night,

The night sky over the mountains and forests is always exceptionally beautiful, with a full moon hanging high and countless stars intertwined.

It was already late at night.

Apart from the sounds of the forests and the night watchmen patrolling back and forth, the entire royal hunting grounds fell silent.

The royal hunting grounds housed an imperial palace, which, while not extremely large, was not small either.

It was enough to provide for at least the Emperor, Empress, concubines, and the princes and princesses who accompanied them.

As for the others, they naturally had to stay in makeshift tents.

Inside a room on the west side of the imperial palace.

Shang Changge had just woken up from her dream when she reached out her claws in the darkness and pinched Xiao Ji's face, thinking how bold General Xiao was.

The rooms to her left and right were occupied by someone, Shang Le and Shang Meng.

The rooms, neither too big nor too small, are so close together, so you can imagine that the soundproofing isn't very good.

Given these conditions,

General Xiao, such a tall man, was able to sneak in silently; besides being bold, his skills were also unfathomable.

In the pitch-black night, Xiao Ji lowered his head and pressed his face against Shang Changge's.

His high, straight nose swept across the woman's face, and he asked again for the third time:

"You're really not injured today?"

Shang Changge: ...

It must be said that Xiao Ji is very perceptive.

With her firm denial, everyone believed she was unharmed, including the beautiful younger brother.

Xiao Ji was the only one who was bothered by the small piece of her collar that Di Ying had pierced with his sword; her lie that it was torn by a tree branch was useless.

but……

Shang Changge wouldn't reveal her self-healing abilities, denying it for the third time.

And taking advantage of Xiao Ji's own arrival, she wrapped her arms around the man's waist and hugged him.

Hmm, I'll charge it for a bit.

Xiao Ji stopped asking questions and obediently acted as a human-shaped body pillow for Shang Changge to hug.

Of course, a hug in return was inevitable, and although a negative answer was received, no wound was found.

A kiss as light and soft as a feather landed on Shang Changge's shoulder and neck, which had been injured but had healed completely, with tenderness.

I don't know if it was a coincidence or not, but the kiss landed right on the deepest spot of the injury, leaving a tingling, numb feeling.

The burning pain that remained on my skin seemed to be soothed and miraculously subsided.

Shang Changge: ?

Not quite sure, let Xiao Ji kiss me again so I can feel it.

Don't tell me, you really shouldn't tell me.

It really works! Amazing!

Realizing this, Shang Changge looked at Xiao Ji as if he were a newly discovered treasure.

Completely awake, she cupped Xiao Ji's face and excitedly kissed him.

Xiao Ji didn't understand what was going on, but that didn't stop him from lifting the little rascal's bottom with his large hand.

He lifted the little rascal up a bit more so they could get closer together, allowing him to kiss him back.

A deep, passionate kiss.

As the night deepened, Xiao Ji quietly departed.

Also taken away was Shang Changge's sleepiness; she couldn't sleep, she simply couldn't sleep!

Looking at the top of the bed curtains,

Even though it was pitch black and nothing could be seen, Shang Changge's eyes shone brightly:

Xiao Ji's kisses have magic, they have magic!

A walking painkiller, kiss it wherever it hurts!

Yes, the lingering pain is the only drawback of her self-healing ability.

Although a good night's sleep would make the pain disappear, it still gave her a headache.

Especially in the apocalypse, there's simply no way to sleep whenever you want...

And sometimes I can't sleep at all. I'm in so much pain that I just want to curse and swear. The more it hurts and the more I curse, the more awake I become...

...

Shang Changge didn't know how much or how long she thought about it, but in the end she fell asleep.

The next day,

The sun shines brightly, and the autumn scenery is delightful.

There's a hunt today too, and the betting rules are different from yesterday.

Yesterday, apart from Emperor Mingde and his entourage, everyone else went hunting alone.

Today, two people can team up, and there are no time restrictions for hunting.

From dawn until sunset, the team that hunts the most impressive prey is the ultimate winner.

Shang Changge: Whatever happens, it's none of her business.

She doesn't plan to participate in the hunt for the next two days. What was she doing scouting the area yesterday?

In order to find an opportunity to draw out the two imperial shadows behind Shang Rui, what was the purpose of drawing out the imperial shadows?

She'd go for it, just for the sake of the Emperor's Film Award. She already did it yesterday.

We now have a general understanding of the Emperor's Shadow's strength; the objective of this trip has been achieved. That's enough; we can stop now.

and,

Emperor Mingde sent Di Ying to kill her yesterday, but failed. He will definitely send Di Ying to kill her again today.

One Emperor Shadow couldn't kill her; who knows how many the old emperor would send this time?

As for why I'm so sure...

She realized it last night.

This autumn hunt presents a perfect opportunity to kill her, and Xiao Ji is responsible for ensuring her safety during the hunt.

If she dies, not only will the marriage not happen, but the two sides are also very likely to become enemies.

so,

From the moment the old emperor assigned Xiao Ji to be in charge of security, this autumn hunt was a setup.

The old emperor could have imagined that the beauty's younger brother would send people to protect her, and he also considered that Xiao Ji would send people to protect her.

Or rather, both of these things were tacitly approved by the old emperor, but the mistake lay in the old emperor's overconfidence in the strength of the Imperial Shadow:

He believed that Di Ying could kill Xiao Ji's brother's men before they could protect her and escape unscathed.

Emperor Mingde: "Ge'er."

Shang Changge was pulled back to reality by the sudden shout and looked at Emperor Mingde, who was riding on horseback and preparing to set off on the hunt.

It was a sweet, obedient smile befitting a daughter, and her voice was gentle:

“My daughter is here.”

Emperor Mingde sat on his horse, looking down at Shang Changge with a disdainful and sinister gaze that no one could discern.

The same kind expression and tone of voice that show love and affection for children when there is 'fatherly love and daughterly filial piety':

"With such beautiful sunshine, why not go hunting? Today's luck is better than yesterday's."

A verbal promise from an emperor.

This prize is indeed better than yesterday's, but Shang Changge scoffs at it:

What does a verbal promise mean?

It's just talk; it can be changed, altered, or rendered ineffective at any time.

Is this thing more important than her life? Pshaw!

Shang Changge inwardly cursed and scorned, but on the surface, she wore a beaming smile:

"I still can't accept it, Father. Yesterday, your daughter already shone brightly and won the prize."

If my daughter participates in the hunt again today and accidentally wins the prize, wouldn't that leave no way for others to survive...?

Shang Changge rattled off a bunch of reasons, one after another, but the bottom line was that he wasn't going.

They even went so far as to claim that they wanted to give others the opportunity to shine and make a name for themselves, and didn't forget to praise themselves a few times.

Things like being considerate of others, being understanding, and being generous...

Finally, Emperor Mingde couldn't take it anymore, raised his whip, and led Xiao Ji and his entourage away.

Today, Emperor Mingde did not allow Shang Changze and Shang Rui to accompany him; only Xiao Ji and seven or eight Imperial Guards were present.

Shang Changge and Xiao Ji exchanged a glance without making a sound. After they could no longer see each other, they walked back in a good mood.

Want to harm her? No way!

There aren't even any windows! Ha!

Those who did not participate in the hunt included not only Shang Changge, but also the Empress, the four concubines, and the families of officials, both men and women.

There was another person, and as Shang Changge turned around, her gaze met that of this person.

Changsun Yanheng was all alone, without anyone with him, seemingly having come out for some fresh air after being in the tent for a while.

Seeing Shang Changge looking over, he greeted her without flinching:

"Princess Anguo".

Shang Changge raised an eyebrow, surprised.