Autumn in August is a good time for hunting.
In previous years, Emperor Zhaokang also held hunts in autumn, but most of them were at the end of August, when the prey was fresh and plump. This year, in order to allow the Rong and Di missions to participate in this grand event, Emperor Zhaokang specially moved the date of the autumn hunting to the beginning of the month.
So, on the second day after Tao Ti Guishui ended, she got into the carriage to Lishan paddock.
Every year, the autumn hunt is very lively. Apart from the members of the Dayuan royal family, high-ranking civil and military officials, and the wives of officials with orders will participate. This time, there were more Rongdi missions, and the journey along the way was really grand and lively.
Qinghe didn't like to join in such fun in the past, after all, she didn't know how to ride a horse, let alone draw a bow and shoot an arrow.
But this time when I heard that Tao Ti and Xu Wenchan would go, Qing He's thoughts became lively, and she begged Princess Jingyang to let her go too.
Princess Jingyang saw that her precious daughter was willing to go out, thinking that she was frightened in Zhulin Yayuan last time, so it would be good to go out to relax this time, so she agreed.
Princess Jingyang is also very lively and likes to ride and shoot. Seeing that a pair of children will go, she will go too.
In private, she even made an appointment with Mrs. Zhang, but Ms. Zhang declined on the grounds that she was unwell.
For this matter, Princess Jingyang went to Tao Ti to make complaints, to the effect that: the older your mother is, the more boring she is.
Tao Ti smiled sarcastically, turned around and continued to play leaf cards with Qinghe and Xu Wenchan.
On the way to Mount Li, the three of them shared a carriage, talked and laughed, and ate all kinds of snacks prepared by Tao Ti, just like elementary school students traveling in autumn, very happy.
Xu Wenchan was particularly yearning for hunting, her round face was as red as an apple, and her eyes were shining, "For this autumn hunting, I also made a new set of riding and shooting uniforms, and bought a good bow and arrow. I heard that there are foxes in the paddock, so I will try to kill three of them, one for each of us, which happens to be used as a scarf in winter!"
Qing He worshiped, "A Chan, are you so good at riding and shooting!"
Xu Wenchan raised his chin, a little embarrassed, "That must be done."
Tao Ti smiled, and said to Xu Wenchan, "I finally saw the true colors of your brothers just now. Tsk, your six brothers are really carved out of the same mold as your father. They are tall, strong and black. In contrast, your seventh brother is simply a clean stream in your Xu family."
Tao Ti's words are not exaggerated at all, Dingbeihou's genes are really very strong, the first six sons look like Russian nesting dolls from a distance, they are brothers.
And among that group of dolls, Xu Guangji, who was dressed in a white riding and archery suit, had high black hair, a long sword on his waist, a face like a crown of jade, red lips and white teeth, he really deserved the title of "Young General with Jade Face".
After hearing this, Xu Wenchan smiled, "That's right, I just said that my seventh brother looks good! Ati, did you see that many girls are secretly watching my seventh brother! Sure enough, he still has to come out and walk around. Walk around, stayed at home before, Zhou Muyan and the others slandered him again, calling him a rough and reckless man, his good reputation will be ruined. Last time he went to the Yaji to show his face, after returning, there were many people Come to inquire about his marriage."
She threw a piece of pork jerky into her mouth, and said confidently, "Last time at the Gathering, I showed my seventh brother's literary talent. This time in Qiushou, my seventh brother will show off again... Those officials who have daughters at home Take a look, ho, what a son-in-law who has both civil and military skills! You can't rush to marry your daughter to my seventh brother!"
Tao Ti was so teased that she laughed out loud, glanced at Qing He from the corner of her eye, and said, "Unfortunately, those sisters in my family are not suitable, otherwise I would have wanted your Seventh Brother to be the son-in-law of the Marquis of Yongwei." gone."
As soon as she said this, she really saw a trace of melancholy and loss appearing in Qinghe's delicate eyebrows and eyes.
A cunning flashed in Tao Ti's eyes, and she raised her voice, "Qing He, what do you think?"
Qing He was startled, "Ah..."
Tao Ti raised her eyebrows and said, "What do you think of General Xu?"
Xu Wenchan also came over, looking at Qinghe expectantly with big eyes, waiting for her answer.
Under the intense gaze of the two little sisters, Qinghe's fair cheeks blushed, she lowered her head, and whispered, "Little General Xu is fine..."
Tao Ti secretly smiled as she watched Qing He's little hands tightly grasping the hem of her skirt.
Xu Wenchan breathed a sigh of relief, "Phew, it's good that you don't hate my seventh brother. You don't know, my seventh brother has been blaming himself for being abrupt on the polo field. He's afraid that you will think He's a prodigal son, I don't have a good impression of him."
Qing He's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she hurriedly said, "I, I don't hate him."
Xu Wenchan bared his teeth and grinned, "Yeah, that's good, my seventh brother must be relieved to know."
Tao Ti watched from the side, thinking in her heart: Ah Chan hasn't seen the affection between Qinghe and Xu Guangji yet
Well, take advantage of this autumn hunt to observe carefully and see where the two of them have reached.
If Lang is affectionate and my concubine is interested, I am also happy to pull Achan back as an assist.
…
It was already afternoon when we arrived at Lishan paddock.
As early as three days ago, the tent in the paddock was pitched. Haohao Tangtang and his party came and moved in with their bags.
After a short rest, Emperor Zhaokang called everyone together and couldn't wait to start the hunting competition.
On the high resting platform, the wide canopy shaded the scorching sun, and Emperor Zhaokang, Empress Zhou, and Princess Jingyang sat on the seats respectively.
The children of the princes and nobles also changed into riding clothes, carried bows and arrows, and stood in four rows in a uniform manner.
Tao Ti and Qing He sat beside Princess Jingyang, both of them were dressed elegantly, and they didn't play anyway.
Apart from eating, Tao Ti really has no other hobbies, let alone horseback riding and archery, she is too lazy to move.
But looking at Pei Yan who changed into riding clothes, Tao Ti's eyes gleamed involuntarily—
Today Pei Yan is wearing a black riding suit embroidered with deer couplets and beads. He has a tall and straight figure and outstanding appearance. Although the children of other aristocratic families are pretty handsome, when compared with Pei Yan, they immediately distanced themselves from each other.
Tao Ti: Today is also the day Pei Yan kills people with her beauty.
With a feeling in his heart, Pei Yan turned his head slightly, and saw the look of admiration on his little girl's face at a glance.
The corners of his lips twitched slightly, and he smiled gently at her.
Tao Ti's cheeks became hot all of a sudden, and the little deer in her heart was banging against the wall: ah, he is so handsome! So handsome, it's still mine! !
According to the location, standing next to Pei Yan is the second prince Pei Changzhou. He has a full view of the interaction between Pei Yan and Tao Ti, with a gloomy and terrifying face.
I couldn't help cursing fiercely in my heart: I'm really shameless, flirting with each other in broad daylight! Especially this Tao Ti, what a slut, she still loved her to death before next year. As soon as she married into the East Palace, she changed her mind in a blink of an eye, and now she is still flirting with Pei Yan, a sick child, in front of her own face.
Although Pei Changzhou didn't have any sincerity towards Tao Ti, he was really uncomfortable when he saw the woman who was chasing behind him eagerly in the past, and now he was in love with others in the blink of an eye!
Besides, what bothered him even more was that, as Pei Lingbi had warned, Pei Yan's mental state was getting better and better.
For example, at this moment, Pei Yan, who is dressed in riding attire, looks handsome and energetic, but doesn't he look weak at all
I heard that my father had found a trace of Xu Wenhe, if he really found Xu Wenhe, and Xu Wenhe just cured Pei Yan, what should I do
After suffering for so many years, after suffering for so many years, could it be that he has always been inferior to Pei Yan
Pei Changzhou's heart was confused, and his eyes became more and more gloomy, full of unwillingness.
At this moment, the Rongdi Mission also arrived.
Qiongqi was wearing a royal blue riding attire, with a belt studded with colored gemstones on her waist. She was nine feet tall, burly and majestic, very majestic.
As soon as he appeared on the stage, he also attracted the attention of countless young ladies.
Among them, Tao Ti's is also included.
Seeing her friend so handsome and flamboyant, Tao Ti suppressed the urge to wave at her, and only looked at Qiongqi with joy—
It has to be said that Neptune's innate charm, whether male or female, cannot be concealed.
Naturally, Qiongqi met Tao Ti's eyes, raised her chin and raised her eyebrows.
This action is quite romantic.
Pei Yan, who witnessed the whole process of Tao Ti's attention shifting, "..."
He quietly clenched the dagger on his waist, his murderous intentions welling up.
Coincidentally, Pei Changzhou also saw it, and immediately gloated. He leaned towards Pei Yan, lowered his voice, and said ambiguously, "Prince, I think the Crown Princess has a very close relationship with this Prince Ashina?"
Pei Yan turned his face, Taohua's eyes seemed to be frozen, and he looked straight at Pei Changzhou, "What do you want to say."
Pei Changzhou was shocked by his cold aura, and the smile on his face froze. This was the first time he saw Pei Yan with such a cold attitude.
Unlike the usual gentle and elegant, Pei Yan at that moment just now suddenly had a bit of the majesty of a father.
Pei Changzhou touched his nose resentfully, "I'm just reminding the prince."
Pei Yan said indifferently, "The Crown Princess is from my East Palace, so it's not your turn to comment on her affairs."
Pei Changzhou was a little ashamed, forced himself to laugh and said, "The crown prince's words are off the table, no matter what I say, I will call the crown princess sister-in-law."
Pei Yan seemed to hear some joke, and her thin lips raised a disdainful arc, "Isn't it just seeing outsiders?"
Now, Pei Changzhou couldn't hold back his smile, and his eyes became gloomy.
Pei Yan ignored him, lowered his eyes, and pressed the dagger on his waist, feeling upset.
One or two, bothering him to kill suddenly.
Fortunately, it didn't take long for Emperor Zhaokang to announce the start of the hunt.
He also took an imperial bow and arrow as a lottery, and the one who hunted the most prey would get the bow.
The bow and arrow were shining golden, inlaid with clear and bright gemstones, shining extremely brightly under the pure sunlight.
As soon as she saw the bow and arrow, Tao Ti subconsciously looked at Xu Wenchan: This strong aura of local tyrants is simply the usual style of painting in the Dingbei Houfu.
Xu Wenchan also understood Tao Ti's meaning, and then found a chance to touch it, and secretly complained, "This bow and arrow is a congratulatory gift from my father when His Majesty celebrated his fortieth birthday. It's all given away. It has been several years, and there are so many treasures in the national treasury that His Majesty probably forgot who gave them them, so he just picked one as a prize."
Tao Ti: No wonder!
In any case, when such a rich and gorgeous lottery comes out, it is still very popular.
Accompanied by an order, all the children got on their horses one after another, clamped the horse's belly tightly, and walked away, setting off waves of dust.
Tao Ti craned her neck to see.
Qiongqi took the lead, followed closely by Pei Yan, who was wearing a black robe, but in an instant, they got into the lush dense forest, and they were never seen again.
Qinghe smiled lightly, "Cousin, don't worry, I think the crown prince's cousin is in good condition today, and he should be able to hunt a lot of prey."
"It doesn't matter if you can't hunt the prey, just be afraid that he will get tired."
Tao Ti sat back in her seat, took a sip from her teacup, and cue Xu Guangji, "Qing He, did you see General Xu just now? The way he got on his horse is so chic!"
"Just... okay."
Tao Ti came to her side and said in a low voice, "It's just the two of us now, let me ask you, are you interested in General Xu?"
Qinghe's ears turned red all of a sudden, and she stammered when she spoke, "Biao sister-in-law, what are you talking about."
"Huh? Don't you like it? You don't like it at all?" Tao Ti pretended to sigh, "Oh, that's a pity. I think that little general Xu looked at you several times before he set off."
Qinghe's eyes widened, "Cousin, you said he saw me?"
Tao Ti nodded, "Yes."
Qing He bit her lip, her cheeks turned red again, her head was lowered, obviously sweet in her heart.
They were chatting and laughing, but in the dense forest, swords were on the verge of breaking out, and there was a tense and intense atmosphere.
Autumn Hunting is such a grand event, everyone puts all their energy into it, and wants to perform well in front of His Majesty, even if they don't get the first place, at least they don't fall behind. It would be embarrassing to spread the word.
Qiongqi's horsemanship is very good. She was born in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. During the three hundred years from the founding of the Qing Dynasty to modern society, she has ridden thousands of times.
What's more, this body's physical quality is very good, she uses it with ease, and easily leaves everyone behind, except for Pei Yan.
Qiongqi held the reins tightly, turned her head to look at the man in the black robe who was chasing after her, and narrowed her long eyes.
In Ati's description, her husband is a poor little man with a beautiful face in a prosperous age but a bleak life experience and a weak body. However, Qiongqi's strong sixth sense tells her that Pei Yan is definitely not that simple...
It's just my little sister who is so stupid, she fell into it when she fell in love for the first time, and her IQ dropped to zero.
Seeing the two running farther and farther, Qiongqi stopped the horse and shouted at Pei Yan, "Your Highness, why have you been following me?"
Pei Yan said lightly, "Hunting."
As he spoke, he set up a bow and arrow while riding a horse.
The longbow was fully drawn, his strong arm muscles swelled into strong lines, and the sharp arrow gleamed coldly, turning around slowly, and finally aimed straight at Qiongqi.
Qiongqi's expression changed, but she quickly calmed down.
She vaguely guessed the reason, but calmed down, raised the corners of her lips and said, "His Royal Highness is holding the bow and arrow tightly, and there is no turning back when you draw the bow, so don't waste all your previous plans just to show off your enthusiasm for a while. "
Pei Yan's brows moved slightly, and then relaxed.
The direction of the bow and arrow was slightly off, and the sharp arrow rushed out, directly hitting Qiongqi, a rabbit behind her.
Qiongqi's heart tensed and then relaxed.
The moment the sharp arrow shot over, she really thought that this man was going to kill her.
Although I won't die, it hurts to be shot by a sharp arrow!
Pei Yan rode over, picked up the rabbit and put it in his bag.
Before leaving, he brushed past Qiongqi and said in a cold voice, "Stay away from the lonely princess, or I will kill you next time."
At this time, will Qiongqi be cowardly? Of course not! Haiwang is not screaming for nothing, and it is not like she has never seen a Shura field that is more terrifying than this!
But considering the husband of the man in front of her own sister, she was not good at adding fuel to the flames, so she just kept aloof and said nothing with a stern face.
After Pei Yan rode away on the horse, she breathed a sigh of relief, raised her hand and patted her chest, and said to herself, "I'll go, Arti's man is too fierce."
Judging from her Qiongqi's countless experiences in reading men, this prince is completely white and black.
For a while, Tao Ti's image of a little woman immersed in sweet love appeared in her mind, and for a while, Pei Yan's image of sullenly wanting to "Dark Shark" appeared...
Qiongqi shuddered, thinking that she would have to find a chance later to mention Arti, that little idiot in love.
...
About an hour later, Emperor Zhaokang and others on the rest platform heard a sound of horseshoes.
Princess Jingyang was drowsy one moment, but woke up the next moment, sat up straight, and wanted to see which family took the leader.
Tao Ti and Qing He were also looking forward to it.
The first person to rush out of the dense forest was Pei Yan in black riding attire, followed closely by Xu Guangji, and after that was Young Master Xie...
Empress Zhou, who was sitting at the top, saw that Pei Yan was the first, she couldn't help clenching her fingers, and after waiting several times, before she saw Pei Changzhou, her brows furrowed.
Pei Changzhou ranked sixth, not the last, but not the front either.
Empress Zhou was very disappointed, but she still kept smiling and boasted, "I didn't expect the prince's riding and shooting to be so superb, it's really impressive."
Could it be that Pei Yan has always been hiding his clumsiness in previous years? Now that Jingyang is backing him, the Gu family will come back soon, so he is starting to show his edge
This terrible conjecture made Queen Zhou uneasy, and her clenched palms were sweating.
Emperor Zhaokang and Princess Jingyang were very happy, and they both stood up, ready to go forward to receive compliments.
When Tao Ti saw Pei Yan running first, she was naturally very happy, but when she looked at it for a long time, before seeing Qiong Qi's figure, the smile in her eyes gradually faded.
No, according to what she knew about Qiongqi, it's unlikely that she hasn't come back after so long.
Pei Yan got off his horse, and after saluting with Emperor Zhaokang and the others, he strode towards Tao Ti, "Ah Ti."
Tao Ti smiled at him, took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat, "Your Highness, you are really good, you ran first!"
Pei Yan bent over and cooperated with her movement of wiping sweat, and she was in a good mood. If she hadn't seen Tao Ti's anxious eyes constantly looking behind him—
She is waiting for someone.
Who are you waiting for? Ashinaqi
His eyes turned cold, and he grabbed her wrist.
This sudden movement startled Tao Ti. When she came back to her senses, Pei Yan loosened the strength on her wrist and asked her with a smile, "What are you looking at?"
Tao Ti felt guilty for a while, so naturally she didn't notice Pei Yan's strange expression, lowered her eyes, and whispered, "It's nothing."
Everyone rushed back one after another, and the eunuchs also began to count the number of prey. At this time, four Rongdi guards rushed back with the dying Qiongqi in their arms—
"His Majesty Emperor Da Yuanchao, something is wrong, our prince fell off his horse!"
Tao Ti's face turned pale, and she blurted out, "Ah Qi!"
Pei Yan narrowed his black eyes, "Ah, Qi?"