Fulu held his head high, his eyes sparkling, and the youthful vigor that only belongs to a child swept the entire hall. Not only was the empress dowager surprised, but even the grand empress dowager, an old and experienced woman, was stunned for a long time.
When the Queen Mother asked this question, she had no intention of comparing anyone. She just liked Fulu and wanted to tease the child. However, Fulu was not humble at all. He was very open and frank, with a little pride on his chubby face. Not only did he not make people feel disgusted, but people wanted to hold him in their arms, rub him and kiss him.
Yunxiu was also touched by the cuteness!
Just now, before she could stop him, Fulu quickly took over the Queen Mother's words and answered decisively, leaving no way out for herself.
Yun Xiu was both angry and amused. She was angry that he talked too fast. She was just about to pinch his little hand to give him a hint, but now it was too late to say anything.
But she was protecting her own nephew herself, and since Fulu had agreed, how could she ruin her own family's plan
Children of this age are ignorant of the ways of the world and are naive. Even if the Empress Dowager blames them, they can get away with it by saying that they are young and ignorant.
If the eldest prince were to argue with Fulu over this, he would be narrow-minded. If he couldn't even tolerate a five-year-old child, how could the emperor trust him with the task
In just a few moments, Yun Xiu sorted out his chaotic thoughts, smiled slightly, and bowed: "Please forgive me, ancestor, please forgive me, Queen Mother! Fulu has always been a little bully, he is used to being arrogant, and the words of a child cannot be taken seriously."
After that, she turned to Concubine Hui, raised her eyebrows and said, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Sister Hui."
Concubine Hui never expected that Fulu would be so bold. It was not enough for him to speak so outrageously in private, he was also so presumptuous in the Cining Palace!
Concubine Hui was speechless for a moment in shock, and her anger rose steadily. She gave her son a calming look, and showed Yunxiu a fake smile. Just as she was about to speak, the young boy standing behind the eldest prince couldn't hold back first.
There were three young masters from the Nara clan. The oldest one pulled his younger brother and shook his head, but still failed to stop it.
"My cousin has been taught by the emperor since he was young, and his physique is incomparable to that of ordinary people. If he were to compete, he would definitely win the title of martial arts champion..." Quinn is eight years old this year, tall and strong, comparable to a ten-year-old. At this moment, he looked at Fulu with an unconvinced face, "Especially in riding and shooting, even His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can't compare to you. Even if you grow up to be twenty years old, you will not be a match for my cousin!"
His eyes were filled with disdain, and clearly engraved with six big words:
Just relying on this ball of yours
Fulu gradually opened his eyes and became a little angry.
"If you care about age, what kind of hero are you!" He snorted coldly, hesitated for a while, and reluctantly let go of Yun Xiu's hand. In order to add momentum, Fulu put his hands on his waist, which made his round body even rounder: "You don't have the final say, I can do it if I say so."
Now, the originally tense atmosphere has turned into a quarrel between children. One is eight years old, the other is five years old, and the two sides are bickering back and forth, neither of them is willing to admit defeat. As the argument goes on, the face of the eldest prince, who is at the center of the topic, gradually darkens.
Yun Xiu covered her mouth and watched with a smile; Concubine Hui had a hint of sarcasm on her lips and said lightly: "Quinn, be careful in front of the ancestor-"
The Grand Empress Dowager sighed and waved her hand with a smile, stopping Concubine Hui from scolding her: "I haven't seen such fun for many years. They are all good children. How can bickering hurt the harmony during the New Year? Let them be."
It seems that the old lady, like the empress dowager, likes Fulu very much. Perhaps she has never seen a little kid like him before, and coupled with his status as Yinqi's study companion, she tends to be partial to him the more she sees him.
Are they all good kids
Concubine Hui sneered in her heart and stopped talking immediately.
The older the Empress Dowager gets, the softer her heart becomes. In the past, if such disrespectful words were spoken to the prince, not only Fulu but also Concubine Yi would have to suffer severe consequences. But now, they can just let it go with a slight quarrel!
Recalling the arrangements that had been prepared long ago, Concubine Hui was unhappy for only a moment before her expression softened.
On the other side, the dispute between Fulu and Quinn continued. The young boy who looked the most stable, Quinn's brother, Kuimi, stepped forward and said to Fulu in a gentle voice, "Quinn is young and not very sensible. He also admires you very much. He heard that you are very brave, but he has never seen it in real life. Naturally, he is a little dissatisfied. As his brother, I apologize for him."
Kuimi's words were polite, and it was obvious that he had been educated in a school. There was a hint of apology in his words, but Yunxiu could hear a hint of amusement and contempt.
It seems to be an excuse for Fulu, but in fact it is aggressive, emphasizing that Fulu's bravery is just lip service and will never convince the public...
Why, you have to use tricks to deal with a five-year-old child
Yun Xiu's eyes became sharp, and her smile faded. She only heard Quinn mutter something with a dark face, and then said loudly: "Fulu, do you dare to compete with me?"
"Comparing what?" Fulu quickly took over the conversation, wrinkled his nose and nodded at him, "You are so shameless to bully the weak!"
"You, you..." Quinn's face flushed red, and he stuttered for a long time before saying, "Let's go to the martial arts arena, and you have the final say in what we compete in. As long as you beat me in one of the items, I will immediately apologize to you!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the Queen Mother immediately felt that something was wrong.
Apart from the age difference, how can Fulu's chubby figure compare with Quinn, who is extremely tall and strong
Concubine Hui said that her nephew had hired a martial arts master when he was three years old. He had excellent bones and was the best among his peers in strength. The Queen Mother turned her eyes to Fulu and became deeply worried. Isn't this bullying
The Queen Mother was extremely worried and was about to persuade the man, but unexpectedly the man was one step ahead of her.
Fulu pretended to think seriously, put his hands behind his back, and nodded heavily: "This is what you said. If I win, you can't regret it."
Then, he ran to Yun Xiu's side, smiled, and looked up at her: "Aunt, just wait, Fulu will make you proud!"
Fulu made the final decision, making the competition a foregone conclusion.
Yun Xiu's smile had disappeared, anger filled her heart, but facing her nephew's expectant face, she moved her lips, not knowing whether to laugh or cry for a long time, and finally said: "...Okay, Auntie will wait."
Seeing this scene, Concubine Hui almost laughed out loud.
Concubine Yi, oh Concubine Yi, I know that you dote on Fulu, but isn't this doting a bit too much
There is a saying that goes "Misfortune comes from the mouth" and there is another saying that goes "Don't know what is good for you."
Concubine Hui smiled and gave a look to the eldest prince Yinzhi, who immediately understood and hurriedly bowed and said, "Grandfather, Empress Dowager, your grandson will tell them to clean the martial arts field..." After that, he took Kuimi to leave.
He said he was going to the martial arts arena, but as soon as he walked out of the palace gate, Yinzhi turned a corner and walked quickly towards the Qianqing Palace.
As he walked, he couldn't help laughing and told his personal eunuch, "Go to Yuqing Palace and tell him that Fulu intends to challenge Quinn, who is three years older than him. Please ask the prince to be a witness for our warrior. Go quickly!"
The young eunuch held back his laughter and quickly agreed.
******
Martial arts arena.
The cold wind was howling, but it couldn't stop the passion in Quinn's heart. Recalling Concubine Hui's instructions, he clenched his fists solemnly, took off his plush collar, and warmed up carefully, forming a sharp contrast with Fulu beside him.
Fulu wore a round melon-shaped hat, his neck was tightly hunched, his hands were folded into his sleeves, only his pair of black eyes were exposed.
"It's so cold, so cold." He acted coquettishly towards Yunxiu, "Aunt, I want to eat hotpot later... Mother is still waiting in Yikun Palace, we can't let her wait too long."
This funny guy!
Yun Xiu was neither angry nor smiling, she just tapped his forehead fiercely: "The ancestors and the queen mother are here, you must not be presumptuous."
Then, she whispered in his ear, "Just have fun, don't try to be stubborn, it will be more trouble than it's worth if you get hurt. They don't want to show shame, so auntie will not show them shame... auntie will help you vent your anger."
Why did this kid agree to this
Well, even if Quinn won, she had a way to make Concubine Hui pay for it, so she would let her feel proud of her "unfair victory" for once.
Fulu hummed seriously, and said sweetly, "I know," and then turned to Quinn and asked, "Big guy, you said you would listen to me in the competition, you won't regret it, right?"
Quinn choked. It was the first time he was called "big guy"!
"I won't regret it." He said in a muffled voice.
After the anger passed, suddenly, a feeling of shame came over me.
Quinn wiped his face. Even if he won the competition with a five-year-old kid, there would be nothing to brag about. He even did the warm-up so carefully!
He thought magnanimously that he would be gentler when he attacked, so that Fulu would not lose too badly... That was it.
"Well, let's see who's stronger." Fulu smiled slyly and pointed to the pile of stones not far away. "Whoever moves the biggest stone wins!"
When the prince hurried over holding Yinqi's hand, he heard the content of the competition clearly.
There was no need to study during the New Year's Day, and the teachers in the study room also had a holiday. Today, he had a rare free time at noon, so he caught Yinqi strolling around the Imperial Garden and "invited" him to Yuqing Palace, where he was "iron-faced and impartial" teaching his younger brother to practice calligraphy...
Before he had written a few pages, Yinzhi's personal eunuch came with a message.
Is Fulu, Xiaowu's study partner, trying to challenge Quinn of the Nara clan
Regardless of whether the news was true or not, this competition was too absurd in front of the ancestors and the queen mother. As for the content of the competition - moving stones, it was even more absurd!
Quinn was born strong, Mingzhu had high hopes for this direct descendant, and even he had heard of it. How could Fulu, with his chubby little body, challenge him? How could he challenge him
It seems that the Nala family is determined to embarrass the Guoluo family.
Before the prince could say "nonsense", Liang Jiugong's faint voice rang out: "The emperor has arrived—"
The prince narrowed his eyes and turned his head to look. Sure enough, the eldest son Yinzhi was following the emperor closely, with a long group of people following behind him.
He was slightly startled. Mingzhu? The newly appointed Minister of Revenue, Keerkun
The six ministers, as well as those from the Censorate and the Hanlin Academy... are all here!
Yinzhi did not expect that there would be such an unexpected surprise today.
Originally, his mother only asked him to invite the emperor to come, but he happened to meet an important official who presented a congratulatory poem and presented a memorial stating the plans of each department for the coming year.
He only briefly mentioned that "Fulu is extremely brave and intends to challenge Quinn", and the emperor became interested. He put down the memorial in his hand and asked the important ministers to follow him to the martial arts field.
At that moment, Yinzhi felt relieved when he saw Concubine Yi and the Crown Prince, who both looked unhappy.
It would be fine if you just talked nonsense, but you even overestimated your own abilities and appeared in front of the Emperor and the ministers. How are you going to end up like this
Most of the people in the crowd were whispering, and there were also curious officials. Only Tu Yue had a sullen look on his face, which was quite eye-catching.
Mingzhu glanced back inadvertently, secretly laughing in her heart, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, Quinn is a child who is ignorant. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you. Master Fulu asked for a challenge, and he accepted it, without even considering the age difference between the two... It's really an unfair victory!"
They completely distorted the facts and portrayed Fulu as the one who took the initiative to ask for the competition.
Tu Yue opened his mouth, wanting to say something but stopping himself: "Your Highness..."
Kangxi waved his hands with interest, "A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. What's there to blame? Let's see who can move the heavier stone."
When Quinn saw the emperor coming and the patriarch of his family also coming, his cheeks flushed and he became very excited.
He shouted "I'm going", walked to the pile of stones, took a deep breath, turned a corner, and lifted up his own bottomless stone, which was almost half the height of Fulu.
With a "bang", the stone was lifted into the air and then fell heavily to the ground.
Quinn was panting, feeling a little disappointed, but he heard the eldest brother shout "OK" loudly.
At the age of eight, being able to move stones into the air is an incredible achievement!
Cheers continued to come from his ears. Mingzhu stroked his beard with a flushed face and nodded slightly.
"It's your turn!" All the loss disappeared in an instant, and Quinn turned his head and said with high spirits.
Fulu looked left and right, and when he saw his father, he suddenly became alert and shrank his neck even more.
He stammered, "Then I... I'll move this piece too..."
A stone stirs up a thousand waves. Yinqi stood on tiptoe and said anxiously: "Cousin, don't be so stubborn!"
"Don't be so stubborn, don't be so stubborn." Fulu threw away his melon-shaped hat, smiled, took a few steps forward, and squatted down with difficulty.
He swayed, his body looked so bloated that it seemed as if his clothes were about to burst.
A low laugh sounded, and someone teased, "Tu Yue, your Qilin child."
Tu Yue's face was still ashen: "..."
When Fulu lifted the big rock easily and put it down easily, everyone was speechless.
The cold wind howled, and only Tu Yue's shameful words floated in the air: "Your Majesty, this brat was born with supernatural powers, but he kept it a secret from Master Quinn. This is really an unfair victory, an unfair victory..."