Following the imperial carriage were four accompanying princes. Yan Ning glanced at the princes behind her and was startled. The eighth prince, Yongxuan, was already thirty years old. Didn't her previous words imply that he was not among the candidates for the crown prince?
To presume to know the emperor's intentions is a capital offense, and with the emperor's wisdom and suspicious nature, how could he not understand this implication? Yan Ning looked at the emperor, whose joy had just faded, and secretly prayed to Buddha for protection.
In the thirty-eighth year of Qianlong's reign, the emperor had already designated the crown prince and placed him behind the plaque of "Upright and Bright." Now, the accompanying ministers were all speculating about which of the four princes it was, hoping to change their allegiance as soon as possible.
After arriving at the Mulan Hunting Grounds, the Emperor rested briefly. The next day, at daybreak, he decreed that whoever captured the most game that day would be richly rewarded.
The Emperor, knowing that Xiao Yan Ning wanted to go out and enjoy the scenery of the Mulan Hunting Grounds, had her dress as a man and serve as an attendant to the Eighth Prince, Yong Xuan.
Following Yan Ning's earlier instructions, Heshen closely followed the Fifteenth Prince Yongyan's men, waiting for an opportunity to demonstrate his loyalty to him.
Li Shiyao aspired to become a key minister to the new emperor. Among the four princes, the emperor favored the seventeenth prince, Yonglin, who was not yet ten years old. Leaving his entourage behind, he stayed by Yonglin's side alone and even personally taught Yonglin hunting techniques.
The eleventh prince, Yongxing, was so engrossed in calligraphy that, despite being unwell, he stayed in a yurt to observe the styles of great calligraphers.
A verdant expanse filled my eyes, with a river rushing through the woods. The Forbidden City, where I had lived for months, merged with this azure landscape, a place swept clean and spotless, a place that washed away the mundane troubles from people's hearts.
Yan Ning followed behind the Eighth Prince's horse, sometimes trotting, sometimes stopping to observe the prey's location. Upon spotting the prey, the Eighth Prince drew back his bowstring and shot an arrow that struck a creature hidden in the grass. A single cry escaped the animal, followed by silence. Yan Ning and the eunuch beside her clapped and shouted, "Eighth Prince, excellent archery!"
The Eighth Prince's face was full of smugness. He snorted and ordered Yan Ning, who was standing at his feet, "Go and fetch them back. Count them!"
Without a second thought, Yan Ning pulled up her long robe and ran to retrieve the prey. As Yan Ning held up the prey to congratulate the Eighth Prince that it was a golden pheasant, the Eighth Prince drew his bow and shot an arrow straight at Yan Ning's shoulder.
Yan Ning's eyes widened like copper bells. Before she could react, another arrow flew out of the woods, piercing through the arrow shot by the Eighth Prince. Both arrows perished together, landing at Yan Ning's toes. The cold glint of the arrowheads petrified her on the spot.
"Whoa!"
Fukang'an tightened the reins and jumped off his horse, his feet quickly tearing through countless vines. He walked up to Yan Ning and knelt before the Eighth Prince, who was still on horseback, saying, "This humble subject saw the prey fleeing and intercepted the Eighth Prince's arrow. Please forgive me, Eighth Prince!"
The Eighth Prince's eyes showed displeasure. He said coldly, "General Fucha has probably been idle at home for too long. This gentle land is the tomb of heroes. General, you must always remember this! Giddy up!" After saying that, he rode away, and the servants behind him ran after him.
Instantly, billowing smoke and dust rushed towards us, casting a light gray veil over the lush greenery of the forest.
Fukang'an stood up, took the pheasant from Yan Ning's hand, and threw it away. He straightened her braided hair at the back of her head, his expression still somewhat shaken. If he hadn't happened to be passing by, Yan Ning would probably be lying on the ground by now.
The Eighth Prince has always been narrow-minded and ruthless. His blatant attack on Yan Ning now makes Fukang'an suspect that Yan Ning must have said something inappropriate before the Emperor. "Now that you serve the Emperor, you must be even more careful with your words and actions, and refrain from discussing matters of state!"
After Fukang'an's reminder, Yan Ning realized why the Eighth Prince wanted to kill her to silence her. Yesterday, the Emperor suspected the deeper meaning behind Yan Ning's words, which was why he had her serve by the Eighth Prince's side. Only Wu Shulai was present at the time. He was the Emperor's confidant, and without the Emperor's permission, he would never dare to reveal anything that happened before the Emperor's arrival.
The Eighth Prince learned from Wu Shulai that Yan Ning had not included him in the list of candidates for Crown Prince, which led him to plot to kill Yan Ning. Wu Shulai must have been acting on the Emperor's orders.
Yan Ning waved away the dust kicked up by the Eighth Prince's horse, but he was utterly foolish. Regardless of whether the Emperor had a chosen heir, any prince who dared to covet the throne had committed a grave offense. The Eighth Prince's blatant murder of someone appointed by the Emperor would, if the Emperor still held any hope for him, lead to future disappointment due to the Eighth Prince's impatience.
Wiping the sweat from her brow, Yan Ning understood that this was also a warning from the Emperor. Now that she was Fukang'an's betrothed, her words and actions would implicate him.
Putting away his bow and arrows, Fukang'an leaped onto his horse, lifted Yan Ning onto it, and rode towards the depths of the dense forest. Reaching a stream, Fukang'an reined in the horses and helped Yan Ning dismount.
The crisp sound of the stream reached her ears, and the cool air carried the fresh scent of grass. Yan Ning removed the eunuch's hat from her head and followed Fukang'an along the vine-covered path he had cleared. "Do you know that the Emperor intends to have you reinstated in the ancestral temple?"
Fukang'an stopped in his tracks, turned his head slightly, and said, "Forget about that!" His voice was cold and firm, and his deep crimson robe stood out conspicuously against the backdrop of emerald green.
Yan Ning lifted his floor-length robe, took two quick steps, circled around to Fukang'an, and blocked his way. "Then do you know why the Empress Dowager wants to keep me by her side?"
The thoughts of everyone in the palace were as complex and intertwined as the streams of the Mulan Hunting Ground, making it difficult to trace their origins. Yan Ning could not fathom their thoughts.
Fukang'an remained expressionless, one hand behind his back, the other resting on the jade belt adorned with pearls at his waist. The black jade belt, inlaid with bright white pearls, made his deep crimson robe exude an air of nobility. He ignored Yan Ning's gaze and walked past her.
Fearing that Yan Ning would be held hostage again, he had been staying at Wanxiang Pavilion every night, neglecting her. However, the Empress Dowager saw through his intentions and realized that he would never disregard her life or death, and would repeatedly compromise for her sake.
He kept Yan Ning by his side to keep her in check. But the Empress Dowager's precautions were unnecessary; in this life, he was simply Fucha Fukang'an, and would never have any connection with the royal family.
The crimson sunset dipped into the sky and earth, bonfires rose on the grassland, and the leaders of some of the major Mongolian tribes attended the emperor.
The people of the grasslands are bold and unrestrained. Amidst singing, dancing, and drinking, their faces glow with a slightly tipsy rosy light as they face the red glow of the bonfire.
The spoils of the hunt were piled up around the campfire. The emperor ordered that everyone's catch be recorded so that rewards could be distributed. Listening to the princes recount their catch, the emperor continued to chat and laugh with the tribal chief beside him, but his mind was in turmoil.
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