Emperor Gaozong reluctantly ended Su Yi and Mu Jin's conversation only when the hunting season began.
At the hunting grounds, Emperor Gaozong loudly announced the official start of this year's summer Miao hunt.
This year's first kill was the first black bear to be hunted.
The summer festival was actually a contest between various forces, with everyone wanting to win in front of Emperor Gaozong and his officials.
Every year during the summer harvest season, various factions fight fiercely to prove their strength and compete for prizes, sometimes resulting in casualties.
As the various factions shouldered their bows and arrows, mounted their warhorses, and prepared to charge into the inner hunting grounds, Emperor Gaozong unexpectedly announced that he too would be entering the inner hunting grounds this year to participate in the hunt.
The crowd erupted in commotion, wondering who would ultimately win the top prize this year.
When Mu Jin first arrived in Dongyue Kingdom, he survived entirely by hunting in the deep mountains and forests.
She had been back in the capital for over a year and hadn't hunted in a long time. Hearing that rare birds and animals gathered in the inner area, Mu Jin couldn't help but feel restless.
Su Yi saw through Mu Jin's thoughts, but insisted on not letting her enter the inner hunting grounds.
"You must not go in. The terror inside does not come from the ferocious beasts, but from the hidden dangers of swords and spears, which are even more dangerous than the beasts."
Upon hearing this, Mu Jin was taken aback. "So, are you determined to enter the inner area this time?"
Su Yi smiled lazily and said, "The platform inside has already been set up. How could I not go in? Besides, my maternal grandfather will also be going in this year, so I have no reason not to go."
Looking at Su Yi's nonchalant smile, Mu Jin felt a sudden tightness in her heart, and an ominous premonition arose spontaneously. She instinctively wanted to stop Su Yi, but then felt that her behavior was absurd and ridiculous.
She forcefully suppressed her inner unease, telling herself not to overthink.
Su Yi knew Mu Jin so well, how could he not see the worry in her heart? His heart warmed, and he initially wanted to tease her a bit, but in the end, he softened his tone and comforted her:
"You stay in the outer area. If you're happy, play with the ladies from those noble families and hunt small animals. If you're not happy, lie down and rest in your tent until I come back."
Mu Jin nodded and replied, "Then be careful in everything."
Su Yi gently squeezed her hand, then turned around and leaped onto his horse, addressing the two female guards dressed as maids standing behind Mu Jin.
"Ru Feng, Ru Ying, you two stay outside and protect Miss Mu well. If anything happens to her, you'll be asking me for your lives."
Several maids standing behind Mu Jin replied, "Yes! Your subordinates obey!"
After giving his instructions, Su Yi glanced at Mu Jin before leading Ling Feng, Ling Yu, and a group of men into the inner area, quickly disappearing into the dense forest.
As he watched the groups of people rushing into the inner hunting grounds from the outer field, Mu Jin's brows furrowed tightly.
Today's events seem like a trap full of thorns, with layers of crises lurking within.
Emperor Gaozong, who had no children, held a position in the court of the Southern Shu Kingdom that was as fragile as a candle flickering in the wind, certainly not as secure as one might imagine.
The Lin family, being the first to bear the brunt, harbored rebellious intentions both openly and covertly.
Crucially, the Lin family had previously provided significant assistance to Emperor Gaozong in his ascension to the throne.
However, when did the Lin family and Emperor Gaozong begin to have a falling out? It felt like two brothers had agreed to conquer the world together, but one of them won the world, and the other became jealous.
Could it be that Emperor Gaozong made a promise to the Lin family, but then broke it, causing the Lin family to harbor resentment?
Or does the Lin family believe that their current power is enough to change the fate of the Southern Shu Kingdom?
Judging from the reactions of the people present, Emperor Gaozong's entry into the inner hall was clearly a spur-of-the-moment decision.
There are only two possibilities for this situation: First, there must have been an unexpected event inside the palace that forced Emperor Gaozong to personally enter the palace to take control of the situation.
Secondly, Emperor Gaozong already knew what was happening inside the palace today, but he had been pretending not to know until now, when he suddenly announced it, catching everyone off guard.
Mu Jin believed it should be the second possibility. After all, if things had happened suddenly, how could Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Dynasty have had the leisure to chat with them about such trivial matters when she and Su Yi were in the dragon tent?
Mu Jin tried her best to recall the expressions of Emperor Gaozong and Su Yi just now, and everything seemed to be normal and unremarkable.
Could it be that they genuinely believe what happened inside is insignificant to them?
Or is the situation inside so complicated that they can't show any unusual behavior outside in order not to alert the enemy?
"Miss Mu, would you like to join us for a stroll in the hunting grounds?"
Mu Jin frowned, standing there in a daze, pondering the various situations that might occur inside, but her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the voice of an unfamiliar woman.
Mu Jin looked in the direction of the sound and saw several noble ladies walking towards her. The lady in the lead, dressed in a brown dress, with dignified features and nearly forty years old, was probably the source of the sound.
When Mu Jin first arrived in the Southern Shu Kingdom, apart from the Lin family, she didn't know many people in Bianliang.
Ru Feng stepped forward and quietly leaned down to whisper in Mu Jin's ear.
"The lady who greeted you is Madam Xie. Her husband is General Xie. When she was young, she was a close friend of the Queen Mother of the King of Yi."
"The long-faced lady standing to her left is Madam Lu, the wife of the Privy Councilor, who is on good terms with the Lin family."
"The lady in the yellow dress to the right rear is Madam Wei, the wife of the Minister of Revenue. She is related to the Xie family by marriage, and the ladies standing next to her are all their eldest daughters."
Mu Jin looked at the ladies walking towards her, all of them wealthy and noble, especially the Xie family. She clearly remembered Su Yi telling her that in the entire Southern Shu Kingdom, the Lin family and the Xie family, as military generals, were evenly matched in strength.
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