Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Xu Zhen emerged from the water, half of her head above the surface, and noticed the crowd was eerily silent, not daring to come ashore. Suddenly, she heard terrified shouts erupting from the crowd, and saw another Xu Zhen slowly walking towards the platform—it was Zhang Suling, disguised as Xu Zhen!
Taking advantage of the crowd's commotion, Xu Zhen quickly climbed out of the water and, with Caesar's cover, changed into a clean outfit, finally feeling relieved.
According to the Magician's Code, one should not perform the same magic trick in front of the same audience. This was already his second time performing the Clone Technique at Taiye Pool, which might raise suspicions.
However, for the sake of effect, he couldn't worry too much about that.
Zhang Suling skillfully mimicked Xu Zhen's gait while holding a Tang Banner that showcased the might of the Tang Army and the grace of the Sage. She slowly ascended the platform and half-kneeled to present it to Li Shimin. King Wei Li Tai, acting as host, accepted the Tang Banner on behalf of the Sage, exerting all his strength to wave the banner while loudly proclaiming, “Long live the Tang Dynasty!”
“Long live the Tang Dynasty!”
“Long live the Tang Dynasty!”
The people present echoed loudly, filled with pride and honor! Many envoys felt the passion and unity of the Tang People, their hearts solemn yet resolute in their determination to marry the princess and establish solid diplomatic ties with the Tang Dynasty!
After Li Chengqian presented the banner to the Sage, this ceremony was considered complete. Zhang Suling quietly left the stage and blended back into the officials, swapping places again with Xu Zhen.
According to prior preparations, this first challenge was centered around the banner, personally announced by the Sage. However, he ordered the Qian Niu Guard to plant the banner aside and commanded someone to bring forth a plate of Pearl, intending to bestow it upon Brave Count Xu Zhen.
As soon as Xu Zhen saw Zhang Suling remove her disguise, she appeared among the crowd. Upon hearing that the Sage wanted to reward her, she hurriedly ascended the platform.
After the battle at Songzhou, figures like Niu Jinda received high honors as part of preparations for an eastern expedition against Goguryeo. However, none of the chief contributors from the Battle of Songzhou received any rewards.
This was also due to Li Shimin heeding advice from old ministers like Changsun Wuji and Cen Wenben, fearing that if Xu Zhen were promoted too quickly, her character might not be able to handle it. Thus, he temporarily held back.
Now that Xu Zhen showcased Tang National Prestige during this ceremony, winning over all subjects, as their sovereign, Li Shimin naturally had to grant her a reward.
Moreover, his bestowal of a Pearl was not without reason; after receiving test questions from Prince Li Zhi, along with those devised by King Wei Li Tai and Honglu Temple, this first question was related to a Pearl!
“Minister Xu is both literate and martial; he is indeed a model of talent in our great Tang. I bestow this Pearl upon you in hopes that our great heroes shine like this pearl and are never buried in dust!”
Xu Zhen felt the good intentions of Li Shimin, and her heart was instantly warmed. She expressed her gratitude, saying, “Your Majesty, I am willing to risk my life in service!”
Li Shimin smiled and nodded in satisfaction, repeatedly saying good, then pointed at the tray in Xu Zhen's hands and said, “Even so, let this first Marriage Trial challenge begin with this Pearl.”
As everyone anticipated the main event, excitement filled the air. Many envoys were eager to participate, while King Wei Li Tai stood frozen in place, struck dumb and unsure of what to do!
He suddenly cast a questioning glance at his brother Li Zhi, who deliberately avoided meeting his brother's gaze!
“Little brat betrays me! I still uphold the gentleman's way; how can this little brat treat me like this!” Li Chengqian seethed with anger. He quickly realized the complexities involved but was unguarded and handed over the test questions to Li Zhi, allowing him to present them to His Majesty. After all, this proposal originally came from Li Zhi, and it was precisely because of Li Zhi's recommendation that the Sage assigned him, Li Chengqian, and Honglu Temple.
Thus, he felt grateful for Li Zhi's kindness and entrusted the questions to him without selfishly claiming credit. Little did he know that Li Zhi had secretly swapped the test questions. As a result, King Wei Li Tai was completely unaware of the upcoming test content; how could he preside over such a grand occasion?!
Xu Zhen was also taken aback. The content of the Marriage Trial questions had been disclosed to her by Li Chengqian. Now that the Sage had used the Pearl as bait, it was clear that this was not a spur-of-the-moment decision but rather intentional. Observing the expressions of Li Zhi, Changsun Wuji, and Murong Hanzhu, Xu Zhen understood that Li Chengqian had been set up by Li Zhi!
Seeing his son Li Chengqian standing there like a statue for a long time without engaging, Li Shimin frowned in dissatisfaction and asked, “Qingque (the childhood name of Li Chengqian), why have you not started yet?”
Li Chengqian trembled all over, filled with rage but unable to explode in front of everyone. He thought long and hard but found no solution; he did not want to give up easily. His handsome face turned crimson as the atmosphere became increasingly awkward, leading to murmurs among the audience about how much of a blunder this was for King Wei!
Li Shimin knew well that Li Chengqian valued etiquette; under such grand circumstances, he could not possibly lose his composure. However, concerning the dignity of the Tang Dynasty, seeing his son standing there like a fool clearly indicated that he was unfamiliar with the test questions and did not know how to respond. It was no wonder that the questions were presented by Li Zhi. It seemed that Li Chengqian had no prior contact with them at all!
As the host of this competition, it was unacceptable for Li Chengqian not to even know the content of the test questions. How could this not infuriate Li Shimin!
Yet just like Li Chengqian, how could he lose composure at such a critical moment? He sighed inwardly and cast his gaze toward Li Zhi. Understanding immediately, Li Zhi, suppressing his joy, stepped forward and said, “In light of this ceremony, I have been working day and night, feeling exhausted and unwell. Perhaps it would be better for this little brat to take over the remaining segments…”
Li Chengqian stiffened, suddenly looking up with tears of indignation in his eyes. However, Li Shimin merely snorted coldly and waved him off, signaling for King Wei to step down!
Feeling a chill in his heart, Li Chengqian glared at Li Zhi, who appeared unfazed as if none of this concerned him. Once Li Chengqian stormed off in frustration, he slowly spoke up: “In Nanyue there is a pearl with nine curves inside. Today I grant you all a soft silk thread; whoever can thread it through the pearl’s nine curves shall win. This time it is personally proposed by Your Majesty; I hope everyone will showcase their talents.”
Before he finished speaking, stewards from Honglu Temple presented a tray containing a pearl about the size of a thumb. The pearl had a hole shaped like nine curves. Some envoys grew impatient and hurriedly moistened their silk thread with saliva to attempt threading it through the pearl’s nine curves; however, they ultimately failed.
Once again, the envoy from Arabia devised a clever plan by inserting one end of the silk thread into the Nine Curves Hole and attempting to suck air through the other end, yet still failing to pass the thread through.
Murong Hanzhu and Changsun Wuji had already anticipated this. The Sage would definitely need to utilize the troops from the Mohe and Shiwey vassal states in Liaodong, so they secretly leaked the exam questions to the envoys from these two nations. Grateful for Li Zhi's kindness, how could they not expect the Sage to regard Li Zhi with special favor?
While they were confident in their strategy, Lu Dongzan was anxious. He trusted the Xu Zhen and had originally solved all the questions, but with a sudden change in topics, even King Wei Li Tai was left at a loss. How could he not see through the trickery? Moreover, Murong Hanzhu was right beside Changsun Wuji, and Lu Dongzan harbored deep resentment towards Murong Hanzhu!
Just when everyone was at a loss, an envoy from Mohe stepped forward to demonstrate. This robust man, standing nine feet tall, caught a large black ant and tied a silk thread around its waist. The other end of the thread was connected to the silk thread, and he smeared honey at the opening of the Nine Curves Hole before placing the ant on the other side.
The ant, attracted by the scent of honey and guided by gentle breaths from the envoy, followed the silk thread and crawled through the winding small hole in the Pearl, successfully bringing the silk thread along with it!
The other envoys were astonished; this Mohe man appeared rough and simple-minded, with calloused fingers accustomed to wielding a saber that could hardly grasp a silk thread. Who would have thought he could come up with such a brilliant solution?
However, reality stood before them as the Mohe envoy grinned widely, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth that evoked both envy and frustration.
Lu Dongzan shot an angry glance at Murong Hanzhu but found himself powerless. He could only quietly send someone to summon the Xu Zhen to discuss their next strategy.
The Xu Zhen felt equally helpless; who could be more suitable for this intellectual challenge than Zhang Jiunian? Since they had decided to assist Tuguhun, they could not allow Changsun Wuji and Murong Hanzhu's schemes to succeed. The Xu Zhen steeled herself.
Zhang Suling received instructions from the Xu Zhen and retreated behind many Brothers with Zhang Jiunian. After some clever disguise work, Zhang Jiunian transformed into a perfect representation of a Tubo person, sporting a curled mustache and prominent eye makeup with rosy cheeks typical of highland dwellers. He blended seamlessly into Tuguhun's delegation.
Lu Dongzan knew that there were many talented individuals under Xu Zhen's command and did not dare to be negligent. He regarded Zhang Jiunian as an advisor; since they had already lost on the first question, they must strive hard for success on the remaining ones!
During this time, Li Shimin was worried but did not expect these exam questions to be so uniquely creative and interesting. He looked at Li Zhi with admiration while comparing him to the dejected Li Chengqian, shaking his head inwardly.
With Mohe's delegation leading on the first question, envoys from various nations were inevitably dissatisfied as they awaited what came next—the second question soon followed.
In this vast competition arena, there were actually members of Qibi and Tangxiang who brought forth one hundred steeds and one hundred foals for everyone to identify their mother-child relationships!
As the competition resumed, envoys from various nations showcased their skills. The Westerners believed themselves familiar with horses; some matched them by coat color while others distinguished them by age based on their teeth or measured their height and build. However, with so many horses mixed together, it proved exceedingly difficult to discern them.
Ludongzan was anxious and hurriedly urged Zhang Jiunian, fearing that someone might seize the opportunity first. Zhang Jiunian, being quick-witted, immediately ordered someone to fetch an item, which turned out to be baskets of salt!
Under Zhang Jiunian's direction, the members of the Tubo Marriage Envoy Group sprang into action, throwing the salt for the horses to lick. After consuming the salt, the horses became extremely thirsty and rushed back to their herd to find their respective mares to nurse from, thus easily identifying their mother-child relationships!
The marriage envoys from Mohe and Shiwey had received advice from Murong Hanzhu and initially planned only to provide feed without letting the foals drink water. They thought that once the foals were thirsty, they would naturally seek out their mothers for milk. However, they did not expect that Tuguhun's side acted even faster by directly feeding them salt, leading to their defeat in this round.
Ludongzan was overjoyed and quickly ordered rewards for Zhang Jiunian.
Changsun Wuji felt dissatisfied with the marriage envoys from Mohe and Shiwey. Knowing that Xu Zhen was secretly assisting Tuguhun only fueled his anger. He immediately suggested to Li Shimin, "Sage, as you know, it is better to share joy than to enjoy alone. Why not pose a question for all the civil and military officials to participate in? It doesn't matter what the outcome is; it's purely for entertainment. What do you think?"
Li Shimin found it very interesting and agreed. He was also a person of great intellect and after pondering for a moment, he came up with a question: to identify the mother-child relationships between one hundred chicks and one hundred hens!
Among these civil and military officials were many sharp minds; however, under such a rush, they could hardly think of good tricks. Li Shimin had posed the question on a whim and did not even know how to answer it himself. Seeing that no official responded, he felt disappointed. Just then, Changsun Wuji stepped forward again.
"The Loyal Martial General is never short of brilliant ideas; surely he must have a solution by now. Is he really going to remain silent in front of Sage?"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin quickly summoned Xu Zhen and eagerly asked, "Xu Aiqing, do you truly have a clever strategy to respond?"
Xu Zhen was slightly taken aback; she had grown to loathe Changsun Wuji for his meddling!
Comment 0 Comment Count