EWRN - Chapter 48
Chapter 48: Autumn Hunt (III)
A dreamless night passed, and the second day quickly arrived.
Princes, dukes, and nobles gathered with their children in the West Palace of Jiangbei Villa. The hall was vast, capable of holding over a thousand people without issue, its ceiling supported by a forest of pillars. The female relatives congregated in one area. They were all young ladies from the upper echelons of the imperial city who often socialized with one another. Despite occasional frictions over personal interests, no one would risk losing face on a grand occasion like the Autumn Hunt, so they all greeted each other with beaming smiles.
Among the female relatives, the one with the most noble status was the late emperor's consort, Dowager Consort Rong. She was also the only daughter of the wealthy merchant Wang Shu and had once been a renowned talent in the upper circles of the imperial city. Today, she stayed with the female relatives, accompanied by her only son, Prince Qin, whom the Emperor had recently ennobled. Prince Qin was still too young and seemed out of place among the other young masters. The other nobles had also refrained from bringing their younger sons, for on the hunting grounds, swords and arrows had no eyes. An accidental injury would be truly heartbreaking, and there had been precedents for such tragedies.
Prince Qin had red lips, white teeth, and a fair, chubby complexion, resembling a little mobile dumpling that was instantly endearing. At four or five, he was at that age of innocent ignorance, waiting to be enlightened—a particularly lovable stage. His milky, childish voice could melt the hearts of all who heard it.
Consequently, a large group of female relatives gathered around Prince Qin. After receiving Dowager Consort Rong's permission, the young ladies boldly began to play with the young prince, making him burst into peals of laughter.
The young masters gathered on the other side of the West Palace, engaged in lofty discussions. They boasted to one another about their preparations for the event and their plans to attract the attention of the beautiful ladies and win their hearts. As they spoke, they stole glances toward the female relatives. Seeing Prince Qin, by virtue of his youth, completely surrounded by a sea of beauties, they felt a pang of jealousy. They wished they could be Prince Qin, so young that they could get close to the white moonlight of their hearts. But on second thought, being so young meant there were certain things they couldn't do, so they quickly dismissed the strange notion.
After a few moments of chatter, Huo Jinyu finally arrived at the West Palace with her two noble consorts. Eunuch Wang, who was never far from her side, strained his neck and announced in a shrill voice, "His Majesty has arrived!" The sharp sound instantly echoed throughout the hall. The crowd immediately fell silent. Everyone stood in place obediently before kneeling to perform a grand salute toward the high seat. Only when Emperor Huo Jinyu said, "You may rise," did they get to their feet.
It was now mid-morning. Just as Huo Jinyu took her seat on the high throne, the voices of servants announcing arrivals echoed one after another from outside the hall.
"The Second and Third Princes of the Western Chen Kingdom have arrived!"
"The Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince of the Southern Yuan Kingdom have arrived!"
"The Sixteenth Prince of the Western Chu Kingdom has arrived!"
"The Fourth Prince of the Northern Kingdom has arrived!"
...
Following the announcements, a number of handsome and dashing young masters entered the hall in succession.
After entering the hall, the princes and royals from the various kingdoms all knelt and paid their respects to Huo Jinyu.
Upon hearing "Northern Kingdom," Yan Xi's expression darkened, and a chill emanated from her. Her gaze fell coldly upon the so-called Fourth Prince of the Northern Kingdom—that must be the Wu Clan Chieftain's fourth son. Although Great Yuan's Autumn Hunt was highly regarded by all kingdoms, they shared a tacit understanding not to send their crown princes to participate. The event was fraught with danger; the possibility of being accidentally killed or detained by Great Yuan was very real. They dared not take such a risk.
The princes sent by the various kingdoms were all highly valued by their emperors—men capable of rivaling the crown prince and contending for the throne. They were, without exception, extremely important figures.
Since he's so important, couldn't I just destroy him? Yan Xi thought darkly. The coldness and hatred in her eyes were invisible to those below, but Huo Jinyu took it all in.
Seeing the hatred in Yan Xi's eyes, Huo Jinyu felt a sharp pang in her heart. A kingdom-toppling beauty like her should never wear such an expression. An emotion welled up from deep within Huo Jinyu—a desire to help her, to help her accomplish anything she wished. In that instant, Huo Jinyu resolved to help Yan Xi deal with the Fourth Prince of the Northern Kingdom.
The pitiful Fourth Prince was still kneeling below, unaware that his fate was about to be rewritten.
"Envoys of the various kingdoms, you may rise," Huo Jinyu said faintly, her tone aloof and unapproachable, carrying an authority that commanded respect without any show of anger.
The princes and royals all rose and had their attendants present the tributary gifts they had brought for Great Yuan. From scholarly trinkets and rare plants to exotic birds and beasts, every item was a treasure.
Huo Jinyu nodded in satisfaction and had the items taken away. Then, she cleared her throat and began to speak about the day's Autumn Hunt.
The Autumn Hunt would officially begin today. As the Jiangbei Hunting Ground was vast, and to prevent injuries from stray arrows in overcrowded areas, the hunt was divided into five zones. Huo Jinyu dispersed the participants accordingly: the foreign envoys were assigned to two zones, the numerous nobles of Great Yuan to another two, and the final zone was reserved for the imperial family, intended primarily for Emperor Huo Jinyu and her guards.
The Autumn Hunt had always been a grand competition based on a point system. The envoys from each country and each of Great Yuan's noble families would compete independently. Prey caught during the hunt were assigned different point values based on size. For instance, snakes, wild rabbits, and pheasants were worth one point, while wild boars and wolves were worth two, and so on. The top three winners would receive rewards provided by the Great Yuan Kingdom. Naturally, everyone wanted to take first place—it was a prime opportunity to shine before the other nations! The nobles rubbed their hands in anticipation. This was a perfect chance to display their prowess before the ladies! Perhaps they could win the favor of a fair maiden and ultimately take a beauty home!
After briefly explaining the rules, Huo Jinyu emphasized the issue of safety. It was strictly forbidden to use weapons to harm others during the hunt, and especially forbidden to harm the scions of Great Yuan's nobility. If any envoy harbored ill intentions, she warned, their country would suffer a devastating blow from Great Yuan.
The rest was the usual boilerplate. To display the might of Great Yuan—at least, before she allowed it to fall—Huo Jinyu would not permit any mistakes on her watch. The fall of the kingdom was her own affair; she could choose to abandon the country, but she would not tolerate any unreasonable offense from others. Thus, unlike her usual listless demeanor in the throne room, Huo Jinyu was radiant and full of vigor. Her presence was imposing and awe-inspiring, truly befitting the sovereign of a great nation.
Yan Xi had never seen Huo Jinyu during morning court, so she assumed this impressive bearing was her norm. Her heart couldn't help but flutter, and much of the hatred in her eyes dissipated. This was the person she adored.
Having explained everything in meticulous detail, Huo Jinyu rose. She led her two noble consorts down from the high platform and was the first to exit the West Palace. The noble scions of Great Yuan, the foreign envoys, and the young ladies of the various families followed her out in an orderly fashion.
Not far from the West Palace was the villa's west gate, which opened directly onto the Jiangbei Hunting Ground. Outside, a contingent of guards stood waiting with their horses. Upon seeing Huo Jinyu and the noble consorts emerge, they hurriedly saluted.
After being told to rise, the guards returned to standing motionless before their horses. Meanwhile, stableboys led out the horses belonging to the various families and waited on the grounds. As the crowd emerged, they found the stableboys and claimed their mounts. The young masters handsomely vaulted into their saddles and trotted around the field. Sensing their riders' excitement, the horses grew restless, puffing air from their nostrils, snorting, and neighing.
The guards mounted their horses in perfect unison. The stableboys led the various princes and young masters to their designated guards, who then escorted them toward their respective hunting zones.
For a moment, hooves flew and dust filled the air. The young ladies, accompanied by guards, mounted small ponies. They tentatively rode them around the field before the west gate, getting a taste of the charm of horsemanship.
Seeing that most people had departed, Huo Jinyu vaulted onto her horse. She extended her right hand down toward Yan Xi, her eyes asking if she wanted to ride with her.
The Yan Xi of the past would have insisted on riding her own horse. She loved the freedom and abandon of it. But at some point, her eyes had come to see only Huo Jinyu. She adored her Jinyu so much that even her favorite pastime of galloping on horseback couldn't compare in the slightest.
As if moved by some unseen force, Yan Xi reached out and took Huo Jinyu's right hand. Pushing off with her feet, she used the momentum to pull herself straight onto the horse, settling in the saddle in front of Huo Jinyu.
Huo Jinyu had only extended her hand as a courtesy. She had assumed that with Yan Xi's aloof personality, she would surely refuse. She never expected to feel a warmth envelop her right hand as Yan Xi's small hand grasped hers. Huo Jinyu reflexively pulled upward, and Yan Xi used the stirrup to climb onto the horse.
With a warm, fragrant, and soft beauty in her arms, Huo Jinyu felt an inexplicable flutter in her heart. For a long moment, she couldn't quite process what had just happened. Yan Xi, now settled on the horse, was also a little annoyed with herself for so readily going along. How could I have lost control and gotten on Huo Jinyu's horse? Both were momentarily dazed. Yan Xi was the first to recover. Noticing the horse wasn't moving, she turned her head slightly and asked, "Jinyu, why aren't we going?"
As the woman before her turned her head, strands of fragrant hair brushed gently against Huo Jinyu's face. Startled, Huo Jinyu flinched slightly and was instantly brought back to her senses.
I lost my composure, Huo Jinyu thought.
"It's nothing," Huo Jinyu replied nonsensically. She squeezed the horse's belly with her legs, wrapped her left arm gently around Yan Xi's waist, and flicked the reins with her right. The date-red horse shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, leaving behind the captain of the guards, who stood dumbfounded, reins still in hand, yet to depart.
Captain of the Guards: Your Majesty! Can you even find the hunting zone without this humble servant to guide you?!!
His dear Majesty, concerned only with the person in her arms, had long since forgotten all about some blasted captain of the guards.
The captain thought to himself, His Majesty has left with one noble consort, so I'd better keep an eye on the other one. I can't lose her.
So he turned his horse around, but before he could get a clear look, he saw a swift shadow on horseback chasing after Huo Jinyu. The captain focused his gaze and realized it was the mysterious Hua Ying, with the other noble consort, spurring her horse in pursuit.
The captain of the guards, who got a mouthful of dust: ...
His Majesty and his noble consorts are all quite remarkable.
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