While several people were talking, they heard the long announcement of eunuchs from that direction—the emperor had arrived. Everyone involuntarily turned their heads to see the imperial palanquin. The emperor arrived fashionably late with several women in elaborate dress. Looking closer, those women in elaborate dress were the three currently favored concubines in the palace: Wang Lian’er, Mu Xirou, and Jiang Dan.
Seeing this, Zhao Jin forgot the awkwardness of Jiang Xinzhi’s presence and said to Jiang Ruan: “Sister Ruan, that fourth sister of yours certainly looks well-favored now.”
Jiang Ruan smiled without speaking. Jiang Dan had always desperately grasped at everything to climb upward—having expended such great effort, naturally she would be favored. Her gaze fell on the small figure beside the emperor, and she couldn’t help smiling. Xuan Pei had come too.
After the emperor arrived, the surroundings quieted down. Today’s attendees were all young noble children and noble ladies. Hunting was inherently a young person’s activity, primarily to seek good fortune. Each year, whoever hunted the most would win the prize, and the emperor would grant them one wish. In previous years, Guan Lianghan and Xuan Li had always competed for the hunting prize. Xiao Shao had never cared much for such things. Guan Lianghan was a military general with superb archery skills, and Xuan Li was not to be outdone. Both had grown up on Jia Nan Mountain and had been skilled in riding and archery since childhood, making hunting second nature to them. But this year, with Jiang Xinzhi’s participation, the outcome became even more unpredictable.
Everyone was extremely interested in Jiang Xinzhi, this newly risen god of war and young general. They all wanted to see him achieve great results, with the ladies being especially enthusiastic. Guan Lianghan was too crude, and though Xuan Li was gentle, his status was too lofty to aspire to. Only Jiang Xinzhi was both a court noble and not so unattainable as to be beyond hope. He himself was also refined and handsome, lacking the crudeness of military men while possessing the resolve that only those who had been on battlefields could have—truly outstanding.
The emperor also noticed everyone’s restraint, so he smiled and said a few words, roughly meaning they needn’t be bound by formalities. Today, regardless of whether they were men or women among those present, as long as they entered this hunting ground, there would be no distinction of noble or lowly—everyone was friends. They would gather here tomorrow afternoon, and whoever had the most prey would be the victor.
Though he said this, the emperor’s words weren’t entirely accurate. The men naturally competed for pride, while the women thought only of the hunters. And the claim that everyone was friends was even more unfounded—every hunting expedition involved open and covert struggles, with many bloodless conflicts arising from this very activity.
But everyone maintained harmonious appearances. Zhao Jin spoke up: “Why don’t we form groups and go hunting together?”
Lin Zixiang waved her hand: “Forget it. I don’t know anything about hunting—you’re from a military family, but I’m not. In these deep mountains and old forests, that fool Xia Qing said snow makes it easy to encounter bears. I don’t know any martial arts and fear being eaten. I’ll stay in camp with those delicate young ladies while you all go.” She never bothered to even pretend. Knowing she couldn’t persuade her, Zhao Jin turned to Wen Feifei, who quickly shook her head: “That won’t do. My husband forbids me from such strenuous activities. Besides, I gave birth not long ago, so it’s really inconvenient.”
“Sister Ruan, surely you can come with me.” Zhao Jin looked at her hopefully. The annual hunt was extremely rare, and Zhao Jin treasured this opportunity. Previously Wen Feifei had accompanied her, but after Wen Feifei married and became pregnant, that was no longer possible. Now she couldn’t go alone, and she couldn’t get along with those delicate young ladies who were incompatible with her. Having to obediently stay in camp would be too disappointing for Zhao Jin, so she pinned all her hopes on Jiang Ruan.
Jiang Ruan smiled slightly: “I’m sorry, Sister Zhao. I already promised Xiao Shao I would accompany him today.”
Zhao Jin frowned. Since the young couple wanted to spend time together, she couldn’t very well suggest joining them—one couldn’t be so tactless. But her two brothers hadn’t come today either, and for a woman to enter the forest alone would be too dangerous. Seeing her predicament, Jiang Xinzhi’s face darkened.
“Though I can’t go, my big brother can,” Jiang Ruan smiled. “He’s a man and can surely protect you somewhat. Sister Zhao, why don’t you go with my big brother? You’ll have someone to look after you on the road, and perhaps you can even help each other hunt.”
Zhao Jin was frowning worriedly when she heard this and couldn’t help being startled, quickly waving her hands: “No, no… thank you for your kind intention, Sister Ruan, but I suddenly don’t want to go anymore. Staying in camp to chat idly with Zixiang wouldn’t be bad either.”
Jiang Xinzhi’s face grew even darker, and he said stiffly: “The imperial hunt happens once a year—wasting it would be improper. You’ll partner with me. That’s settled. I’ll go get horses.” With that, he turned and left. Zhao Jin was stunned and hurried after him: “But… I don’t want to go… Hey, General Jiang, I already said I don’t want to go… Jiang Xinzhi, wait…”
“Zhao Jin, that fool,” Lin Zixiang commented. “Truly all brawn and no brains.”
…
The hunt officially began. Everyone could form their own groups or act independently. Though called hunting, it was really just a diversion for noble children. Jiang Ruan walked over to stand with Xiao Shao. Xiao Shao selected a small date-red horse for her and chose a pure black steed for himself. The two horses stood side by side when Yao Niannian happened to pass by with her maid.
They apparently weren’t planning to enter the forest to hunt, so they hadn’t chosen horses. They were carrying a qin as they walked past. When passing by Xiao Shao and Jiang Ruan, Yao Niannian stopped and smiled slightly at them both as a greeting.
Jiang Ruan naturally returned the smile, but Xiao Shao remained expressionless. After Yao Niannian passed, Jiang Ruan glanced sideways at Xiao Shao: “Little cabbage, someone else wants to steal you.”
Xiao Shao was slightly stunned, seeming to finally understand what Jiang Ruan meant, and looked at her helplessly without speaking. Seeing his silence, Jiang Ruan rolled her eyes at him and mounted her horse with fluid movements that were quite eye-catching. For instance, Young Master Gu Yi in the distance was staring straight in this direction. Jiang Ruan didn’t notice his gaze and simply tightened the reins. Xiao Shao immediately mounted his horse as well, riding alongside her as his voice drifted lightly to Jiang Ruan’s ears: “Only for you to steal.”
Jiang Ruan: “…Who wants to steal you?”
Xiao Shao couldn’t help laughing, putting on an air of being available for picking: “You.”
Once this person became shameless, he was truly impossible to handle. Jiang Ruan was speechless, tightened the reins, and her horse galloped toward the forest.
…
Every year at this time, everyone engaged in open and covert struggles merely to win a prize. Rather than calling it a prize, it was more a means for the princes to display their abilities. Xuan Hua and Xuan Li had been competing for many years, but now with the changing political situation at court, somehow Xuan Pei had been added to the mix. Though Xuan Pei was young, probably just for fun, he brought a group of guards carrying bows and arrows into the deep forest.
Jiang Ruan was somewhat worried, but Xiao Shao said he had already arranged for people to follow him closely, so nothing would happen. Time passed quickly. Xiao Shao seemed to truly be just hunting—his aim was excellent. Rather than pursuing quantity, he specialized in rare and unusual beasts, ultimately catching a blue-eyed fox-wolf cub for Jiang Ruan. Since it was caught alive, the fox-wolf cub was quite robust and bit Jiang Ruan when she held it. Xiao Shao, being vindictive, grabbed it by the scruff and tossed it into a bag.
Unknowingly, the sky was beginning to darken. They could camp in the forest. Jiang Ruan was about to suggest finding a place to set up their tent when they heard alarmed shouts from the dense forest ahead.
Jiang Ruan and Xiao Shao exchanged glances. Xiao Shao spurred his horse toward that direction, and Jiang Ruan, sensing something wrong, followed. When they arrived, they saw in the deep forest an enormous white tiger with hanging eyes, ferociously sharpening its claws while eyeing several people, growling low. Before the white tiger stood a group including Xuan Pei and his guards.
Though these many people were highly skilled in martial arts, they might not necessarily be able to handle this white tiger, especially since they were deep in the mountains during the snowy season around New Year. Such fierce beasts would become extremely vicious when starving. But this hunting ground should have been cleared beforehand—such fierce beasts shouldn’t appear. How they came to be here was truly worth pondering.
However, there was no time for deep thought now. The guards protected Xuan Pei, wanting him to escape first, but the white tiger seemed to have targeted Xuan Pei specifically, leaping over the guards to pounce straight at him. Though Xuan Pei had a bow and arrows, he ultimately lacked strength. The arrow he shot only grazed the white tiger before falling to the ground.
Before Jiang Ruan could worry, Xiao Shao had already drawn an arrow from behind. He nocked, aimed, and shot in one breath. The white tiger was pouncing straight forward, showing its bloody maw to Xuan Pei, when Xiao Shao’s arrow came whistling with wind sound, piercing the tiger’s mouth with a thud. Blood immediately splattered.
One shot to the throat—Xiao Shao’s arrows were all forged with special craftsmanship, each arrowhead densely covered with small teeth, making them much more powerful than ordinary arrows. With Xiao Shao’s shot, the white tiger was directly flipped to the ground by the arrow. The guards were stunned, then swarmed forward to subdue the tiger.
Only then did Xuan Pei turn around, seeing Jiang Ruan and the others: “Prince Xiao.”
Jiang Ruan immediately dismounted, not caring that guards were present, and stepped forward to ask: “Is Your Thirteenth Highness injured?”
Xuan Pei shook his head, glanced at Xiao Shao, and curved his lips: “Today I must thank Prince Xiao for your assistance. Speaking of which, Prince Xiao’s archery is truly superb. I think this hunting prize belongs to Prince Xiao. Just this white tiger alone—once we strip its hide for Prince Xiao, it should be quite precious.”
Jiang Ruan had no mind for such matters, only frowning: “How could there be tigers in the hunting ground?”
“Not just tigers,” Xuan Pei looked at Jiang Ruan with a half-smile: “There are many wolves too. Just now I seemed to hear some commotion ahead, including wolf howls. This hunting ground is quite unsafe now, with exotic beasts truly eye-opening.”
A perfectly good hunting ground had suddenly become a slaughter field. Tonight they were fortunate to encounter Xuan Pei, but elsewhere, as Xuan Pei said, there were probably other such fierce beasts attacking people. Some of the young masters who came here just for fun would have no other recourse besides relying on guards when facing such scenes. Throughout the hunting ground’s various corners, blood was probably already spattering.
Whoever had orchestrated all this chaos—what was their ultimate purpose? Jiang Ruan knew who that person was, but she gained new understanding of their willingness to make such a large investment with such ruthless methods. To harm one specific person, they directly endangered the lives of so many court nobles’ children. Fortunately Xuan Pei was safe. She was still somewhat concerned and said: “Your Thirteenth Highness, the deep forest is full of fierce beasts. It’s too late to return to camp now. Perhaps Your Highness could travel with my husband and me tonight for mutual support.”
Xuan Pei was stunned, seeming to want to refuse, but after thinking it over, he smiled: “Then I would be ungracious to refuse.”
Xiao Shao turned to instruct the accompanying Jin Er, Jin San, and Jin Si: “You three go check ahead.”
The three received orders and left. Only then did Xiao Shao turn back: “Let’s find a place to camp first. Follow me.”
…
Just as everyone had suspected, the hunting ground was currently in complete chaos. Gu Yi was being chased by a pack of wolves, each wolf starving as if they’d been confined in traps for days before being released, their eyes glowing green. The lead wolf was enormous and extremely vicious. The guards he’d brought had all had their throats bitten. He rode his horse with his heart pounding rapidly.
Gu Yi wasn’t attending the hunting ground for the first time. As the son of the General’s residence, he participated every year. He knew about hunting ground matters, but encountering such vicious beasts was a first. Something had gone wrong somewhere, but now he was alone. Gu Yi had no options left.
Then suddenly, the lead wolf behind him leaped forward and bit his horse’s tail. The horse screamed and immediately stumbled sideways, throwing Gu Yi to the ground. He rolled in the snow, terrified, thinking he would surely die here today. But the next moment, he suddenly felt someone grab his hand, and a laughing voice reached his ears: “Little brother, are you just giving up and waiting for death?”
Gu Yi was startled and saw on horseback a woman in riding attire smiling teasingly at him, her extended hand slender yet seemingly containing infinite strength. The will to survive was truly strong. Before Gu Yi could speak, he used his strength and was pulled onto the horse by the woman. Only then could he see clearly—this was the woman he’d briefly encountered at Jiang Ruan and Xiao Shao’s wedding. The woman felt his whole body shivering and seemed to laugh: “Young Master Gu, don’t be afraid. They’re just a few mangy beasts.” As soon as she finished speaking, several hidden weapons suddenly flew from her sleeve. They moved too fast for Gu Yi to see clearly—he only saw the lead wolf suddenly howl in pain, its relentless pursuit immediately slowing as it rolled in the snow and then lay still.
“What was that?” Gu Yi couldn’t help exclaiming. This woman was far too formidable. Just now he’d been cornered by this wolf pack, but this woman had solved the lead wolf with one move—it was rather terrifying. His heart was full of suspicion. He’d never heard of any noble daughter having such skills, and her courage was impressive too.
His astonished expression was quite obvious, making Jin San laugh: “Your posture just now was quite cute, especially when you fell off your horse—like a club.”
Gu Yi: “…”
…
Unlike Gu Yi’s leisurely situation, Jiang Xinzhi and Zhao Jin were facing much more dangerous circumstances. A black bear stood tall, its massive, imposing form like a small mountain, with drool dripping from its ugly gaping mouth.
Zhao Jin could no longer care about maintaining distance from Jiang Xinzhi. In her panic, all her previous resolve crumbled: “Hey, what do we do now? This bear looks hard to handle. Let’s run first.”
“You can’t outrun it. Unless you climb a tree, but the trees here are all thin. If you climb up, it’ll break the branches, and you’ll still end up as its meal,” Jiang Xinzhi calmly explained to Zhao Jin.
Hearing this, Zhao Jin became frantic: “Then what do we do? You’re out of arrows, and I dropped mine while running. We have no weapons—are we supposed to sit here and wait to die? How about I stay behind and you run first? You’re a general after all—you can’t be eaten by a bear.”
Hearing this, Jiang Xinzhi’s gaze flickered as he looked at her: “I should run first?”
“Yes, better one person dies than two. My family still has two brothers, but if you die, Sister Ruan will be alone. You should go first. If you’re lucky enough to find someone to rescue me, that would be my fortune.”
Jiang Xinzhi interrupted her: “Since that night, you’ve deliberately avoided seeing me. Don’t you dislike me greatly? Why do you want to save me now?”
“I… I don’t dislike you,” Zhao Jin said somewhat annoyed. A few days ago, she’d gotten drunk at night and secretly ran out despite her family’s ignorance, encountering Jiang Xinzhi outside the General’s residence. When Jiang Xinzhi pulled her aside, somehow Zhao Jin’s head grew hot, and borrowing the excuse of drunkenness, she completely confessed her admiration for Jiang Xinzhi. After sobering up, she was naturally embarrassed and ashamed, feeling too mortified to face Jiang Xinzhi again, so she simply hid. She hadn’t expected that today at the hunting ground, Jiang Xinzhi would actively invite her along. Now facing such desperate straits, Zhao Jin truly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Was this what Lin Zixiang meant by “born from the same mother, die in the same nest”?
“With a black bear in front of us, let’s think about what to do now,” Zhao Jin looked away. That black bear’s massive body was truly heart-trembling. No matter how bold she was, she was still just a girl and would naturally be somewhat afraid. Now about to die at a black bear’s mouth—thinking about it was terrifying.
Jiang Xinzhi’s lips seemed to curve slightly. Looking at Zhao Jin, he suddenly asked: “Zhao Jin, do you like me?”
Caught off guard by his question, Zhao Jin instinctively nodded: “You’re really long-winded. If I didn’t like you, why would I die for you?”