The next day, a piece of news spread like wildfire in the camp that Lan Tai was promoted to the position of imperial hunting officer because his poem he had written a few days ago had won the emperor's favor.
This was a temporary official position, which was insignificant in itself, but in the following hunting trips, he could always accompany the emperor and convey his orders. Even the prime minister and generals had to follow his command and be under his jurisdiction. In terms of the glory of his status, it was the best in the hunting ground.
Lan Tai was favored by the emperor for his poetry and was favored by the emperor. Others were just jealous of him. However, another piece of news spread along with it, which really aroused the dissatisfaction of many people.
On that day, no one knew where the rumor came from, but soon everyone said that he was going to be chosen by the emperor to be his consort.
This statement may seem sudden at first glance, but upon closer examination, it makes a lot of sense.
Although the emperor had publicly declared that he would not consider the princess' marriage for the time being when the princess returned to the court at night in the Qingyuan Palace, the princess was old enough, and for the sake of the princess' long-term future, how could the emperor, who loved his daughter so much, really not choose a son-in-law? And if he chose a son-in-law, considering that the emperor was in poor health and the princess had been away from the court for many years and had finally returned, how could the emperor be willing to let her marry far away unless it was an extreme situation
Regardless of anything else, based on this one clause alone, Prince Ashina, Hedu, and even Prince Yuwen can all be taken away, leaving only Lan Tai, who has already settled in Chang'an and served as an official in the court, who is most in line with the emperor's wishes.
Therefore, although the hunting on this day was still grand and powerful, He Du, Yuwen Zhi and others also took their own guards to hunt. Compared with the small test of yesterday, today's hunting was more competitive, and the bows and arrows were not shot in vain, and the harvest was rich. However, at the end of the day, the one who really stood out among all the people was Lan Tai, the prince of Bohai, who always accompanied the emperor and did not participate in the hunting.
What made Lan Tai's fame reach its peak was the routine presentation of his trophies to the emperor after the day's hunting. At that time, the emperor, accompanied by his close ministers, was watching with great interest the rare prey that had been hunted during the day. Among them was a bear, which was caught by a group of hunters. It was extremely large, standing upright and taller than a man, and had strong muscles. It suddenly broke free from the iron cage and then tore and ran away in the field. Dozens of guards nearby immediately raised their swords and spears to capture it again. However, because the incident happened suddenly and the organization was scattered, not only could they not kill it, but many people were injured by its sharp claws, their skin and flesh were torn and bleeding.
Seeing this, the guards nearby also took action. Chengping, Yuwenzhi and others fired arrows at the wild bear. Chengping shot the wild bear in the chest and abdomen, and Yuwenzhi shot the wild bear in the chest and neck. However, the fur of this big bear was as thick as a wall. How could ordinary arrow wounds stop its attack
He Du was standing opposite the big bear and shot an arrow into its eye, causing it to howl wildly on the spot, but he still failed to shoot it down. Instead, it became even more ferocious and ran towards the emperor, the most conspicuous person in the field, with a trail of dirty blood dripping all over it.
The emperor was riding on a horse at the time, and Han Kerang was nearby. He rushed to the emperor, drew his sword and personally protected the emperor. He also ordered the guards to surround the emperor outside, keeping the emperor in the middle, and then retreated.
However, the bear was so fierce and powerful that it broke through the outermost array of swords and knives in a blink of an eye, tearing the guards to pieces and causing the scene to become a mess.