Zi Shou led the horse leisurely over to the banquet. "My ministers labor for the country, and the feudal lords govern their respective domains, taxing both mind and body. I personally went into Mountain Forest and hunted a deer for us to share, as a small token of my appreciation."
The feudal lords and ministers: "..."
A deer?
This was a damned horse!
Your Majesty, you hadn't even been away for the time it took an incense stick to burn. When had you gone into Mountain Forest to hunt a deer?
Could you fly?
Lu Xiong examined it closely. The horse seemed to belong to the Marquis of the West. Although the marquis had been leading King Zhou's horse, his own mount had accompanied him as a mark of his status.
This was the very horse Ji Chang had ridden when he entered Chaoge. Xiqi had dealings with the Western Rong and possessed many fine horses.
The banquet fell utterly silent. What was this supposed to be?
Only after a long while did Lu Xiong speak. "Your Majesty, isn't that a horse? It should belong to the Marquis of the West."
Zi Shou had long since mastered the art of telling barefaced lies. Looking astonished, he said, "A horse? This is a deer! A deer I just hunted in Mountain Forest!"
He glanced at Ji Chang. What a coincidence-it was actually Ji Chang's horse. That made this even better.
Ji Chang fell silent. A Quanrong chieftain had given him this horse fifteen years ago. It was a thousand-mile steed, and it had been his constant companion all those years. Whenever he traveled, he either had it pull his carriage or rode it himself.
He had a hundred sons, yet only a dozen or so were closer to him than this