"It's just a friendly competition. Moreover, the soldiers of Beiming are extremely valiant. The temperature of the river is not going to make Beiming cower," Beimochen said with a confident smile on his face.
Hearing this, the emperor showed a meaningful smile. "Since that's the case, spread the word that the dragon boat race will be held three days later. I'm tired. You princes and princesses may do as you please."
After saying that, the emperor left the court hall and headed for the harem. Beimoxue came out of the palace looking unhappy. She saw clearly the look in the emperor's eyes just now. If this were in Beiming, she would have beaten him to the ground!
Jing Xinche and Yuan Yuhan were extremely surprised when they heard this news. It wasn't the season for a dragon boat race at this time. And Beiming's making such an unreasonable request clearly showed their ill intentions.
Mu Fengqie only took one day to prepare the antidote. She first tested it on a mouse. Only after making sure it was accurate did she dare to take the medicine to Jing Xinche.
At this time, Jing Xinche was discussing this matter with Yuan Yuhan. Seeing Mu Fengqie, he also showed a smile. "You came just in time. The Fifth Prince and I are discussing something. Come and listen."
"Nothing is more important than your health. This is the antidote I prepared. Drink it quickly," Mu Fengqie said as she handed the medicine in her hand to Jing Xinche.
He looked at the medicine in Mu Fengqie's hand and felt a mix of emotions. He still remembered clearly how Mu Fengqie had smiled like a child when she got the century - old sandalwood yesterday.
Seeing Jing Xinche in a daze, Mu Fengqie was stunned for a moment, and her expression became awkward. "What? Are you afraid I'll poison you? Don't worry. If I wanted to harm you, I would have done it long ago, not waited until today."
She didn't know what kind of feeling was welling up inside her. It felt as if thousands of ants were gnawing at her heart, and it seemed as if something sharp was tugging at her heart.
Jing Xinche then came back to his senses. Looking at Mu Fengqie with a guilty look on his face, he said, "I trust you. I'm just a bit touched."
After saying that, he picked up the bowl of medicine and gulped it down. He stopped only after finishing all the medicine in the bowl.
"Can you two stop making eyes at each other in front of me? You're an old married couple, but still so lovey - dovey. You're not even treating me, a lonely old man, as a human being!" Yuan Yuhan rolled his eyes.
Originally, he wasn't interested in women at all. But after seeing the two of them showing their love in front of him, he even felt an impulse to get married.
Mu Fengqie lowered her head shyly and then sat beside them. "What were you two discussing just now?"
"It's that hateful Beiming! I really don't know what the First Prince and the Seventh Princess were thinking. They actually wanted to hold a dragon boat race in the cold winter. I really don't know what they're up to!" Yuan Yuhan said helplessly, waving his hand.
Mu Fengqie also frowned involuntarily. This kind of behavior was really puzzling. But dragon boat racing was a strong suit of the Qin Dynasty. It was really strange that Beiming had proposed a dragon boat race!
It was likely that Beiming was not willing to accept their defeat in the cuju game yesterday, so they came up with this idea.
"I know. They want to pay us back in our own coin..." Mu Fengqie said with her head down.
The corner of Jing Xinche's mouth twitched slightly. Sure enough, his woman could think the same as him on everything.
"You mean that since Beiming lost the cuju game, which they're good at, they want to win the dragon boat race?" Yuan Yuhan suddenly realized.
He had to admit that Mu Fengqie was indeed a rare and extraordinary woman in the world. There were not many women as smart and perceptive as her. If she weren't already married, he might have fallen for such a woman.
Mu Fengqie nodded. "Dragon boat racing is not Beiming's strong suit. The First Prince and the Seventh Princess are so confident. They must have some underhanded tricks. We must be extremely careful then and not fall into their trap!"
"You're right. I'll go back and prepare right away. Brother Jing, I'll be counting on you then!" After saying that, Yuan Yuhan rushed back to his prince's mansion in a hurry.
Three days passed in a flash. The dragon boat race was held as usual by the river. The concubines in the palace and some female relatives also had the opportunity to watch the race.
Lou Yueying had been searching for Jing Xinche's figure. After looking around for a while, she finally saw the person she had been longing for in the corner.
She walked over quickly and stopped in front of him. "Brother Jing, these are the snacks I made myself. They're your favorite from childhood. You'll definitely expend a lot of energy later. Have some first!"
Jing Xinche gave Lou Yueying a cold look, and his eyebrows frowned involuntarily. "Princess Consort of the Crown Prince, you'd better keep your distance in the future. I'm no longer the person I used to be. There's no affection between you and me. If you accidentally say something you shouldn't, don't blame me for being merciless."
He could tell that Lou Yueying had feelings for him. If he couldn't nip her feelings in the bud in time, Lou Yueying might cause trouble.
Lou Yueying's eyes instantly turned red. "Brother Jing, what are you talking about? I had no choice but to accept the emperor's arranged marriage. But the Crown Prince and I have always been just nominal husband and wife. Brother Jing, don't misunderstand. Please don't ignore me."
She looked at Jing Xinche pitifully, regretting why she hadn't fought against fate back then. Did her Brother Jing finally dislike her?
"Princess Consort of the Crown Prince, you misunderstand. Your affairs with the Crown Prince have nothing to do with me. Please don't overstep your boundaries, or you'll invite gossip. You and I are doomed not to be friends."
Jing Xinche always had a cold face. How could he not be heart - broken? But since the moment Lou Mingkou had harmed him, he had sworn to be enemies with the Lou family.
Lou Yueying didn't know how she got back to her seat. Lou Xingzhou lowered his voice and asked, "Who did you go to see just now?"
Lou Xingzhou had noticed Lou Yueying's mood and had seen Jing Xinche who had met her. It seemed that they weren't meeting for the first time.
"Um... No one. The race is about to start. Let's watch the race," Lou Yueying said, wiping the tears on her face and trying to look calm.
Lou Xingzhou saw the evasion in Lou Yueying's eyes. His anger flared up. "Lou Yueying, did you know all along? So I've been kept in the dark by you?"
"Brother, I... I have my own difficulties. Brother Jing has a special identity. I won't put him in danger," Lou Yueying explained in a low voice.
Hearing this, Lou Xingzhou's tense body relaxed, like a deflated balloon.