Chapter 64 p1
The arrival of the Western Qin envoy in the capital was imminent, and the Honglu Temple was busy. Lu Ze was no longer as leisurely as he had been in the Hanlin Academy. He had to go there early every day and came back very late at night.
But even so, he had not stopped his daily morning practice. Seeing this, Deputy General Sun and the others’ recognition of him deepened a lot.
The people in the Honglu Temple knew his identity and naturally did not dare to deceive him. The official was also polite to him. Although his work was much busier, it was still quite smooth.
Half a month later, the Western Qin envoy arrived in the capital, and the Honglu Temple and the Prince of Nanping went out of the city gate to welcome them.
Xiao Lingrui was riding a tall and handsome horse. Seeing Lu Ze’s steady appearance on the horse, his eyebrows raised slightly, but his words were not very pleasant. “I thought that with your body, riding a horse would be difficult for you. Now it seems that you have some skills.”
Lu Ze smiled slightly. “Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. It’s all because the Marquis taught me well.”
The single Xiao Lingrui was at a loss for words and rolled his eyes, and was instantly speechless.
Lu Ze looked leisurely outside the city, and he was not lying.
During this period, the two of them had strictly followed the imperial physician’s instructions and had been cultivating their bodies and minds. They would go to the morning practice together every morning. Once, during a break, Wei Yan asked him if he knew how to ride a horse. Lu Ze naturally did, but the original host’s family was poor, and it was already the result of the whole family’s efforts to be able to pass the imperial examination. How could he have any extra money to buy a horse? So he said he didn’t.
Wei Yan then asked him if he wanted to ride a horse, and Lu Ze naturally nodded. The two of them then went to the marquis’s mansion to get a horse and rode together. Wei Yan taught him patiently, but Lu Ze took advantage of his inexperience and took a lot of advantage of him. In the end, Wei Yan was so ashamed and angry that he understood his plan and was naturally annoyed.
Lu Ze had to coax him for a long time before he came back.
Besides the Prince of Nanping and the Honglu Temple, there was also a row of troops standing behind them at the city gate, solemn and dignified. The common people who were coming and going all held their breath and did not dare to speak loudly.
After waiting for a long time, Xiao Lingrui was a little impatient. “Are the people of the Western Qin learning to crawl like turtles? What time is it and they’re still not here?”
The Minister of the Honglu Temple patiently said, “Don’t be anxious, Your Highness. Perhaps they were delayed on the road. They should be here soon.”
Xiao Lingrui tugged at the horse’s reins and, hearing the horse move restlessly, said, “They’d better be.”
Not long after his voice fell, he heard the sound of rolling sand and smoke in the distance, followed by a mixed sound of horse hooves and footsteps, coming from far to near.
With this movement, it was already obvious who was coming.
Xiao Lingrui snorted. “As expected, they still need to be rushed.”
The Minister of the Honglu Temple no longer paid attention to him, but instead gave some instructions to the people around him, signaling all parties to get ready.
The horse hooves were roaring, coming from far to near, and the rolling sand and dust were also very noisy, and there was no sign of slowing down even when they reached the city gate.
Xiao Lingrui’s brows were tightly furrowed, and he was unhappy in his heart.
The situation in the distance was clearly visible. He saw that the few tall and handsome horses in the lead were strong and sturdy, and their hooves were thundering as they came with the momentum of lightning. Even when they reached the city gate, they had no intention of stopping.
Xiao Lingrui’s hand holding the reins tightened, and Lu Ze’s gaze fell on the young man in the lead.
He saw that the man was burly, his face was covered with a thick beard, and his eyes were gloomy, looking like he was not to be trifled with.
The horse galloped to the gate at high speed. With a “whoa,” the horse’s front hooves were raised high and landed heavily.
The faces of the people on the Great Zhou’s side were not good.
At this time, the people behind also caught up one after another. The young man in the lead held his head high and looked around arrogantly, and nodded. “I am Yelu Qi, the fifth prince of the Western Qin. I am leading the envoys of the Western Qin here. Are you the ones who have come to welcome us?”
The Great Zhou’s side was silent for a moment.
Normally, when a defeated country came, not to mention a respectful attitude, they should at least dismount and greet them. But this Yelu Qi was sitting high on his horse, with a high and mighty posture, which was really a bit arrogant.
The Minister of the Honglu Temple took a step forward. “That’s right.”
Yelu Qi smiled. “Why don’t I see Wei Yan?”
The Minister of the Honglu Temple’s eyes lowered slightly, and he said calmly, “The Marquis of Weibei is in a high position and is busy with all kinds of affairs, so he cannot come. And the matter of receiving foreign envoys is the responsibility of my Honglu Temple, and there is no need for the Marquis of Weibei to come.”
Yelu Qi’s face darkened, and he snorted, “Just a small Honglu Temple, and you want to send us away?”
Before the Minister of the Honglu Temple could speak, he heard Xiao Lingrui on the side say coldly, “Then do you think I am qualified to welcome you, fifth prince?”
Yelu Qi’s face changed, and he looked at Xiao Lingrui, his eyes flashing.
There was no word on the battlefield, and the soldiers who were present were mostly wearing armor. Yelu Qi did not recognize this face, but he remembered this voice. He curled his lips and smiled sinisterly. “To be personally welcomed by the Prince of Nanping, of course there is nothing unqualified about it.”
He scanned the surroundings and added, “I heard that Wei Yan is already married? He’s not here. Is his husband here?”
As soon as he said this, Xiao Lingrui’s brows furrowed slightly. Lu Ze gave him a reassuring look, controlled his horse and took a step forward, and said in a loud voice, “It is I. May I ask what you need, fifth prince?”
Yelu Qi looked him up and down, his eyes filled with ridicule. “Just you?”
“You’re even more tender than the newborn lambs on my grassland. How could Wei Yan fall for you?”
Lu Ze cupped his hands and said, “It is a true matter, so I naturally dare not deceive you, fifth prince. If you don’t believe me, you can just ask everyone.”
Yelu Qi snorted coldly. “I had originally respected that Wei Yan as a heroic figure, but I didn’t expect him to be a ger, and to have found someone like you.”
Lu Ze’s eyes darkened slightly.
Yelu Qi tugged at the reins and turned around, his gaze falling on Lu Ze’s face, and he said with contempt, “What, you’re not convinced? Then are you willing to have a horse race with me? If you win, I will pretend I didn’t say what I said just now.”
The smile on Lu Ze’s face did not change. “Within the capital, it is forbidden to ride a horse at high speed. With your words, fifth prince, I’m afraid I can’t accompany you.”
Yelu Qi’s eyes narrowed. “Then what if I insist on riding my horse in?”
Lu Ze’s face was calm. “There are exceptions to everything. If there is an emergency, it is not necessary to follow these rules. I just don’t know if you are riding your horse into the city in a hurry to pay your respects to the emperor of my Great Zhou, or if something has happened to the Western Qin…”
He paused, his smile warm. “Since the Western Qin has already surrendered to the Zhou, it means that the two sides are friendly. If something has happened to your country, my Great Zhou will definitely not stand by and watch.”
Xiao Lingrui, on the side, couldn’t help but curl his lips upwards.
But Yelu Qi said angrily, “What are you, that you dare to speak to me like this?”
Lu Ze said, “I am untalented, and I am the Vice Minister of the Honglu Temple, representing the Great Zhou to receive you, fifth prince. Just as you have come to pay tribute, representing the Western Qin.” He glanced at Yelu Qi. “It is a rule of my Great Zhou to forbid riding a horse at high speed in the capital, but you want to break this rule. Is it your own intention, or… the intention of the Western Qin?”
Yelu Qi’s face changed slightly. A middle-aged man who was following him finally spoke up at this moment. “Don’t be offended, master. The prince is straightforward and has no ill intentions. Please don’t overthink it.”
Lu Ze smiled slightly. “You’re too serious, Master Huyan. This official also thinks that since the Western Qin has come from afar, they are naturally sincere.” He looked at Yelu Qi and said in a friendly voice, “If you are not willing to ride a horse, we have also prepared a carriage or a sedan chair, all according to your preference.”
Yelu Qi’s face was ugly, but he was forced by the people around him and did not dare to say anything more. He just said, “No need. I’ll just ride my horse.”
“Why aren’t you leading the way?”
Lu Ze took two steps back and nodded slightly at the Minister of the Honglu Temple, and only then did the group of people turn around and go back.
Yelu Qi’s face was always ugly, and his gaze on Lu Ze was as if he wanted to eat him. Even the horse under him was a little restless.
Lu Ze glanced at the horse and didn’t say much, but he didn’t expect that when they passed by an inn, the horse’s front hooves suddenly went soft, and it suddenly fell to the ground. Yelu Qi was caught off guard and almost fell off the horse. His whole body was pressed tightly against the horse’s back, and his posture was disheveled.
He was already angry, and at this moment, his anger was ignited. His face was twisted, and he was about to say something, but Xiao Lingrui spoke first with schadenfreude, “Your Highness, to be honest, I’ve long seen that your horse has a bad temperament and is really irritable. If you ride it for a long time, you will inevitably suffer.”
He sat high on his horse and looked at Yelu Qi with a tut. “Look at you now, Your Highness. This horse is really hateful.”
Yelu Qi had originally wanted to say that it was clearly someone who had hit his horse’s hoof with something, which was why his horse had suddenly lost control, but he looked around and couldn’t find any clues. He could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger. “You don’t have to worry about it, Your Highness. This horse has been with me for a long time and has rarely made any mistakes. I don’t know why it happened today.”
He looked at Xiao Lingrui with hatred, clearly blaming him. Xiao Lingrui didn’t care at all and shook his head. “Maybe it’s because it’s in a foreign country and is not used to the climate.” Xiao Lingrui said with a smile, “It’s fine. It will be fine after a few more days of rest.”
“If it really doesn’t work, I also have a few good horses in my mansion. It’s no big deal to give you one, Your Highness.”
The horse had already stood up straight. Yelu Qi’s eyes were almost on fire, and he said, word by word, “I won’t trouble you, Your Highness.”
