While the sixth princess was questioning her life choices, Mingtan, and her companions were directing servants to dig a hole for the unfortunate rabbit she had pinned to the ground. They solemnly reburied it, even discussing erecting a small wooden tombstone.
The sixth princess held her horse’s reins, momentarily too stunned to even claim, “That’s my prey.”
After a while, cheers from the men’s successful hunts echoed from afar, snapping the sixth princess back to reality—oh right, this was indeed a hunt. She hadn’t misunderstood.
She gazed at the group before her, fixing her eyes on Mingtan, and couldn’t help but say, “You Daxian women are far too affected. If you’re hunting, hunt properly. Who are you putting on this act for?”
The others silently answered in their hearts: Of course, it’s for you to see.
Mingtan smoothed her skirt and wiped her hands with a clean handkerchief. She met the sixth princess’s gaze unhurriedly and said with restraint, “Heaven values all life. Though it’s just a wild rabbit, it’s still a living being. You may see it as prey, Princess, but we can also view it as a life. We don’t interfere with your hunting prowess, so why should you concern yourself with our burial and memorial? I’ve heard that Nanlu also values our customs and etiquette. There’s an old saying, ‘Don’t do unto others what you wouldn’t want done to yourself.’ I wonder if the Princess has learned this?”
The sixth princess was speechless. What was she getting at? Though it sounded somewhat reasonable, something felt off… But her voice was quite pleasant to hear.
No, no, the sixth princess closed her eyes briefly to clear her mind, then said, “You… what nonsense are you spouting? You can barely lift a bow, yet you dare lecture me? I don’t know how the Prince of Beiding could marry such a useless ornament like you!”
Hearing this, Mingtan curved her lips slightly. She gestured for someone to help her back onto her pony, deliberately adjusting her sleeves affectedly. “What a coincidence. My husband happens to adore pretty ‘ornaments’ like me. As they say, ‘Beauty is a feast for the eyes.’ Just looking at me makes my husband eat several more bowls of rice.”
“As for spirited women like yourself, Princess—” She looked the sixth princess up and down, then said regretfully, “I’ve turned away quite a few, both before and after my marriage. Having such a popular husband is truly a sweet burden.”
The sixth princess’s face turned red with confusion.
This ‘ornament’ had seemed so prim and proper earlier, but now her words were so shameless! Weren’t Daxian women supposed to be dignified and restrained?
Yet the young ladies behind her were nodding in agreement, once again plunging the sixth princess into self-doubt.
After a while, she tugged her reins without much conviction and moved to the side. “Fine, fine. There are too many of you. I can’t argue with you all!”
She rode her horse towards the camp where they were tallying the hunt, her small figure giving the impression of fleeing in disarray.
Mingtan sighed lightly, her interest waning. “This sixth princess does have a temper, but she’s not as unreasonable as I imagined.”
Jiang Xu, Lu Ting, and the others who had stopped their horses nearby fell silent, all thinking the same thing: You’re the ones being unreasonable.
–
The autumn hunt usually lasted three days. The first day’s hunt didn’t end until dusk. Outside the forest, centered around Emperor Chengkang and Empress Zhang’s royal tent, numerous camps of varying sizes had already been set up.
Although there was an imperial villa less than ten miles from the royal forest, staying there would have diminished the autumn’s wild charm. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau had predicted good weather for the next few days. With the Imperial Guard and Palace Guard in attendance, and tens of thousands of elite troops from the nearby capital garrison providing protection, they decided to set up camp on a whim.
On this first day of the hunt, the martial arts champion bagged the most prey, followed by Lu Ting, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard, and Zhang Huaiyu, the heir of the Pingguo Marquis.
As for Jiang Xu, he didn’t even make the top three, simply because he couldn’t be bothered to hunt more. This time in the dense forest, he only wanted to catch two red foxes to make a cloak for Mingtan. She had looked stunningly beautiful wearing that red fox cloak on New Year’s Eve, but when the servants were warming it, they had accidentally scorched a small area near the charcoal fire, and she refused to wear it again.
Red foxes were hard to find. After a full day, he had only caught one, and even that had damaged fur. He gave it to Zhang Huaiyu to make a scarf for someone.
As night fell, autumn stars twinkled in the sky. Clusters of bonfires were lit in the camp, with various game roasting over the flames. In the firelight, the meat sizzled and dripped with oil, bubbling and filling the air with a fragrant aroma mixed with the scent of seasonings.
Although it was a wild hunt, the royal forest had dedicated caretakers and feeders. The game destined for the imperial family and nobility was clean and safe to eat.
Mingtan sat obediently beside Jiang Xu, allowing him to roast a chicken for her. This time, with added seasonings, the roasted chicken looked even more appetizing, and the aroma was more intense. Mingtan discreetly swallowed several times, occasionally tugging at his clothes and whispering, “Husband, is it ready yet? Is it ready?”
“Wait a bit longer,” Jiang Xu replied calmly, turning the iron skewer. “Bring the chopped scallions.”
Mingtan reverently offered the porcelain bowl containing the scallions.
After turning it a few more times and sprinkling on the scallions, Jiang Xu finally removed the roasted chicken from the skewer, plated it, and handed it to her. “It’s ready.”
Mingtan had told Jiang Xu earlier that she wanted to eat his roasted chicken today, so she hadn’t eaten anything since leaving home, only hastily consuming two pieces of pastry and half a plate of grapes to stave off hunger. By now, she was ravenous.
She sat beside him, eager to reach for the chicken, but as soon as she touched it, the heat made her quickly withdraw her hand with a slight hiss.
“Why are you in such a hurry?” Jiang Xu took her hand and examined it. Fortunately, there was no serious burn.
“Soak it in cold water.”
Mingtan responded with an “Oh” and obediently placed her jade-like hands in a basin of cold water.
After a while, Jiang Xu used a fine cotton cloth to dry her hands and asked, “Does it still hurt?”
Mingtan shook her head.
The roasted chicken had cooled slightly. Jiang Xu tore off a leg and gave it to her. “Eat slowly. Don’t choke.”
Mingtan took a delicate bite and was so satisfied she wanted to burrow into her husband’s arms. It was delicious! The skin was slightly crispy, the meat tender and juicy, full of flavor. This familiar taste was pure bliss!
Mingtan sat beside him, lavishing praise:
“Husband, you’re amazing! Even your casual roasting is so delicious!”
“The culinary world truly lost out when you didn’t become a chef, husband!”
“But then again, you excel at everything you do. Being just a chef would be a waste of your talents!”
…
Jiang Xu listened to her praise without saying a word.
However, where Mingtan couldn’t see, a barely perceptible smile crossed his face.
The sixth princess, watching this scene from afar, felt her specially prepared roasted lamb leg lose its appeal.
Was that still the iron-faced war god, the Prince of Beiding? What had happened to him over these years? Just how illustrious was that ornament’s background? He lowered himself to roast a chicken for that useless ornament! Those hands were meant to wield mighty bows and swords, to command armies and slay enemies on the battlefield! Why was he roasting chicken?!
Although seeing the Prince of Beiding again didn’t stir the same passionate longing as before, witnessing him treat that ornament so tenderly still left her feeling unsettled… That roasted chicken looked so appetizing, and the ornament was eating it with such relish. It must be delicious. She wondered if the ornament would be willing to trade it for her special roasted lamb leg. Surely she would agree, right? After all, trading such a large lamb leg for just a chicken leg would be to her disadvantage. If not the whole chicken, even a wing would do…
“Sister! Sit down!” The fifth prince, seeing his younger sister suddenly stand up and seemingly about to walk towards the Daxian Prince of Beiding, quickly reached out and anxiously grabbed her.
The sixth princess shook off his hand. “What are you doing, brother? I’m just going to trade for some roasted chicken!”
“I’ll roast one for you, sister.”
The sixth princess looked at him with disdain. “I’d rather do it myself.”
With that, she picked up the roasted lamb leg and walked towards the Prince of Beiding’s tent without looking back.
“Prince of Beiding, may I trade this lamb leg for one of your roasted chickens?” she asked nervously, standing in front of Jiang Xu, who was still turning the skewer.
Jiang Xu looked up, glanced at her, then lowered his gaze and continued roasting. “I’m roasting this for my wife. The decision to trade is entirely up to her.”
Although she had expected this answer, hearing it still felt more disheartening.
The sixth princess turned to Mingtan, not giving up. “Princess Consort, can I trade with you? Yours looks very delicious.”
She quickly added, “Of course, mine is good too. I roasted it myself. It’s a secret recipe from Nanlu, different from what you have here. It’s very tasty.”
“If it’s so delicious, why does the Princess want to trade?” Mingtan asked, feigning ignorance.
“I… I eat it often in Nanlu. I’m tired of it,” the sixth princess conceded. “How about just trading legs then? My lamb leg for your chicken leg. How’s that? My lamb leg is so big, you’re not losing out.”
She had only hoped to trade for a chicken leg, but wasn’t it better to start with a higher demand and then lower it to make it more acceptable?
However, Mingtan remained silent, seemingly considering whether this deal was fair or not.
The sixth princess’s already limited confidence wavered further. Her round face puffed up slightly, and her voice deflated a bit. “A wing would be fine too.”
Mingtan looked at her deflated, chubby face and oddly thought it might feel nice to poke.
Just as she was about to respond, a messenger came from the royal tent saying that His Majesty requested Prince Beiding’s presence. Jiang Xu stood up, glanced at the harmless sixth princess, exchanged a few words with Mingtan, and followed the court attendant to the royal tent.
With Jiang Xu gone, the sixth princess relaxed noticeably, and her bargaining became more articulate.
Mingtan seemed moved by her persistence. After a moment’s deliberation, she nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll trade with you. I won’t take advantage of you. I’ll give you a whole roasted chicken.”
The sixth princess’s eyes widened. “Really?”
Mingtan moved over a bit. “If the Princess doesn’t mind, you can sit here to eat.”
Jiang Xu had even prepared a dipping sauce for the chicken, which made it taste even better.
The sixth princess thought to herself that this ornament was quite generous, and without hesitation, she sat down.
The sixth princess, showing self-awareness, took a silver needle from nearby and repeatedly pricked the lamb leg, stabbing it all over. Only after thoroughly testing it did she hand over the lamb leg, saying frankly, “Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned. If you’re concerned, I can taste it first.”
Mingtan wasn’t worried about poison. The Nanlu delegation was here, and unless the princess had gone mad, she wouldn’t do anything so foolish.
Moreover, Mingtan observed that the princess didn’t seem as infatuated with her husband as before. Even when he was present earlier, she had only stared at the roasted chicken without sparing him a glance. After he left, far from being disappointed, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, becoming more at ease.