The emperor finally showed a smile upon seeing this scene. He burst into hearty laughter. It seemed he had truly underestimated Mu Fengqie. He never thought that with just a little trick, she could throw the Seventh Princess of Beiming into disarray. It was truly a perfect way to return like for like!
Jing Xunce was a bit distracted by her graceful dance. But soon he came to his senses and focused all his attention on the race.
For some unknown reason, Jing Xunce suddenly seemed to gain a burst of strength, propelling the dragon boat forward at great speed. Soon, he took the lead.
Yuan Yuze was so angry that he gritted his teeth. It was bad enough that the Seventh Princess of Beiming came to cause trouble. But Mu Fengqie just had to interfere at this moment. She was truly detestable.
His performance had always been far ahead. Sometimes he was neck - and - neck with the Beiming dragon boat. But now he had dropped to third place. He had won first place every year, but judging from the current situation, it seemed he was going to miss out on the first prize this time.
Bei Moxue sped up, but still couldn't catch up with Jing Xunce and Yuan Yuhan's dragon boats. She could only watch helplessly as Jing Xunce and Yuan Yuhan took first place.
Bei Moxue was so angry that she kept rolling her eyes. Her painstakingly arranged plan had been ruined by that slut Mu Fengqie. It was truly infuriating!
After Yuan Yuhan and Jing Xunce got off the dragon boat, they came to Mu Fengqie's side. There was a thin layer of sweat on Mu Fengqie's forehead. She wasn't a professional dancer, so she didn't have as much stamina as Bei Moxue. After dancing for a while, she was already sweating profusely.
Fortunately, her efforts were not in vain. They finally won. Although she didn't want to help the dog emperor, she was also a subject of the Qin Dynasty. She couldn't let Beiming win this competition.
Jing Xunce wiped the sweat off her forehead with his sleeve, his face full of concern. "You've worked hard. As expected, we won."
Yuan Yuhan also gave her a thumbs - up. "I never thought you had such skills. We really owe it to you this time. You're truly a hero of the Qin Dynasty!"
"The Fifth Prince is overpraising me. I can't be called a hero. But I'm a subject of the Qin Dynasty, so of course I want to see the Qin Dynasty win." Mu Fengqie smiled.
She just took a chance, but unexpectedly it really worked. Maybe it was just dumb luck...
Bei Moxue stared at Mu Fengqie coldly and menacingly. She had never taken Mu Fengqie seriously before, but Mu Fengqie had provoked her more than once. It seemed she had to get rid of this troublemaker first.
She walked towards Mu Fengqie, and her expression returned to normal. "Miss Mu is truly a rare talent. This princess originally thought Miss Mu was just a pretty face, but it turns out Miss Mu is also a talented woman. One really can't judge a book by its cover!"
Mu Fengqie could clearly hear the sarcasm in Bei Moxue's words. But instead of getting angry, she smiled politely at Bei Moxue, which almost made Bei Moxue faint from anger.
"The Seventh Princess shouldn't let the loss of the competition affect the harmony between our two countries. After all, harmony is precious among the people." Mu Fengqie winked playfully.
Bei Moxue took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Can I have a word with you in private, Miss Mu?"
"Does the Seventh Princess want to intimidate me like last time? I'm pregnant now and really can't take any scares. If the Seventh Princess has something to say, just say it here."
Mu Fengqie didn't intend to comply with Bei Moxue's request. So what if she was a princess? If Mu Fengqie didn't want to listen, she didn't have to!
Bei Moxue's eyes changed. Her sharp eyes stared fixedly at Mu Fengqie. Jing Xunce sensed the killing intent on Bei Moxue and shielded Mu Fengqie behind him.
"The Seventh Princess should wait until after seeing the emperor to say anything. The Seventh Princess had better not have any evil thoughts about Qie'er. Otherwise, even if you're at the ends of the earth, I'll take your life!"
Jing Xunce saw Bei Moxue's intentions. That kind of murderous look was only seen during a massacre. It was obvious that Bei Moxue had already had the intention to kill.
Bei Moxue snorted coldly and then walked forward quickly. Jing Xunce and the others followed closely behind.
The emperor was so happy to see Yuan Yuhan that he couldn't close his mouth. "Han'er is truly better than the best. In previous years, it was always the Crown Prince and Ze'er who won first place. You really gave me a pleasant surprise this year!"
The emperor had originally pinned all his hopes on Yuan Yuchuan and Yuan Yuze, but unexpectedly, it was Yuan Yuhan who won in the end. He immediately began to look at Yuan Yuhan, who had always been unknown, with new respect.
Yuan Yuhan replied with a smile, "Your subject was just lucky. It's all thanks to Father's good fortune that your subject didn't let you down!"
Yuan Yuhan's words made the emperor laugh even louder. "The Great Prince, the Seventh Princess, friendship comes first and competition second. Don't let this affect the harmony between our two countries."
He saw Bei Mochen and Bei Moxue sitting silently on one side. Both of them looked very unhappy. For some reason, the emperor felt extremely satisfied seeing their frustrated expressions.
Bei Mochen suppressed the anger in his eyes and pretended to be calm. "Naturally. Since our two countries intend to make peace, why doesn't the emperor negotiate the terms now?"
"Very well. I only want two cities from Beiming, plus a thousand blood - sweating horses and a hundred thousand taels of silver." The emperor said while sizing up Bei Mochen's expression.
The hundred thousand taels of silver wasn't a big deal. Although the two cities were a bit of a stretch, it was still acceptable. But the thousand blood - sweating horses were something he couldn't produce at once.
Blood - sweating horses were precious. If a thousand of them were given to the Qin Dynasty, Beiming would lose its advantage, which would be a huge loss for Beiming.
"The prince can agree to two of the emperor's three conditions. As for the blood - sweating horses, the prince really can't make the decision." Bei Mochen's attitude became obviously colder.
The emperor narrowed his eyes into slits and forced a smile. "If Beiming wants to make peace, it has to show its sincerity. The soldiers of the Qin Dynasty are always ready to defend against the enemy, but of course, the common people will inevitably suffer."
Bei Mochen clenched his fists tightly. After a long while, he finally said, "In that case, the prince needs to consult with his father. After all, blood - sweating horses are not that easy to come by."
"Don't be in a hurry. We're going to make peace anyway. I'm sure Beiming has seen the military strategies of the Qin Dynasty. I'm not in a rush for this moment."
The emperor's words shocked Mu Fengqie. She never thought this dog emperor was quite shrewd. Just by looking at Bei Mochen's expression, one could tell how angry Beiming was.
Beiming had always been arrogant. Although it wasn't a large country, its soldiers were all elite warriors. So this was a good time to teach Beiming a lesson.
Lou Mingkou's eyes were always on Jing Xunce. He always felt that this person was familiar, but he just couldn't remember where he had seen him. But there was just this inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Coupled with the surname of General Jing, Lou Mingkou couldn't help but pay more attention to Jing Xunce.