bowed as a junior, and turned to head to the stables.

The horses they were to use next were the wild ones tamed just this morning. However, being wild, they hadn’t undergone intense training, so they couldn’t match the warhorses from the mansion in coordination.

He wanted to use this time to practice more with the horses.

As he approached the stables, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.

He let out a surprised "huh," quickened his steps, and called out, "Mother? Why are you here? And why did you change clothes?"

The person turned around, giving him a strange look. "Who are you?"

Lu Qi froze.

It wasn’t his mother.

But... their demeanor and figure bore some resemblance.

"Mother."

Lu Yuan walked over.

"Son!"

Liu Qingyun’s eyes lit up, displaying a clear and youthful excitement like a young girl. "I knew you’d be here!"

Son...

Lu Qi looked from Lu Yuan to Liu Qingyun and realized who she was.

But why did she resemble his mother so much?

Not in appearance, but more in what seemed to be deliberate mimicry.

Lu Yuan stood next to Liu Qingyun and glanced coolly at Lu Qi. "Hey, why are you staring at my mother? Go find your own."

Liu Qingyun chimed in, "Exactly!"

Then, she grabbed Lu Yuan’s arm playfully and said, "Son, he called me ’Mother,’ but I didn’t respond."

Lu Yuan sneered coldly. "Did a horse kick your brain, or did drawing a bow damage it? Who told you to randomly call someone ’Mother’ in broad daylight?"

Liu Qingyun: "Exactly!"

Feeling awkward, Lu Qi said stoically, "It was a momentary mistake."

Liu Qingyun turned to Lu Yuan. "Son, I’d never mistake you!"

Lu Qi felt a lump rise in his throat.

Like mother, like son—what an eccentric pair!

He strode away with a cold face.

Liu Qingyun pulled Lu Yuan aside, scanning him up and down. "Son, are you hurt anywhere?"

"No."

Lu Yuan replied.

Liu Qingyun frowned. "The Empress positioned your pavilion so far away, I couldn’t see anything. All I could hear was pig-slaughtering screams from over your way."

Lu Yuan’s mouth twitched. It seemed Duke Jiang’s pig-like screams had already reached the women’s quarters?

He said, "The archery field isn’t far from where you are; you should be able to see it shortly."

Liu Qingyun relaxed. "That’s more like it! By the way, son, was that just now Prince Jin’s son?"

Lu Yuan said, "It was."

Liu Qingyun added, "No wonder he’s so detestable. The Empress was saying you lost a round? Did they cheat?"

"No."

Lu Yuan replied with an unchanging expression.

Liu Qingyun asked suspiciously, "Really no cheating?"

Lu Yuan said, "I wouldn’t lie to you. Truly no cheating."

He had no intention of involving his mother in his rivalry with Lu Qi.

It wasn’t because he feared she’d escalate things in a way that’d be hard to control afterward. Certainly not.

Liu Qingyun elongated her tone. "Realllly no cheating?"

Lu Yuan said, "Don’t you know who your son is?"

"True." Liu Qingyun beamed with pride, brushing the dust off Lu Yuan’s garments. "Son, losing doesn’t matter. Worst case, I’ll have your grandfather kill him, and the position of the Qilin will still be yours."

Lu Qi, just emerging from the stables with a black horse in tow: "..."