On the sixth day of August, the Tatar envoys who came to the Central Plains to offer tribute horses arrived in the capital.
The court sent officials from the Ministry of Rites to receive these envoys at the post station first. When Emperor Yuanyou went to court on the ninth day of the first lunar month, the Tatar envoys would then enter the palace to pay their respects.
On the afternoon of the eighth day, Huayang entered the palace.
Empress Dowager Qi: "You only come to the palace at the beginning of June and July. Are you here this time for the gift of horses from the Tatar envoy tomorrow?"
Huayang: "What's so good about a few hundred stinky horses? I dreamed of my mother when I was taking a nap just now. I missed her so much when I woke up that's why I came here."
Empress Dowager Qi: "Panpan cares about me so much, I am really touched."
The way she looked at her daughter, it was clear that she had guessed her daughter's little thoughts.
Huayang smiled and leaned over, his face against his mother's shoulder: "Mother, the envoys will present horses tomorrow, do you want to go and watch the fun?"
Empress Dowager Qi: "Let's just attend the court meeting. I'll go to the horse farm."
Huayang: "Then I'll go with you."
Empress Dowager Qi: "Want to pick another one for yourself?"
She remembered that her daughter particularly liked snow-white horses. When the late emperor was alive, whenever the Tatars presented horses to him, he would specially give the most beautiful white horse to his daughter.
Although Empress Dowager Qi looked down on the late emperor in many ways, she would feel a little sad whenever she thought of his love for her two children.
Huayang: "I don't want it. He is your good son-in-law. He has been riding an old horse given by his eldest brother for many years. He doesn't mind it being shabby, but I do. I will take this opportunity to ask my younger brother to give him a horse."
Empress Dowager Qi naturally hoped that her daughter and son-in-law would love each other. Her daughter was usually domineering and it was rare for her to be nice to her husband, so Empress Dowager Qi was happy to support her.
In the evening, the family of three had dinner together, and Huayang asked his brother for a horse in front of his mother.
Emperor Yuanyou humorously acted out a play with his sister.
The next day, Emperor Yuanyou went to court early.
The Tatars had only submitted to the imperial court in recent years. If the emperor was sitting on the throne, even if he was known for his lust, the Tatar envoys would have spoken respectfully. But the Yuanyou Emperor was only fourteen years old, with a thin figure. The wide throne made him look like a child. How could the six strong men from the grassland truly submit
Talking about the tribute horses, the leading Tatar envoy said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, this year is the year of your founding. To express his congratulations, our Khan not only collected 500 top-quality horses as agreed, but also sent you a rare and rare horse that he found this year. You will know when you see it later."
On the dragon throne, Emperor Yuanyou and Chen Tingjian looked at each other and smiled faintly at the Tatar envoy: "Since it is a peerless BMW, how can I let the Khan give it up?"
The Tatar envoy laughed even louder. "Your Majesty, you are welcome. If the horse had listened to our Khan, he would not have been willing to give it to you. But the horse has a bad temper. Our Khan tried to tame it several times but failed. The Khan said that this horse could only be tamed by the Son of Heaven and Dragon in the Central Plains, so he asked us to bring it to you."
Emperor Yuanyou pursed his lips imperceptibly.
No matter how conceited he was, he knew that his body at the age of fourteen was far from comparable to that of the Tatar Khan. The Tatar envoy's words clearly wanted to make fun of him.
At this moment, Qi Jin stepped out and said to the Tatar envoy with a smile: "I wonder if the Khan has asked other grassland warriors to try to subdue the horse?"
Qi Jin's face was as white as jade. Even though he was wearing the official robes of a military officer, the Tatar envoy looked down on this pretty boy and said contemptuously, "How can everyone get their hands on a peerless BMW?"
Qi Jin: "I'm afraid the horse is just an ordinary good horse, but the Khan is old and not strong enough."
Just these few words angered the six Tatar envoys. They lined up, rolled up their sleeves, and were ready to attack Qi Jin.
Emperor Yuanyou rebuked Qi Jin, saying, "Don't be rude to the Khan."
Only then did Qi Jin bow and apologize to the Tatar envoys.
The good-looking man politely bowed and apologized, becoming more and more elegant.
The Tatar envoys knew the etiquette of the Central Plains. Qi Jin had already done this, and if they continued to make trouble, it would make them appear rude and petty.
The Tatar envoy snorted heavily and raised his neck and said, "Whether it is a BMW or an ordinary horse, we will know it when we go to the racecourse."
There is no need to say more about the rest. Emperor Yuanyou first sent people to welcome the empress dowager, and then led civil and military officials as well as Tatar envoys to the racecourse.
Empress Dowager Qi and Huayang arrived only a cup of tea later than them.
Emperor Yuanyou stepped forward respectfully and saluted Empress Dowager Qi, and all the civil and military officials bowed their heads.
Although the Tatar envoys also followed suit and saluted, their eyes glanced disrespectfully at the faces of Empress Dowager Qi and her daughter. They looked down on the pretty boys in the Central Plains, and when they saw this most noble mother and daughter in the world, they felt that they were astonished by their beauty.
After the ceremony, the Huayang siblings stood on either side of their mother and led the crowd to the high platform on the side of the racecourse. As for the six Tatar envoys, they could only follow Chen Tingjian and others behind in frustration.
The seats had already been arranged on the podium. The emperor and his family of three sat in the middle, several cabinet ministers and six Tatar envoys sat on the left and right, and the other civil and military officials stood.
Emperor Yuanyou: "Offer the horses."
Cao Li then shouted "Present the horse", and then other eunuchs passed on the emperor's oral order in turn.
After a while, the horse-breeder of the Imperial Stables and the horse-breeder of the Tatar accompanying him came over with 501 fine horses.
At first glance, the five hundred horses were all fat and strong, but upon closer inspection, one would find that there were differences in quality among the five hundred horses. Ten of them were of the best quality, and the rest were relatively common Mongolian horses. Although they could be sold for over a hundred taels of silver in the Central Plains, they were not rare enough for the dignitaries.
In addition, there was another horse with chestnut hair, which was led out of the herd alone.
The Tatar envoy stroked his tangled beard and said proudly, "This chestnut horse is the peerless BMW that our Khan specially presented to the emperor."
Young men are more likely to be attracted to objects that embody a sense of chivalry, such as BMWs and swords. Emperor Yuanyou was no exception. He fell in love with the maroon horse at first sight.
Even though he knew that the Tatar envoys had ill intentions, Emperor Yuanyou still smiled and praised the red horse: "The legendary Red Hare of the Three Kingdoms is probably like this."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jingzong looked towards Huayang.
These two siblings, one loves Zhou Lang from the Three Kingdoms, and the other loves Red Hare from the Three Kingdoms. They must have listened to the Three Kingdoms stories together when they were young, right
Huayang didn't notice Chen Jingzong's gaze, she was still looking at the chestnut horse.
At this time in her previous life, although she had already finished mourning and no longer had to mourn for Chen Jingzong, she had no interest in coming to the palace to watch the Tatars present horses.
But she had an impression of this incident. The news was leaked out of the palace, Wu Run found out about it, and then reported it to her.
Since the horse was presented to the younger brother, of course the younger brother had to try riding it. However, the ministers dared not let the younger brother approach such a fierce horse, and instead let the guards try it first.
Three imperial guards were thrown off their horses and suffered varying degrees of injuries.
Then, Nankang's father-in-law, Marquis Jing'an, asked to try.
Marquis Jingnan was a general of this dynasty. He had been neglected for a year because of Prince Yu's rebellion and was holding his breath, but he was unlucky and was also thrown off by the horse. He was nearly sixty years old and it took him a long time to recuperate before he was able to move freely again.
Marquis Jing'an's volunteering failed, and no other military officer dared to act rashly.
At this time, Qi Jin volunteered to recommend himself, saying that he was his brother's cousin, often accompanied the emperor, and had some of his brother's imperial aura, so he might be able to succeed.
Qi Jin was indeed very capable and he finally tamed the wild horse, but it is said that he broke three ribs in the process and almost lost his hands.
The tamed horse was also very tired, and its pride was also damaged. When the younger brother tried to ride it again, it went smoothly. It happened that the Tatar envoy's words were true, and the horse was only willing to serve the emperor of the Central Plains.
Originally, Huayang didn't need to worry about this matter, but...
She looked at Chen Jingzong quietly.
She often praised Chen Jingzong's strength in front of her younger brother. Chen Jingzong died early in his previous life, but in this life he was standing here well. Will her younger brother ask Chen Jingzong to tame the horse later
Huayang was fine with Qi Jin breaking his ribs, but if it was Chen Jingzong, Huayang would not have the heart to do so. He was even more afraid that Chen Jingzong would break more than just his ribs.
As the thought came to his mind, a thin layer of sweat appeared on Huayang's palms.
Soon, the Tatar envoy personally brought the chestnut horse and asked Emperor Yuanyou to try riding it.
Emperor Yuanyou did not show any fear and wanted to try it. Then Chen Tingjian and other cabinet ministers came forward to dissuade him. Civil servants were good at talking, and these cabinet ministers, who were almost masters of the art, quoted from classics and not only dissuaded Emperor Yuanyou but also saved his face. As for the Tatar envoys, they did not understand what the old men were nagging about. Anyway, they were just waiting to see the joke of the monarchs and ministers of the Central Plains.
Next, if nothing unexpected happens, Emperor Yuanyou will arrange for the guards to try out the riding.
Huayang suddenly spoke up and asked the Tatar envoy: "How do you train horses on the grassland?"
Everyone looked at Huayang.
The Tatar envoy liked the beauty of the eldest princess and was very polite in his response. He told Huayang several ways to tame horses. Among them, for this kind of wild horse captured from outside, it is usually subdued by force.
"I heard that people in the Central Plains would use iron whips to punish disobedient horses. We grassland men disdain to do that. Horses are intelligent and are our best companions. How can we treat them as ordinary livestock?"
Hua Yang nodded and said, "Horses are indeed very spiritual. Since you call this chestnut horse a peerless horse, its spirituality is probably as good as that of a human."
The Tatar envoy smiled proudly: "It is very smart. It refuses to be persuaded by any persuasion or trickery, and just refuses to let our Khan ride on it."
Huayang: "It is willing to appear before the Khan, which means that it wanted to serve the Khan in the beginning, but it found that the Khan was not a wise ruler, so it refused to bow its head."
The Tatar envoy's smile froze.
Huayang looked at his brother again, "A good horse is hard to come by in a thousand years, just like a wise ruler is hard to find in a hundred years. The wise men throughout the ages all have their own temperaments. Some actively participate in the world, while others temporarily withdraw from the world and wait for a mentor. For example, the first emperor of Shu Han visited Zhuge Liang three times before he was able to employ him. Your Majesty, this horse wants to serve a wise ruler. Even a brave and strong Khan could not convince this horse. This shows that it is not looking for a hegemon who only knows how to conquer the world, but a benevolent ruler who cares about the world."
"The benevolent emperor treats the wise and humble with courtesy, which makes the people from all directions follow him. So I think that Your Majesty should also treat this horse with courtesy and kindness, take care of it personally, and influence it with your generous and kind heart. Only in this way can we demonstrate the wise emperor's way of governing the country."
Emperor Yuanyou: …
He was still shocked by his sister's words. Chen Tingjian and other civil officials were the first to kneel down and praised the princess for her wisdom.
The civil officials knelt down, and the military officers also knelt down.
Empress Dowager Qi smiled, looked at her daughter approvingly, and then said to Emperor Yuanyou: "Your sister's words make sense. This horse has traveled thousands of miles to the Central Plains. Your Majesty cannot treat it with brute force. That is definitely not the way we treat guests and talents."
Emperor Yuanyou liked the horse so much that he didn't want anyone else to help him tame it. He also knew very well that taming a wild horse cannot be done overnight. If he gave the horse time to slowly get familiar with this BMW and with the help of the horse trainer to reduce its wildness day by day, maybe after two or three months, the horse would obediently listen to his commands.
Emperor Yuanyou used the excuse of being a benevolent monarch to send away the Tatar envoy.
The Tatar envoys felt aggrieved. When it came to moral principles, the six of them couldn't even win an argument with the delicate eldest princess!
(End of this chapter)