After the hunting competition ended, the Ministry of Revenue recorded the final results of each participant.

"Your Majesty, I have recorded the wild animals hunted by the contestants and found that the winner is the second prince of Yan, Yan Shaoheng. However... there is something I am not sure if I should say."

The Emperor rubbed his forehead, speechless. What was most troublesome about these old guys was their stammering. If they felt something shouldn't be said, they shouldn't say it at all. And if they did say it, they would ask if it was appropriate to say it.

……"speak!"

You've said plenty of things you shouldn't have, so don't ask such polite questions if you don't even know what you shouldn't say...

"Your Majesty, while I was sorting through the game, I discovered that the lion hunted by the Second Prince of Yan was poisoned to death."

"Poisoned? Did the imperial physician examine him?"

Upon hearing this news, the Emperor frowned slightly, finding it indeed hard to believe.

"Your Majesty, we have examined the swords and found that poison was indeed used. We suspect that the Second Prince of Yan applied the poison to the swords and wounded the lion during the fight, thus killing it. The poison was applied to vital points everywhere."

It seems that Yan Shaoheng is indeed meticulous and ruthless. It is understandable that the people I sent to follow him these past few days have returned empty-handed each time.

After a moment's thought, the Emperor said, "This competition is a hunt, and the goal is to obtain prey. It would be inappropriate to deny the Second Prince of Yan's achievements over the past three days simply because he used poison. Let him win the first prize in this hunting competition."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand."

As the last rays of twilight gradually approached the horizon, the black veil of night slowly covered the dome, and after darkness fell, lights shone throughout the palace.

The doors of Chengqian Palace were slightly ajar. Inside, on a dark brown table, a Taihu stone incense burner sat at an angle, from which two wisps of smoke swirled and rose.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong? Is something troubling you?"

The Empress noticed that the Emperor's forehead was slightly furrowed, and there was no trace of joy on his face; his eyes were filled with annoyance.

The Empress wore a bright yellow cloak and held another cloak embroidered with dragons in her hand, which she gently draped over the Emperor's shoulders.

"It's late, don't catch a cold."

"Wanran, the Ministry of Revenue submitted the final results of the hunting competition today. Can you guess who won first place?"

Without even thinking, the Empress directly named Yan Shaoheng, "The Second Prince of Yan."

"Wanran also thinks it should be him?"

"Isn't that so? I think I'm pretty good at judging people."

"For example, me?"

"He's always being cheeky."

"Wanran is indeed intelligent. It is indeed him, but the Ministry of Revenue reported that the second prince of Yan won the championship by using poison."

"So His Majesty thinks this person is both wicked and kind-hearted, and worries that if this person inherits the throne, the four kingdoms will not be at peace, the people will be displaced, and wars will break out everywhere?"

The Emperor's brow twitched slightly, his gaze lingering on her for a long time, an endless smile spreading across his eyes, like a pearl shimmering with light, radiant as glass.

"My little thoughts are completely hidden from Wanran."

The Empress glared at the Emperor, then grabbed his ear. "What? Are you trying to hide something from me?"

The Emperor immediately begged for mercy, "No, no, how could I dare? Nothing in the world is more important than Wanran. How could I possibly hide anything from Wanran?"

The Empress released her grip on the Emperor's ear. "That's more like it."

Seeing that the Empress had released her hand, the Emperor clasped his hands together and bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you, Wanran, for sparing my ears."

"You cheeky fellow, do you think that, given the nature of the Second Prince of Yan, after the lion wounded him so badly, he might have finished him off with a few more stabs after the lion died, just to vent his anger?"

The Empress turned to the Emperor and made a joke, but the Emperor's somewhat surprised look seemed to tell her, "You seem to have guessed right."

Could it really be true?

"Whether it's true or not, I don't know. The Ministry of Revenue only said that the wounds on the lion's body are all vital."

"It seems that this Yan Shaoheng is indeed not simple. If the Yan Kingdom falls into his hands, the common people will probably suffer the most in the end. Well, since we are here, we might as well make the best of it. We will deal with whatever comes our way. If they invade in the future, I will ask my brother to fight them back."

The Empress's brother later became the Right Chancellor. The Right Chancellor was a man of both literary and military talent, and was the top scholar in both the civil and military fields that year.

"Wanran is absolutely right. I will not offend others unless they offend me, but if they do offend me, I will certainly punish them."

"In that case, what does Your Majesty have to worry about?"

"It's just that the common people suffer. I have always wanted to give all the people of the world a peaceful life, but there are always some people who are ambitious and want to take advantage of other countries, stand above other countries, and even annex other countries."

The Empress did not say much. Her thoughts were no different from his, but who else would consider the well-being of the people as much as they did?

The following day, the main hall in the front courtyard once again prepared a final banquet for the hunting competition.

Some people were flattering him, saying, "As the Second Prince said, this hunting competition is indeed as good as he predicted. Congratulations to the Second Prince of Yan for winning the Cloud Piercing Spear. What a joyous occasion!"

"Yes, yes, a good gun is a hero. I have heard that yesterday the Second Prince of Yan brought back a lion that was twice the size of his usual lion."

"The Second Prince is truly brave and invincible! I heard he was injured yesterday. I wonder if he is feeling better?"

"Thank you all. My injuries are no longer serious. However, it is still unclear who will win this competition. Please do not flatter me."

"Oh, Your Highness, what are you saying? How could we, these little prey, possibly defeat you? Please stop teasing us."

Some people scoffed, "Pshaw, it was bitten so badly by a lion before it was killed. If it were me, I wouldn't even bother to mention it."

“Young Master Qian, you are wrong about that. No matter how badly the Second Prince was injured, he still relied on his own abilities. If you think killing a lion is easy, why not go to the forest and catch one yourself? It doesn’t need to be as big as the Second Prince’s; just an ordinary size will do.”

Whether it was to curry favor with Yan Shaoheng or to show disdain for the young master Qian in front of him, they actually encouraged him to catch one on the spot.

This young master Qian is the one who mocked Yan Shaoheng on the first day of the hunting competition. This young master Qian is the cousin of the most favored concubine of the Feng Kingdom Emperor. He was able to come to the Yue Kingdom this time because the concubine relied on the favor of the Feng Kingdom Emperor to ask for him.

However, this young master Qian had no idea what kind of person he had offended.