The monarchs of several small Kingdoms added some rewards one after another, which were recorded by the ceremonial officials and loudly announced.
“Master Yan, Official Qin is going to return with a full load this time,” Jiang Gan teased Yan Xiaojing.
“Yes,” Grand Tutor You stroked his beard and smiled, “Official Qin is extraordinary.”
Yan Xiaojing sighed heavily with a helpless expression and shook his head.
But other ministers could see the smile in his eyes. Master Yan was quite indulgent towards his son. However, thinking about it, who wouldn’t like having a son as capable as Yan Caiqing. He was bold enough to trick even foreign monarchs, moreover so skillfully.
Yan Ge’s gaze fell on Bai Shaobai, and after a moment, he slowly shifted it to Zou Xiangying. He clasped his fists together. “Please enlighten me.”
Bai Shaobai and Zou Xiangying remained silent. Zou Xiangying took a few steps toward the center of the venue, while Bai Shaobai stood still at the side, making his intentions clear without words. The attendants presented Zou Xiangying’s weapon, but he didn’t take it.
“Please, Official Qin, enlighten us,” Zou Xiangying said politely.
Yan Ge frowned unhappily and swung his sword back without even looking. The sword landed accurately in a palace maid’s arms as he declared arrogantly. “Please!”
“Ha!” Zou Xiangying let out a deep shout and attacked Yan Ge’s chest with his right fist. A strong gust of wind followed his strike, causing willow seeds to fly into the air for a moment before gently descending again after a certain distance.
What incredible speed and formidable strength! The audience unconsciously sat up, watching the two with concern.
Yan Ge calmly contracted his chest and bent his waist, then swiftly grabbed Zou Xiangying’s wrist with his right hand, leveraging it to leap into the air. He appeared behind Zou Xiangying and kicked his spine with his right foot.
His movements were too fast, and Zou Xiangying seemed unable to react. The officials of Great Han couldn’t see through the moves and smiled.
However, just as Yan Ge’s heel was about to touch Zou Xiangying, the latter suddenly moved, extending his left arm like a thick and sturdy stick, swiftly rotating his robust body and swinging his left arm back, smashing into Yan Ge’s leg.
“Ah!” Some ministers nervously exclaimed.
But Yan Ge didn’t disappoint them. In a split second, he used the inertia to spin in mid-air, pressing his right palm on Zou Xiangying’s shoulder and leaping up again, sweeping his left leg toward Zou Xiangying’s waist. Zou Xiangying’s counterattack missed, and he was struck on the leg, causing him to stagger a few steps forward.
However, he was evidently skilled. He managed to stabilize himself after two steps and quickly turned around to guard against Yan Ge’s attack from behind.
Little did he know that Yan Ge was too fast. Just as Zou Xiangying turned sideways, he took a palm strike to the back. His expression changed slightly, but he withstood the blow and retaliated with a fierce fist attack against Yan Ge.
And so, Yan Ge and Zou Xiangying fought for about eighty moves. Yan Ge locked both of Zou Xiangying’s wrists in his hands and looked towards Bai Shaobai, showing a polite and composed expression. “Master Bai, if you choose to forfeit—”
Huangfuyu Chen smiled gently while stroking his lips. It seemed like his beloved loved acting. What to do? Of course, he would accompany him to the end.
King Hei Zhentian, Bai Shaobai, and Zou Xiangying’s expressions all changed. This was unacceptable!
Yan Ge managed to provoke both Bai Shaobai and Zou Xiangying. Bai Shaobai leaped forward, attacking Yan Ge’s face and left arm.
Yan Ge had no choice but to release Zou Xiangying.
Zou Xiangying and Bai Shaobai looked at each other, and with a lightness technique, they rushed to the guards holding the weapons, and they both got a weapon.
Yan Ge seemed to be shocked by their momentum. Startled, he took a step back before picking up his own sword.
Huangfu Yuchen said nervously: “You three, remember to be measured.”
Zou Xiangying and Bai Shaobai raised their swords and slashed at Yan Ge at the same time. The blades were bright white, and as they swung, they shone golden in the sun, looking both dazzling and sharp.
Yan Ge immediately raise his sword to resist.
The three of them fought for over two quarters of an hour. Bai Shaobai kicked Yan Ge, who fell to the ground and rolled before jumping up again. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of bright red blood.
Yan Xiaojing’s face turned pale, almost getting up, but Jiang Gan held him down in time and whispered, “Master Yan, calm down, look at His Majesty.”
Huangfu Yuchen’s expression had also changed, but he remained calm.
Yan Xiaojing glared at Yan Ge.
Jiang Gan secretly laughed, knowing that Yan Caiqing would probably be scolded after the ceremony.
The ministers of Great Han were all nervous and solemn, and some couldn’t help but look at the Emperor, hoping he would speak and end the competition soon.
Bai Shaobai and Zou Xiangying exchanged a glance, a satisfied smile flashing through their eyes.
“Official Qin, why don’t we stop here,” Bai Shaobai said with a tolerant expression.
Yan Ge snorted lightly, and moved forward with his sword, using elusive sword techniques to create numerous sword shadows. Bai Shaobai and Zou Xiangying felt surrounded by a high wall of sword energy and were surprised. They resisted with all their strength but could only exchange about thirty moves with Yan Ge. Soon, Yan Ge kicked Zou Xiangying away, while Bai Shaobai had a sword pointed at his neck.
“Who said we should stop?” Yan Ge smiled.
“You…you’re not..?” Bai Shaobai looked surprised, “Just now… you already spat blood. Why do you still have such strong internal strength?”
Zou Xiangying also approached, clutching his abdomen as he looked at Yan Ge in disbelief.
“Huh?” Yan Ge was stunned, then showed a suddenly enlightened expression, “You mean just now? That wasn’t blood. I ate a red fruit earlier, and I hadn’t had time to swallow it. I almost choked on it when Master Bai kicked me just now, so I quickly spit it out.”
Zou Xiangying and Bai Shaobai looked dumbfounded.
Everyone present: “…”
The ministers of Great Han desperately controlled their facial expressions, trying hard not to laugh. ‘My goodness, Yan Caiqing, you are too talented!’
Hei Zhentian’s face was extremely ugly.
At this moment, a palace maid reported, “The Crown Prince has arrived. Prince Jin has arrived.”
Two handsome boys who looked seven or eight years old smiled as they stepped onto the stage. Yan Jin and the Crown Prince did not find Yan Ge at Tenglong Palace, so they guessed he was still here and came together.
“Greetings Father Emperor, Greetings Mother Empress.”
“Rise.” Huangfu Yuchen gestured for the two of them to take their seats.
The Crown Prince sat in the position of the Crown Prince, and Yan Jin sat beside him. The two of them looked around curiously, trying to figure out what had happened just now.
“The two noble emissaries from the Wei Kingdom have yielded,” Huangfu Yuchen declared, “Reward Official Qin with two thousand taels of gold. The sparring session ends here—”
“Your Majesty!” Yan Ge wiped the corners of his mouth and quickly glanced at the pile of gold on his seat, restraining his excitement. “I dare to beg, I want to challenge four opponents at once.”
Everyone was in an uproar.
Everyone including the ministers of Great Han felt somewhat anxious. ‘ Yan Caiqing, quit while you’re ahead. What if you lose the next match? All your previous efforts will be in vain.’
However, Yan Xiaojing remained calm at this moment, lifting his tea cup and sipping leisurely, planning to settle accounts with his son after the ceremony!
The monarchs of the Wei, Liao, and Mai kingdoms had faint smiles, thinking this was perfect.
Huangfu Yuchen’s face turned serious, “Official Qin, are you short of money recently?”
Yan Ge cupped his fists and replied earnestly, “Not hiding anything from Your Majesty, I am a bit short of money. Actually… it’s because my wife spends too much money.”
Yan Xiaojing sprayed out the tea in his mouth and coughed violently.
Huangfu Yuchen’s brow twitched, and he sighed helplessly.
The Empress covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
Jiang Gan, Luo Wei, Grand Tutor You, and the others couldn’t hold back and laughed softly.
Yan Jin suddenly brightened up and leaned close to the Crown Prince’s ear, “Don’t show any emotions—Minister Qin is Papa.”
The Crown Prince understood and remained composed.
Huangfu Yuchen looked at the sky and tried to bring up an excuse. “This weather—”
“Your Majesty,” King Hui Mailong suddenly said loudly, “Since Minister Qin of your esteemed kingdom is in such high spirits, we are willing to accompany him.”
“King Mailong,” Huangfu Yuchen’s expression was hesitant, “The other monarchs have been exposed to the sun for quite a while. In my opinion—”
“Not hiding anything from Your Majesty,” Liao Chengyuan smiled, “This time, I brought some warriors with me, and they all want to learn from Minister Qin.”
Huangfu Yuchen then nodded, “Since that’s the case, I don’t want to dampen the spirits of all the monarchs. I’ll still offer four thousand taels of gold, and whoever wins gets to keep it. Minister Qin, if you can take on four opponents and win, the four thousand taels of gold will naturally be yours. If you lose, all the rewards you’ve received earlier will go into the national treasury.”
“This…” Yan Ge hesitated for a while and finally said hesitantly, “I’ll comply with the order.”
King Hei Zhentian said, “Your Majesty Huangfu has set the example, so we should follow suit. I’ll also offer four thousand taels of gold, and whoever wins, it belongs to them.”
King Hui Mailong shouted loudly, “I’ll also offer four thousand taels of gold, along with a pair of Phoenix Eye Sky Pearls.”
King Liao Chengyuan said, “I’ll offer four thousand taels of gold, along with a Deep Sea Rose Pearl.”
…
Everyone could tell that this was a competition among the major kingdoms. The other monarchs only offered a thousand taels of gold each, merely for show.
After all the monarchs had made their offerings, Yan Xiaojing arched his hand towards the throne and said, “Reporting to Your Majesty, I offer three thousand taels of gold.”
The foreign monarchs and ministers were somewhat surprised, subconsciously looking at Huangfu Yuchen to gauge his reaction. Could this official really be so wealthy? He couldn’t be corrupt, right?
However, they saw Huangfu Yuchen nod slightly, his expression unchanged.
The other monarchs were surprised and whispered to each other, asking who Yan Xiaojing was and what background he had.
Someone in the know explained, “That is Yan Xiaojing, the Minister of Rites in Great Han Kingdom, and Yan Caiqing’s father.”
They all suddenly understood. No wonder. Yan Caiqing is so wealthy, it’s no surprise that his father is wealthy too.
While Huangfu Yuchen’s thoughts were elusive to the ministers of the Great Han Kingdom, and it was uncertain whether Yan Caiqing could win, Yan Xiaojing’s words were like a secret signal. The ministers immediately summoned the ceremonial officials and told them how much they had offered. If they could collude with the Emperor and Yan Caiqing to trick the other kingdoms, why wouldn’t they?
