◇ Chapter 34 (34) Crisis
Before the Wanshou Festival, the Ministry of Rites had prepared a ceremony to welcome the envoys from the Northern Sea Territory and had also arranged their itinerary. However, they were not particularly interested in the ancient sites of the capital, but rather wanted to visit several enclosures in the suburbs.
If it were any other foreign visitor, such a request would have seemed strange. However, the people of the North Sea were renowned for their bravery, and the envoy jokingly suggested that taking them hunting would be the best treat. The nearest hunting grounds were only a few hundred miles from the capital, heavily guarded, and the journey was easy, making it a suitable destination for Lianzhi. Any further, and he'd probably find the journey too arduous.
It just so happened that several older officials with mobility problems needed to ride in a carriage, so Bo Kang prepared a separate carriage for Lianzhi, which caused some dissatisfaction among the old officials of the Ministry of Rites.
Entertaining the envoy is a serious matter. It would be fine if Bai Kang brought his wife, but that man is so pampered. How disgraceful.
"Master Bai, are you treating this trip as a joke?" Minister Du blew his beard and glared, "Such an important matter, yet you still bring..."
"My wife and I hit it off right away."
The envoy, sitting on the other side of the horse, suddenly spoke, his accented official language startling Minister Du. The envoy from the North Sea Territory naturally couldn't help but defend Bai Kang. Minister Du couldn't argue with him, so he stormed off in anger. After the others had left, the envoy continued, "Your wife looks very familiar."
Bai Kang smiled and shook his head, only to hear the other party continue: "He seems to be from the North Sea. I think he is very friendly."
Lianzhi happened to be feeling a bit suffocated in the carriage and stuck her head out the window. Beside her was Bai Kang, sitting astride a tall, steed, his red official uniform fluttering in the wind, outlining his tall, slender figure.
He is dressed in fine clothes and rides a horse, looking heroic and dashing.
Lianzhi opened her mouth slightly and just uttered a syllable when Bai Kang was startled. He quickly reached out from above and covered Lianzhi's ears.
What do you mean by "he looks like someone from the North Sea"? Lianzhi can't hear it.
"The envoy is joking. My wife is a native of Daning and was born in Liangzhou. She has nothing to do with the Beihai Territory." Bai Kang said.
The North Sea Territory translator beside him explained a few words. The envoy nodded. Bai Kang's wife seemed to be of mixed race. It was normal for her to look like someone of North Sea Territory descent.
"Brother Kang." Lianzhi tugged at his sleeve, asking Bai Kang to let go. "It's so stuffy in the car. Can I ride with you guys?"
"No." Bo Kang refused immediately, "You can't ride a horse."
He actually knew how to ride, but he couldn't say it. Lianzhi changed her request: "I want to ride a horse with you."
"My legs hurt from riding the horse." Bo Kang said casually, "We'll be there soon, just be good."
Lianzhi then reluctantly closed the window. When they arrived at the destination, the carriage stopped at the edge of the hunting ground, and he was the first to jump out.
A small rabbit ran past his feet. Even the people of the North Sea Territory didn't even look at such a small prey. The people in the Ministry of Rites were all civil servants, so hunting rabbits was a bit difficult for them. The difference in strength was huge. Seeing Lianzhi staring at the little rabbit, Bai Kang lowered his head and took out his bow and arrow: "Want it? I'll hunt one for you."
Lianzhi shook her head and looked at him eagerly: "Brother Kang, can you hunt tigers? Can you hunt a lion for me?"
"There are no tigers or lions in the hunting grounds here," Bo Kang said. This hunting ground is too close to the capital, so for safety reasons, there are no large beasts, only wolves at most.
"Then I don't want it." Lianzhi said, "Brother Kang, I'm hungry."
"Wait, I'll grill the deer we hunted for you. Just wait here and don't run around, or you might get carried away by a wolf." Fearing he wouldn't obey, Bo Kang even left someone to watch over him. "When we come back, we'll have some singing and dancing performances, and then there'll be some fun."
After giving his instructions, he mounted his horse again and entered the hunting grounds. Lianzhi waved to him and was silent for a moment before asking the guard, "Do you have a bow and crossbow?"
The clerk handed over an exceptionally small crossbow. Lianzhi took it with a smile, not disdaining it, and fired a few arrows at a target a hundred meters away.
He shot skillfully. Although only two or three arrows hit the target, the rest landed near it. The clerk watched for a while, making sure he wouldn't hurt anyone, and stopped watching him intently. Lianzhi played by herself for a while, then got bored again, so she asked, "Do you have a pony?"
"Madam doesn't know how to ride a horse, so forget it," said the clerk.
"So I want a pony." Lianzhi said confidently, "I know a little bit of riding skills, so I can ride a pony. Just find one for me. And I'll just be driving around."
The clerk was still reluctant, so Lianzhi brought up Bai Kang, saying he would definitely agree. The clerk then brought him a pony. He watched nervously, worried that Lianzhi's insistence would cause an accident that he would be left with no explanation. To his surprise, Lianzhi actually got on the horse. Although her movements were unsteady, she didn't fall off and was able to take a few slow steps on the saddle.
Once the clerk relaxed his guard, Lianzhi stealthily rode a few paces toward the woods. From a distance, he could hear the conversation of several envoys from the North Sea Territory. Hiding behind a tree, he could only vaguely understand what they were saying. Just as he was trying to decipher their content, he was suddenly grabbed by the collar and lifted up.
Turning around, Bo Kang looked at him with raised eyebrows, his body stained with the smell of blood. Behind him, his servants were dragging several preys, a good harvest.
"Who told you to come here?" Bai Kang had a faint smile on his face, but his voice was filled with anger. "You dare to come here even though you're riding so crookedly? Aren't you afraid of being taken away by wolves? I told you to stay here, have you forgotten?"
Lianzhi smiled at him: "I'm fine."
Bai Kang frowned, had the pony taken away, and placed the lotus branch in front of him.
He still had to keep an eye on her at all times and not let the lotus branch out of his sight.
Holding the man tightly in his arms, Bo Kang continued to spur his horse. They had agreed to compete with the delegation from the North Sea Territory to see which side could catch the most prey. While there was no reward, they couldn't afford to lose face in the Daning area.
"Can you use a bow and arrow?" asked Bo Kang.
Lianzhi shook her head. Bo Kang let him hold the bow, and covered it with his own hand: "Look at the deer over there."
As soon as the words fell, the two men released their fingers almost at the same time, and the arrow shot out like an arrow from a bow, whistling in the wind, cutting through the sky and rushing towards the wild deer.
The wild deer let out a wail, was shot through the head, and fell to the ground with a bang.
"Brother Kang is amazing!" the lotus stick read. Bai Kang was very pleased with the trick. He looked at the red fox and rabbit beside him, and shot a few arrows through the wind. His movements were quick and decisive, and he had hunted down several more prey in an instant.
Bai Kang dismounted and ordered his men to bring back the prey. When they counted the prey, he was stained with blood, a color even brighter than his official uniform. During the hunt, Bai Kang's fierce aura was undisguised, and it remained undimmed even now, making him look unlike a civil servant.
He raised the red fox and turned around. His eyes were no longer cold, but rather friendly. "Do you like it?"
"I don't like it." Unexpectedly, Lianzhi raised his eyelids and glanced at it indifferently. "You can't eat it, so why did you shoot it to death?"
"Why are you always thinking about eating?" Bo Kang found it a little funny. "This fox fur is bright red. I think it looks pretty. How about making you a cape or a hat? Don't you like red?"
Hearing this, Lianzhi was a little surprised. She didn't expect that Bai Kang wanted to make a cloak for him.
He didn't answer, and Bai Kang became nervous. Lianzhi was so delicate and picky, it was normal for her to look down on ordinary foxes. Just as he was about to say buy a better one, Lianzhi smiled brightly again: "Thank you, Brother Kang."
By the time they reached the depths of the hunting grounds, most of the Ministry of Rites had already hunted a few beasts and were preparing to return. The envoys from the North Sea Territory were also gradually returning. However, Lianzhi still looked very excited, wanting to go into the woods to find some powerful beasts.
Chang Yuzhu, who happened to be passing by, heard this and gave Bai Kang a long, unsettling look. Bai Kang sat behind him, hugged him tightly, and not only did he not refuse, he also said, "I'll hunt a wolf for you?"
And you still say you don't like me? Your mouth is harder than a bow.
Chang Yuzhu shook his head and left.
The deeper they went into the hunting grounds, the more lush the vegetation became. Ancient trees towered into the clouds, blocking out the sun. Only a few tiny shadows cast a shadow on the ground. Lianzhi instinctively sensed danger, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"Let's go back." Lianzhi tugged at Bo Kang's sleeve, "I'm tired."
Bai Kang wanted to hunt a few more prey, preferably more than the people in the North Sea Territory. But when Lianzhi cried out in exhaustion, he immediately changed direction and said, "I'll take you back first."
"Don't come here." Lianzhi didn't want him to come over again, so she pretended to be concerned and said, "It's dark here, it will be dangerous."
He even knew he was worried about him? Bo Kang was a little happy, but only slightly, and he suppressed it. This little guy finally showed some concern for others. That's good.
Lianzhi saw him suddenly laugh, not knowing what was going on. As they were about to reach the edge of the woods, the horse suddenly stopped. Bo Kang looked forward, frowning, and asked, "Who set this trap?"
Someone had tied a rope between two trees and placed spikes on the ground. It was unclear who was using this method to hunt. Bo Kang asked Lianzhi to sit down while he went to clean the trap.
The moment he dismounted, a feather arrow was aimed at them.
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