Chapter 344: The Vermillion Derby.
The days passed quickly and Mei Mei trained like her life depended on it until the day of the Vermillion Derby race arrived.
The Vermillion Derby was not just any race. It was a lavish noble spectacle--a three hour ordeal of grit, grace and speed madness. The course twisted through a hill, leapt over hedges, splashed through a stream, swept by Chi Lian’s beach, rotated through the royal courts and ended with a final sprint on the tracks of the stables.
It was designed to test speed, strategy, stamina, greatness and the bond between horse and rider. It was a national affair that was televised live like the Olympics.
So, thousands were packed in the grandstands. All the private boxes for nobles, royals and foreign dignitaries were occupied.
Emperor Junjie, dashing in his ink black royal racing outfit waved politely at the crowds. He looked nothing like a man in mourning for his dead wife.
In fact, none of the royals appeared to be in mourning even though they were wearing black. They were all shopping from the various food stalls on the grounds.
The press went wild when Junjie squatted down and handed each of his daughters a skewer of roasted chicken.
Princess Rize was jumping up and down in childish excitement as her husband chose spiced oat cakes from a Huaqi cakes stall.
Their children were covering their faces because they were feeling embarrassed.
Jun’s, Chi’s and other nobles were mixed in with the royals. Pop music was playing. Viscount Huang, the beautiful Daosi, Prince Long Feng, Chi Zimo and some of the uncles from the Jun family were dancing pretentiously, trying to look cool.