Chapter 39 A Chance Encounter, Protecting the Beloved (Part 1) The Spring Hunting Turmoil...
The resounding bugle call echoed through the sky once more. Emperor Jingyuan laughed heartily, casually tossing his wine cup to a eunuch before whipping his horse forward.
The princes, members of the imperial family, and valiant generals responded with a thunderous roar, their voices shaking the heavens. The horses' hooves thundered, kicking up clouds of dust, and the entire hunting ground trembled in the surging torrent.
At this moment, Emperor Jingyuan reined in his horse, turned around and looked at Chu Huaili, who was preparing to mount his horse. His voice was loud and kind: "Shuoqing, I remember last year's autumn hunt, you hunted three tigers all by yourself. This time, don't hold back, let me see your skills again!"
These words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake. A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, and the old princes exchanged meaningful glances. To have the Emperor specifically stop and call out names during a race of a thousand cavalrymen was an honor unparalleled in the entire court.
The heir of the Marquis of Zhen'an, dressed in blue, immediately replied with a smile: "Your Majesty is unaware that General Chu recently hunted a pair of white foxes in the Western Mountains. His archery skills were truly superb."
Emperor Jingyuan was overjoyed upon hearing this, and pointed his whip at Chu Huaili, saying, "Good! If you hunt down any more rare treasures today, I will reward you with this bow!"
Amidst the envious gazes of the crowd, Chu Huaili bowed calmly: "Your subject will do his utmost." As he rose, his gaze seemed to casually sweep over the female guests.
Ye Yixiang sat upright in a secluded spot, her fingers unconsciously twisting her sleeve. Sensing that gaze, she abruptly looked up, meeting Chu Huaili's deep eyes. Through the noisy crowd and the swirling dust, his gaze seemed tangible, carrying a scorching heat.
She saw his thin lips move almost imperceptibly, as if he were saying, "Wait for me to come back." Before she could figure it out, Chu Huaili had already nimbly mounted his horse. His dark blue cloak fluttered in the wind, outlining his tall and straight figure.
"drive!"
Before they could react, the dark blue figure had already merged into the surging torrent and disappeared into the dust rising deep within the hunting grounds.
The banquet hall was soon mostly empty, with only the women remaining, surrounding the Empress Dowager and the imperial concubines on the throne like stars around the moon.
The boisterous shouts of the men galloping away faded into the distance, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly became subtle. Ye Yixiang was staring down at the cup of tea in front of her when a clear, crisp voice, tinged with obvious dissatisfaction and arrogance, came unabashedly from her side:
"That... is the woman that Brother Shuoqing brought back from some remote corner of the countryside?"
Ye Yixiang paused slightly, then looked up. She saw a woman dressed in a bright red riding outfit, adorned with dazzling pearls and jade, chin raised, scrutinizing her with eyes full of judgment and hostility.
“Princess, please be careful with your words.” A gentle voice rang out. She gently tugged at Princess Zhaoning’s sleeve and said softly, “General Chu has his reasons for acting. Since this young lady is here, she is a guest, and we should treat her with courtesy.”
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a slender figure standing beside Zhao Ning. She wore a moon-white brocade dress with cloud patterns, her face was elegant and refined, her eyes and brows were like the misty rain of Jiangnan, and her whole demeanor was dignified and extraordinary.
Ye Yixiang's gaze sharpened slightly. It was her, Xiao Lingyi, the eldest daughter of the Minister of Personnel, Xiao family.
A glimpse at a palace banquet when she was young revealed that her mother, the Imperial Concubine, held up her cup and sighed softly, saying that Xiao Lingyi was already "a model of a noblewoman" at such a young age.
Upon hearing this, Princess Zhaoning's anger intensified. She gripped Xiao Lingyi's hand tightly, her voice tinged with petulant resentment: "Sister Lingyi! You're just too soft-hearted! Everyone in the capital knows that your marriage to Brother Shuoqing is ordained by Father Emperor... Now some crude woman has appeared out of nowhere, and she thinks she's worthy of being near him!"
Her gaze was sharp as a blade, piercing directly at Ye Yixiang, who stood quietly to the side. Her words were clear and distinct: "A few days ago, because of this woman, Brother Shuoqing lost his manners and argued with the Emperor, and was ordered by Father to be whipped twenty times! His back has not yet healed... In my opinion, she is clearly a source of trouble!"
These words were like a boulder thrown into the heart of a lake, stirring up a storm beneath Ye Yixiang's calm face. It turned out that the injuries on his back were all caused by her.
“Your Highness is of noble birth, why bother with someone of unknown origin?” Su Wan’er, daughter of the Minister of Personnel, spoke softly, but her gaze seemed to casually sweep over Ye Yixiang’s simple and elegant clothes.
Liu Yiyi, the eldest daughter of Marquis Anyuan, immediately understood, a half-smile playing on her lips: "Sister Xiao is right. But the background of this 'guest' is probably not as simple as it seems." She paused deliberately, her voice low but each word clear, "I think this young lady... looks somewhat familiar, vaguely resembling those former imperial family members who disappeared during the palace coup many years ago... in their features."
These words, like ice dropped into still water, suddenly stirred up a storm in the eyes of the nearby noble ladies.
Princess Zhaoning's eyes suddenly lit up, and her gaze toward Ye Yixiang became even sharper and more piercing.
Upon hearing this, a genuine sense of reluctance flashed across Xiao Lingyi's eyes. She took a small step forward and gently advised, "Sister Liu, the past is like smoke, why bring it up again? Today is the beginning of the spring hunt, so we should value harmony. Besides, the imperial family dislikes people discussing the imperial family of the previous dynasty. Now that the Empress Dowager is still alive, we must not break this taboo."
She turned to Ye Yixiang, her eyes clear and gentle, filled with kind concern: "Miss Ye, please don't take it to heart. If you feel bored here, would you like to come with me for a walk over to the waterside pavilion? There are a few newly blooming magnolias there, and they are at their most beautiful."
These words were spoken sincerely and frankly, without a trace of hypocrisy or affectation. His clear gaze was like the melting snow in early spring, pure and unadulterated.
Ye Yixiang knew that she meant well and did not want to involve her, so she gave a slight bow and politely declined, saying, "I appreciate Miss Xiao's kind offer. However, my status is awkward. If I were to travel with you, I fear it would only cause gossip and tarnish your good reputation."
Seeing an opportunity, Liu Yiyi's smile deepened, and she raised her voice, "I've heard that Miss Ye grew up in the countryside, so you must be quite skilled in riding and archery. Sitting here is boring, why don't we go to the small woodland next door for a ride? Miss Ye, would you do me the honor?"
Ye Yixiang met Liu Yiyi's undisguised provocative gaze clearly, knowing that this scheme against her had already begun. A faint smile appeared on her lips, and her cool voice remained calm and undisturbed: "Since everyone is in such high spirits, I will naturally keep you company."
As they moved to the small woodland beside them, servants had already prepared horses with brightly colored saddles and bridles. The noble ladies exchanged knowing glances, their lips curling into meaningful smiles.
Su Wan'er spurred her horse closer to Liu Yiyi and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Is everything arranged?"
Liu Yiyi gracefully stroked the riding whip in her hand with her slender fingers, a confident smile curving her lips: "Naturally, the abandoned bear hunting pit in the southeast is more than 15 feet deep, and the guards patrolling around it have been sent elsewhere."
Each of them had their own thoughts as they rode into the forest.
Liu Yiyi followed behind Princess Zhaoning, seemingly unintentionally controlling the horse's speed and route, subtly pushing Ye Yixiang to the very back of the group.
As the forest deepened, the sunlight was dappled and broken by the lush foliage.
As they passed through a dense birch forest, Su Wan'er suddenly pulled on the reins and pointed to the west, exclaiming, "Look! Isn't there an extremely rare white fox over there?"
Upon hearing the sound, everyone tacitly turned their horses around, and the horses cleverly formed a barrier, forcing Ye Yixiang to the southeast.
“Miss Ye,” Liu Yiyi turned around and smiled sweetly, but the smile did not reach her eyes, “you must stay close, the paths in this forest are complicated and it is easy to get lost.”
With that, she suddenly raised her riding whip, the crisp sound echoing through the woods.
The other riders seemed to receive the signal and accelerated simultaneously, their hooves crushing the fallen leaves in the forest, forming an invisible encirclement and precisely driving Ye Yixiang in the predetermined direction.
The horse's hooves pounded across what appeared to be a lush, flat meadow, when Ye Yixiang suddenly felt the horse's forelegs sink into the ground—the ground was loose!
"Boom!"
The moment her forelegs completely lost their footing, the immense inertia threw her violently off the saddle, sending her plummeting into the dark pit below.
Suddenly feeling weightless, with the wind whistling in her ears, she clearly heard Liu Yiyi's undisguised laughter from above: "Oh dear, what a pity. This trap, specially dug for hunting bears, has been abandoned for many years. The guards responsible for patrolling it have probably forgotten about it long ago."
Dust billowed up from the bottom of the pit as she fell. Ye Yixiang endured the excruciating pain all over her body and barely managed to steady herself by supporting herself with her hands.
Above the edge of the pit, Princess Zhaoning's clear, feigned voice rang out: "Oh! How could you be so careless?"
Then came Su Wan'er's feigned concern: "What should we do? It seems the guards have all gone to the western hunting grounds for duty... Should we hurry back and find someone to help?"
Liu Yiyi's laughter faded into the distance, carrying a hint of laziness and undisguised malice: "What's the rush? Let Miss Ye rest here for a while. I don't think this trap is too deep; maybe she'll figure out how to climb out on her own later."
The voices faded away, and the sounds of horses' hooves and the girls' charming laughter, like the receding tide, quickly disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.
Under the limited sky above, the last bit of human activity was completely cut off, with only the rustling of the wind through the leaves relentlessly proclaiming her abandoned state.
This abandoned bear trap is over two zhang deep, like a forgotten vertical well. The walls are made of damp, sticky mud, covered with slippery moss, which gleams with a dark green hue in the faint light filtering through the opening.
Despite the excruciating pain that felt like her body was falling apart, Ye Yixiang struggled to sit up.
She dug her fingernails into the cracks in the earthen wall, trying to use them to climb. However, the slippery mud offered no foothold, and after struggling to move up only half a foot, she slid heavily back down. A burning pain shot through her fingertips, and in the light streaming in, she could see that her ten fingers were covered in mud and blood, a complete mess.
Her gaze darted across the dimly lit pit, finally finding a few pebbles half-embedded in the soil. She carefully piled them up, stepping on them to try and gain a little height. But when she pushed off, the pebbles, along with a large patch of loose soil, crashed down, raising a cloud of dust.
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