Lu Ziying was startled: "Mother, you mean..."

"Isn't he a good hunter? There are plenty of fierce prey in these mountains, so let him hunt them."

As she spoke, the Empress beckoned Lu Ziying closer, and a conspiracy began to brew.

...

The next day, because Lu Ziyuan had hunted a tiger, the Emperor was eager to try it himself and insisted on taking everyone hunting. This time, women who wanted to go were also welcome.

Princess Fu had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time and couldn't wait to team up with Zhong Muyu. Afterwards, she looked at Lu Ziyuan, who had a dissatisfied expression, and deliberately teased him: "Seventh Brother won't mind if I borrow your princess for a morning?"

"Third sister-in-law is joking. It's just that Yu'er isn't good at hunting. I hope she won't be a burden to you."

Lu Ziyuan's smile was forced; he minded! He minded a lot!

Princess Fu laughed heartily: "No, no! Princess Ling and I hit it off immediately. Even if she does nothing, I'd be happy to go hunting with her."

It feels so good to bully my younger brother!

Just then, the Emperor said, "Yuan'er, come here."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Muyu and Princess Fu immediately looked over there, wondering what the Emperor wanted to see Lu Ziyuan about.

"Yuan'er, I will go hunting with you today, so that I can see your strength with my own eyes."

"Yes, Father."

Being by the emperor's side was an immense honor, and everyone envied it.

A flicker of panic crossed Lu Ziying's face. As everyone began to enter the forest, he seized the opportunity while speaking with the Empress to ask, "What should we do, Mother? He's with Father, so what about our plan..."

"It's alright, proceed as usual."

"But that's Father..."

The Empress looked at him coldly: "He is indeed your father, but don't forget, you are now the Crown Prince."

The Empress's words were pointed, and Lu Ziying instantly understood. His father was in his prime, and Lu Ziyuan was so outstanding; his position as Crown Prince might not be secure. But what if both his father and Lu Ziyuan were gone…

Then he would be the rightful emperor!

"Your subject understands."

Concealing the coldness on his face, Lu Ziying mounted his horse, caught up with the others, and entered the mountains together.

Lu Ziyuan followed the Emperor closely, and soon they spotted a goat. Lu Ziyuan didn't make a move, but the Emperor enthusiastically drew his bow and shot an arrow, hitting the target with a single shot!

"Hahaha! Great!"

Looking very happy, Lu Ziyuan said, "Father is still the same as before, his archery skills are truly admirable."

"Things aren't what they used to be. Come on, let's go retrieve the prey."

The goat had fallen in a rather tricky spot, so the two of them couldn't ride over there on horseback and dismounted together.

Lu Ziyuan stopped him: "Father, the road ahead is difficult to walk, so let me go and pick it up."

"No need, that goat is big enough, I'll go with you."

The emperor dismounted with great interest, and the two walked toward the fallen goat. However, they did not notice that after they left, a figure stealthily approached them under the cover of the weeds.

The man waved a pipe under the noses of the two horses, then quickly drove away.

The horse neighed, and Lu Ziyuan looked back. He saw the cold wind blowing the weeds, but there was nothing unusual.

Based on his years of combat experience, Lu Ziyuan felt something was amiss. He went back to check, but after a thorough search, he couldn't find anything wrong.

"Yuan'er, what's wrong?"

Behind him, the emperor dragged his prey back.

"Father, perhaps I am just overthinking things, but I have a feeling that something is not right here."

“Something’s not right? There are many ferocious beasts in these mountains, some of which are cunning and good at ambushes. We should be careful, but if you and I join forces, there’s no need to worry.”

"yes."

Lu Ziyuan thought to himself that perhaps he was just overthinking things. If he were too suspicious, it might displease the emperor, so he decided not to say anything more.

The two men carried their prey onto their horses and set off again. They hadn't gone far when the emperor's horse suddenly reared up and neighed, startling them.

The horse was suddenly startled, and the emperor managed to keep it from falling off by holding the reins tight. But then, both horses became restless and no amount of calming them down worked.

"What's going on?"

Before the emperor knew what had happened, he saw his horse rear up again and gallop away!

"Father!"

Worried that something might happen to the Emperor, Lu Ziyuan struggled to control his horse, and it took a lot of effort to get it running and chasing after him.

The two ran into the deep mountains one after the other, startling a flock of birds.

The mountain was covered in snow, so they couldn't go too deep. But the horse was like a madman, charging wildly and refusing to stop no matter what they did.

The emperor's horse galloped swiftly, and soon disappeared from sight. Lu Ziyuan chased after it closely and soon spotted the emperor, who had fallen from his horse, not far away.

But he couldn't control his horse either, so Lu Ziyuan had no choice but to let the horse run wild and jump off its back.

The horses disappeared into the forest. Lu Ziyuan helped the emperor up after he fell and found that his arms and palms were scratched.

Lu Ziyuan asked, "Father, is your health alright?"

The Emperor stood up, supporting his aching back, looking weak and feeble: "I only suffered a minor injury, I'm fine, but why did this horse suddenly go berserk?"

Lu Ziyuan's expression turned serious: "Our horses are all strictly selected, so this shouldn't happen unless someone tampered with them."

"Who would dare to be so bold?"

"Your subject does not know. The horse has already run away, so there is no need to think about that now. The most important thing is to leave as soon as possible."

Lu Ziyuan looked around. It was very dangerous to go deep into the mountains in winter. They didn't know where they were right now, but they could find their way back by following the hoofprints.

The Emperor nodded, agreeing with his assessment. The two men, supporting each other, followed the hoofprints back.

However, today's events were deliberately orchestrated; how could we let them go back so easily?

After walking for a while, Lu Ziyuan suddenly stopped.

The Emperor asked, "Yuan'er, what's wrong?"

"Father, something is coming this way. It's quite big, we must hide."

The emperor's expression hardened. There were many ferocious beasts in these mountains, and if any powerful beasts came at this moment, the two of them would certainly not be able to handle them.

Their bow and arrows and provisions were gone along with the horse; all they had left was a dagger for handling prey.

The roar grew louder as it approached, and Lu Ziyuan knew what it was just by the sound. He shouted, "Father, we must climb up the thick tree!"

"Alright, I can climb trees."

Despite the pain in his arm, the emperor struggled to climb a thick tree. Having not exercised properly for many years, he climbed rather clumsily. But once he reached the top, he immediately saw the enormous creature rushing towards him.

"Yuan'er, climb up the tree quickly, it's a bear!"

"Bear!" Lu Ziyuan calmed down; his guess was right after all!