Chapter 16: 10.8 Touch

  "Since the royal brother has arrived, shall we begin?" The young prince also stood up at this moment, looking at Chu Hao with a mixture of satisfaction and discontent. And the little eunuch beside him also tactfully placed the dark flower porcelain vase on the large table.

  Sun Haoran leaned in close to Chu Hao and whispered, "I'm asking you, brother, are you confident? I heard that the little prince's cricket is from Wu Guo, and it seems to be even more formidable than your 'Shaking General'."

  Chu Hao glanced at the mantis, its six legs were white and clean, its pincers were dark red, and its wings were light yellow with a golden sheen, which was quite impressive. However, Chu Hao patted Sun Haoran's shoulder nonchalantly and said: "Don't worry, even if it's a sword god from the land of mantises, I can still make him surrender to my general. Haven't you heard of 'common people don't fight with officials'? I am a great general, he is just a commoner, no matter how high his martial arts are, he can't compare to my thousands of soldiers and horses!"

  Sun Haoran was stunned by Chu Hao's words, but seeing his confidence, he didn't say anything else and stood on one side of the table with the young master. Chu Hao raised his head slightly and took a glance, then understood the situation clearly.

  Excluding myself and Xiao Huangzi, there are eleven people in total. Among them, five are on my side, while Xiao Huangzi's side has seven people including Wu Donghan.

  There are two more people than me on this side, and I also have a small four, one top three!

  Chu Hao hastily signaled to Xiao Si, and Xiao Si also placed the green glazed porcelain jar on the large table. It was seen that Xiao Er Ge had been prepared early, and immediately brought up a basin-sized soil, which was simply arranged with some grass and mud, this is the potted landscape often used by the royal family to fight crickets. Unlike the "fighting grid" used in folk, it tests the actual strength of the cricket's wild battle.

  "Little prince, little king, listen to me for a moment!" Just as Chu Hao was about to release the cricket to start the fight, Nan Gong Jie suddenly interrupted, and everyone turned their eyes to him in confusion.

  "Gentlemen, please look below. The common people are at peace, like a dream of flowers and smoke, with a sense of harmony. Such a prosperous scene is precisely because the current emperor governs wisely, and the people can live in comfort. Even we gentlemen can indulge in leisure here, which is also thanks to the blessings of the imperial court." Nangong Jie was a big fat man, who slowly got up from his chair, not forgetting to make a gesture towards all directions, showing off his elegance. He walked to the window, and then bowed his hands towards the direction of the Imperial City, swaying back and forth, bowing in admiration.

  Zhu Hao Zhen worried that his tonnage would directly crush the railing and then fall down.

  Unfortunately, the building quality is too strong, only to see Nan Gong Jie shaking his fat, and sincerely said: "At this moment, I am grateful to be born in such a prosperous era, it is indeed our blessing! So I dare to propose that we use the prosperity of the scene to make poetry and express our emotions, and not disappoint the name of our Cloud Sky Thousand Year Cultural State!"

  The little prince's eyes lit up, and he looked at Nangong Jie with approval, nodding his head: "Brother Nangong's words are extremely right, fighting crickets may be trendy, but it's hard to reach the elegance of a great poet. Before we do that, let's first have a poetry competition, one to cultivate our emotions, two to remember the emperor's kindness and cherish the world. Brother Nangong's proposal, this palace agrees!"

  The young prince spoke up, and on his side, one by one, they all echoed in agreement. The young prince nodded in satisfaction, turning his head towards Chu Hao, saying: "This time for the poetry composition, it's still Mr. Wu Donghan who will bear witness, what does the imperial brother think?"

  What do you think? Of course, it's all nonsense!

  Chu Hao suddenly understood the thoughts of that scoundrel Nangong Jie. On their side, they were all sons of civil officials, although they usually looked down on others, but in their hearts, they also had some literary talent. As for his own side, every one of them was a son of a military officer, and they never liked to engage in literary pursuits. They were good at fighting, but writing poetry? That would only make them look ridiculous!

  This is Nan Gong Jie, obviously setting a trap for himself. If they lose to the Dou brothers for a while, then even if this poem wins, it won't be considered a complete loss of face. After all, one win and one loss, neither side has the upper hand. But if both sides win, then these people will be able to hold their heads high in the capital, while his own side can only look at them with a gloomy face.

  And this little prince's last words were even more ruthless, what nostalgia for the holy grace was just bringing a big hat to make his father have no choice but to agree, good calculation!

  As expected, after Nan Gong Jie and Xiao Huang Zi sang in harmony, the five people on Chu Hao's side all showed difficult expressions and anger.

  Chu Hao waved his hand to stop Sun Haoran, who was about to speak, and then smiled at Nan Gongjie, saying: "Brother Nan Gong's words of loyalty have moved me deeply! The emperor's benevolence is vast, his heart is with the people, and he cares for the lives of the common folk. Every single person in this Cloud Heaven Empire is crystal clear about this. However, as the ancients said: 'In times of peace, think of danger, and be prepared.' I dare to say that even though our Cloud Heaven is at peace under the emperor's rule, with the people safe and secure, we must not ignore external threats in these prosperous times."

  Everyone's attention was drawn to him, and Chu Hao felt a sense of pride in his heart as he shook his head and sighed: "For five days now, I have been deeply concerned about the situation in the imperial court. Thinking about the Maya Empire eyeing us covetously from the north, I have lost my appetite and sleep; it's a pity that our people are so carefree and ignorant of the dangers lurking beneath the surface of this prosperous era. They indulge in luxury and extravagance, compose poetry, and think they have talent just because they've visited a few brothels and worn some perfume. If war breaks out, how can we defend our homes and fight against the Maya invaders with such weak bodies and lack of fighting spirit? This extravagant trend is truly lamentable!"

  Chu Hao spoke with great passion and fervor, scolding a group of people without leaving any marks, before finally saying: "To eat the king's salary is to worry about the king's affairs. Therefore, in my humble opinion, the best way to remember the sacred grace and cherish the world is not to praise merits, but to compete in strength and bravery. Why don't we change the poetry competition to a martial arts competition? A prosperous era must not forget military prowess. What does Your Highness think?"

  The entire continent knows that the Maya Empire and the Cloud Sky Empire have never gotten along, basically having a small skirmish every five years and a big battle every ten years. And it's precisely because the garrison stationed near the border of the Maya Empire is Chu Yunfei's direct lineage that Prince Weiyuan can stand unshakeably in court.

  The Cloud Empire was originally a country that revered martial power. Even though scholars held high positions, they couldn't hide the influence of warriors!

  The people present, although they knew that Chu Hao's words were reasonable, felt extremely strange when he said them, as if they had seen a tiger not eating meat but vegetarian food instead. Even Sun Haoran and others looked surprised.

  But if they knew that Chu Hao understood all this history just because he copied the "Cloud Country Theory", wouldn't they spit blood directly?

  The young prince didn't expect Chu Hao to react so quickly, and laughed: "I didn't think that my brother would have such a broad mind, it's really admirable. However, comparing guns and swords requires a large venue, and the third floor of the Gathering Clouds Building is empty but can't withstand this kind of commotion. Why don't we put off the comparison for now and first compete in cricket fighting? We can have a martial arts competition another day."

  Chu Hao's heart skipped a beat, this young prince was indeed capable of being humble and yielding, having been forced to concede by his own words, yet he didn't show any displeasure or hesitation. No wonder Wu Donghan followed him; perhaps beneath his pampered exterior lay a clever mind. Thinking about the current emperor who had five sons but still hadn't appointed an heir, could it be that he was intentionally leaving it open for this young prince?

  Chu Hao's heart was filled with thoughts, but on the surface he remained calm and composed. He turned his eyes and said: "Very well, let's follow the prince's suggestion. However, our cricket fighting, with gold and silver as prizes, is a bit too common and doesn't quite live up to the imperial family's reputation. Why don't we add another prize? What do you think, Your Highness?"

  The young prince always felt that today's Chu Hao was a bit off, usually every time he had the upper hand, but now the other party kept coming up with strange moves, making it impossible for him to figure out. Hearing this, he said: "What kind of trick is this? Please enlighten me, brother!"

  "Haha, it's not that special, I heard that a month later in the capital city's White Tiger Street, there will be a flower lantern festival, and it seems that the famous courtesan of the capital, Yao Mengchi Xianzi, will also attend. At that time, the losing side will have to get on stage in front of everyone and sing a duet with the beauty, 'Ten Eight Mò'. What do you all think?" Chu Hao's face was full of confidence.