Chapter 86 A scheming and cunning male ghost who loves to play dirty tricks.
Aside from the two people who inexplicably gravitated towards each other, there was another person who also caught Yue Yining's attention.
The Seventh Prince, Wei Xueyu.
This was the first time Yue Yining had seen his face clearly. The seventh prince rarely attended banquets, and when he went to court, only his back could be seen.
He wore a moss-colored riding outfit, with handsome features, and his eyes were always lowered, never looking directly at anyone. Perhaps because he had not yet come of age, he looked thinner and shorter than Wei Jing and Wei Ye, still completely like a boy.
The crowd gathered outside the hunting grounds. The master of ceremonies smashed the sealed "Awakening of Insects Jar" with a golden hammer. This jar was buried at the Zhen position of the hunting grounds and contained tiger eyes from the previous year's hunt, spring equinox rainwater, and millet seeds from Jishan. The sound of the jar cracking served as a signal, and three hundred drums painted with tiger skins sounded in unison.
The emperor bent his dragon-tongue bow and shot a willow arrow, the shaft of which was wrapped with seven-colored crimson silk. The arrow fell from the treetop, and a rainbow appeared in the bright sunlight, marking the beginning of the spring hunt.
Dozens of officials rode their horses into the mountains and forests, the sound of their hooves shaking the heavens and the earth.
The swirling wind shook the entire grove of trees, and Wei Yihua's fiery steed took the lead, shooting out like an arrow. Ye Miheng followed closely behind, and then Xie Qingyu.
Yue Yining stood there watching as the people she cared about all disappeared into the mountains and forests before turning and walking towards the camp.
The officials carrying the ceremonial objects back to their tents at the edge of the hunting grounds, Fu Yao following closely behind, quietly asked, "Miss, is His Majesty not participating in this spring hunt?"
After the ceremony, the emperor departed in his imperial carriage, heading back to his tent. Yue Yining nodded: "Perhaps His Majesty is unwell."
When she saw Wei Tianxuan from afar through the human wall, she also had some doubts.
Wei Tianxuan had recovered from his illness some time ago, but rumors in the palace said that he was not as good as before. Not only was he weak, but he was also plagued by old ailments. Today, he was even unable to participate in the spring hunt.
He fought against the Turks several times when he was young, so how could his health have deteriorated to this extent?
Confused, Yue Yining returned to her tent.
Many elderly civil officials did not participate in this spring hunt, but instead stayed in the central camp to copy eulogies and prayers for the hunt.
Inside the tent, the ministers were conversing quietly. Yue Yining bowed and entered. As she lowered the curtain, the noise inside fell silent. She paused, then walked in as if nothing was amiss, sensing that many people were watching her along the way.
Yes, Wei Yihua also said that she solved the Green Ghost case, which made her famous. From then on, she became a well-known official in the court.
The tent's centerpiece was a lotus-shaped platform made of Hetian jade bricks, upon which sat a rosewood dragon-shaped armchair. The flickering candlelight illuminated the mother-of-pearl landscape inlaid on the armchair, its colors shimmering in the candlelight. Seeing the large crowd, Yue Yining found a corner to sit in, intending to quietly copy some characters.
"Excuse me, are you Lord Yue Yining?"
Yue Yining paused, her fingers holding the pen still. She looked up and saw the official in robes sitting next to her looking at her. When he saw her turn around, his face instantly lit up with a smile.
Yue Yining was taken aback upon seeing this. "Yes. May I ask who you are...?"
"My name is Rong Xuan, currently a fourth-rank official, and I have long admired Your Excellency's name," he said sincerely. Seeing that she did not respond for a long time, he immediately said apologetically, "I'm sorry, was my statement too abrupt?"
Yue Yining smiled and said, "No, I was just a little slow on the uptake, not that I disliked it."
"However, Lord Rong looks unfamiliar. Have we not met much in court before?"
"I was promoted last month and only recently returned to the capital with my family. It's natural that Your Excellency doesn't recognize me." This man named Rong Xuan, though handsome, spoke frankly and directly, which made him very likable. "Previously, I offended someone from the Wang family and was framed and demoted. Hahahaha! Now I've cleared my name and been reinstated."
Yue Yining also laughed and said, "I see. Then I congratulate Lord Rong. You have not suffered this ordeal in vain. You will surely rise to prominence in the future."
"Oh, thank you so much, Lord Yue!"
The atmosphere was quite pleasant, and the two chatted for a while longer until a maid came forward, bowed respectfully to Rong Xuan, and said, "Lord Rong, someone outside is looking for you."
Rong Xuan responded and smiled at Yue Yining, "Then I'll take my leave of Lord Yue."
"Please take care, Lord Rong."
Yue Yining watched as Rong Xuan followed the maid out of the tent, and immediately beckoned to Fu Yao, who was standing to the side: "Yao Yao."
Fu Yao leaned closer, and Yue Yining lowered her voice and said, "Go follow him and see who called him out. Be careful not to get discovered."
"yes."
Fu Yao returned less than a quarter of an hour after leaving and reported the news she had received to Yue Yining in detail: "Lord Rong went to a very secluded corner and met someone."
Seeing Fu Yao's hesitant expression, Yue Yining seemed to sense something: "Do you know the person he met?"
"...It's that little guard who came to the Xie residence to deliver gifts a few days ago."
Yue Yining paused, her fingers, which had been tapping the table at a steady pace, suddenly stopped.
This was truly unexpected for her.
Yue Yining: "Did you see which direction Rong Xuan went after that?"
Fu Yao nodded: "I saw it, it's heading towards the imperial tent."
"But Miss, why do you suspect Lord Rong?" Fu Yao was a little confused. She had been serving him the whole time and had heard everything Rong Xuan said, but she hadn't noticed anything amiss.
Yue Yining: "Because he said he was promoted by order last month. The Wang family's verdict was handed down in late March. After that, the court immediately investigated the cases handled by the Wang family members and found many wrongful convictions. Many officials who were wrongly accused and slandered were investigated and reinstated."
"However, this process is very slow and time-consuming. Those who do extra work but don't get paid will only be delayed indefinitely and dealt with slackly by the responsible personnel. Not everyone can wait for fairness and justice."
"Those who were among the first to have their cases overturned were almost all people in Beijing who had their cases handled on their behalf."
Rong Xuan had no reason to lie to her, so the most likely explanation was that he let something slip. He wasn't on guard because he didn't think Yue Yining was a seasoned strategist. He probably thought, like everyone else, that she only relied on divination to solve cases, ultimately just an outsider who didn't understand the intricacies of officialdom.
Like the people outside who were watching her and gossiping, even though she has achieved some success in her political career, it will only be attributed to luck and the use of "mystical" methods.
Those people seemed to have extremely high arrogance, and just because she used divination in her investigation, they completely denied her abilities; perhaps even if she didn't solve the case through divination one day in the future, she would still be considered to have "taken a shortcut".
After all, given her status as a Celestial Master, it seems perfectly reasonable for others to judge her achievements with different eyes.
Knowing this, Yue Yining was no longer in a hurry. She pondered quietly for a while, then took out the copper plate she always carried from her sleeve. Seeing her young mistress's focused and calm demeanor, Fu Yao knew she was about to begin divination, and obediently stepped aside.
After an unknown amount of time, the sudden sound of a gong outside the tent ripped through the spring night.
The conversation inside the tent suddenly fell silent, and everyone looked at each other, wondering what had happened.
Suddenly, the curtain at the entrance to the tent was flung open, and a maidservant rushed in, pale-faced and stumbling. She cried out, "It's terrible! An assassin! An assassin has just attempted to kill the Emperor!!"
Chaos erupted inside the tent, a cacophony of voices and screams filling the air. "Protect the Emperor—!" A piercing roar tore through the tent flaps, and the sandalwood screen crashed to the ground. An ivory tablet shattered a Ding kiln brush rest, and a lotus-shaped jade stand was knocked to the ground and reduced to dust.
Some people rushed out, while others rushed back inside. Someone's hair was disheveled, and someone's clothes were trampled and dirtied. At this critical moment of life and death, everyone shed their superficial, hypocritical smiles and revealed their utterly real ugliness and terror.
If the air here can be compared to water, then this pot of water is now boiling.
Fu Yao was also startled. She quickly pulled Yue Yining, who was still sitting in her seat as if she hadn't heard anything, and said, "Miss! Something bad has happened! There's an assassin! We have to hide quickly!"
Fu Yao was frantic, but Yue Yining, who had been pulled to her feet, was still holding the bronze plate, seemingly completely unconcerned about the farce unfolding in the tent.
She lowered her head, her fingers tracing the chipped paint, and murmured to herself, "So that's how it is."
Fu Yao was completely confused. She was terrified that an assassin would burst in with a knife at any moment: "Miss? What's going on? What are you talking about? Oh well, never mind, Miss, you hide first, I'll protect you..."
She was interrupted mid-sentence when Yue Yining grasped her hand. Amidst the surrounding chaos, the woman in the blue robe stood calmly before her, reassuring her with just a glance.
Yue Yining said in a low voice, "Don't be afraid, we'll be fine. This is just a play they're putting on."
........
Yin Yi used to think that working under the eldest young master was a good job, at least no other place could offer him such a high salary.
But as time went on, Yin Yi also tasted the price behind the high salary.
Xie Qingyu made him do truly inhuman things every day.
Previously, he was sent to sneak into the Fourth Prince's residence to give Ye Miheng a laxative, causing him to have diarrhea for three days; now, he is being sent to climb a tree and follow them, looking for an opportunity to help him tamper with Ye Miheng's horse.
Yin Yi thought to himself, "Men who are jealous and prone to fighting over women are truly terrifying."
Fortunately, no one brought guards this time, so he wouldn't be discovered while crouching in the tree.
Thinking of this, Yin Yi raised his head and his gaze unexpectedly met that of the man in black who was squatting in the tree next door.
Both of them were stunned, staring at each other wide-eyed.
Man in black: "..."
Yin Yi: "......."
Well.
Wait a minute, Xie Qingyu seemed to have mentioned that assassins had infiltrated the mountains and forests, and we should be careful not to run into them. But if we do encounter them, it's alright; these people aren't very smart, we just need to pretend to be with them.
Seeing the murderous intent in the eyes of the man in black opposite him, Yin Yi blurted out, "Don't make a move, I'm an assassin too."
The man in black paused, seemingly hesitant, and asked, "Really?"
"Then why don't you wear black clothes and a mask?"
Yin Yi: "...Of course it's true. I forgot I wasn't wearing black, but I was just keeping watch in the tree, it's fine."
The man in black believed him and started chatting with him: "Hey bro, this job is inhuman! I've been squatting here all morning, my calves are numb!"
"What kind of mess is this? They sent us to assassinate the prince, but we can't actually do it. We just pretend to be going to assassinate him. Isn't this just making trouble for ourselves by taking off our pants to fart?"
Yin Yi: "......."
Although he shouldn't be curious, Yin Yi couldn't help but ask after several attempts: "Why did he ask us to pretend to assassinate the prince?"
Man in black: "Who knows? They'll come if they're paid a lot."
Yin Yi: "......"
The man in black continued, "Anyway, that person guaranteed that we would get out unscathed. He must be someone extraordinary, otherwise how could we have infiltrated so smoothly? This is the Royal Forest!"
Yin Yi almost instantly thought of Xie Qingyu. This kind of dark and cunning scheme was just too much in line with Xie Qingyu's style of doing things, and Xie Qingyu also knew about the assassin's existence beforehand. It seemed like he had planned all of this.
However, Yin Yi vaguely felt that he had missed something crucial.
"Hey, do you know about the struggle for the throne?" Just then, the man in black approached him mysteriously, leaning against the tree branch and saying, "Although I don't know who hired us, this whole thing was probably orchestrated by some prince. He pretended to have repelled the assassins, taking this opportunity to show off his bravery and wit to his emperor father. Don't you think that's how it is?"
Yin Yi stared directly at him: "But if it was the prince who did it, why not just kill him? This is like trying to be clever under the emperor's nose, and it will ruin the spring hunt. If it's found out that he did it, he's finished, isn't he?"
The man in black was taken aback by his quick-witted counter-question: "Uh, what you said makes sense, but..."
Yin Yi glanced at Xie Qingyu and saw that his horse had quickly disappeared from sight. He decided to shake him off: "I should go now, buddy. We'll meet again sometime."
The man in black was dumbfounded when he saw him leap to another tree in the blink of an eye, and quickly followed, calling out, "Hey! Brother, where are you going?"
Yin Yi: "Follow those two people ahead."
"No, didn't you say you were in charge of keeping watch??"
This guy seems like he's never going to stop. If he gets on my nerves, the task Xie Qingyu assigned will be difficult to complete.
Yin Yi frowned, then thought of Xie Qingyu's smiling face that hid a knife.
A sudden inspiration struck Yin Yi. Perhaps he could make use of this guy.
"Why not make extra money?" Yin Yi looked at him and pointed to Ye Miheng, who was wearing a royal blue robe not far away. "See that person in blue? He is the eldest son of the Prime Minister's family. He's very rich. I just saw it. The blue bag at his waist is full of jewels. If we can get our hands on his bag, we can get rich."
The man in black believed him without hesitation, his eyes practically bulging like two gold ingots, and he was almost drooling: "Really?! What should we do then? Just rob us?"
Yin Yi waved his hand at him: "No need, I have a way."
Ye Miheng, riding his horse through the mountains and forests, was unaware that someone was already watching him from the treetops above.
Along the way, small animals would appear from time to time, and Ye Miheng would always draw his bow and arrow immediately, only to miss.
He silently put down the bow, feeling frustrated.
Why do you always spend so much time practicing divination and never spare any time to practice horseback archery?
If I go back empty-handed, Yue Yining will probably laugh at me.
Xie Qingyu, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke up: "Lord Ye, there seems to be a deer over there."
A deer?! That's a bigger target; maybe I can hit it! Ye Miheng turned his head instantly, "Where?!"
At the same time, an arrow flew through the air, its sharp iron tip instantly piercing the sachet at Ye Miheng's waist, and the blue sachet was nailed to the horse's neck.
Provoked, the horse reared up and neighed violently. Ye Miheng, who was already craning his neck to look around, lost his balance and fell off the horse.
Ye Miheng got a mouthful of dirt, rolled around on the ground twice, and when he looked up, he saw his horse neigh loudly and gallop away.
Ye Miheng, his face covered in mud: "..."
What's wrong?! Is this horse sick? Why did it suddenly go crazy?!
Fortunately, the fall wasn't too serious. Ye Miheng managed to stand up and looked up to see Xie Qingyu jumping off his horse and walking quickly towards him: "Lord Ye, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Ye Miheng waved his hand: "It's nothing, just some scratches."
Xie Qingyu pursed her lips, looking at him with worried eyes: "Why were the horses suddenly so frightened?"
"This is bad. The horses have run away, and the quiver is gone too. Why don't you ride my horse, Lord Ye, and I'll take you out of this forest first?"
Ye Miheng glanced at the horse one last time, unwilling to give up, but it had indeed vanished without a trace. So much had happened in that instant that he hadn't even noticed the sachet at his waist had long since disappeared.
Given the situation, Ye Miheng could only agree with immense frustration, "...Alright, I guess I'll have to leave here for now." What bad luck!
Just now, the man in black on the tree branch, seeing that he had hit his target perfectly, burst into silent, maniacal laughter: "God, I've got it! You wait here for me, I'm going to chase after that horse!!"
Yin Yi waved to him and watched the man in black leap away quickly.
He thought to himself, "I'm so tired. I'll talk to Xie Qingyu about a raise after I finish this job."
On the other side of the forest, a pale yellow figure darted among the shadows of the trees—it was Wei Ye. He had originally come in with Wei Yihua, but Wei Yihua's riding skills were far superior, and she quickly left him behind.
Watching Wei Yihua's departing figure, Wei Ye knew he couldn't keep up with her, so he simply shook the reins to slow the horse down.
He was a little bewildered: his younger sister's riding skills seemed to be even better than a year ago, as if... as if she had been diligently practicing every day.
Wei Ye turned his head, as if trying to shake off all the irrelevant thoughts in his mind.
He continued deeper into the mountains and began hunting at his own pace. Although his archery skills were not outstanding, they were not bad either. Gradually, he hunted a deer, a fox, and two rabbits. Each time he got new prey, he would cut off its ear as a symbol of his successful hunt and put it in the bag hanging on his horse's head.
Having encountered no other animals along the way, Wei Ye was somewhat bored.
After an unknown amount of time, he finally spotted a wild boar in the distance.
It lay in the bushes, its fangs and mouth embedded in the leaves, with only its hindquarters exposed, clearly asleep.
Wei Ye was delighted to see this. In order not to disturb the prey, he dismounted from a distance and quietly approached step by step.
He pulled out his dagger, a knife originally used to cut off the ears of prey, but now it was perfect for piercing the head and brain of the wild boar, killing it instantly and saving him the effort.
Wei Ye walked right up behind the wild boar without disturbing it with his footsteps.
In the blink of an eye, he aimed at the wild boar's head and stabbed it with his knife!
*Splat*. Blood splattered.
Wei Ye was stunned. His movements also pushed aside the bushes that were covering the wild boar, and he saw a pool of dark red blood and the wild boar, which had long since died and was already cold.
What's going on?
Just then, a sharp silver light flashed past him.
Instantly, Wei Ye broke out in a cold sweat.
Before he knew it, someone had approached him and pressed a blade as thin as a cicada's wing against his throat.
"Don't move." The sinister voice of the man in black rang in my ear. "Behave yourself and throw away the knife. Otherwise, I can't guarantee you'll still be alive in the next second."
Wei Ye's fingers trembled, and the dagger fell into the grass.
It turns out he was the wild boar.
Wei Ye struggled to suppress his fear, and asked in a trembling voice, "Who sent you? What do you want?"
The man in black threatened him: "Stop talking nonsense."
Wei Ye gritted his teeth and insisted, "Do you know who I am? If I die, you will definitely—"
The man in black chuckled a few times: "Third Prince Wei Ye, is it? You think I don't know?"
Seeing Wei Ye's voice disappear completely, he felt a surge of triumph, a sense of superiority washing over him. He became somewhat carried away, and began to recklessly offend and intimidate him:
"An unfavored prince, trying to intimidate me with your status? So what if you're dead? By the time your body is discovered, I'll have vanished without a trace, and no one will be able to catch me."
A greater fear welled up in Wei Ye's heart. "Who are you? What do you want—"
"Who's hiding there? Come out."
A sudden shout pierced through the air, tearing a narrow gap in the tense standoff.
To Wei Ye, the arrogant, drawn-out tone sounded like a sliver of dawn suddenly breaking through the clouds in the darkness.
But it was only a faint trace, because he immediately recognized who the voice belonged to.
A spirited horse with black hooves and a brown mane slowly emerged from the shadows of the trees, and riding on its back was a handsome young man, loosely holding the reins, his purple robes fluttering.
The visitor was none other than the Fourth Prince, Wei Jing.
Wei Jing initially thought it was the cry of prey, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was human voices. He raised his voice, but to his surprise, the person opposite him pretended to be deaf and mute.
He frowned, spurred his horse and parted the branches, finally seeing the person hidden deep in the forest.
Wei Ye, dressed in pale yellow riding attire, stood there, with a tall man in black behind him. At that moment, a sharp knife was held to the neck of his third brother, the emperor.
Wei Jing suddenly tightened his grip, pulled the reins tight, and the horse stopped abruptly, ceasing all further movement.
The spirited horse was completely unaware of the danger and imminent peril it was in. It snorted, its mane and tail whipping through the air, as if venting its resentment at being suddenly forced to stop.
The man in black spotted Wei Jing and whistled, "Oh, isn't this the Fourth Prince?"
Wei Jing stared at the man in black: "And where did you come from, you piece of trash?"
The man in black laughed and said, "Don't worry about where I came from. I want you to dismount, throw away your weapons, and come over here obediently."
"Otherwise, I'll kill this guy."
A deadly silence spread.
As the two sides faced off, a gust of wind swept through the mountains and forests, scattering all the fallen leaves of spring towards the sky.
"Are you mistaken?" Wei Jing stared at him with a half-smile. "Why do you think I would care whether he lives or dies?"
"Go out and ask around. I have a terrible relationship with this guy. He's the one who's vying for the throne with me. I'd love for him to die here! Fool, how could I possibly let you take my life just to save him?"
Wei Jing's madness and audacity made the men in black pause for a moment.
His hand holding the knife stopped moving, as if he was carefully considering how much of his words were true and how much were false.
Wei Ye had been staring blankly at Wei Jing from the very beginning, but the person he was staring at never looked at him.
After a brief standoff, the man in black made up his mind and moved his knife even closer, almost touching Wei Ye's neck. A glaring line of blood instantly appeared, bright red and ready to drip.
The man in black stared at Wei Jing, his voice low and menacing: "I don't care if what you're saying is true or not. If you don't drop the weapon in your hand, I'll kill him right now!"
Wei Jing didn't move an inch, his gaze turning cold and venomous: "If you've got the guts, stop talking nonsense and just attack!"
Wei Ye could no longer bear it. Sweat dripped from his forehead, blurring his eyelashes. He felt a sense of relief and closed his eyes tightly.
Just then, an arrow pierced through the air and pierced straight into the black-clad man's left arm!
Wei Ye was stunned. He stared blankly in the direction from which the arrow had been shot and just happened to see Wei Xueyu, who was putting down the longbow with trembling hands.
Amid the black-clad man's screams, Wei Jing's eyes suddenly sharpened. As if he had been prepared all along, he instantly drew his bow and nocked an arrow with lightning speed, and a sharp arrow shot out, hitting the black-clad man's right arm!
"ah!!!!"
The man in black was shot in both arms, one hand was pinned to a tree, and the knife that had been held to Wei Ye's neck fell to the ground.
Wei Ye sat there blankly, not yet realizing what had happened, when he looked up and met Wei Jing's glaring gaze.
"Idiot, what are you standing there for? Run!" Wei Jing roared through gritted teeth.
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The author says: I want to write about more complex characters, and the royal secrets are related to the final volume. The Wei family members are not just simple cannon fodder.
Ayu's jealousy isn't over yet [pity]. There's another one waiting for him after the spring hunt ends. I love watching him crawl around in the shadows for Ningbao [ears standing up like a rabbit head].
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Yesterday, Big Eyes posted a CP survey about Ningning and Ayu. Are there any babies who haven't seen it yet?
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