A slight tremor in my hand sent a shiver down my spine, and my earlobe went numb...

Xiao Yu shuddered and roared, "Get your claws off me!"

The aroma of the wine around him was slightly astringent, and Xiao Yu choked on it several times, which made him quite annoyed.

"Your Majesty's posture is incorrect." Gui Xiang disappeared instantly. Wei Shuang paused, then immediately let go and stood aside to wait for Xiao Yu to catch his breath.

“I clearly have the exact same posture as you.” Xiao Yu thought to himself. He watched Wei Shuang try it again, and this time he stubbornly nocked an arrow, pulling the bowstring even wider, but the arrow still only landed a meter away.

"I have spent many years in the frontier, dealing with enemies, and my strength is not that of an ordinary person. I can even draw a bowstring backwards," Wei Shuang advised tactfully.

Xiao Yu lost his temper and walked up to Wei Shuang, letting her do as she pleased: "Fine, you help me."

"Your Majesty, relax and entrust your body to me." Wei Shuang lifted the bow again, placed her hand back on Xiao Yu's waist, and helped him adjust the bow-drawing posture to the most energy-efficient position.

The heat pressed against her, and Wei Shuang's body was completely pressed against Xiao Yu's back. Xiao Yu felt like a puppet tightly bound in Wei Shuang's arms, her body in Wei Shuang's hands, no longer under her control.

Wei Shuang's warm breath almost touched Xiao Yu's ear, and he turned his head uncomfortably, only to be met with an even stronger aroma of wine.

"...Stay away from me." Xiao Yu smelled the unique scent of the emperor on Wei Shuang's body and inexplicably felt his legs go weak, and the strength he had just gathered in his arms suddenly dissipated.

"I will do my best," Wei Shuang said, his breath hotter. He moved his hand away from Xiao Yu's waist, creating a gap between their pressed bodies, but this only made Xiao Yu more uncomfortable.

"Is your posture adjusted?"

It was so hot that Xiao Yu's ears turned red, and she didn't know what to do with her hands and feet.

“Yes, Your Majesty, you must remember this feeling,” Wei Shuang’s voice was close to your ear, slightly hoarse, making your earlobe tingle.

Wei Shuang's warm, large hand slid from the back of Xiao Yu's hand all the way to Xiao Yu's fair fingertips. Xiao Yu's fingers trembled, and then, like her thighs and waist, they were no longer under her control.

He was completely in Wei Shuang's hands, and every breath, every frown and smile had to be obeyed by the person behind him.

With a hum, the string snapped.

"The force of the bowstring vibrating, the sound of the arrow piercing the air—this allows you to understand your own strength better than any technique," Wei Shuang's voice rang out again.

The untamed strings suddenly became compliant, and Wei Shuang supported herself with her wrists and controlled herself with her fingers.

Xiao Yu felt like an arrow on a bowstring, destined to be released, controlled by Wei Shuang...

Swoosh—

The arrow landed squarely in the bullseye.

Xiao Yu pushed Wei Shuang away, his body covered in sweat.

"Your Majesty has hit the target!" A shrill voice suddenly broke into view. Xiao Yu saw Feng Shun running over happily, carrying the target.

Yes, a target.

"Don't make a fuss, it's just an arrow wound." Xiao Yu dusted off his sleeves, standing straight with his hunting bow, completely unfazed.

“It’s different for me. This is His Majesty’s first arrow shot. I must keep it safe and secure!” Feng Shun was already holding onto the target and refused to let go.

Xiao Yu said helplessly, "There are only four targets here. I will shoot one arrow and you will collect one. After shooting four arrows, we can collect the items and return to the palace."

"I will accept this one, Your Majesty, please grant me this favor!" After thinking it over carefully, Feng Shun snapped out of his euphoria for a few seconds, but his rationality didn't last long before his emotions took over again.

"...You can keep it." It's just a target; Xiao Yu wouldn't take what belongs to someone else.

"Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty!" Feng Shun happily put the target back in its original position.

Xiao Yu looked up in confusion. Feng Shun, standing at a distance, pointed to the target with arrows stuck in it and said, "Your Majesty, shoot here. Put a few more arrows in, and I'll collect them all."

Coaxed by Feng Shun, Xiao Yu felt his blood suddenly boil. Recalling the feeling just now, he raised his bow, drew the string, and then put the arrow down: "Feng Shun, come back, don't stand by the target."

Xiao Yu had shot bird eggs before and his aim was decent, but he really couldn't stand having a figure bigger than the target standing affectionately next to it.

With everything ready, he drew the bowstring again.

Swoosh—

The arrow stopped in front of the target.

"Well done." Wei Shuang clapped her hands twice.

"Mocking me?" Xiao Yu turned around.

The arrow didn't even hit the target...

"No, Your Majesty is only trying to draw a bow independently for the first time. You've already done very well." Wei Shuang took out a packet of rabbit-shaped pastries wrapped in oil paper from her bosom and handed it to Xiao Yu. "Take a rest. This afternoon, I will take Your Majesty to try a few more times, and then we can try going to the outer perimeter of the hunting grounds."

After struggling with the bowstring for half an hour, Xiao Yu's stomach was already flat. When he smelled the aroma of pastries, his golden eyes shone brightly, like real amber.

"He who eats another's food is bound to him," so Xiao Yu generously forgave Wei Shuang's outrageous remarks.

——

Hunting in the hunting grounds almost always involved mounted archery.

But Xiao Yu can't ride a horse; he's only just learned how to shoot a target 100 meters away from a standing position.

So the group, carrying bows and arrows, walked into the outer perimeter of the hunting grounds.

The wild grass in the uncultivated hunting grounds grew exceptionally tall, reaching up to Xiao Yu's chest.

Wei Shuang led the way, followed by a long line of the young emperor, who was too weak to even kill a chicken. The chief eunuch looked around, while the imperial physicians, who were occasionally distracted by the herbs, fell behind.

In summary, there are three burdens.

There seemed to be movement behind the bushes not far away. Wei Shuang raised her hand to stop the bunch of clowns behind her and pulled an arrow from the quiver on her back.

Nock the string, draw the arrow—

The last mournful cry of a hare echoed from behind the bushes.

"Dinner is ready." Wei Shuang stepped forward and placed the still-warm wild rabbit into the basket hanging on Feng Shun's side.

Xiao Yu didn't care about dinner. He had seen Wei Shuang's actions and thought to himself, unwilling to admit defeat.

I can do it too.

But after walking for a long time, until the sky gradually darkened, Xiao Yu still couldn't find a second moving bush.

The hunting grounds were too shallow and prey was scarce, so Xiao Yu walked back listlessly.

As the path twisted and turned and they retraced their steps, Xiao Yu keenly heard a faint howling sound from behind the same bush.

"I'll come." Xiao Yu stopped Wei Shuang, drew an arrow, and shakily nocked it.

"Straighten up, nock the string, aim." Wei Shuang diligently assisted from the side. "Okay, let go."

Xiao Yu's arrow flew towards the bush!

Deep into the forest.

But instead of a mournful scream, a soft groan came from behind the bushes.

"It missed?" Xiao Yu frowned.

“It doesn’t seem like it,” Wei Shuang said. “Let’s go take a look.”

Xiao Yu followed Wei Shuang into the bushes, parted the trees with blooming yellow and white flowers, and a pair of amber eyes that looked just like Xiao Yu's came into view.

Xiao Yu's arrow was held down by the little guy's paws.

"Awoo..." The moment it met Xiao Yu's gaze, the little guy stood up shakily, bumped its head on Xiao Yu's leg, and used its sharp claws to pull open Xiao Yu's trouser leg that was tucked into his boot.

"What an adorable kitten." Xiao Yu fell in love at first sight with the little guy clinging to her lap.

"It doesn't seem to be a cat..." Physician Li cautiously pointed to the yellow and black stripes on the little creature's forehead, "It looks like a tiger cub..."

"A tiger?!" Everyone was shocked.

Only Wei Shuang remained calm and composed. She picked up the tiger cub by the scruff of its neck, held it to her chest, and flattered it earnestly: "Your Majesty's mighty dragon power has attracted the admiration of the Mountain Lord, who is willing to be your favorite."

"Your Majesty has already hunted down a mountain lord as soon as you entered the hunting grounds. You are truly wise and powerful, and blessed with great fortune!" Feng Shun replied with a smile.

"Yes, yes, a very auspicious sign." Physician Li was a step too late, but he agreed without backing down.

Xiao Yu immediately understood most of it.

What a joke! It was clearly Wei Shuangmei's evil scheme, yet no one noticed.

Xiao Yu leaned over and winked at the tiger cub. The little guy opened his orange tiger paws and meowed, giving Xiao Yu a black flower-like sound.

"Since many halls in the palace are empty anyway, let's take Little Mountain Lord back to the palace and raise him." The emperor parted his lips slightly and reached out to press his hand on the little guy's black paw pads.

Xiao Yu took the little mountain lord from Wei Shuang and carried the little guy out of the hunting grounds without complaint. She also gave the little guy the wild rabbits she had hunted earlier as food.

Wei Shuang had no choice but to mount his horse and, before it got completely dark, re-enter the forest to catch more pheasants and rabbits.

The campfire crackled and popped. Little Tiger was afraid of fire, so Xiao Yu sat with Little Mountain Lord by the stream and scooped up a pool of water to bring to the little guy.

"From now on, you'll be with me, along with Afu."

"Who is Afu?" Wei Shuang suddenly asked.

Xiao Yu was startled. He picked up the little guy who was playing happily on the ground and looked at Wei Shuang: "Why should I tell you?"

Wei Shuang handed over a blue and white cloak: "The spring night is chilly, but the Mountain Lord's extremely yang nature makes him unafraid of the cold. Your Majesty, please put this on."

Xiao Yu remained unmoved: "You just look down on me."

"Eunuch Feng insisted that I put this on His Majesty." Wei Shuang spread out the cloak and forcefully pressed it onto Xiao Yu's back.

The aroma of wine from the daytime wafted over with the heat, and Xiao Yu's cheeks began to burn uncontrollably again. He abruptly slapped away Wei Shuang's hand as she tied the bandages, turned his back, and tied a tight knot for himself.

The two hanging ribbons became a natural cat toy.

A little guy, as warm and cozy as Wei Shuang, nestled into Xiao Yu's arms without any restraint, gazing longingly at the delicious food roasting over the campfire. This gave Xiao Yu a perfect excuse to distance himself from Wei Shuang. He picked up the little mountain spirit, his eyes darting around as he asked in a low voice.

"Do you want to eat it even if it's cooked?"

"Awoo~"

"Alright, I'll share a bite with you."

Xiao Yu picked up Xiao Shan Jun and walked to the campfire without looking back, sitting down. The scent of Wei Shuang's fragrance lingered in his mind.

The side effects of the secret medicine should have dissipated long ago, so why is Wei Shuangxinxiang still having such a severe impact on her?

——

As soon as it was light, Xiao Shan Jun hid by the river and caught a silver fish for himself, thoughtfully leaving one for Xiao Yu as well.

Thanks to the little guy's tireless efforts throughout the night, Xiao Yu gave Wei Shuang a very kind look when she crawled out of the tent the next morning.

Good morning, Wei Shuang.

Wei Shuangmei's skills were truly remarkable; the little mountain prince she sent was quite favored by the emperor.

When you pick up Xiaoshan, he looks like Afu.

Afu was a tiger doll embroidered by Xiao Yu's mother, and Xiao Yu carefully placed it on the dragon bed in the inner chamber of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Your Majesty, may you be well." Wei Shuang was putting on her wristband.

Yesterday, Xiao Yu's riding outfit was torn at the trouser leg by the claws of the little mountain lord, so he changed into a new riding outfit today. It was all white with yellow patterns. Before he left the tent, Feng Shun had already helped him tie up his cuffs and trouser legs, making his waist look slimmer.

"Little Mountain Lord, Your Majesty is so kind." Xiao Yu turned his head away, his face tense.

Although Xiao Yu was not particularly learned, he knew that Xiao Shan Jun was born in the wild forests of extremely cold places and would not rashly venture into such shallow shrublands. The cold land was exactly where Wei Shuang had previously been stationed in the northern border.

Judging from Koyama's appearance, he must have been disciplined.

"The mountain lord was attracted by His Majesty's blessings, it has nothing to do with me." Wei Shuang raised her eyes and tugged at the corner of her mouth. "After returning to the palace, I told the Grand Tutor this."

Wei Shuang was of unyielding integrity and loyalty to the emperor was ingrained in his very bones. He was the least likely person to plot against the Xiao family's rule. However, he also knew that as the regent, no matter what he did, he would be feared by the court officials.

"Ah... Grand Tutor." Xiao Yu's face immediately fell. He stared at Wei Shuang with the same look in his eyes as the little mountain lord who stared at the campfire last night. "Wei Shuang, teach me riding and archery today."

I can easily deal with the Grand Tutor.

Wei Shuang's face suddenly tensed up with tension.

He couldn't even shoot properly, let alone ride a horse. Could he really draw a bow?

No, it seems Xiao Yu can't even ride a horse.

"..."

Give him a quick and painless cut.

A note from the author:

----------------------

[doge] The road to raising Your Majesty is long and arduous.