LF Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Autumn Hunt and Military Reward

The overlapping emerald green leaves in the mountains were layered with deep ink green, the clouds in the sky became higher day by day, and the past that crunched underfoot and scattered into dust accumulated more and more softly. The late summer had passed, and autumn arrived silently.

One ordinary evening, Jiang Yinghua rarely ended a day of training and gained a moment of leisure. Without the strength to cook for herself, she lazily sat on the hillside, enjoying the evening breeze and watching the setting sun behind the western mountains bleed like blood.

From afar, a young man in bright clothes and an angry horse galloped from the direction of the camp gate. The silhouette under the afterglow of the setting sun had a charming rhythm.

For some reason, perhaps because she had stayed here for too long, Jiang Yinghua looked at this figure, and a few throbs and expectations grew in her heart.

She moved her gaze away from the blood-like setting sun and stared fixedly at the figure wrapped in the wind, whistling. The evening breeze scattered her hair, messily brushing over her face covered with thin sweat.

This person seemed to have come here many times, and easily went straight to the hillside. Without looking to the side, he tightened the reins at the foot of the mountain, jumped off the horse, skillfully tied the reins to the tree stump at the foot of the mountain, and rushed up the mountain in three steps, quickly but steadily.

A faint smile had unconsciously appeared on Jiang Yinghua’s face, perhaps without her even noticing.

She sat on the mountain stone, naturally hanging her legs down, gently shaking them rhythmically, her hands supporting herself on the stone, like a girl next door out for a walk.

“Your subject, Yan Wanzhi, pays respects to Your Highness, wishing Your Highness eternal peace.” Yan Wanzhi stood three steps away from her, slightly panting.

This person seemed to have been instilled with dogmatic ideas. No matter when or where, he stubbornly adhered to etiquette and rules.

Rarely, this person’s greeting today was much sweeter, and he would even say some pretty words.

Jiang Yinghua was in a good mood today. The ideas she had during the outside training were praised by the old General Qiao An, and she was still very happy.

Seeing that the person was still bowing deeply and motionless, the smile on Jiang Yinghua’s face deepened. She patted the stone beside her and said, “Come, sit down.”

Yan Wanzhi was stunned when he heard this, but he took two steps forward and timidly squatted in front of Jiang Yinghua.

Having stayed in the camp for a long time, Jiang Yinghua’s rules were also much looser. She was even too lazy to talk nonsense with people, grabbed Yan Wanzhi’s sleeve, and pulled him onto the stone.

Yan Wanzhi felt like a kitten being grabbed by the back of its neck, easily lifted up, his face from brow to neck, was blushing.

“Coming over so late, Your Majesty is really merciless to you, huh?” Jiang Yinghua tilted her head, still looking at the colorful clouds in the west, irregular but dazzling.

Yan Wanzhi smiled awkwardly, “This is my duty, how dare I trouble Your Majesty to worry.”

“So, this time, what did you bring?” Jiang Yinghua turned her head as if casually and looked at Yan Wanzhi, smiling as she spoke.

The two were so close, Yan Wanzhi was a little embarrassed and lowered his head. “Tomorrow Your Majesty will come to the northern suburbs for the autumn hunt, ordering me to inform Your Highness in advance to meet at the hunting grounds tomorrow morning.”

Jiang Yinghua was a little surprised. It was the first time she had been away from home for so many days, and when she heard the news that her elder sister was coming, her first thought was not to escape, but a little expectation.

She was already very excited in her heart, but she restrained herself and remained calm, just nodding lightly: “Understood, thank you for your trouble. Then, where are you going next?”

Yan Wanzhi was a little surprised that she would be curious about his whereabouts. He straightened the hat on his head and said, “The autumn hunt is complicated, I’ll go over and help with it for a while, and I’ll rest there.”

“Oh, so I’ll go to the hunting grounds alone tomorrow morning, who will meet me? I’m so aggrieved,” Jiang Yinghua pouted a little aggrievedly.

Yan Wanzhi felt that this person had become much more lively since entering the military camp, and laughed secretly in his heart. “Your Highness, don’t worry, someone will be waiting at the camp gate tomorrow morning to escort you there.”

“Okay,” Jiang Yinghua casually echoed.

Yan Wanzhi stood up and bowed, “If Your Highness has no other instructions, I will take my leave.”

Jiang Yinghua chuckled. This person was really anxious. The hunting ground wasn’t far from here, so why was he in such a hurry? “Wait, have you eaten?”

Yan Wanzhi was stunned for a moment and shook his head honestly.

“What a coincidence, the cook is serving food. Let’s go, Imperial Scribe Yan should not have tasted the food in the military camp, just make do with it.” Jiang Yinghua looked at the smoke from the kitchen outside the tent in the distance, stood up, and walked straight over.

She walked very fast, leaving Yan Wanzhi far behind. Not hearing the sound behind her, she stopped and turned back with a smile, waiting for the person to trot down the mountain and catch up, panting.

“With your physique, you won’t be able to accompany the Emperor on the autumn hunt tomorrow,” Jiang Yinghua joked with a smile.

“Indeed, I am not good at these things,” Yan Wanzhi replied seriously.

Still so dull and uninteresting, with no fun at all.

Yan Wanzhi was forced by Jiang Yinghua to have a not-so-good dinner, sitting around with a group of noisy soldiers. Jiang Yinghua, the little Prince, was used to it, but Yan Wanzhi was really unaccustomed to it.

Jiang Yinghua noticed his awkwardness and found it a little funny. The person in front of her was meticulous in everything, shy and well-behaved, with a weak body, and as gentle as a little girl. Compared to this, Jiang Yinghua was now a little rough.

After a simple dinner, Jiang Yinghua didn’t keep him any longer, and leisurely escorted him to the outside of the camp, teasing, “Next time you come, don’t come empty-handed, remember to go to my manor and bring me two jars of good wine. The wine here is really hard to drink.”

Yan Wanzhi tightened the hand holding the horse’s reins, always feeling that the little Prince was suffering here. It wasn’t that the wine was not good, but the food, clothing, housing, and transportation were all unsatisfactory.

He nodded dully, bowed, and rode away.

The next morning, damp dew loosely fell on every grass, tree, and dust in the military camp. Jiang Yinghua packed up and flew on her horse out of the camp.

She had come out too hastily that day and hadn’t even brought a decent formal dress. In her baggage, there were only neat narrow-sleeved robes, and other than that, it was military uniform from the camp.

Jiang Yinghua helplessly chose a lake-blue robe that was relatively solemn, tied a high ponytail, and went to the hunting ground with the person who came.

In just over a quarter of an hour, she arrived at the hunting ground and saw a crowd of purple-robed ministers lined up outside the fluttering flags. It seemed that the Emperor’s carriage had not yet arrived.

Jiang Yinghua jumped off her horse. This outfit was not eye-catching, and coupled with the fact that she had been tired and tanned in the camp every day, and had also become haggard and thinner, many courtiers did not recognize her for a while, only thinking that she was one of the Emperor’s guards.

It wasn’t until she walked up to them and stood at the head of the ministers that the people behind her belatedly bowed and saluted: “Your subjects pay respects to Prince Zhao, wishing Your Highness eternal peace.”

Jiang Yinghua found it boring, didn’t turn her head, and was too lazy to say more, just waving her hand casually, as a response.

After waiting for about two quarters of an hour, the Emperor’s honor guard slowly approached, bypassing the mountains in the distance. For the first time in her life, Jiang Yinghua was both excited and happy, and even a little nervous. She could be said to have experienced the mood of the courtiers welcoming the Emperor.

When the Emperor’s wide carriage stopped outside the field, all the courtiers paid their respects, and Jiang Yinghua also gave a great salute, after all, it had been a long time since they had last met.

The Emperor was in the carriage, and through the thin curtains, she saw her long-missed sister from afar. She got up, stepped out of the carriage, and went straight to Jiang Yinghua.

Jiang Yinghua was prostrate, unable to see her figure coming over, but she could hear the movement. She quietly raised her head and saw the Emperor standing in front of her, looking her up and down.

“Get up, let me see,” the Emperor said softly, reaching out to help her.

Jiang Yinghua stood up obediently. Clearly, she had been eagerly looking forward to this moment, but when she really saw her, she was a little uneasy and dared not look up.

The Emperor held her arms in both hands and carefully looked her over, saying with some pity, “You’ve lost weight.”

“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am doing well,” Jiang Yinghua replied in a very light tone, considering the courtiers behind her.

The Emperor took her hand and looked at the officials on both sides: “All of you may rise.” She turned her head and said to Jiang Yinghua, “Ride with me and let’s chat.”

Jiang Yinghua nodded and followed her into the carriage.

There were only two sisters in the carriage, making it easier to talk. The Emperor put away her tenderness from before, and spoke coldly: “You are so brave, you would actually run away privately, and you even dared to deceive the Empress Dowager in my name.”

The Emperor’s mood made a one hundred and eighty degree turn, which Jiang Yinghua had not expected. She thought it would be a scene of sisterly affection, but she never thought that reality would always be so blatant.

Jiang Yinghua slid off the seat, lowered her head and knelt on the side, not saying a word. Anyway, the Emperor had allowed her to stay in the camp. After all, she was in the wrong, so softening up would pass.

Jiang Yinghua’s appearance made it difficult for the Emperor to attack. She didn’t expect that this girl was not only opinionated, but now she had learned to be flexible.

The Emperor pretended to be serious and said, “If you can’t win against me in today’s hunt, then go back to the capital obediently and live in our mother’s palace, and you don’t have to come out.”

Jiang Yinghua felt like she had been struck by lightning when she heard this. This was blatant threat. If she really lost, she would be confined. How could she willingly give up the opportunity she had finally won?

“I will do my best, hoping that Your Majesty will be merciful,” Jiang Yinghua said cautiously, but the stubbornness in her tone could not be concealed at all.

The Emperor sneered and did not intend to let her go. “I always follow the rules. What the result is depends on your fortune.”

Jiang Yinghua pouted and raised her eyes with a look of resentment to meet the Emperor’s gaze. “Since Your Majesty has made up her mind, can you allow Hua’er to get up? My legs are numb.”

“I never told you to kneel, you asked for it yourself,” the Emperor avoided her gaze, trying to hold back her laughter with some difficulty.

Jiang Yinghua sat back down sullenly. Seeing that the grapes on the table were still quite fresh, she buried her head in peeling the grape flesh, no longer paying attention to the person in front of her. Her mouth, which had tasted nothing for so long, missed this kind of fresh, sweet and juicy tribute.

Jiang Jingche was a little puzzled. In the past, Hua’er wouldn’t even glance at these things, but now she was actually eating them herself. It seemed that the news that the scouts had reported was not false at all. Her sister had really worked hard and made things difficult for herself.

After entering the field and resting for half a day, the autumn afternoon was clear and breezy, and the field of vision was bright, making it a great time for hunting.

Beside the Emperor, in addition to Jiang Yinghua, her sister, there were also a number of talented young people and military children in the capital. Everyone was already ready and eager to try, after all, being able to show their faces in the hunting ground and gain a reputation was beneficial to their future careers.

“How about you compete with me on the same path? The same environment, the same prey, only comparing speed and accuracy,” the Emperor tilted her head and asked Jiang Yinghua.

The elder sister’s riding and archery skills were first-rate. These conditions seemed fair, but in reality, they put Jiang Yinghua under great pressure. But the Emperor was the one who made the rules, and she didn’t dare to refuse, so she had to agree.

The two of them rode into the forest side by side. Jiang Yinghua didn’t dare to be distracted at all. Her eyes were sharp as knives, and she held her bow in her hand, ready to shoot. Therefore, the hares and sika deer that they found at the beginning were pitifully shot by the two sisters, and the two of them were evenly matched, with no clear winner.

Jiang Yinghua was determined to win today, and the Emperor was even more determined to test her ability, and neither of them would let the other off easily.

The prey in the hunting ground was limited, and there were only some ordinary wild animals stationed in an enclosed area.

Before long, there were no fresh prey to hunt in this area. In the depths of the forest in the distance, there seemed to be some deer with large bodies. If they hunted two back, it would be a good choice.

The Emperor’s eyes turned, and she galloped after them.

“Your Majesty, there are no guards ahead, you can’t go,” Jiang Yinghua hurriedly followed and reminded her.

The royal hunting ground was guarded for a week, and they had just reached the border. It was not so safe to go further in.

“Since the victory or defeat has not yet been decided, let’s compete again for a while. There are many people accompanying us, what are you afraid of?” the Emperor continued to chase without stopping.

Jiang Yinghua had no choice but to bite down on the person in front of her and enter the depths of the dense forest. But now she was distracted, looking around. In the wilderness, without soldiers scouting in advance, if something really happened, she would not be able to explain it.

The dense grass in front of her trembled quickly, and a black shadow jumped out. Jiang Yinghua quickly drew her bow and shot an arrow, only to find that it was a wild cat.

She shouldn’t have shot it. Hunting cats was rare in hunts. Jiang Yinghua was a little frustrated, blaming herself for being too nervous.

The silhouettes of the elk in the depths of the forest were looming. Despite its large size, it moved very quickly.

The two horses made a lot of noise, making it easy to startle the prey, so they approached carefully, and their speed slowed down.

The two were concentrating on staring at the prey, waiting for an opportunity to move, when Jiang Yinghua keenly noticed that there seemed to be some rustling sounds in the forest around them.

She vigilantly held her breath and concentrated, looking around. Before she could look around, she felt an arrow carrying a strong wind coming through the air.

An inexplicable panic swept through her body. She dropped her bow and arrow, drew her sword, rode in front of the Emperor, raised her sword to chop at the arrow coming through the air, and shouted at the followers behind her, “Protect the Emperor!”

A chaotic rain of arrows shot from three sides, and Jiang Yinghua was overwhelmed. Blocking in front of the Emperor, she shouted urgently, “Your Majesty, retreat quickly, I can’t hold them back.”

Drawing the sword and looking around was actually only a moment. The rain of arrows stopped after only one wave. Jiang Yinghua was both surprised and afraid. Seeing that there was no attack and the people behind her were surrounding her, she barely turned her head to look at the Emperor. Who would have thought that she was sitting calmly on her horse, looking at her with a smile.

Jiang Yinghua frowned. This shouldn’t be the reaction to an assassination. She came back to her senses and turned her head to look at the arrows on the ground, only to be surprised to realize that there were no metal arrowheads on the arrows, only wood. If she was really hit, it would only be a lump of flesh.

She looked back at the Emperor in disbelief, pursed her lips, turned her horse around without saying a word, and whipped it a few times, riding away.