“Soon, soon,” but there was still no answer.

Xiao Yu peered past the firelight, the Imperial Guards, and the layers of people to see the Crown Prince sitting among them—

It had been a long time since he had played with his father.

He was truly overjoyed when his father brought him along for this hunt.

He had imagined many things: riding horses with his father, drawing bows and shooting arrows together, chasing prey in the forest, sleeping on the ground, gazing at the stars in the sky—

But in reality, none of that happened.

He could only catch a glimpse of his father from afar, while his father didn’t even have time to look at him once.

“—Young Master, what are you holding?” Eunuch Zhu, catching Eunuch Qi’s subtle hint, smiled and looked at the bamboo tube in the young master’s arms. “Is it a gift for the Crown Prince?”

Xiao Yu stepped back, clutching the bamboo tube tightly to his chest, and shook his head: “No, it’s my toy.”

Then he turned and walked away.

Eunuch Zhu looked at Eunuch Qi in surprise. Eunuch Qi gave him a helpless look, then turned to follow Xiao Yu.

Children are always like this, moody and changeable. Eunuch Zhu didn’t mind and hurried back to attend to the Crown Prince—with this delay, those little brats would seize the opportunity to take his place.

Xiao Yu rushed into the luxurious tent, holding the bamboo tube.

The heavy curtains fell, shutting out the noise. Inside the elegantly furnished tent, a faint fragrance permeated the air, with only a few women present.

The Crown Prince Consort, sitting in the center, was bent over some needlework, though her needle and thread had been still for quite some time. The palace maids beside her stood quietly as if they hadn’t noticed.

The tent resembled a painting—beautiful, frozen.

Xiao Yu’s entrance shattered this image.

“Yuér,” the Crown Prince Consort quickly extended her arms, her face lit with a smile under the lamplight.

Xiao Yu ran over with the bamboo tube, about to throw himself into his mother’s embrace, when the palace maid beside her hurriedly reminded, “Be careful.”

Only then did the Crown Prince Consort realize she was still holding her needle and thread, nearly pricking Xiao Yu. She hurriedly put them down with a smile: “I’m making a pair of socks for you.”

As Crown Prince Consort, she didn’t need to do needlework, but she had always been accustomed to making intimate garments for the Crown Prince and their son.

In truth, his mother had nothing to do except needlework. Even as a child, Xiao Yu could deduce this conclusion. His father had married his mother and made her Crown Prince Consort, but showed little passion for her. His father preferred to be with riding and archery officials and other women in the Eastern Palace. Those women could drink, sing, dance, and make merry without restraint—his mother’s status made such behavior inappropriate for her.

His mother was like a piece of furniture in the Eastern Palace, expected only to sit quietly.

But after all, his mother was a person.

That’s why when his Imperial Grandfather asked him to live and study in the palace, he didn’t want to go.

“I want to stay with Mother,” he said.

But his mother both laughed and scolded: “What would you do keeping me company? You’re the Imperial Eldest Grandson. You need to study. If you must keep someone company, it should be His Majesty.”

His mother stroked his head, gentle yet expectant.

“Yuér, all of mother’s glory rests on you now.”

The small child somewhat understood—his mother didn’t need his companionship, only the glory he could bring.

“What’s this?” the Crown Prince Consort curiously asked, looking at the bamboo tube her son was hugging.

Xiao Yu quickly hid the tube behind his back: “It’s a treasure I found.”

The Crown Prince Consort smiled but didn’t press to see it. With so many eunuchs and guards following her son, there couldn’t be any problems with what he ate, used, or played with.

“You’ve been running around all day. Happy?” the Crown Prince Consort asked with a smile, looking at her son’s flushed face, his hair and clothes covered with dust and leaves.

It was a completely different state from being in the palace.

Though he couldn’t be as passionate about martial arts as the Crown Prince, he still needed to learn horseback riding and archery to strengthen his body.

“This hunt, you should catch some game to take back to your Imperial Grandfather,” the Crown Prince Consort said. “When your uncle was your age, he not only excelled in his studies, but his horseback riding and archery were also—”

Usually, Xiao Yu enjoyed hearing about his uncle, but today, just as the Crown Prince Consort began, Xiao Yu yawned: “Mother, I’m tired.”

The Crown Prince Consort quickly stopped and stroked her son’s face: “You’re exhausted from running around all day.” She raised her head to call, “Quickly attend to Yuér’s washing up and let him sleep.”

The palace maids and Eunuch Qi promptly responded.

Xiao Yu rose, not forgetting his bamboo tube, and followed the palace maid and Eunuch Qi toward the exit. In the end, he couldn’t resist turning back to ask: “Mother, will Uncle come to see me tomorrow?”

Seeing the anticipation in her son’s eyes, the Crown Prince Consort felt guilty and nodded firmly: “He will, he definitely will. Today, on your father’s orders, he went to your Third Imperial Uncle’s literary gathering. He’ll be able to come tomorrow. There’s no way around it—you know your uncle is widely renowned for his talent, so he had to attend the literary gathering. But he’s proficient in both civil and military arts, so tomorrow he must come to your father’s hunt to show his skills.”

She smiled again and winked at her son.

“He has prepared a gift for you—a bow he made himself. He even asked me to keep it secret to surprise you. I’ve told you now, so when the time comes, pretend you don’t know, alright?”

Xiao Yu’s eyes filled with joy as he nodded happily: “I will, Mother, don’t worry. I definitely won’t let Uncle know!”

The child turned and skipped away jubilantly.

Watching her son leave, the Crown Prince Consort’s smile faded. She called a palace maid: “Go, have someone see Yanfang immediately and tell him he must come tomorrow no matter what. Tell him I’ve already promised Yuér a gift on his behalf.”

The palace maid acknowledged and left.

Night had fallen on the capital, and the city gates were closed, but this meant nothing to the Crown Prince’s people.

Two Imperial Guards escorting two eunuchs quickly arrived at the city gate from the distant hunting grounds.

The city gate was brightly lit in the night, and patrolling soldiers could be seen walking above.

As soon as they appeared beneath the gate, the guards on duty noticed them.

“Open the gate,” the lead eunuch shouted before the city gate guards could inquire.

“Eastern Palace attendants.”

After shouting this, the eunuch no longer addressed the city gate guards but turned to speak to the eunuch beside him: “After meeting the Third Young Master, just stay behind. Tomorrow, go together—”

The other eunuch nodded, then couldn’t help but glance at the city gate. As was customary, upon hearing the words “Eastern Palace attendants,” the city gate would immediately open, and the gate officials would respectfully welcome them—

But the gate—

His gaze went to the massive, heavy city gate, which remained tightly shut without the slightest movement. What was happening? Had they not heard? He looked up, about to call out again, when he saw a group of soldiers appear with bows and crossbows in their hands—

In the moment when his gaze met the weapons, a buzzing sound cut through the night as cold gleams flew toward them.

The two Imperial Guards and two eunuchs beneath the city gate didn’t have time to react. With a miserable cry, they fell from their horses. The next moment, more arrows rained down.

……

……

Behind the high, deep city walls, in the Xie family residence, Third Young Master Xie suddenly opened his eyes from his sleep.

Shadows moved outside his curtains, with voices speaking urgently in low tones.

“Young Master, something seems wrong.”