Chapter 128 The lady looks very happy.
The boy, dressed in a black and red color-blocked outfit, squatted on the ground, staring intently at the dark cave entrance. In a split second, a small black shadow darted out of the cave.
The boy, quick as a flash, grabbed the rabbit by its ears and lifted it up. He grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, "Found another one! Hahaha, bang the gong!"
After the attendant deftly finished striking the gong, he took out a small notebook and meticulously wrote the first horizontal stroke of the character "正" (zhèng).
Qin Qinian stood up, carrying the rabbit. "It's faster to find a rabbit hole; hunting rabbits is too inefficient."
Ten rabbits are only as good as one rabbit hole with a live rabbit, so of course we should focus our efforts on the latter.
"Xue Nu, hurry, let's find the next rabbit hole," Qin Qinian shouted into the hole.
Soon, another small, snow-white creature darted out of the dark cave. The animal had a slender body, short limbs, a triangular head, large ears, and a bushy tail; it was clearly a weasel.
The ferret scurried up the boy's shoulder as he lowered his hand. Qin Qinian, full of fighting spirit, said, "Come on, let's go to another spot. We can't let them get ahead..."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he heard the sound of cymbals and suonas. He exclaimed, "Oh dear! Qin Yanzhou and Rongrong are following closely behind, so I can't fall behind!"
He hurriedly led his men to find the next rabbit hole, and unexpectedly saw wild rabbits along the way. Qin Qinian didn't want to miss this opportunity that came knocking on his door.
The boy drew his bow and released his arrows, and every shot hit its mark.
Two more gongs sounded.
Anxious, Qin Qinian moved swiftly, grabbing the rabbit and rushing off to another location without stopping for a moment.
Unbeknownst to him, shortly after he left, a group of people followed the sound and arrived at the spot where he had just been.
They came up empty-handed.
Looking at the marks on the ground, Qin Shaozong guessed what the other party had hunted. He was about to order his men to relay the message when he heard two clanging sounds.
His senses were sharper than others, and he was also burning with anger. Now, with the sounds of gongs and cymbals coming one after another, Qin Shaozong's temples throbbed, and he even got a headache.
He abandoned the idea of sending someone and went there himself again.
...
Qin Qinian rode his horse with a clanging sound all the way. He had made a considerable haul and was quite satisfied. Just as he was about to mount his horse and continue forward, he heard the sound of hooves approaching from behind.
The slender branches, covered in snow, trembled slightly, and snowflakes fell in a soft rustling sound.
There was definitely more than one rider coming.
Qin Qinian turned around curiously and, from a distance, saw a burly man in a black robe riding towards him.
The horse's hooves pounded the snow, moving with lightning speed. The opponent's aura was overwhelming, and the wind whipped the hem of his clothes into sharp arcs.
A cool breeze blew in from somewhere, making Qin Qinian feel a chill down his back.
Especially when he met those narrow eyes, Qin Qinian seemed to see rolling flames and lightning bolts streaking across the sky, whether it was an illusion or not.
Qin Qinian felt a slight tingling on his scalp, and a chill inexplicably ran down his spine. He immediately stepped aside to make way, and gestured for his attendants to also move aside so as not to block the way.
After everything was in place, Qin Qinian focused his attention and waited for his father to pass by completely.
But the red dragon stopped in front of him.
"Qin San." The two heavy words landed.
The ominous tone made the boy instinctively shrink back, but he quickly thought through the situation.
Wait a minute, what is he afraid of? He hasn't done anything wrong!
Upon thinking this, Qin Qinian immediately stood up straight and even took the initiative to speak with Qin Shaozong: "Father, I heard wolves howling all night. There must be a pack of wolves nearby. Are you going to hunt wolves?"
Qin Shaozong sneered, "With you around, your father won't be able to hunt a single hair."
Following behind Qin Shaozong, Feng Feng kept giving Qin Qinian meaningful glances, signaling him to look at the guard holding the gong.
But Qin Qinian couldn't see anything else at that moment. He was shocked by his father's words and said without hesitation, "How could that be? I was hunting rabbits, not trying to take them from you."
Feng Feng's lips twitched.
Qin Shaozong's face darkened even further.
Is this kid genuinely clueless or just pretending?
Consumed by rage, Qin Shaozong lashed his riding whip at the boy in front of him, yelling, "You worthless brat!"
Qin Qinian instinctively dodged, but was still grazed on the arm by the whip's tail. He was thick-skinned and used to being beaten; now, more than the pain, he felt wronged. "I don't hunt wild beasts, Father, why are you hitting me?"
"Who gave you permission to go around banging gongs and drums? You're carrying around this broken gong, making wild beasts run away at the sound. How are other hunters supposed to hunt then?" Qin Shaozong gritted his teeth.
Qin Qinian choked, then belatedly realized that the gong was the problem.
"I'm because..."
Just then, the cymbals started ringing out again not far away, and after that, the suona horn began to play.
Qin Shaozong felt a headache coming on and called out Feng Feng's name, "Feng Feng, go and collect all those broken cymbals and broken suonas for me."
Feng Feng accepted the order and led his men quickly into the forest.
After Feng Feng left, Qin Shaozong looked at his youngest son again, "What did you just say?"
Qin Qinian swallowed hard. "Father, I had a reason for banging the gong. Qin Yanzhou, Rongrong, and I were having a competition to see who could hunt the most rabbits and find the most rabbit burrows. Banging the gong was for communication, to let the other side know our progress."
The cymbals were still ringing not far away.
The veins on Qin Shaozong's forehead throbbed twice more.
Without asking any further questions, he had already guessed which little brat had come up with the idea.
No, it might not be a little brat, it's a wicked fox.
"Father, I'm not going to keep banging the gong. Can I leave now?" Qin Qinian was still thinking about the competition.
The gong was confiscated, but that doesn't mean the competition is over.
He needs to hurry.
"Get out of here. If you cause any more trouble for your father, see if I don't teach you a lesson." Qin Shaozong ordered Qin Qinian's gong to be taken away and led his men to continue inside.
But after walking for a long time, the piercing sound of cymbals kept lingering in his ears, making Qin Shaozong furious.
The sound kept ringing out, and not only were there no ferocious beasts like tigers and bears, but even larger herbivores like deer had vanished.
"Did Feng Feng skip breakfast today? Qiao Wangfei, you take some men over there too."
...
Feng Feng was unaware that his superiors had grown to dislike him; if they had known, he would have been extremely upset.
It's not that he's not capable; it's that he genuinely can't catch anyone.
For some reason, the other party seemed to know he was coming to arrest someone, knocking for a while and then stopping, moving very quickly. When they had moved enough, they made two more "chatter" sounds, which were no different from a provocation.
Feng Feng was so frustrated he almost vomited blood, and at one point even suspected that the other party was playing a trick on him.
However, not finding the cymbals wasn't entirely a loss. He found the source of the suona's sound, but the owner of it surprised him greatly.
"Miss Shi?"
Shi Rongyue happened to be holding a little white rabbit at that moment. She turned around when she heard the sound. She had seen Feng Feng before and knew that he was the commander of the Xuanxiao Cavalry at the time.
However, she doesn't remember ever having any interaction with the other person.
At this moment, Shi Rongyue didn't pay much attention. She even nodded slightly to Feng Feng and then said to the person next to her, "Keep bragging."
Feng Feng: "..."
"No, no, no!" Feng Feng hurriedly tried to stop them, but it was too late. He could only watch helplessly as the suona horn began to blare.
In the Great Yan Dynasty, the suona was used to accompany weddings, funerals, and festival celebrations. Now, as soon as the suona sounded, Feng Feng felt as if his soul had been sent away with it.
The other side was making a lot of noise, and Feng Feng wiped his face, feeling utterly hopeless.
"Chief Feng, what brings you here?" Shi Rongyue asked.
Feng Feng dismounted. He didn't immediately answer Shi Rongyue's question, but instead walked silently towards the soldier. After snatching the suona from his hand, Feng Feng couldn't help but kick the soldier in the backside. "Are you deaf? Get out of here."
Upon seeing this, Shi Rongyue frowned. "Commander Feng, what do you mean by this?"
“By order of the Lord, musical instruments are not permitted in the hunting grounds.” Feng Feng coughed lightly and explained, “If musical instruments are played, the wild beasts will be frightened away, making the hunt difficult. I hope Miss Shi will understand.”
Shi Rongyue pursed her lips.
Since it was my second uncle's order, there was really nothing I could do.
"Miss Shi, I must go find the cymbal bearer, so I must take my leave now." Feng Feng cupped his hands in farewell to her.
Shi Rongyue curtsied in return, her eyes lowered as if she were thinking of something. After he mounted his horse, the little girl also climbed onto the horse and followed behind Feng Feng.
Feng Feng glanced back but didn't say anything more.
The cymbal sounds were still ringing out.
Qiao Wangfei and Feng Feng followed the sound from both sides and finally caught the last source of the sound.
"Young Master Qin, musical instruments are not allowed in the hunting grounds. Please hand over the cymbals to us." Feng Feng was on high alert.
Having walked this far, Feng Feng, with his quick mind, had already figured out some clues on his own.
In the past, when the Lord hunted tigers, he had never been so low-key. Moreover, he had clearly seen the Lord use coarse food earlier, quickly and casually, which seemed to indicate that he was in a hurry.
Now, the incident of music playing at the hunting grounds has occurred, and the people in charge are none other than Young Master Qin and the Third Young Master.
Something's not right!
Could it be that Young Master Qin is secretly...?
To the surprise of Feng Feng and Qiao Wangfei, the young man who was stopped not only obediently handed over the cymbals, but also handed over his entourage.
They were extremely cooperative and seemed to clearly recognize their mistakes.
Holding the cool, icy cymbals in his hand, Feng Feng felt a momentary daze, as if it were all unreal. However, the mission's completion was a good thing. He cupped his hands to Qin Yanzhou, saying, "The matter is settled; we will return to report."
Feng Feng and Qiao Wangfei left with their men.
Shi Rongyue had been watching the whole way, feeling quite puzzled and vaguely sensing something. She dismounted and stepped forward, "Young Master Qin, my suona has also been taken away. How about we don't use any instruments for the rest of the competition, and just count the numbers?"
Qin Yanzhou watched Feng Feng and the others' retreating figures and smiled almost imperceptibly. "No, we still need them."
Shi Rongyue was stunned. "Still use it? But the musical instrument has been taken away, and my second uncle won't let us use it either."
Qin Yanzhou replied, "You may not use it, but I will."
Shi Rongyue's brow twitched slightly: "Young Master Qin, isn't it actually..."
She choked for a moment, and then said, "Then, then I'll use it with you."
Qin Yanzhou looked at the petite girl who barely reached his lips. She was looking up at him with her head slightly raised, her light brown eyes like grapefruit candy hidden in glass.
The young man shook his head. "You clearly already know, so why take the risk with me?"
Shi Rongyue did indeed sense it; she had followed Feng Feng here and had been pondering it all the way. The strange feeling reached its peak when Qin Yanzhou said, "We'll need it again."
He did it on purpose.
"It was agreed upon at the time," Shi Rongyue said with a smile. "Besides, the law doesn't punish everyone."
Qin Yanzhou: "...Two people, not a crowd."
“I’ve heard that my second uncle has never laid a hand on you, and my mother will definitely help me, so you don’t need to worry, Young Master Qin.” Shi Rongyue’s dimples deepened.
Qin Yanzhou pondered for a moment, then said, "You follow me first."
Qin Yanzhou's entourage was all eliminated, while those accompanying Shi Rongyue were people Qin Hongying brought from the Shi family of Nanyu.
Strictly speaking, they were Shi Rongyue's own people.
They rode along for a while, and Qin Yanzhou reined in his horse in front of a crooked tree. He looked around and finally chose a spot to dig. Before long, a new gong and cymbals were unearthed from the snowdrift.
Shi Rongyue: "!"
*
"My lord, the cymbals and suona have been retrieved." Feng Feng returned with the items and reported, "The cymbals are used by Young Master Qin, and the suona was ordered to be played by Young Lady Shi."
Qin Shaozong remained expressionless, showing no surprise.
Although Qin San is a troublemaker, he would never come up with such a wicked trick.
Qin Shaozong: "Now that the problem is solved, let's go."
"Clang clang clang!"
The familiar sound of gongs drifted in once again.
After the gong sounds, there are also cymbals. It's like a grand opera performance, one act ends and then the next stops.
Qin Shaozong flew into a rage, "Didn't you say they had all been seized?"
Feng Feng and Qiao Wangfei were both dumbfounded.
Feng Feng quickly said, "My lord, at that time, Young Master Qin only had one cymbal, and I did take it away. Old Qiao can testify to that."
Qiao Wangfei nodded. "He carried very few things."
Hunting requires lightness; the items carried are usually not many, such as a bow and arrows, a knife, a water bag, and a net for catching prey.
No one would carry a large backpack, so whether or not someone is hiding something is immediately obvious.
Qin Shaozong took a deep breath. "That little brat must have hidden the thing somewhere else. You two take some men and keep an eye on him, so he can't cause any more trouble."
The two men bowed and accepted the order, then led their men to follow the sound immediately.
...
Qin Qinian also heard the sound of cymbals and... gongs.
The sound of a gong?
The boy listened intently, and it was indeed the sound of a gong.
But what's going on? Wasn't it agreed that Qin Yanzhou would use cymbals, Rongrong would use a suona, and he would play the gong? But now his father has taken away his gong, so where is the gong sound coming from?
However, this question only lingered in Qin Qinian's mind before he put it aside.
Who cares why, hunting rabbits is the priority.
As a result, Qin Qinian had just walked a short distance with high spirits when he was stopped by Feng Feng, whom he had met by chance.
"Third Young Master, can you please calm down for a while?" Feng Feng pleaded earnestly. "The Marquis seems to be in a bad mood today, so please don't add fuel to the fire."
"What nonsense are you talking about? When have I ever been restless?" Qin Qinian was stunned. He belatedly realized and angrily said, "I wasn't the one banging the gong just now!"
Feng Feng looked suspicious, but after looking around, he couldn't see the gong.
no?
Who is so audacious?
No, that's not it, because the gong sounded again.
It wasn't two taps, but three taps in a row.
Qin Qinian exhaled angrily, "See? It really wasn't me!"
Feng Feng looked embarrassed and apologized with his hands clasped, "I'm sorry, Third Young Master. I still have a mission to attend to, so I won't disturb your enjoyment any longer."
After saying that, he led his men away in a hurry.
Qin Qinian watched his retreating figure and murmured, "Something's not right. Only the three of us knew about the rabbit hunting and using sound to communicate. Why are there other gong sounds? It must be Qin Yanzhou hitting it, but why would he do that? Could it be that the rabbit hunting and finding the rabbit hole were just a pretext..."
*
Qin Yanzhou led Shi Rongyue inside, narrowly avoiding two groups of people.
When he heard the approaching hoofbeats for the third time, he turned to Shi Rongyue and said, "Miss Shi, you stay here for now. I will not travel with you."
These words sounded cold and inhumane at first glance, but Shi Rongyue sensed an unexpected meaning in them: "You want to face them alone?"
This time, when they came to arrest someone, the other side was very powerful. Just by listening to the sound of horses' hooves and the light and shadow rising in the distance, you could tell that there were many people coming.
"Young Master Qin, do you plan to continue?" Shi Rongyue asked.
Qin Yanzhou nodded, and for reasons that were unclear, he added, "This daytime is of utmost importance."
Shi Rongyue suddenly said, "Do you have anything else hidden elsewhere? If so, could you tell me, and I... will help you?"
Qin Yanzhou didn't speak, he just looked at her.
Those dark eyes were so deep and so still, like a deep, still pool that could reflect all the thoughts in one's heart.
The little girl looked down at her toes, kicking at the small snowball in front of her with her white boots, and whispered, "Once they find you, they will definitely keep a close eye on you. But I'm different. I'm a young lady, and I'm not easy to arouse suspicion. Even if they do find out, it's not convenient for them to fight me. Young Master Qin, you saved me, so it's only right that I help you."
Qin Yanzhou's gaze swept past her and over the soldiers accompanying her.
These are the Shi family's personal guards. It's clear that Qin Hongying cares a lot about her daughter's safety. The guards she gave are all strong and powerful. If they work together, they could fight even a small pack of wolves.
"Thank you, Miss Shi."
Shi Rongyue looked up in surprise, her amber eyes shining. "Don't worry, I will definitely take care of this for you."
*
Dai Li stayed at the base camp. Ever since Qin Shaozong set off, she would occasionally glance outside. Unfortunately, the sun had not yet risen today, making it difficult to judge the time by the sun's altitude.
When the first gong sounded, she smiled contentedly and began to slowly eat her soup noodles.
The sounds of gongs, cymbals, and suonas rang on and off, continuing until noon.
In winter, the days are short and the nights are long, and it gets completely dark by the end of Shen Shi (3-5 PM). Wei Shi (1-3 PM) is only a little over an hour away from the end of Shen Shi.
"Strange, who on earth is banging drums and gongs all over the hunting grounds?" Qin Hongying wondered.
Dai Li was in a very good mood. "Perhaps it's someone offering congratulations."
Qin Hongying misunderstood. "Carrying a gong and drum with you and banging it to celebrate when you hunt a wild beast is quite ingenious."
Dai Li smiled without saying a word.
...
An hour later, the light gradually faded, and the sky was draped in a thin veil of darkness. Since dusk began, the sunlight was being swallowed up at an increasingly rapid pace, as if in the blink of an eye only a faint layer remained.
As the last rays of sunlight faded and torches were lit at the base camp, Qin Shaozong returned.
Hearing the cries of "My Lord, return!", Dai Li eagerly went out to greet them.
Not far away, a man rode a red horse, wore a black robe, carried a longbow, and had an extraordinary and heroic figure. Behind him, he was surrounded by a group of followers, and his aura was as imposing as a mountain and as vast as the sea.
That's all.
Not to mention ferocious beasts like tigers and bears, they didn't even bring back less desirable prey like wolves and deer.
Dai Li was overjoyed, her eyes crinkling with laughter.
When Dai Li saw Qin Shaozong, he also saw her. He saw her rushing out, glancing at him before breaking into a radiant smile.
That smile was truly radiant, even brighter and more dazzling than the moon that had already appeared in the sky.
Qin Shaozong's back teeth felt tight, and his complexion became even more foul.
He had gone hunting countless times over the past thirty years, hunting tigers, shooting bears, shooting wolves, and even harvesting white deer, which were considered auspicious omens.
The only thing they never did was return empty-handed.
But there was nothing he could do; there was nothing on the road, and he couldn't find a single large prey. As for the smaller prey, Qin Shaozong disdained to bring them back.
Bringing a rabbit back to see her is worse than him not coming back at all...
Those who had gathered around, intending to flatter and congratulate, looked at each other blankly, unsure of what to say.
Unbelievable! Marquis Wu'an returned empty-handed!
"You've worked hard, my lord." Dai Li smiled as she walked up to the red dragon.
Qin Shaozong gritted his teeth, "The lady looks so happy."
"Of course, I'm happier than anyone that you've returned safely from the jaws of death. Whether there was any prey or not doesn't matter. If there wasn't any this time, we'll wait for next time." Dai Li smiled and reached out to tug at his reins.
Qin Shaozong dismounted, saying, "Today's defeat is not a complete loss."
Dai Li looked into those narrow eyes, which were blazing with dark fire, and her brow twitched.
"We didn't catch the big tiger, but we did catch a bad fox. Later, I'll definitely skin this fox flat and let Madam have a good look at it." His last sentence seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
Author's Note: Here I am, please give me some nutrient solution!
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