The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 214- 216

Chapter 214: Snowflake

After this talk with Ji Yin, Ling Zhang had made up his mind and come to know what he should do next.

The two of them took their leave. Ji Yin, though unwilling to part with his grandson, saw them out of the house.

At the front gate, they met the principal and Professor Gu. Seeing they indeed didn’t seem to have any conflict, both of them felt a sense of relief, which was why when Yuwen Tong said Ling Zhang needed a few days off from school, the principal unhesitatingly gave his consent.

After the request was granted, Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong left the Imperial College, heading directly for the drugstore located in the trading center in the west of the city.

Wang Qing had been waiting for them in the drugstore. Seeing them coming, he walked up to their welcome. “Young Master, Marshal.”

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong went into the rear yard, appraising the newly revamped drugstore. The more they saw it, the more satisfied they felt, particularly with the rear warehouse, which was not only spacious but also had many newly added designs suitable for storage of crude drugs. All other ancillary facilities were also in readiness.

“… Apart from that, all craftsmen have been fully paid. The next step is to hire some sales clerks with the right expertise. I’ve been putting up employment ads during the past two days. Yesterday some men came here to apply. I tested them and hired two. The hiring will continue and I’ll offer a chance to whoever has the requisite qualifications. After the medicinal herbs are delivered here, I’ll appraise them. If their performance is acceptable, they may all stay, and those who prove incompetent shall be fired,” Wang Qing reported.

At this time, Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong had walked up to the second floor of the drugstore, where there were some booths specially reserved for VIP customers as well as some rooms provided for the storekeeper and store assistants staying in the store to take care of things.

After checking the whole drugstore, Ling Zhang was very satisfied. Wang Qing, who received praised for his work, was also very happy.

“There’re probably still a few days before the trade caravan departs for this city from Tanyang. You might as well pay some visits to the general storekeeper of the Jiang’s Drugstore Chain and see if you can get more pointers from him,” said Ling Zhang.

Wang Qing replied, “I’ve been in constant contact with the general storekeeper and also told him I’d pay a visit to some branches of the Jiang’s Drugstore Chain.”

The general storekeeper of the Jiang’s Drugstore Chain had stayed in the capital city for quite some time but didn’t seem to have an intention of going back to Tanyang in the near future.

“Schedule a time for me to meet the general storekeeper. I want to thank him personally after the horse race,” instructed Ling Zhang.

“Yes, Young Master,” Wang Qing answered.

Ling Zhang, after seeing the drugstore, began to anticipate the day when the trade caravan built in Tanyang would arrive in the capital city. He was eager to find out what the future held for this drugstore of his.

Yuwen Tong said, “Don’t worry. This is such a promising commercial area, and the medicinal herbs from the farm of your family are of pretty high quality, too, so I’m sure the business will be good.”

Ling Zhang beamed, “Well, that’s true. Medicinal herbs from the farm of my family are well-known to locals in Tanyang.”

The two of them, after leaving the trading center in the west of the city, made for the racetrack to practice riding. Because of Yuwen Tong’s high rank, they entered the place unimpeded by anyone.

Miao Shiba holding halters of two horses had been waiting for them in the hunting ground.

Neither of these two horses were from the racetrack. One of them was a winged steed of Yuwen Tong’s which had been with him for many years. Its entire body was glittery-black, with glossy hair, sturdy legs and an air of arrogance about it. Its name was North Wind.

The other one, which appeared relatively docile, was specially prepared for Ling Zhang. It hadn’t been named yet.

“Let’s call it Snowflake.”

This was a white horse. Its legs were just as sturdy as those of the other one, and its white hair was well groomed and very clean. Seeing Ling Zhang coming over, it didn’t go wary or restless. Instead, it curiously stepped up and sniffed at him. As if smelling something making it feel close to him, Snowflake swished its tail.

Ling Zhang ventured to stroke its head and it willingly let him. He was very happy, growing to like it.

Compared with Yuwen Tong’s North Wind which seemed quite haughty, Snowflake looked much meeker. Ling Zhang fed some fodder to it, and it rubbed its head against Ling Zhang, as if there was a natural affinity between the two of them.

Even Yuwen Tong was astonished by this. He had thought that it would take some doing for Ling Zhang to tame Snowflake. It was surprising that Snowflake liked Ling Zhang so much and things went so smoothly.

“Childe Ling, it seems that this horse is meant for you. Although it looks very docile right now, previously it refused to let anybody approach it or touch it, except for me and the groom. I never thought it’d let you stroke it on first acquaintance. Just now it struck me as a pet of yours,” observed Miao Shiba in an envious tone of voice.

Ling Zhang became even happier after hearing this. He’d taken a liking to Snowflake at a glance, feeling that Snowflake had an uncommonly imposing presence and fit perfectly his mental image of a horse that could cover a thousand miles a day. Now, after being informed of Snowflake’s exceptional attitude towards him, he couldn’t help but put his arms around its head and gently rubbed his forehead against that of Snowflake.

Snowflake meekly let him and gave a snort of delight in response.

Ling Zhang decided to spend some more time cultivating good relations with Snowflake before trying riding it.

Yuwen Tong’s North Wind had been having an arrogant bearing all along, but surprisingly, when Ling Zhang afterwards failed to keep from giving it a tentative stroke, it willingly let him, which amazed Miao Shiba even further. “North Wind is actually letting you touch it, Childe Ling!”

Ling Zhang was also somewhat surprised. He had thought that North Wind would dodge aside.

This horse of Yuwen Tong’s obeyed nobody but Yuwen Tong. Even the groom and Miao Shiba could merely approach it. If any of them tried to get on its back or do something else, it would definitely fly into a temper.

Yuwen Tong gave his loved horse a praising look, feeling that his horse indeed would never let him down.

Ling Zhang, out of curiosity, stroked all horses in the racetrack one by one. To everybody’s surprise, all horses didn’t mind Ling Zhang touching them. Though none of them affectionately rubbed their heads against Ling Zhang as Snowflake had done previously, all of them acted very docilely.

All staff members of the racetrack were shocked, for many of these horses were temporarily left in the care of them by others, every one of which had its particular type of temper. Apart from the groom and their masters, in the normal course of events they wouldn’t let anybody else get close to them, but strangely enough, they were all very meek to Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong looked at Ling Zhang, a thoughtful expression on his face. He remembered that those horses hadn’t shown such docility back then when they’d been in Tanyang.

Ling Zhang returned from his horse-stroking trip and said to Yuwen Tong, “It’s so surprising. None of them is afraid of me. Previously when we were in Tanyang, horses owned by my family were the only ones obedient to me.”

Ling Zhang himself had also sensed the anomalous part of this situation. “Is it because horses in this racetrack are relatively docile?”

A staff member of the racetrack replied, “That’s not possible, Childe Ling. You see that horse over there? The General Zhongwu’s (AKA. General of loyalty and valor) nephew left it with us. It’s a pedigreed horse from the Western Regions (the area west of Yumenguan, including what is now Xinjiang and parts of Central Asia). Except for its master and the groom, it doesn’t allow anybody to get close to it, not even its own kind, and the stable for it is the roomiest in this racetrack, but it didn’t show a shred of temper when you walked up to it a moment ago.”

Ling Zhang was astonished, looking at Yuwen Tong in perplexity, a confused expression in his eyes.

Yuwen Tong, face impassive, gave him a wink, as if suggesting he show patience. Then he said to the staff member of the racetrack, “Maybe it’s because Brother Zhang has a mild disposition. Also, the incense he used today has the efficacy of easing nervous tension. Horses are intelligent animals, and they naturally don’t shun those meaning no harm.”

After hearing Yuwen Tong’s explanation, the staff member of the racetrack, who didn’t know the exact reason for this situation, felt that Yuwen Tong had got a point, so he merely made a few remarks about Ling Zhang possessing some natural attribute appealing to horses. After that, he said no more.

“Today you don’t have to wait upon us. We’ll just be practicing riding in the racetrack,” said Yuwen Tong.

The staff members answered “Yes, Marshal,” and then all left.

After they took their leave, Ling Zhang cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at Yuwen Tong. “What’s going on?”

The aroma about him was from his clothes which had been incensed with a spice after being washed by servants. It was faint, and he wasn’t carrying any sachets on him. This was a fact both he and Yuwen Tong were fully aware of.

Yuwen Tong responded, “I don’t know for sure either, but I guess it has something to do with the mental cultivation method you’ve been following.”

Ling Zhang was surprised. The mental cultivation method of internal energy he’d been following was from the Millennium Pavilion. It could make him attractive to horses?

“If there’s anything different you’ve been doing after coming to this city from Tanyang, it’d be your cultivation of internal energy. I’m not certain about this, of course. We may pay some extra attention to this matter in the future,” said Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang inclined his head, feeling that they had no alternative.

After Snowflake finished the hay, Ling Zhang led it out of the stable, walking it in the racetrack and talking to it along the way with the intention to bond with it, heedless of the fact that Snowflake might not understand him.

Yuwen Tong leading North Wind walked side by side with him. The two of them, leading two horses, walked around the racetrack several times. During the process, Ling Zhang had tentatively tried riding it several times. Finding that Snowflake was okay with him riding it, he’d felt greatly relieved.

“There’s no hurry. Take your time,” said Yuwen Tong.

There were some horses in Yuwen family that had been tamed and were very docile, and anybody could ride them, but none of those horses compared with Snowflake. Ling Zhang would have a better chance of winning a prize if he used Snowflake as his racehorse during the competition.

Next, Ling Zhang swung himself onto Snowflake’s back and slowly walked along the racetrack, trying to establish a stronger bond with it.

There were three days left before the horse race. This was the first day. Yuwen Tong was in no hurry to teach Ling Zhang advanced riding skills.

“Bonding with Snowflake is more important than any riding skills,” Yuwen Tong said.

Snowflake was a good horse which was of great inwardness and intelligence. Ling Zhang would get twice the result with half the effort during his practice of riding after building a basic rapport with it, which would save him a lot of time.

They spent the whole day in the racetrack. When it was time to return home, Yuwen Tong suggested that Ling Zhang ride back to the city, that he groom Snowflake and spend more time with it at home.

Ling Zhang, feeling that Yuwen Tong had got a point, rode back to the city with him.

Both Snowflake and North Wind were progressing at a gentle pace, and their masters were in no hurry. They leisurely returned to the city, dismounted and walked along the street side by side. The two of them seemed to be meant for each other, and so did their horses. All pedestrians looked at them.

There was a restaurant on the street, which was crowded with customers, one of whom was wearing a student’s uniform of the Imperial College. Hearing the commotion from the crowds outside, he also looked at the street and caught sight of Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong, who were proceeding abreast of each other, talking and laughing. His eyes rested on Yuwen Tong, a mixture of misery, jealousy and intentness in his eyes. It was not until the two of them walked far away that he turned around and resumed eating the food in his bowl.

Ling Zhang, after leaving that crowded section of the street with Yuwen Tong, flicked a backward glance at that restaurant, looking somewhat confused. A moment ago, he had sensed that someone had been staring at them. The gaze of that person had been different from that of other people and struck him as very strange, but he had no idea who that person was.

When he had returned to the Ling Mansion, everybody was astonished and excited by Snowflake’s appearance in the residence. All of them gathered around it, but just as Miao Shiba had said, Snowflake was not as friendly to other people as it was to Ling Zhang. Qiu Bing curiously ventured to touch it but nearly got kicked by it. Seeing this, Ling Zhang thoroughly believed Miao Shiba’s words.

Chapter 215: Another Encounter with Jiang Yu

Ling Zhang gave Snowflake a bath. The delighted horse swished its tail and splashed water all over him.

“Well, I wish you nothing but happiness.” Ling Zhang looked at it resignedly.

He spent the next two days learning riding skills from Yuwen Tong, and then the day for the horse race came.

Early in the morning, Yuwen Jin, Zhao Jiusi and the others came over to his residence.

“Brother Zhang, are you ready?”

Yuwen Jin, Zhao Jiusi and the others were finally allowed to change out of student’s uniform of the Imperial College. In light riding outfits, they all looked a lot more youthful, expectation and excitement washing over their faces.

On top of this, all of them brought their respective favorite horses with them. Ling Zhang flicked a glance at their mounts and found that his Snowflake was the prettiest.

“Wow, Brother Zhang, your horse is gorgeous!” Yuwen Jin exclaimed.

“This is Snowflake,” said Ling Zhang.

Zhao Jiusi and all the others gathered around, but Snowflake didn’t like it when people crowded around it. It looked rather impatient, as if on the verge of losing its temper. Ling Zhang soothed it and told Yuwen Jin and others not to get too close to it lest Snowflake get angry and kick them.

“This horse is so individual, and it’s of such great presence as well. Where did you get it, Brother Zhang?” Yuwen Jin had backed off a few steps, but his eyes were still fixed on Snowflake, as if glued to it.

Ling Zhang gave a cough and replied, “Yuwen Tong found me this horse.”

Yuwen Jin huffed indignantly, “My cousin is so partial. I’m his cousin, and I’m participating the horse race as well. Why didn’t he get me a horse like this?!”

Ji Feng gave him a dirty look. “Don’t you have a horse of your own already?”

Yuwen Jin was just deliberately saying this with affected jealousy and wasn’t really angry with his cousin. Ling Zhang, who was fully aware of this, gave a smile and made no remarks.

“You’ve been on leave for several days. Do you know that His Majesty will be present in the racetrack?” asked Ji Feng. Though believing that Ling Zhang was probably aware of this, he still reminded him.

Ling Zhang gave a bob of his head. “I do. Yuwen Tong told me about it.”

“By the way, where’s my cousin? His Majesty must have requested his presence on an occasion like this, I suppose?” Yuwen Jin inquired.

“He’s gone to the imperial palace and will depart with His Majesty. I’ll go with you guys,” replied Ling Zhang.

“Then let’s move,” said Yuwen Jin in excitement. He couldn’t wait to see how fast Snowflake could run.

Ling Zhang could tell what he was thinking, and it was indeed high time to get going, so he departed with Yuwen Jin and the others, followed by Wang Dashan, Liu Yi, Xie Shi and Miao Shiba.

It was on horseback that this group of people exited the city. On their way, Ji Feng asked Ling Zhang, “You haven’t gone to the Imperial College to attend class for several days. Did anything happen?”

“I was worried that my defeat would be too humiliating, so I practiced riding for two days,” replied Ling Zhang.

On hearing this, all others observed that Ling Zhang was too cunning. Ji Feng said, “I would have asked for leave as well had I known beforehand this was doable.”

“You could’ve reminded us, Brother Zhang,” Yuwen Jin complained.

“I’d have got myself several more rivals had I reminded you, wouldn’t I?” Ling Zhang joked.

“You’re indeed a wily old fox,” others chortled.

After they finished laughing, Ling Zhang replied honestly, “I’m a terrible rider. These two days’ practice was nothing but a frantic last-minute effort. I still cannot hold a candle to any of you.”

“Haha. There’s no need for you to worry about that. Xun Huo’s riding skills are definitely poorer than yours,” said Ji Feng, pointing at Xun Huo.

Xun Huo, with a rather embarrassed countenance, said, “I’m not good at riding.”

Ling Zhang flicked a few glances at him. He could tell that Xun Huo was somewhat nervous on horseback, which was a stark contrast with others’ unhurried bearing.

“It’s something he was born with, and he once made an effort to overcome it. Previously he couldn’t even ride. It’s a great improvement that he is now capable of staying on horseback,” Zhao Turui also said.

Ling Zhang reminded him, “Then you need to be cautious during the horse race, Xun Huo. Try not to get too close to those people.”

All riders would be galloping fast during the race, and there was a high risk that an uncontrollable situation would come up. If Xun Huo’s horse crashed into any of those people’s, things would definitely get very tricky.

Xun Huo inclined his head. “I know. Ji Feng and others also told me to take it easy. Actually, I’ll get nervous when they pick up speed, and I won’t dare approach them.”

“Given the situation you’re in, I’m sure they’ll only let you take part in the first round. Keep your safety in mind. Nobody would blame you even if you leisurely trotted your horse across the finishing line,” said Ji Feng.

“But His Majesty will be watching the race. It he rides too slow, wouldn’t he be accused of being disrespectful to the game?” asked Yuwen Jin.

After hearing this, Xun Huo got somewhat nervous. “Then what should I do?”

Ling Zhang thought for a few moments and replied, “It’s okay. Just do as much as your strength permits. Given your situation, I think it’ll be very easy to tell whether you’re deliberately being disrespectful to the game or not, and His Majesty would probably see the truth as well.”

After all, given the situation of Xun Huo, he would be more nervous than anybody else when the race started. People couldn’t fake this kind of reaction, and the emperor would know what kind of state Xun Huo was actually in as long as he was not blind.

“Ling Zhang’s got a point. You just have to focus on the race. Don’t think too much,” said Zhao Jiusi.

Xun Huo nodded, growing more composed.

“By the way, there’s yet another thing,” Ji Feng suddenly informed Ling Zhang. “Jiang Yu is a participant of today’s horse race as well.”

During the past two days, Ling Zhang had been occupied learning riding skills from Yuwen Tong and had almost forgotten this person named Jiang Yu. “Jiang family’s trouble is over?”

Ji Feng answered, “How could it be? Jiang Yu’s father is staying at home introspecting about his faults. Jiang family also proclaimed that they wouldn’t be receiving any guests anytime soon, that they needed some time for introspection. Officials of the Xiang City haven’t been escorted into the capital city yet. Everybody is waiting for them to be escorted here, so it’s been fairly quiet during the past few days. But Jiang Changfeng is His Majesty’s uncle after all. His Majesty invited Jiang Changfeng to this horse race. Naturally Jiang Yu has to come. If he manages to rank among the top three, he’d be able to find favor with His Majesty again and slightly alley His Majesty’s displeasure with Jiang family.”

“Then I won’t let Jiang Yu win,” Yuwen Jin said immediately.

Ling Zhang looked at him resignedly. “I suggest you think twice. What if any member of Jiang family impeaches your father in the imperial court once again?”

“I’m afraid of that. Jiang Changfeng didn’t have his way the last time he impeached my father. This time around, the chance of His Majesty believing him would definitely be even slimmer if he tries again, given the mistake Jiang family made,” replied Yuwen Jin.

But Ling Zhang wouldn’t draw a conclusion with such certainty. Yuwen Tong had once told him that the emperor was a big fan of checks and balances and also had a very suspicious mind. It was true that the emperor had disbelieved Jiang Changfeng’s accusation and rejected his request the last time, but he might agree with Jiang Changfeng this time.

After all, this time Jiang Yu’s father had been dismissed from his position, which could be regarded as a heavy blow to Jiang family. As long as the emperor still relied heavily on Jiang family’s service and had to take into consideration his uncle’s respectability, he would try to avoid making any decisions that would undermine Jiang family’s reputation further.

Of course these were only Ling Zhang’s conjectures. As regards what the emperor’s actual thoughts were, he, a humble commoner, really couldn’t guess them.

“Anyway, just do what you’re supposed to do in the race. No tricks,” said Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Jin casually undertook that he would, but the look on his face unmistakably suggested otherwise.

Ling Zhang slightly shook his head, believing that he had to keep a closer eye on Yuwen Jin in the horse race.

“It won’t be easy for Jiang Yu to win the race. There are a lot of people who can ride better than him. Besides, students of the Oriental Rite Academy are also participating,” commented Ji Feng.

Indeed, students of the Oriental Rite Academy were not bad either. During these years, the situation in the Imperial College were rather messy, while the Oriental Rite Academy, on the contrary, was at the crest of a wave, so it was hard to say which side would be the final winner of this horse race.

The group of people exited the city, heading directly for the hunting ground in the western suburbs.

The hunting ground in the western suburbs covered a vast area which was more than enough for a horse race. By convention, this was approximately the time for hunting. Yuwen Tong told Ling Zhang that since the diplomatic corps of the Wan Kingdom, though having stayed for quite a few days, still hadn’t left yet, the emperor had invited them to attend this year’s hunting.

The very thought of the diplomatic corps of the Wan Kingdom brought a frown to Ling Zhang’s face. Yuwen Tong had always believed that those people had chosen to stay for ulterior motives. On the day when the two of them had arrived in the capital city, those people had tried to make mischief at the banquet in the imperial palace. There was no telling whether they would play any other tricks. But strangely enough, those people hadn’t made any particular move after that. It was just that the King Duan and the King Hui took Shan Congwen to tour around the city every couple of days, as if it was to do some sightseeing that Shan Congwen was still lingering.

“Pooh, speak of the devil and he appears. Since when did we become so prophetic?” Yuwen Jin’s voice was suddenly heard.

At first Ling Zhang was confused, and then, looking in the direction Yuwen Jin was gazing, he found that Jiang Yu and his followers were right ahead of them. They were riding slower than them, and the distance between them was closing.

“Jiang Yu is not with his grandfather. This is so surprising,” said Ji Feng.

Seeing the puzzlement on Ling Zhang’s face, Zhao Jiusi explained, “On all previous similar occasions, he went to the field with his grandfather – with His Majesty, to be precise. Never once did he go with students like us.”

“Solely because he’s kin to the emperor and believes he’s a cut above us,” observed Yuwen Jin.

At this time they approached Jiang Yu and his followers, who had also noticed Ling Zhang and the others. All their faces were familiar – faces of those who always stayed by Jiang Yu’s side in the Imperial College. Zuo Yuanping was among them.

Jiang Yu glanced across Ling Zhang’s horse and then took his eyes off it.

“Oh, Childe Jiang, why are you condescending to travel with students like us today?” Yuwen Jin asked.

Ling Zhang, “…”

‘Yuwen Jin’s such a busybody. Will he never cease to make trouble until we’re in one?’

Unsurprisingly, someone on Jiang Yu’s side immediately huffed, “Yuwen Jin, I suggest you stop poking your nose into other people’s business!”

“Jiang Yu can travel with anybody he feels like to travel with. You’re in no position to lay comment on him.”

Yuwen Jin crossed his arms across his chest and said, “I’m just worried that Childe Jiang is doomed to sustain a defeat without making a fancy appearance.”

Ling Zhang placed a hand on his forehead. This remark was so provocative.

“Cut that bullshit, Yuwen Jin. Jiang Yu’s victory in today’s game is certain. You, on the other hand, should think about how to make your defeat seem less humiliating, lest you burst into tears and run back home to your dad to seek comfort.”

“He has a tough cousin, doesn’t he? Maybe it’ll be his cousin that he runs back to.”

“Haha…”

People on the opposite side sneered at him with heavy sarcasm. Yuwen Jin, infuriated as usual, forgot he was still on horseback, and intended to hurtle over to fight them.

Ling Zhang on Snowflake moved forward and said, “Save your breath if you have real skills. We’ll see who’s better in the racetrack.”

Then he turned to Yuwen Jin. “Let’s go. There’s no point wasting time here.”

It was after hearing these words that Yuwen Jin forbore from charging up to fight them, but before leaving, he had another few rounds of a verbal duel with those people.

Jiang Yu, on horseback, eyes cold, watched as they left. Eventually, with a flinty face, he spurred his steed and rode into the hunting ground with his followers.

Chapter 216: Before the Horse Race Started

On arriving at the hunting ground, they found it heavily guarded, palace guards checking ID plate of everyone going in or out of the place.

Standing behind those guards on duty flicking stern looks at those entering was someone familiar to Ling Zhang – Zhao Pingchuan.

As his eyes fell on Ling Zhang, Zhao Pingchuan did a double take and then gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. “Childe Ling.”

“Commander Zhao.” Ling Zhang returned his salutation.

The two of them didn’t really have much acquaintance with each other. They just had once been travel companions during the journey from Tanyang to the capital city, and two members of the Palace Guards had attempted to assassinate Ling Zhang. Although Zhao Pingchuan had nothing to do with this matter, he could hardly be absolved from dereliction of duty.

Anyway, Zhao Pingchuan had a fairly mixed countenance as he laid eyes on Ling Zhang, and Ling Zhang’s attitude towards him was rather bland.

Zhao Jiusi and the others got the impression that Ling Zhang and Zhao Pingchuan clearly knew each other but were not well acquainted – seemingly on bad terms, to some extent.

They didn’t ask about it immediately. After they went through the security check of palace guards and entered the hunting ground, Ji Feng couldn’t help but inquire, “You and Commander Zhao know each other?”

Zhao Pingchuan was a commander of the Palace Guards, and there were immediate superiors he had to answer to, but even so, since he was responsible for protecting the emperor and imperial palaces, his identity was somewhat special. Most people, if acquainted with him, would try to strengthen their relations.

“We journeyed to the capital city from Tanyang together,” said Ling Zhang.

Ji Feng remembered, and naturally also recalled two palace guards’ failed attempt to assassinate Ling Zhang, which had given rise to wild rumors and heated discussion in the whole capital city. He let out a soft cough and said, “I forgot that.”

What with the previous incident, it wasn’t surprising that the two of them were not on friendly terms.

The others also didn’t ask any further questions about it and dismissed this unexpected encounter from their minds, which was quite sensitive of them.

Apart from students of the Imperial College, many of students of the Oriental Rite Academy had also arrived. Ling Zhang was trying to find someone in the racetrack when a familiar voice called him. “Brother Zhang!”

Ling Zhang looked in the direction of the sound source and spotted Tao Yi happily walking towards him from a large group of students of the Oriental Rite Academy.

“That’s Tao Yi?” Yuwen Jin asked Ji Feng and the others.

Ji Feng and the others bobbed their heads. Previously, they had had a good time talking with Tao Yi in that manor and also got a very good impression of him.

Many of Tao Yi’s schoolmates also looked in this direction. Their eyes appraised all six of them and eventually rested on Ling Zhang.

Naturally, Ling Zhang noticed the appraising gaze those people were giving him. He looked back at them one by one. Those people didn’t feel embarrassed. They just nodded in acknowledgement. Ling Zhang also inclined his head and then took his eyes off them.

Tao Yi had walked over. “When did you arrive?”

“A brief moment ago. I was looking for you just now,” said Ling Zhang.

“I arrived just a moment ago and was looking for you as well. Your horse is so obtrusive. It caught my eye the moment you came here,” said Tao Yi excitedly. He even walked around Snowflake, scrutinizing it and exclaiming in astonishment.

“This horse is so good.”

“Its name is Snowflake.”

Ling Zhang stroked Snowflake’s head. It rubbed its head against him and gave a snort. During the past few days, Ling Zhang had been with Snowflake all along and had established a necessary degree of rapport with it.

Just as Tao Yi had said, Ling Zhang’s white horse was attracting much attention. A lot of eyes were looking in this direction.

Tao Yi, after walking around Snowflake, made the acquaintance of Yuwen Jin and then said to Ling Zhang, “Given such a good horse you’ve brought here, you must be aiming at a place near the top, I suppose?”

Ling Zhang replied in neither the affirmative nor the negative, “I believe as a participant, all I need to do is try my best.”

Tao Yi said, “All people in my academy are discussing how to win the top three prizes.”

“Wow, top three prizes? That’s quite some ambition!” Yuwen Jin sniffed.

Ji Feng standing beside Yuwen Jin also goggled at Tao Yi.

“Brother Tao, your schoolmates are way too conceited. The top three prizes are ours,” Xie Qing also said.

Tao Yi giggled, “It’s not that I want to demoralize you, but there are several consummate riders in our academy.”

“So what? Our college has more than several superb riders,” said Ji Feng.

Quiet as Ling Zhang was, the gaze he fixed Tao Yi with was expressing, for all intents and purposes, the same meaning, and he even gently patted his horse, as if telling Tao Yi he shared his classmates’ opinion.

Tao Yi raised his eyebrows and said, “How about we have a competition, Brother Zhang?”

“Sure. Let’s see who’ll rank higher on the list.” Of course Ling Zhang wouldn’t shrink from accepting the challenge.

“Okay. What do you say we have a private talk later and decide what the loser shall give the winner?” suggested Tao Yi.

“Sounds like a plan,” replied Ling Zhang.

“Oh, one moment, we want in as well,” Ji Feng said, raising his hand.

Yuwen Jin, Zhao Jiusi and two others also stated their willingness to participate. Only Xun Huo looked at them with a wry smile.

Tao Yi’s eyes rested on Xun Huo. “What about you, Brother Xun?”

Ling Zhang briefly explained to Tao Yi the special circumstances Xun Huo was in. Tao Yi nodded. “Okay, then. Leaving Brother Xun aside, there are six of you in this, but I’m the only one on my side, so I’ll go and get five school friends over here. What do you say?”

Ji Feng and the others exchanged glances and then chorused a response, “Bring it on!”

Tao Yi immediately ran away and soon brought back five students. Faces of all five of them were full of excitement. Clearly they were more than willing to be part of this bet.

Just like this, six students of the Imperial College, Ling Zhang included, secretly made a bet with six students of the Oriental Rite Academy. The losers were to stand the winners a meal in the Taibai Tavern.

“Then it’s a deal. We’re going back to make some preparations,” said Tao Yi.

Ling Zhang inclined his head and temporarily parted from Tao Yi and his schoolmates.

Yuwen Jin cracked his knuckles and claimed, “I’ll have them admit defeat with tears in their sorry eyes.”

Ling Zhang said, “Don’t take them lightly. As far as I could tell, those school friends of Brother Tao’s seem very confident. I think all of them are pretty adept at riding.”

“You may rest assured that our horsemanship is superb as well,” said Ji Feng.

Xun Huo looked at them and gave another mirthless smile. On this occasion, he was unable to pitch in with it.

As time slowly passed, almost all students had arrived. Students of the Imperial College and those of the Oriental Rite Academy were standing on opposite sides with a considerable distance in between.

Before long, noises came from outside the hunting ground, marking the arrival of the emperor, who was accompanied by a lot of high-ranking courtiers, Yuwen Tong among them.

Ling Zhang looked in that direction and, after the imperial guard of honor entered the hunting ground, spotted Yuwen Tong at a glance, and his eyes involuntarily lit up.

On the other side, Yuwen Tong also saw him at a glance. Their eye contact lasted quite a while before Yuwen Tong withdrew his gaze.

Yuwen Tong was a marshal. Leaving the emperor aside, Jiang Changfeng was the only one among all officials present whose powers compared with his.

Ling Zhang, along with all other students, bowed to the emperor with their hands folded in front to pay their respects and didn’t straighten themselves until the emperor uttered aloud “You may rise.” When Ling Zhang raised his head and looked in that direction, the emperor had settled himself in his exclusive chair, with Yuwen Tong sitting in the first seat to his right, and Jiang Changfeng the first seat to his left. There were also several other high-ranking courtiers, including Yuwen Zhi and his son Yuwen Feng.

Yuwen Zhi didn’t even glance at people sitting down there. Yuwen Feng, however, made eye contact with Ling Zhang and gave a nod of acknowledgement with a smile.

Though his relations with Yuwen family had soured due to Yuwen Qi, Ling Zhang still bobbed his head at Yuwen Feng in response, for as the saying goes, ‘A smiling face never gets slapped.’

Apart from these people, the King Duan, the King Hui as well as the Fifth Prince, also known as the King Yu, were present as well. All princes that had reached adulthood had arrived, except the Crown Prince, who was rumored to be ill and still receiving medical treatment in the Eastern Palace. Among all those bearing king’s titles, the King Yu was also among the few whom Ling Zhang laid eyes on for the first time. Unlike the King Duan and the King Hui, the King Yu seemed to resemble his mother more, and his features were relatively feminine.

The emperor looked somewhat different from he had appeared on the day of the welcome banquet in the imperial palace. He seemed much more vigorous. Maybe it was because that welcome banquet had been held at night and this was daytime.

Since the emperor had specially come here, he definitely had prepared a pep talk to arouse students’ enthusiasm.

Ling Zhang quietly listened, and he himself was the only one knowing how much of the speech he’d heard; after all, in the stands, Yuwen Tong had been gazing at him all along, having no scruple about it whatsoever, as if everybody was aware of the relations between the two of them. All those who had noticed where Yuwen Tong was staring at shot occasional glances in Ling Zhang’s direction; even Jiang Yu’s grandfather Jiang Changfeng, whom Ling Zhang had only heard of from rumors, looked at him sizing him up. Naturally, the emperor had also observed this, and Yuwen Tong’s behavior seemed to strike him as rather rare, he fixed Ling Zhang with a curious gaze several times, as if trying to find out what was so special about Ling Zhang that had attracted Yuwen Tong to him.

Ling Zhang, “…”

What could he possibly do? He could only stand there, keeping his composure, not moving an inch no matter who was appraising him. In a small window of opportunity, he darted Yuwen Tong a dark look.

However, this dark look was misinterpreted as an affectionate one by those who noticed it, and the expression in their eyes grew even weirder.

Yuwen Jin unnoticeably nudged Ling Zhang and reminded Ling Zhang under his breath, “You and my cousin need to keep a lower profile. I’m being blinded by you two people.”

Ling Zhang moved only his lips, saying, “He’s too far away. I cannot stop him.”

Yuwen Jin silently rubbed his nose, feeling that this was an outpouring display of public affection in disguised form, jealousy bubbling inside him, regretting having turned down his parents’ offer to arrange a marriage for him.

Probably having sensed Ling Zhang’s displeasure, Yuwen Tong finally tore his eyes off him, but after that, he stared emptily into space, as if nobody else apart from Ling Zhang could arouse his interest, as if all other people in this place were as commonplace and unattractive as cheap cosmetics.

Others were secretly shocked by this bizarre analogy they drew, goosebumps all over them.

Of course, in this situation, there were also some people who were relatively special. When they looked at Ling Zhang, in their eyes was not curiosity or envy but a mixture of well concealed jealousy and resentment, but when they looked at Yuwen Tong sitting up in the stands, all their eyes were gleaming with infatuation. Since these people were among crowds of students, hardly anybody noticed them.

After quite a while, the emperor’s pep talk was finally over. A master of ceremonies hosting this horse race made his appearance. The principal of the Imperial College and the president of the Oriental Rite Academy stepped in front of their respective arrays of students with whom they looked at the master of ceremonies listening as he stated the rules of the horse race as well as the prizes.

When all this was over, the horse race finally came to an official start. Given the large number of participants, there would be multiple rounds, and naturally the two opposing sides were students of the Imperial College and those of the Oriental Rite Academy.