460 Forced to Compete (4)
At the banquet, Lord Cai and Cai Lin happened to be there too. Cai Lin was immediately embarrassed. Cai Lin was two years older than Shen Miao, and he was much more mature than before. As time passed, he had long forgotten about his grudge with Shen Miao. He did not expect this matter to be brought up again in front of so many people.
Cai Lin was not the only one who called the past. In the corner of the banquet, the Marquis of Lin’an, Xie Ding, and his two sons were seated there. The current Marquis of Lin’an was old and no longer as high-spirited as before. Even on such an occasion, he only wanted to hide in an inconspicuous corner. Unexpectedly, when people mentioned the test, he remembered that Xie Jingxing was also there that time. He even went on stage and challenged Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao. At that time, after returning to the mansion, he scolded Xie Jingxing angrily, but inside, he was proud of him.
At the thought of the past, his heart ached even more. Xie Ding looked dejected. Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao saw it. A trace of gloom flashed across their eyes.
Princess Ming An continued, “Why don’t we compete in archery to make this occasion more lively? Just take it as an unharmful game.”
Emperor Wen Hui was the first to find it amusing and laugh. He said, “Miss Shen is a delicate girl. How can she know something like archery?”
“Your Majesty, you probably are not aware of Miss Shen’s talent.” Princess Ming An smiled and said, “Back then, even people from the State of Qin were amazed by Miss Shen’s brilliance. Like father, like daughter, General Shen is a hero, so Miss Shen must be a heroine. Moreover, Miss Shen is a delicate girl. Am I not a delicate girl too? Or does Your Majesty think that the State of Qin is not worthy of being compared to Ming Qi?”
Princess Ming An looked beautiful, but her words were very vicious. If Shen Miao refused to compete, it would send a message to everyone present that Ming Qi looked down upon the State of Qin. At this moment, how could Emperor Wen Hui let the State of Qin fall out with Ming Qi? He immediately looked at Shen Miao and said gently, “Miss Shen, what do you think?”
Shen Xin clenched his fists. He wanted to reject this rude request on Shen Miao’s behalf, but even if he rejected it, it would only give Princess Ming An a more legitimate excuse to kick up a bigger fuss.
On the other hand, Shen Miao glanced at Princess Ming An and lowered her head. “I don’t dare to disobey Your Highness.”
“I don’t dare to disobey” implied that Shen Miao was unwilling, as if Princess Ming An was forcing her.
Princess Ming An also understood what Shen Miao meant. Her expression darkened, and then she thought of something and giggled. She said, “I heard that during the test, Miss Shen and that opponent betted their lives. Today, we’ll bet our lives on it too, okay?”
“No!” Shen Xin refused without waiting for Shen Miao to answer. His face was cold, and he did not care about Emperor Wen Hui’s expression at all. He looked at Princess Ming An and said word by word, “Since Your Highness said it’s a game, just treat it as a game. Why do you have to bet your life on it? Moreover, the banquet is a joyous occasion. It’s better not to see blood.”
When Luo Xueyan saw Shen Xin speak, she couldn’t help but tighten her grip on the teacup in front of her. Back then, they didn’t know that Shen Miao was betting her life with Cai Lin during the test. Later, when they returned to the capital and found out, their hearts skipped a beat. If they were present, they definitely wouldn’t let Shen Miao bet her life. Now that Princess Ming An was clearly up to no good, why would they let Shen Miao take the risk?
Unexpectedly, as soon as Shen Xin said that, Huangfu Hao spoke. He smiled and said, “Although that’s the case, taking the game seriously will show how serious the State of Qin is towards Ming Qi. General Shen, are you afraid? Or is Ming Qi a bunch of cowards?” His words were sarcastic as he looked at Emperor Wen Hui. “If Ming Qi is afraid of losing, it’s fine. We’ll pretend nothing happened.”
