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"Very well!"
Li Shimin sat upright before the dragon throne, a gentle smile mixed with a hint of pride. "All of you ambassadors are friends of our great Tang dynasty. Although I am inclined to grant your requests for marriage, it is impossible for me to marry off so many royal daughters at once.
After much thought, I have decided to adopt the popular practice in our Middle Kingdom of holding a contest for suitors. Therefore, I have specially devised several challenges. Each ambassador will rely on their own abilities, and I will treat everyone equally; I cannot favor one over another!"
"But..." the Abbasid Caliphate's embassy seemed somewhat troubled. "With only two days' notice, there is simply no time for us to summon our horse trainers!"
Li Shimin burst into hearty laughter, stroking his beard. "Ambassador, there is nothing I can do about that!"
In the corner, wearing a veil hat, Li Zhenyao nearly burst out laughing while holding her teacup.
She was thoroughly pleased with the sight of the ambassadors bowing their heads and whispering among themselves.
Hmph! Her father used to tell her that serving a ruler was like accompanying a tiger, but now she saw the emperor as quite affable.
When she boldly suggested testing the ambassadors with challenges—both to give them a taste of difficulty and to potentially dissuade them—the emperor not only showed no signs of reprimanding her but praised her instead and approved her proposal on the spot.
As she laughed joyfully, her gaze unconsciously searched the crowd for Lu Dongzan.
It was then that Li Zhenyao suddenly noticed that aside from slightly raising his eyebrows when he heard the challenges, Lu Dongzan had remained remarkably still.
What does that confident expression of his mean?
As if sensing Li Zhenyao's gaze, Lu Dongzan unexpectedly turned to look in her direction. Instinctively, Li Zhenyao wanted to lower her head and hide, but she saw Lu Dongzan approaching her with a wine glass in hand.
"Princess!" Lu Dongzan paid no heed to Li Zhenyao's averted eyes and performed a grand gesture typical of the Tubo people. "It seems that I need not answer the Princess's question about the merits of our Tubo; you have already discovered the benefits for yourself, haven't you?"
"Not at all!" Li Zhenyao instinctively raised her head, wrinkling her nose as she remembered she was wearing a veil, so Lu Dongzan likely couldn't see her expression. "The challenge set by His Majesty is just the beginning. I advise you, this Tubo elephant, to retreat while you still can; otherwise, don't cry too hard when you embarrass yourself later!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Dongzan burst into hearty laughter, then suddenly leaned closer and spoke in a voice only they could hear. "So, these questions were all devised by the Princess?"
"Yes, and what of it?" He leaned in even closer, and the faint scent of wine mixed with an unfamiliar grassy aroma made Li Zhenyao inexplicably anxious.
"The Princess is so intelligent; I imagine you know that our Tubo grasslands are known for producing the finest horses. Every Tubo person is a master horseman, so it makes sense that you would craft such an excellent question!"
As he spoke, he unceremoniously clinked his wine glass against Li Zhenyao's cup. "On behalf of my king, I thank the Princess for her kindness!"
"Lu Dongzan!" Li Zhenyao pushed his arm away and glanced around nervously to ensure no one was paying attention to them before lowering her voice to call his name sharply.
No wonder he showed no signs of difficulty throughout; it turned out that the questions she had painstakingly devised had backfired and seemed to favor him instead. How could she swallow this humiliation?
"You think you're clever? Just wait and see how I help you win from the first question all the way to the last! Then you can come back and thank me with your wine!" As she spoke, she quickly tried to retract her wine glass, but her movement was too abrupt, causing her hand to slide against Lu Dongzan's.
His hand was warm and still radiated a burning heat.
In that instant, it felt as if a feather brushed against her heart, and an unprecedented anxiety caused a faint blush to rise on Li Zhenyao's face, hidden beneath her veil.
"The princess's feelings, whether intentional or not, have been accepted by me!" he declared, raising his cup and downing its contents in one go. He then mimicked the gesture of the Central Plains people, clasping his fists together, before turning to leave.
His swift movement created a gentle breeze, just strong enough to lift a corner of Li Zhenyao's veil.
At that moment, he suddenly remembered the wine cup he had casually placed on the table was brought by him, so he turned back to retrieve it.
In that instant, Li Zhenyao's flushed face fell into Lu Dongzan's view.
Her fair skin was delicate and tender, unmatched by any woman from the grasslands.
Whether it was anger or shyness, her petite cherry lips were tightly pressed together, and her defiant yet slightly bashful eyes stared at him in astonishment.
Lu Dongzan quickly lowered his head to pick up the wine cup and returned to his seat without looking back. It wasn't until he had downed three cups of wine that the strange feelings in his heart gradually calmed down.
He was no longer a boy of sixteen or seventeen; in fact, his wife from Tubo had just given birth to their eldest son, Xi Ruo, a year ago.
He understood very well what that fluttering sensation meant. His grip on the wine cup tightened unconsciously. Tilting his head back, he gulped down the entire cup of wine, letting the fiery spiciness fill his lungs and suppress the turmoil in his heart.
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