The atmosphere among the women was harmonious, as if they were on a picnic, and they were all in a relaxed and happy mood.

The princes were quite the opposite; each one was like a wild wolf released from its cage. Even the seventh prince, who had some difficulty walking, had eyes full of ambition to get his prey.

Carrying quivers and wielding bows and crossbows, they galloped and reined in their horses with remarkable agility. One couldn't help but admire them, remarking, "Truly worthy of being princes of the Aisin Gioro family."

"Your Highness, let's see who's superior today," Yinti confidently challenged Yinreng.

Yin Zhi, who was standing nearby, said, "Big brother, let me compete with you too. In previous years I was too young, but this year the master who teaches riding and archery praised my skills for improving greatly. Who knows, you and second brother might not be able to beat me in terms of the number of prey."

"I won't argue with you. The outcome will be clear in time. I'm leaving now. Do as you please." Yinreng lightly kicked his horse's flank and rode away.

Yinzhen followed behind and said, "Second brother, wait for me, I'll go with you."

Yinti and Yinzhi disliked each other and did not speak to each other, walking in opposite directions.

The remaining princes looked longingly at the Fifth Prince, Yinqi.

"Fifth Brother, which road should we take? Before leaving the palace, Mother told me that I could go hunting, but I had to go with you. Fifth Brother, please take me to hunt a few more animals, preferably a tiger or a bear or something." Yinzhen excitedly waved his riding whip.

Yin'e was always Yin'tang's little follower, and he would say whatever Yin'tang said.

"Fifth Brother, Ninth Brother and I are together, so you have to take good care of us. When we grow up in a few years, we'll take Fifth Brother hunting," Yin'e said in a simple and honest manner.

Yinqi was both amused and exasperated: "You two have grown up, and I, your fifth brother, am not old either. I don't need you to guide me. Let's go, but don't stray too far from the guards. You can practice this time first, and in a few years you'll be able to walk in the forest on your own."

"Alright, Fifth Brother, you go first." Yinzhen was quite mischievous in front of his older brother.

Yinqi was steady in nature and did not have a fierce or ruthless temper.

He asked the guards who had scouted the area beforehand to lead Yinzhen and his entourage to a wider path.

As long as the children are having fun, that's all that matters. Emperor Kangxi didn't expect his young princes to be the best in the imperial examinations. As long as they all returned safely without breaking any arms or legs, he was content and everything was fine.

Yinreng's horsemanship and archery skills were personally taught by Emperor Kangxi, and now he has surpassed his master.

His prey wasn't just easy-to-hunt rabbits; he also hunted several larger prey.

During this time, he bumped into Emperor Kangxi and they met briefly.

Kangxi watched as he reaped a bountiful harvest in no time, and his eyes narrowed with satisfaction.

On the other side, Yinti and Yinzhi were comparable to Yinreng in terms of the quantity and quality of their prey.

The guards following behind Yinzhi felt relieved to see that Yinzhi had performed exceptionally well today.

If the Third Prince wins today, these guards will surely benefit from the reward.

"I'm really lucky today. I've encountered countless roe deer and foxes along the way. Looks like my eldest and second brothers are going to lose to me today." Yin Zhi was as confident as ever.

Unfortunately, good things often don't come true when you talk about them.

After Yin Zhi had shot so many arrows that his hands were sore, suddenly there was no prey for a long stretch of road.

The guards had already sensed something was wrong, but Yin Zhi was still happily walking inside.

"Third Prince, this road is a bit too deep. Why don't we take another route and continue hunting?" the leading guard advised.

Yin Zhi waved his hand, full of vigor, and said, "The path I chose is good. What if we had chosen another path and our luck had run out? All the good stuff is hidden inside. The path was empty just now, so there must be big prey at the end. Be bolder, all of you. This hunting ground has been checked inside and out so many times. What great danger could there be? You're really promising."

Since Yin Zhi had said so, the guards couldn't drag him outside; they could only follow him cautiously.

As it turns out, Yin Zhi's analysis was indeed correct; the good stuff was hidden inside.

What's hidden inside? Damn it, a bear's hidden in there.

Looking at the enormous creature not far away, Yin Zhi felt as if his hands and feet no longer belonged to him.

"Run!" Yin Zhi shouted at the top of his lungs.

Actually, they were still some distance away from the bear, and the bear was busy eating honey and had no interest in the humans in the distance.

But Yin Zhi shouldn't have shouted out, making it notice them.

The guards covered Yinzhi as he ran forward desperately. There were only four of them, including Yinzhi, and they were no match for the huge bear.

The only way forward is for them to go to a crowded place, gather the strength of the crowd, and kill the bear.

If things go well, they might even get some credit for it.

The problem was that they went too deep into the area. When they were exhausted and the bear was about to catch up, there was no one around.

"I'll fight you to the death!" Yin Zhi calmed himself down for a while while fleeing.

Seeing that there was no way to escape, Yin Zhi turned around, drew an arrow, aimed accurately, and shot it into the bear's eye.

But the bear could run fast.

Yin Zhi shot the bear, but only in its arm; the pain only fueled its rage.

"What's going on? Who provoked the bear?" Yinreng frowned and asked worriedly upon hearing the bear's howl.

Only these brothers have walked this road, and whichever one of them is definitely from the Aisin Gioro family.

“Come with me,” Yinreng immediately decided.

Yinti was in the same situation. He considered himself brave and strong and even wanted to fight a bear. This opportunity allowed him to both repay a debt of gratitude and demonstrate his strength, a win-win situation.

"Come with me to rescue them. Be careful, everyone, and don't get hurt," Yinti said.

Only Yinreng and Yinti heard the sound, and they rushed towards the direction of the bear's howl, unaware that Yinzhi was in deep danger.

Seeing the bear's huge paw about to slap him, Yin Zhi instinctively rolled off his horse, using the force to roll a few more times, getting further away from the bear.

The bear didn't know that Yin Zhi was the one who hurt it, but those who invaded its territory were the food it was hunting.

Moreover, this prey smells quite good.

The bear slurped its saliva, and Yin Zhi opened his eyes wide enough to see the dead mountain bees on the bear's paw.

My life is over!

When the bear approached again, Yin Zhi closed his eyes in despair.

If he had known this would happen, why would he have bothered arguing with his elder brothers?

Since he's the third son, not one of the two who are the eldest or legitimate sons, there's not much point in him vying for the first place.

It's nothing more than a few words of praise and some gifts. What use are those material possessions to him if he's dead?