The first day of autumn hunting is hunting.
Thousands of imperial guards used ropes and nets to enclose a hunting ground, and drove birds and beasts from a few miles around into the enclosure for the emperor and his ministers to hunt.
In his early years, the emperor was both a man of letters and a warrior, and he was very heroic. He had led the army in person and galloped on the battlefield. However, in recent years, he has been plagued by illness and his mental and physical strength have not improved. He only shot two deer with a bow and gave them away, and then returned to the palace to rest. Then the crown prince, the king of Qi, and the ministers went hunting according to their ranks, and finally the guards ran and chased the beasts. For a while, there was only the sound of flying feathers, splashing blood, and the wailing and roaring of wild beasts everywhere.
After Huan Xuan shot his seven feather arrows, he took Sui Sui out of the enclosure and explained to her, "This kind of hunting has been used for military training since ancient times. It emphasizes the pursuit, interception, attack, defense, and retreat of the guards, but it doesn't have much fun in hunting. There will be no hunting in the next few days. I will take you to the mountains and forests to hunt. That will be fun."
Sui Sui nodded: "Okay." On the first day of hunting, the small enclosure was surrounded by guards. Even if the prince wanted to take action, he couldn't find the opportunity. The next few days would be the highlight.
Huan Xuan pointed to the pavilion on the hillside and said, "That is Yaoguang Tower. You can overlook the enclosure. We have nothing to do today. Let's go watch the hunting."
The two men rode their horses and galloped up the hillside with their guards.
When he arrived in front of the building, he looked up and saw the prince and his wife leaning on the vermilion railing looking at the hunting ground.
The Crown Princess was wearing a riding suit of Shu brocade with a pattern of light plum and crabapple today. Her black hair was tied up in a bun, and her bright eyes and white teeth were beyond comparison.
A cold wind with a smell of blood blew from the woods. The prince immediately took off his cloak and carefully draped it over his wife's shoulders. He personally tied the belt at her collar, then put his arm around her shoulders. His affection and love were beyond words. They were even more inseparable than the time they met by chance on the Lantern Festival.
However, I don’t know if it was an illusion, but I always felt that Ruan Yuewei was a little evasive, and the smile on her face was a little stiff.
Huan Xuan paused when he saw his brother and sister-in-law standing in front of the railing.
He turned his head and saw that Lu Suisui was two steps behind him. She had put on two weird mustaches on her mouth, which looked ugly and ridiculous.
Huan Xuan raised his eyebrows and asked, "What's wrong?"
Sui Sui said, "I am waiting for Your Highness downstairs?"
Huan Xuan was a little hesitant at first, but when he saw her humble and unpromising look, he felt uncomfortable and raised his eyebrows and said, "Follow me." She just looks alike, but if she didn't do anything wrong, does she have to hide from people for the rest of her life
Sui Sui was surprised. She thought Huan Xuan would try his best to avoid her appearing in front of Ruan Yuewei, so he found an excuse to keep her in the bedroom at the palace banquet yesterday. She didn't expect that she would take the initiative to bring her, a fake, to the real owner so brazenly.
On second thought, she had been following Huan Xuan for several days during the autumn hunt, and there was always a chance that Ruan Yuewei would see them. Instead of trying to cover it up and eventually being discovered by the real owner, it would be better to be open about it.
She didn't think any more and followed Huan Xuan upstairs.
In addition to the Crown Prince and his wife, there were also several princesses, younger princes, and a number of princesses and county ladies from the royal family. They greeted Huan Xuan one by one.
The last woman who came up was about seventeen or eighteen years old. Her clothes were not as luxurious as those of the princesses and royal family. She looked like a member of an official's family. She did not look like a member of the Huan family either. Her delicate and graceful manner was somewhat similar to Ruan Yuewei. Sui Sui immediately guessed her identity - there were rumors in the upper reaches that the emperor had chosen the cousin of the crown princess as his principal wife for his third son. This woman must be the sixth lady of the first room of the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion.
As expected, the woman bowed to Huan Xuan and said softly, "I, Ruan, greet His Royal Highness the King of Qi. May Your Highness be blessed."
Huan Xuan nodded slightly with a cold face: "No need to be polite."
Ruan Liuniang raised her head and stepped aside, but her face was already covered with blush.
After Shang Si, the incident with Prince Chen happened, followed by the confiscation of Concubine Shu's property and the extermination of her clan. Huan Xuan's marriage was delayed. No one in Shanchiyuan mentioned it in front of Sui Sui, so she forgot about it.
Since the emperor made an exception and allowed the crown princess to bring her cousin to Mount Li, it was obvious that he was quite satisfied with this future daughter-in-law. It seemed that after the autumn hunt, the prince of Qi was getting married soon, and perhaps the marriage could be settled before the New Year.
Huan Xuan would be twenty years old during the Chinese New Year. It was considered late for a prince to get married at this age, and Sui Sui was not surprised at all.
Anyway, these things have nothing to do with her. She will return to Heshuo after finishing the things here.
She lowered her head, her eyes on her nose and her nose on her heart, trying her best not to attract Ruan Liuniang's attention. They were all leaving, and there was no need to plant a thorn in the heart of the future princess.
But when they went upstairs, Ruan Liuniang noticed the fair and handsome "guard" behind the King of Qi. Although her gestures were similar to those of a man, she had no makeup on and even had a moustache, but she knew that this was a woman. She had heard her third cousin mention this person a long time ago.
No one would feel comfortable that their future husband had a beautiful concubine, but for a man of Qi's status, it was normal for him to have several concubines and beautiful maids in his room. Her father, a fourth-rank official, had five or six concubines.
To be the mistress of the palace, one must have this kind of broad mind. Moreover, she had already inquired about it. This woman was just a village woman that the King of Qi happened to rescue when he went into the mountains to suppress bandits. However, she won the favor of the King of Qi because she looked like her third cousin. Anyway, she was not even qualified to enter the palace as a concubine, so she was kept in the other house as a concubine. What was there for her to care about
She just pretended not to see it and looked away. While chatting with Princess Zhenyang, she shyly glanced at Huan Xuan from time to time.
Ruan Yuewei naturally noticed the person behind Huan Xuan, and her face turned pale. After the Lantern Festival, she secretly asked someone to inquire about the news of the Prince of Qi's Mansion. She heard that Huan Xuan had not been to the villa since that night, and she was secretly delighted for a while.
But who knew that the woman from the other house was so scheming. She used some unknown means to lure Huan Xuan to the other courtyard. It was said that he invited Sun Fengyu from the Shang Pharmacy to the other courtyard to diagnose the woman overnight. Since then, he rarely even returned to the palace, and spent almost every day with the woman from the other house.
The woman was extremely charming and attractive. Huan Xuan was just new to the world and might have been blinded by her beauty, but she never expected that he would actually bring her to the Lishan Autumn Hunt.
She brought her cousin here as the emperor wished and forced herself to smile in order to bring them together. It was already very sad, and now with the arrival of a woman from outside the palace, it was like adding insult to injury.
But the more uncomfortable she felt, the more she couldn't show any clues, especially in front of the prince. Recently, they had finally been as harmonious as when they first got married, and she couldn't let him see that she had someone else in her heart.
There were other people in the building who noticed that the guards behind Huan Xuan were a little strange, but they all pretended not to see it.
Unfortunately, some people are born with big hearts and less stubborn than others. There was a series of footsteps downstairs, and a beautiful woman with bright eyes and white teeth walked up the stairs quickly.
The Crown Prince and Huan Xuan both came forward to greet her: "Sister."
It was easy to tell that this was Princess Qinghe, the eldest daughter of the Queen.
The eldest princess threw the whip to the guard behind her and glanced into the building: "It's a rare hunting day, you guys are all hiding here."
After a pause, he smiled and said, "Hunting is really not fun. You can hit the target just by shooting anywhere. What's the point?"
The prince smiled and said, "Sister, I believe you have achieved great results in the battle."
The eldest princess tucked the sweat off her forehead with a handkerchief and said, "We didn't have many big fish. We only shot a wild boar. We've sent it to the palace and asked the chef to stew it. I'll give some to each of your palaces tonight."
Everyone praised her excellent archery skills, but the eldest princess's eyes fell on Sui Sui. She looked her up and down and said to Huan Xuan, "Today, one of my guards fell off his horse and injured his leg. My dear, please lend me a man."
Huan Xuan naturally knew that she had other intentions, and his eyebrows jumped. He turned back and said to Guan Liu: "You will follow the eldest princess tomorrow."
The eldest princess immediately shook her head: "Commander Guan is wasting his talent."
She stretched out her finger painted with bright red nail polish, pointed at Sui Sui, and said with a friendly smile: "Little brother, you know how to hunt, right? Just follow me."
Sui Sui was stunned, and for a moment he had no idea what the princess was up to.
Huan Xuan's face had turned dark. He knew his eldest sister's personality and there must be no deep meaning in her words. She probably really regarded Lu Suisui as a guard and wanted her to keep her company because she was pretty.
She had always liked beautiful women, and kept many beautiful actors and musicians in her mansion. She even selected her guards based on their looks. Because her husband was very jealous, she did not dare to keep a lover, but she could not help but indulge in his gaze whenever she had the chance.
"He is not good at riding or shooting. I'm afraid he will only hinder my sister and spoil her fun." Huan Xuan said coldly.
The eldest princess was a little unhappy. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly said, "This little brother looks familiar. Have I seen you somewhere before?"
Everyone in the building secretly held their foreheads in their hands. Those who knew the eldest princess knew that she was really careless, while those who didn't know her thought that she was deliberately using this guard to make trouble for the Crown Princess.
Ruan Yuewei felt heavy-hearted and couldn't help but think too much. The root of her nose felt sore and her eyes were about to turn red.
The eldest princess suddenly cried out "Ah!" and glanced at Huan Xuan with sudden realization. She clenched her fist and coughed a few times, then called a eunuch and said, "Bring me some chilled wine. I'm dying of thirst." Then she put the matter behind her and never mentioned it again.
Huan Xuan lost interest in watching the hunt, so he sat in the building for a while and then said goodbye to the prince and others.
The prince asked, "Are you leaving now? It's rare that all your brothers and sisters are here, why don't you stay for a while?"
He was talking about brothers and sisters, but his eyes were looking at Ruan Liuniang, with a teasing tone in his voice.
Ruan Liuniang immediately blushed and lowered her head, her fingers wrapped around the silk ribbon around her waist, and the jade pendant made a clear sound.
Huan Xuan didn't look at her, but just said, "We have to go hunting early tomorrow morning, so let's go back and recuperate today."
The eldest princess said regretfully, "Just now Ziyu and Liulang were clamoring to shoot two deer and roast them over a bonfire at night. Why don't you come?"
Huan Xuan remembered the hatred she had for asking for help just now, and said calmly: "Have fun, sister."
After saying that, he took Sui Sui and several other guards downstairs.
Ruan Liuniang looked at their backs, frowned and bit her lips lightly, feeling indescribably lost in her heart.
Ruan Yuewei noticed her cousin's expression and felt a sense of sympathy, and was inexplicably comforted.
She stood up and walked to her cousin, using the excuse of going outside to get some fresh air, and took her outside the building. She leaned against the railing and whispered, "Don't worry, we may not have the chance to spend time together in the future."
After a pause, he reminded, "The eldest princess has the most influence with His Majesty and the Empress. You should flatter her well tomorrow. If you can get her to say a few good words in front of the Emperor and Empress, it will be more effective than asking the Crown Prince to say something. As long as you win her favor, your marriage with the King of Qi will be a sure thing."
Ruan Liuniang blushed and stammered, "What did my cousin say..."
Ruan Yuewei patted her cousin's hand with mixed feelings. Her mouth was bitter, but she still said, "Why should you be embarrassed in front of your cousin? If your relationship with the King of Qi can be successful, it will be a great thing for both you and our Ruan family."
As she spoke, she looked downstairs and saw the backs of the King of Qi and the concubine riding away one after another. She bit her lip heavily and said, "Don't take the concubine to heart. There is a huge difference between you and her. If you take her seriously, you will only lose face. She is just a plaything. You can just send her away after you get married."
"That's a saving." Ruan Liuniang said.
"Don't think too much," Ruan Yue smiled and touched her black hair, "Show your skills tomorrow. Sister knows you have worked hard in the past few months."
"Sister..." Ruan Liuniang couldn't help but feel ashamed when she told him the truth. She knew that the King of Qi was good at riding and shooting, and liked hunting. Since Shang Si first met him, she had hired a master to practice riding and shooting to please him. She practiced so hard several times that even her legs were swollen.
Who would have thought that when she arrived at Mount Li, she could not go hunting with the King of Qi to avoid suspicion, and could only follow the Crown Princess and the Eldest Princess.
However, what her third cousin said made sense. It wasn't a complete loss if she could impress the eldest princess with her skills.
…
The next morning, the King of Qi, who had been recuperating, did not move until the sun rose above the pole, while the others had already set out.
The Crown Prince, Prince Yuzhang and other royal family members went hunting with many guards. They went to the deep forest where ferocious beasts roamed.
The eldest princess was supposed to go with them, but the emperor ordered her to take care of the Nguyen sisters, so she could only sigh and take them to the safest hunting ground.
The forests here are relatively sparse, with only some small prey such as foxes and rabbits.
The eldest princess rode her horse around in the mountains and forests, and the guards released hawks and chased dogs. After half a day of hard work, they only caught a few hares and two foxes.
When the eldest princess thought about having to take these two burdens with her for the next few days, her face turned a little bad. She lost her patience with the Crown Princess and Ruan Liuniang and was too lazy to talk to them.
Before she knew it, it was noon. The eldest princess found an open space in the woods, asked her servants to set up mats and couches, put up footstrips, and invited the Crown Princess and Ruan Liuniang to have lunch.
Everything had to be kept simple in the mountains, and all they carried were cold food. Ruan Yuewei was frail and had a delicate stomach, so she found the dry food and dried meat difficult to swallow. She ate a few bites with difficulty and said she was full.
The princess knew she was spoiled, so she didn't force her, and she just drank and ate the meat jerky. Ruan Liuniang couldn't get used to cold food, but she wanted to please the princess, so she had to accept it.
After lunch, Ruan Yuewei asked the eldest princess, "What are you planning to hunt this afternoon, sister?"
The eldest princess, who had always been in a hurry, said unhappily, "What's there to fight about here? We should be thankful that there are only two mixed-hair foxes."
Ruan Liuniang said, "This forest is sparsely populated, and there is no place for big beasts to hide. I have always gone to the deep mountains and old forests to hunt with my father and brothers since I was a child."
The eldest princess became interested when she heard this: "What have you hunted?"
Ruan Liuniang had not actually been there, she had only heard her father and brother talking about it, but the words had already been spoken, so she could only continue to lie: "We have hunted wild boars, tigers and wolves. Naturally, I just followed behind and shot one or two arrows. My father and brother shot and killed them."
The eldest princess believed it, and looked at Ruan Liuniang with a little more kindness: "I didn't expect that you look so weak, but you are so brave."
Ruan Liuniang had been looking at the cold faces for half a day, and it was rare to see a positive look. She was immediately encouraged and suggested in a rush: "Why don't we go to a farther forest in the afternoon..."
The eldest princess had this intention, but she still remembered to take care of the weak Crown Princess, and looked at Ruan Yuewei in embarrassment.
Ruan Yuewei immediately understood and said, "Sister and Liu Niang, go ahead. Since I am not good at riding and shooting, I will not hold you back."
The eldest princess hesitated and said, "But I promised Aye that I would take good care of you..."
Ruan Yue glanced at the guards and said, "There are so many guards here. I will just sit here and wait for you. Nothing will happen."
Ruan Liuniang said, "Sister, you are weak. After riding for half a day, your lips have turned pale. How about I stay and accompany you?"
Ruan Yue pushed her hand slightly and said, "You like hunting. It's a rare trip to Mount Li, so you should have fun. Just accompany the princess."
The eldest princess saw that her brother's wife's face was indeed not very good, but she was reluctant to give up the opportunity to hunt to her heart's content just to accommodate her - her husband was a weak scholar with a bad temper. Normally, she had to coax him for a long time when she wanted to go hunting on the farm. It was a rare opportunity to have a legitimate hunt during the autumn hunt, so she naturally wanted to have a great time.
She did not hesitate for long: "Aruan, please rest here for a while. If you feel unwell, ask the guards to escort you back to the palace first."
Ruan Yuewei said, "Don't worry, sister."
The prince arranged for her to have about a dozen attendants to follow him, including a few maids who were good at riding and shooting and knew a little bit of boxing. This place was not far from the palace, so there was no need to worry.
The eldest princess thought about it and decided to separate half of the guards from her own princess residence and have them protect the Crown Princess. Then she took Ruan Liuniang and the other guards to the edge of the hunting ground.
After the eldest princess and Ruan Liuniang left, Ruan Yuewei sat in the woods for a while and felt uncomfortable all over.
She had always preferred quietness to movement, and after riding for half a day she was extremely tired. She had not had a good lunch, so her stomach felt cold and empty. The sunlight shining through the branches and leaves made her feel dizzy.
After sitting for about half an hour, she could no longer sit still, but the eldest princess and Ruan Liuniang had disappeared without a trace, and she could not even see their shadow.
"Your Majesty doesn't look well, but what's wrong?" asked a maid from the East Palace.
Ruan Yuewei held her forehead and said, "I've been in the sun for too long, and it's a bit uncomfortable."
The maid asked, "Your Majesty, do you want to go back to the palace first?"
Ruan Yuewei hesitated and said, "Wait a little longer."
She waited for two quarters of an hour, but there was no sign of the princess and her companions. The sky turned cloudy, and a wind blew through the woods, blowing straight into her clothes.
Ruan Yuewei wrapped her cloak tightly, but still felt cold. Finally, she couldn't help but stood up and said, "Let's go back to the palace first."
…
The eldest princess went hunting for an afternoon and had a great harvest. She and her group hunted several foxes, a deer, five roe deer, a wild boar, rabbits, pheasants and countless other things.
Although Ruan Liuniang's riding and archery skills were average, she could at least keep up with her and not fall behind.
The eldest princess looked at the sky getting dark, and said to Ruan Liuniang with a reluctant look, "It's late today, and Ruan is still waiting. Let's set off early tomorrow and make sure we have a good time."
Ruan Liuniang was delighted to see that the eldest princess treated her much more kindly, and felt that her whole afternoon of flattery was not in vain.
The two men rode their horses and brought their guards back to the woodland where they had parted with the Crown Princess, but they found the woods empty, with no trace of the foot barriers, mats or beds.
Ruan Liuniang said, "My cousin must have been impatient and went back to the palace first."
The eldest princess nodded and said, "Let's go back to the palace."
She should have taken the Crown Princess with her, but she only cared about playing by herself. She felt a little ashamed. When she arrived at the Hot Spring Palace, she immediately called two guards and took the roe deer to Shaoyang Courtyard where the Crown Prince and his wife lived.
When they arrived outside the palace, they saw that the prince and his entourage had just returned and were sorting prey in the courtyard, preparing to send them to the various palaces.
The prince looked at his eldest sister, then looked at Ruan Liuniang behind her, and asked in surprise, "Where is Ruan?"
The eldest princess was stunned: "Hasn't Ruan come back?"
The prince's face changed: "Hasn't she always been with you?"
Ruan Liuniang felt as if she was struck by lightning. She explained in a tearful voice, "After lunch, my cousin said she was a little tired and asked me to accompany the princess to go hunting. She was resting here..."
"She never came back." The prince's voice had changed.
The eldest princess was horrified, but she calmed herself down and said to the crown prince, "Don't worry, Erlang. The mountains and forests here are complicated, and even hunters nearby may get lost easily. Send someone to look for him immediately."
…
Huan Xuan spent half the night soaking in the hot springs last night to recuperate his energy, and he kept doing it until noon. He simply had lunch in the palace before going out.
He had not come to Mount Li to hunt for many years since he left Beijing. This time he brought the deer guard with him, which added another kind of fun.
In order to avoid trouble caused by too many people, he only brought a dozen guards with him on this trip. Some mounted eagles, some led dogs, and the guards were quite discerning and lagged far behind.
He chose a forest with few people and few prey, and rode his horse with Sui Sui in the forest at a leisurely pace, which was more pleasant than chasing prey.
The two walked and stopped from time to time, and when they were tired they found an open space to sit on the ground and eat some cakes and preserved meat.
Huan Xuan was in a very good mood, feeling peaceful and calm. He didn't bother to mess with the birds and beasts. Seeing a doe leaping in front of his horse, he raised his bow, but then put it down again and watched the little animal nimbly jump into the woods and disappear.
Sui Sui was always guessing when the prince would take action, and had no intention of hunting.
In the blink of an eye, half a day passed, the setting sun reflected, the distant mountains were purple, and it was already dusk.
We didn't catch many prey this time, and it was almost all thanks to the guards.
Huan Xuan looked at the sky and said, "It's getting late, let's go back."
Sui Sui said hello, and they walked side by side. Halfway through the road, they suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves coming closer and closer.
The guards immediately raised their bows and arrows. Guan Liulang asked, "Who is that person?"
Only one person said, "We are the Imperial Guards, and we are here on the orders of His Majesty to find the Crown Princess."
Huan Xuan's face changed slightly. He didn't care about Lu Suisui anymore. He kicked his horse's belly and galloped towards the river. He pulled the reins in front of the guards and asked, "What happened to the Crown Princess?"
The leading guard recognized the King of Qi, saluted him, and briefly told him the news that the Crown Princess was lost in the mountains.
After Huan Xuan found out where Ruan Yuewei was lost, he turned his horse around.
Just as he was about to spur his horse, he heard the sound of horse hooves behind him. Turning around, he found that the deer was following him.
Huan Xuan frowned and said, "You go back to the palace first."
Sui Sui said, "I will go with Your Highness."
"No need, you go back first." Huan Xuan said coldly. It was strange that Ruan Yuewei suddenly disappeared, and he was naturally suspicious, but that was Ruan Yuewei, and he would not go there even if it was a dangerous place.
Sui Sui still followed him and said stubbornly: "I will go with Your Highness. I was born a hunter, so maybe I can help."
Huan Xuan thought it was not safe for her to ride back to the palace alone, so he finally nodded: "Okay."