61 Concealment
◎Lu Jing smiled silently.◎
The guards around His Royal Highness Prince Zhao took aim and went to pick up the fallen kite.
Luo Yun was still sighing with emotion: "Excellent archery, truly excellent archery. Today I finally understand what it means that there is always someone better than you."
She was a skilled archer, and her judgment of the opponent's last shot was far more precise than Gu Ningxi's. Luo Yun mused to himself, "If it were me, even if I practiced for another three to five years, I wouldn't even be able to achieve even a 50% chance of success."
She sighed, feeling inferior to him. Gu Ningxi said, "How can you compare yourself to His Royal Highness Prince Zhao? Your abilities are already impressive enough."
Her tone was sincere. Luo Yun thought about it and said happily, "That's right! Master Gu is right."
However, after seeing the real archery skills, she will study harder in the future.
Luo Yun's heart and eyes were filled with the desire to improve his archery skills. "Master Gu, do you think we can go and pay our respects to His Royal Highness Prince Zhao?"
She saw that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao was with the Crown Prince of Zhending and the Duke of Qi. Luo Yun was not familiar with any of them and was worried that it would be impolite if she went over rashly.
"Sure." Gu Ningxi smiled and was happy to lead Luo Yun. "Let's go."
Luo Yun agreed generously, his tone tinged with regret: "It's a pity that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao is of such status. I don't have much hope of asking him for advice."
If it were an ordinary person, she would have visited him three times and would have become his disciple no matter what.
"It's okay," Gu Ningxi quietly comforted her, "His teaching is just average, not very useful."
Lu Jing: “…”
The words were carried by the wind, and Zhen Yuan and Qin Yu lowered their heads and suppressed their laughter.
They were just discussing the war in Hebei with His Highness, and Huaicheng's letter had just been sent back from Hebei.
Huaicheng led his troops to defend the Xiangzhou line, which was separated from the main force by several cities, so he did not need to obey orders from King Huai.
There was sufficient food and grass in Xiangzhou City, and Huaicheng also sent troops to recapture several surrounding counties, and the war went smoothly.
Huaicheng's tone in the letter was relaxed, and he even mentioned the fine wine in Xiangzhou City. Zhen Yuan and Qin Yu felt relieved after reading the letter.
Lu Jing looked at Gu Ningxi, and he brought the girl from the Luo family closer.
"Your Highness."
"Long live Your Highness."
Luo Yun followed Lord Gu to pay homage to King Zhao, only to discover that the longbow that His Highness had just held was actually just an ordinary bow and arrow equipped by the imperial guards, and he became even more surprised.
As expected, her father was right. People with superb archery skills don’t care what kind of bow they use. This time she believed it.
After paying her respects to His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, Luo Yun was already quite satisfied. She tactfully excused herself. Gu Ningxi was just considering whether to see Miss Luo off, but His Royal Highness Prince Zhao had already instructed his personal guards to see him off.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Luo Yun didn't actually need an escort, but he still accepted the kindness of Lord Gu and His Highness Prince Zhao.
After they left, Lu Jing looked at Gu Ningxi and asked, "Why did you run so far so early in the morning?"
"I was wandering around and happened to run into Miss Luo."
Lu Jing said calmly, "It's quite a coincidence."
He is in charge of the hunting this year. Lu Jing knows that Yuan Le will also participate in the hunting in three days.
Zhen Yuan, Qin Yu, and Xie Qian had originally agreed to compete in the hunting ground, with His Royal Highness Prince Zhao as a witness and to determine the rankings of the three in the Xuanjia Army.
Now that Huaicheng was gone, the matter had to be abandoned. Qin Yu and Zhen Yuan would compete as usual, and then send him a pigeon with the results.
Lu Jing was naturally relieved about the two of them. He glanced at Gu Ningxi in front of him and said, "In the next two days, I will help you improve your archery skills."
"ah?"
Qin Yu and Zhen Yuan continued to lower their heads and suppress their smiles.
Gu Ningxi met the gaze of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao and began to wonder if he had heard what he said.
"What's wrong?"
Gu Ningxi said guiltily, "...Thank you, Your Highness."
…
It was around noon when Gu Ningxi was released back into his tent.
The meal was already being prepared and Gu Ningwan was waiting for her sister.
"Why haven't you been seen for half a day?"
Gu Ningxi quietly rubbed his wrist from practicing archery and said vaguely, "I was looking around and accidentally walked a little far."
Gu Ningxi's face turned bitter when she thought about having to practice archery with His Royal Highness Prince Zhao the next morning.
Gu Ningwan said, "While you were away, the cousin from the Meng family sent someone to bring you a message."
Gu Ningxi took the note from her sister and found out where her cousin's tent was. She nodded and said, "I'll go look for him this afternoon."
Smoke rose from the riverside, and many people were cooking in their homes.
Gu Ningxi identified the owners of several adjacent tents. This time, the Duke of Qi's residence was quite far from the Marquis of Xuanping's residence. Qin Ying was also in the hunting party, and Gu Ningxi thought this arrangement was a good one, allowing her to see Miss Qin less often. It had been a while since she last saw her, and Gu Ningxi figured Miss Qin had gotten over it.
Although the camps of Marquis Xuanping's Mansion and Marquis Nan'an's Mansion were adjacent to each other, there was a river between them, and it would take a long way to go around them.
Hunting is prohibited in the mountains for the next two days, so every household is preparing for the hunt. If anyone takes first place, there will be a reward from the palace, bringing honor to the family.
Among the younger generation of the aristocratic family, Luo Yun practiced particularly diligently, appearing to surpass all the other men. Recalling their past experiences in the capital, Gu Ningwan joked with her sister, "I think you and the young lady from the Luo family are quite a match. One can't marry, the other doesn't want to marry, and the two of you together can cover each other up."
She thought of another good reason: "Especially Miss Luo is an excellent archer and can help you in the hunting grounds."
"Sister!"
Being teased by her elder sister, Gu Ningxi pretended to be angry.
"Alright, alright," Gu Ningwan said, still smiling, "Be careful on the hunting grounds. We are civil officials, so we won't fight for the first place."
"Well, don't worry, sister."
…
The early morning sunlight fell among the branches and leaves, and a long arrow hit the target, making a clear "clang" sound.
This target has been moved away three times, but at least it still occupies a place on the target surface. Gu Ningxi looked left and right and was quite satisfied.
There were three arrow feathers standing in the center of the target, which was the demonstration that His Royal Highness King Zhao had just given her.
"You need to be more steady with your arms." Lu Jing supported Gu Ningxi's elbow. "You need to aim more firmly and release the arrow more quickly."
The prey in the forest is very alert, and the opportunity to seize is often only a few breaths.
"Got it." Gu Ningxi nodded, looking at the two shadows on the ground. Although the instruction was hand-in-hand, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao was not too far from her, with only the touch of his hands, which made her feel relieved.
"Try again."
Lu Jing ordered his attendants to fetch ten new arrow feathers, and when he heard footsteps in the woods, he looked ahead.
It was not until His Royal Highness the Crown Prince appeared in the forest that Gu Ningxi realized it belatedly.
"Royal brother."
"Your Highness." Gu Ningxi greeted him politely.
"Get up," Lu Heng gestured for everyone present to excuse themselves, and smiled at Lu Jing. "Father said he hadn't seen you since this morning. So you're serving as a teacher here."
"Your Majesty, you are joking. I just have nothing better to do, so I'm just giving Yuan Le some pointers."
Gu Ningxi lowered her eyes. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was still her nominal master. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed if he caught her and His Royal Highness Prince Zhao together in private.
It was as if... it was as if Gu Ningxi found it difficult to describe the awkwardness of her current mood. She probably felt a sense of sympathy with someone who had been caught cheating.
Fortunately, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao was there to greet the Crown Prince. She lowered her head and pretended she was not present.
During his departure from the capital, Prince Yu and the Minister of the Central Secretariat were temporarily handling government affairs. Prince Yu, son of Consort Shu, was a kind and honest man. His Majesty had ordered the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace and Prince Zhao to accompany him, also intending to mend the relationship between the two brothers.
Gu Ningxi thought that since Prince Huai was not around, perhaps His Majesty could fulfill his wish.
"How's Yuanle's training going?"
Unexpectedly asked by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Gu Ningxi said, "I have made some progress."
Lu Heng smiled gently and said, "A good teacher produces a good student after all."
Gu Ningxi thought he could be considered a famous teacher, but Lu Jing said, "I don't dare to call him a high-ranking disciple."
After chatting for a few minutes with a smile, Lu Heng did not stay long.
The two people behind him continued to practice archery. Lu Heng looked back and remembered that his mother had suddenly asked him some time ago about the relationship between Qi'an and Yuan Le.
He thought his mother was worried that Yuan Le would betray her, so she warned him. In fact, Yuan Le was not a high-ranking official and had never taken on important tasks in the Eastern Palace.
Lu Heng was much older than his brothers and followed his father to handle government affairs. He only vaguely knew that Qi'an and Yuan Le had a good relationship when they were young.
But when Qi'an left the capital, Yuan Le did not follow him. At this critical juncture, the Xuanping Marquis's Mansion was trying every possible way to show goodwill to the Eastern Palace, intending to lean towards the Eastern Palace.
The Xuanping Marquis' Mansion was quite powerful in the court. Even though it had been wavering in the past, Lu Heng still did not reject it.
The new generation of Xuanping Marquis Mansion has mediocre qualifications, and the most outstanding one is Yuan Le.
According to Cheng Yu, the Xuanping Marquisate should be taught a lesson for not submitting sooner. It was Cheng Yu's idea to have Yuan Le draft the imperial edict banishing Qi'an from the capital, thus cutting off the Xuanping Marquisate's escape route.
Although he had never been confident in entrusting Yuan Le with such an important task, after considering him for a few years, Lu Heng was quite impressed with the talent and character of the second son of the Gu family. He was so clean and upright that he did not seem like the son of Marquis Xuanping.
Lu Heng already had a plan. If he sent Yuan Le to be an official in the future to give him some experience, he would definitely be able to benefit the people.
Now, the decree of demotion stood between Qi'an and Yuan Le, but Lu Heng saw that Qi'an didn't seem to want to bother with him.
Lu Heng smiled and shook his head. He had never seen Qi'an be so broad-minded as to repay evil with kindness when it came to other people or other things.
…
After practicing a few rounds of archery, Gu Ningxi was already feeling tired.
Seeing the eager look on his face, Lu Jing nodded: "It's almost time, let's take a break."
Gu Ningxi readily agreed: "Okay, Your Highness, please." She and His Royal Highness Prince Zhao found a large rock to sit on, and Gu Ningxi placed the longbow beside her.
The warm spring sun shines through the branches and leaves, casting mottled shadows.
Lu Jing asked, "What are you going to hunt for tomorrow?"
Gu Ningxi paused for a moment. Except for Marquis Wu'an and his companions who were going to compete in hunting alone, it was customary for three or five friends to go hunting together.
When she was young, she always went hunting with His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
Together, they had traveled to many places within Jiuyun Mountain. Sometimes, when she didn't have much prey, she could still steal some from His Royal Highness Prince Zhao. Simply by adding her own feather markings, she could maintain her image. After all, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao always reigned supreme among the princes, so a few more or fewer prey wouldn't matter. Ever since His Royal Highness Prince Zhao left the capital four years ago, Gu Ningxi hadn't participated in hunting again.
His Royal Highness Prince Zhao's words and deeds naturally followed the habits of previous years.
Gu Ningxi hesitated, but it was not possible this year as she had other important things to do.
She could only decline, "Your Highness...I'll just wander around as much as I can, so as not to disturb Your Highness."
It was a clear refusal. When Lu Jing first heard it, his first reaction was disbelief.
He wanted to ask "Why", but was met with Shang Yuanle's embarrassed look.
He really had no intention of going with him.
After a moment of silence, Lu Jing's face was calm and composed: "Okay."
His Royal Highness Prince Zhao didn't mind too much, and Gu Ningxi breathed a sigh of relief. Besides, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao had been bored in the capital for a long time, so this rare hunting opportunity should be made public, without having to accommodate her.
…
In front of the Meng Mansion's tent, the servant lifted the curtain for Lord Gu.
Only Meng Ting from the Meng family came, and there were not many people accompanying him.
"Cousin."
Gu Ningxi handed over a piece of drawing paper, and the picture on it was exactly the scene in her dream.
She shrunk the picture into the size of her palm so that it could be carried around easily.
Gu Ningxi only asked Meng Ting for this matter. She said, "Thank you, cousin."
Meng Ting took the small picture and put it away carefully, smiling gently: "Why do we talk about this as a family?"
Gu Ningxi was grateful. She was looking for a place from her dreams, which sounded incredible. But her cousin agreed without hesitation, not even asking for other reasons, and just played along with her.
The Jiuyun Mountain Royal Hunting Grounds were off-limits to the public on weekdays, so Gu Ningxi had to seize the opportunity presented by the Spring Hunt to explore the location of the assassination in her dream. She wondered what the assassination had actually entailed, and whether it might be related to her dream of widowhood.
However, there were only two days left in the mountains for hunting, so Gu Ningxi had limited space to cover.
"Cousin, just hunt as usual. If you see any place similar to this picture along the way, just let me know. There's no need to look for it deliberately."
Meng Ting nodded in agreement and said with a smile, "Why do you suddenly believe in dreams?"
"I just thought it was interesting, and I happened to come here."
"Okay, let's look for it together."
Gu Ningxi smiled at his cousin, and seeing that it was getting late, he got up and returned to his tent.
We have to go into the mountains early tomorrow morning, so we should get enough rest tonight.
…
Late in the night, when everyone was asleep, the candles in Prince Zhao's tent were still lit.
Although he didn't say it explicitly, Lu Jing guessed that Yuan Le was hiding something from him at the hunting ground.
Driven by intuition, Lu Jing thought that the two private meetings between Yuan Le and Meng Ting must have been about this matter.
She hid it from him and told the cousin from the Meng family instead.
Lu Jing stroked the jade pendant in his palm. Now that Yuan Le was in trouble, the first person he thought of was not him, but others.
In Yuan Le's heart, he was no longer as important as his cousin from the Meng family.
The moonlight is cold and the night wind stirs the tent.
Lu Jing smiled silently.
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