The giant deer drew closer and closer!
Twenty zhang…
“Your Highness!” Old Fang’s eyes widened as he cowered behind the guards, shouting hoarsely, “Your Highness, come back quickly! Bai Qingyan will get Your Highness killed!”
The Crown Prince clenched his teeth, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Bai Qingyan remained motionless like a towering pine, her gaze steady, the cloth-wrapped arrowhead consistently aimed at the giant deer’s brow.
Fifteen zhang…
“Your Highness!” Old Fang was so frightened that his legs went weak. “Your Highness, run! Bai Qingyan, you’re going to kill His Highness!”
Sweat beaded on the Crown Prince’s forehead. The giant deer’s legs alone were as tall as a person, and those massive antlers were terrifying to behold.
Ten zhang…
Five zhang…
Four zhang…
The Crown Prince finally couldn’t withstand the enormous pressure bearing down on him and instinctively lifted his foot to step backward.
Bai Qingyan’s bow-drawing hand relaxed as she grabbed the Crown Prince’s wrist and pulled him back: “Your Highness!”
“Let go of me!” The Crown Prince’s eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the giant deer that was about to reach them. “Bai Qingyan, are you trying to kill me?!”
“Elder Sister!” Bai Jinzhi cried out in alarm.
At this critical moment, Bai Qingyan’s eyes darkened. She grasped the Crown Prince’s hand that clutched the sachet, practically dragging the Crown Prince forward two steps and raising his hand.
“Bai Qingyan! You’re trying to harm the Crown Prince! This is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations!” Old Fang shouted until his voice cracked.
“Crown Prince, trust me!” Bai Qingyan bit her teeth hard. She trusted her milk brother Xiao Ruojiang. If Xiao Ruojiang said it could be trained, then it definitely could be trained!
“Bai Qingyan!” The Crown Prince roared furiously. Seeing the giant deer only one zhang away, unable to break free from Bai Qingyan’s grip, he closed his eyes in despair.
Who would have known that the giant deer, catching the scent of the sachet in the Crown Prince’s hand, suddenly veered sharply to the left, avoiding both Bai Qingyan and the Crown Prince. The giant deer turned too sharply, its hooves slipped, and it tumbled to the ground, rolling straight toward the Jin soldiers holding their shields.
The Jin soldiers holding shields turned pale and retreated backward one after another.
The giant deer rolled several times before stopping. It propped itself up on its front hooves and stood, its breath forming thick white mist. It shook the fur on its body, frightening the Jin soldiers into crying out and retreating further. Some soldiers were so scared they fell to the ground, looking up at this suddenly appearing behemoth with hearts full of fear.
The white deer was divine in Jin and absolutely could not be killed. Moreover, this behemoth before them was larger than anything they had ever seen in their lives—who knew if it might be the Deer God himself.
The giant deer, having gotten up, seemed to have no intention of harming anyone. It shook its fur clean and turned around, walking with proud steps toward the Crown Prince and Bai Qingyan.
The Crown Prince’s face was deathly pale, barely able to stand steady even while leaning on Bai Qingyan.
“Your Highness…” Bai Qingyan supported the Crown Prince, “Are you alright?”
The Crown Prince bit his teeth tightly, his entire body trembling violently. Supported by Bai Qingyan, he took two steps forward.
Seeing the giant deer slowly approach them, the Crown Prince craned his neck upward… meeting the giant deer’s pair of bright, clear black eyes.
The giant deer sniffed the air and lowered its head. The Crown Prince hurriedly stepped back two paces.
“Your Highness!” Bai Qingyan gripped the Crown Prince’s wrist and pulled him back, raising his hand that clutched the sachet…
The Crown Prince resisted and tried to step back again, but was held firmly in place by Bai Qingyan: “Your Highness, your soldiers are all watching you!”
The Crown Prince’s throat worked as he looked toward the dragon-like formation of troops, seeing all the Jin army soldiers looking in this direction. He bit his teeth tightly to control his trembling.
The giant deer’s nose sniffed at the sachet in the Crown Prince’s hand, but didn’t do anything frightening.
Seeing this, Bai Qingyan relaxed her grip and prepared to step back. But as soon as she let go… the Crown Prince also quickly withdrew his hand and stepped back two paces with Bai Qingyan, staring fixedly at the enormous white deer before them.
Old Fang, whose heart had nearly jumped out of his throat, was the first to react. He quickly knelt and shouted: “Divine deer descends from heaven! It submits to our Jin Crown Prince! Our Great Jin’s imperial fortune prospers and will never decline! Great Jin for ten thousand years!”
Zhang Duanrui also hurriedly knelt: “Great Jin for ten thousand years!”
The Jin army soldiers all put down their weapons and shields, kneeling in worship.
“Great Jin for ten thousand years!”
“Great Jin for ten thousand years!”
“Great Jin for ten thousand years!”
Li Tianfu, sitting in her fragrant carriage, lifted the curtain to look toward the magnificent and expansive high slope of the mountain range…
The horizon was dyed into a spectacular and gorgeous tapestry of colors by the red sun. The setting sun’s brilliant golden afterglow illuminated the imposing mountain ranges and outlined the giant white deer with sacred, dazzling golden light, painting the silhouettes of Bai Qingyan and the Crown Prince standing before the white deer… with magnificent and awe-inspiring grandeur.
Li Zhijie, injured and sitting in his carriage, also lifted the curtain. His pair of rippling, narrow peach-blossom eyes stared fixedly at Bai Qingyan, whose cloak was fluttering in the wind. He noted how her expression remained calm and clear, her posture upright—completely different from the Jin Crown Prince who was covered in sweat with a pale complexion. Li Zhijie’s lips curved upward…
Jin’s divine deer? Heh… interesting!
However, he wondered whether taming this divine deer… should be credited to the Crown Prince or to Bai Qingyan!
“Divine deer descends from heaven. If Your Highness can present the divine deer to His Majesty on His Majesty’s birthday, His Majesty will surely be very pleased.”
Bai Qingyan’s calm voice reached him, and the Crown Prince, still in shock, finally came back to his senses.
A cool breeze brushed against his face, and the Crown Prince, drenched in cold sweat, suddenly shivered. He gripped the sachet in his hand tightly, realizing that in Feng County, he had misunderstood Bai Qingyan. He had thought Bai Qingyan wanted to use him to catch someone, but it turned out… she wanted Jin’s divine deer to show submission to him, to consolidate his position as Crown Prince.
But why hadn’t Bai Qingyan told him?
[The Crown Prince fears His Majesty deeply. Telling the Crown Prince… would instead ruin everything.]
The Crown Prince’s palm tightened.
At the time, hearing these words had only made the Crown Prince extremely angry, thinking Bai Qingyan was treating him like a chess piece.
But now, calming down to think carefully, although Bai Qingyan’s words weren’t pleasant to hear, they weren’t wrong…
Even though he was unwilling to admit it, he indeed feared Father Emperor deeply. He wasn’t the legitimate heir, and from childhood, even one look from Father Emperor could frighten him out of his wits.
If Bai Qingyan had told him in advance, then under Father Emperor’s questioning, he would have revealed the truth and told Father Emperor that this supposed auspicious omen was arranged beforehand.
Even if Father Emperor had been happy, his joy would have been greatly diminished.
Since the purpose was to make Father Emperor happy, naturally, only a truly heaven-sent auspicious omen could make Father Emperor happy. It would also make Father Emperor feel that even Jin’s divine deer submitted to him as the heir apparent, proving he was the irreplaceable choice to inherit the throne in the future. Even if Father Emperor harbored thoughts of establishing someone else in the future, remembering today’s divine deer incident would give him pause.
Especially if the people of Jin all knew about the divine deer’s submission to him, they would naturally recognize his position as Crown Prince just as the divine deer had.
Bai Qingyan’s intentions were well-meaning, yet he had misunderstood her. It was truly inappropriate of him.
The Crown Prince turned to look at Bai Qingyan, whose expression remained serene and normal, his heart filled with complex emotions: “General Bai, thank you…”