The next day was the Grand Hunting Festival hosted by the Great Xia royal family.
Those qualified to participate in the Great Xia hunt included the royal nobility, princes and ministers, the ministers’ family members and relatives, and emissaries from neighboring territories paying homage. As such, the scene was magnificent. Unlike autumn hunts, the spring hunting grounds were covered in white snow with vast pine forests. Heirs from every household attended in splendid attire, wearing brocade clothes and fur coats, with bows and crossbows on their backs, displaying extraordinary valor.
Unlike the Song and Tang dynasties, the Great Xia had an open culture. Looking around, one could see young women with rosy cheeks galloping on horseback. Therefore, Chu Qiao following beside Yan Xun did not appear particularly out of place.
“A Chu,” Yan Xun turned his head to look at Chu Qiao’s flushed face and asked, “Are you cold?”
“No,” Chu Qiao raised her head and said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve woken up this early. The air is so fresh.”
Yan Xun smiled and was about to speak when suddenly a group of riders quickly approached. Mu Hexifeng, wearing a long sable coat, appeared handsome and distinguished, attracting many glances along the way.
“Young Master Yan, it’s been a long time. Have you been well?”
Yan Xun turned his head, narrowed his eyes slightly, looked Mu Hexifeng up and down, and then smiled faintly, “Master Mu has been commanding troops abroad for years. Indeed, we haven’t seen each other for a long time.”
“Yes,” Mu Hexifeng’s lips curled into a slight smile, “There have been small civil disturbances in the north recently. Young Master Yan is fortunate to be able to enjoy leisure in the capital, unlike me, born to toil.”
Yan Xun’s smile remained unchanged as he nodded and said, “The capable bear more burdens. Everything is for the revival of Great Xia. Master Mu’s deeds are witnessed by all the common people in the world.”
Mu Hexifeng laughed heartily, “Then I’ll take your good wishes.”
As he finished speaking, he turned his horse around. When passing by Chu Qiao, he stopped to take another look and said with a strange smile, “This young lady looks familiar.”
Chu Qiao respectfully returned the greeting, “Young Master Mu must have mistaken me for someone else. Humble Chu Qiao has never had the fortune to see your golden face before.”
“Outstanding among people, Chu Qiao—a good name.”
Mu Hexifeng smiled, turned around with a shout, and quickly departed.
Just then, drumbeats suddenly sounded urgent, seven long and seven short, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. In the distance, the Xia King and Mu Henayun, surrounded by a group of guards, slowly ascended the high platform. Over ten thousand imperial guards stood on both sides, separating the emperor from the surrounding people. Under the heavy golden curtain, one could not see the Xia King’s features at all, only feeling the cold aura slowly spreading from behind the curtain.
The entire field fell silent, and everyone shouted in unison, “Long live our King,” kneeling and bowing their heads properly.
The hunting procession, stretching over thirty li, shouted in unison, creating an impressive spectacle. The much-anticipated Great Xia hunt finally slowly began.
Looking into the distance, flags rose like the sea along the Chishui River banks, with numerous figures. Chu Qiao stood beside Yan Xun, gazing at the tens of li of encampments arranged in military formation below, her eyes narrowing slightly.
The military might of Great Xia was indeed extraordinary. Even though today was just a royal hunt, such a grand formation was deployed. One could imagine how magnificent and powerful it would be in actual battle.
With the royal tent at the center, the Xia people had arranged the most aggressive encirclement formation for plains warfare. The Imperial Guards, Green Army, Brave Cavalry Camp, and Capital Cavalry were arranged in north-south-east-west directions, connecting head to tail. Two wing camps were set up on high platforms on slopes, forming square formations to protect the central tent.
The city defense armies from east, south, west, and north formed snake formations, guarding the outer perimeter of the central army. Communication soldiers were placed every thirty steps, and a hundred soldiers were stationed every hundred steps for defense. At the four corners outside the camp, thousands of field army soldiers stood guard, making the defense impenetrable.
A gust of wind blew, horses neighed, and battle flags waved. Yan Xun gazed into the distance, his expression unchanged, and said in a low voice, “A Chu, go back and rest for a while.”
Chu Qiao turned her head to look at Yan Xun’s face, immediately understanding in her heart. She nodded and said solemnly, “Be careful.”
Yan Xun turned his head, smiled faintly, and said, “This is a rare opportunity, once in a thousand years. The Chu, wait for my good news.”
Throughout the entire afternoon, the atmosphere in Yan Xun’s camp remained tense. Chu Qiao presided over the main camp, wearing a black long robe. At first glance, people might mistake her for Yan Xun sitting in the main tent.
She drew the final stroke on the map, raised her head, and said in a deep voice, “Remember to be extremely cautious and not reveal anything.”
Everyone nodded resoundingly, “Miss Chu, rest assured!”
That afternoon, Mu Hexifeng, the most outstanding young member of the Mu He family, disappeared in the dense northwestern forest. The entire Mu He clan mobilized a large force to search for him but found no trace. Mu Hexifeng was the nephew of Mu Henayun. The Great Xia Queen Mother wanted to privately deploy the Brave Cavalry to search for him, but Zhao Che, who currently commanded the Brave Cavalry, rightfully refused. Mother and son parted on bad terms, but at this moment, Zhao Che had no idea that today’s action would bring him great calamity in the future.
Except for the Mu He clan, all the other great families and royal relatives were immersed in the festive atmosphere of the hunt. Secretly gloating under their misfortune, no one had any sympathy for this matter. Mu Hexifeng had been stationed at the border for years, was arrogant and overbearing, cold and cruel, and had long been unpopular. Moreover, everyone believed that he had merely lost his way in the forest—after all, no one would harm an imperial dignitary under such tight security.
Of course, this was just their thinking.
At this moment, in a hidden cave in the northwestern forest, Yan Xun looked at Mu Hexifeng, covered in wounds and dripping with blood, his lips curling into a cold smile as he said in a low voice, “Master Mu, are you alright?”
Mu Hexifeng suddenly raised his head, his eyes like those of a fierce wolf. He stared at Yan Xun sharply and said coldly, word by word, “Yan Xun, what you bestow today, I will repay in full someday. There will come a day when I make you regret being born into this world.”
Yan Xun smiled slightly, his smile faint, with a hint of mocking amusement.
Mu Hexifeng gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse like a drake, his eyes gleaming with madness, and said in a deep voice, “You just wait. I won’t let you off. I’ve already slept with your sister, and in the future, your woman will also be under me.”
“Yan Bei is already gone. Your family was beheaded like dogs, leaving only you, a weak and incompetent bastard, barely clinging to life. Do you dare kill me? You don’t. If I die, the entire hunting ceremony will be interrupted, and everyone will begin investigating. Our Mu He clan won’t let you go. You won’t even survive these last few months. Don’t you like that little female slave? By then, you can only take her to the netherworld to reunite with your family. You can only…”
Before the venomous words were finished, Mu Hexifeng’s pupils suddenly dilated, and a line of blood shot up, sliding down his pale neck.
Yan Xun’s gaze contemptuously swept over Mu Hexifeng’s terrified face and said disdainfully, “Still boasting even as a prisoner. You fool!”
With a thud, Mu Hexifeng’s body suddenly fell. Yan Xun wiped the blood from his dagger on Mu Hexifeng’s clothes and said to a servant nearby, “A Jing, feed him to the tigers. Leave clues to lure the Mu He family here.”
“Miss has made preparations to frame Zhao Che and Wei Shuyou. Shall we proceed?”
Yan Xun nodded, walked out of the cave, mounted his horse, and said, “Do as she says.” Having spoken, he turned and rode back to the camp.
“Miss,” Jia He entered the tent and said in a resonant tone, “The Young Master has returned.”
Chu Qiao nodded, “Have the subsequent matters been handled properly?”
“Everything has been done according to Miss’s instructions. There will be no errors.”
“Good,” Chu Qiao nodded and said, “You all go and rest.”
“Yes.”
The tent curtain was suddenly lifted, and Yan Xun, with his head covered in snow, walked in. Chu Qiao stepped forward to brush the accumulated snow from his hood, asking as she did so, “Did everything go smoothly?”
“It was fine,” Yan Xun took off his outer robe and sat by the fire to warm himself. “Tomorrow morning, there will likely be chaos.”
“So what?” Chu Qiao shook her head. “In this world, there is a type of person whose death would make it impossible to determine who did it. Because he has done too many evil deeds and offended too many people. Not to mention whether we appear to be weak on the surface, but we haven’t done anything in the seven years we’ve been in the capital, so why take this risk during such a troubled time under such tight security? And Zhao Che and Wei Shuyou have just returned to the capital. Compared to the grudge between Zhao Che and him, the hatred between the Wei clan and the Mu He clan—saying it was us would be far-fetched.”
Yan Xun turned his face, smiled slightly, and said, “Did he bully you last night?”
Chu Qiao was stunned, shook her head, and smiled, “No, when have I ever been bullied?”
Yan Xun nodded, “That’s good.”
Outside the window, snow was falling heavily. Yan Xun picked up a yellowed piece of white paper and firmly erased Mu Hexifeng’s name. The blood debt of Yan Bei had one less person to account for.