CH 52.2

Chapter 52.2 – A Truly Outstanding Person (2)

The Crown Prince waved and an attendant came bringing a tray, in which was a bamboo tube and several bamboo sticks. Perhaps fearing that the Rong people would think there was something wrong with them, the attendant brought the tray directly to the envoy.

Looking at the lottery tube, the Crown Prince said, “How about taking turns to draw the lot?”

The lead envoy also took a look at the lottery tube and the bamboo sticks. The bamboo sticks as wide as a finger were polished until they looked the same, except for the names of the Six Arts on the bottom. The five rituals, the five ways of archery, and the five ways of equestrianism for a total of fifteen bamboo sticks. As for the six music, six calligraphies and the nine calculations, the rules were different now and no longer completely respectful to the ancient ceremonies.

There was no problem with the lottery tube and the bamboo sticks. After taking a glance at them, the lead envoy nodded, “Your Highness has taken great care for the fairness.”

The rules were set and the competition was starting. There was still the order for drawing the lots, but the Crown Prince couldn’t be bothered to argue with them, so he directly let Xie Hongyi get the first draw. Xie Hongyi casually drew it and his saw immediately turned dark when he saw that he got the Guest Ceremony.

The Guest Ceremony was used for meetings in the royal court. It as a ritual where the Emperor entertains the vassal states that sent their envoys to greet the Emperor of Zhou. The Guest Ceremony was somehow appropriate for this current situation. All the Liang officials had a subtle gaze towards the Rong envoys.

But the lottery had been drawn, and there was nothing wrong with the ancient ritual itself, so even if Xie Hongyi didn’t look good, he still went to finish the ritual with Lu Qipei.

It was pretty clear that both of them were well-educated and had impeccable manners. It was needless to say with Lu Qipei, after all, she managed to win in the competition against a large number of children from the royal family, showing that she was good enough.

On the other hand, Xie Hongyi’s etiquette was really not bad. As someone who came from the grasslands, he still had such a calm demeanor at his age. The contrast made the comparison even more impressive.

There was no victory or defeat in this match, as the gap was too small, so the two sides agreed to a draw.

The second match was music. There was no need to draw lots, because most of the six music had been lost as they were being passed down. The only ones that were preserved to this day are the Great Excellence and the Great Valiance. However, these were music for offering sacrifices to the gods, and there were very few people who could perform them, and they were also rarely used. Nowadays, the “music” mostly referred to musical instruments. People would master one instrument, and focus on cultivating their sentiments.

Lu Qipei chose the zither, while Xie Hongyi chose the rare Xun1. The sound of zither was full of melody, while the Xun had a simple sound. The two competed on the same stage, but Lu Qipei was the better player and gradually swept Xie Hongyi’s Xun into her own tune.

The sound of the Xun stopped before the song was over, and the face of the foreign youth holding the Xun turned red.

Lu Qipei’s lips curved and she looked at Qi Yang with a little pride, and became even happier when she received an appreciating look in return. While waiting for the song to finish, she heard the youth beside her gnash his teeth and say, “Don’t feel so proud yet. You definitely will not be able to defeat me in the next two matches!”

The thirteen-or-fourteen year old boy already had a tender-looking face. When he gnashed his teeth and shout loudly at this moment, it really did not make anyone feel threatened. It was more like watching a child’s shenanigans.

Especially since the two looked somewhat similar, so the scene looked more like a little brother unreasonably trying to provoke his older brother…

Of course, this was just an illusion that outsiders would feel. On the other hand, Lu Qipei could really feel his frustration. She was a little curious and finally found an opportunity to ask, “Little Young Master Xie, I’ve never met you before. Why are you targeting me so much?”

Xie Hongyi’s eyebrows jumped when he heard this, and he looked at her in disbelief, “You said we don’t know each other!?”

Lu Qipei slightly raised her eyebrows in an unrestrained manner, “Do we?”

Xie Hongyi became very angry again, and what made him really mad was because the other party was sincere, and didn’t say that just to mess with him. This made him feel powerless, as if he was punching cotton. But when he finally calmed down, he inexplicably felt a little weird.

The two looked at each other again. Seeing him stay silent, Lu Qipei said, “Is there anything you want to say to me?”

Of course there was. He wanted to leave her in the dust before speaking harsh words, but what should he say in this situation? He bit his lower lip and stared at her hatefully, and finally just said, “I will be more outstanding than you!”

After saying that, he turned around and left. Even his back seemed to be full of the kind of stubbornness you would only find in young people.

Lu Qipei was speechless as she looked at his back – more outstanding? She never felt herself to be outstanding just because she read a few more poetry books or learnt a few more skills. How could she truly be an outstanding person if she couldn’t even be in control of her own life!?

As she looked down at her white and slender palm, Lu Qipei’s eyes were filled with dark undercurrents.

Author notes:

Lu Qipei (frustrated): I’m weak and helpless, all I can do is play the instrument. Wifey, please be my sugar mommy…

Qi Yang (touching her head): It’s okay, everything’s okay. Just talk to me, and I’ll cover for you!

Lu Qipei (…): Isn’t there something wrong with this!?