Everyone’s horsemanship proved far better than Ziqing had expected. They arrived at the hunting grounds well before nightfall. Ziqing, naturally, kept herself restrained, riding at a pace neither too fast nor too slow, following along behind the Second Beast Young Master together with Situ Haonan and Yelu Qianqian, ahead of the other young nobles.
The Empress of Eastern Qin and Xuanyuan Zhaoxi, however, proved far more surprising than anyone had expected—especially the Empress of Eastern Qin, who had somehow taken up the reins herself and, remarkably, arrived even before the Second Beast Young Master.
Driving a carriage and riding a horse were entirely different things, after all. Riding a single horse required only controlling that one animal, but a carriage? A carriage needed at least two horses pulling it together, and the Empress of Eastern Qin’s carriage was drawn by three!
A carriage’s speed was naturally limited beyond a certain point, capped at a certain threshold—because once speed increased too much, controlling multiple horses’ pace and keeping their direction aligned became extraordinarily difficult.
And that wasn’t even accounting for the carriage’s four wheels—wherever a horse alone could pass, a carriage often couldn’t follow!
The Empress of Eastern Qin sat perched in the driver’s seat herself, leaning back indolently, eyebrow raised as she surveyed everyone else—unmistakably, this woman was showing off her skills to the whole group.
Everyone present was well-versed in riding and archery, and it took only a glance for them to recognize that the Empress of Eastern Qin’s equestrian and archery skills were, without question, superior to everyone else’s.
The group slowed their pace, drawing closer, each expressing admiration and astonishment in turn.
Ziqing, however, was focused on something else entirely—this Empress, who had always kept such a low profile, had finally chosen to make a grand display. And the normally domineering, arrogant Xuanyuan Zhaoxi looked like a startled little rabbit in front of her mother, head bowed the entire time, not having said a single word so far.
Ziqing glanced at her several times, unable to help feeling a flicker of frustration on Xuanyuan Lige’s behalf—wondering whether he behaved the exact same way in front of the Empress of Eastern Qin.
Last time, she’d known he had come.
This time, it seemed he truly hadn’t. Just how far had he actually gotten in deciphering Lishang? And how much of the secret did he actually know?
If her suspicion about the missing notes in Lishang’s climax section was correct, then Xuanyuan Lige likely hadn’t even reached the climax section at all.
Hongyi nudged Ziqing gently from beside her, and Ziqing finally snapped back to attention, turning to look at the Empress of Eastern Qin.
Of everyone present, the Empress of Eastern Qin was the eldest, held the highest standing, and, of course, the highest rank of all—a sovereign ruler of an entire nation!
Had Jun Beiyue not gone off to the Medicine Clan’s Poison Den, this hunting trip likely wouldn’t have received an invitation from her at all.
Because it simply didn’t match her status—Nanzhao’s invitation had come from the sovereign himself, which was, of course, difficult to decline. But this particular hunting invitation had come from the beastfolk’s young master. Though the Second Beast Young Master held no small standing in Nanzhao, he certainly didn’t carry enough weight to invite someone of imperial rank.
The Empress of Eastern Qin’s arrival left Ziqing utterly unable to relax her guard.
“Your Majesty rides magnificently!” the Second Beast Young Master immediately exclaimed, giving an enthusiastic thumbs-up. The Empress of Eastern Qin rose to her feet on the carriage, laughing brightly. “Hunting is a sacred pursuit. Our great Eastern Qin’s ancestors rose from hunters, carving out an entire empire through it. Now that we’ve reached the hunting grounds, let’s all set aside our restraint and reserve, and enjoy ourselves thoroughly—what do you say?”
Such words, such a tone—nothing at all like a woman in her forties or fifties. Her expression, her every movement, brimmed with youthful enthusiasm.
Ziqing watched, and though wary, couldn’t help but feel a flicker of admiration. This was how a person ought to live—no matter their age, always keeping a young heart alive within.
The Empress of Eastern Qin’s display, unsurprisingly, won over the Second Beast Young Master completely. Delighted, he quickly agreed. “Indeed! Since everyone’s here, let’s have a proper, thrilling hunt! Haha, Your Majesty, I’ll team up with you!”
At this, a flicker of suspicion crossed Ziqing’s eyes, and she teased, “Second Young Master, surely this hunting ground isn’t full of tamed beasts, is it? Teaming up with you would hardly be fair play then, wouldn’t it?”
“Absolutely not! This young master took over this hunting ground at thirteen—a stretch of grassland, three mountains, a river—every creature here, large or small, is entirely wild. None of them have ever been domesticated!”
The Second Beast Young Master, quite indignant, quickly added, “Princess Consort of Prince Yao, thinking that way is an insult to the very word ‘hunting.’ Here in the beastfolk’s territory, we don’t just refuse to hunt tamed beasts—hunting here has special requirements too!”
At this, everyone grew curious at once. Hunting was hunting, after all—usually just teams or individual competitions, based on the size and strength of the prey. What special requirements could there possibly be?
This hunt was really nothing more than a small gathering organized by the Second Beast Young Master. Most everyone had come for the beastfolk hunting grounds themselves, rather than any real interest in the hunt.
Ziqing’s mind wasn’t on the hunt either—it was on Yelu Qianqian and Situ Haonan. Over these two full days, she simply hoped Qianqian could find some happiness.
That earlier remark had clearly been Ziqing testing the Second Beast Young Master—she wasn’t someone who trusted others easily. After several rounds of careful observation, combined with what that maidservant beside the Prince of Nanzhao had said in the royal garden, and what she’d later gathered from asking Lord Bomiluo, plus Jun Beiyue’s own assessment that the Second Beast Young Master was eccentric but fundamentally simple-hearted and good at his core—
Ziqing had come to trust this now, at least enough that she only needed to keep watch on the Empress of Eastern Qin, without needing to worry about the Second Beast Young Master.
Seeing everyone’s curiosity, the Second Beast Young Master looked rather pleased with himself, smiling as he explained, “The beastfolk’s hunting rules—no, this young master’s own rule for this hunting ground—goes like this: ‘Wound without killing, hunt without harming.'”
At these words, those unfamiliar with the rule began murmuring among themselves. Wounding without killing meant injuring the prey without taking its life—a mark of real skill. And hunting without harming meant capturing the prey without inflicting a single scratch upon it—not just skill, but something that could truly be called mastery.
Unsurprisingly, everyone found this rule both agreeable and admirable.
“Heh, excellent, this king likes it! Second Young Master, I look forward to teaming up with you!” the Empress of Eastern Qin said with a smile, then, unexpectedly, turned to Yelu Qianqian. “Princess Qianqian, why don’t you join our team too?”
Yelu Qianqian froze for a moment, then declined at once. “No, I want to team up with Situ Haonan!”
The Empress of Eastern Qin remained generous. “Then Master Situ can join our team as well—four of us together, how about that? Let’s have a little competition to see who captures the most game alive!”
Hearing this, Ziqing couldn’t help a cold, inward sneer. Anyone with sense knew that Situ Haonan was Jun Beiyue’s childhood friend, raised alongside him since youth—and yet here the Empress was, so casually and confidently trying to claim him for her own team!
Truly worthy of being an empress—even facing the many suspicious, puzzled glances around her, she maintained her smile with perfect composure.
Situ Haonan was just about to speak when, to everyone’s surprise, Yelu Qianqian suddenly said, “I want to team up with Ziqing too!”
If Ziqing was the sort of person who could silence an entire room with a single sentence, then Yelu Qianqian was the sort who could leave an entire room stunned with hers.
Everyone under heaven knew relations between Eastern Qin and Da Zhou were strained—the two nations had at least maintained a surface-level cordiality in the past, but ever since the agreement between Da Zhou and Western Chu had come to light, Eastern Qin and Da Zhou had become outright adversaries.
Ziqing suppressed a laugh inwardly, genuinely curious to see just how much longer the Empress of Eastern Qin could keep up this generous facade.
Sure enough, the Empress of Eastern Qin’s expression turned somewhat strained, though she still forced a smile. “This king isn’t sure what arrangements the Second Young Master had in mind—the host hasn’t even spoken yet, and here I am being presumptuous already, heh.”
“I don’t care, I want to team up with Situ Haonan!” Yelu Qianqian declared at once, paying no mind at all to the strange looks from the normally low-key Western Liang minister nearby.
But at that very same moment, Situ Haonan spoke up urgently. “I want to team up with the Princess Consort of Prince Yao!”