"Why do you say that, my dear? Hunting is supposed to be fun for young people. I have already said that I will allow any girl who wants to participate."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Your Majesty is wise." Shangguan Wanning said with a smile while riding on the horse, and winked at her father mischievously.
Shangguan Yue sighed helplessly.
The girls from other families who participated were all from military families. His daughter could ride a horse, but she couldn't even draw a bow and arrow, so why did she join in the fun?
"But you must pay attention to safety," the emperor warned.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I am with my cousin and he will protect me."
The cousin Shangguan Wanning was talking about was Zheng Zhixing, the eldest son of her second uncle Zheng Binghang. The two had been close since childhood.
Zheng Zhixing, who was named, patted his chest and made the promise.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured." Zheng Zhixing immediately came to Shangguan Wanning's side, "Remember to follow me closely."
They set out to walk deeper into the enclosure, and Shangguan Wanning kept an eye on everyone who passed by.
"Ning'er," Xiao Zhenting caught up and stopped beside Shangguan Wanning, smiling and asked, "What kind of meat do you want to eat with your wine tonight? I'll prepare it for you."
"Second Prince..."
"Thank you for your kindness, Second Prince. Whatever I want to eat, my cousin will make it for me."
Shangguan Wanning glared at Zheng Zhixing, signaling him to shut up, and directly rejected Xiao Zhenting's kindness.
"Well, then... I wish you good luck." Xiao Zhenting rode away with his men.
This time he didn't pester her, which made Shangguan Wanning feel a little surprised.
“Tsk tsk tsk… You messed up your game of playing hard to get.” Zheng Zhixing saw Shangguan Wanning in a daze, patted her shoulder and consoled her, “It’s okay, I’ll help you get him back later.”
"Take care of yourself. If you get nothing, you'll have no idea how you'll explain to your second uncle when you get back."
In the eyes of others, Shangguan Wan Ning had a special liking for Xiao Zhen Ting. She didn't intend to waste her energy explaining.
But she always felt that Xiao Zhenting left too easily.
Could it be that... he has more important things to do?
An ominous premonition surged in Shangguan Wanning's heart.
Mu Jingrui accompanied Xiao Yujue in searching around the enclosure.
This time, the emperor sent people to release a tiger into the dense forest of the enclosure.
Whoever can kill this tiger will be the number one in the hunting ground.
"Your Highness, the horses ahead can't pass."
After the guard reported, Xiao Yujue dismounted and walked.
The group had not walked far when countless sharp arrows were shot at them from all directions.
Mu Jingrui immediately drew out his sword and shot down the arrows one by one. He always stood in front of Xiao Yujue.
He picked up the sharp arrow on the ground and reflected it back in the direction of the archer, only to hear screams.
Soon, no more arrows were shot at him, so he signaled the guards to go forward and check.
Several archers hiding in the bushes had already died.
"Your Highness, we should not stay here for long. Let's..."
Before Mu Jingrui could finish his words, a group of men in black rushed out from another direction.
"Protect the prince first."
Mu Jingrui gripped the sword tightly in his hand and rushed forward to fight with the assassin.
Xiao Yujue knew the origins of this group of assassins and felt a surge of anger in his heart.
He has been patient and tolerant over the years, but Xiao Zhenting has been aggressive.
Thinking of this, Xiao Yujue also drew out the soft sword wrapped around his waist and fought off the enemy together with Mu Jingrui.
Everyone worked together to fight off the assassin, and Mu Jingrui even left one person alive.
He approached the assassin step by step, pointed the tip of the sword at his throat, and said coldly: "As long as you come with me to the emperor and tell me who ordered you to do it, I promise to spare your life."
The assassin stared at Mu Jingrui blankly, snorted softly, and fell to the ground with blood gushing from all his orifices and died.
Mu Jingrui hurriedly squatted down to check and found that the assassin's tongue had been cut off long ago.
He was horrified and quickly checked the other assassins, and found the same situation.
"I never thought... Xiao Zhenting's methods were so vicious that he had already eliminated the possibility of them confessing after the assassination attempt failed."
Mu Jingrui stood up, and a chill ran down his back.
Not only can these people not speak, but once their mission fails, they will commit suicide by taking poison. It seems that for them, death is definitely better than living after failure.
"Your Highness, it may not be safe to hunt deep in this area. How about... let's go back." Mu Jingrui suggested.
This was originally a good opportunity to show off in front of the emperor, but considering many factors, Xiao Yujue chose to give up.
A group of people walked out of the jungle to get their horses, and they met Xiao Zhenting who was surrounded by a group of people.
When Xiao Zhenting saw Xiao Yujue, his expression changed slightly, his chest heaving, and he tried his best to suppress his anger.
He dismounted and walked over, looked at Xiao Yujue, and then showed a surprised expression.
"What's wrong, my brother? Could it be that the tiger in the forest is really that powerful?"
Xiao Zhenting put on a good show, and Xiao Yujue could only swallow his anger and suppress what happened in his heart.
He secretly took a deep breath, calmed himself down and said, "The tiger is not scary. I just encountered something more powerful than the tiger."
"Really?" Xiao Zhenting smiled, "What is it? Brother, why don't you tell me so that I can learn more."
"It doesn't matter what it is. What's important is..." Xiao Yujue looked at Mu Jingrui standing beside him, and a smug smile appeared on his lips, "I have a master guarding me."
Xiao Zhenting looked at Mu Jingrui.
This guy has ruined his good deeds more than once.
He walked up to Mu Jingrui and patted him on the shoulder.
"You are indeed strong and healthy. But, after all, you are a flesh and blood body, so you must take good care of yourself."
The anger that Xiao Zhenting had suppressed under his eyelids gradually surfaced. He turned around, jumped on his horse, and rode away.
The failed assassination made him extremely upset.
It seems that in order to kill Xiao Yujue, one must kill Mu Jingrui first.
Xiao Zhenting had not walked far when he saw four people carrying a tiger forward.
He chased after them and called out to the four men.
"Meet the Second Prince."
Xiao Zhenting rode on his horse, looking down at the four people, and asked, "Who are you following?"
"It's me."
Sun Jinyao walked out from the other side.
With a smug smile on his face, he bowed to Xiao Zhenting.
"You killed the tiger?"
"That's right."
"Well done." Xiao Zhenting chuckled and waved his hand, and his men stepped forward and pushed away the four people who were carrying the tiger.
Just as he was about to leave, Sun Jinyao stepped forward and blocked his horse.
"Second Prince, what do you mean?"
"What do you mean?" Xiao Zhenting looked at Sun Jinyao with contempt, "It means nothing, thank you for helping me kill the tiger."
"Second Prince, since I was the one who killed the tiger, there's no need for you to send it to the Emperor. I'll do it myself." Sun Jinyao's expression had changed.
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