Chapter 177 The Noble Young Master of a Marquis's Family (Sixteen): The Noble Young Master's Revenge and Love...

As an elderly emperor who had been ruling for a long time, Emperor Jian'an did not rush to order farmers throughout the country to plant sweet potatoes. Instead, he selected several prefectures and counties near the capital to conduct trial plantings first.

As winter turned to spring, and only half a year passed, these counties and prefectures that conducted trial plantings achieved a bumper harvest of sweet potatoes. Lizhou County, which had the highest yield per mu, reached as much as 2,000 jin, equivalent to several times the yield of ordinary crops.

Emperor Jian'an was delighted when he saw the report presented to him. He immediately appointed a trusted confidant of the court as the local Minister of Agriculture, ordering him to travel to various prefectures and counties of Da Yue to be in charge of promoting the cultivation of sweet potatoes.

In recognition of Crown Prince Zhao Xuanzhang's merit in presenting potatoes, Emperor Jian'an decreed that a hunting ceremony be held at Yanqiu Mountain on a chosen date. At the same time, he announced that all officials and relatives were welcome to bring their families to the site to celebrate the abundant potato harvest of the Great Yue Dynasty.

Soon, the day arrived for Emperor Jian'an to go hunting outside the city.

Because it was the emperor's journey, accompanied by a host of imperial concubines, the commander of the imperial guards dared not slacken his vigilance in the slightest. Guard posts were set up in the streets and alleys of the capital and on major roads outside the city, and ordinary people and merchants were not allowed to walk outside, lest they disturb the imperial procession. Moreover, the embroidered imperial procession and canopy that emerged from the palace stretched to the clouds, and the golden spears gleamed in the sun, displaying the majesty of the imperial family.

Prominent families like the Marquis of Weiwu, the Duke of Rong, and the Duke of Qi naturally couldn't be absent. Some minor officials in the capital, hearing the news, carefully selected their outstanding sons and beautiful daughters, hoping they could make a name for themselves during the hunt and find a good match.

After all, such beautiful mountain scenery is the perfect place for unmarried men and women to deepen their friendship.

At the Marquis of Weiwu's residence, because Princess Yongping was unwell, Song Zhixiao asked Emperor Jian'an for leave, saying that he needed to stay at the residence to take care of his wife, and that only his son Song Ce and his wife Sun Yiyao could go. Emperor Jian'an, moved by his sincerity, not only granted the leave but also sent palace servants to bestow many tonics upon the Marquis of Weiwu's residence.

At this moment, Song Ce and Sun Yiyao were sitting facing each other in the carriage.

Sun Yiyao curiously lifted a corner of the carriage curtain to peek outside. She saw that the scenery outside the window had somehow transformed into a vast expanse of farmland, with distant mountains appearing and disappearing in the distance. She couldn't help but take a deep breath; a gentle breeze blew by, carrying the refreshing scent of grass.

Seeing this, Song Ce smiled and said softly, "Ayao, if you like, how about we go out for a walk every month from now on?"

Sun Yiyao was clearly tempted upon hearing this, but hesitated and said, "Husband, I'm afraid this is against the rules."

Song Ce smiled and moved closer to her, gently pulling her into his arms, and whispered, "What does it matter if we don't get along?"

Sun Yiyao leaned on Song Ce's shoulder and sighed softly, "My husband doesn't know, now that I've married you, every move I make is bound by rules, and I can't do the slightest thing..."

Before she could finish speaking, Song Ce rested his chin on the top of her head and said gently, "Those rules are made by people. Now that A Yao has married me, she should naturally live a comfortable life. Does anyone dare to come and gossip in front of me, saying that A Yao is not following the rules?" As he spoke, he reached out and smoothed her slightly disheveled hair.

At the same time, sunlight streamed in through a corner of the carriage curtain, gently falling on Sun Yiyao's face, causing her eyelashes to tremble and her face to flush.

Yan Qiushan was only about forty li from the capital, yet the grand procession took almost half a day to travel. Wealthy households along the way had already received word of the emperor's impending arrival and vied to set up incense tables and kneel in welcome along the official road. This greatly pleased Emperor Jian'an, who immediately ordered his personal eunuch to generously reward everyone.

Finally, the convoy arrived at Yanqiu Mountain safely.

The hunting camp was set up in an open area at the foot of the mountain, with countless tents scattered around, the Emperor's tent in the very center being particularly eye-catching. The imperial tent occupied the largest area, with exquisite copper bells hanging from each of its four corners, which made a crisp sound when the wind blew, adding to its royal grandeur.

The Second Prince, Zhao Xuanhong, was leaning against a soft couch with Green Pearl in his arms. His gaze casually swept over Huai Jing, who was kneeling on the ground with a respectful expression, and he said coldly, "How is it? Is everything arranged properly?"

Huai Jing bowed his head and reported, "Your Highness, I have ordered assassins to disguise themselves as bandits and lie in ambush at Eagle's Beak Cliff. They will launch a surprise attack with arrows as soon as the Crown Prince's horse passes by, creating the illusion that the arrows were accidentally shot by the wind and disrupting the Crown Prince's hunt."

"The Crown Prince has many guards around him; if they fail in their mission and are captured instead..."

"Your Highness, rest assured, these are all carefully selected assassins. Once captured, they will immediately bite the poison hidden in their mouths, leaving no evidence whatsoever."

"That's excellent!"

Zhao Xuanhong nodded in satisfaction, reaching out to play with Green Pearl's flowing hair, a sinister glint in his eyes: "I want to see if the Crown Prince can still hunt in peace if he encounters danger on this trip. Go and check carefully again, making sure there are no mistakes!"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Huai Jing accepted the order and withdrew hastily from the camp, arriving at a secluded cave at the foot of the mountain.

At this moment, a dozen masked, burly men were sitting together. When they saw Huai Jing enter, they all stood up and bowed to him.

"Is everything ready?" Huaijing asked in a low voice.

"Rest assured, sir, once the Crown Prince and his entourage pass through this area, we will definitely catch them off guard," the burly man in black at the head of the group assured him, patting his chest.

Huai Jing nodded, gave a few more instructions, and then quietly left the cave.

At noon, horns blared through the sky, and Emperor Jian'an gave the order, and the hunt at Yanqiu Mountain officially began!

After Zhao Xuanhong left the tent, Lvzhu immediately took out a piece of paper she had prepared earlier, quickly wrote down Zhao Xuanhong's plan, and stuffed the paper into the specially made bracelet on her wrist.

"Nian'er, did you see the pearl hairpin that His Highness personally bestowed upon me when you came?"

Seeing Green Pearl frantically rummaging through the jewelry box, Nian'er naturally became anxious as well. As the lady's personal maid, no one knew better than her how important that pearl flower was to Green Pearl.

"Before leaving home today, I saw with my own eyes that Madam put that pearl flower in her hair. How could it be gone?"

"No, I have to go out and look!" Green Pearl suddenly stood up and said, her voice choked with emotion.

"Madam, you mustn't! His Highness instructed me before he left that you must not be allowed to leave the tent alone, lest you be disturbed by those ignorant ladies and young misses," Nian'er said urgently.

“Good Nian’er, that was the first pearl hairpin His Highness gave me. It has special meaning to me.”

Nian'er's heart trembled when she saw Green Pearl's red-rimmed eyes. Only today did she understand why, after so long, Green Pearl remained the most favored concubine in the household. How could anyone bear to refuse such a beautiful woman, her eyes brimming with tears?

“Then…this servant will accompany Madam to search around the tent. If Madam wishes to go further away, it’s not too late to search after His Highness returns,” Nian’er said softly.

"Okay, thank you Nian'er!" Green Pearl smiled through her tears and immediately pulled Nian'er out of the tent.

Under Zhao Xuanhong's secretly delighted gaze, Crown Prince Zhao Xuanzhang indeed rode the "Wind Chaser" eastward with a dozen or so guards. He smiled and led his trusted confidants westward to search for prey.

The Yanqiu Mountain gradually became lively, startling wild rabbits into scurrying about in the woods, and the shouts of the young masters from noble families rose and fell.

At this moment, Zhao Xuanzhang, accompanied by a dozen guards, followed a small sika deer to a grove of trees halfway up the mountain. Further ahead lay Eagle's Beak Cliff, where the Second Prince had laid an ambush.

But the fawn stopped just as it reached the edge of the ambush point. Zhao Xuanzhang, his eyes fixed intently on the prey, was about to draw his bow and shoot when Song Ce suddenly stopped him.

"Your Highness, I recently obtained some odorless bewitching incense. It is said that just a tiny bit is enough to knock out a wolf king! Why don't you allow me to try it on this deer today?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xuanzhang naturally became interested and immediately ordered his guards and attendants to stop and wait.

The assassins lying in ambush in the mountains gasped with fear. The burly man in black, their leader, stared intently at the prince and his entourage not far away, his palms sweating. He desperately hoped the prince would step into the ambush so they could make their move…

Song Ce smiled slightly, first letting everyone smell the antidote in his hand, then borrowing a tinderbox from the guard leader beside him, and lighting the odorless bewitching incense in his hand with his back to the assassins.

A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves in the forest, and the incense slowly began to burn, its wisps of smoke drifting in all directions with the wind. The assassins lying in ambush in the mountains caught the faint scent but paid it no heed, mistaking it for the fragrance of the forest plants.

However, not long after, one of the assassins suddenly felt a heaviness in his head, and his body swayed uncontrollably. The burly man in black noticed the man's abnormality, his eyes flashing with a fierce light as he hissed, "Hold on! Don't ruin His Highness's plans!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding assassins all showed signs of dizziness.

The burly man in black immediately tried to bite down on the poison hidden in his mouth, but he didn't even have the strength to open his mouth. Soon, these assassins collapsed one by one, their eyes closed, into the grass.

Looking at the faint sounds in the mountains and forests, Song Ce smiled slightly and turned to Zhao Xuanzhang, bowing and saying, "Your Highness, that sika deer has probably been drugged."

Zhao Xuanzhang nodded, looking at the odorless bewitching incense in Song Ce's hand with a look of novelty, and praised, "This incense is indeed worthy of its reputation!" The guards following behind the Crown Prince immediately dismounted and lifted the sika deer onto the horse's back.

Just then, Song Ce, as if he had discovered something, exclaimed with delight, "Your Highness! The grass over there is moving! Could it be that some new prey is hiding there?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xuanzhang laughed heartily and spurred his horse to gallop in the direction he indicated.

Looking at the masked men lying unconscious on the ground, Zhao Xuanzhang narrowed his eyes slightly and said to Song Ce, who had leisurely arrived, "Heh, there's an unexpected surprise here. It seems someone wants to take this opportunity to cause trouble... Oh no! Father!"

As he spoke, he turned and urgently ordered the head of the guards, "Fulin, take your men and tie these people up and take them back for thorough interrogation! The rest of you, come back to the camp with me!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Zhao Xuanzhang spurred his horse and galloped back to camp with the rest of his guards. But as soon as he dismounted, a sharp whistle suddenly rang out! Immediately afterward, dozens of dark figures leaped down from the trees, their gleaming steel blades aimed directly at Emperor Jian'an, who sat in the main seat!

Seeing this, the Imperial Guards hurriedly raised their shields to protect their leader, but these assassins were well-trained, and in the blink of an eye, several Imperial Guards fell in pools of blood. In the chaos, a group of ragged refugees rushed out of the ravine shouting, and the leader of the group nocked an arrow and aimed it at the panicked Emperor Jian'an not far away.

"Father! Be careful!" Zhao Xuanzhang shouted and rushed towards Emperor Jian'an.

This sharp shout immediately startled the archer not far away. He trembled his hands, and the arrow, originally aimed at the heart, veered off course and pierced straight through Emperor Jian'an's left shoulder.

Emperor Jian'an groaned, coughed up blood, and collapsed to the ground!

The Imperial Guards were thrown into chaos, and countless arrows rained down on the assassins and refugees. Seeing that their mission had been accomplished, the assassins did not linger and turned to flee into the depths of Yanqiu Mountain.

The refugees, however, were not so lucky. They were surrounded by the Imperial Guards and captured one by one in no time.

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Author's Note: [Cat emoji][Cat emoji]