Chapter 116: Man Proposes, the Horse Disposes

At the end of the day, the sun waned after reaching its peak, yet the sunlight remained warm.

The crowd that came to cheer and support wore varied attire, standing clearly divided along the lanes flanking the Wang family’s racecourse. Yet, the curious excitement on their faces was unmistakably the same.

Lu Liao Liao’s status had changed—now the young master and on his father-in-law’s turf. Before the contest, he was not only provided with a special resting seat but also a table laden with tea, snacks, and fruit.

“Young master, you must win! Hu Lao Da is counting on you to secure the bride price,” Hu Lao Da said earnestly, massaging Lu Liao Liao’s shoulders from behind.

“This time, you can’t just look out for yourselves. Did you place my share of the bet? That’s money I borrowed from Wang Eleven, and that brat even wants interest,” Lu Liao Liao said confidently, sipping his tea.

“You’re hoping to make a fortune, but that’s unlikely. The Wang family set the odds—one to one for you, but one to fifteen for Wang Zhun,” Zhou Liuzi’s words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly dousing Lu Liao Liao’s burning enthusiasm.

“Hurry, cancel my bet and switch it to that Wang Zhun!” Lu Liao Liao jumped up anxiously.

“The most important thing about setting odds is integrity. Do you think your bet can be canceled? Besides, if you plan to lose deliberately to Wang Zhun, how can you face the people of Dayu Town who risked their few copper coins on you?” Zhou Liuzi looked at Lu Liao Liao calmly.

Lu Liao Liao blushed, awkwardly sitting down. “Yes, for the sake of those who support me, I can’t afford to lose.”

In another resting room, Wang Zhun glared fiercely at his group of frivolous followers. “You hypocrites! You all shout you support me openly, but secretly you bet on Mi Gongtian. Do you really take me as your big brother?”

“Heh heh!” Cheng Changmu grinned ingratiatingly. “Brother Wang Zhun’s name is renowned. At least half the young masters of Chang’an City have come to watch your horseback archery contest today. But the Wang family is truly wealthy—they quickly built fences along the racecourse and set up a betting market, accepting any size wager.”

“Fatty Cheng, stop trying to distract me and muddy the waters. Don’t think I don’t know—you’ve bet a lot on that Mi Gongtian. No matter what, if you don’t bet the same amount on me now, I’ll make you regret it. And the same goes for all of you,” Wang Zhun shot Cheng Changmu a glare and then swept his eyes over the others.

The faces of these spoiled young masters instantly turned bitter.

On a magnificent white horse, tall and spirited, Wang Zhun looked arrogantly at the crowd. With a slight pull of the reins, the horse raised its head and let out a long neigh.

Lu Liao Liao patted the neck of his jet-black stallion, Wuyun Gaixue, whispering softly into its ear: “Da Hei, if you outrun that guy beside you, I promise to buy a few fine mares to keep you company. I won’t break my word.”

Wuyun Gaixue snorted, tilting its head as if utterly disbelieving Lu Liao Liao’s promise.

It must be said that Wang Zhun’s mount was a magnificent steed, running as swiftly as Wuyun Gaixue. Wang Zhun’s movements on horseback were light and flowing, the result of rigorous training.

After two laps, the two magnificent horses chased neck and neck, sometimes one horse’s head ahead, then the other. The spectators cheered and held their breath in turn, completely absorbed in the thrilling contest.

As the final lap reached its midpoint, Wuyun Gaixue suddenly surged forward, its hooves like the wind, swiftly leaving Wang Zhun’s white horse two horse-lengths behind.

The crowd erupted into cheers and loud encouragements, the roar so loud it could be heard clearly even from distant Dayu Town.

***

Pei Hui, riding a tall, handsome purple steed, arrogantly observed the rare horseback archery contest near the finish line, attended by several attendants. The fierce competition stirred an unexpected excitement within him.

As the finish line neared, Wuyun Gaixue’s speed increased, but not toward the finish—it charged recklessly toward a lone, peerless beauty among the horses.

Pei Hui was shocked to see the mad rush of the black steed heading straight for his own purple horse and suddenly stumbled and fell.

A flustered Lu Liao Liao, ignoring the neighing of Wuyun Gaixue and the fine purple steed entwined in the frenzy, dismounted and hurried to help the richly dressed young master up.

Pei Hui rubbed his waist and violently shook off Lu Liao Liao’s hand. Looking up, he was dumbfounded and speechless.

Wang Zhun crossed the finish line swiftly, grinning triumphantly to greet the cheers. Yet he found the crowd silent, barely glancing at him. Following their gaze, he burst into loud laughter, nearly falling off his horse.

The reason? The horse that had sped up during the sprint was not racing to win but to mount the peerless beauty among the horses. The crowd’s jaws dropped—how could anyone cheer for Wang Zhun, who was supposed to win?

When Wang Zhun’s brazen laughter echoed, the crowd finally came to their senses and burst into laughter. They felt the contest was worth every penny lost, just to witness such an extraordinary scene.

Pei Hui looked crestfallen and grabbed a despairing Lu Liao Liao.

“That purple steed is my mother’s most beloved mount. How dare your damn Da Hei horse publicly mount it! You’d better make it stop immediately.”

“At this point, even if I wanted to stop it, I couldn’t,” Lu Liao Liao thought bitterly. Everyone in Chang’an City knew that purple steed was the beloved mount of the Lady of Guo. He realized Wuyun Gaixue had caused a huge scandal.

“Damn it! When you were with Princess Gao, did you stop when told? Would you?” Wang Zhun galloped over, watching with relish and cursing irritably.

“Let them continue! Let them continue!” a voice rose from the crowd, followed by a chorus of shouts.

No matter how influential Pei Hui’s family was, he dared not anger the crowd now. He could only swallow his pride and wait silently as Wuyun Gaixue finished mating with the purple steed in heat.

“Brother Pei, look at this. My Wuyun Gaixue is also a peerless steed. After mating with your purple horse, the foal will be exceptional. Even if it’s not the top divine steed, it won’t be far off. So, in a way, you’re still winning. Later, I’ll host a feast at the Wang estate to apologize and offer some gifts. Let’s call it even, how about that?” Lu Liao Liao cautiously used his persuasive tongue to soothe the powerful prince consort.

Pei Hui was momentarily dazed but somewhat inclined by Lu Liao Liao’s words.

“Hahaha!” Wang Zhun laughed again. “Winning this riding contest doesn’t bring me glory. Next time, we’ll have another match. But the stakes we agreed on before must stand. This was thrilling—so damn thrilling! Riding freely like this is far better than crawling through Chang’an at a turtle’s pace.”

“Heh heh!” Lu Liao Liao forced a smile. “I’m planning to improve this racecourse so that friends and brothers can enjoy it anytime. Of course, stakes and betting will remain. Brother Wang Zhun, what do you think?”

“Great!” Wang Zhun slapped his thigh. “I’ve heard the Qin family’s yellow steed is miraculous. Next time, I want to race that Ruocheng kid.”

Lu Liao Liao breathed a sigh of relief and politely said to Wang Zhun and Pei Hui, “I’ll host a banquet at the villa later—to apologize to Brother Pei and to celebrate Brother Wang’s victory. I hope you both will honor me with your presence.”

“Heh heh! After the feast, don’t be shy. At Hu Ji Tavern, all our brothers will invite you. Your wife’s family is wealthy, so this expense won’t even amount to a hair on your head,” Wang Zhun chuckled, spurring his horse toward his group of young masters.

***

With heavy steps, Lu Liao Liao approached the group from Dayu Town who had come to cheer for him. He bowed deeply. “I, Lu Liao Liao, apologize to everyone!”

“Haha! Young Master Lu, it’s not your fault. We thank you for putting on such a great show,” came voices from the crowd.

“That’s right! Young Master Lu, don’t blame yourself,” they chimed in.

Among Lu Liao Liao’s friends and family, not all blindly supported him. One who had defected to Wang Zhun’s camp was none other than his fierce junior sister, Pei Wuniang.

“Haha! I told you betting on senior brother was pointless. Even if he wins, you don’t gain much. Lose, and everything’s gone. Plus, sometimes he’s unreliable—and so is his mount. Luckily, I bet a little on Wang Zhun and made some money,” Pei Wuniang boasted proudly in a side room of the Wang estate.

“Alas!” Hu Lao Da sighed. “My bride price is all gone now.”

“Heh heh!” Zhou Liuzi sneered. “You made some money, but all of it is being managed by Mrs. Qi’s maid Ping’er. What are you playing at here?”

“Who says that? You think I’m like the young master whose wealth is tightly controlled by his wife?” Hu Lao Da protested indignantly.

Suddenly noticing no one responded, he turned confusedly to see Lu Liao Liao staring at him with a dark, piercing gaze. Hu Lao Da instinctively crouched, clutching his head, but Lu Liao Liao didn’t strike.

Within the Wang estate, some forty or fifty young masters from Chang’an City gathered, leisurely enjoying fine tea and wine, as if it were their due.

Lu Liao Liao’s heart weighed heavy. So many would go to Hu Ji Tavern tonight, nearly enough to book several floors of the “princesses” from the Hu clan. The expenses would be enormous. On top of that, he would have to appease the powerful Prince Consort Pei Hui. He didn’t know how to face his wife, Wang Liuli.

Bracing himself, he entered Wang Liuli’s study, feeling a wave of defeat. What good was all the knowledge from Guigu? How clever he thought himself? In the end, advancement in office relied on elders. When trouble arose, he could only depend on his wealthy wife.

“Why come to me when you should be handling those guests?” Wang Liuli looked up at him, seeing his gloomy face.

“Sigh! I lost the contest,” Lu Liao Liao said shamefully, barely daring to meet her eyes.

“I already knew. Man plans, Heaven disposes—I’ve faced this many times. Besides, Da Hei is just a horse. Even if you slaughter it, it wouldn’t understand the trouble it caused. I’ve instructed someone to send Prince Consort Pei a pair of jade horses as compensation. This matter is settled,” Wang Liuli said calmly, not dwelling on it.

“Well, the young masters will still go to Hu Ji Tavern tonight,” Lu Liao Liao said, his voice utterly lacking strength.

“Why worry? I already had Wang Eleven book out the entire Hu Ji Tavern for tonight. Even if you won, would you make Wang Zhun pay? After tonight, you’ll have at least been accepted by the group,” Wang Liuli said, then buried her head back in her documents.

Lu Liao Liao silently sighed. Having such a capable and wealthy wife was truly a relief, yet why did his heart still feel so unsettled?