Chapter 108

The place for autumn hunting is Lanlin.

A large royal hunting ground located in the north of the capital.

It takes a whole day just to get there.

They set out early in the morning and arrive in the evening, so some fast horses set out early to set up tents on the grassland in the hunting ground.

The rest followed the main group. The concubines who accompanied them were all the main ladies, including the Empress, Noble Concubine Lan, Concubine De, Concubine Wen, Concubine Xuan, Concubine Ruan, and Concubine Yi.

None of the princes' wives and concubines came. The eldest prince's wife had to take care of her daughter, and the third prince's wife was pregnant, so it was not suitable for her to travel far and she had to stay at home to take care of the baby.

The previous dynasty gave names to the four seasons of hunting, in accordance with the four seasons of heaven and earth and the laws of nature, namely spring hunting, summer hunting, autumn hunting, and winter hunting.

Hunting outings were not important in this dynasty, so they were basically all referred to as hunting.

Qu Dubian did not take the carriage; he followed outside on horseback.

Zhiyi was also riding a horse, holding Xiao Sihe in front of her, leisurely.

"Sister!" Qu Dubian threw a bag of snacks over, "Give it to Sihe, you two can eat it together."

Princess Sihe said obediently: "Thank you, brother."

Qu Duanbian smiled and said, "You're welcome."

After the early summer, he would have been thirteen, and now in the fall, he was a little over thirteen. He wasn't growing as fast as before, but he was still growing, keeping a normal pace.

Occasionally, my calves still cramp and wake me up in pain in the middle of the night.

Looking from behind, he is already a handsome young boy.

They walked in the middle of the large army with Emperor Chongzhao, with the Imperial Guards and the Eastern Depot in front and behind them.

Qu Dubian looked back. There were too many people and he couldn't see where Xiaochun was. However, he saw the Second Prince and the Fifth Prince riding side by side, talking and laughing.

After the fifth brother left the palace and set up his own mansion, he seemed to have a good relationship with the second brother, and they were often seen talking together.

The fifth prince smiled at him and said, "Xiaoqi, ride well and don't fall."

Qu Duanbian responded and didn't look at them again.

By the afternoon, Qu Dubian was exhausted from riding all the time, so he went to Emperor Chongzhao's carriage - it was spacious and stable, and he didn't want to go to any other carriage since he could ride in a luxurious carriage.

There was even an ice jar in the carriage.

The ice jar is exquisitely made, with meticulous carving. It is also filled with chilled fruits, and is filled with cool air and fruity aroma.

Emperor Chongzhao handed him a handkerchief: "Wipe the sweat."

Qu Dubian took it and wiped his face, then picked up the fruits in the ice jar and started eating, "You really know how to enjoy yourself!" He sniffed, "Change the scent, Dad. I want to smell 'Muqing Fruit'. It's autumn, so I'd better smell something refreshing."

Emperor Chongzhao glanced at him without saying anything, but slowly put out the incense burning in the carriage and took out an exquisite small jar from the compartment under the carriage.

"You are the one who has too many things to do, but how did you know that I brought Mu Qing Guo with me?"

He lifted the car curtain to let in some fresh air, and waited until the original fragrance had almost dissipated before lighting a new incense stick.

A faint new fragrance.

The refreshing aroma combined with the coolness of the ice jar makes people feel better.

Qu Watanabe said as a matter of course: "I like this recently and always go to your place to get it, so Dad, you must have brought it."

"What a joke! It's just a coincidence."

Emperor Chongzhao snorted and ate some ice fruit.

He hasn't been out to play much since he ascended the throne, so this can be considered as giving himself a few days off to relax.

Qu Duanbian also ate for a while, and then secretly reached for the ice jar, "Dad, do you think this ice jar is heavy?"

Emperor Chongzhao: "This one is small, probably weighing several dozen kilograms."

Qu Watanabe: "Really? I don't believe it. Let me hug you and give it a try."

After saying that, he directly picked up Bingjian, and before Emperor Chongzhao could react, he jumped off the carriage, "Hahahaha, it's mine!!"

Emperor Chongzhao: “…”

The palace servants who were originally serving outside the Zichen Palace watched helplessly as the Seventh Prince took something from His Majesty again, and then calmly looked away.

An angry voice came from the carriage: "Qu Xiaoqi!!"

But in the end, no one was able to take it back.

As an emperor, he was trying to snatch things from his son? Isn't that so shameful!

Eunuch Yu couldn't help but sigh, and whispered to the eunuch to ask someone to bring up another ice jar.

Qu Dubian originally wanted to carry Bingjian to Concubine Xuan's carriage, but he noticed that Concubine Xuan had been riding on the horse, looking at the surrounding scenery, and had never returned to the carriage to rest.

He gave the Bingjian to Ajie and Sihe's carriage, and then looked at Concubine Xuan.

Concubine Xuan has been gazing at the vast world in the distance for more than twenty years.

This was also her first time out of the palace.

Qu Watanabe didn't disturb her.

-

In the evening, the large group arrived at Lanlin Hunting Ground.

Tents had been set up on the grassland, a bonfire was lit in the open space, and the aroma of barbecue filled the air.

Eunuch Bao was the vanguard who arrived here early. He had arranged everything, including who would live where, what to eat at night, how many meals to prepare, who had certain dietary restrictions, etc. Everything was in perfect order.

The venue is very large and the accommodation is some distance away.

The concubines were naturally separated from the princes, and the princesses were next to the concubines, and their tents were all behind the emperor's tent.

The princes' tents were set up in several other directions around Emperor Chongzhao, forming a circle.

Further out is where the guards and imperial guards are stationed.

Because the tents were divided according to age, Qu Dubian's place was at the end, very quiet. Ye Xiaoyuan made it clean and comfortable, and all of Qu Dubian's belongings were placed according to his habits.

After a simple dinner, Emperor Chongzhao told them to rest early and perform well in the autumn hunt tomorrow.

The Fourth Prince came to visit Qu Dubian, and the two of them went out for a stroll together and looked at the night sky.

There was another person following behind the Fourth Prince. It was a stranger with a long scar on the right side of his cheek and some burn wounds. He was holding a sword and was silent.

Qu Watanabe: "Fourth brother, the one next to you?"

The fourth prince: "Oh, his name is Leng Yue, he came to me for help, he is quite skilled, and he has the same last name as my mother, so we have a connection, so after I tested him, I accepted him as my bodyguard, so that my mother wouldn't say that I had no one to protect me and she would be worried."

Leng Yue bowed to Qu Dubian and said, "Greetings, Seventh Prince."

Qu Dubian became interested: "Want to fight?" Liu Liu didn't really fight with him, and Xia Fuyang had also left. He felt very lonely alone.

Leng Yue glanced at him and lowered his head: "I dare not."

The fourth prince smiled and said, "He learned from the south, so his moves are a little different from ours. If you want to try his moves, come to my house when you return to the capital."

Qu Watanabe: "That's fine too."

The two of them were strolling around, and when they came near the Sixth Prince's tent, they saw Concubine Lan enter the tent. She must have something to talk to the Sixth Prince about. Not long after, the Fifth Prince also came in.

Qu Duanbian shrugged: "I originally wanted to talk to Brother Wu, but now it seems that there is no chance."

The Fourth Prince: "Don't worry about them, let's go to the camp kitchen and steal some skewers."

Qu Watanabe: "Let's go, let's go."

-

Inside the Sixth Prince’s tent.

Concubine Lan was sitting on the chair while the Sixth Prince was lying on the table, eating fruit out of boredom.

The fifth prince stood respectfully in front of Concubine Lan.

"Now that you have established your own residence and can speak in the court, you should help Xiaoliu accumulate connections first. This way, after more than a year, Xiaoliu will also establish his own residence and leave the palace, so he won't have to start from scratch."

The Fifth Prince: “Yes.”

Imperial Concubine Lan chuckled, "I heard that you are very close to the Second Prince. Are you thinking of switching to another sect? The Second Prince is a cold stove, how can he be warmed up?"

The fifth prince was confused, then explained, "Your Highness, you misunderstood. I am close to my second brother because I want to rely on him to gain a firm foothold in the court. My eldest brother and third brother are fighting too fiercely. If I get involved, it might not be good."

"Now that my sixth brother is not old enough, I'd better be safe when I'm out alone." He said sincerely, "Don't worry, Concubine, I've seen your support over the years and my sixth brother's care for me. I remember it all in my heart, and I will never act like an ungrateful person."

Imperial Concubine Lan looked at him carefully for a moment before she said with satisfaction, "Well, it's good that you know. When your mother was alive, I gave her a lot of advice. Over the years, I have also supported you. Now it's time for you to repay me. Don't let me down."

The fifth prince smiled slightly: "Of course not."

Concubine Lan turned to the Sixth Prince and said, "Stop playing around. Mother has secured for you the job of hanging grass and planting flags in front of the horse tomorrow. It's very simple. It just allows you to show your face in front of your father more often."

"Last time your father was sick, you didn't visit him much. He might be upset and not paying much attention to you. You must take this opportunity to make amends."

The Sixth Prince curled his lips, "I went there, but he didn't wake up."

Concubine Lan pretended to be angry: "Did you hear that?"

The Sixth Prince: "Yes, I heard it. I'm not deaf."

Concubine Lan gave further detailed instructions before leaving.

The fifth prince took what they said to heart and went to his own tent.

-

the next day.

Early in the morning.

Qu Dubian yawned due to sleepiness, and after practicing some internal energy techniques, he felt much more energetic.

He changed into his riding and archery uniform and picked a bow and arrow that suited him best. "Six six."

B Twelve appears: "Yeah."

Qu Watanabe: "The concubines and princesses will also go on stage. Empress Xuan will definitely go, and Sister may go too. You should quietly follow them and make sure they don't fall."

Yi Twelve nodded: "Then your highness, please be careful."

Qu Watanabe: "Don't worry, I'll just be hunting little rabbits on the edge."

After he finished packing, he took Ye Xiaoyuan to the hunting starting point.

The imperial guards stood guard on both sides, with flags flying.

The war drums are beating and people's hearts are excited.

The six princes, Princess Zhiyi, Concubine Xuan, Concubine De, and the descendants of a group of civil and military officials who came to make up the numbers, all rode on horses, looking dashing and heroic.

The Sixth Prince hung straw wreaths and inserted small flags on their horses one by one.

Hanging a grass ring means putting a crown on the horse to encourage the horse to work hard. Each small flag has a different color. Whoever shoots the prey will insert a small flag of the same color on the prey to indicate the mark and count.

After everything was hung and plugged in, he bowed towards the position where Emperor Chongzhao was and said, "Your Majesty, it's ready."

Emperor Chongzhao smiled and said, "Well done."

Concubine Lan chuckled and said, "It's all thanks to your Majesty's good teaching."

Emperor Chongzhao: "Return to the team!"

The Sixth Prince then went to his horse and climbed on.

He complained to Qu Dubian in a low voice: "I'm so tired."

Qu Dubian said with a smile: "Are you tired already? We still have to hunt later."

He looked towards the eldest prince and the third prince. Even though there was the second prince between them, the atmosphere was tense and tense, and everyone wanted to be the first.

The war drums suddenly stopped.

Emperor Chongzhao: "Begin!"

All the people on horseback waved their whips and rushed out.