The Four-Nation Court Meeting, which has been planned for so long, will have many things to do, including the so-called civil and martial arts competitions, as well as various exchanges and performances. Not to mention the palace, the people have also been very lively in recent days. Many caravans have come here on the east wind and set up stalls in the market, selling all kinds of exotic things.
Fu Zhiyu was listening to a storyteller telling a new story in a restaurant today. When he got tired, he didn't let the erhu player take his place this time. Instead, two girls came on stage. They were wearing western costumes, with their faces covered by veils. They looked very charming and began to dance to the sound of drums.
In front of him was a plate of freshly bought candies, soft candies that tasted like fruit and were sticky to the teeth. He bought them just to try something new, but they were a little too sweet, so he stopped eating after a few bites.
Fu Zhiyu turned down all other invitations, big or small. However, King Xidan came to Prince Zhao's mansion in person to ask for an audience after the banquet that evening. Fu Zhiyu pretended to be unwell and turned him down, but he came for two days. On the third day, he had two black eyes on his face. King Xidan said he hit them himself, but it looked like he was beaten by someone.
But King Xidan didn't seem to be in a bad mood. He was cheerful even with two black eyes, and seemed to be in a very friendly mood.
But no one really thought that he was a friendly person. A few days later, the martial arts test was to compete in archery skills of shooting an arrow through a target from a hundred paces away. Although it was held in the name of friendly competition, on such occasions, the best people from various countries participated, and they were secretly gearing up. Ji Lin sent out several generals, and even the Crown Prince's Fu Lingxiao went up.
Fu Lingxiao learned archery from General Lin since he was a child, and it was no mere show. Apart from the all-round Xie Ke, there were few better archers in the army. He also performed well in the competition, firing three arrows at the same time, and every arrow hit the bull's eye. If it weren't for the accident with King Xidan, he should have been the number one in archery.
King Xidan also shot three arrows at once, all of which hit the bull's eye. The result seemed not much better than Fu Lingxiao's, but there was only one difference: he was blindfolded when shooting.
After this, the winner was immediately clear.
The barbarians were originally a race on horseback, and archery was their specialty. Fu Lingxiao was originally full of pride, but after this incident, his face turned black.
But apart from archery, Du Fulin still had the advantage in other aspects, and after a few days, he lost less and won more.
In the literary examination, Ji Lin also made a lot of noise. Shen Yang, needless to say, was an all-rounder who could do everything. More importantly, his aura as the Minister of Justice was so overwhelming that he could dominate the group of scholars. In the arena, others had already lost before they even spoke, so they could not compare to him.
Fu Yanran and Fu Yanxi, who were carefully cultivated by Emperor Qingyuan, also took the stage one by one. Fu Yanxi's deceased grandfather, the Grand Secretary, was famous for his cursive script. Fu Yanxi learned it since he was a child and already had some style. At a young age, he also took the lead in the "character" competition. Moreover, this child reads a lot of books and is an absolute bookworm. He is good at quoting classics and his performance in the Tao field is also good.
Although Fu Yanran did not receive such systematic training since childhood like him, his training direction was a bit like Shen Yang, dabbling in everything. It seemed that his performance in every competition he participated in was not outstanding, but could only be considered above average. However, he appeared in seven or eight literary and martial arts tests in total, and did not attract other people's attention. However, people who were interested in his experience knew that it was not easy for him to achieve this level in such a short period of time, completely from scratch.
If he is given more time, it is not impossible for him to surpass the previous prince.
Fu Rongye played chess well, winning by a narrow margin and taking first place. Even Fu Rongli had his own achievements, as he tried to unlock the Nine-aperture Linglong Lock sent by the ancient country in the Western Regions.
As Jilin is the home team, all aspects are naturally well prepared. With such results now, Emperor Qingyuan is getting happier and happier.
Several of these competitions were really fun, and some were even open to spectators, claiming that they were for the public to have fun together. It was lively and exciting, and discussions about this matter were rife among the public.
King Xidan also likes to walk around the city recently. Many people have already known him. Some are curious and some are afraid. After observing for several days, he has already figured out some of the things he wanted to know, but there is only one person who is beyond his expectations.
—King Zhao’s Fu Zhiyu.
King Xidan was a little absent-minded when it came to the written test. Firstly, he didn't understand it, and secondly, the Central Plains had a long history of culture, and they had always been unable to compete with them in matters such as music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Anyway, there was no suspense.
But he could also see that the civil officials who came on stage were talented and knowledgeable, and Ji Lin's several princes were also good, but after strolling around the market for a few times, he heard different voices.
"If King Zhao were here, it would definitely be much more glorious than this."
"Few of these people can compare to the amazing talent that King Zhao had back then."
"Alas, God is jealous of talented people..."
King Xidan originally thought that Fu Zhiyu was just a beautiful woman of noble birth. If there was anything special about her, it was probably just that she was very pretty. No wonder, the person Xie Ke liked was not just for her appearance.
But no one expected that this person not only had a great background, but also had many stories. He seemed to be the white moonlight in the hearts of all the scholars in Jilin.
After asking about the various things that happened to Fu Zhiyu, he could be thickened with his interest, especially if he had not passed a few times, he didn't even see Fu Zhiyu's face. He turned around and was stunned by Xie Ke. He clearly said that Zhao's palace was like a cloud, and he had a beautiful boy from an early age.
Perhaps because it is because a bystander sees more clearly, King Xidan did not think that Fu Zhiyu was really stupid. This man has clear eyes and should be the kind of person who knows exactly what he wants.
He also knew that Prince Zhao Fu Zhiyu was old enough, and Emperor Qingyuan wanted to use this gathering to find a suitable princess for him.
King Xidan brought his own sister with him. He still had some sibling affection and did not let his sister do anything to offend Xie Ke. However, Emperor Qingyuan was most interested in the eldest daughter of the King of Jing State, who was fifteen years old, pretty and a nice person.
Jing Kingdom will be in Jilin's pocket sooner or later. Fu Zhiyu has no chance of becoming emperor, so it's nothing for him to marry a princess from a foreign tribe as his principal wife. It will just bring them closer together.
Fu Zhiyu also knew what the emperor was thinking. He was arranged by Emperor Qingyuan to meet the girl reluctantly. The girl was a good girl, but she was a little obsessed with looks. After meeting him, no matter how absent-minded Fu Zhiyu deliberately acted in front of her, and regardless of how bad King Zhao's reputation was outside, she turned around and told the King of Jing that she agreed to the marriage.
Fu Zhiyu: "…Think twice, Princess."
The King of Jing was unwilling to do so. After the Battle of Qianyuan, he was determined to be attached. He could tell at a glance that Fu Zhiyu was favored by the emperor. Although it was unlikely that she would inherit the throne, she was already the best choice. It just so happened that his daughter also liked her, so it was a natural thing.
Fu Zhiyu felt a bit of a headache, they were talking to themselves and easily decided the matter. Fortunately, Emperor Qing Yuan had some sense and did not issue an order immediately. Anyway, there was still time for the four-nation court meeting, and they could observe whether it was appropriate or not.
But he began to do everything he could to find opportunities for the two of them to get along. Fu Zhiyu tried to escape several times, but was unable to get away completely.
The princess's name is Lin Miaotang. She is the legitimate daughter of the Queen of Jing Kingdom. She has been favored since childhood and is really a good girl. She does not mind Fu Zhiyu's deliberate coldness towards her, but just treats him well out of her own will.
Fu Zhiyu couldn't bear to hurt her. She always reminded him of Qiu Rong and the passionate self he was in his previous life.
When Xie Ke climbed over the wall to enter the palace, he also received a warning from Fu Zhiyu: "Don't hurt her. She is an innocent person. No matter directly or indirectly, you are not allowed to do so."
"Okay," Xie Ke smiled, his heart was sour, but his face was still full of tenderness, and he agreed immediately, "Don't worry, you've already asked, why would I go against you?"
Fu Zhiyu looked at him suspiciously for a long time and never spoke to him again.
Xie Ke had had enough of it, and when he went back he saw Yuan Ming Dao again.
"Zhi Yu is going to marry a princess, aren't you anxious?" Xie Ke asked as he moved sideways to block the knife that was coming at him.
"Why should I be anxious? Only a selfish person like you would care about this," Yuan Mingdao quickly put the knife back and sneered, "I can do whatever the master wants, as long as he is happy.
Besides, the target is not you. In my previous life, I persuaded him to take a concubine. I just hope he won't feel pain because of you. A princess is at least ten thousand times better than a psychopath like you."
Xie Ke sighed and said nothing more. He took a step back, not wanting to fight with Yuan Mingdao anymore. He quickly returned to the general's mansion across the street. It was already late, and someone was waiting for him in the mansion.
Shen Yang saw him come in, narrowed his eyes, and said: "Why are you going to disturb Zhiyu across the street again?"
"You are jealous," Xie Ke glanced at him, "If you can't get in, I'm afraid you won't be much better than me, right? Don't worry, I won't let you in."
Shen Yang did not comment. He now brought his own tea leaves when he went to Zhenyuan General's Mansion. After all, Xie Ke would only give him tea leaves and tea dregs.
"We need to speed up as well," he took a sip of tea slowly and began to explain why he came this time, "The daughter of the King of Jing, he really thought of coming out."
Shen Yang seemed to be very dissatisfied with this marriage. After a while, he frowned and complained, "Even if Zhiyu didn't get married in his previous life, who did he choose at that time? If it hadn't happened, who could compete with him for the position of emperor now? Jingguo is a small country, and it's considered a honor for the princess there to be a concubine, how can she be a wife? Is Fu Qingyan crazy? Is there anyone who treats his own son like this?"
Shen Yang is different from Yuan Mingdao. He lived to be over sixty years old in his previous life and was an old man at heart. He no longer had the youthful mind of Yuan Mingdao. His guilt towards Fu Zhiyu gradually turned into another kind of emotion after his rebirth.
Although this analogy is not quite appropriate, it is probably like an old father who dotes on his son and feels that no one is worthy of his outstanding child.