The dragon flag fluttered in the wind in front of the Taiji Palace. From Song Ji's throne, one could see the Gate of Heaven, the Vermilion Bird Gate, and the Vermilion Bird Avenue, which stretched across the entirety of Chang 'an to the end of the sky.
Around the White Jade Square, almost all the core members of Dai Yue's upper echelons were gathered. They sat upright and silent, waiting for the seemingly unimportant contest to determine the dignity of the two countries.
Due to his position and status in the martial world, Eunuch Jia, the Minister of Internal Affairs, was the master of ceremonies for this contest. Dressed in a red robe and holding a horsetail whisk, he walked down the royal path and arrived at the center of the square in front of the palace.
"The envoy of Qi recently entered Chang 'an to meet His Majesty. The two countries have coexisted peacefully for nearly sixty years and have been in contact with each other. Dai Yue values martial arts, and there are many extraordinary people in the streets and mountains. His Majesty intends to set up the Ten Martial Champions to encourage martial artists to rebuild their martial ethics. When the envoy of Qi heard this, he wanted to make friends through martial arts and compete with the men of Dai Yue. His Majesty agreed and set up a martial arts arena in front of the Taiji Palace today, hoping that the men of the two countries can forget about the past and speak their minds … "
The so-called "make friends through martial arts" was just a formality. The Dai Yue of Northern Qi still insisted on a truce. This arena was a competition between the two countries, and it was like holding a sports meeting in one's own home. Although it was said that "friendship comes first, competition comes second", in fact, it was a competition with their lives on the line.
Eunuch Jia's voice was hoarse, but it was very loud. The thousands of people in the square heard Chu Chu's voice clearly, and they all looked up with eager eyes. The envoy of Northern Qi stood up and bowed to the emperor in front of the palace to thank him.
After Eunuch Jia finished his speech, he waved the horsetail whisk in his hand, and the Imperial Guards moved all the weapons they could find in the world around them.
"The rule of martial artists is that one stands and the other lies down.
As the saying goes, 'swords have no eyes', and the one who enters the arena is responsible for his own life and death. But only martial artists with martial ethics can be called martial artists.
Everyone, let's begin! "
Clang!
A gong half the height of a person rang out, and there was some noise in front of Taiji Palace. They all looked toward the group of Northern Qi emissaries.
Song Ji held a teacup in one hand, and his expression was calm.
Zhang Xiang, Liu Yunlin, and the others stood guard by the side, occasionally raising their heads to look at the sea of clouds in the sky, as if worried that the rain would spoil the emperor's mood.
Behind the bead curtain, the Empress Dowager, who usually had nothing to do, was clearly interested at this moment. She sat up straight and waited attentively.
Xu Buring was sizing up the Empress Dowager, completely uninterested in the scene below.
Mu Mu of Empress Hua.
After the gong sounded, a figure appeared on the square that was a thousand paces long and wide.
Zuo Yezi strode forward with his long sword in hand, as if he did not see thousands of gazes on him. He walked straight past dozens of lampposts in the square and came to the center of the entire royal city. He raised his hand and bowed to the gilded couch above the royal road.
Emperor of Emperor Ji. Yu Emperor Zuo Palace, and King Zuo Yeon.
"Dispense with the formalities."
Song Ji raised his sleeves and gestured for the emperor to come. Then, he looked at the young talents sitting in the hall.
"Zuo Yezi is the direct disciple of the Imperial Advisor of Qi. I believe he is skilled. Is there anyone who is willing to fight?"
At the side of the square, under the eaves where the young people gathered, the outstanding talents of Chang 'an looked at each other. They wanted to send someone to test the waters.
Zuo Yezi did not intend to wait quietly. He bowed to Emperor Dai Yue again and said in a clear voice,
"I, Zuo Yezi, am here today as a martial artist to ask for advice. It is my honor that Your Majesty agrees to fight me according to the rules of martial artists. But there should be a prize in a fight between martial artists. There are so many pillars of the country, Dai Yue. If we just watch a few juniors fight, I am afraid we will not be interested. "
His words attracted everyone's attention.
Song Ji held a teacup, and his expression was as calm as ever.
"What kind of prize do you want?"
Zuo Yezi held his three-foot-long sword and turned to look at all the nobles present.
"I heard that Your Majesty is going to choose the ten Martial Champions. If I win in front of the Tai Chi Palace today, will Your Majesty give me the golden plaque of 'Number One in the World' in advance?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd burst into an uproar.
Zhang Xiang pressed on the goose feather knife and frowned. He said coldly, "This guy is so arrogant. I thought he only wanted the title of Martial Champion, not the title of 'Number One in the World'. A frog at the bottom of a well, not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth! "
Zhang Tingbao was also annoyed. "It is just a fight between peers. Even if I win, I don't deserve the title of Number One in the World. How can I give it to you in advance? If I, Dai Yue, get the title of Number One in the World in Northern Qi, I will be a joke to the world … "
The noise and mockery were endless.
Song Ji also raised his eyebrows. He felt that the young man was too arrogant. He had intended to give him the title of 'Number Ten in the World'. No one would be convinced even if he gave him the title of Number One in the World.
The Empress Dowager's eyes were filled with anger. She tilted her head and said softly, "No, this kid is even more arrogant than you. There are many extraordinary people in the world. Those who dare to call themselves Number One in the World are all outstanding talents who have been famous since they were young. I have never heard of his name …"
Xu Buling shook his head and chuckled. He picked up his wine cup and took a sip. His gaze finally fell on Zuo Yezi.
Arrogance and conceit were worlds apart. Those who dared to say such things in front of the Tai Chi Palace were at least brave enough.
Among the officials, Censor Qi Xinghan was the most hot-tempered. He stood up and said sarcastically,
"A fight between juniors is child's play in the eyes of the elders. Even if Your Majesty is willing to give you the plaque, you are just a kid. How dare you accept the title of Number One in the World in front of your elders? Don't tell me that the teachers of the Kingdom of Qi don't teach humility and respect for seniors? "
Usually, everyone treated Qi Xinghan as a stinky rock in the latrine. However, when it came to scolding others, he was the backbone. At this moment, everyone nodded in agreement.
Zuo Yezi raised his hand. His gaze was slightly arrogant.
"My teacher will naturally teach respect for seniors. However, there is no second place in martial arts!
I, Zuo Yezi, am just a foreign official. I am not even twenty years old. If I can stand until the end in front of His Majesty Dai Yue, the result will not change ten years later. What's wrong with accepting the golden plaque of Number One in the World in advance?
If you are not convinced, you can come and take it. Why do you have to use words to argue? "
Qi Xinghan was immediately speechless.
This was the core of the fight between civil and military officials. As the saying goes, when a scholar meets a soldier, it is impossible to reason with him. A martial artist would only recognize the one standing. If a kid defeated all the sons of Dai Yue in front of the Emperor, he should indeed be the first. As for asking Eunuch Jia and the other elders to snatch it back, Dai Yue could not afford to lose face.
Grand Commandant Liu Pingyang was a martial artist. At this moment, he was obviously annoyed by this kid. He slammed the table and said angrily,
"His Majesty has appointed Dai Yue as one of the Ten Martial Masters. You are just a foreign envoy from Northern Qi. How can you take the title of Number One in the World from Dai Yue? You should ask the king of Qi for it. "
His words were a little rude. Even Song Ji frowned.
As expected, when Zuo Yezi heard this, the corner of his mouth curled up. He spread his hands and looked at the civil and military officials.
"Under the heavens, under the heavens.
Emperor Dai Yue has appointed the Ten Martial Masters. Why can't I, Zuo Yezi, take it?
Could it be that in the eyes of the generals and ministers, Emperor Dai Yue's vision is limited to the 280 prefectures of the Nine Paths and the territories outside, such as the unconquered Lingnan Path, are not considered as the world? When the Emperor of Qi evaluates the heroes of the world, he has never missed out on any of the talents of Dai Yue! "
"You …"
Liu Pingyang immediately flew into a rage. He was so angry that his face turned ashen. However, he could not say a word. Someone had added fuel to the fire and determined that the matter was above the Emperor's vision. As the Grand Commandant of Dai Yue's troops, what he said just now was indeed too petty.
Everyone in the square was silent. Qi Xinghan almost fainted because of this stupid teammate.
Empress Dowager's eyes were also full of anger, but she could not do anything. She turned to look at Song Ji to see how he would respond.
Song Ji was free and easy. He clapped his hands and said, "You are eloquent, but I don't know how good your skills are. If you can stand to the end today, I will give you a golden plaque of 'Green Leader'. As for 'Number One in the World', you can come and take it in ten years if you have the ability. "
The meaning of 'Green Leader' was simple and clear. It was the leader of the young generation. It was different from the Ten Martial Masters and had a good reputation. It could be said that the way it was handled was ingenious.
However, Dai Yue's leader of the young generation in Northern Qi also did not sound good.
Situ Huyu, Tang Jiu 'er, Zhang Tingbao, and the other young people who were going to fight today all became restless. They did not dare to take the golden plaque of the Ten Martial Masters, but they could fight for the' Green Leader '. There was no second place in martial arts. They were all around the same age, so it was hard to say who would win if they really fought.
In the center of Tai Chi Square, Zuo Yezi was still talking arrogantly. After hearing Song Ji's words, he raised his hand and said, "Thank you for your gift, Your Majesty.
"Thank you for your gift, Your Majesty. Ten years later, I will definitely come to take away the 'Number One in the World' plaque."
"Humph —"
His words could be said to have angered the court officials who were watching from the side. Liu Pingyang had just been embarrassed, and now he was burning with anger. He slammed the table and said,
"Zhangrun, you go up."
Liu Zhangrun, who was sitting in the back, was already dissatisfied with the Northern Qi ambassador's arrogant attitude. Without any hesitation, he got up and walked down the steps of the side hall. He took a spear from the weapon rack and went straight to Zuo Yezi …
