CHAPTER 531: CHAPTER 285: COMPETING WITH YITU

The luncheon was filled with harmony, and the Xiongnu refrained from making any provocative moves at the banquet. However, Hu Yanping subtly tried to sow discord between the Crown Prince and Prince Dai. Of course, they did not fall for his tricks.

Although the Crown Prince and Prince Dai had become estranged due to the succession struggle, they would never let an external tribe witness their discord and become a laughingstock.

Seeing that the Crown Prince and Prince Dai were not swayed by his words, Hu Yanping was not disappointed. He continued to toast Prime Minister He and the others courteously.

Prime Minister He responded politely, while Grandmaster Liu gave Hu Yanping no face, directly telling him that he did not drink.

Hu Yanping had heard of some things about Grandmaster Liu. For this scheming Grandmaster, he felt apprehensive. He quickly said it was no problem and continued to toast others.

Zhao Yao sat beside the Eighth Prince, enjoying his meat while secretly observing the interaction between Hu Yanping and Marquis Jingyang. Marquis Jingyang was Princess Consort Liang’s father, the maternal grandfather of the Sixth Prince, and the Family Head of the Yuan Family.

When Hu Yanping toasted Marquis Jingyang, it was no different from others, very polite. Marquis Jingyang also behaved very normally, with a courteous yet distant demeanor.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Yao sharply remarked in his heart: These two sure know how to act.

After Hu Yanping finished his toast, Wuwei began to toast.

Wuwei was good-looking, spoke the Central Plains language well, and had a charming smile, making it easy to gain favor. However, the court officials remained vigilant against him.

When Wuwei toasted the Eighth Prince, Zhao Yao deliberately observed their expressions and noted that both had a courteous and distant demeanor, and sighed inwardly: Eighth Brother and Wuwei’s acting is even more brilliant.

Wuwei maintained his usual expression while toasting the Eighth Prince, then moved on to Zhao Yao. During the toast, Wuwei even complimented Zhao Yao, praising his archery skills.

At this moment, Zhao Yao felt the gaze that had been fixed on him suddenly become sharper, as if trying to bore a hole through him.

Wuwei also praised Zhao Yao for being young and promising. Zhao Yao first thanked Wuwei for his compliments, then humbly said his archery was average. His royal brothers were much better than him.

When the Emperor heard Zhao Yao say this, he laughed and told Wuwei that Zhao Yao was his most incompetent son, the worst in both studies and archery among all his sons.

Hearing the Emperor say this, Zhao Yao felt a bit unhappy. However, he did not show it on his face.

He turned to look at Yitu, who had been glaring at him, with a bright and innocent smile. He pointed at Yitu and said that although his archery could not rival his royal brothers, it was better than Yitu’s.

Since Zhao Yao entered Fengyang Palace, Yitu had been glaring at him.

Back then, when Yitu and his party first entered the capital, Yitu wanted to put on a display to intimidate the people of Great Zhou, but unexpectedly, a hairy kid humiliated him. Because of this, he had been mocked by Wuwei ever since.

When Yitu heard Zhao Yao say he was better, his face turned red with anger. Just as he was about to lash out, Hu Yanping shot him an icy glance, making him immediately hold back. However, his gaze towards Zhao Yao became even more vicious.

He thought he would intimidate Zhao Yao, but unexpectedly, the Tenth Prince of Great Zhou was not only unafraid, but even looked provocatively at him.

Zhao Yao pointed at Yitu and requested the Emperor: "Father, later I want to compete in archery with him."

The Emperor was surprised by Zhao Yao’s request, showing an unexpected expression.

What scheme was this brat Xiao Ten up to?

Zhao Yao looked at Yitu and arrogantly asked, "Do you dare to compete with me?"

This was exactly what Yitu wanted.

Yitu didn’t wait for Hu Yanping’s command, stood up, and glared viciously at Zhao Yao, saying, "Anyone who doesn’t compete is a coward."

He realized that after agreeing to compete, the people of Great Zhou seemed to be mocking him.

Seeing Yitu agree, the Emperor naturally had no reason to oppose, so he consented to their competition.

Hu Yanping wanted to decline on Yitu’s behalf, but the Emperor stopped him, saying that his youngest son wanted to witness the archery skills of the Xiongnu grassland warriors and hoped to have a good match with Yitu the warrior.

Hearing the Emperor say this, Hu Yanping could not say anything further.

After Zhao Yao sat down, the Eighth Prince quickly said to him, "Why on earth are you competing in archery with the Xiongnu?"

"Don’t worry, Eighth Brother, he’s no match for me," Zhao Yao said confidently. "I beat him once before, and I can beat him again."