"I'm fine. We don't have to take what we said as kids seriously. I just remembered that I have some things to attend to at home, so I'll head back first."
With that, Li Wantong walked away on her own, leaving Yuan Yuhan standing there in a daze. He was completely bewildered, having no idea what he had done wrong.
Bei Mochen and Bei Moxue returned to the inn in a foul mood. Bei Moxue, in particular, started throwing a tantrum as soon as she got back to the inn, flinging all the things in the room onto the floor.
"How could we lose? Weren't the warriors of Beiming supposed to be invincible? How could this happen?!" Bei Moxue roared in anger.
Bei Mochen also looked extremely unconvinced. "This was just an accident. They must have been lucky this time. Otherwise, we wouldn't have lost so embarrassingly."
"It's all your fault, Brother Emperor. If it weren't for your crazy idea, I wouldn't have lost Father's century - old sandalwood to that Mu Fengqie! What should we do now?"
Bei Moxue was so angry that her teeth were grinding. She had really made a fool of herself today. It was just as Mu Fengqie had said: the higher you stand, the harder you fall.
"What?" Bei Mochen suddenly jumped up and asked excitedly, "You actually lost the century - old sandalwood meant for the emperor of the Qin Dynasty to Mu Fengqie? You're so stupid!"
Although he had always doted on Bei Moxue, her actions this time really disappointed him. Making such a blunder at this critical moment might make the Qin Dynasty think that Beiming wasn't sincere about the peace negotiation.
"It's all because you said we would definitely win, Brother Emperor..." Seeing Bei Mochen getting angry, Bei Moxue also felt a bit unconfident.
She knew she had caused a big problem, but she hadn't thought about it at that time. All she wanted was to get what she wanted, and she had forgotten everything else.
Bei Mochen was quietly thinking about what to do next. In this Cuju competition, they had not only lost face but also two precious items, and they hadn't achieved their goal. It was really a case of losing both the wife and the soldiers.
However, he wasn't willing to accept this result. He would definitely find a way to defeat the Qin Dynasty and not let Beiming lose face.
"Brother Emperor, how about we hold another competition? We'll surely win next time." Bei Moxue suggested.
Bei Mochen scolded her, "Shut up. Haven't you embarrassed us enough?"
Bei Mochen would never make the same mistake twice.
Bei Moxue shook her head and said eagerly, "No. Since the Qin Dynasty won the Cuju, which is our forte in Beiming, we might as well use their forte to beat them."
"Do you mean... dragon boats?" Bei Mochen's face showed shock.
Bei Moxue nodded with a smile. "Yes, you're smart. It's the dragon boat race. If we win, Beiming won't lose face."
But Bei Mochen's expression didn't improve. Instead, his anger grew. "It's not May now. Winter is coming soon. How can we win?"
"Brother Emperor, have you forgotten? The warriors of Beiming are resistant to cold. Are we still afraid of losing to them? I'll beat the drum myself then. I don't believe we can't win!"
Bei Moxue's suggestion seemed like a good idea to Bei Mochen. After all, they couldn't let Beiming lose face, and they had to explain this to their father when they got back.
"Okay, I'll follow your suggestion. It's getting late. Rest well today. We'll go to the palace to see the emperor tomorrow."
After saying that, Bei Mochen left Bei Moxue's room. Bei Moxue was left alone in the room, lost in thought. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see Jing Xunce's heroic appearance from today.
Mu Fengqie was so happy that she could fly when she got the century - old sandalwood. She had finally found the last ingredient for the antidote, and now she could finally make it.
When Jing Xunce saw Mu Fengqie, he noticed that she was holding a delicate box in her hands as if it were a precious treasure.
"What's in your hand?" Jing Xunce asked curiously.
Mu Fengqie opened the box in her hand, and the fragrance of sandalwood immediately spread out. Jing Xunce recognized it at once. "Sandalwood? The one Beiming was going to offer as tribute?"
"Yeah, your nose is quite sensitive. This is a really good thing. Thanks to you for winning today!"
Mu Fengqie was beaming with joy. The happiest thing for her was getting the century - old sandalwood. It had only been less than half a year, and she had already gathered all the ingredients for the antidote.
Jing Xunce then understood why Mu Fengqie had been so determined to win today. It turned out that what she wanted was the century - old sandalwood.
"Do you like spices? I've never heard you mention it before. If you like spices, let's go buy some now."
Jing Xunce had never noticed this before. He had never seen Mu Fengqie use any spices. The smell on her body was just her natural fragrance.
Mu Fengqie shook her head and waved her hands quickly. "You've misunderstood. Actually, I don't like incense. This is a good thing that can detoxify you. I've been looking for this century - old sandalwood for a long time. Now that it's finally in my hands, let's go back and make the antidote!"
She was smiling happily. Jing Xunce hadn't seen her smile like this for a long time. Seeing her smiling face again, he couldn't help but smile too.
This little girl had made a bet with others for his sake. He found himself loving her more and more. Looking at her slightly upturned cherry - like lips, he really wanted to taste them.
In fact, that's exactly what Jing Xunce did. He pulled Mu Fengqie into his arms and kissed her hard on the lips. Mu Fengqie was stunned for a moment and tightly held the box in her hand. She was so startled that she almost dropped the box on the ground.
When Mu Fengqie was almost out of breath, he reluctantly let her go. The sweetness in her mouth always made him unable to resist. He even wished he could pin her on the bed and love her deeply.
Bei Moxue got up early the next morning and went to the palace with Bei Mochen. The emperor's eyes were fixed on Bei Moxue in her red dress, and Bei Moxue showed a look of displeasure.
The emperor was quite tempted when he saw such a young and beautiful princess from Beiming. He even had the idea of taking Bei Moxue into his harem.
"Your Majesty, I've heard that the Qin Dynasty is most proficient in dragon boat races. I was thinking of having a competition with the Qin Dynasty to see if it's really as good as the rumors say." Bei Mochen proposed.
The emperor looked at them suspiciously. "Do you mean... to hold a dragon boat race?"
"Exactly."
"But it's already October. Winter is coming soon. The river water must be extremely cold. It's really not the right time for a dragon boat race."
The emperor didn't know what they were up to. He kept sizing them up, observing their reactions. Although they were just a prince and a princess, he was still a bit wary of them.