Unworthy!
Ren Yi cursed secretly, turned around and walked towards Ren Rong angrily.
Just as he was about to speak, Ren Rong lowered his voice.
"Father, someone greased the steps of the finishing stand."
After saying that, he saluted and turned back to the team.
Ren Yi was startled.
He was also wondering why his eldest son suddenly changed his temper today. When he heard this, he immediately reacted and broke into a cold sweat.
"Master, what happened?" The Minister of Rites hurried over to understand the situation.
Even Emperor Changxing was present, and the current dragon boat race was attracting much attention. Every step is time-limited and cannot be delayed indefinitely.
"Your Majesty, Fan Shangshu, please rest assured," Ren Yi couldn't say more in front of everyone, "Brother Rong was just joking with me."
"Nonsense." Fan Wen scolded him in a low voice, then turned and left.
Ren Yi glanced at his son who was standing neatly with a complicated look, greeted the etiquette officer behind him, turned around and walked towards King Qin's dragon boat.
He walked openly and fearlessly.
Because Emperor Changxing would be present, the long river embankment had been thoroughly inspected by the Imperial Army, so naturally there would not be a large area of grease.
Thinking of this, Ren Yi's face turned darker again.
A few days ago, the Ministry of Rites had already decided on the candidate for the dragon eye. The other party secretly smeared grease under the steps, clearly targeting him or the Taishi Mansion.
But now is not the time to think about this. Ren Yi said auspicious words to each dragon boat step by step and nodded.
It took a while to move to the dragon boat in front of the Zhenguogong Mansion.
Looking at the mighty dragon boat in front of him, with its delicate and thick head and tail, Ren Yi had a complicated expression.
There are uniform length requirements for participating dragon boats. But the lightweight dragon boat is undoubtedly easier to row. So many teams put their ideas into the boat in order to win.
For example, the eldest son of the emperor is also the dragon boat of King Qin.
There is nothing to say about the bow of the ship, but the long and narrow hull only has room for twenty-one team members, not an inch more. And in order to make up the limited captain and reduce the weight of the boat, the back half of the dragon boat was actually made of thin wooden boards carved with hollow dragon scale patterns.
Those dragon scales are said to be exquisitely carved and lifelike after being painted; at worst they are cut into pieces to reduce weight.
Ren Yi had some doubts that he could break off a wooden plank from the stern of King Qin's ship with just a slight break with his hands.
As the eldest son of the emperor, even if King Qin is like this, other princes or princes cannot make more concessions. Everyone is showing off their skills and trying every means to reduce the weight of the dragon boat.
On the contrary, the dragon boat in Zhenguo Palace is the most magnificent.
The dragon head, body and tail are all exquisite and thick. From a distance, it looks like a giant dragon riding the wind and lying on the water.
And the dragon body in the middle, where the oarsmen or passengers sit, has a total of forty-one. Even if you take it to other large dragon boat venues, you don’t have to worry about the rowers not being able to sit down.
Ren Yi saw it and nodded secretly.
As usual, he said auspicious words, carefully nodded the dragon's eyes, and whispered "come on" before walking towards the team behind.
There are so many teams, and it takes time to highlight them.
Therefore, whether it was the viewing platform where high-profile families were sitting or the ordinary people huddled together on the river embankment, they all found people they knew well to chat with.
"It's over this time." Someone frowned, "I defeated the Zhenguo Mansion. I thought that their team included Huo Shizi and the strong generals from the Xingluo Legion and Zhennanguan. They might not be able to win the championship, but at least they would be among the top leaders."
The man beat his chest and said, "Looking at the state of their dragon boat, I'm afraid I will lose all my money."
hey-hey!
Others smiled proudly.
"I'm betting on the King of Qin. Their dragon boat team started training very early and should be getting along well. And I heard that the King of Qin even got a big reward. As long as the team wins, every paddler will get a hefty reward."
The man was so proud that his tail almost looked up to the sky.
The King of Qin is the son of the Queen. Although Emperor Changxing has not established a prince for a long time, King Qin is the first choice for the future prince in the eyes of most people.
In addition, the family of the King of Qin, namely Uncle Cheng'en, was as rich as the country.
Since I mentioned a heavy reward, the amount will definitely not be too light. Whether it is for the present or the future, the oarsmen will strive to reach the top and strive to win the championship.
"I'm still more optimistic about the Third Prince Chen Xiuzhu. Oh, he is the King of Qi now."
The other person spoke plausibly.
"Prince Qi has a reputation of being generous. Last year, he stayed in his ancestral land personally regardless of his personal safety to show peace to the people of the three southwest counties. God will help such a benevolent king."
"Moreover, King Qi's maternal ancestor is Luo Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry. Although the Shangshu Mansion does not have the impressive financial resources of Cheng Enbo Mansion, the Ministry of Industry has many skilled people. The dragon boat built with the help of the Ministry of Industry should have something special, and it may be able to Help King Qi."
Someone else said cheerfully, "The King of Qin and the King of Qi have a good chance of winning, but I am still optimistic about the King of Jin."
"Although I don't dare to use money to pressure him."
People around him looked over one after another, all with strange expressions.
The other princes are trying to reduce the weight of the dragon boat. The self-importance of this King of Jin is so impressive that he cannot reduce it even if he wants to. It’s probably not easy to win the dragon boat race.
"What's the matter," the man explained with a smile, "Have you forgotten the fierce Princess Jin?"
"As long as this princess gives the order to die, none of the rowers in Prince Jin's team should go rowing with all their strength. Aren't they afraid that Princess Jin will come to chase them with a knife?"
"That's true." Everyone laughed.
Ordinary people are laughing and joking, but the wealthy families cannot give in too much.
And compared with ordinary people who can rush to the door at any time, high-level people often have to bow before going to the door. At this time, acquaintances took advantage of the rare opportunity to chat together.
Concubine Qing came to see Princess Yiguang.
Although they are mother and daughter, they have not seen each other for a while.
The two had a good conversation.
After a while, Princess Yiguang called Yingpan and introduced her to her daughter.
"Are you Ren Ning's wife?" Concubine Qing looked Yingpan up and down and nodded with satisfaction when she saw her elegant and uninhibited appearance.
"How is the house in Yong'an Hutong? Are you comfortable living there?"
Yingpan smiled and nodded, "Back to my wife, the house is very beautiful. Our family is very happy to live in it."
"Just be happy." Concubine Qing pulled out a phoenix-tail hairpin from her head and said with a smile: "It's the first time we meet, and I have something with me, so I will give you a hairpin as a meeting gift."
Wow!
"What a beautiful hairpin." Yingpan had plenty of money and was not short of accessories, but she still took it with a smile, "Thank you, empress. They say elders are grateful for the gift, so Yingpan accepted it."
She twirled the hosta and was quickly stunned.
The hairpin is exquisite, with the word "Qing" engraved on it.
"It turns out to be the beloved thing of the empress." Yingpan was greatly surprised and quickly returned some small gifts that she was happy with.
Concubine Qing was even more satisfied and chatted affectionately with the two for a while before looking towards the dragon boat team below.
It’s not easy to find people from the bottom up. But it would be much easier for them to find the team from the Zhenguo Palace or Ren Ning.
"I heard that Ren Ning has been fighting in the south and was promoted to General Xuanwu recently. He didn't suffer any physical injuries, right?"
"There's no one who won't be injured on the battlefield." Yingpan felt very strange.
This nobleman in the palace seems to be particularly concerned about his husband.
But he still responded with a smile: "But please don't worry, Madam. Ren Ning keeps getting minor injuries but no serious injuries. He is now alive and well."
"That's good." Concubine Qing breathed a sigh of relief.
She hugged Princess Yiguang's arm: "My mother said that you often come over to chat with her, and you have a eloquent mouth. You are her pistachio."
"I don't want anything to happen to that kid and turn your pistachio into a mouthful."
