Chapter 116 Chapter 116 Hunting

Qin came, her face pale and bloodless.

As soon as she entered the flower hall, she saw Princess Shoukang sitting at the top, her face as gloomy as water, and she was majestic without being angry. She opened her mouth and was about to cry.

"Shut your stinky mouth!" Princess Shoukang shouted coldly.

Qin was frightened by her terrifying aura and shuddered. The cry that was on the tip of her tongue was stuck in her throat. Her shoulders were shaking violently. Even if her eyes were going blind, she didn't dare to make any sound.

"I didn't ask you to come here to see you act hypocritical."

"Stop disgusting me here."

"Sanlang, show her what you found during the interrogation."

After Princess Shoukang finished speaking, she closed her eyes and rested, no longer looking at Qin.

Xie Zhiyan handed Qin several pages of paper filled with confessions and stamped with bright red handprints with an expressionless face.

The handwriting was fresh and the paper still had the scent of ink. Qin took it with trembling hands and read through it quickly.

Her eyes were blank at first, but gradually, her pupils shrank, her breathing became rapid, and the color drained from her face.

"This...how is this possible?"

"Every time Qingwan wrote back, she always said that the Luo family treated her well."

Qin was shaken violently, unable to support her shaky body any longer, and fell to the ground with a thud.

Princess Shoukang didn't care about Qin's reaction and just sneered.

"Sanlang investigated Qingwan's cause of death overnight. As for whether you believe it or not," she snorted coldly, her tone sarcastic, "it's up to you."

"I don't disbelieve it, I just find it hard to accept it. Everything was fine before." Qin supported herself with her hands and tried to get up, muttering to herself with trembling lips.

Princess Shoukang's patience has run out.

"Madam Yan, please show the guests out."

"Tell her to get out and never have any contact with anyone related to the first house in the future."

"Oh, right."

Princess Shoukang shouted towards the hall, "Send all those 'things' outside to the Madam."

As for what they were, they were just a few terrified old women who were being held by maids, with their hands tied behind their backs, cloth balls stuffed in their mouths.

These people were witnesses that Xie Zhiyan managed to get back from Yongzhou. Some of them were Luo Jia's biological children, and some were Xie Qingwan's dowry.

It was late at night, and the Xie Mansion, the eldest son's house next door, had been in turmoil all night. It was said that there was a fire in the middle of the night, and no one knew who set the fire. Fortunately, the servants in the mansion were alert and did not cause any major trouble.

At first, Sheng Puzhu was able to stay awake and listen to the noise, but when it was almost midnight, she could no longer hold on and fell asleep soundly in Xie Zhiyan's arms.

The next morning.

Sheng Puzhu sat in front of the mirror with a depressed look on her face. When she saw Xie Zhiyan coming out of the shower, she frowned, obviously still thinking about what happened yesterday.

"With Qin's outwardly powerful but inwardly weak character, even if she feels resentful and remorseful, I'm afraid she won't be able to do anything to Xie Juyuan."

Xie Zhiyan wiped the water droplets from his eyelashes, walked behind Sheng Puzhu, and gestured for Madam Du to step back: "It's not that there is no way."

"Xie Juyuan will naturally not divorce his wife due to his pride and interests. Qin is a very vindictive person. If she gets the chance in the future, she will definitely find ways to cause trouble for Xie Juyuan. There is still a long way to go, so one or two days won't make a difference."

Sheng Puzhu bit her lower lip, clearly furious. "Even so, the eldest wife won't make a fuss about Qingwan's matter."

"If Qingwan were still alive, Xie Juyuan would probably have threatened the Luo family, but she is gone now. She is of no use to their eldest branch."

When Xie Zhiyan heard this, a cold and stern look flashed across his eyes.

He leaned forward, his voice extremely low, yet filled with an unmistakable murderous intent.

"Don't worry, Puzhu, I won't let it go like this."

"Wait."

"Just wait." Xie Zhiyan spoke the last three words softly, his eyes slightly narrowed, revealing the oppression of impending storm.

In the blink of an eye, it’s the end of the year.

Laba winter hunting is an annual tradition.

This year's winter hunt was kept simple because the Crown Prince's funeral had just passed. It was not as noisy and grand as in previous years, but the mighty team still retained the majesty of the royal family.

The court officials surrounded the emperor's carriage. The guards leading the way were no longer the elite soldiers of the Northern Court that everyone was familiar with, but the Jinwu Guards led by the newly promoted Jinwu Guards General Xiao Xuan'an, who walked closest to the saint's carriage.

Xiao Xuan was wearing shiny armor and sitting upright on a tall horse, looking very high-spirited.

The road was long and the journey was tiring, so Sheng Puzhu simply rode a horse. His neat and clean Hu clothes attracted the attention of many people on the official road.

It was not until they arrived at the East Suburb Hunting Ground that Sui Xinxing's female relatives realized that the atmosphere this year was subtle.

The Crown Princess claimed to be ill, the Queen was recuperating in the palace due to poor spirits, and the Queen Mother had not been in good health in recent years. Instead, Princess Shoukang, who had not participated in the winter hunt for nearly ten years, broke her usual habit and took charge of the overall situation for the Queen.

"Are we going into the woods to hunt today?" asked Princess Shoukang.

Sheng Puzhu nodded: "My dear, take me with you."

Seeing that no one was around, she lowered her voice and asked, "Mother, has Luo Xian, the eldest son of the Yongzhou Jiedushi, arrived?"

Princess Shoukang glanced sideways. "The one in the navy blue riding uniform, the taller one next to him, is his father, Luo Qi, the governor of Yongzhou."

Sheng Puzhu tightened his grip on the horsewhip and took note of it secretly.

Luo Xian was a man who knew how to pretend. His calm face even had a hint of just the right amount of sadness. He was extremely respectful to his father-in-law Xie Juyuan, and even choked up slightly when he mentioned his wife.

Sheng Puju withdrew her gaze. If she continued to watch, she would probably vomit out of disgust.

Although everything is kept simple this year, hunting is still the biggest highlight.

After the horn blew, everyone rode their horses into the forest.

Sheng Puzhu followed behind Xie Zhiyan. Their riding uniforms were similar in color. If you look closely, you will find that their cuffs and lapels were embroidered with patterns of twined lotus flowers in silver thread. It was obvious that the couple had a very good relationship.

Without Princess An, Prince An’s health condition makes it impossible for him to leave Chang’an City.

Xiao Xuan was not under any pressure from his elders, so of course he was unscrupulous. Moreover, the sage had doted on him since he was young, and now that he was about to be adopted, it gave people the illusion that the sage loved him as much as the former prince.

"Madam Shengda." Xiao Xuan called out, his eyes unscrupulous and a hint of arrogance flashing across his eyes. He was about to ride his horse forward and find a reason to provoke her.

Just at this moment, Xie Juyuan led Luo Xian and blocked Xiao Xu'an's way. "Is Qingshu okay? She didn't come today. I heard from the maid that she caught a cold."

Xiao Xuan curled his lips secretly. As Xie Qingshu's father-in-law, how could he not know why she didn't come?

Since the news of Xie Qingwan's death reached Prince An's Mansion, Xie Qingshu fell ill a few days later. She asked the maid to go home for questioning, but she couldn't even see Qin.

Xiao Xu'an was used to being arrogant and didn't want to play along. "Isn't it just that her sister died? She's been making a fuss all day and can't eat."

"I don't have the patience to coax her. Let her starve. Anyway, I have the maid to watch over her. She won't starve to death."

"Oh..." Xiao Xu'an dragged out his voice, "I almost forgot that it was your eldest son-in-law Luo Xian whose wife died."

Xiao Xuan's words were harsh. Although Luo Xian's eyes flashed with anger for a moment, he still kept a low profile: "My wife died of injuries sustained during childbirth. It was my fault as a husband for not taking good care of her."

Xiao Xu'an tutted twice, temporarily suppressing his unhappiness, and perfunctorily pulled the corner of his mouth: "I know, your poor care has nothing to do with me, and you still have to tell me about it."

"I wonder why my father-in-law is looking for me?"

Xie Juyuan looked over Xiao Xu'an's shoulder and saw that Xie Zhiyan and Sheng Puzhu had completely disappeared in the woods. He smiled faintly and said, "Nothing. I just brought Luo Xian to say hello to the prince."

Sheng Puzhu followed behind Xie Zhiyan. She seemed to have noticed something and turned her head slightly to look back.

"What are you looking at, Madam?" Xie Zhiyan suddenly asked.

Sheng Puzhu's eyes turned slightly, a hint of coldness flashed across them: "Just now, Xiao Xuan was probably looking for trouble, but was stopped by Xie Juyuan and his men."

"I see that madman Xiao Xuan seems to be having a very pleasant conversation with Luo Xian. He is indeed a brother-in-law." After she said that, a hint of sarcasm appeared at the corner of her lips and her voice was cold.

Xie Zhiyan smiled sideways when he heard this: "Madam, follow me. Don't go too far. I'll show you a good show later."

Half an hour later, outside the hunting ground.

The saint was obviously not in the mood. He just shot two arrows casually. Apart from hitting a startled pheasant that flew away, he didn't get any more results. Soon, a look of boredom appeared between his brows.

Xiao Xuan saw this and was about to persuade the saint to return to the camp to rest, but he didn't expect Luo Xian to ride his horse and follow him, looking loyal. Not far away was Luo Qi, the governor of Yongzhou.

In the woods, someone's poor archery skills scared out a grown musk deer, which was now running towards the saint's location.

"Your Majesty, be careful." Xiao Xuan shouted and was about to spur his horse forward.

"Uncle, please step back. I will handle this." Xie Zhiyan rode his horse forward, a cold smile on his lips.

The saint was supported by others and slowly retreated away.

It's just a musk deer, why make such a big fuss? However, the next moment, Xie Zhiyan raised his hand and drew his arrow without any warning, his eyes fierce.

The arrowhead, flashing with a cold light, was not pointed at any prey, but was aimed directly at Xiao Xuan who was not far away!

The bowstring was tightened, and a tangible murderous intent pressed down. Xiao Xuan felt as if the blood in his body seemed to freeze, and a chill went from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

He knew that danger was approaching, but the undisguised coldness in Xie Zhiyan's expression kept him pinned to the spot.

"Xie Zhiyan, what do you want to do!"

"This..." Everyone looked up in surprise.

The saint squinted his eyes and happened to take in the entire scene.

He did not say anything to stop her. Instead, an inexplicable smile appeared on the corner of his lips, and there was a playful look in his eyes.

Amidst countless astonished and doubtful gazes, Xie Zhiyan's arm holding the bow was as steady as a rock, and he sneered.

"What can I do?"

"Of course... hunting."

He paused, his tone filled with undisguised sarcasm.

"What is Prince Xiao afraid of? Could it be that... he sees himself as prey?"

Xiao Xu'an's forehead was covered in sweat. "The deer have already run away, why don't you put down your arrow?"

"Zhiyan, what are you doing?" Xie Juyuan, who rushed over after hearing the noise, was so frightened that his voice changed.

Xie Zhiyan didn't even raise his eyelids towards him, and the cold curve at the corner of his lips became more and more obvious.

"Your Majesty, swords and knives have no eyes. I beg you to let Zhiyan stop." Xie Juyuan said with a pale face.

The saint said nothing, but just looked at Xie Juyuan expressionlessly.

Just when everyone thought Xie Zhiyan had withdrawn, he casually tilted his bow arm and asked slowly, "It's just hunting, why are you so nervous?"

Everyone was so angry that they didn't even have time to relax.

The next moment, Sanlang Xie, who was always well-behaved and unwilling to talk much, sneered.

His fingers that were plucking the strings suddenly loosened.

“Whoosh!”

The arrow flew off the bowstring and flew through the air, not towards Xiao Xuan, but just missed Xiao Xuan's face by a hair's breadth, brushing past his instantly pale cheek. The arrow feathers scraped blood on his cheek.

“Puff!”

The arrow penetrated accurately into Luo Xian's left shoulder, behind Xiao Xuan.

The force was so strong that it almost penetrated the bones, and the tail of the arrow was still trembling.

Luo Xian was stunned at first, then severe pain exploded in his mind and he let out a shrill scream.

Xie Zhiyan, however, seemed to be fine. He slowly drew another arrow from the quiver, stringed the bow, and moved gracefully and calmly.

"I'm so sorry, my hand slipped."

"The one I want to shoot is the deer behind you."

"Xian'er! Run!!" Yongzhou Jiedushi Luo Qi only reacted from the huge shock at this moment. His eyes were bloodshot and he roared loudly. He wanted to rush forward, but it was too late.

Luo Xian was in so much pain that he couldn't even sit still on his horse, let alone run. He cried out in pain, "Father! Save me! Save me quickly!"

“Whoosh!”

The second arrow left the bow at such a speed that it only left a shadow in the air.

This time, the arrow shot into Luo Xian's right eye with incredible precision.

Xie Zhiyan drew his bow once more, his gaze as if he were looking at a lamb to be slaughtered: "I'm so sorry, my hand slipped again, my prince."

Luo Xian covered his face with his hands, blood instantly gushed out from between his fingers. He staggered and fell off his horse, rolling on the ground in pain.

"Sanlang Xie, don't go too far." Luo Qi finally made his way through the crowd and held his eldest son in his arms.

"That's too much?"

"Are you talking about me?"

Xie Zhiyan shot another arrow, which hit Luo Xian's knee. He controlled the force of each arrow well. It was not fatal, but it was enough to kill him with pain.

"Sanlang, that's enough!" The saint laughed softly, without any anger in his eyes.

Roche gasped, gritting his teeth.

Luo Xian's blood dyed his clothes red. Although he knew who Xie Zhiyan was taking revenge for, he had to control his expression so as not to let the saint see anything unusual.

Xie Zhiyan casually flicked his wrist and said with a half-smile, "Isn't he not dead?"