Shen Youying was eager to show off, and the roasted chicken in her hand was roasted until it was golden brown and oozing oil, emitting a rich aroma.
"Alright, Your Highness, would you like to try some?" She cut a slice with a knife and presented it to Xue Shen, looking as if she were presenting a treasure.
Xue Shen paused for a moment, then leaned over and ate the piece of roasted chicken from her hand instead of taking it with his own.
The roast chicken was tender inside and crispy on the outside without being greasy, cooked to perfection. The seasoning had a herbal aroma, which was quite unique.
"Not bad," Xue Shen praised without reservation, "It tastes much better than the game I used to hunt on marches."
Shen Youying smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents, making her even more beautiful than usual.
The two shared a roast chicken, then cleaned up the mess before leisurely returning to the training ground.
Everyone looked increasingly surprised when they saw the two of them come out chatting and laughing.
Shen Youying noticed the gazes directed at her and could roughly guess what they were discussing, but this time her mood was somewhat different. She glanced at the person beside her and, seeing Xue Shen looking over, subconsciously smiled at him.
Emperor Cheng'an noticed the two returning and asked curiously, "What kind of prey did the Prince of Qin and Princess Qin hunt?"
Shen Youying said somewhat embarrassedly, "We hunted two rabbits, a pheasant, and a crow, which was hunted by the Prince..." At this point, she noticed that the expressions of Emperor Cheng'an and everyone present seemed a bit strange, and finally realized belatedly that her words seemed somewhat ambiguous and could cause misunderstandings.
Just as she was about to explain that the King of Qin could hunt more than just crows, she felt someone squeeze her hand.
She turned around in surprise, only to see Xue Shen with his eyes lowered and his expression indifferent.
Shen Youying was taken aback. It would be inappropriate to continue the explanation she had just given. Emperor Cheng'an had obviously not expected that the Prince of Qin's prey was not even as good as the Princess of Qin. He had already made some attempts to smooth things over and had bestowed a reward upon her.
But everyone knew that this reward was meant to appease the King of Qin.
The King of Qin was a cripple with impaired mobility, and over the years he had accomplished nothing, instead becoming increasingly arrogant, extravagant, and dissolute. If it weren't for the late emperor's entrustment of the young king and his subsequent care over the years, how could he have achieved his current favor?
Everyone had different thoughts, and their expressions were naturally quite varied.
Shen Youying pursed her lips and ultimately said nothing more. However, when she recalled Xue Shen's astonishing archery skills in the hunting grounds earlier, she felt a continuous stream of grievances.
He's clearly not as bad as the rumors suggest.
After returning to her seat, Shen Youying lowered her eyes, looking somewhat dejected.
Xue Shen, however, seemed indifferent and said, "Hot pot with only rabbit is too monotonous. Let's see if anyone has hunted a deer later, and then have someone send one over."
Shen Youying looked up at him, about to ask something, when she suddenly caught a glimpse of white in the corner of her eye.
Then a cacophony of gasps and exclamations erupted from the crowd.
Shen Youying looked down instinctively and realized that it wasn't a white dot, but a white tiger with the momentum of thunder!
The white tiger somehow crossed the barrier set up in the enclosure and headed straight for the martial arts arena.
"Stop it! Stop it now!"
The imperial guards, having received their orders, were about to step forward to stop it, but the white tiger suddenly became enraged, letting out a roar, swatting two soldiers away with one paw, then biting them and casually tossing them aside.
The two soldiers who were knocked away simply fell to the ground and did not get up, but the soldier whose neck was bitten died on the spot. His body was thrown next to a lady, and a large amount of blood gushed from his throat, splattering all over her head and face.
The woman was so frightened that she couldn't move. After letting out a desperate scream, she collapsed limply to the ground.
Chaos erupted in the training ground as a large number of imperial guards rushed out to protect the emperor. The women in the banquet hall were terrified and, their hands and feet trembling, were helped to the side by the maids and imperial guards.
The chief eunuch Qi Zhong protected Emperor Cheng'an, repeatedly shouting "Protect the Emperor!" in a shrill voice.
The ferocious white tiger lowered its body, constantly emitting threatening growls, and continued to approach step by step.
In a short while, four or five more imperial guards fell to the ground, and blood splattered everywhere on the training ground, staining the white tiger's snow-white fur bright red.
Emperor Cheng'an, initially mindful of his imperial dignity, stubbornly refrained from moving. However, seeing the White Tiger's unstoppable advance and the Imperial Guards falling one after another, utterly defeated, he could no longer remain seated and rose to leave.
But if he hadn't moved, it would have been fine. But as soon as he moved, the white tiger seemed to be provoked. It suddenly let out a deafening roar, and with a kick of its hind legs, it leaped up more than a meter high and pounced straight at Emperor Cheng'an, who was being protected in the middle.
The screams of various "escorts" were almost piercing to the ears.
Shen Youying was also so frightened that her hands and feet went weak, even though their seats were closest to the emperor.
For some reason, she subconsciously looked at Xue Shen.
However, Xue Shen showed no sign of panic. He snatched a bow and arrow from a nearby imperial guard, nocked three arrows, drew the bow, and shot the white tiger almost instantly.
The white tiger, in pain, roared again and turned to pounce on Xue Shen's direction once more.
Shen Youying could almost smell the thick, bloody stench emanating from the white tiger filling the surrounding air. Her heart stopped in fright, she clenched her fists tightly, and closed her eyes.
In a daze, she seemed to hear someone say in her ear, "Don't be afraid."
Then came the sound of arrows piercing the air.
One, two, three...
The sound of something cutting through the air was followed by the muffled thud of an arrow piercing flesh, amplified in each audible sound, finally culminating in a heavy thud as something fell to the ground.
Shen Youying opened her eyes, and at the same time, she heard a cry of surprise.
The fierce white tiger, riddled with countless arrows, lay dead a step away from them, its eyes wide open in death. Blood seeped from its body, meandering like a stream to Shen Youying's feet.
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