Chapter 81 The Hunt.

The next day, Lingyi got up late and returned to Chonghua Palace after having lunch.

Qin Yinrong was already waiting outside the palace. As soon as she saw her, she went up to greet her and said that she was going to run a girls' school in the west of the city.

Lingyi originally intended for the female strategist to be in charge of the preparations, but "you can only leave the palace with me once a month, how can you prepare? Besides, you have never been in charge before, I'm afraid your thinking is not thorough enough."

Qin Yinrong said proudly, "What's wrong with that? If you don't know how, just learn. Even the teacher, who has only fought in wars and never run a girls' school, started from scratch just like me. Besides, she is just a commoner, while I am a princess, so it's naturally easier for me to do things! I also have a group of noble ladies as friends, whose elders and brothers all hold positions in the Six Ministries and various government offices. They only need to go back and ask, and the general procedures will be clear. I also have several commoner friends, and no one knows better than me what they want to learn and what they need. If Your Majesty is not at ease, I can sign a pledge here and now. Just entrust this matter to me, and if I fail to do it well, I will offer my head as a reward!"

Although her words were childish, her arrogant expression was exactly the same as Qin Lie's occasional remark.

Compared to the Crown Prince and Prince Gong, this daughter is the one whose temperament is most like Qin Lie's. Even though she was spoiled rotten before, her strong will in her bones will not change.

Lingyi said, "In that case, I will trust you this once, but your teacher will still need to keep an eye on things."

Qin Yinrong quickly agreed.

Lingyi only learned later that this princess was truly audacious, and would disguise herself as a eunuch to leave the palace on a daily basis.

Moreover, she was extremely concerned about girls' education, and even missed the first royal hunt after Qin Lie ascended the throne, claiming to be ill.

October was a month of good fortune, with both the Princess Consort and the Crown Princess becoming pregnant. This year was also a rare good year. Since ascending the throne, Qin Lie had been extremely diligent, working from dawn till dusk, and was very strict with his officials. Which minister was not trembling with fear? This hunting trip not only allowed him to stretch his muscles, but also gave the cabinet and other court officials a sigh of relief. It was a happy occasion for both the emperor and his ministers.

The grand procession arrived at the royal hunting grounds. The palace servants who had arrived earlier had already set up tents. This group consisted of two hundred people, ranging from royal relatives and nobles to powerful ministers, excluding the guards and palace servants on duty.

The Crown Prince, Prince Gong, and Prince Rui were all present, and each of them had an excited look on their faces.

Some people come just to relax and have fun, but many others, especially military officers, come with the intention of showing off their skills and gaining the emperor's favor.

Therefore, apart from accompanying the emperor on hunts, he participated in one competition after another, almost without stopping during the day.

Lingyi loved riding horses and hunting, but didn't want to embarrass herself in front of so many people. Plus, the Sixteenth Princess had brought Lin'er along, so she spent all her time playing with him in the tent, rarely venturing out. She had feared that the hardships of the past few years would distort Lin'er's personality, just like Ji'an. Fortunately, he was still young and couldn't remember those things. Now he only knew that he was an orphan who had lost both his parents, and was fortunate to be adopted by his father's old friend, Xie Yu. The Xie family treated him very well, especially Madam Xie, who treated him no differently than her own son. His siblings also doted on him, and he had an aunt who lived in the palace who would kiss and hug him every time she saw him, and give him many gifts.

Just like the royal hunt these past few days, my father is only a fourth-rank official, and according to the rules, he cannot bring his family along.

But because his aunt wanted to see him, his mother brought him along, and he would come to his aunt's tent as soon as daytime arrived.

His aunt's tent was spacious and luxurious, with an endless supply of delicious food and novel and rare trinkets. His aunt was also extremely gentle with him. He played happily, oblivious to the mice, but whenever he heard cheers and applause outside and wanted to go out to see what was happening, his mother would always look at his aunt, who would then shake her head slightly at him.

As he focused on playing again, Lingyi looked at Lin'er—now Song Lin—and said to the Sixteenth Princess, "Sister takes excellent care of him, but you don't need to worry too much about him on a daily basis. I only ask that he be upright and kind and live a peaceful life. Apart from that, let him do whatever he likes. You and I are here for him, so he doesn't need to work hard to make a living. —Just one thing: he is not allowed to learn martial arts."

Song Lin has the blood of the Song family flowing in his veins, and he is naturally stronger than his peers, possessing a physique rarely seen in martial arts practitioners. However, although Qin Lie allows him to live, no matter how skilled he is in martial arts, he is destined not to join the army, which might arouse Qin Lie's suspicion. It would be better to cut off this path for him now.

The sixteenth princess said, "Xie Yu and I both intend to do the same, but that person at home... Although I try my best to avoid her, she always tries to get close to Lin'er. Last time I discovered her, she was about to teach him the Song family's spear technique."

Lingyi said, "She is, after all, Lin'er's own aunt, and Lin'er is the only bloodline of the Song family. If she only wants to be close to him, then let her be. But if she has other intentions and wants to say things to Lin'er that she shouldn't, I will never tolerate her. I heard that she has been resentful and depressed ever since the Southern Dynasty surrendered. I would send such a person to a nunnery, and I'm sure Xie Yu wouldn't object."

The sixteenth princess recalled the spirited face of Miss Song when they first met.

When Xie Yu took a concubine, she spent her days in tears. She resented Xie Yu and hated the second young lady of the Song family even more. If it weren't for her daughter, she probably would have ended her life with a rope long ago.

But she survived and even met her fifteenth sister and seventeenth sister.

Seeing how they lived, she easily realized her own weakness and vulnerability.

She didn't have her fifteenth sister's medical skills, nor her seventeenth sister's resilience, but she was a mother. At least she could stop wallowing in self-pity and try to cheer herself up to raise her children well, to raise them to be like her two aunts.

Now that she has Song Lin, her seventeenth sister's child, she will only devote herself even more diligently to her.

Therefore, she could only watch helplessly as Miss Song was sent to a nunnery.

This is the person she once deeply hated?

She remained silent because she couldn't do it.

Miss Song was never wrong, even though she genuinely liked Xie Yu and had used every means to compete for his favor.

But does that mean she can refuse to marry Xie Yu just because she doesn't like him?

The Sixteenth Princess sighed deeply: "I won't lie to you, she has indeed never given up, still dreaming of restoring the glory of the Song family and clinging to the pipe dream of being a princess. But she has been depressed for the past few years, and her health has deteriorated. I'm afraid she won't last much longer. Let her stay in the Xie family, at least I can take care of her. As for Lin'er, she won't have any chance, so you can rest assured."

Lingyi held her hand and smiled, "Sister, so many people have died and so many things have changed over the years, but you are still kind and gentle. Whenever I see you, I feel comforted."

The sixteenth princess grasped her hand in return, her eyes moist. "But I often hate myself for being so powerless, unable to help you. I didn't even know about the many sufferings you endured until much later."

Lingyi said, "It's all in the past. Let's treat each other well from now on."

The sixteenth princess nodded vigorously, "We must take good care of each other from now on."

Although many competitions can be skipped, Lingyi cannot be absent from the hunting competition.

This is an annual royal hunting tradition. This is Qin Lie's first time visiting the royal hunting grounds since ascending the throne, and the rewards he has offered are extraordinary.

It was a long sword that accompanied him in his battles for more than a decade, named Flame Moon.

He used this very knife to fight his way from Jizhou to the capital. Over the years, it has been repaired several times, but he has never abandoned it, which shows how much he cherishes it.

Many of the officials here were generals who had followed Qin Lie in his campaigns, and upon seeing Yan Yue, many of them found themselves moved to tears.

Qin Can stared intently at Yan Yue, his eyes filled with determination.

The Crown Prince had some basic skills when he was young, but in recent years he has been busy with government affairs and has neglected his riding and archery skills. Originally, he did not intend to compete for first place, but when he saw Yan Yue and Qin Can's gaze, his face immediately darkened.

Lingyi looked at Huan'er, who was the youngest among the participants, yet he sat on his horse with an imposing presence.

How could the military generals dare to compete with a prince? In the end, Prince Gong came in first, and the Crown Prince second, giving the princes ample face. Only then did the competition between them begin. It wasn't that they looked down on the Imperial Concubine's son, but Prince Rui was truly incompetent, only managing to shoot two geese, leaving them unsure how to pass him. They could only console themselves that Prince Rui was still young and just wanted to play around, which is why they all surpassed him one by one.

Yongjia smiled as he watched Qin Lie bestow Yan Yue upon Prince Gong, and then offered words of encouragement to the others.

Back in the tent, she summoned Huan'er.

Huan'er is now over ten years old. Although he has not yet grown up, you can see that he looks like Qin Lie, tall and upright.

She just looks more like her, especially her eyes; when she gazes at someone for a while, she appears very affectionate.

According to palace rules, princes should move to the Princes' Residence at the age of eight, and those who were enfeoffed as princes at a young age, like him, could even open their own offices and residences outside the palace. However, since the Shenwu Gate Incident, the Empress Dowager had closed the palace gates. No one dared to mention it unless she gave the order, so Huan'er had been living in Cining Palace ever since.

The Empress Dowager did not restrict his movements; he could still go to the Imperial Study to study, practice martial arts at the training ground, and pay his respects to the Imperial Noble Consort. Apart from that, he spent most of his time in the Cining Palace.

After a brief greeting, Huan'er sat on the couch and took the nine-linked rings from Song Lin's hand.

The nine-linked rings that Lin'er couldn't solve for a long time were easily disassembled by him in just a few moves, and placed on the couch.

Lin'er's eyes lit up, and she opened her mouth for a long time before finally uttering, "Cousin is amazing! So amazing!"

Huan'er said, "You're too stupid! I knew how to solve this when I was five!"

Lin'er immediately came over and grabbed Huan'er with her little hands, "Teach me! Teach me!"

Huan'er pushed him away in disgust: "You're too stupid, I can't teach you!"

Although he pushed someone, he didn't use much force.

Lin'er quickly pestered him again, hitting and kicking, refusing to give up. Huan'er had no choice but to teach him, but Lin'er couldn't learn even after several attempts. Huan'er quickly lost patience and hid behind Lingyi, crying out, "Mother, save me! I really can't teach this good-for-nothing!"

Lin'er, with tears welling up in her eyes, said pitifully, "Auntie, I'm not a good-for-nothing!"

Huan'er made a face at him: "Crybaby! Tattletale! Tattleming won't help, I'm not teaching you!"

Lin'er then looked at Lingyi, "Aunt, please teach me!"

Lingyi coughed awkwardly. She wanted to teach her, but she didn't know how.

The sixteenth princess watched with a smile for a while, and knowing that Lingyi had something to say to Huan'er, she came out to defuse the situation and took Song Lin outside.

After Lingyi gestured for the palace servants to leave, she turned to Huan'er with a stern face and asked, "I heard that you took a nap in the back mountain during today's hunting festival?"

Huan'er chuckled and said, "The sky was high and the air was crisp, and I unconsciously took a nap. It was quite a pleasant one. Why does Mother look so pale? Do you want me to compete with the Crown Prince and Prince Gong for that damned 'first place'?"

Lingyi said, "I didn't think that way, but I can't stand to see you like this. It's one thing that your studies have been a mess lately, and if you really don't like reading and martial arts, I won't force you. But you shouldn't spend your days gambling with a group of eunuchs and palace maids, even all night long, wasting your precious time!"

"But what does Mother Consort want from me?" Huan'er was still smiling, but her smile held a hint of sarcasm. "My great-grandmother used to tell me that even if you are born into the imperial family, you must study diligently. In the first few years, she would accompany me to recite and practice my skills before dawn, and she would accompany me to read and write late at night. But now—those eunuchs and palace maids are the ones she brought in. With me like this, the Empress Dowager is happy, and Father is at ease. What does that little bit of wasted time matter?"

Lingyi was stunned and remained silent for a long time.

She has never been particularly clever; she has only tried her best to make herself and the people she cares about live better lives within the limited space she has to maneuver.

However, she had just instructed the Sixteenth Princess not to allow Lin'er to practice martial arts, and at this moment she easily understood the Empress Dowager's intentions.

Back then, she encouraged Huan'er to study hard because she knew he was an unfavored child, destined to have no one to rely on and to depend on himself for everything. Now, however, the Empress Dowager fears Huan'er's birth mother, a favored imperial concubine like herself, who might threaten the Crown Prince's position. That's why she's determined to ruin Huan'er. And Qin Lie, perhaps, is also watching coldly, or even reaping the benefits.

She bent down and hugged Huan'er, forcing back tears as she said, "I'm so sorry."

Huan'er's smile faded, and she hugged her tightly, saying, "Mother, you've never been the one in the wrong..."

Before he could finish speaking, the curtain was lifted, and Qin Lie walked in. Upon seeing their situation, his thick eyebrows immediately furrowed.

Before he could speak, Huan'er knelt down and bowed, "Your subject greets Your Majesty!"

In recent years, thanks to Lingyi, he is no longer as afraid of Qin Lie as before, but he still clearly lacks the intimacy he once had with Lingyi, showing only utmost respect.

Qin Lie glanced at Lingyi's reddened eyes and looked at Huan'er, "What trouble have you caused this time to upset your mother so much?"

Huan'er said, "It's my fault for being so bad at martial arts. I had a poor harvest at the hunting competition and embarrassed my mother."

Qin Lie said, "It's not just that your martial arts are bad; you're downright shameful! Don't just stand here. Go outside and practice your riding and archery. It's only because your sister isn't here that you're not even as good as her!"

Huan'er acknowledged and withdrew.

Qin Lie embraced Lingyi and sat her down on the couch, laughing, "Why worry about such a trivial matter? Even if he can't do anything, I will arrange everything perfectly for him, ensuring his life of wealth and comfort."

His so-called arrangement was after his death, and she was destined not to live by then, so how could she verify the truth?

She didn't want to think about many things because she was powerless to change them, but would Mount Wangwu disappear if Yu Gong didn't raise his head?

Seeing that she was still unhappy, Qin Lie coaxed her, "I know you've been feeling cooped up in the tent these past few days, so I came back early today to take you out for a ride to relax."

Lingyi turned her head away: "I'm not going."

Qin Lie laughed and said, "That's not up to you!"

As he spoke, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her straight out of the tent to his horse.

Lingyi had not been so embarrassed in a long time. Although there were only a few palace servants on duty outside, Qin Lie was the supreme ruler of the world, and many eyes were watching. Presumably, this improper thing would spread throughout the entire hunting ground in less than an hour.

The more she struggled, the more fodder for gossip became for others.

Therefore, sitting on the horse, she tried her best to maintain her last shred of dignity, saying, "I don't want to ride with you. Have someone bring another horse."

Qin Lie simply smiled and leaped up behind her, kicking the horse's flanks and galloping off.

Qin Lie had already made arrangements. When they arrived at a place, no one else dared to approach. He taught them step by step, and as a result, Lingyi finally hunted a pheasant.

It was already late, and the tent was quite far away, but Qin Lie still led her into the mountains.

Lingyi reminded her, "Don't go too far, it's getting dark."

Qin Lie said, "It's better if it's dark."

Lingyi had lived in the capital since childhood and had hardly ever seen mountains and forests except when traveling. In her eyes, the continuous mountains were all the same.

Therefore, it wasn't until he led her by the hand to the familiar cave that she understood the meaning of his words.

"So you harbored ill intentions and malicious thoughts back then!" she belatedly accused.

Qin Lie simply smiled and said, "Your Highness is too kind. This is what I call taking advantage of the situation and having a long-term vision."

Compared to the last time he came, when he only ate dry rations with water to make it look realistic, this time there was a meal prepared inside, and a pot of sake was placed on the table. Apart from these, everything else was the same as when they came last time, and even the bedding was almost exactly the same.

Qin Lie struck a pose, "Please, Princess."

Lingyi was also a little hungry at this time. The table was full of her favorite foods, so she sat down and ate without ceremony.

She prefers sweet flavors and dislikes meat, which is completely opposite to Qin Lie's taste.

Qin Lie didn't mind. After having dinner with her, he finished almost everything she left and then took her up the mountain to admire the moon.

The mountains in the hunting grounds are not famous and are relatively low, so there is really nothing scenic about them.

A blanket was laid out on the mountain, and he pulled her to sit on it, gazing at the moon for a long time with a serious expression.

Finally, he sighed and said, "The moonlight here is far inferior to that in Jizhou. Especially outside the pass, the moon on the grassland seems exceptionally bright, sometimes so bright it's eerie. When marching at night, it feels as if you might accidentally stumble into it and have your soul taken away."

Lingyi said, "So even the Emperor can be afraid."

"How could I not?" Qin Lie said, "I've been afraid of too many things since I was a child."

“When I was little, I was afraid of getting into trouble and being discovered. I was afraid that my grandmother wouldn’t know when my father punished me. I was afraid that my older brothers would think I was useless and wouldn’t play with me. I was afraid that my second brother would never be able to stand up again. I was afraid that the Jizhou Army would decline from then on. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to shoulder the responsibility of the Jizhou Army and disappoint everyone. I was afraid that when the imperial brush touched the vermilion ink, it would leave some irreparable flaws for future generations…” He pulled her close and kissed her ear. “I was afraid that the princess would leave me again and never look back.”

Lingyi knew he was not one to speak without reason, so she asked, "What exactly does Your Majesty want to say?"

Qin Lie paused for a moment, then said, "The Emperor Emeritus may cause trouble in the next few days, so I will send someone to escort you away tomorrow."