Chapter 97 The Hunt Begins (Bug)

It was already quite late when we returned to the palace for lunch, and we rested for about half an hour.

Since the autumn hunt officially begins in the afternoon, we needed to change into riding gear.

Zhao Xian was dressed, and it was highly likely that she would be riding a horse, so her attire was simple and she didn't have many complicated ornaments on her head, only a double-headed hairpin to hold her hair in place.

Thinking of the place from that morning, she asked with some doubt, "There doesn't seem to be any prey here. Is it possible to catch anything?"

Jiang Liangxu nodded: "There's no need to worry about that. Firstly, we'll release the prey this afternoon, and secondly, we'll be moving to a different location tomorrow, up in the mountains, so there won't be a shortage of prey."

"Change locations?"

Jiang Liangxu nodded and explained, “Shanglin Garden is divided into upper and lower levels. The lower level is where we go in the morning, and it can be used for large-scale drills or to organize martial arts competitions. The upper level is further inside, in the mountains and forests where hunting is convenient. The late emperor liked hunting, and Shanglin Garden is not too far from Jin'an. He would travel back and forth several times a year. I once heard other ministers say that the late emperor believed that prey would not approach places with houses, so no palaces were built inside and no tents were erected. When I first came to Shanglin Garden with His Majesty, there was no martial arts drill that time, so we went directly inside.”

Zhao Xian, "Is the actual hunting ground far away?"

"It's not too far, about half an hour on horseback."

"Then why not go today?" Since it's not very far and it's still early, why not go sooner?

Jiang Liangxu picked up the teapot to refill the tea. "I actually asked the official in charge of this matter about that. The game will be released in the afternoon, and the released game will be driven up the mountain. If we go up the mountain first and then release the game, the game will be out of control and easily run down the mountain. Therefore, the game will not be carried out on the mountain in advance."

Zhao Xian opened her mouth. Couldn't these things have been done a few days earlier? She had never hunted before and didn't understand or comprehend this behavior.

"By the way, His Majesty intends to test the princes during this hunt, so he probably won't have much free time to ride horses with his wife."

Testing the princes?

The Emperor has not yet appointed a Crown Prince. Although the Emperor is not too old, there have been constant calls in the court to appoint a Crown Prince.

Zhao Xian looked up at Jiang Liangxu and asked, "Establish a crown prince!" In the book, the emperor died after the autumn hunt and a new emperor ascended the throne. Could it be related to this crown prince establishment?

Zhao Xian still couldn't remember which prince in the book ascended the throne, and she also didn't notice that Jiang Wei had a particularly close relationship with any of the princes.

Since Jiang Wei, the male protagonist of a tragic novel, hasn't arrived for this autumn hunt, Zhao Xian has even less of a chance to make a judgment.

Fine, Jiang Liangxu won't take sides, he doesn't care which prince ascends the throne.

"You go about your business, I'm more comfortable playing by myself."

The emperor was testing the princes, and they were all accompanied by ministers. Even if she wanted to join in, she couldn't get in.

As she spoke, Zhao Xian stood up and said, "I'll go see if Heng'er is feeling better."

When they arrived at the young couple's house, they learned that Jiang Heng had already been summoned away; he had also taken on the role of a guard during his visit.

"Is he alright?"

Lu Zhaoying pursed her lips. "The imperial physician said it was nothing serious, but my husband kept complaining of pain. I rubbed it for him, but the bruises hadn't cleared up before I was called away."

Zhao Xian thought of Jiang Heng's exaggerated way of making a big fuss about even the smallest injury, which was obviously intentional.

He smiled and said to Lu Zhaoying, "Then it's probably nothing serious. Go change your clothes. We're going to pay our respects to the Empress. We also have a hunting activity this afternoon."

"good."

Since the afternoon hunt was still being held at the martial arts arena, the women of the inner quarters first went to pay their respects to the Empress, and then followed her to follow her arrangements.

When Zhao Xian led Lu Zhaoying over, she noticed that not all the women had changed into riding attire. Many second-rank and third-rank noblewomen were dressed in casual clothes, seemingly intending to just sit and watch rather than participate in the horse race.

Zhao Xian looked at her riding attire. Among a group of ladies, wasn't she... a bit too composed?

The thought had barely crossed her mind when Zhao Xian suppressed it. She knew that the reason she was so tired before was because she overthought things.

To everyone's surprise, the Empress was also dressed in riding attire, unlike her usual attire.

Dressed in a red riding outfit, even the sickly look on his face seemed to have faded somewhat, making him quite dashing.

After removing her hair ornaments, her black hair stood up high with only a single hairpin. The Empress's worries faded, as if she had been freed from her slumber.

According to Lou Bai's investigation, the Han family was born into the military, and the Han family boxing style used by Han Mu was a family secret technique.

It seems that even the Empress can do that.

The training ground was not far from the imperial palace, but this time no one went up to the stands; everyone stayed on the flat ground of the training ground.

Standing on the stands, one can tell how vast the martial arts arena is. But when you are actually there, you realize that its vastness is beyond words. The hills at the edges are much higher, and the trees are very far apart.

Zhao Xian saw the prey to be released; the variety was quite extensive, and the quantity was astonishing.

We worshipped the Martial Saint in the morning, and again in the afternoon during the autumn hunt.

After the ceremony concluded, the Emperor pulled on the reins and mounted his horse. "Though the world is at peace now, archery and horsemanship must not be abandoned, and courage and fighting spirit must not be diminished. You will follow me on the autumn hunt, galloping through the mountains and forests, drawing your bows to hunt deer—"

"yes!"

The deafening roar startled the birds in the forest, causing them to flap their wings and fly away from their nests.

As the cage was opened, countless prey poured out and ran across the vast grassland.

"Charge!"

The drums suddenly sounded, and the whip was spurred on, causing the horse to bolt in fright.

The Emperor, accompanied by his princes, ministers, imperial guards, and countless attendants, galloped on horseback, his hooves seeming to tremble the ground.

The women stood by, watching, following the Empress.

A large group of people poured out, and the prey that had been released earlier was quickly overwhelmed by the riders. Judging from the direction they were heading, they were probably all fleeing into the woods to hide.

The drumbeats continued, but the riders had already gone far away, and the sound was much quieter.

Until the sound of the horses' hooves gradually faded and could no longer interfere with the conversation.

The men went hunting, and the women were excluded. Even if they wanted to go out, they could only bring their own guards.

The Empress suddenly looked at Zhao Xian and said, "Madam Jiang, come with me for a ride."

As Zhao Xian bowed, she said, "Your subject obeys."

The Empress looked at the young ladies dressed in riding attire and the young ladies from various families, and said, "Tonight we women will not lose in the barbecue. Those who are skilled may also go hunting. I will reward anyone who catches any game."

Upon hearing this, everyone's interest soared instantly, and they cheered, wishing the Empress a speedy recovery.

The group, who hadn't been doing anything just moments before, suddenly seemed to have something to do and started asking acquaintances to join them.

As the guards brought the horses, the Empress chatted with Zhao Xian, saying, "I learned from Tingyue that Lady Jiang has been practicing horseback riding and archery. I haven't ridden a horse for many years, and no one has accompanied me in horse races. I wonder how skilled Lady Jiang is at riding?"

Zhao Xian glanced at Cui Tingyue, who was dressed in riding attire and accompanying the Empress. Could it be considered that Cui Tingyue also had connections in the palace?

Upon hearing the word 'horse riding skills', Zhao Xian said with some shame, "To be honest, Your Majesty, I am not very good at riding. I can barely control them to run, and even when I practice archery, I am just a stationary target."

As she spoke, the guards led the horse to her side. The Empress gently stroked the horse's mane. "That's how it should be. Isn't hunting about chasing the prey until it's exhausted before drawing the bow? Lady Jiang, don't be so modest. Come ride with me for a bit. It's been so long since I've ridden a horse that I've almost forgotten how."

The Empress spoke lightly, but her tone revealed a hint of nostalgia.

They climbed onto the horse's back, and the two of them didn't go very fast at first, as Zhao Xian was getting used to the horse she was riding.

She learned to ride a horse when Jiang Heng was almost one year old. After he recovered, the first thing she did was learn to ride a horse. In Zhao Xian's opinion, it was like learning to drive a car in modern times; no matter what, you have to learn the skill first.

If Meng Yingniang had only known how to ride a horse, her journey away wouldn't have been so difficult and helpless.

After running two laps around the vast training ground, the Empress's previously calm expression vanished, replaced by a hearty laugh, a laugh that transcended the constraints of rules.

The Empress pulled on the reins, glanced at Cui Tingyue who had fallen far behind, and then looked at Zhao Xian, who was not too far behind her. "Madam Jiang is indeed modest. No one could keep up with me before."

After catching up, Zhao Xian pulled on the reins, slowed down, and walked alongside the Empress. Upon hearing this, she said, "It was Your Majesty the Empress who took care of this humble woman..."

As she spoke, Zhao Xian suddenly stopped, then raised her hand and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, look over there."

Zhao Xian pointed in the direction she was pointing, and there she saw a deer grazing on the grass.

Since His Majesty and the others had entered the woods, the huge training ground was left empty. Although there were guards around, they were still far away.

Most of the animals hunted are released into the wild, and it's unknown how many of them retain their wild nature. Furthermore, not all animals are clever enough to escape and hide.

A glint flashed in the Empress's eyes, and she spurred her horse on, "Chase!"

Zhao Xian paused for a moment. She had never hunted live animals before, but the Empress and her accompanying guards had already ridden away.

"Mother." Cui Tingyue caught up on horseback, her gaze fixed on the direction the Empress and her entourage had departed. "What happened?"

A flicker of worry crossed her eyes. The Empress had suddenly abandoned her mother; something must have happened.

"It's nothing. We spotted a roe deer. Her Majesty the Empress has already led people after it. Let's hurry too." Zhao Xian had planned to hunt when she came, but knowing her archery skills, she could only hunt rabbits and pheasants at most. Seeing the roe deer, she didn't think about hunting it, so she was a step behind.

The two men, accompanied by their guards, gave chase.

The queen was a skilled hunter. At first, she did not draw her bow to shoot at the running creature, but instead split up with her guards to chase and intercept the roe deer.

The guards handed over the bow and arrows when the prey was exhausted from the chase.

Having caught their first prey, the Queen was in high spirits and her enthusiasm for hunting was also piqued. "Everyone, follow me to continue the hunt. A generous reward will be given upon our return."

The guards shouted in unison, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

There are not many animals left in the grasslands; if you want to hunt, you have to go into the forest.

It was fine in the open training ground, but once they entered the forest, Zhao Xian soon felt something was wrong and a sense of unease rose in her heart.

Whether it was her imagination or not, she had a feeling that someone was watching her closely. She glanced around and saw that the guards following her included both unfamiliar and familiar faces.

But she instinctively felt that the pricking sensation wasn't from the guards; it was just that there were many trees in the forest, making it easy to block her view.