"Father, Father!"
The Fourteenth Prince galloped up to Kangxi's imperial cavalry and shouted. It turned out that the Fourth Prince and Tokugawa were on Kangxi's left front side; the Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince were on Kangxi's right side; the Tenth Prince, the Fourteenth Prince and Duke Ivan were on Kangxi's side; and Prince Yi and Duke Hans were on Kangxi's back.
"Fourteenth Prince, what are you shouting for!" Liang Jiugong, who was standing beside "Kangxi," quickly spoke up for the fake Kangxi when he saw the Fourteenth Prince shouting like that.
"We've spotted a herd of deer ahead, Father Emperor. May we split up and hunt them?" Fourteen asked.
Kangxi nodded and said, "Now that we've found our prey, what are we waiting for? Let's begin!"
Sure enough, a large herd of deer appeared ahead. Kangxi signaled to begin the hunt. The horn sounded, and each group began preparations. Kangxi's entourage of relatives and trusted ministers also began chasing the prey.
Emperor Kangxi followed behind with his entourage, creating a magnificent spectacle. Hundreds, even thousands, of horses galloped across the vast hunting grounds, with a herd of startled wild deer and antelopes ahead.
The barking of hunting dogs echoed across the fields, and the men on horseback, each holding a bow and arrow, raced after the pitiful deer that had been terrified and panicked.
Emperor Kangxi's horse followed leisurely behind, not trying to catch up, but simply lagging behind at a following pace. The older people mostly lived under his wing, while the younger generation were the ones who rushed ahead to chase him.
"Your Majesty, if you are tired, would you like to stop and rest?" Liang Jiugong asked, his horse following alongside "Kangxi".
"Keep chasing, no need to rest," said Emperor Kangxi.
Gradually, the horses and hunting dogs closed in on the deer, and some began to shoot arrows, while others fell to the ground, struck by the arrows. The scene was chaotic and bloody; even a woman would likely find it unbearable. It was a scene of carnage, with the men's eyes bloodshot, revealing humanity's primal instincts of killing and cruelty in this most primitive activity.
The Fourth Prince and Tokugawa Okubo were hunting deer with great ferocity. Tokugawa Okubo took the lead and killed many deer. Seeing that Okubo was always ahead of him, the Fourth Prince also became eager to compete with him to kill the most deer.
On the other hand, Grand Duke Ivan, who was following the Tenth and Fourteenth Princes, also performed very bravely. Perhaps he had been spurred on at the palace banquet, and now he was putting in his utmost effort. However, the Tenth and Fourteenth Princes were not weak, and naturally they would not lag behind.
Prince Yi disliked the bloody aristocratic activity of hunting, so he never harbored any ambition to win first place or impress Emperor Kangxi. His groupmate, the Duke of England, seemed to share his temperament, merely following behind to avoid falling behind, and sometimes even slowing down. The two chatted casually about the customs and cultures of various countries, appearing to get along quite well.
Hans also chatted with the Third Master about Shakespeare's literature, while the Third Master naturally talked about great literary figures such as Li Bai and Du Fu. The two had an in-depth exchange on the literature and schools of thought in their respective countries, and even agreed to correspond with each other.
Within an hour, the herd of deer had been almost entirely hunted down. Some were killed by ferocious hunting dogs; some were trampled to death by horses; and the vast majority were, of course, shot down by arrows. The once vibrant grassland had instantly become a graveyard of blood and death.
The servants began to count the game that had fallen to the ground, while the Fourth Prince and his men rode their horses toward Kangxi.
"Fourth Brother, how many did you hunt?" Seventh Master had also hunted two, and when he saw Fourth Master return looking fierce, he asked.
"I don't know, there should be five or six," Fourth Master said. His clothes were soaked through and clinging to his back, and his face was covered in beads of sweat. Tokugawa Okubo, who was following behind Fourth Master, was in no better shape.
“Prince Yong is indeed awe-inspiring; I admire him greatly,” said Okubo.
"Prince Tokugawa is quite formidable; he hunted down quite a few prey," Fourth Master said. However, he was more wary. Although Tokugawa Okubo had always been polite, his performance in playing keju (ancient Japanese football) and during today's hunt revealed the Ryukyuans' tenacity and decisiveness. If they were to become enemies one day, these people would not be so easy to deal with.
"Your Highnesses, Princes, and envoys from various countries, His Majesty has decreed that this is the end of today's proceedings. His Majesty is feeling unwell today, and we will continue tomorrow. Now go back and start a fire to cook." After receiving the "Kangxi Emperor's" instructions, Liang Jiugong rode up to the Fourth Prince and addressed everyone.
So the masters turned their horses around and headed back. They had been chasing the deer herd for quite some time and it would take them at least an hour to get to their camp.
Only after the servants had dealt with the prey could they carry it back to the caravan. There were also servants specifically assigned to handle the hunting dogs and arrows.
The imperial relatives following behind Kangxi, along with several trusted ministers whom Kangxi valued, were all exhausted. They wanted to stop and rest, but since the emperor didn't speak up, they dared not ask.
"Lord Shi, His Majesty is unwell, why doesn't he stop to rest?" Lord Qiu, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, asked Shi Bingde. Both of them were high-ranking officials in the court, so Emperor Kangxi usually brought along some important officials on hunting trips to show his respect for them.
"Lord Qiu, do you also find it strange?" Shi Bingde moved his horse closer to Lord Qiu and asked.
"Indeed, His Majesty seems to..." Lord Qiu is the chief steward of the Imperial Clan Court, and he often sees Emperor Kangxi.
"Does Lord Qiu feel something is amiss?" Shi Bingde's heart skipped a beat. Kangxi's sudden end to today's hunting trip left him with a vague unease.
"I don't know. I just feel that His Majesty seems different from previous years. Perhaps he's not feeling well. Hehe!" Lord Qiu said.
Shi Bingde glanced at the bright yellow figure from afar, his mind scheming in ways unimaginable to others. He had already planted men in another location, waiting only for him to find a way to lure Kangxi there so he could carry out his plan. However, Kangxi suddenly announced the end of today's hunt, having never even reached his ambush area, forcing the plan to be abruptly halted.
The conversation with the Vice Minister of the Imperial Clan Court had cast an even darker shadow over Shi Bingde's mind. He even suspected that Emperor Kangxi was aware of his and the Crown Prince's actions. But if he was aware, why hadn't he taken action against them yet?
Meanwhile, "Kangxi" rode his horse at full gallop, not communicating with anyone, only having Liang Jiugong follow behind him. He did this to avoid being discovered that he was actually a double, but it did indeed arouse Shi Bingde's suspicion.
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