"Where did Fourth Brother go this morning? Did we come uninvited and that's why he didn't want to come out to see us?" The Ninth Prince, dressed in a purple robe, sat in the front room with a sarcastic tone, waving his ivory fan.
"Ninth Prince, calm down." The Eighth Prince raised his hand and used the tea lid to stir the tea leaves in his cup. Several sachets were hanging on one side of his light gray robe, and a love knot was hanging on the other side.
"Eighth Brother, Ninth Brother, Fourteenth Brother, I heard that Fourth Brother's manor has no boundaries, it connects to the Yanshan Mountains. There must be wild beasts inside. If we can find a tiger or two on our hunt, that would be great. We'll skin them, dry them, and present them to Father Emperor." The Tenth Prince was tall and strong, disliked reading and writing, but had an extraordinary love for archery and horsemanship. His wife was also the only princess from Mongolia among all the princes' wives.
“That forest is huge, and it’s easy to get lost,” the Fourteenth Prince blurted out. Fortunately, he was still somewhat mindful and hadn’t forgotten the Fourth Prince’s warning.
"Has the Fourteenth Prince gone in?" The Eighth Prince glanced at the Fourteenth Prince sharply and asked.
"Um, I've never been inside. I only heard from Fourth Brother that his forest is rich in resources and livestock, making it an excellent hunting ground," Fourteenth Prince said, avoiding Eighth Prince's sharp gaze and looking at Tenth Prince.
Just then, Fourth Master's long legs strode in.
Everyone stood up and called out "Fourth Brother" to the Fourth Prince. Although they were all princes, there was an order of seniority, and they still had to maintain the appearance of brotherly respect when they saw the Fourth Prince.
"Everyone's here. I've already had the servants prepare horses, hunting dogs, and the Palace Feather Compass. Let's have some fun today!" Fourth Master said enthusiastically, a stark contrast to his usual cold and gloomy demeanor.
"We've been waiting for Fourth Brother to say that. Fourth Brother, you can hide away on this estate and enjoy yourself. We brothers are getting bored staying cooped up in the manor every day." Ninth Prince had been waiting impatiently for a while and couldn't wait to go out and run around for a bit.
The Fourth Prince ordered Su Peisheng to distribute the prepared horses, servants, hunting dogs, bows and arrows to his four sons. Then he said to his younger brothers, "Today, we will form five groups of five, starting at noon and ending at 7 p.m. Whoever hunts the most and the biggest game will be the winner. We will eat dry rations for lunch, and then we will have a barbecue and drink wine in the evening."
"There should be some kind of prize, that's how you can motivate people to win," the Ninth Prince said again.
"So, according to Ninth Brother, what prize would be best?" Fourth Prince said in a deep voice. "You yourselves wanted to come to my estate to hunt, and I already agreed to let you come—that was already being polite. What, do you expect me to be the sucker and pay the prize?"
"You don't need to worry about that, Fourth Brother. I've already brought the prize money," the Ninth Prince said with a mysterious smile.
Upon hearing this, the Eighth Prince coughed a few times. The Fourteenth Prince, who had stayed at the Ninth Prince's residence for several days, naturally understood the meaning behind the "gift." Only the Tenth Prince remained completely unaware.
"What kind of prize did you bring?" the Fourth Prince asked, raising an eyebrow. He had always looked down on this Ninth Prince, who was neither a scholar nor a warrior, and spent his days drinking and frequenting brothels, which was really a disgrace to the image of a prince.
The Ninth Prince put away his ivory fan, then clapped his hands together a few times. A servant led in a woman carrying a pipa.
The woman wore a light pink silk robe with gold trim, over which she wore a light green gauze skirt with scattered flowers. Her hair was styled in a low bun, adorned with a jade phoenix hairpin. Gauze flowers decorated her temples, making her alluring and captivating. Her slender waist was so delicate that it could be encircled by a single hand, and her fair wrists were faintly visible. Her eyes were like spring water, clear and sparkling. Her fingers were like slender scallions, and her lips were like cherries. Every frown and smile exuded a thousand charms and ten thousand spring-like emotions.
"This humble concubine greets all the princes and nobles!" The woman, holding her pipa, bowed respectfully to them. Her voice was like a nightingale singing in a valley, or the wind rustling through willows, soft and gentle yet charming and affectionate.
"Fourth Brother, Eighth Brother, this is the most beautiful courtesan in the Hidden Phoenix Pavilion in the capital. She is skilled at playing the pipa and is still a virgin. Who can win her heart depends on who can hunt the wild beast today." The Ninth Prince squinted his eyes and scanned the courtesan up and down several times, saying smugly.
To everyone's surprise, the Fourth Master immediately turned cold and said, "Anyway, I don't want it."
Eighth Master quickly chimed in, "Ninth Brother, we're just having some fun among brothers. You should send this young lady back."
The Tenth Prince was straightforward, but his Mongolian wife was very fierce. She said to the Ninth Prince, "Ninth Brother, I don't want it anymore. If your Tenth Sister-in-law finds out, she will definitely make a scene with me."
The Fourteenth Prince was still a child and not interested in matters of love. So far, he only had one wife and one concubine. Therefore, he said to the disappointed Ninth Prince, "Brother, you should offer this wonderful thing to Ninth Brother."
So the four princes left the Ninth Prince behind and went out of the main house to find their own horses and servants.
The Ninth Prince, looking dejected, walked to the courtesan and said to her, "You should go back first. Baifu, take her back to the Ninth Prince's residence and have her stay in Huancai Pavilion. No one is allowed to go there without my permission."
The courtesan gave the Ninth Prince a graceful curtsy, then turned and followed the Ninth Prince's personal eunuch, Baifu, back home.
As the five princes changed into their riding attire and mounted their respective horses, their servants followed behind, leading dogs.
Leading a yellow dog on the left and holding a falcon on the right, wearing brocade hats and fine furs, a thousand horsemen swept across the plain.
In an instant, the crowds surged and the banners fluttered in the wind.
Just then, a rather handsome "man" slowly rode over on a large, green horse.
She wore a moon-white blouse and a light gray robe with slits and trousers. Her large, bright eyes, like autumn water, were lightly powdered, her lips were delicately red, and she wore a small gold-threaded hat. She possessed an indescribable radiance and exuded a spirited air. A dagger was tucked into her slender waist, her long braid hung down her back, and she rode a blue horse in leather shoes—a picture of breathtaking beauty.
"What a handsome young eunuch!" the Ninth Prince exclaimed. Compared to the courtesan from before, the "man" before him had a unique charm.
“Ninth Brother, you don’t recognize her? This is Fourth Brother’s Princess Niu!” The Fourteenth Prince immediately stepped forward to explain when he saw that the Fourth Prince’s expression was not good.
The Fourth Prince ignored them and said in front of everyone, "Hurry up and come over here!" Lanqin awkwardly drove her horse to the Fourth Prince's side before daring to glance at the princes.
The man next to the Fourth Prince was exceptionally handsome, with black hair, a broad forehead, long eyebrows, bright eyes, a high nose, and red lips. He could truly be described as having the looks of Pan An.
"Oh my, he looks just like Takeshi Kaneshiro!" Lanqin almost blurted out, but instead said, "This humble servant greets the Eighth Prince!"
The Eighth Prince smiled and nodded, saying politely, "Sister-in-law, be careful. You have to stay focused on this horse at all times, or it will get easily startled."
The term "little sister-in-law" is a general term for the concubines of the princes, while the proper sister-in-law is only used to refer to the primary wife.
The Fourth Prince was taken aback and looked at the Fourteenth Prince with displeasure. The latter, of course, put on an expression that said, "I didn't say anything," pretending not to see the sharp gaze.
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