Heshen, his sleeves tucked behind his ear, his eyes almond-shaped, said, “If we involve Prince Doroduleng, Latnashidi, things will spiral out of control. At that point, Fu Chang’an will be more than just accused of accepting bribes and neglecting his duty to protect the emperor. He will also be seen by the emperor as a spy who liaises with the Mongol tribes! Not only the Fucha family, but nine generations of the Fucha clan will be implicated!”

Yan Ning covered her mouth and squatted on the ground, her stunning beauty losing its luster. She had almost caused a major disaster. She had originally planned to confront Heshen and then tell the Emperor about the messenger, but she had nearly brought ruin upon the entire Fucha family.

Heshen helped her up, helped her sit down, and poured her a cup of tea to calm her nerves.

"So you went to the Emperor that day specifically to stop me and tell him that we had seen the assassin, implying that Fukang'an was involved in this matter with Fu Chang'an?" Yan Ning asked calmly.

Heshen's eyes were like crescent moons as he nodded. "If I mention dereliction of duty, General Fukang'an will immediately understand that it was Fu Chang'an who was derelict in his duty, because I encountered the Chen family father and son. They are already dead, and if I don't say anything, no one will know."

Yan Ning lowered her head, still shaken, and said, "Fukang'an never told me anything, he just told me to blindly follow his arrangements! I was confused all day long, unable to tell what was serious and what wasn't! I almost ruined the Fucha family!"

"But if we don't tell the Emperor, wouldn't we be deceiving him?" Thinking of the capital offense of deceiving the Emperor, Yan Ning's face paled even further.

Heshen's crescent-shaped eyes looked elsewhere. "With you and me deceiving the emperor together, General Fukang'an will not tie me up and bring me before the emperor!"

The clouds of sorrow obscured the sun above Yan Ning. She knew Fu Kang'an; he wouldn't drag her into this. Nor would he drag Fu Chang'an into it, but he would bear the consequences alone.

While resting in front of the emperor, Yan Ning ran to Fukang'an's yurt. He wasn't there. The guard told Yan Ning that he had gone to interrogate the assassin from yesterday.

Now, even the lush greenery can no longer evoke Yan Ning's joy; that day, the Emperor's single word of "kill" ended two lives. And the Zhu and Chen families that Madam Chen spoke of likely numbered over a hundred.

Yan Ning hadn't gone far with her head down when Fukang'an returned, his arm no longer in a sling. His brows were furrowed, and the tassel on the jade pendant at his waist was tied.

She quickly turned around and went into the yurt with him. "What did those assassins say? Have you thought of a good way to save yourself?"

When Fukang'an saw Yan Ning's series of questions, he chuckled and said, "I just finished interrogating the assassin, and now you're interrogating me!" Then he pulled her down to sit and smoothed her jet-black hair.

Yan Ning grabbed his hand and held it tightly. "You've already come up with a plan?"

Fukang'an smiled and nodded, then fell silent, but Yan Ning had a vague feeling that things were not so simple.

The four burly men who were captured remained tight-lipped and refused to utter a single word. Fukang'an deduced from their fearless attitude that they were members of the White Lotus Sect, which made Fukang'an's dereliction of duty even more serious.

Seeing that Yan Ning looked worried, He Shen offered to teach her how to ride a horse. Yan Ning thought that she couldn't be led around on horseback by someone else every day, so she changed into men's clothes and went with He Shen to the stables to choose a horse.

Just then, a guard came to borrow a cart to transport the bodies of Chen and his son to the outside of the pasture and dump them. The horse feeder saw the bodies of Chen and his son and went up to the guard to ask, "Sir, what crime did they commit?"

The head guard shoved him aside, saying, "Why are you, an old man, meddling in so many things? Do you want to end up like them, lying there and being pushed out by us?"

Yan Ning, who was selecting horses, exchanged a glance with Heshen. Heshen, with one hand behind his back, blocked the guard who was about to leave. Seeing this, the guard knelt down and bowed, "This servant greets Lord Heshen!"

Heshen's eyes narrowed into almond shapes. "Get up!" He then walked over to the old man feeding the horses, helped him to the cart, and asked, "Sir, do you recognize these two people?"

The old man feeding the horses, helped up by Heshen, was somewhat flattered. Nodding his gray head, he said in a hoarse voice, "I recognize them! I recognize them! These are the Chen father and son! Even though their faces are covered in blood, I still recognize them!"

Heshen glanced at Yan Ning, then ordered the guards to take the old man who was feeding the horses to Fukang'an.

Yan Ning bowed to Heshen, then picked up her long robe and ran towards Fukang'an's yurt.

The old man feeding the horses said that the Chen family father and son came here fifteen years ago. Whenever the emperor came to the hunting grounds, they would bribe the people there, and that's how he got to know them. They would collect the horse manure, but the old man wasn't sure exactly what they were used for.

In recent years, it has no longer been just the Chen father and son; there are at least six or seven, and sometimes as many as ten. When they first arrived, Chen Choutian was still young, so his father had him learn the local Mongolian accent.

The Chen father and son lived in a small wooden cabin in the mountains outside the Mulan Hunting Grounds. They rarely interacted with others; the time they were bumped into by an old man who was gathering herbs in the mountains.

Heshen told Fukang'an that when he encountered them, he became suspicious because he thought they were heading to the upper reaches of a river that surrounded the forest. After taking his men there, they only captured Chen's father, who was releasing a hunting falcon.

Fukang'an led a group of men and, following the old man's directions, indeed captured the White Lotus Sect members who were waiting there.

Fukang'an took the blame for Fu Chang'an on the grounds that he sent the guards out during their shift change, thus giving the assassins an opportunity.

The Emperor, considering Fukang'an's merit in saving him, decided to offset his demerit with his merit and not pursue the matter further.

Heshen and Fukang'an left the Emperor's yurt together. Fukang'an looked straight ahead and said, "Lord Heshen, you've gone to so much trouble. You're really too kind to me! From now on, you won't need to worry about my younger brother's affairs!"

Heshen's eyes curved like silver threads. "I have tried to befriend General Fukang'an several times, but the general has never given me any face. I have no choice but to win over Fukang'an to ensure my safety for the night!"

Fukang'an straightened his robe, tied one hand behind his back, and left.

Heshen became suspicious that the Emperor hadn't punished Fukang'an, and he had intended to use this incident to dampen Fukang'an's arrogance. However, the Emperor's favor towards Fukang'an was excessive!

For the final hunt at Mulan Hunting Grounds, the Emperor himself led a force of hundreds towards the hunting grounds. Yan Ning, unable to ride a horse, had no choice but to keep up on foot, running alongside the guards.

The minister in charge of the enclosure led the cavalry ahead, closing in on the pre-selected area to form an encirclement, which gradually tightened. Guards wearing deer antler masks hid deep in the dense forest within the enclosure, blowing long wooden whistles that imitated the mating calls of stags.

Fukang'an told Yan Ning that by doing this, the female deer would come to seek out their mates, the male deer would come to compete for the mates, and other wild animals would gather to eat the deer.

As the number of wild animals increases, the guards will tighten the encirclement. When the encirclement is as small as possible and the wild animals are densely packed, the ministers will request the emperor to shoot first, followed by the princes and grandsons, then other princes and nobles will shoot on horseback, and finally there will be a large-scale encirclement shooting.

However, the Eighth Prince, eager to be the first to shoot before the other princes, drew his bowstring taut, ready to fire as soon as the Emperor's arrow was released. Unexpectedly, the bowstring was too tight, and he shot out before the Emperor's arrow.