As for Shuhui, being carried the whole time made her uncomfortable; she felt like everyone was making fun of her. But the Tenth Prince seemed completely oblivious to her embarrassment.
He told her about all sorts of strange and interesting things he had encountered while hunting, as well as the boastful prey he had hunted.
Shuhui maintained a slight smile, as if listening to his story, but she didn't actually take it to heart at all.
Shuhui felt that the Tenth Prince was indeed very good to her, but she didn't seem to know how to accept his kindness.
"Look, that deer is so beautiful, do you want it?" Tenth Master suddenly asked.
Shuhui gasped, only to see that Tenth Master had already ridden away. Several servants followed on horseback. They chased after it, cornering the beautiful sika deer until it had nowhere to run!
It was the first time Shuhui had ever seen such a hunting scene, and she couldn't help but feel a little curious. She followed the people behind her to watch Tenth Master hunt.
The sika deer was surrounded by the crowd and unable to escape, its large eyes revealing fear and terror.
Shuhui hesitated for a moment, but when the Tenth Master raised his bow and arrow to the deer's throat, Shuhui hurriedly cried out, "Tenth Master, can you release this deer?"
Just as Tenth Master was preparing to reap his prey, Shuhui called for a stop.
"Why? These animals live and reproduce in this forest. We hunt them to protect the forest from being overrun by too many herbivores." Tenth Master thought that Shuhui was just being reluctant, so he explained.
"No, this deer is pregnant. Look at its belly, it's swollen. Please, sir, let it go!" Shuhui said, staring at the deer with a heavy heart.
Now it was Tenth Master's turn to be surprised. He was speechless and said, "This deer is pregnant?"
"Tenth Master, we finally managed to surround it?" a servant said.
"Alright, disperse and let it go." The Tenth Prince put away his crossbow and glared at the servant who had stopped him from releasing the deer. "There is an unwritten rule among hunters: do not hunt pregnant animals. Now that Princess Shuhui has reminded us, it is truly a good deed. Hurry up and let the deer go."
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately scattered, leaving an opening for the deer to escape. The sika deer seemed to understand human vision, and after neighing a few times in the direction of Shuhui, it immediately took off running away.
Shuhui's heart stirred, and she watched the deer run until it disappeared into the woods before she looked away.
Shuhui felt a faint sense of goodwill towards the Tenth Master. She hadn't expected him to stop the hunt as soon as she spoke. After all, she wasn't even sure if the deer was pregnant.
Tenth Master rode back to Shuhui's side. He noticed that beads of sweat were already forming on Shuhui's forehead, so he took out the handkerchief from his chest and handed it to her, saying, "Tenth Master, you're sweating. Wipe it off, or you'll catch a cold in the wind."
Tenth Master was slightly taken aback; this was the first time Shuhui had shown concern for him.
He reached out and took the plain handkerchief, only to smell a faint jasmine fragrance lingering at his nose, similar to the faint jasmine fragrance emanating from Shuhui.
Tenth Master held it in his hand today, feeling reluctant to use it to wipe his sweat. Shuhui, seeing that he still didn't wipe his sweat, asked in confusion, "Why doesn't Tenth Master wipe it? What if you catch a cold from the wind?"
Seeing Shuhui's worried expression, the Tenth Prince felt a sweet warmth in his heart. To be honest, it had been five or six years since his marriage at the age of fifteen. Besides his primary wife, he had three princesses and several concubines, all appointed by his father. Yet, no woman had ever stirred his heart like this.
"This handkerchief will lose its fragrance if it gets wet with sweat. May I give it to you, Your Highness?" The Tenth Prince was just over twenty, a time of youthful vigor and high spirits. It was only now that he understood the true meaning of love between men and women. The women he had known before were gifts from his father; he didn't particularly like them, but having sex with them and bearing children seemed like a duty a prince was obligated to perform.
Now, when the Tenth Prince first saw Shuhui, he experienced firsthand what it truly felt like to like a woman. He wished he could see her every moment and give her his best possessions. So, on that day, the Tenth Prince gave her a jade pendant and a small dagger that he always carried with him. Both of these items were gifts from Emperor Kangxi to the Tenth Prince when Empress Niohuru was still alive, and they were things he cherished and always carried with him.
Shuhui's heart skipped a beat when she saw the Tenth Prince speaking so passionately. But she clearly liked the Thirteenth Prince, so why did she feel flustered when she saw the Tenth Prince pursuing her like this?
"Do you think I'm the kind of fickle woman?" Shuhui thought to herself, but after hearing what the Tenth Master said, she clearly didn't dislike him that much anymore.
"If you don't mind, Tenth Master, I'll make another one for you when I get back. Now, Tenth Master, you should wipe the sweat from your brow," Shuhui said with a light laugh, covering her mouth.
Upon hearing this, the Tenth Prince immediately became overjoyed and obedient. He quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead with the handkerchief and said, "How about giving me this handkerchief as well?" He was so happy that he even forgot to refer to himself.
"Did Tenth Master ever hunt a leopard before?" Shuhui suddenly asked. Actually, she had just heard Tenth Master say that, but at this moment she suddenly wanted to get closer to Tenth Master, so she became interested in those interesting stories.
"Yes, that was when I went to the Mongolian Academy with Father Emperor." Seeing that the beauty had taken the initiative to mention his glory, how could the Tenth Prince not tell her? Immediately, the Tenth Prince began to tell Shuhui about the most ferocious beast he had ever hunted.
This time, Shuhui seemed to listen with great interest.
Niohuru Shuhui was, after all, a clever woman. She knew that her affection for the Thirteenth Prince was only one-sided. If the Thirteenth Prince also had feelings for her, he wouldn't have remained so indifferent to the Tenth Prince. She also understood that since she had come to the capital for the imperial concubine selection hoping for a bright future, why not go with the flow? Even if she returned to Tonglu, her status as a concubine's daughter would likely make it difficult to become the principal wife, so it was better to become the Tenth Prince's concubine. She could also see that the Tenth Prince had truly fallen for her.
The two chatted and laughed all the way, seemingly forgetting that they had come to hunt. Tenth Master even wanted Shuhui to sit in front of him, wanting to personally take her for a ride and let her experience the joy and exhilaration of horseback riding.
"Tenth Master, Shuhui is really scared, it's better not to try it." Shuhui waved her hands repeatedly.
"Don't worry, I will definitely not let you fall. Trust me, okay?" Tenth Master reached out and pulled Shuhui's hand.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
