THE FINAL HARVEST FESTIVAL II

POV: SHANG- CO MANAGER OF THE FREE FLOWER TAVERN

LOCATION: THE CRANNIES

TIME: LATE EVENING -MIDNIGHT OF THE FINAL HARVEST FESTIVAL

And that is exactly what you both did.

This is because with your archery skills and the prince's uncanny ability for body balance not only were you able to win some prizes for yourselves but you were also able to win for some children who could not win for themselves. It also helps that you had paid the merchants with the attractions a lump sum of silver earlier so every single attraction goes for free.

As for the snacks and roasted meats you did not hold back until you encounter a little problem.

"So are we suppose to drink this?" You ask referring to the long pile of fruit wine jars in front of you.

"Well a fruit wine is not as heavy as a beer so we can drink a lot without getting drunk." The prince explains

"By my estimation we just ate so we should be fine as long as we do not exceed four jars."

"Well if that's the case."

You take two jars from the wine rack and hand one over to the prince.

"To the crannies?"

"To the crannies."

You both raise your wine jar to the sky and take a deep swing .

"We better get to the front of podium my prince." You say after you swallow the wine

"The military parade is about to start."

You both get to the front of the podium soon after the horn is sound and manage to secure some seats in the front before the rest of the crannies comes troping in.

The military parade begins in earnet and Xu Chu and his men delibers like never before. You have to admit no matter how many times you have seen this militia practice, their strict discipline and organization never stops to take your breath away. One look beside you tells you that the prince also feels the same way.

After that, the wrestling tournament is announced and you watch with glee as the first set of fighters walked on to the podium.

"Tell me shang, which one of these fighters should I put my silver on?" The prince asks while swinging his second jar of wine

"You wish to bet on the beginning fight my prince?" You find out that you are no longer surprised by his crazy actions anymore

"Why not just wait until the finals?"

"Because since everyone ealse wants to bet on the finals, the beginning fights would be a chance to make some easy money." He replies

You take a moment to critically analyse the two fighters.

"The one in the blue conner seems strong and from what I know of him he is quite an aggressive fellow." You say

"However he is still new to wrestling and so he is bound to make some mistakes. The one in the red conner however is an experienced wrestler and he is bound to be able to capitalize on whatever mistake his opponent makes. So if I were to bet, I would go for the red conner."

He thinks for some time, flags down a passing attendant, places a fifty silver bet and turns to you.

"Let us hope you are right?" He says with a gentle smile.

The match begins in earnest and you watch as the man from the blue conner begins to dominate the man from the red conner with his phenomenal strength. This goes on for so long that even you begin to wonder if your bet is safe. Eventually, just as you predicted, the man from the blue conner makes a mistake and his opponent quickly capitalise on it and throws him.

This brought cheers from a good part of audience (including you and the prince) because not much people bet on it so they simply watched it for fun.

You were able to correctly predict the next two games but from the third game all the way to the final game forced you to bow before the prediction powers of your prince.

He always seems to know who has a belly ache, who is not concentrating properly, who has family issues, who was underestimating his opponent and so on. And every time you follow his predictions your silver pouch only swells with more and more winings.

Eventually the final match begins between two men of vast experience who has knocked down many men in the competition.

"Well my prince any prediction?" You ask in an eager voice

"Look into the eyes of the men and tell me what you see." He commands

You look into the eyes of the wrestlers as best as you could

"They are both very ambitious and eager to win my prince." You observe

"But the one on the red line seems a little more.... obsessed?"

"Not obsessed, desperate." He corrects

"He has something important he needs that price money for. It is either he has a debt to pay or he has a loved one who really needs that money. This desperation will make him creative and believe me their is nothing more dangerous than an ambitious creative man."

"So you will bet on him?"

He flagged down an attendant, hands over all his coins and says

"The man on the red, all in."

The fight begins and both men shows a dazzling display of skill and experience that entertains the crowd to no end. The man on the blue conner was a stubborn man who is intent on throwing his opponent but the man on the red conner was a relentless man who simply refuses to be thrown. The fight carries on for a long time and both men becomes physically exhausted. Eventually it comes down to endurance and even though the man on the blue conner gave it his all, the desperate man on the red conner was able to think of a creative solution that enables him to throw his opponent.

This victory results in a massive cheer from the audience and you turn from your fourth jar to face the prince.

"Are you ever tired of being right?"

He shook his head

"Always bet on desperation my friend." He says with a warm smile as he recieves his pile of coins

"It never fails"

The third event begins and you all were able to enjoy it because the crannies and the visiting strangers were able to field some wonderful comedians and musical talents that were able to entertain you all. Their was even a short drama mocking the eunuchs and the corruption in the imperial court and to your unending surprise the prince likes it so much that he demands a repeat.

After the third event you all were given another break before the rice bun contest and you still can not believe you let the prince talk into taking five more jars of fruit wine. By the time you both were to climb into the podium for the rice eating contest, you were so light headed that you had to ask for help as you could not climb the podium on your own.

To be honest, whatever rules ant master Xu Chu says, the commendations he gave and whatever else he says, you did not hear a single word of it.

The only thing you manage to hear was the horn which announced the start of the competition and you dig into the hard bums with as much speed as you can muster.

You were fast but so was the prince and you both end up having to go for a tie breaker.

When the tie breaker round was served you try as hard as you can but prince Liu Xie is fire. Not only does he eat every single bun off the plate but also licks the sauce and nearly eats the plate as well. In the end he is declared the winner and you have to recieve the price money for him as he had to run off the podium to throw up.

A few moments later

"Are you sure you are well enough to give your speech?" You ask a throwing up prince

"Am fine, am fine." He throws up

"I am doing fine"

"And now for the rice tasting ceremony please welcome your lord, your prince and your savior Liu Xie." Xu Chu voice rings out

The prince manages to stumble to the podium and you and Xu Chu do your best to help him up the podium.

"Were you not supposed to change his clothes to a regal one?" Xu Chu asks with some heat

"I suppose between his throwing up, my throwing up and both of us crowding the nearest restroom, it must have slipped my mind." You counter defensively.

"So now we have an overlord who does not have a top knot and is wearing a garment that hardly hides his protruding belly?"

"Have you seen the drunken crowd that can bearely keep their eyes open?" You point out

"I think he fits right in."

"Will anyone blame me for looking this way?" The prince asks the crowd.

"No!!" They all reply

"Good. Now did you all enjoy the festival?"

"Yes!!!" They cry

"I know I am suppose to promise you the heavens but what I will promise you now is exactly what I promised you before. If you continue to work hard for me, I promise you that I will see to it that your children will know nothing except full bellies and that no man born of woman whether common or noble will come to demand anything from you except me. Anyone who has the audacity to do that kill him and let me bear the consequences."

This brought a massive cheer from the crowd as many begins to chant your name

"From now on this is prince Liu Xie's crannies and every single person living here is now officially under my protection and control. DO YOU WANT THIS?"

",LONG LIVE THE PRINCE!!"

"LONG LIVE THE PRINCE!!!"

"LONG LIVE PRINCE LIU XIE!!!!!!"