The Wala envoy had already stood up impatiently and was waiting in front of the stands.

Ahharu looked at their anxious expressions and sneered while holding his wine glass, "You little princes are not the only ones who are good at hunting deer. Princess Wuzhu is also a good hunter on the grassland."

Due to the war this spring, the relationship between the Oirat and the Tatars is very delicate. It is only at this moment on the territory of Dayan that they can barely maintain a semblance of peace.

But not being able to move your hands doesn't mean you can't move your mouth.

Hearing the provocation in Aharu's words, the Wala envoy immediately said sarcastically: "We have also heard of Princess Wuzhu's reputation, but her skills in hunting deer are probably far inferior to her skills in hunting men." He also emphasized the word "reputation".

The Oirat and the Tatars had been fighting each other for many years, and they knew everything about each other.

Princess Wuzhu was just deceiving the people of Dayan who were unaware of her true background. Now, who on the grassland doesn’t know that this pearl of the grassland is a “black pearl”?

Seeing that the two delegations refused to give in to each other and mocked each other, the officials of Dayan tacitly remained silent, just listening attentively to them exposing each other's shortcomings, and occasionally exchanged glances with excitement in their eyes.

No one would have thought that the person who would come out at this time would be someone from Dayan.

Whether it was the Tatars or the Oirat, they were all horseback tribes, they had lived by the water and grass for generations, riding and shooting were instincts for them. And in recent years, Dayan had emphasized culture over military affairs, so it was common for them to be a little behind.

Anyway, it’s not the first time that Danxi Dongshou has lost. As long as he doesn’t lose in a dignified way, it doesn’t matter.

While the quarrel in the stands was still going on, the galloping horses were approaching.

——Emperor Longfeng felt tired after watching for a while because of the dispute between Tatar and Oirat, and he also felt that the people coming would not be from the Great Yan team, so he sat back without interest.

So the Thousand-Li Mirror returned to the young general's hands.

The young general stared at them without blinking, and when he saw the person on the horse clearly, his eyes suddenly widened and he said excitedly with a trembling voice: "It's the Crown Prince's entourage!"

This shout was like a huge rock thrown into a lake, instantly causing thousands of waves.

The Wala envoy frowned subconsciously and denied: "Did you see it clearly?!" How could it not be their little prince? !

Ahlu didn't lose his composure too much, but he stood up in shock and looked at the front of the stands.

At this time, the five horses were approaching, and one could see without a telescope that the clothes worn by the people on the horses were definitely not from Tatars or Walas.

On the contrary, the officials of Dayan present were a little bit incredulous. They stood up and leaned over to see: "Are they really His Royal Highness's men?"

"As expected of a prince!"

Even the unhappy Emperor Longfeng perked up, sat up straight, and squinted his eyes to look: "Is it really the prince?!"

He looked happy, but there was an indescribable weirdness underneath his happiness.

The people in the stands watched eagerly, and saw the five horses finally arrive below the stands. They were indeed the prince's entourage.

After the three soldiers on the horse dismounted and saluted, they began to unload the prey on the horse.

Outside the enclosure, an eunuch led a group of people to count the prey and record the number. Seeing that the people coming were the prince's men, he deliberately raised his voice high and shrill: "Your Highness the Crown Prince hunted 26 red deer and 15 roe deer..."

When they heard that there were twenty-six elk, everyone exclaimed in amazement.

Red deer are alert, good at running, and very fast, so it is not easy to hunt several of them. Now, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has hunted 26 of them at once, which means he probably found a herd of deer and killed them all.

Hunting deer not only tests one's riding and archery skills, but also relies heavily on the ability to deploy troops and formations. Otherwise, even if you find a herd of deer, you won't be able to hunt so many.

In the past, most of the people who believed in and praised the prince were civil officials. Today, seeing the deer corpses being carried away by the young eunuchs, the military officers and soldiers who were watching also became excited.

The Minister of Personnel, Lu Jing, clasped his hands and smiled, praising the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War beside him: "Your Highness is a man of both civil and military strategy, which is truly impressive."

As he spoke, he caught a glimpse of Ahharu and the Wala envoy who were looking unhappy not far away. He bowed to both of them and said humbly, "I never thought that the people who came were the entourage of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. You two can stop arguing and take a break. Maybe if we wait a little longer, the little prince and Princess Wuzhu's people will come out."

His words seemed humble, but his face was full of pride. This strange and veiled consolation made Ahharu so angry that he stormed out of the stands.

The other officials who were on good terms with Lu Jing shook their heads upon seeing this, hinting implicitly that the Tatar and Wala nations were small and could not afford to lose, and had no magnanimity. They were not like this when the Tatar and Wala armies first came out!

He also praised the prince who had regained his dignity.

Concubine Wen Gui looked at Emperor Longfeng's expression and followed suit, praising him: "Congratulations, Your Majesty. The Crown Prince is a man of both civil and military talents. He is truly a blessing to Great Yan." Seeing that the smile on Emperor Longfeng's face had almost faded, she continued as if she hadn't noticed: "If the Crown Prince can win the title of the Red Rhinoceros Winter Hunt, when he returns to the capital, those storytellers in the streets will probably have new stories to tell."

Emperor Longfeng did not respond, but his eyes darkened and he no longer looked happy.

It is a good thing for the prince to win, but it would not be so good if the prince's fame even overshadows that of the emperor.

The others were immersed in the joy of defeating the Oirat Tatars and did not notice Emperor Longfeng's abnormality, but Yin Ciguang was sitting close and heard Concubine Wen's words.

He smiled and said slowly, "It is said that a tiger father will have a dog son. My father is a dragon and a phoenix. My younger brother has inherited his style, so naturally he will not be bad either."

These words were much more pleasant than those of Concubine Wen. Although Emperor Longfeng was still not very interested, the gloom on his face finally dissipated a little.

After the errand soldier sent the prey away, Yin Chengyu and his party continued to go deeper, looking for traces of large animals along the way.

Wuzhu hid in the woods far away and retreated after watching them go away. She heard the sound of the bell and came after them. When she saw Yin Chengyu and Mubal getting into a conflict, she did not show up.

Yin Chengjing arrived just after her, but to avoid the noise caused by too many people, he did not catch up with her, but waited for her not far away.

Seeing her return from the investigation, Yin Chengjing rode his horse forward two steps and spoke to her in a low voice: "The Crown Prince has captured the herd of red deer. This year's winter hunting may really have a chance to compete. What are you going to do, Princess?"

"Don't worry. I've already checked. There are wolves in this enclosure." Wuzhu flicked the whip, her bright eyes full of calculations: "Prairie wolves are inherently fierce, and they have less food in winter, which makes them even more difficult to deal with. I've ordered people to look for the wolves, and then lead them to the prince's camp at night..."

Before she finished speaking, her eyes suddenly turned to Yin Chengjing: "My people are ready, and the Third Prince should also show some sincerity and find a way to lure away the guards around the Crown Prince." Thinking of those troublesome people, she frowned subconsciously: "The general He Shan who won quite a bit, the leader of the Crown Prince's guards Zhao Lin, and the eunuch Xue Shu who has always been around the Crown Prince..."

"Hurhe said they are dangerous." Since we are going to take action, we must make sure that there is no risk of error.

Yin Chengjing looked thoughtful and said, "It's easy to talk to He Shan and Zhao Lin, but Xue Shu is a loyal dog who follows the prince everywhere. If He Shan and Zhao Lin weren't here, it would be difficult to lure him away."

Before, he had believed the rumors and thought that Xue Shu was really at odds with the prince.

But since the earthquake in Qingzhou, when he heard that Xue Shu and Yin Chengyu were buried together under the mud and rocks, and that Yin Chengyu was only intact because of Xue Shu protecting them with his life, he knew that this was probably another illusion created by his good brother.

To see what the relationship between the two is like, you don’t need to listen to the rumors outside, just look at what the two of them do to know the truth.

Even though Xue Shu was later dismissed by Emperor Longfeng and sent to Ciqing Palace to work, and there were many rumors that Xue Shu was suppressed and could only do rough work such as serving tea and water or even foot washing water in Ciqing Palace, in his opinion, it was probably Yin Chengyu's deliberate cover-up.

"The wolves are fierce. If it's just Xue Shu, we shouldn't be afraid." Wuzhu showed some excitement: "I have sent people to secretly follow the prince and Mubar."

When something happens to the prince, the first person to be suspected will definitely be Mubal, who had a conflict with the prince.

Wuzhu coiled the whip around her arm and threw a bamboo tube to Yin Chengjing: "Take this as a signal, and go hunting now. You have to do everything you should do."

Yin Chengjing put away the bamboo tube, agreed on a time with her, and turned to walk in the opposite direction.

The winter hunting of red rhinoceros lasts for ten days, but the actual hunting time is only five days.

During these five days, all the finalists will stay in the hunting grounds and provide for their own survival. They can only leave after the hunting is over.

In the afternoon, Yin Chengyu and his party did not encounter any large animals and only hunted some common wild animals.

The first day's harvest was already quite rich. After nightfall, Yin Chengyu did not continue hunting, but ordered his men to find a flat place sheltered from the wind to set up camp and rest.

In addition to the necessary bows and arrows, they also brought some utensils for this trip.

The soldiers divided the work and cooperated with each other, some went to chop wood, some went to fetch water, and some went to process the prey. When the fire was lit, they poured ice water into the iron pot to boil it, and then skewered the cleaned wild game with branches that had been boiled in boiling water, and slowly roasted it over the fire.

Yin Chengyu, Xue Shu, Ying Hongxue, He Shan and Zhao Lin sat around the fire, flipping the barbecue on the rack and drinking.

When out, there was no need to be as meticulous as in the palace. Yin Chengyu held the dark brown porcelain bowl, drank slowly and listened to what others said.

He Shan is a man who can be on good terms with anyone, and Zhao Lin is also upright. The two hit it off right away and are drinking one bowl after another.

The two of them still felt that they had not drunk enough, so He Shan suggested, "It's boring to just drink like this, why don't we try boxing?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ying Hongxue next to him pinched him.

He Shan hissed, then realized belatedly that the prince was also there, and shook his head awkwardly.

Instead, Yin Chengyu said with a smile: "Drinking alone is indeed boring, but boxing is not bad either. How about the loser drinking three cups as a penalty?" As he said this, he glanced at Xue Shu.

Xue Shu met his gaze and without saying a word, filled the empty bowl in front of him with wine.

The five of them began to exchange fists.

Yin Chengyu had never played boxing before, but he learned very quickly. After playing two or three games and drinking three glasses of penalty wine, he mastered the trick and never lost again.

Xue Shu's situation was similar to his. He had been in the streets since he was young, and had seen all kinds of things. Although he was unfamiliar with all kinds of things, he had not forgotten them, so naturally he was punished for drinking less often.

In the end, almost all the wine went into He Shan and Zhao Lin's stomachs.

These two guys are extremely addicted. The more they lose, the more they refuse to admit defeat. They drink until their faces turn red but they still refuse to stop.

Yin Chengyu looked at the two drunken men, then glanced at Xue Shu who was not drunk at all, with his brows tightly locked.

He originally wanted to get Xue Shu drunk so that he could test him.

Xue Shu kept an eye on his expression and guessed what he was thinking. Seeing that his brows were almost knitted together, he deliberately lost a few rounds when he continued to fight, so that he could get what he wanted.

After drinking bowl after bowl of liquor, his face became a little drunk.

Yin Chengyu looked at him and estimated that it was about time, so when it came to the last bowl of penalty wine, he took the initiative to lift the wine jar and filled it for him personally.

The clear wine was poured into the bowl, covering up the slight clinking sound.

Xue Shu thanked him, put the wine bowl to his lips, and was about to drink it all in one gulp, but his sharp eyes caught a glimpse of a dot of red at the bottom of the bowl.

——It was a jade ring, sinking to the bottom of the bowl, soaked in the wine. The ruby ​​ring surface was a watery color, very moist.

If he remembered correctly, just now, this red jade ring was still worn on the index finger of Yin Chengyu's left hand. The slender white finger circled by the jade ring stretched out casually and lightly pressed the brown wall of the bowl, which attracted his gaze several times.

Xue Shu glanced sideways at the instigator, but saw that the man was supporting his chin with his slender fingers holding a porcelain bowl, shaking it slowly, without looking at him.

Under the warm firelight, half of his face was hidden in the darkness, like a mountain goblin that was haunting souls and taking lives.

Xue Shu's Adam's apple rolled, but his expression did not change. He raised his head and drank the wine.

He also drank the jade ring that was cooled by the wine and held it in his mouth, savoring it carefully.

Yin Chengyu caught a glimpse of it, then glanced at him and asked with a smile, "How does this wine taste?"

With the jade ring pressed under the tip of his tongue, Xue Shu lowered his eyes and said nothing. He just filled the wine bowl again and raised the cup to Yin Chengyu.

Yin Chengyu raised the bowl and clinked it with his. When his eyes swept across his tightly pursed lips, he saw that he opened his lips very quickly, and the tip of his tongue pushed out the watery jade ring, and he smiled at him.

The next moment, he had hidden the jade ring safely away.

He squinted at Yin Chengyu and drank the wine in the bowl again.

The exchange between the two lasted only a moment, and the other three did not notice the undercurrent between them. He Shan even said drunkenly, "This wine tastes great!"

Yin Chengyu deeply agreed with this.

He looked at Xue Shu's Adam's apple that kept rolling, smiled, and said to the others: "Everyone continue, I'll go sober up."

Seeing that his clothes had disappeared into the night, Xue Shu also stood up and followed him without saying a word.

The author has something to say:

Big Dog Gou: Your Highness flirts with me, and I will flirt back.