Li Shizhang, the Prince of Jiao Mountain, was the son of the Emperor’s younger brother. His fief was Jiao Mountain, and he would come to Chang’an every autumn. He was a spoiled noble, accustomed to throwing his weight around in his fief. However, in Chang’an, he was overshadowed by Wu Zhen. Li Shizhang prided himself on his royal bloodline and couldn’t bear being outshone by someone not of royal descent, especially a woman. He felt he had to teach her a lesson.
Since the age of twelve, when he first accompanied his father to Chang’an, Li Shizhang had been at odds with Wu Zhen. Wu Zhen’s temper was no less fiery than his, and one can imagine how deep their enmity had grown over the years. If Wu Zhen had been an ordinary lady, it might not have mattered. But she was openly the Empress’s younger sister and the beloved daughter of Duke Yu. Secretly, she also controlled Chang’an’s supernatural market and was a force to be reckoned with when angered. Poor Li Shizhang was no match for her.
In her younger days, Wu Zhen had been even more arrogant than now, and her temper was worse. Li Shizhang lost to her every time they clashed, often suffering crushing defeats. Even when he didn’t lose face publicly, he was tormented by Wu Zhen behind the scenes. More often than not, when he suffered a setback, he didn’t even know it was Wu Zhen’s doing.
Two years ago, during the autumn hunt, Li Shizhang had a conflict with Lady Peng who was accompanying Wu Zhen. He slapped Lady Peng, which was a grave mistake. Wu Zhen, disregarding his status, directly fought with Li Shizhang. In front of everyone, she broke his leg, utterly humiliating him. The matter eventually reached the Emperor. Wu Zhen was punished with a month of house arrest and had to pay some compensation, but nothing else came of it. Li Shizhang returned to his fief to recuperate, unable to come to Chang’an last year, taking a full two years to heal.
Who would have thought they’d cross paths again so soon? Was it an accidental encounter? Not entirely. Li Shizhang had deliberately sought out Wu Zhen’s whereabouts this time, looking for trouble.
Li Shizhang harbored a deep grudge against Wu Zhen for breaking his leg, feeling her punishment had been too light. This time, he was determined to settle the score himself. Since Wu Zhen had dared to break his leg, he decided he would cripple her in return. As long as he could vent his anger, he was willing to face house arrest in his fief for a few months.
Chang’an had many noble youths, and the group Wu Zhen led was just a part of them. Others didn’t associate with them, and quite a few had come with Li Shizhang. When the two groups met on the narrow path, with the long-standing grudge between their leaders, it seemed they might come to blows before the hunt even began.
“Wu Zhen, do you dare to fight me?” Li Shizhang glanced at the hostile-looking noble youths behind Wu Zhen, at least maintaining a semblance of decorum by seeking a pretext.
But before Wu Zhen could speak, the youths behind her erupted. A girl named A Xiu, who had a leopard with her, stepped forward and angrily berated him, “Have you no shame? My sister Zhen is with child. Do you want a pregnant woman to fight you? How dare you even suggest such a thing!”
A Xiu’s mother was the Emperor’s sister, who had her late in life, and the whole family doted on her. She and Li Shizhang were cousins, quite closely related by blood. Yet she stood on Wu Zhen’s side, infuriating Li Shizhang with her betrayal. But when he registered what she had said, his mind raced.
Wu Zhen was pregnant?! Only then did Li Shizhang notice Wu Zhen’s slightly protruding belly, and he almost laughed out loud. Perfect, today he would make Wu Zhen experience the pain of losing a child! With this plan in mind, his expression softened slightly, and he said with a half-smile, “Since you’re pregnant and afraid to fight me, I, as a man, certainly can’t force you. How about this? You’re married now, so let your husband compete with me instead.”
Li Shizhang looked contemptuously at the tall, thin man beside Wu Zhen, thinking to himself that revenge should be taken slowly, not hastily concluded. Before dealing with Wu Zhen, why not start with her husband? He had gathered information beforehand and knew that this Mei Zhuyu was just a minor official in the Ministry of Justice, a civil servant at that. He looked refined and frail, possibly not even able to lift a sword. Dealing with such a person would be child’s play.
Wu Zhen was known to be protective of those close to her, so today he would thoroughly humiliate her! He would break her husband’s leg right in front of her!
Li Shizhang expected Wu Zhen’s side to be in a difficult position, losing face if they refused, but facing a beating if they accepted. However, he hadn’t anticipated Wu Zhen’s odd expression, as if saying, “Do you want to die that badly?”
Wu Zhen, showing an unusual hint of conscience, asked, “Are you sure you want to fight my husband? I’m afraid two years won’t be enough for you to recover this time; you might need five.”
Li Shizhang sneered, struggling to maintain his composure. Let’s see how long you can remain smug, he thought.
“Well, do you dare to accept?” he said, as the people behind him started to provoke them, slapping their swords and cracking their whips.
“Do you dare? Give us an answer. If you don’t dare, kneel and apologize to the Prince of Jiao Mountain, and take two lashes! Haha!”
Not only did Li Shizhang’s side think Wu Zhen was putting on a brave face, but some on Wu Zhen’s side who didn’t know Mei Zhuyu’s true capabilities were also worried. The girl called A Xiu was one of them. She snorted, “We’re here for a hunt. If you have the skill, let’s compete in hunting. What’s the point of comparing martial arts here?”
As soon as she said this, several young men chimed in to help defuse the situation, “That’s right, we’re all here for the hunt. Of course, we should determine the winner through hunting.”
Li Shizhang had come specifically to teach Wu Zhen a lesson personally. He had already decided that he would keep her here to be taught a lesson no matter what, so how could he let it end like this? He turned his head and looked like someone beside him. That person narrowed his eyes, untied a leopard he was holding, and stimulated it slightly. The leopard immediately went berserk, charging towards Wu Zhen’s group of horses. Wu Zhen was at the front of the group, so the leopard’s attack was aimed directly at her.
If the leopard’s sudden attack startled the horse, Wu Zhen might fall, and there was no guarantee her child would be safe. Li Shizhang had this very outcome in mind, intending to stir up chaos first. However, the leopard didn’t even get close to Wu Zhen’s horse. There was a whoosh of air, and a long sword pierced through the leopard’s leg, pinning it to the ground.
It was a long sword that had pierced the leopard’s leg, with only the hilt visible above ground, the rest of the blade buried deep in the earth.
Everyone was stunned simultaneously, and the scene fell silent for a moment.
What had happened? Who had thrown the sword? Because everything happened so quickly, many people hadn’t even realized what had occurred. But Li Shizhang, who had been watching Wu Zhen closely, clearly saw that it was the seemingly weak civil official, Mei Zhuyu, who had drawn the sword from his horse and thrown it at the leopard, pinning it to the ground.
The motion was so light, as if effortless, yet it landed with tremendous force. When Li Shizhang saw this, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He even doubted if he had seen it correctly. How could anyone possess such terrifying strength?
Li Shizhang wasn’t the only one who saw it. After some whispered discussions, everyone understood who had thrown the sword, and all eyes turned to Mei Zhuyu. However, whether he was being ignored earlier or now being stared at by everyone, Mei Zhuyu’s expression remained unchanged.
The girl A Xiu glanced at the whimpering leopard on the ground. As someone who also kept leopards, she knew how strong and fast these animals were. To be able to throw a sword by hand and pin down a leopard was not just extraordinary; it was superhuman! So she coughed and called out to Li Shizhang, “Ahem, alright then, since you want to compete with our brother-in-law, let’s have a match.”
The young men who had agreed with her earlier quickly changed their tune as well. “Yes, yes, we accept. Let’s start right away.” They all wore expressions of eager anticipation, ready to teach Li Shizhang a lesson.
Li Shizhang’s expression twisted for a moment. After witnessing that display, he no longer dared to risk his life in a foolish venture. He had come for revenge, not to get beaten up. Inwardly cursing the person who had given him faulty information, he forced a smile and quickly changed his tune as well. “I don’t want to cause a big scene today. How about this? Let’s do as you suggested earlier and have our two groups compete in hunting.”
After both sides agreed, they split up to go hunting. Before Li Shizhang’s group had even left, the young men and women on Wu Zhen’s side were already laughing and joking. “That was hilarious! Did you see his expression? Earlier, when he said he wanted to compete with his brother-in-law, he looked so smug and sinister. But after seeing their brother-in-law’s skill, when we suggested they compete again, he was so scared he broke out in a cold sweat! Haha!”
The youths gathered around Mei Zhuyu, asking him all sorts of questions, such as how he had developed such skills and if he would take on disciples. They kept calling him “brother-in-law” and “brother-in-law”, seemingly forgetting that they weren’t Wu Zhen’s blood siblings, and Mei Zhuyu wasn’t their real brother-in-law.
Mei Zhuyu remained as taciturn as ever, giving brief answers. It was only when he heard his cousin Mei Si calling him “brother-in-law” like the others that he showed an indescribable expression and asked Mei Si, “What did you call me?”
Mei Si finally realized his mistake and scratched his head under his headwear, saying, “Oh right, you’re my cousin, not my brother-in-law.”
Wu Zhen was thoroughly amused by them, almost laughing herself off her horse.
On the other side, Li Shizhang’s group, slinking away in disgrace, was far from jovial. Li Shizhang, with a gloomy face, listening to the continuing laughter behind him, viciously lashed out at the leopard keeper, cursing, “Useless fool!”
“Prince of Jiao Mountain, are we just going to let them be so arrogant? Even if you can swallow this insult, I can’t,” one of his followers said.
Li Shizhang sneered, “Swallow it? Hmph, of course not. If we can’t make her suffer openly, we’ll do it in secret. This hunting ground isn’t exactly safe. Anything could happen.”
He finished speaking ominously and then selected a few servants skilled in archery. “You lot, come with me. We’ll tail Wu Zhen and her husband. When they’re alone, we strike.”
Wu Zhen, I had intended to spare your life, but you insist on courting disaster. If so, don’t blame me if you end up maimed or dead here. Li Shizhang gripped his bow tightly, his forehead veins bulging as he barked, “Let’s go!”
After walking for a while, Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu separated from the other youths. The young people were all focused on hunting more game than Li Shizhang’s group. When they saw Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu splitting off, a few concerned individuals tried to dissuade them, but Wu Zhen shooed them away.
Soon, only Wu Zhen, Mei Zhuyu, and a few robust servants from Duke Yu’s household remained.
Wu Zhen casually glanced at the bushes behind them and said to Mei Zhuyu with a smile, “I told you earlier I’d take you somewhere. Let’s go there now.”
Mei Zhuyu nodded, “Alright.”
After moving away from the hunting youths and the numerous servants, they ventured into increasingly remote areas. The sounds of the hunt could no longer be heard, and eventually, the terrain became too difficult for horses, so they dismounted and continued on foot.
The couple sat down to rest under an ancient tree, with the few guards standing at a respectful distance. In the nearby bushes, a glint of cold metal could be seen, aimed at the seemingly oblivious pair chatting happily under the tree.
Wu Zhen looked up, smiling, and said softly to Mei Zhuyu, “Don’t you think it’s ridiculous to wear a saffron robe embroidered with gold thread for hunting? Even when hiding in the bushes to ambush us, it will shine. It’s so foolish I can hardly bear to watch.”
In the distance, a certain Prince of Jiao Mountain wearing a gold-threaded saffron robe thought to himself, “Perfect opportunity! They’re off guard!”