Chapter Thirty-One: Flowers Bloom in Profusion, Each with Its Own Spring

  The Heavenly Emperor ordered the princes to return to their seats and continue drinking with the Tubo Zanpu. The Jiaowu Fang presented a new performance of Hu song drum dance, the cups and chopsticks intertwined on the table, and the wine was joyful.

  After a while, when the music and dance ended, the drumming sound started again. Everyone stopped their cups and looked around, only to see that in the field several long red silks suddenly rose high and hung up a copper mirror-sized carved golden ball. At the same time, outside the field, a horse with a crimson mane and a woman wearing armor rode swiftly, drawing her bow and shooting an arrow, which flew like the wind and hit the golden ball right on target.

  The golden ball was hit by an arrow and split, floating down two snow-white hada. The woman bowed her head back, and surprisingly untied the reins, standing alive on the horse's back, with both hands stretched out to accurately catch the falling hada.

  Among the cheers of the crowd, she galloped to the front of the stage, slowed down her horse, lightly jumped off, folded a hada in half and held it up shoulder-high, presenting it to Zanpu Lang with a crisp smile, saying: "I heard that in Tibet, there is a custom of offering hada to distinguished guests, welcome Zanpu to the Central Plains!"

  Akron Lun Zan smiled and bowed as she placed the hada in front of her, then offered it to Princess Jing Sheng: "Welcome back, Your Highness!"

  Yin Guifei stood beside Tian Di and smiled: "So it's Cai Qian, that little girl. She has a lot of tricks up her sleeve."

  The Heavenly Emperor smiled and said, "Yes, your horsemanship and archery are quite good."

  Yin Caiqian said: "Your Majesty, the men of our dynasty are bold and unrestrained, and the women are not inferior to others. Caiqian wants to borrow the polo field to perform a shooting flower ritual for Your Majesty and Zanpu, to help with the wine excitement!"

  This game of shooting flowers is often played by young men of noble families in their leisure time, combining archery, horsemanship, flower-style ball kicking and wordplay. It's also very interesting. The Emperor said: "Just playing games won't do, I order you to have a competition, what do you think?"

  Yin Caiqian said: "That is the Double Dragon Decree, I will obey!"

  The Heavenly Emperor asked: "Whom do you want to invite to compete with you for the decree?"

  Yin Caiqian thought for a moment, then raised her eyes and said: "To climb a mountain, one must climb a high mountain; to compete, one must seek out a strong opponent." As she spoke, she took a few steps forward and bowed before Ye Tianling: "The fourth prince's archery skills are among the best in the military. Caiqian dares to be bold, please, Fourth Prince, grant me instruction!"

  Ye Tianling was slightly stunned, and the scene fell into a soft commotion. Suddenly, there were discussions everywhere, and no one had expected that Yin Caiqian would dare to challenge Ye Tianling.

  Ye Tianling sat in the midst of the seats, and after she finished speaking, he quietly remained silent without responding. Yin Caiqian's apricot eyes shone brightly, and with a scorching gaze, she lifted her head to look at him, with a hint of shyness in the depths of her radiant eyes. Ye Tianling's deep eyes met hers calmly, but only an endless darkness could be seen within them.

  The Empress Dowager asked him: "Ling'er, someone is challenging you, why don't you quickly accept?"

  Ye Tianling heard the words and stood up, slightly bowing to the Empress Dowager. "Grandson obeys the orders of the Imperial Grandmother," he said in a light tone. His eyes lifted, and they fell on Qingchen. Qingchen was also looking at him, and for an instant, their gazes met. A faint smile seemed to appear at the corner of his lips, but it disappeared into the calmness of his eyebrows as he looked away.

  The phoenix flew, pointing to the front of the long case with a knock, and suddenly said in a low voice to Qingchen: "Sister, let's go down and kill her momentum, we can't let the Yin family be too proud."

  You raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you want to team up with the Fourth Prince?"

  The Yin and Feng families have been probing each other for a long time, it's not just one day. Feng Luan and Yin Cai Qian have never gotten along, so naturally she wouldn't let her monopolize the spotlight here. Now wanting to borrow Ling Wang's strong momentum to suppress her luck, nodded and said: "That's right, this is a great opportunity." Then softly spoke to the Empress Dowager: "Empress Dowager, the Flower Petal Edict requires good coordination or it won't work, my sister and I will go help the Fourth Prince, how about that?"

  You are quite helpless, but also secretly thinking that Lian Fei is clever and wise. By borrowing the Empress Dowager's edict to take action, no one can say anything. Moreover, with Night Sky Ling in the team, it's almost a winning situation. Sure enough, the Empress Dowager listened and ordered them to go. Night Sky Ling had already mounted his horse and entered the arena, seemingly not caring who he was paired with, only nodding at them, quietly waiting for Yin Cai Xian to invite someone to compete.

  On the watchtower, Concubine Yin was just gazing out at Ye Tianyan, who gave a faint smile and stood up, "It's not very interesting with just boys and girls, why don't I join Fourth Brother to accompany them in shooting arrows?"

  He smiled with a subtle and elegant intention, his words were reasonable and emotional, but this way, everyone felt some different meaning. At this time, the Tian Emperor seemed to say casually: "Hao'er, you go down and lead Zhan'er's team, Ling'er's archery skills are fierce, don't let them be bullied."

  As soon as this was said, Concubine Yin's face changed slightly, and Feng Yan also moved. The Crown Prince had injuries on his body, but the Heavenly Emperor still arranged it this way, and the meaning was already obvious. In the future, the throne of Tianchao would be taken over by the Crown Prince, and no one else should think about making waves.

  The crown prince said: "I obey your orders." Then he stood up and entered the scene under the worried gaze of the crown princess.

  Concubine Yin smiled and said: "Your Majesty, looking at them reminds me of our youth. At that time, we also often played this game of shooting flowers."

  The Heavenly Emperor's expression was calm and gentle as he said, "I recall that you were once a master of the Shooting Order."

  Consort Yin said: "I often lose to Your Majesty, don't I?" The Heavenly Emperor smiled but did not speak.

  You dusted your hands and stroked the clouds, watching from afar as the situation underwent subtle changes. What a good game had been made so complicated, it was both boring and somewhat amusing. She smiled and turned her head to one side, unexpectedly seeing that Ye Tianling's lips also curled up into a sneer of cold laughter. When her gaze fell on him, he suddenly turned his head, and the two of them were taken aback by each other's mocking expressions, then simultaneously raised an eyebrow slightly.

  "Upon seeing the opponent's formation, Luan Fei said: 'I bet they're using the Yin Cai Qian Shooting Command, the Seventh Prince's Rushing Command, and the Crown Prince's Receiving Command. How should we respond to this?'"

  The game of Shooting the Floral Wreath is generally played in groups of three, with multiple hollow colored balls suspended high above the ground on all sides of the field. Each ball has a golden plaque attached to it with different floral wreaths written on them. Before the game begins, an official outside the field gives out the first line of the floral wreath, and the player who shoots must shoot down the corresponding ball based on that line. Once the ball falls to the ground, the second player immediately follows up to grab the command. If a team misses or incorrectly shoots a ball, they must recite the next line of the floral wreath before they can try to grab it again. When grabbing the command, players use a long pole with a padded end to hit the ball and pass it to their teammate as quickly as possible, making speed and agility crucial. The player who receives the ball bare-handed is most important for having good horsemanship on horseback, but if they cannot recite the final line after receiving the command, they must hand the ball over to the opposing team with both hands. Each link in the chain requires coordination and tacit understanding, testing knowledge of classical poetry, and finally, the team with the most balls wins.

  "You have played the flower shooting game in the palace a few times, think about it and said: "The fourth prince is determined to shoot the order, we two people need to make up for each other's strengths and weaknesses. I'm not very good at bowing down to receive things on horseback, why don't you come and receive the order? My horse is fast, and I'm more familiar with the seventh prince's technique of hitting the ball, so I'll come and grab the order."

  "Prince's arm is injured, sister is letting me. However, the seventh prince's ball-striking technique is quite formidable, but he will definitely let up on sister by three points, our chances of winning are great."

  She gave her a light glance, she puckered up and blinked, making Qingchen feel a little cry and laugh. Suddenly, he felt a deep gaze falling beside him, and when he looked over, he saw a faint light flashing in Ye Tian's dark eyes, and heard him say lightly: "Follow my horse closely on the field later." After that, he led his horse into the arena first.

  The other party's arrangement was indeed as expected, and Ye Tian saw that his opponent was Qing Chen. He didn't seem to be very surprised either, and he let out a soft sigh, smiling elegantly under the sunlight, with bright eyes like spring.

  The Tibetans had never seen the game of Shooting Flowers before, and everyone was waiting with bated breath. The colorful balls, which had been prepared in advance, began to rotate as soon as the red silk ribbon was pulled. After three beats on the drum, a golden bell rang out, and the commander loudly chanted: "Swear to gallop iron horses and break through a thousand cities." In the arena, fine horses galloped lightly, two arrow shadows flew simultaneously, the colorful balls fell down with a loud noise, and the crescent-shaped long pole was chased back and forth.

  But see the green grass flying flowers, colorful orders fluttering, fast horses and swift arrows shooting, balls flying to chase the moon, among them are light shirts like jade, frequent clever words linked together, making people's eyes dazzled and confused, unable to keep up.

  Yin Caiqian dared to challenge Ye Tianling at night, and her archery skills were indeed extraordinary. She was swift and accurate, although she was initially suppressed by Ye Tianling, but she persisted in pursuing closely. Qingchen drove the cloud steed, tightly following beside Ye Tianling's side. After three arrows, she felt that every arrow Ye Tianling shot would inevitably fall in front of her horse with precise control, leaving people amazed and astonished.

  As the flower order turned faster and faster, the crowd in the field galloped rapidly. Every time the shooting order was given, Feng Chen and Yun Xi drove their horses side by side, like wind, cloud, and lightning, flashing swiftly, and only two white shadows could be seen outside the field, chasing each other hastily, stepping on the wind and clouds, as if they were one body, and couldn't help but cheer.

  Swallows fly alongside, horses gallop, people are in a hurry, with the prince on either side, whirling around. Purple robes and yellow shirts each win at the arena, bright and elegant, intersecting winds. Suddenly, when the ball is obtained, she immediately comes forward to respond, riding horseback, leaning forward, skirt fluttering, like a colorful butterfly passing through flowers, fragrance blowing by, already holding the flower order in her hand.

  The opponent lost two consecutive serves, and Qīn Chén received another serve. Suddenly, he felt a tight grip on his hand, and the figure beside him flashed slightly. In an instant, Yè Tiān appeared in front of him with a smile, and the racket had already touched the ball like lightning.

  Qing Chen knew that he was very skilled at dribbling, and once the ball was under his control, it was almost impossible to take it back. He used a slanting motion to bring the ball to his side. But unexpectedly, when their sticks intersected, a strange adhesive force appeared on Ye Tian Yan's stick, causing Qing Chen to lose her grip on the ball. Just as she was about to drop it, Ye Tian Yan raised his hand and, in an instant, returned the ball to her with a flick of his wrist.

  You were dazed, seeing the night sky's bright eyes as if filled with joyful spring light. She smiled to indicate she would continue, and a strange feeling arose in her heart. She also responded to Ye Tianzhan with a shallow smile, but her hand holding the ball stick avoided him, and this command was no longer contested.

  "Ten thousand points of spring, one branch elegant."

  Two arrows whizzed, almost simultaneously hitting the target, the colored balls fell, and it was hard to distinguish between Qingchen and Yitian Zhan's victory or defeat. At the same time, they recited the next line: "Thousand autumns, *!" The staff produced two moons, sending the ball flying across the sky, as Ruan Fei and the Crown Prince leapt on horseback, rushing forward to determine the final outcome of win or lose.

  Unexpectedly, the two arrows intersected in mid-air, and Yin Caiqian was no match for Ye Tian's arrow. The feathered arrow, which should have fallen outside the field, changed direction and flew back into the field. As it fell, its force did not diminish, and it struck precisely on the head of Luan Fei's horse.

  The horse was startled and lost its footing, in the flash of lightning, the prince's horse suddenly accelerated, leaned forward and raised his hand to grab Rong Fei, and with a sudden force, he pulled her up. Rong Fei took advantage of the momentum to loosen the reins, and with a light body like a swallow, she landed in front of the prince's horse. She looked down with a startled soul, and found that she was holding the flying flower token in her hand. Suddenly, she burst out laughing, and with bright and beautiful eyes, she looked at the prince and presented the flower token: "Your Highness wins, Rong Fei admits defeat."

  The crown prince took over the flower command, raised his hand and seemed to be somewhat laborious, slightly furrowed his brow, but looked at Ruan Fei with a hint of a smile as he lowered his head.

  Yin Caiqian and the others rode forward on horseback, staring at Luan Fei with great discomfort, their eyes filled with hostility. However, Luan Fei pretended not to see them, only smiling as he thanked the prince.

  Thus, both sides ended in a draw. Chi Lang Lun Zan, although from a foreign tribe, was well-versed in Chinese and had always admired the culture of the Heavenly Dynasty. This duel between two dragons, showcasing both literary and martial prowess, opened his eyes wide with wonder. He ordered his attendants to pour several cups of strong wine and personally toasted the six individuals.

  Chi Lang Ren Zan first toasted as a sign of respect, the Crown Prince and Ye Tian Ling raised their glasses in return, and they all drank three mouthfuls. Luan Fei and Yin Cai Xiang also had some capacity for wine, and they too finished their drinks one after another.

  You knew you couldn't drink after getting drunk once, and when you took over the large bowl of strong wine, you were very hesitant. Forcing yourself to take a sip, the liquor was like a knife, entering your throat with a burning sensation, as if it was scorching hot. Having galloped on horseback for half a day earlier, you already felt somewhat anxious, and the strong wine seemed to add fuel to the fire, rising from your abdomen to press against your chest, causing you to frown secretly.

  But according to Tubo's customs, refusing the first cup of wine was extremely impolite. She saw that A Lang Ren Zan was staring at her, and in front of the civil and military officials of both countries, she couldn't retreat no matter what. With a slight raise of her phoenix-like eyebrows, she steeled herself and prepared to drink the wine. However, she didn't expect to be blocked by Ye Tian Ling beside her, who said: "Zanpu, Qingping Junzhu is not good at drinking wine. According to our Tian Dynasty's customs, this cup of wine can be drunk by someone else on her behalf. What do you think, Zanpu?"

  Chi Lang Lun Zan also saw that Qing Chen really couldn't drink, and smiled: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do, Your Highness please!"

  Qingchen smiled excitedly at Yeting Ling, who took the wine cup from her hand and drained it in one gulp. Chi Langren cheered, "Good capacity!" The Tubo people make friends with wine, being frank and generous. Just now when they were competing in horse racing, he had been eager to get close to Yeting Ling. He turned around, poured another cup of wine, and raised his hand, saying, "I'll toast Your Highness again!"

  Ye Tianling's face didn't change color, nor did he decline, taking the wine cup to toast Rong Langren with a slight nod, then drinking it all in one gulp. The surrounding Tubo warriors cheered loudly, and they were all deeply impressed by such boldness and bloodlust.

  The Red Lang Ren Zan was overjoyed, and with his hand on his chest, he said to the Heavenly Emperor: "Your Majesty, the wine is strong and the emotions are deep. The Tubo and the Heavenly Dynasty are like brothers, wishing to form an eternal bond!"

  The Heavenly Emperor's countenance was greatly pleased, and he led his ministers in raising their cups to drink with the Tibetan guests, to celebrate the grand occasion of the two nations' friendly relations.

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