Xiao Yuan was also a little puzzled. Logically speaking, this was just a small patrol battalion, so it shouldn't be that serious!

"I'm alright. I've prepared a few people, but they're all from the military! Don't worry, the patrol battalion is a bonus for us, but it's not essential. We don't need to go to too much trouble for it!"

The commander of the Imperial Guard has already spoken to me and said he will help me if necessary, so as long as I keep a low profile and don't make any mistakes for the time being, there's nothing to worry about!

Xiao Yang: "That's true. As long as we keep our composure, they'll naturally slip up, and then we probably won't even need to lift a finger!"

Xiao Yuan nodded in agreement!

He gave Xiao Yang a meaningful look:

"Do you know that your elder brother Xiao Yong has already joined the First Prince's faction? But he's hiding it very well. If one of my men hadn't accidentally tracked him down, we'd still be completely in the dark!"

Xiao Yang...

It's kind of funny to think that brothers from the same family would each serve their own master.

“He’s always been quite cunning. Even when we were little, he knew to stand behind Xiao Zheng and just say a few words to make Xiao Zheng hate me. Then he would watch Xiao Zheng bully me and still say nice things to me!”

He's actually more despicable than Xiao Zheng! That's why Xiao Yang felt absolutely nothing about Xiao Yong following the First Prince!

Xiao Yuan thought about it and realized it was true. Xiao Yong was usually practically invisible to him, so he had never paid him any attention.

"Yes, I know! But we still need to be careful tomorrow, after all, those martial arts figures the First Prince hired are no pushovers!"

Xiao Yang: "Okay! Then get some rest! I'm heading back!"

"Um!"

...

Song Yan'er slept straight through until the next morning, and when she woke up, Xiao Yang was nowhere to be seen! He was probably busy with something!

"Yan'er, are you awake?"

Because of Xiao Yang's prior arrangements, Shen Meng and Bai Zihua's camp was very close to here! It was only a few steps away!

"You're awake. Come in!"

"Oh my, you're finally awake! Everyone else is about to start. If Xiao Yang hadn't told me to wait for you here, I would have left already! Hurry up and go join the fun!"

Song Yan'er...

"So early?"

Chen Meng rolled her eyes: "Big sister, it's getting late, it's almost noon!"

Song Yan'er...

I suspect you're lying to me!

As soon as Song Yan'er and Shen Meng arrived at the hunting grounds, they saw the Emperor draw his bow and nock an arrow, aiming at the target a hundred paces away. The arrow whistled through the air and hit the bullseye! The tip of the arrow, still covered in fletching, was still trembling slightly!

"good!"

Officials and their entourages on both sides of the scene shouted and cheered!

The Emperor waved his hand happily:

"It's not what it used to be!"

"Your Majesty is in increasingly good spirits; I know I cannot keep up!"

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty, you are truly righteous!"

The Emperor responded with a hearty laugh!

The Emperor and the participating officials sat on the temporary field. The Emperor fired an arrow first to signal the start of the spring hunt!

"Everyone, do your best today! Whoever comes out on top will be richly rewarded by me!"

Then he sat down and looked at the officials around him who were about the same age as him:

"Let those young people have fun. We can't deny that we're getting old!"

The officials launched into another round of boasting!

Song Yan'er watched Xiao Yang from afar!

His horse was a Ferghana horse given to him by Song Yan'er. Because it was usually kept in the space, its fur gleamed with a glossy sheen in the sunlight, and the mane on the back of its neck fluttered in the wind, making it look majestic!

Xiao Yang sat astride his horse. At the emperor's command, he did not set off immediately like the others. Instead, as if sensing Song Yan'er's presence, he glanced in her direction!

Song Yan'er smiled and waved!

Xiao Yang's lips curled up slightly, then he turned his head and lashed the horse's rump with his whip. The horse seemed to sense something, raised its head and stood up, letting out a high-pitched neigh. Then it reared up and galloped forward at high speed, kicking up a cloud of dust behind it!

When you are young, you should be well-dressed and ride a horse. Don’t waste your youth!

In Song Yan'er's eyes, Xiao Yang was incredibly handsome at that moment, and she really wanted to rush up and give him a kiss to prove that this deadly handsome man belonged to her!

Song Yan'er has noticed that her possessiveness is getting stronger and stronger! But that's not necessarily a bad thing!

"I have to say, sister, your husband is really handsome. No wonder he's ranked number one in the capital!"

Song Yan'er: Huh? There's such a ranking? How come she didn't know?

Shen Meng was somewhat surprised: "You don't even know about this ranking? Are you even a woman? This ranking was determined by a vote of women from the capital and even several surrounding cities! It's quite a spectacle!"

Song Yan'er asked in confusion, "You've seen all those men?"

It's only natural to be lost in dreams:

"How could they have all seen them! There are portraits, aren't there? There's a woman in the capital whose portraits are exceptionally well-painted, and they look incredibly like her! So the girls voted based on those portraits!"

Song Yan'er...

So hasty? Of course! With my husband's looks, he truly deserves it!

My daughter looks just like Xiao Yang. She's been a beauty since she was little. I've never seen anyone fawn over her at such a young age!

"This must be your sister-in-law!"

Song Yan'er and Shen Meng were gossiping when they saw a very dignified and elegant woman appear beside them.

Song Yan'er: Hmm? Were you talking to me just now?

"It's me speaking to you. I'm Xiao Yang's cousin-in-law, my name is Liu Yunxiang."

"Oh, it's my cousin's wife! I'm so sorry, Xiao Yang mentioned you before, but I haven't had a chance to meet you. I've been so neglectful!"

As the Fourth Prince's consort, Liu Yunxiang naturally knew how good Xiao Yang and Song Yan'er's relationship was, and she had always envied it! So if she wasn't afraid of it being too sudden, she would have gone to her house to chat with her long ago!

"It's alright, I was being presumptuous! Sister-in-law, let's talk in private for a moment! There are too many people here!"

"good!"

Song Yan'er greeted Shen Meng readily and then went with Liu Yunxiang to a place where there were very few people!

"Sister-in-law, to make a long story short, Xiao Yuan just sent someone to tell me that the Western Liao princess has taken a liking to Xiao Yang and wants to marry him as a concubine. She'll probably cause you trouble later. You should prepare yourself well, as there's a horse race. I've heard that the Western Liao princess is extremely skilled on horseback! Just pretend you're not feeling well and don't participate in the race!"

Anyway, the Western Liao people wouldn't dare go too far! My husband said if we're going to have a martial arts contest, you should fight her; she can't beat you anyway!

Also, my husband said not to worry, Xiao Yang won't marry her. Xiao Yang told me this a long time ago; he only has one woman in his life!

Liu Yunxiang was afraid that there wouldn't be enough time, so she talked a lot and was still a little short of breath when she finished!

Song Yan'er's lips curled up slightly:

"Sister-in-law, don't worry, thank you for coming all the way to tell me!"

Liu Yunxiang smiled slightly:

"You're welcome. Actually, I envy your relationship with Xiao Yang. In this capital city where women have multiple wives and concubines, he can still dote on you alone! That's extremely rare!"

He looked somewhat dejected after saying that!