Chapter 66 My Lord, what good fortune you have! ...
The first day of the autumn hunt passed peacefully in the afternoon as usual.
One by one, the hunters returned with their latest spoils. The servants busily counted and calculated who had won the day's prize. Li Pan and Lou Xueying stood among the onlookers, listening to the excited discussions around them.
Li Pan commented on the carcasses of his prey with bloody holes, but Lou Xueying felt a little uncomfortable. After watching for a while, she looked away and shrank into his arms.
Li Pan realized she wasn't feeling well, so he said, "Then let's go look around somewhere else."
He had just taken two steps outside with Lou Xueying in his arms when suddenly someone came galloping in with a joyful report: "Bear! Someone has hunted a bear!"
The crowd grew even more excited, asking all at once, "A bear? How big of a bear?"
"Haven't measured it yet, but it's definitely much taller than a person!"
"Who hunted it?"
"It was General He of the Left Jinwu Guard, the heir of the Duke of Liang, and the son of Minister Zhao of the Ministry of War who hunted it together!"
"Wow, that's amazing! Where's the bear?"
"Then we have to wait! We'll have to drag it over!"
Li Pan raised an eyebrow and looked at Lou Xueying in his arms.
She stared blankly at the person who brought the news, her face filled with disbelief.
Li Pan: "What's wrong? You lost the bet and you're upset?"
This morning, she inexplicably made a bet with him, saying that only he could hunt bears, and without him, there was no one else to hunt. He was puzzled at the time, wondering where she got her confidence from. Now, it seems her confidence was indeed unreliable.
Lou Xueying murmured, "How could that be..."
In his past life, only Li Pan actually hunted a bear! The others didn't even get to touch a bear's fur!
Li Pan laughed and said, "What's impossible about that? It's not unusual for a general of the Left Jinwu Guard, plus two strong young men, to work together to hunt a bear. You're underestimating them."
Lou Xueying: "But...but you should be the only one who can..."
"Shh." Li Pan tapped her lips. "Don't say things like that in public. Aren't you making me enemies?"
Lou Xueying bit her lip, her mind going blank.
In her past life, Li Pan hunted the bear. She thought that since Li Pan wouldn't participate in this life, no one else would be able to hunt the bear. Unexpectedly, three other people appeared.
How could this be? Could it be because the time of the autumn hunt changed, the people involved changed, and therefore the outcome of the autumn hunt changed as well?
Not long after, the bear's carcass was dragged out of the woods.
This was the biggest catch they'd made so far in the autumn hunt, and everyone swarmed over to get a good look.
Lou Xueying also unconsciously started walking faster and faster, almost pulling Li Pan along as they ran to the edge of the crowd.
Li Pan: "Why aren't you scared now?"
Lou Xueying had no intention of answering him, only staring blankly at the black bear, taller than a person, surrounded by the crowd. It was already dead, with several arrows still stuck in its abdomen and back, not yet removed. Its eyes were open, its teeth bared, and its face was ferocious.
It really is a bear...
Her body swayed, and her back pressed against Li Pan's chest.
Li Pan thought she was frightened, so he covered her eyes, turned her around, and led her to other places: "I knew you were going to be scared. Have you never seen a bear before?"
Lou Xueying did not respond.
Li Pan lowered his hand and laughed, "What, so scared you can't even say a word? Then you dare to let me hunt bears alone."
Lou Xueying looked at him, but her gaze didn't seem fearful; rather, it was more like... helplessness and panic.
Li Pan was stunned.
Lou Xueying didn't care about the many people around her and hugged Li Pan tightly.
Li Pan coughed lightly: "What's wrong? Even if you lost the bet, you don't have to throw yourself at me, do you? We didn't even place a bet."
Lou Xueying pursed her lips tightly, unsure how to speak.
The things Li Pan said to her in the carriage this morning after they set off made her determined to find an opportunity to tell him everything.
But her rebirth was too bizarre, and the entanglement between her and the emperor and the crown prince had never happened in this life. Li Pan was a person who did not believe in ghosts and gods. If she rashly told him, he would probably think that she had also become delirious and would have to find a doctor to see her.
So she wanted to find a more acceptable way. She would first make a bet with Li Pan to let him know that she had the ability to predict the future. Once Li Pan was convinced that she could predict the future, she would then tell him why she could do so.
Who knew... who knew that she would lose her very first bet before she even got started!
What should we do now?
Seeing that more and more people were turning their attention away from the bear and towards them, Li Pan felt a little embarrassed, which was unusual for him. He gently patted Lou Xueying and whispered, "Everyone's looking at us. Aren't you most afraid of losing face?"
Lou Xueying remained silent, but took Li Pan's hand, lowered her head, and walked with him to a less crowded area.
After walking for a while, Li Pan was still wondering, "Did you find that I'm not as good as you thought, and that the others aren't as bad as you thought, so you're disappointed? But where did you get the conclusion that only I can hunt bears?"
Lou Xueying then whispered, "It's not the bear's fault."
Li Pan: "What's the problem?"
Lou Xueying really wanted to recall what else happened during the autumn hunt in her previous life, but too much time had passed and she really couldn't remember the details.
Lou Xueying: "...My question."
Li Pan: "What problem do you have now?"
Lou Xueying: "..."
Seeing that she was silent again, Li Pan patted her head and changed the subject: "At the banquet later, I will try to eat and drink as little as possible, and then use feeling unwell as an excuse to leave early."
"Is this okay?" Lou Xueying thought for a moment, then whispered a few words in Li Pan's ear, "What do you think of this?"
“You’ve come up with something,” Li Pan said. “But if you think it’s okay, then it’s okay.”
As dusk settled, guiding lanterns lit up one after another in the garden, like a continuous galaxy, brilliant and dazzling.
The banquet was held in the inner garden, separated by a winding corridor and a still pond that divided the seats for men and women. The evening breeze rippled the water, and the long, intersecting shadows cast by the passersby flickered.
The aroma of fruit and wine already filled the air, and palace maids dressed in colorful clothes moved about the tables in an orderly fashion, like fish, setting out plates of fruits and cold dishes for the guests.
Amidst the bustling noise, Lou Xueying and Li Pan stood at the fork in the road. After most people had taken their seats, she and Li Pan walked into the men's section together.
The officials who had been chatting and laughing all turned to look at him with surprise. Some of the more enthusiastic ones raised their wine glasses and joked, "Lord Marquis, even if you like your wife very much, you don't have to be so clingy!"
"Lord Wei." Lou Xueying bowed to him and greeted him with a smile.
During the day, Li Pan had secretly pointed out several officials to her. This Lord Wei was none other than the Minister of War, who had also brought his family to the autumn hunt, and his seat at the night banquet was right next to Li Pan's.
Lou Xueying said, "My lord has a cold and took some medicine today. He should not drink alcohol or eat too much oily food. He couldn't control himself at noon and ate too much, so he felt unwell in the afternoon. Lord Wei is nearby, so please keep an eye on him later. If you find that the lord eats and drinks too much, please be sure to persuade him to stop."
Lord Wei was taken aback for a moment, then laughed heartily and said, "Alright, Madam, don't worry, I will definitely keep a close eye on the Marquis for you!"
Li Pan sighed and said to Lou Xueying, "Only a three-year-old child would ask someone to watch him eat. You even have Lord Wei supervise me. Where is my dignity?"
Lou Xueying glanced at him sideways: "I'm doing this for your own good."
Lord Wei clicked his tongue repeatedly and winked, saying, "My lord, don't pretend. Your wife is so considerate, you must be overjoyed. Everyone saw it today, how affectionate you and your wife are. Why are you acting so distant now?"
Li Pan: "Sigh, it's all because I spoil her. She insisted on coming over to give me some advice because she was worried about me."
Lou Xueying smiled, picked up a wine cup from Li Pan's table, and had a palace servant fill it. She said, "It is not advisable for the Marquis to drink. If anyone comes to offer a toast later, please ask Lord Wei to deflect them. This cup is on behalf of the Marquis to thank you."
"Oh my, you're too kind, Madam." Lord Wei quickly lowered his wine cup, but Lou Xueying still clinked glasses with him and drank it all in one gulp.
Lord Wei exclaimed in surprise, "Madam is truly a heroine among women!" He then pointed at Li Pan and laughed, "My lord, you are blessed!"
Li Pan smiled but remained silent.
After Lou Xueying finished toasting Lord Wei, she then toasted everyone else around Li Pan's seat. Previously, everyone only knew her as the eldest daughter of the Lou family, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and considered her a quiet and talented woman. They were surprised to discover her forthright and generous side, and their impression of her changed considerably.
In truth, it was inappropriate for Lou Xueying to come here to offer a toast. If she were someone else's wife, it would probably have caused controversy long ago. But she is the wife of Marquis Wu'an, and Marquis Wu'an cannot be judged by ordinary standards. As his wife, it is not surprising that she would do something so improper.
Lou Xueying's actions made everyone aware that Marquis Wu'an had caught a cold and could not drink alcohol or eat greasy food; he could only have some light dishes.
Truly colorless and odorless poisons are extremely rare in this world; many are masked by the taste of food, thus going undetected. After all, it's a banquet at night, and Li Pan can't possibly not eat a single bite. But now he has a reason to be picky about what he eats. If bland food is mixed with some strange or questionable ingredients, it's easy to taste. In this way, he can try to avoid those suspicious foods.
After the toasts were finished, it was almost time for the banquet to begin, and Lou Xueying had to leave.
Amidst the teasing glances of the crowd, Li Pan helped Lou Xueying to the door of the women's section and asked in a low voice, "Are you alright?"
He knew she didn't like drinking, but the fact that she drank so many glasses of wine today made him a little worried about her alcohol tolerance.
"It's alright," Lou Xueying said softly. "I brought some hangover medicine; one pill should be enough."
“That’s fine then,” Li Pan said. “I’ll come out earlier later. Anyway, everyone knows I caught a cold, so it’s only right that I rest early.”
Lou Xueying nodded: "Okay, I'll wait for you."
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