Emperor Lin Mubai coughed lightly as he saw the reaction from the crowd. He flipped his hand and a pair of shoes could be seen.
This was a dark blue pair of shoes with gold embroidery. There were also clouds embroidered on this pair of shoes. It was impossible to see what material it was made of, but it was likely to be a soft metal.
Fang Zhengzhi looked at the pair of shoes with suspicion and scorn, "The prize is this pair of shoes?"
How disappointing!
Where is the trust between people?
I thought the prize was supposed to be good? He could at least give a few boxes of gold. How much is a pair of shoes worth?
Fang Zhengzhi was extremely disappointed. However, all of the other spectators screamed in a very exaggerated manner.
"It's the Wafting Cloud Shoes!"
"Oh my god, the prize is the Wafting Cloud Shoes!"
"Isn't this a little too ridiculous? If I had known this earlier, I would have tried my hand at the competition too. Oh god... who wouldn't want that pair of shoes?"
All of the spectators were envious just looking at the pair of shoes in the Emperor's hands. Some of them were even salivating.
All of the participants felt intense heartache when they saw the prize. All of them regretted following the crowd and not going around the area with the fourth recording tablet one more time.
Else, the Wafting Cloud Shoes would have been theirs.
Just as they thought of it, they looked at Fang Zhengzhi with jealousy and hate. "Are the Wafting Cloud Shoes really going to go to the shameless Fang Zhengzhi? Argh, how infuriating!"
All of the spectators looked at Fang Zhengzhi with mockery in their eyes.
You want the Wafting Cloud Shoes?
No way!
Half the people looked at Fang Zhengzhi with jealousy whilst the other half looked at him with mockery.
As for Fang Zhengzhi, he still did not know what the commotion was about.
"Wafting Cloud Shoes? What the hell? Is it valuable?"
Just as he thought about it, some of the older spectators began to show off their knowledge to their juniors.
"I never expected the Emperor to be so generous. To think that he would make the Wafting Cloud Shoes the prize for this competition. I am in awe."
"Yes, the Wafting Cloud Shoes are a real treasure."
"Even though it does not belong in the ten greatest treasures of the Great Xia Dynasty, it is just as powerful."
"More importantly, these Wafting Cloud Shoes were used by our ancestors when they set up this empire. It's significance cannot be overstated!"
"That is one factor. The other point is that these shoes allow one to tread on snow without any marks. With these shoes, one could go through mountains, cross rivers, speed across plains with no difficulty at all!"
Fang Zhengzhi's jaw dropped when he heard this. This treasure is so powerful? Won't it help him run away very quickly?
Fang Zhengzhi smiled.
Not bad, just right for someone like him.
None of the spectators knew what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking. If they knew that Fang Zhengzhi planned to use them to escape from sticky situations, they would kill him.
After showcasing the Wafting Cloud Shoes, Emperor Lin Mubai announced the prizes for the second and third placing.
Each treasure was greeted by gasps of awe.
Fang Zhengzhi did not recognize these treasures. As such, he did not feel as awed by them. However, his thinking was simple. He would just collect as many of these as possible. In the worst case scenario, he would use them as secret weapons.
In his battle with Ying Shan in the World of the Sage, he had used the Blazing Qilin Spear as a secret weapon to great effectiveness.
After showcasing all of the prizes, Emperor Lin Mubai placed them all on the table and returned to his seat without a second word.
The Ministry of Rites official stepped forward. He knew that it was his time to speak.
"Okay, before we announce the results of the competition, we have something else to announce. The competition values fairness above all else. As such, anyone who intentionally went against this value will be dealt with severely. They will be disqualified even if they had finished the race!"
The official looked at the crowd below. He realized that many of the competitors looked at him with wide eyes when they heard the announcement.
Their guess must have been right!
The official knew that he could not cut to the chase.
"The horse racing and hunting competition has been held for centuries. It's rules have been passed down for generations without any objection. However, there are always lapses in the rules. With the Emperor's approval, we have decided to add another rule into this competition."
"Are you going to change the rules?"
"That's a good thing! Fang Zhengzhi had moved the directional stone. That was an action that caused the fairness of the competition to be questioned. We have to punish him!"
"Exactly exactly!"
The official's words caused a stir amongst all of the competitors. All of them craned their necks and awaited the announcement.
Fang Zhengzhi frowned. No way? Change in the rules?! Are they trying to drag me down? This is not good.
Just as he was thinking about it, the official spoke.
"The addition is simple. No one is allowed to move... the recording tablet!" The official paused momentarily. "The recording tablet represents the four checkpoints on the route. Anyone who moves it will be infringing the rules. I don't think there are any objections to this addition?"
"No objection!"
Many of the spectators shouted their approval. This was the moment they were waiting for.
All of the participants frowned. Disallowing moving of the recording tablet? That was useless.
The official did not say anything else. He continued to look at the participants, waiting for them to complain.
Surprisingly, after three minutes, no one spoke up.
This caused the official some embarrassment.
What the hell?
The rule has been added. What are they all waiting for?
Not only was the official embarrassed, all of the officials and the Emperor looked on doubtfully. Isn't this the time when they all start reporting Fang Zhengzhi's transgression?
What went wrong?
"Ahem... is there no one with anything to say?" The Ministry of Rites official could not take it any longer.
"Your honor, I have a question!" Very quickly, one of the participants stepped out and announced.
"Oh? What question is it? Please go ahead, you will not offend anyone here." The official encouraged, giving that participant a confidence boost.
"I want to ask, if someone moves the directional stone during the competition, is that a transgression?" The participant queried.
Upon hearing the question, the other participants looked on in anticipation. The moment the Ministry of Rites official nodded, they would report Fang Zhengzhi.
They would make sure Fang Zhengzhi was stripped of his position.
However, the Ministry of Rites official shook his head lightly.
"The directional stones were placed before the start of the competition. It is possible that they are moved during the competition as a result of occasional contact from a frightened horse. This is common and not a transgression." The Ministry of Rites official thought about it, looked at Yu Yiping, then shook his head.
"Oh..." The disappointment on that participant's face was clear.
All of the other participants were equally disappointed. How could that not be a transgression? Aish... I thought this competition was supposed to be fair!
Fang Zhengzhi beamed.
It was all just a scare. He had wanted to bring the entire recording tablet away. However, he did not have the ability to do so. How lucky!
Ping Yang pouted as she glared at Fang Zhengzhi. She muttered to herself, "This shameless b*stard really got lucky this time!"
The Ninth Prince was smiling. He had only managed to get third place thanks to Fang Zhengzhi's help.
Else, third place would have probably went to Ping Yang.
No one else spoke. Everyone was waiting for the official to announce the results.
The Ministry of Rites official continued to wait...
Five minutes passed...
"Do you all have any other questions?" The Ministry of Rites official asked again. It was not like him to ask this question so many times.
However, he had to ask.
Because...
Emperor Lin Mubai was waiting for him to disqualify Fang Zhengzhi.
All of the participants looked at him and shook their heads.
He had already deemed that moving the directional stone was not a transgression.
"No other questions?"
"None."
"..." The official could not take it any longer. He turned to look at Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and Emperor Lin Mubai.
Both of them could barely keep themselves in their seats.
What was going on?
Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping placed his hand on the seat as he prepared to stand up. Then, he was struck by a thought.
Hang on.
Someone asked if moving the directional stone was against the rules.
Could it be...
Oh no!
Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's expression darkened.
Emperor Lin Mubai's expression also changed. He had also recalled that question. This was something no one had expected to happen.
Moving the directional stone was too easy.
Even though the majority of competitors were from foreign lands, there were participants from the royal family too.
How can people like Ping Yang and the Ninth Prince take the wrong road? They hunt here annually!
No one would have expected this.
Mor importantly, if Fang Zhengzhi had only moved the directional stone, how could he have crossed the first recording tablet?
Why would Ping Yang's name appear on the fourth recording tablet shortly after Fang Zhengzhi's name appeared on the first.
If this was a coincidence...
It would be one of the greatest coincidences ever.
Emperor Lin Mubai, Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and all of the officials did not understand.
After the Ministry of Rites official looked around, he saw Left Prime Minister flash a glance at him. It was a simple look, almost as if he was just surverying the competitors.
However, the Ministry of Rites official instantly understood.
"Okay then... before we officially announce the results, is anyone willing to share with us what happened during the competition? Feel free to include any thoughts or lessons you've learnt." The Ministry of Rites official emphasized the phrase 'what happened'. He was afraid the participants would leave that out.
All of the participants looked at each other, confused by the words of the Ministry of Rites official.
After all, there was no such segment in previous competitions.
However, many of them relished the opportunity to speak in front of Emperor Lin Mubai and Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping.
Very quickly, one of the participants stepped forward.
"I am willing to share!"
"Good, please tell us all the details." The Ministry of Rites official encouraged.
When the participant heard this, his eyes glimmered. By having him tell them all the details, he would have more time to show his gift of the gap.
After clearing his throat, he began recounting the entire competition.
He started with his thoughts during his inspection of his horse. He even included a vivid description of the surroundings and his feelings throughout the competition.
He also thanked the Emperor for hosting such a wonderful competition.
He continued to talk without any pause. Just the beginning of the competition took him five minutes to recount. All of the officials began rolling their eyes. The Ministry of Rites official was the most pitiful. After all, everyone was seated whilst he was standing.
At his age, he could not stand for this long.
"F*ck me, can you get to the point?" The Ministry of Rites official cursed in his heart even as he maintained a smile on his face.
Where the hell is this b*stard from! He needs to be silenced, silenced!