Seeing her anxious look, Chu Qingluan shook her head helplessly.
"Calm down. She is a princess of Daqin after all. If she really died in Daqin, you should know what this means."
"But I just can't get angry at her arrogant attitude. It's as if the whole world should revolve around her. Princess, don't worry, I will bear all the blame by myself, and the Princess's Mansion will definitely not be implicated."
Chu Qingluan's mouth twitched wildly, "But don't forget, your current identity is Princess Yiyang, and you are also a member of the royal family."
Zhixia was stunned and felt quite annoyed.
"If I had known earlier, I shouldn't have been a princess. It's getting in the way even when I'm doing things."
"If I go back to the Gu family, won't that implicate Gu Tingyuan?"
Zhixia touched her chin, as if she was thinking about this matter seriously.
Chu Qingluan couldn't help but sighed: "You, why are you still so impulsive?"
She reached out and gently touched Zhixia's forehead: "Even if you return to the Gu family, do you think Gu Tingyuan will let you do whatever you want?"
"That's hard to say. If he stops me, I'll take care of him too!"
Chu Qingluan was amused and shook her head, saying, "Forget it. I can't argue with your temper, but the situation is complicated right now, so we'd better wait and see what happens."
——
The next day was the Chu State’s autumn hunt, which was held once every three years.
The royal family of Great Chu has continued this tradition since the time of Emperor Gaozu.
The autumn hunting is not only a grand event that demonstrates the martial spirit of the royal family, but also a stage for the secret competition among various forces. The hunting ground is located in the royal enclosure outside the capital, covering hundreds of miles. The forest is deep and the beasts are fierce. Only truly powerful warriors can win the first prize.
According to the ancestral system, the top three in the autumn hunt could ask the emperor for a decree, either for a reward or for grace. Therefore, the royal family members and noble families were all eager to compete with each other.
On the surface, everyone was riding horses and drawing bows, competing in archery, but secretly, they were trying to win over allies, suppress opponents, and even use tricks such as tripping them up and playing dirty tricks.
Chu Qingluan changed into hunting clothes early in the morning. The bright red hunting clothes made her figure stand out. A short knife with a silver sheath hung on her waist, making her look very heroic.
Just as they entered the hunting ground, they heard a commotion in the distance, and saw Princess Qin Jialuo of the Great Qin slowly approaching, surrounded by a group of guards.
She was also wearing a scarlet riding outfit, bright and flamboyant, with a faint smile on the corner of her lips, but her eyes inadvertently swept over Chu Qingluan.
Zhixia snorted coldly, "Look at her like that, I'm afraid she's going to do something naughty again."
Chu Qingluan's expression remained unchanged, she simply said, "Let's go, it's time to enter."
However, not long after walking away, they saw a low-key yet luxurious carriage coming towards them.
As they got closer, they saw the curtain of the carriage move slightly. A slender hand like jade gently lifted the curtain, revealing a stunning face - it was the third prince Chu Hong!
He was tall and slender, wearing a moon-white brocade robe and a black jade belt around his waist, which made him look very noble and elegant, like a polished unpolished jade.
The most eye-catching thing is the cinnabar mole between his eyebrows, which is as red as blood, and against his androgynous handsome face, it adds a sense of weirdness.
Chu Hong got off the carriage first, with a smile on his lips, and nodded slightly to Chu Qingluan; "Royal sister, long time no see."
Chu Qingluan's eyes flickered slightly, and she returned the greeting: "When did the Third Imperial Brother return to the capital? No one knows."
Chu Hong chuckled, his voice as gentle as jade: "I just came back the day before yesterday, I didn't want to make it public, but today's autumn hunting event, I dare not miss it."
He paused, and seemed to glance at Qin Jialuo who was not far away, and then lowered his voice and said: "Royal sister, you must be careful today. The crown prince brother... seems to be particularly concerned about this autumn hunt."
Chu Qingluan raised an eyebrow: "Oh? What do you mean, Third Brother?"
Chu Hong's smile deepened a little, "I just want to remind you of the relationship between brother and sister."
After saying this, he bowed slightly and said, "The hunting ground is dangerous, take care, sister."
After Chu Hong turned and left, Zhi Xia frowned and said, "Princess, is the Third Prince... trying to show us goodwill?"
Chu Qingluan looked at his receding back, her eyes dark, "He has been away from Beijing for many years, and now he suddenly comes back, and reminds me so 'kindly', I'm afraid he has big plans."
Back then, because of a mistake made by Concubine Jiang, the Third Prince was implicated and demoted to Youzhou. Over the years, he has always maintained a non-confrontational attitude and been indifferent to fame and gain.
But is this really the case?
Zhixia curled her lips: "He pretends to be indifferent to the world, but who knows what evil he is hiding in his stomach!"
Chu Qingluan retracted his gaze and said calmly: "Let's go and wait and see what happens."
The hunting ground was very large, with a high platform built in the middle. Even before the Emperor of Chu arrived, the surrounding area of the hunting ground was already solemn.
The imperial guards were lined up in battle formation, with banners fluttering, and the princes and nobles were all awaiting the arrival of the emperor.
Chu Qingluan was sorting out her quiver when she suddenly heard a steady sound of footsteps behind her.
"Imperial sister."
She looked back and saw Prince Chu Lang standing with his hands behind his back, wearing a dark hunting suit embroidered with gold, a gentle smile still on his face.
"Brother Crown Prince." Chu Qingluan nodded slightly.
Chu Lang looked around and confirmed that no one was approaching before he whispered, "Today's hunting ground is unusual. The beasts may be fierce, but people are even more dangerous. Although the royal sister is good at riding and shooting, she still needs to be cautious."
Chu Qingluan narrowed her eyes: "What do you mean, brother?"
She didn't think Chu Lang would be so kind as to come all the way here just to remind her to be careful.
Chu Lang's lips curled slightly, but the smile did not reach his eyes: "Third brother has been away from Beijing for many years, but now he suddenly returns to Beijing, and he chose to come back during the autumn hunting. Do you really think he is just here to join in the fun?"
Chu Lang paused, and then continued: "You and I both know why his mother was demoted. Now that he has returned, I am afraid he is aiming for that position."
Chu Qingluan remained calm, "Third brother has always been indifferent, he may not have such ambitions."
Chu Lang sneered: "Indifferent?"
"If he really has no ambitions, why did he secretly contact his old subordinates as soon as he came back?"
He gave Chu Qingluan a meaningful look and said, "Royal sister is smart and should understand that some people appear to be as gentle as jade on the surface, but they hide knives inside."
As he was speaking, a eunuch's shrill voice suddenly came from a distance: "The Emperor has arrived——"
Chu Lang immediately restrained his expression, patted Chu Qingluan on the shoulder, and returned to his normal tone: "In short, my sister, please be careful."
After Chu Lang left, Zhixia came over again, puzzled.
"Princess, is the Crown Prince trying to sow discord between you and the Third Prince?"
These two brothers are really interesting.
They were both verbally instigating the princess behind her back. Did they really think the princess had no ability to judge for herself?
Chu Qingluan looked at Chu Lang's departing back, her eyes dark.
"Maybe it's a real reminder, or maybe... it's a borrowed knife to kill someone."
She lowered her eyes, gently stroked the bow and arrow in her hand, and sneered: "However, in the hunting ground, who is the hunter and who is the prey is still unknown."
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