Chapter 84 Recognition
He suddenly stood up, jumped on the horse, kicked the horse's belly hard, and chased in the direction where Jiang Qingning disappeared.
The fierce horse neighed, crushing the dead silence and blood on the ground, leaving only a complex whisper, drifting in the valley wind:
"What a housewife."
The hunting ground is high and noisy.
The golden dragon flag fluttered in the wind. On the high platform, the emperor of the Lu family, Lu Bin, was dressed in a bright yellow riding uniform. Although he was over fifty years old, his brows still revealed the sharpness and majesty of having been in power for a long time.
Concubine Qin stood beside him in gorgeous palace dress, with a bright and radiant face. Her phoenix eyes, somewhat similar to Qin Xiu's, were bright and shining. At this moment, she had a decent smile on her face, and her eyes swept across the stage from time to time.
Qin Xiu, the eldest son of the Duke of Qin's mansion, was dressed in a neat moon-white suit. He stood as tall and straight as a pine tree, with his arms folded, standing at the side of the stage. He had a cold expression and eyes like an eagle, scanning the children of various families who had returned one after another to present their prey.
Xun Chen, a fourth-rank official in the court, sat in a position slightly below the head. His face was as calm as water, but the knuckles of his fingers holding the wine glass were slightly pale.
"Report! The second son of the Zhenbei General's Mansion has hunted a mature stag and three spotted foxes!"
"Report! The prince of Wu'an Marquisate has hunted two roe deer and a dozen hares!"
"Report! The third young master of the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion..."
The shrill singing and greetings in the inner room rose and fell, recording the gains of each returning young talent.
The prey piled up in the audience, causing bursts of exclamations and discussions.
Qin Xiu's prey was the most stable and abundant, including several strong musk deer, a large wild boar, and even a rare red fox, which made Concubine Qin on the high platform smile even more deeply, and the emperor also nodded slightly.
"Great! As expected of the Duke of Qin's son!"
The emperor was very pleased, which made Concubine Qin even happier, and Qin Xiu bowed to express his gratitude.
Xun Chen's eyes swept across the pile of prey and finally fell on the wild boar hunted by Qin Xiu. It had thick tusks and a deep knife wound on its neck.
He picked up the wine glass and took a sip. The spicy wine slid into his throat, but it couldn't suppress the inexplicable uneasiness in his heart.
He subconsciously looked towards the entrance of the hunting ground, but the slender figure never appeared.
"It's really ridiculous for a woman from a secluded house to go hunting from the great land."
Xun Chen sneered in a low voice, as if he was extremely pessimistic about Jiang Qingning's strength.
Just as the singing of praises died down and everyone thought the outcome was settled and was just waiting for the emperor to decide the rankings, the crisp and rhythmic sound of horse hooves came from afar, clearly breaking the noise.
Everyone's attention was drawn to it at the same time.
A woman in moon-white riding clothes rode a pitch-black Uya horse and slowly walked into everyone's sight. The sun generously sprinkled on her body, outlining her slender but upright figure.
There was a little dust on her face, and a few strands of hair were wet with sweat on her smooth forehead. Instead of looking disheveled, she looked more heroic and energetic.
Qin Xiu was the first to be stunned. His hands, which were standing behind his back, slowly loosened and fell unconsciously to the sides of his body.
All his light was concentrated in one place, making him unable to recover for a long time.
"Look behind her! Are you kidding me?"
"How is it possible? She is just a woman from a remote house. How could she be so powerful?"
"She actually hunted such a huge wild boar!"
"Look at that point! My God, it's so accurate..."
Behind Jiang Qingning's horse was a striking scene: several servants were struggling to drag the huge prey.
An adult wild boar as big as a hill, with a ferocious face, had a white-feather arrow deeply pierced into its neck. What was even more shocking was the black-feather arrow that pierced one of its eye sockets with incredible precision and penetrated deep into its brain, leaving only a small half of the arrow shaft exposed.
"hiss!"
The whole audience immediately gasped.
"It's extremely difficult to hunt such a huge wild boar, let alone shoot it through the eye socket and directly into the skull with such terrifying precision. What kind of courage, judgment and archery skills are needed!"
The dead silence lasted only a moment, and then an even greater uproar broke out.
Countless eyes instantly focused on the woman sitting high on the horse with a calm expression.
Shock, disbelief, inquiry, doubt...all these complex emotions are intertwined like substance.
On the high platform, Qing Shang, the follower behind Qin Xiu, stepped forward and whispered something quickly. Qin Xiu's brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
The wine glass in Xun Chen's hand accidentally fell onto the small table in front of him, and the amber wine spilled out, quickly soaking the hem of his crimson official robe.
Faced with such an obvious mistake, Xun Chen was completely unaware of it. He just stared at Jiang Qingning, his face becoming extremely ugly in an instant, and the anger of being fooled was surging fiercely in his eyes.
When did Jiang Qingning... acquire such ability?
In Xun Chen's impression, Jiang Qingning was just that weak wife who read quietly in the backyard, who only knew how to make her mother angry all day long, and who couldn't even ride a horse properly.
After knowing each other for more than 20 years, he had never seen Jiang Qingning like this!
A strong, blinding chill gripped Xun Chen.
At the female seat, Jiang Qingxi was so frightened that she almost jumped up from the embroidered cushion. She covered her mouth tightly to prevent herself from screaming out loud.
She looked at her sister's unusually calm and even somewhat unfamiliar face, and was filled with incredible shock.
No wonder my father, brother and mother never believed that anything had happened to my sister. They were sad even when they couldn’t see her.
It turns out that my sister has such amazing skills!
Jiang Qingxi's eyes lit up and he stared at Jiang Qingning with admiration.
On the high platform, Concubine Qin's beautiful eyes moved, subtly shifting between Jiang Qingning and her younger brother Qin Xiu, keenly catching the unusual concentration and solemnity in Qin Xiu's eyes.
Thinking back to her mother, Lady Qin, and the suggestive words she said when she entered the palace a few days ago, I suddenly understood.
She parted her red lips slightly, her voice filled with just the right amount of wonder and admiration: "Your Majesty, I have seen Miss Jiang, a woman who is truly as brave as any man. She is truly a role model for women in our dynasty."
She looked at the emperor with a smile, "It seems to me that the leader of this hunting ground may be someone else."
Concubine Qin was very fond of Jiang Qingning's methods. Besides, she was her brother's sweetheart, and even her mother had personally consulted with him to have their horoscopes matched. Life was just to live happily, so naturally she didn't mind giving the top spot that belonged to Qin Xiu to her own brother and sister-in-law.
The emperor's eyes also burst into intense surprise and deep interest.
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on Jiang Qingning: "Jiang? Could it be... Jiang Qing's daughter?"
After the imperial concubine's wink, the emperor recognized Jiang Qingning's identity.
No wonder she is so extraordinary. It turns out that she is the daughter of General Jiang who guards Lingnan. How could the children of such a person be unknown?
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