CHAPTER 597: CHAPTER 497: THE REBELLIOUS SON IS QUIET, SURELY UP TO NO GOOD

This scene left everyone completely stunned.

The Civil Servants looked at the Military Generals. "Wh-what just happened?"

The Military Generals exchanged glances. "What just happened?"

"Wasn’t Prince Jian supposed to win?"

"How did he suddenly get thrown out in the blink of an eye?"

They had recognized long ago that the black horse was the troublesome king of horses that had vexed Your Majesty for days.

The Commandery Prince taming the king of horses had been a thrilling spectacle—they had watched intently, cheering each time the Commandery Prince fell and rose again, deeply impressed by the Commandery Prince’s perseverance and power.

They were absolutely certain that this round was Prince Jian’s victory.

"Can someone explain how this enormous twist just happened?"

"Did anyone notice that white horse earlier?"

"No, did you guys see it?"

"No."

"If there were such an incredible horse, we’d have noticed it long ago."

"Exactly."

The crowd chattered, one voice after another, totally bewildered.

No one knew where that white horse had suddenly come from, not even Emperor Liang, whose face was equally confused.

Zhang, the Commander of the Imperial Army, muttered to himself, "Wait, no—how could a mere pretty boy just..."

Duke Jiang: "Perhaps there’s a chance he’s not a mere pretty boy?"

Everyone: "..."

The duel between the white horse and the black horse continued.

After all, the king of horses that had once given Emperor Liang headaches wouldn’t be so easily defeated.

The black horse suddenly performed a rolling maneuver, breaking free from the white horse’s hold.

It quickly rose to its feet, swinging its hind hooves high in a fierce kick directed at the white horse behind it.

The white horse, being overly aggressive, found it difficult to pull back in time.

In a critical moment, Lu Yuan tightly grasped the white horse’s mane, clamped his legs against its sides, and whipped them sharply to the right.

Accompanied by a piercing and thunderous neigh, the white horse shifted eastward by a foot, narrowly evading what could have been a fatal counterattack by the king of horses.

The court officials couldn’t help but collectively gasp audibly.

But before they even had time to finish their gasp, an even more unbelievable moment unfolded before their eyes.

After dodging the black horse’s kick, the white horse suddenly raised its front hooves high in the air.

"Hmm, what’s it doing now?"

Prince Ming asked curiously.

From somewhere between Prince Ming and Prince Fu, Duke Jiang interjected, "It’s angry—it wants to beat up the king of horses."

Though he didn’t understand horses, Duke Jiang had herded sheep before, and by rounding up the argument, could claim he knew about horses.

Prince Fu said, "It... doesn’t seem like it wants to beat up the king of horses. It looks like it wants to beat up our dear nephew."

The white horse went berserk on the spot, attempting several times to shake Lu Yuan off its back.

Yet Lu Yuan’s leg strength was astonishing; it was as though he had firmly grown roots onto the horse’s back.

The white horse, unable to throw him off, resorted to an all-or-nothing tactic—it slammed itself hard into the ground!

"Oh no, oh no—his legs are going to get crushed!"

"Crushed legs? I bet his spine will get snapped too!"

"Even when Prince Jian was taming the king of horses earlier, it wasn’t this terrifying, was it?"

A few Military Generals couldn’t stop babbling, subconsciously sweating bullets for the Imperial Grandson.

At the same time, they all thought the Imperial Grandson had overestimated his abilities.

This horse could no longer be described simply as wild—it was a crazed beast fearless enough to turn on even itself.

"The Commandery Prince is about to win."

"Yeah, what’s left of an injured Imperial Grandson? No matter how well-read he is, it won’t matter."

"Being merely injured would be the best-case scenario."

The underlying message was that this fall would most likely claim the Imperial Grandson’s life.

Those remarks came from Consort Hu’s elder brother, General Hu.

Though General Hu wished for Lu Qi to emerge victorious, his words weren’t a curse against the Imperial Grandson.

It was simply the reality of the situation—any seasoned cavalry commander among them, even veteran horse riders with years of experience, would not make it out of this unscathed.

Let alone a fledgling Imperial Grandson.

Just as the crowd foresaw disaster for the Imperial Grandson, he suddenly twisted his waist with incredible force, falling to the opposite side.

Using the white horse’s belly as a pivot, he rolled at the very moment of impact, landed with one knee on the ground, his palm stabilizing him, solidly holding his position.

Everyone was in shock.

The Civil Servants didn’t understand the intricacies of this maneuver, much like how the Military Generals didn’t understand why certain exams drove Civil Servants into a frenzy.

"That waist strength..."

The Military Generals were utterly humiliated.

They replayed countless crisis-aversion techniques in their minds, only to realize no strategy was needed—all you required was enough core strength to turn the tide.

Lu Yuan stood up, dusting off the dirt and sand on his hands.

Meanwhile, the white horse also got up, glaring furiously at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan’s lips curled into a smile. "Hey, I just saved you earlier, didn’t I? Is paying kindness with revenge really necessary? Without me, your skull would’ve been smashed by now."

Prince Jin’s expression relaxed. "So, it’s still not tamed after all."

That explained it—Lu Yuan couldn’t have possibly tamed a horse even more formidable than the king of horses.