To fight
A few days later, the autumn hunting season arrived.
Because the Beishuo delegation was also invited, the scale of this autumn hunt was far greater than in previous years.
In Xuehan Palace, Concubine Yu was carefully examining the riding clothes prepared for Ning Lingyi.
"The hunting grounds are windy and dusty. This set is plain in color and thicker in texture, so let's take it." She said in a gentle voice.
The maid-in-charge quietly responded, but she was a little puzzled. In previous years, on such occasions, Her Majesty always dressed the princess in dazzling hues like pearls in the morning dew. Why had she chosen such a plain color today?
Concubine Yu ignored the palace maid's doubts and turned around to check the prepared personal belongings.
"The princess is used to drinking warm honey water. Put it in that plain silver pot so it won't be noticeable. Bring a few extra cotton handkerchiefs to absorb sweat. Pick some snacks that won't get cold and hard easily, and wrap them in cotton covers..."
She gave instructions one by one, her tone still kind and gentle.
While they were busy, brisk footsteps were heard outside the hall, and the bead curtain rustled. Ning Lingyi walked in in a neat outfit, bringing in a bit of refreshing autumn air.
Concubine Yu raised her eyes upon hearing the voice, and her gaze immediately softened.
Ever since the decree of the marriage was issued, the mother and daughter felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on their hearts, and there was always a lingering layer of worry in the palace.
This morning, she had noticed the gloom on her daughter's face, so she had specifically urged her to go out for a horse race to relax. Now, seeing a light sweat on her forehead and her bright eyes finally regaining some of their former spirit, no longer so gloomy, Concubine Yu felt a little relieved and a trace of genuine joy welled up in her heart.
"Mother! I'm back!" Ning Lingyi's voice became lighter.
"Look at how sweaty you are," Imperial Concubine Yu immediately came forward, taking out a silk handkerchief to wipe her dry. Her tone was filled with her usual affection, but also a touch of comfort. "The autumn wind is strong, be careful. But... seeing that you are in better spirits, I am relieved."
Ning Lingyi took the honey water her mother handed her without a care in the world, raised her head and drank a few sips, then said with a smile, "It's okay, mother. The Jade Lion ran very well today. I think my riding and archery skills have improved a bit!"
Concubine Yu looked at her daughter's lively appearance, her eyes lingering on her face for a moment. She personally smoothed her temples before casually saying, "Yier, the Beishuo envoys are also present at this autumn hunt. Since you are the future princess to be married to a foreign country, you will definitely meet your fiancé, Prince Tuoba. How do you plan to deal with this?"
Ning Lingyi's hand gripping the cup paused slightly, a complex expression flashing across her eyes. She then put the cup down, pondered for a moment, and raised her head, saying, "My daughter has heard that the Northern Shuo people often have the upper hand on the battlefield because of their proficiency in archery and horsemanship. They respect the strong, so I want to show my skills in this area, win a fair fight against them, and make sure they don't underestimate me, the Princess of the Southern Dynasty."
Concubine Yu gazed into her daughter's bright and determined eyes. After a long silence, she finally sighed softly and reached out to stroke her hair. "Very well. Now that the imperial decree has been issued, there's no point in showing any fear or retreat. Just go for it and bring honor to our dynasty."
She lowered her voice, speaking with deep meaning, "So that your father can see with his own eyes how worthy of his pride you are."
Ning Lingyi grasped the profound meaning behind her mother's words, and her heart warmed as she nodded solemnly, "I understand, my daughter. I will not let you down, nor will I bring shame to our Southern Dynasty."
She thought in her heart that even if the future was unknown, she would still continue to be unrestrained.
This life originally belongs to her.
＊
At noon, the royal procession marched out of the palace and headed for the enclosure outside the capital.
The Emperor and Empress moved forward in a majestic carriage, followed by the carriages of Concubine Yu and Princess Mingzhu, with grand and dignified arrangements, showing their utmost favor.
Ning Lingyi sat upright in the car, looking at the autumn scenery passing by outside the window, the colorful mountains in the distance, and the clear sky. She took a deep breath, suppressed the surging thoughts in her heart, and focused her attention on the upcoming hunt.
When they arrived, the hunting platform had already been set up. The emperor sat in the main seat, his expression calm. As his eyes swept across the audience, they paused briefly on Ning Lingyi, with an indescribable complexity.
Concubine Yu sat at the bottom, with an unparalleled appearance and graceful demeanor, but her carefully drawn eyebrows and eyes had a hint of subtle solemnity that was not seen before.
Ning Lingli, who was a little further away, picked up the teacup and glanced at Ning Lingyi, who looked even more elegant and refined in her moon-white riding uniform. A hint of sarcasm appeared at the corner of her lips.
Ning Lingyi didn't pay attention to these gazes.
She jumped on her horse, gripped the bow tightly in her hand, and remembering her mother's instructions, her eyes became more determined. Her horse's hooves were light as she followed everyone into the depths of the hunting ground.
Prince Tuoba Hong of Beishuo was also among them.
He was tall and handsome, and was skilled in archery and horse riding. Soon he returned with a stag, and the prey hanging next to his saddle drew cheers.
"Prince Tuoba is an excellent archer!"
"The Beishu warriors are worthy of their reputation!"
Amidst the praises, a louder commotion suddenly erupted at the entrance to the enclosure.
Ning Lingyi rode back, her moon-white riding gear making her look as tall and straight as a bamboo. Behind her, two guards were carrying a dying adult tiger. A feathered arrow belonging to the princess was lodged in a vital part of the tiger's body.
"It's the princess!"
"The princess hunted a tiger!"
The Southern Dynasty officials and noble sons in the field suddenly burst into warm cheers. This hunter showed that his riding and shooting skills were no less than those of men.
"Princess Mingzhu is as brave as any man!"
The cheers were louder and louder, and the previous praise for Tuoba Hong seemed to be overshadowed.
On the high platform, the emperor looked at his heroic daughter in the field, then at the tiger she had hunted, and his heart seemed to be gently stabbed by something.
Such an outstanding daughter is going to marry far away in Mobei... He subconsciously looked at Concubine Yu beside him, only to see her slightly tilting her head, as if to hide her slightly red eyes. The guilt and reluctance in his heart deepened a lot.
The Beishuo delegation also showed surprise and talked in low voices.
Tuoba Hong in the field stared at her with a slightly fixed gaze. He had originally thought that this Southern Dynasty princess was just a delicate beauty in the palace, but he never expected that she had such skills.
He drove his horse forward a few steps and stopped in front of Ning Lingyi's horse when she was about to leave the crowd to rest for a while.
"Your Highness, you are a good archer." Tuoba Hong's voice was loud and direct, with the unique straightforwardness of the Beishuo people. He looked at Ning Lingyi sharply, with undisguised admiration in his eyes.
"Being able to shoot an arrow through the neck of a running tiger, this accuracy is also outstanding among the doctors in Beishuo."
Ning Lingyi tightened the reins, and the jade lion took two light steps and stopped. She looked up and saw her nominal fiancé clearly for the first time.
He sat upright on his horse, his figure as straight as a pine tree, his features shaped by the harsh weather of the north, his brows and eyes deep, truly a man of great valor. If the two countries hadn't been at war and the Southern Dynasty hadn't suffered defeat, perhaps she would have admired such masculinity.
But now.
When she thought of the blood-stained figures in the border battle reports, of the marriage plan hastily decided by her father and the court officials to whitewash the situation, and of her own fate of marrying far away to Mobei, all because of the person before her...
An indescribable bitterness surged in Ning Lingyi's heart. It was the humiliation of being used as a bargaining chip, the confusion about the unknown future, and the powerlessness about the fate of her family and country.
But she knew very well that they were in the public eye and countless pairs of eyes were watching them.
She is not only Ning Lingyi, but also the Princess Mingzhu of the Southern Dynasty.
So, she took a deep breath, suppressed all her emotions deep in her heart, and nodded slightly, her expression neither humble nor arrogant: "Prince Tuoba is too kind. My skills are just trivial, I dare not compare them with the warriors of Beishuo."
Tuoba Hong smiled when he heard this and shook his head: "Princess, you are too modest. A strong person has no need to belittle himself. We Beishu people respect true ability."
His eyes swept across the tiger and returned to Ning Lingyi's bright face, his interest growing stronger. "It seems that this prince knows very little about the future princess."
Ning Lingyi felt the burning heat in his gaze, and her heart trembled slightly, but her face remained calm: "Your Highness will know more in the future, perhaps a lot more."
After that, she said no more, bowed lightly, and then rode the jade lion around and left the center of everyone's attention.
Tuoba Hong looked at her straight and distant back, but instead of being annoyed, he chuckled and said in a voice that only he could hear: "It's quite interesting."
＊
The hunt continued, and everyone spurred their horses and whipped their horses in the hope of gaining more.
Just in the afternoon, something strange happened!
“Boom!”
A dull roar came from the cliff on the west side of the hunting ground, followed by the noise of rubble rolling down!
"Protect the emperor! The rocks are collapsing!"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, be careful!"
Screams, the neighing of horses' hooves, and the crash of rocks all blended together in an instant! Smoke and dust filled the air, obscuring half the sky. The scene was in complete chaos!
"Father..." she exclaimed. All the grievances she had felt about the marriage and the competitive spirit in the hunting ground seemed insignificant at this moment.
Blood ties overwhelmed everything. What flashed through her mind was her father's usual kindness. Seeing the figures running in panic over there and the smoke and dust everywhere, she felt her hands and feet cold and she wanted to rush over immediately to confirm whether her father was safe.
The chaos lasted for about an incense stick of time before accurate news came: the mountain road partially collapsed, and His Majesty was frightened and fell off his horse. Fortunately, only his right leg was broken, and his life was not in danger. It was Prince Tuoba Hong of Beishu who intervened in the crisis and protected His Majesty.
Upon hearing that her father had only injured his leg and his life was safe, Ning Lingyi's heart finally settled down. Her tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and before she could completely let out the breath she had been holding, she suddenly felt a tightness on the back of her hand.
She lowered her eyes and saw that her mother, Concubine Yu, had come to her side without her knowing. She raised her head following the trembling fingertips, and what caught her eyes was her mother's eyes, which seemed calm but were actually turbulent.
"Yier, our chance...maybe has come."
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