Old Master Qin looked at Chu Qianli with a troubled expression.
The Emperor was not refusing to give face; rather, he had already given ample.
But now, the Xuan Prince, the person directly involved, was unwilling to accept.
He was also helpless.
"Little Li'er, how about..."
"Grandpa Qin, you should accompany the Emperor back to the palace for tea. After I finish, I will send someone to inform you."
Finish?
Was this woman out of her mind?
The Prince had already rejected her, and she still had the audacity to stay? Utterly shameless!
Never had she seen such a shameless woman!
Today was truly an eye-opener.
The people around them whispered incessantly, unable to refrain from their criticisms.
Shameless!
Old Master Qin wanted to say more, but he couldn't bear for Little Li'er to be ridiculed here.
What if, after he left, Prince Xuan still drove her away...
The thought of Little Li'er being driven away, alone and helpless, and her forlorn figure, made the old master's heart ache.
Their Little Li'er was so wonderful.
Although they hadn't known each other for long, and this identity was one Chu Qianli had chosen herself.
But after spending a few days together, he had genuinely grown to like this obedient and sensible girl from the bottom of his heart.
Moreover, they didn't have any young daughters in their family. Now that they finally had one, Old Master Qin truly treated her as family.
"Grandpa Qin, it's alright. I will definitely strive to win the qualification to advance."
Chu Qianli smiled and winked at him.
The old master was resigned.
He looked at Feng Yexuan again; the man was still just sipping tea.
However, this cup of tea should have long gone cold.
Little Li'er was so confident...
Old Master Qin finally nodded. "Then I respectfully accept. Thank you, Your Majesty, for the tea."
The Emperor did not wish to make things difficult for the old general, and immediately returned to the palace with him.
The Empress Dowager was still present. She looked at Feng Yexuan. "Xuan'er..."
"The sun is too strong today, Imperial Grandmother. Why don't you also return to the palace to rest? I will send the advancement slots to Imperial Grandmother for review later."
The Empress Dowager was also helpless; today's matter was not hers to decide.
She glanced at Yu Linglong.
Yu Linglong nodded at her.
The Empress Dowager then returned, accompanied by Nanny Jin.
After the elders departed, Feng Yexuan put down his cup.
Leng Ji immediately said, "Please, ladies, choose a horse for yourselves."
He clapped his hands, and the guards immediately led out over a hundred horses.
This showed the sheer number of young ladies participating in the selection today.
"Your Highness," Chu Qianli approached Feng Yexuan again. "I..."
"I don't know what your intentions are, but since you've come here to be humiliated by me, I have no reason not to fulfill your wish."
Feng Yexuan snorted coldly and didn't even look at her properly. "After they have chosen, if there are any left, you can choose one yourself."
Chu Qianli's heart leaped with joy, and she quickly bowed. "Thank you, Your Highness!"
Afterward, she immediately walked to the outside of the group of young ladies and waited.
Leng Ji felt a pang of sadness in his heart. Why bother?
The Prince used to like Miss Li'er so much, but now... letting her choose after everyone else had, it was truly heartbreaking.
So humble.
The young ladies couldn't help but glance at Chu Qianli more. As they chose their horses, they couldn't help but mock her.
"We must choose carefully. Don't pick the bad or weak ones."
"Exactly. Bad horses can only be matched with low-class people. If we choose, we must choose good ones."
Chu Qianli remained silent, letting them ridicule her as they pleased.
Long Ziyue was not far away and didn't pay much attention to Chu Qianli.
She also seemed to be somewhat detached from the other young ladies, choosing a black horse by herself and waiting quietly for the competition to begin.
The women of Longteng Kingdom were truly different from the young ladies of other countries.
For them, choosing a husband was not about finding support, but about finding someone who could help them.
In Longteng Kingdom, many women served as officials, female officials, female generals, and female captains.
Whether male or female, as long as they had the ability, they could contribute to the country.
The women of Longteng Kingdom spent more time training themselves and enhancing their strength.
Long Ziyue was not very keen on the trivial matter of gossiping and slandering others.
Finally, after much delay, the young ladies finished choosing their horses.
Chu Qianli waited until they were all ready before walking towards the horse enclosure.
"Let them begin," Feng Yexuan said expressionlessly.
Leng Ji was immediately stunned. "Miss Li'er hasn't chosen yet, Your Highness..."
"En?" Feng Yexuan's gaze deepened.
Leng Ji was startled and dared not say anything more. He quickly announced, "Ladies, you must retrieve the token from the general on the opposite side before sunset to advance."
"Now, set off!"
Over a hundred young ladies immediately rode their horses forward.
A few genuinely didn't know how to ride, and the horses wouldn't move forward no matter how they were kicked.
Some were even thrown to the ground and couldn't get up.
Seeing this, Leng Ji immediately said sternly, "This young lady is out. Take her to rest."
"No, no... Your Highness, give me another chance. I can do it. I can climb up right away. I..."
The person was still escorted away. While called resting, in reality, she was not allowed to remain there any longer.
She was out, with no leniency whatsoever!
Prince Xuan didn't even know her name or which family she belonged to.
The Prince's selection was truly rigorous.
Chu Qianli was still selecting her horse. During this time, two more delicate young ladies were thrown off by their horses.
They were immediately sent away by Leng Ji's orders.
It was truly cruel, giving no further chances.
"Princess Pingyue, why haven't you entered yet?" Leng Ji noticed that Long Ziyue, who was from Longteng Kingdom, was still on horseback, not moving.
Leng Ji had also noticed Long Ziyue long ago. She was clearly different from the other young ladies.
While she looked at the Prince with admiration, her eyes weren't shining with excitement like the other girls.
Especially her posture when mounting the horse, which was swift and agile, truly beautiful.
Long Ziyue looked at Chu Qianli and said faintly, "This County Princess does not like to take advantage of others."
Chu Qianli turned her head and glanced at her.
There was a hint of admiration in her eyes.
Finally, she also selected a horse and leaped onto it.
"Giddy up." Since Princess Pingyue didn't like to take advantage of others, she would let her go first.
Otherwise, Long Ziyue might not be willing to enter the forest.
As expected, shortly after she entered, Long Ziyue overtook her from behind.
Even in a competition, she could be so graceful. This young lady was truly not simple.
Apart from the girls who were eliminated by falling, Chu Qianli was currently at the very back.
She wasn't anxious, maintaining a distance of a few zhang from Long Ziyue, following at a leisurely pace.
After chasing for a while, everyone soon seemed to have scattered.
The mountain paths were difficult, let alone riding a horse.
Chu Qianli was still looking for Long Ziyue's figure when, not far ahead, she suddenly heard the sound of horses neighing.
It sounded so pained.