Chu Qiao couldn't help but be stunned and said, "Ji Wenting spent a lot of money this time."
Yan Xun did not respond, turned around and returned to the desk.
"Then I'll go first."
"Wait." As if he suddenly remembered something, Yan Xun handed over a bundle and said, "I almost forgot, this is what Zhao Song just sent to you."
Chu Qiao took it and weighed it in her hand. She immediately knew what it was. Just as she was about to leave, Yan Xun asked, "Don't you want to open it and take a look?"
"It's a Sisso man's snow-skin coat. He said he would give it to me the day before yesterday, but I didn't expect it to be delivered here."
"Oh," Yan Xun nodded and said, "Xisuo and my father were good friends in their early years, and they had a very close relationship. There were riots in five or six counties a while ago. Although it was just a piece of clothing, we have a special position, so we still have to avoid suspicion."
"I understand," Chu Qiao nodded, "I've thought about it a long time ago, but I'm embarrassed to offend His Highness the Thirteenth. He's a very enthusiastic person, as you know."
"You have always been a safe and reliable person, and I trust you the most. It's late, go and have some rest."
"Well, you should go to bed early too."
Chu Qiao agreed, turned around and walked out. After a while, Ah Jing rushed in and said to Yan Xun, "Prince, why did the girl take the clothes? That was a rare item that Mr. Wu found specially from Beimingyuan. Didn't you plan to give it to Madam Dongyue Shang as a birthday gift?"
Yan Xun lowered his head to read a book, without even raising his eyes, and said in a calm tone: "If it's gone, find another one. If you can't find it, don't send it to me."
Ah Jing was stunned for a moment. By the time he reacted, Yan Xun had already left the desk and returned to the inner tent to sleep.
It was snowing heavily outside. That night, except for Yan Xun's camp, no one in the entire Spring Hunting Conference could sleep well.
Although the Muhe clan had lost its mainstay, the hunting competition of the Daxia royal family was still proceeding in an orderly manner.
Zhenhuang is located in the Hongchuan Plain. The Chishui area is crisscrossed with rivers and stretches as far as the eye can see. The plains are vast and extend for hundreds of miles. It is indeed a good place for hunting and horse racing. Under the cover of stars and the moon, bonfires were everywhere on the vast snowfield, lighting up the camp that stretched for miles with a fiery red glow. The weather was fine, with no wind or snow tonight and the temperature rising. Tens of thousands of Daxia dignitaries were scattered across the paddock, barbecuing, horse racing, archery, sword fighting, drinking and dancing, making it a very lively occasion. All I hear are the long summer tunes and the sounds of the grass harp, and what I smell is the subtle aroma of cooked game.
Chu Qiao was wearing a snow-white fur coat and white boots, riding on a warhorse. Her long hair was simply tied up and she wore a ermine hat, revealing only her delicate little face. Her eyes were like bright stars in the brightly lit night, so bright and moving.
Yan Xun turned around, looked at Chu Qiao calmly, then said with a smile: "Ah Chu has grown up too."
The girl raised her eyebrows and looked at Yan Xun with a frown, "How much older are you than me? Don't act like an old man in front of me."
Yan Xun laughed when he heard this and was about to speak when he heard the sound of horse hooves approaching quickly. He looked up and saw Zhao Song, wearing a pine green brocade cape, running towards him at lightning speed, shouting as he ran: "Ah Chu, Ah Chu!"
Yan Xun frowned, his voice somewhat annoyed, "Why did he call you that?"
Chu Qiao snorted, "I learned this from you."
Zhao Song came running over with more than 20 servants, and greeted them with a smile, "You are here too."
"Bonfire dinner, everyone is here."
Yan Xun's voice was still gentle, but his tone contained a hint of alienation that kept people at a distance.
Chu Qiao turned to look at him in confusion, frowning slightly. Fortunately, Zhao Song didn't notice anything. He kept looking Chu Qiao up and down and said, "Ah Chu, why aren't you wearing the snow-skin coat I gave you? Aren't you warm?"
Chu Qiao nodded and said with a warm smile, "It's very warm. I didn't wear any because it wasn't too cold tonight."
"Oh," Zhao Song suddenly realized, nodded repeatedly, and said admiringly, "But you look good in this fur coat too."
"I heard from Ah Jing that there is a horse and archery competition going on downstairs. Why don't you go down and watch the fun, Your Highness the Thirteenth?"
Yan Xun suddenly spoke from the side. Zhao Song was stunned and his face suddenly turned red. How could he say that he hurriedly put down the competition and ran up after seeing Chu Qiao? He hesitated for a long time and said, "Those are not interesting. I am tired of playing. I might as well stand here and look at the beautiful scenery of the vast ice, so I came up to rest for a while."
"Really?" Yan Xun suddenly laughed, "That's unfortunate. We were just planning to go down and join in the fun. We originally wanted to ask His Highness Thirteen to go with us, but now it seems there is no chance."
“Ah?” Zhao Song was stunned, his eyes widened, and he said to Chu Qiao in a stammer, “You guys are going down too?”
Chu Qiao felt embarrassed and secretly tugged at Yan Xun's sleeves. Unexpectedly, the man held Chu Qiao's hand tightly with his backhand, and with his other hand he pulled the reins of the horse, and said with a smile: "In this case, we will not disturb His Highness Thirteenth Prince's peace." After that, he took Chu Qiao and rode away.
"Hey! Hey!" Zhao Song shouted twice from behind, but could only watch the two people disappear into the distance.
"What are you doing?"
Yan Xun did not say anything either. He just pursed his lips and looked at her, with a look of smug joy on his face. As Chu Qiao watched, her apology to Zhao Song gradually faded away.
Forget it, he hasn’t been so childishly happy in a long time.
Sighing, she followed reluctantly.
At this time, the crisp sound of horse hooves sounded again. Chu Qiao and Yan Xun were both startled and turned their heads back. They saw Zhao Song and a group of people running up from a long distance. He pretended to be surprised and said, "Hey, you are here too? It's windy up there, so I wanted to come down and warm myself by the fire. Since we met, let's go together."
Even with Yan Xun's good manners, his face couldn't help but turn black. Chu Qiao even burst out laughing.
Zhao Song obviously knew that his reason was too far-fetched. He laughed twice, then ran forward and acted as a tour guide for the two of them.
The huge camp was now filled with laughter and joy, with bonfires everywhere and the aroma of meat filling the air. The three men were walking among the crowd, followed by a few followers, and did not seem very conspicuous.
The imperial tent covered a vast area. It was made of the fur of a snow deer from the northwest, brushed with black sea gold powder and decorated with shark pearls. It was painted with colorful embroidered coiled dragons with oriental pearls for eyes and smeared with cinnabar, with sharp and ferocious claws. Two huge oil cylinders were placed in front of the big tent door, with torches flickering and dazzling, tall flags fluttering, and the imperial guards were guarding in between, surrounding them in bright armor. From afar, the bright yellow imperial tent camp was like a dormant dragon from the East China Sea, emitting tremendous momentum and unparalleled majesty. The royal aura rushed towards them, blocking out all the unbridled joy around them.
Suddenly, I heard a loud noise in the distance. When I got closer, I saw more than 20 burly men with their shirts off and bare chests wrestling in the snow, shouting loudly as they wrestled. A girl in a fiery red riding suit and a red fur coat was riding on a horse, with a charming face and a graceful figure. Three sharp arrows flew off the bow and all hit the bull's eye a hundred meters away.
There was a sudden burst of cheers from the crowd. The girl put down her crossbow, looked around triumphantly, and suddenly she jumped up from her horse like a bullet, stepped on the shoulder of a big man, threw away the whip in her hand, and slashed the back of other big men, laughing: "I'm in the same group with him, you all come together!"
"Zama?" Chu Qiao frowned tightly and turned to look at Yan Xun.
Years of tacit understanding allowed Yan Xun to quickly understand what she was worried about. He nodded, and the two turned and left at the same time.
"Stop!" A delicate shout suddenly came from the sky! The red whip shadow flickered like a snake and flashed before their eyes in an instant.
Chu Qiao was quick and grabbed the whip tightly. She wrapped it around her arm with a few backhand strokes and exerted force on both ends at the same time, pulling the long whip straight!
"You're planning to leave right after you got here, Prince Yan, are you a coward?" The girl leaped onto the ground, and everyone immediately made way for her. The young men of all clans were secretly gloating, and laughed loudly with the excitement of watching the fun.
The Batuha family in the northwest and the Yan family in Yanbei have always been enemies. This girl is the most beloved daughter of old Batu. Her status in the northwest is higher than that of Prince Zaru. She has always been domineering. Now she is going against the Prince of Yanbei whose family has been destroyed. I really don't know what kind of sparks will be created.
"Princess Zama," Yan Xun turned around and said calmly, "Long time no see."
"Yes," Zama smiled triumphantly, "I haven't seen you since the Yanbei lineage died out. I heard that you were hiding in Shengjin Palace in the imperial capital, and I thought I would never have the chance to see Prince Yan again in this life. Today is really a blessing from God, allowing me to meet the descendants of the Yan family who once dominated the northern border."
"Zama! Watch your words!" Zhao Song suddenly stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "How can a girl speak so harshly in public? Is this what Old Batu taught you?"
"It's none of your business what my father taught me! Don't think you can yell at me just because the Wei clan is backing you up!"
"Sister, has anyone bullied you?" A rough voice suddenly sounded behind him. Zaru strode forward like a small mountain. It was really hard to believe that he and Zama were born of the same mother.
"No," Zama said loudly, "They can't bully me."
"you……"
"Your Highness Thirteenth Prince, the banquet is almost time, let's go." Yan Xun put his hand on the furious Zhao Song, his eyes calm and his face expressionless as he spoke slowly, then turned around and wanted to leave.
"Want to leave?" Zama suddenly sneered and shouted sternly, "You have to ask my arrow if it agrees!" After that, Zama twisted her slender waist, bent the bow and drew the arrow. The arrow flew like a meteor and flew straight towards Yan Xun's back.
In a flash, the girl who had been standing beside Yan Xun turned around like a whirlwind, her huge white fur coat dancing in the wind. She stretched out her hand like a phantom, her five fingers like a net, grabbed the tail end of the sharp arrow, and threw it out with her backhand. Her movements were swift, clean and neat, without any delay. With a crisp sound, the sharp arrow was stuck in Zama's crossbow. The ironwood longbow broke into two pieces in an instant and fell to the ground with a crackling sound.
Everyone was horrified and the place became dead silent without a sound.
Chu Qiao was wearing a long fur coat and had skin as white as snow. She looked calmly at Princess Zama, whose face was as pale as an ashes. She nodded slightly and said, "Swords and knives have no eyes. Princess, be careful." After that, she turned around and walked towards Yan Xun.