"What?!"
Everyone turned their heads and saw the Seventh Prince walking towards the forest in the dark night, dragging a brown bear weighing more than 400 kilograms.
The dead brown bear was extremely heavy. Dragging it out of the deep forest had been a bumpy journey, and it almost exhausted all of Chu Jinglin's strength.
But he gritted his teeth and persevered.
He was covered in blood, even his face was stained with blood.
The moment the skinny body half-dragging and half-carrying the brown bear came into everyone's sight, it was shocking.
Brown bears are ferocious and have the strength to tear a person to pieces.
Most of their prey were hares, pheasants, and foxes, and larger animals were deer, sheep, and wolves. However, this was the first time they had seen such a big brown bear in many years of autumn hunting.
At first glance, the Ninth Prince was still following behind the Seventh Prince, helping to support the brown bear's butt.
The King of Chu stood up and slammed the table:
"Xiao Qi, you are brave and courageous, and you are the one that I like the most!"
Chu Li's eyebrows twitched, because every time the emperor said this, she had a bad premonition.
What happened while she was away?
"In the autumn hunt every year, victory is won by numbers, but the Seventh Prince's determination is even more worthy of praise and learning. I have decided to give the Seventh Prince the first prize. I wonder if the eldest and third princes have any objections?"
Chu Yuanchi couldn't get what he wanted.
Whether he gives in or takes the lead in his competition with the Third Prince, it will create a rift between the two brothers.
"Seventh brother is resolute and worthy of the first prize."
Since the eldest prince didn't fight for it, Chu Xiling naturally wouldn't fight for it either.
The ugly quarrel between him and the eldest prince would only make the emperor feel resentful. If the regent succeeds in instigating trouble, he would be the only one to suffer.
He cupped his hands and said, "Seventh brother deserves this, and father is wise."
The ministers said: "Congratulations to the Seventh Prince for winning first place!"
Chu Jinglin was confused: "Yeah?"
In order to drag the brown bear out, he was sweating all over and tired like a dog, panting heavily. The blood and sweat on his body mixed together and made his eyes sticky.
He was so tired that he was about to faint when he heard everyone congratulating him.
Did he win first place?
Really?
"Congratulations!"
"The Seventh Prince is brave and has inherited the Emperor's teachings. Congratulations!"
Chu Jinglin's brain froze, and he was still a little unresponsive: "Congratulations, congratulations? Congratulations, congratulations."
"Hahaha!" The King of Chu laughed, "Come here, give the only gilded bow made of Ximu in the Great Chu to the Seventh Prince!"
Hahaha!
He looked at the Seventh Prince with great satisfaction, glanced at the Regent sitting on the seat, laughed, and sat down.
At that time, the Regent was holding a wine cup, his expression as cold and stern as the frost on the top of a mountain. He looked at Chu Li, who was standing next to the Seventh Prince with his sharp eagle eyes and had a low presence.
Chu Jinglin accepted everyone's congratulations and admiration, and after catching his breath, he proudly put his hands on his hips and laughed triumphantly:
“You are too kind, Lord Wang… It was just a brown bear. I could kill it with just a flick of my finger. It’s no problem at all… When the brown bear pounced on me, I wasn’t afraid at all… Hahaha!”
Chu Li stood nearby, looking soft, with her head lowered and touching her earlobe. Almost no one noticed her.
Chu Jinglin kicked her proudly:
"Hey, you little loser, have you seen how powerful I am?"
"Since you have offered your help, I will lend you the Ximu Gilded Bow for half an hour. It is also because I, as your elder brother, am kind to you. After all, you will never be able to touch such a good weapon in your lifetime."
Chu Li held his hands and smiled:
"Seventh brother is mighty, and I cannot compare to him."
"Humph, it's not that I'm far from you, it's that you will never be able to compare to me in your life. Watch your words."
"Yes, yes."
Chu Li smiled stupidly, "Thank you, Seventh Brother, for letting me enjoy the Ximu Gilded Bow!"
After saying that, he ran over there happily to touch the Ximu gilded bow.
Chu Jinglin sneered, "You are ignorant."
At this time, a steady voice sounded: "I heard that brown bears have thick skin and flesh, and ordinary swords and knives cannot penetrate their skin and flesh. I wonder what weapon the Seventh Prince used to hunt it?"
It’s Xiao Yexing.
He glanced at the Regent's expression and got the hint, so he asked this question.
Chu Jinglin pointed at the short blade inlaid with rubies stuck in the brown bear's chest and said:
"This short blade was made for me by someone my mother had sent herself. It is made of thousand-year-old black iron and can cut through anything."
The blood-stained ruby is even more enchanting, silently highlighting his achievements.
"Oh?" Xiao Ye walked over, said "excuse me", and pulled out the short blade.
This short blade is very small and delicate, and the entire blade is only three inches deep when it is inserted into the brown bear's body.
"This brown bear is huge. This three-inch short blade is probably not enough to pierce its heart and kill it, right?"
A voice that was neither light nor heavy was raised, causing everyone's expressions to freeze slightly.
What does Commander Xiao mean?
Questioning whether the Seventh Prince’s prey was fake?
The Emperor has already announced the first prize and given the reward. Isn't he afraid of offending the Emperor by saying this?
Chu Jinglin's face darkened slightly, and he said in a cold voice: "I didn't kill this brown bear, could it be that Governor Xiao killed it?"
"I have no intention of taking credit for your achievements. I just want to understand the facts so that everyone will not misunderstand the emperor's wisdom."
Xiao Yexing laughed gently, and his slender fingers suddenly reached into the brown bear's neck.
After digging deeper, they actually brought out a broken arrow!
The length of the arrow was enough to penetrate the brown bear's throat and kill it.
only……
Xiao Yexing pinched the arrow with his bloodstained fingertips and glanced at it. "The mark on this arrow is the Ninth Prince."
Everyone was shocked: "What?!"
There were many people in the forest, so in order to fairly distinguish each person's prey, special marks were engraved on the distributed arrows.
Did the Ninth Prince hunt down this brown bear?
The Seventh Prince... took credit for something under a false name?
Chu Li, who was admiring the Ximu gilded bow, felt the gazes of everyone and his eyes darkened slightly.
The situation was critical at the time and she had to rescue the Seventh Prince, but she had no intention of seeking attention.
If you are too popular, you will be at the center of controversy.
Moreover, if she snatched the credit from the Seventh Prince and slapped him in the face in public, would Imperial Noble Consort Jing let her go easily?
Chu Di curled his lips slowly and glanced at the Emperor Chu who couldn't laugh. He laughed out loud:
"This year's autumn hunt was very exciting. My brother has taught his children well. The princes are all outstanding, and the younger ones are better than their elders. This is truly a blessing for the Great Chu."
The officials gradually began to voice dissatisfaction.
Chu Jinglin's face suddenly turned gloomy.
Chu Li immediately said loudly: "How can I have such ability? When I encountered the brown bear, my seventh brother fought with it for a long time and shot all his arrows. Only then did I give my quiver to my seventh brother."
Everyone suddenly realized.
I see.
They said...how come the Ninth Prince, who spends his time playing polo, fighting crickets, eating, drinking and having fun, has such good archery skills?
Chu Dichi sat on the high platform, looking down at Chu Li:
"Ninth Prince is too modest. Be careful not to commit the crime of deceiving the emperor."
Chu Li bowed his head and said: "My riding and archery are not as good as that of my seventh brother. I even saw my seventh brother kill a brown bear with his own hands. I dare not lie. I hope that father will understand."
The King of Chu laughed and said, "I know, hahaha!"
He was very satisfied with the result.
The Regent almost became complacent.
"Royal brother, look at this year's autumn hunt, isn't it exciting?"
Chu Di said in a dull voice, "Congratulations, my brother."
"Hahaha!"
Emperor Chu walked down personally and patted Chu Jinglin's shoulder with great satisfaction. But at this moment, a wild boar suddenly rushed out from the dim woods, and its long and sharp fangs rushed towards Emperor Chu ferociously.
"not good!"
"Danger!"
The incident happened suddenly and no one had time to rescue. Chu Li had just pulled the Ximu gilded bow and before he knew what was going on, he was supported by an invisible internal force and staggered as he loosened his fingertips.
call out!
The dark golden arrow shot out from the bowstring!
When the wild boar was about to charge at the King of Chu, it was shot to the ground by the golden arrow.
One arrow to the throat!
Suddenly, the entire hunting ground was as silent as ice, and countless pairs of wide-open eyes looked in disbelief at the Ninth Prince who had drawn his bow to save the emperor.
The Ninth Prince pulled the Ximu Gilded Bow, which even military generals found difficult to pull.
The Ninth Prince claimed that he was not good at riding and shooting, but he was able to kill the brown bear with one arrow in an instant, exactly the same as the cause of death.
Doesn’t this prove that this brown bear was hunted by the Ninth Prince?
Suddenly, it was as if a loud slap was slapped on Chu Jinglin's face, and he was loudly scolded: You are a thief who steals the credit.
Chu Lili quickly let go of his hand:
"It's not me..."
It's over.
"It wasn't me who shot it!"
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