The new emperor of Xiliang stated he would escort Qi’s third prince, Xia Zhichun, back to his home country, leading to national jubilation. The Qi Emperor announced that all citizens could participate in the selection, and first-place winners could choose their rewards.
Anjin and I believed this was a heaven-sent opportunity.
If we could help our elder brother win a championship, he could propose to Xue Miaoyin to the Qi Emperor. No matter how reluctant the Emperor and Empress were, they would not refuse in front of Xiliang and Nanrui, lest they lose face for the great Qi country.
I brought the competition roster home and pulled my elder brother out of the kitchen. He was covered in the smell of smoke, his eyes bloodshot and unshaven, looking utterly dejected. After hearing about the competition, his eyes brightened briefly before dimming again. “No, I can only cook; how could I compete?”
“There are two months until the competition; we can train intensively,” Anjin advised.
“Brother-in-law is right,” my younger sister said, spreading out the competition roster. Having learned about our elder brother’s situation with Xue Miaoyin, she wanted to help him win his future wife. “Elder brother, if you miss this opportunity, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
“But… I really don’t know which event I could participate in.”
“Let’s go through them one by one,” I suggested, picking up the roster. “Gambling is out, not something you can master quickly. How about cuju?”
“No, cuju is a team event; winning first place would make it difficult to make a request,” Anjin disagreed.
“Hunting?”
“No, no,” my elder brother shook his head. “You know I’m not good at riding horses.”
“Lifting weights? Although my brother has decent strength, it’s only good for chopping vegetables. I’ve heard Nanrui has many strong men, so he’d be at a disadvantage,” my younger sister objected. “The same goes for wrestling.”
I tossed it aside. “What about this? Speed walking.”
My elder brother still shook his head. “I walk slower than a Lantern Festival parade.”
“How about this,” Anjin said, picking up a roster. “Mechanical arts.”
