The Emperor's sacred arrow followed closely behind, and when he turned to look at the Eighth Prince, his face instantly contorted with rage, like an enraged lion. He glared at the Eighth Prince and declared sharply, "Though the cook does not perform the cooking, the officiant must not overstep his bounds and take his place!"
The ministers in the distance only saw two arrows shot out one after the other, without being able to see clearly who shot them. The eleventh prince, the fifteenth prince, and the seventeenth prince then shot their arrows.
Only Yan Ning, Fukang'an, Heshen, Li Shiyao, and a few princes, who were close to the emperor, witnessed this. The emperor lost interest and the hunt ended early.
The group of several hundred people returned with very little prey. Although the ministers did not understand the emperor's intentions, they dared not ask, seeing the emperor's furious appearance.
Eagles flew overhead over the Mulan Hunting Grounds, their cries sounding mocking to the Eighth Prince. He lost interest in riding and gradually fell behind the hunting party.
The Eighth Prince knew that the Emperor was furious about his overstepping his bounds and would not listen to his explanations. But what angered the Emperor even more was his eagerness to replace him.
Along the way, the Eighth Prince dismissed his accompanying guards, letting his horse roam freely, oblivious to where he was going. The horse tripped over vines, throwing him to the ground. Not paying attention to his footing, the Eighth Prince stepped into a trap used for hunting wild boars.
A scream echoed through the forest, but the hunting party had long since gone, their iron hooves clanging, and no one heard his cry for help.
The Emperor held a grand ceremony at the imperial palace to bestow titles and honors, and hosted a banquet for the princes and leaders of various Mongol tribes. Seeing that the Eighth Prince was absent, he scoffed and paid no attention.
Compared to the Mongolian song and dance she was tired of seeing, today's wrestling was much more exciting for Yan Ning. She looked at Fukang'an, who was wearing a long robe wrapped around his waist and had his braids swinging behind his head, facing off against a burly Mongolian man. She was worried because Fukang'an's hand injury had not yet healed, and that Mongolian man was really too strong, twice the size of Fukang'an.
The crowd around the wrestling ring was shouting excitedly. The Mongolian giant shook his muscular body and slammed his fists together like iron clashing against stone.
Yan Ning looked at Fukang'an's injured hand, her heart pounding in her throat. Fukang'an found her in the crowd, nodded to her, and indicated that she was not worried.
Heshen pulled the nervous Yan Ning to a table where everyone was placing bets. Many people bet on the burly Mongol man, and Heshen placed a gold ingot on his name. His eyes, like crescent moons, stared at Yan Ning.
Yan Ning's competitive spirit was aroused, and she put all the loose silver she had on her under Fukang'an's name, glaring angrily at Heshen.
Heshen knew that the Mongol giant couldn't overpower Fukang'an; although strong, the giant lacked agility. Fukang'an, a veteran of countless battles, was far more formidable than this giant.
Seeing that Yan Ning was too nervous, he didn't expect her to become even more nervous after placing her bet. When Fukang'an threw the Mongolian giant to the ground, she grabbed Heshen's hand and jumped for joy, completely forgetting that she was now Fukang'an's wife and that the traditional etiquette of men and women not touching hands was strictly observed.
Seeing this, Heshen tightly grasped Yan Ning's hand, looking at her with a warm smile. After calming down, Yan Ning quickly glanced at Fukang'an, only to meet his angry gaze. She hurriedly let go of Heshen's hand and went to the gambling table to collect her winnings.
After Fukang'an knocked the Mongol down, he looked in the direction where Yan Ning had just shouted. He saw her and Heshen holding hands. He had one hand behind his back, and his eyes, like sharp arrows with balls of fire, were fixed on Yan Ning as she fled through the crowd.
Heshen glanced at Fukang'an, his eyes crinkling into silver threads, opened his folding fan, and chased after Yan Ning.
Yan Ning won He Shen's gold ingot with just a few pieces of silver. Her fear of Fukang'an lessened considerably. She looked at He Shen triumphantly and put his gold into her purse.
When the Eighth Prince's personal attendant, Xiao Yingzi, saw that the Eighth Prince was late in arriving, he dared not report to the Emperor. Instead, he reported to Heshen, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department.
Heshen, knowing the Eighth Prince's disrespect towards the Emperor, was filled with fear. He wanted to send someone to search for him, but then hesitated. Although Yan Ning had told him that the Fifteenth Prince would inherit the throne, circumstances were unpredictable. Having already shown favor to the Fifteenth Prince, she could only wholeheartedly assist him. The Eighth Prince had overstepped his bounds first, skipping the farewell banquet at the imperial palace without the Emperor's permission, disregarding the Emperor's authority.
With the Eighth Prince, the most qualified prince to compete for the throne, gone, the Fifteenth Prince's chances of inheriting the throne will be much greater. Heshen's eyes narrowed even further.
Seeing that Heshen had stopped, Yan Ning urged, "Why haven't you sent someone to find the Eighth Prince yet?"
After regaining his senses, Heshen whispered in Yan Ning's ear, "We both witnessed what happened today. It's better that the Eighth Prince isn't before the Emperor right now, otherwise the Emperor will definitely remember what happened at the hunting grounds. If he gets angry then, neither of us can stop him!"
Yan Ning was unaware of the offense of missing the farewell banquet and agreed with He Shen's reasoning, so she nodded.
Standing before the emperor, Fukang'an remained expressionless. Yan Ning secretly glanced at him several times, but he never looked at her.
Yan Ning knew she was in the wrong, and besides, she was now a palace maid serving the Emperor, and her movements were restricted by Wu Shulai in every way. She could only watch Fukang'an worry anxiously by himself.
A grand and lively farewell banquet suddenly became dull and uninteresting.
In the middle of the night, the Emperor was awakened by the noise and got up angrily. The guards carried the unconscious Eighth Prince to him.
When the Emperor saw that the Eighth Prince's entire right white silk sock was covered in dried blood, he was shocked, and his anger towards the Eighth Prince during the day dissipated.
"Summon the imperial physician!"
The grasslands erupted in commotion at the Emperor's three words, disrupting the tranquil moonlight.
It wasn't Yan Ning's turn to be on duty today. She was awakened by the noises coming and going outside, and went out to see what was happening, still half asleep.
As soon as Yan Ning stepped out of the yurt, she was pulled into the shadows, and the person covered her mouth. "You must not tell anyone that Xiao Yingzi came to see me today, or both of us will be in danger!"
After saying that, the man hurriedly left, his figure disappearing into the darkness.
From these words and sounds, Yan Ning knew that the person just now was He Shen, but what did he mean by what he said?
Yan Ning followed the surging crowd to the Emperor's yurt. The Eighth Prince lay on the Emperor's dragon bed, while the imperial physicians knelt at his feet, bustling about. Basins of water stained red were carried out.
The palace maid on duty told Yan Ning that the Eighth Prince's foot had gotten caught in a trap used to hunt wild boars, but he had been rescued by guards patrolling the hunting grounds. At that moment, the Emperor was angrily interrogating the Eighth Prince's personal attendant.
Yan Ning glanced at the four servants kneeling below, but Xiao Yingzi was nowhere to be seen.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com