Too high to reach

Chapter 292 Graceful as a Startled Swan
The grand martial arts competition is about to begin, and Li Jing needs to go ahead of time.

Before leaving, he told Mo Yi, "Go the day before the end. On the last day, there's a special procession for the Emperor, which is quite interesting. There's also a horse race, the final one, which is the most exciting. The Empress will be there that day, and Yu An will probably be there too. Or there might be other exciting things to see..." He smiled mischievously.

Mo Yi scoffed inwardly, "Can I bring Xiangxiang and the others along?"

"The living and food conditions there aren't very good, and the journey will be tiring... Just let her be. Keep her packing simple; the military is not like other places."

After saying that, he left with his men.

He also took a lot of silver with him, having basically figured out the situation from his previous visits.

Some of these groups were loyal to him, while others needed his support and influence.

Similarly, this was also a time for the Crown Prince to win over people. His father-in-law and brother-in-law both commanded troops and held positions in the Ministry of War, and they were the ones who introduced him to the Crown Prince.

This time, the father-in-law was very satisfied with the handling of Consort Zhang and ran around doing things for the Crown Prince.

Previously, the Crown Prince had been hesitant to get involved with military power due to concerns about the Emperor's sensitivities. This time, however, presents a golden opportunity.

He was handsome and had a courteous demeanor, which won him a lot of goodwill.

When you're happy, you feel right at home when socializing.

As soon as Li Jing arrived, Mo Fan and Zhang Debao followed.

Mo Fan was in high spirits when he had a good time, and he became quite robust and handsome from running around.

Zhang Debao has changed even more. His former carefree and frivolous manner has vanished. He is now somewhat serious and unsmiling, methodical in his work, and deeply composed... His father came yesterday and didn't even recognize his own son.

As soon as Zhang Debao arrived, he reported to Li Jing: Meng San had found him, and the two of them, working together, had indeed located the medicine seller. However, the man was a ruthless character and had a large quantity of medicine on hand.

As soon as they found him, he committed suicide by poisoning himself.

They raided the hideout but found a lot of raw materials and finished medicines.

"This man was a doctor who lost his wife and son early in life and lived alone. People around him said that his ancestors had left him property, so he was quite wealthy. He treated patients sporadically. He spent half the year traveling."

There's a basement in the house, filled with medicine and silver. Perhaps knowing the danger of his work, and fearing being silenced by clients, he never interacts with anyone. The house was thoroughly searched, but no client information was found. Chief Meng is still investigating, looking for any other leads.

Li Jing was somewhat disappointed. However, at least this line of communication was eliminated, preventing it from continuing to harm people.

Then he arranged for someone to invite Liang You over. "The Princess Consort told me about Xu Ke... Has he made any moves lately?"

Liang You's heart tightened at first, but seeing the King of Qi's amiable expression... it seemed he didn't mind the matter, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

But he still decided to explain, "Your Highness, Liang You discovered this matter by accident, but it's not something Liang You should be concerned about. So, even though he knew, he didn't say anything."

However, upon hearing of Xu Ke's wife's accident, he realized the gravity of the situation. A life was at stake, and the Liang and Mo families had been friends for many years… He couldn't bear it. He regretted not speaking up sooner. But he couldn't tell the Xu family. The Mo family would only be troubled if they knew. In desperation, he sought out the Princess… begging the Prince for forgiveness.”

Li Jing's jealousy could not be expressed to Liang You.

He bypassed Liang You's guilt and went straight to the point, "I understand. This matter is indeed thorny. It's a significant disaster for both the Xu and Mo families. I've thought about it for a long time since I learned about it, but I still can't find a way to break the deadlock."

"It's a pity that Xu Ke brought this upon himself and dragged his family down with him," Liang You said.

"Well, that's all for now. You can continue to follow up when you have the chance, but there's no need to make a fuss about it. You can tell the Princess Consort or I. How do you feel about this competition?"

"I have done my best and will give it my all in the competition!"

On the day of the competition, the weather was fine, and flags fluttered in the square.

Dozens of teams, dressed in their team uniforms, stood neatly below.

Each team leader stood at the very front.

The grandstand was made of wooden planks, and the crown prince, princes, and court officials all stood on it.

The ceremony was opened by the Crown Prince, followed by six days of various competitions.

On the seventh day, the Emperor will attend, present the awards, and the event will conclude.

At this moment, the Crown Prince wore a golden crown and a python robe. His demeanor was composed and gentle.

Although he was not as tall, strong, or imposing as Li Jing.

However, he may be the most handsome monarch in history.

Now, he sits in the highest, most prominent position, with a sense of pride as if he were surveying the landscape.

The other princes, including Li Jing, were all dressed in princely uniforms and had to sit on either side of him.

People on and off the stage were bowing to him!

This feeling is simply too good!
When the time came, he calmly walked over and struck the gong with a drumstick.

The surrounding soldiers beat the ten large drums with all their might.

Cheers erupted from below, and the competition began.

Everything proceeded smoothly thereafter. Of course, there were quite a few wounded soldiers along the way, but proper rescue arrangements were made.

Six days passed in the blink of an eye.

The Emperor and Empress have arrived, and Princess Yu'an is accompanying the Empress.

The person from the Crown Prince's residence was actually Mo Yuan. She smiled smugly when she saw Mo Yi.

A series of data were reported to the emperor, who had presided over the process several times and was familiar with it.

After watching it, I was very satisfied. "This time it was excellent! The Crown Prince did a great job."

The Crown Prince was very modest: "It's all thanks to the good foundation laid by Father Emperor. I followed all the procedures exactly. Also, my seventh brother came up with some great ideas. I was really excited watching the siege competition!"

On the last day, the parade performances were over, and only the final event remained: horse racing.

The starting point was a mile away, but the finish line was right before the Emperor's eyes.

This was the single most spectacular section. The Emperor sat in the main seat, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, exuding the majesty of an emperor.

He looked quite well, but no one knew that he had applied some rouge... because his complexion was too sallow.

The emperor had taken the main seat, while the crown prince sat on a lower seat.

Looking at his father's back, a strange feeling suddenly welled up inside him...

Why is he still holding on like this?
Year after year, he was always sickly, but he always managed to pull through.

Look at your complexion, you look pretty good...

How long is he going to keep me waiting?
The feeling of being the master of the world that I had formed on the day of the competition was gone now.

This caused great resentment.

By the way, is there any medicine that Consort Zhang used that could be used for this purpose...? Why didn't I think of that before?

Is it possible to find that person again?
But what good would finding them do...? To be arrested like Consort Zhang? Just thinking about it made my heart race.

Just as he was lost in thought, he saw the emperor holding a red flag and raising it towards the sky.

Every two hundred paces there was a mounted guard. They raised colorful flags and passed them one by one into the distance…

Soon, a rumbling sound could be heard.

"They're here! They're here!" Everyone got excited. They stood up without regard for etiquette, craning their necks to look into the distance.

They got over a hundred horses and galloped this way.

The yellow sand it kicked up flew very high wherever it went.

The emperor recalled that he had also ridden his horse and whipped it in his youth. "Good!" he shouted.

As we got closer, we saw people.

"Alright! Charge!!" The people in the stands burst into laughter.

Just then, a white horse sprang out from the crowd, and on it sat a man dressed in white...

The man and his horse were gleaming in the sunlight.

Like a silver arrow, it silently pierces forward...

"My God! How can this be..."

Several equestrian competitions have been held these past few days. Most riders wear their team uniforms.

Even today, in an individual competition, team uniforms aren't required. If you play well, you can still gain face in front of the Emperor.

But there isn't such a thing.

Everyone stared in disbelief as the white horse drew ever closer.

"How can there be horses like this?"

It was a tall, large white horse with a streamlined body, long legs, and a pert rear end.

Its fur was glossy. It had long hair on its head, which it braided in a flamboyant style. Its ponytail stood up because of its vigorous running, but its long mane danced and flowed in the air.

"It's so beautiful!" Mo Yi squeezed to the railing with everyone else.

Looking at the person on horseback, he was wearing a white satin robe, his black hair was tied back, and he also had a long ponytail.

One man and one horse, like the wind passing by, like flowing clouds swirling, leaving everyone far behind, and the first to cross the finish line.

Then, the horse neighed and stood up on its own.

The person on horseback gently lifted their buttocks and squeezed their legs together... it was simply indescribably beautiful.

"My God!" came a chorus of exclamations.

Mo Yi and Mo Yuan beside her felt like they could hardly breathe when they looked at the man in front of them.

"...Graceful as a startled swan, lithe as a swimming dragon. Is that what it refers to?" Mo Yuan asked Mo Yi.

Mo Yi nodded vigorously, a rare occurrence for her, "Mmm..."

No one noticed that Princess Yu'an was staring blankly at that person, tears welling up in her eyes...

The man and his horse made the knight and his horse behind him look like country bumpkins.

Even the crown prince, handsome enough to become an emperor for all time, and Xu Ke, praised as the most handsome man in the capital...

They were all crushed into mere passersby by him.

The man and his horse didn't stop, but instead strolled back and forth triumphantly. Finally, the man rode forward and stood beneath the emperor.

He looked up, grinned at the emperor, and...

"That bastard..." the emperor murmured.

"That bastard..." Li Jing cursed inwardly, what a show-off!

Princess Yu'an was unknowingly pushed to the vicinity of the steps.

Then, she didn't know if someone had bumped into her, if she was dizzy, or if her vision was blurred by tears.

She fell straight down the steps...

I'm not good at describing his appearance... just bear with it.

But are you enjoying it?