Autumn hunting season
It was still early spring when Su Musong and Xiao Luochen left Yongjing City. They took their time on the trip to Yuelong, and stopped frequently on the way back because of Xiao Luochen's injury. By the time they returned to Yongjing, it was already late autumn, just in time for this year's autumn hunting.
Since the princes will also participate in this autumn hunt, the emperor has ordered that all officials of the third rank and above in the capital who will participate in the autumn hunt must bring their sons with them. In this case, Xiao Luochen and Su Musong will naturally go.
The autumn hunt was a big event, and Su Musong was already excited on the way to the enclosure.
Officials of all levels marched in order of rank. The emperor had a close personal relationship with An Guo. Su Maoyi spent most of the time in the emperor's carriage along the way, so Su Musong naturally ended up with the people from the Xiao family.
Although it was a happy thing to be able to participate in the autumn hunt with Xiao Luochen, Su Musong was still worried about Xiao Luochen's injury. His leg was broken last winter and he took so long to recuperate. Just a few months later, he suffered such a serious injury in Zhangcheng again. It was hard for Su Musong not to worry.
"Luo Chen, your injury should be fine."
"It's fine. I've recovered a long time ago. You came back with me. Don't you know whether my injuries have healed completely during the journey? When we get to the hunting grounds, I'll kill a tiger for you to see, and then you'll know whether I'm healed or not."
Although Xiao Luochen was seriously injured in Zhangcheng, fortunately, his injuries were not serious. At his age, he is still growing up, and ordinary injuries heal quickly. Moreover, Su Musong took such careful care of him along the way and collected all kinds of precious medicinal herbs for healing and nourishing the wounds. Even if his injuries were serious, they would be healed.
"I believe you. Why bother trying to silence me with tiger hunting? Are tigers that easy to kill? I doubt even your sixth brother could kill one."
Among all the brothers of the Xiao family, although Xiao Luoyao's martial arts skills are not as good as his third brother, his archery skills are the best among his brothers.
"You know my Sixth Brother is not here, yet you still say this. When he comes back, I will tell him this. Then you will see if he will go to the Anguo Mansion to spank you."
Xiao Luochen often told such jokes, but Su Musong didn't find it funny at this moment.
"Humph, I knew you were on your Sixth Brother's side!"
"He's my sixth brother. If I don't side with him, who else can I side with?"
"I'm still your best friend, and you're thinking of reporting me."
Seeing Su Musong's angry look, Xiao Luochen wanted to tease him even more.
"Young Master Su is getting older, but why is he becoming more stingy? Will he be competing with Mu Feng and Mu Liu for candy in two years?"
"If you side with them at that time, I will naturally fight for it."
"You, you, don't let others see your childish temper. If it gets out, no one will find a match for you in two years."
"Anyway, you're the only one who saw it. If anyone else knows, it'll be you who spread it. If no one acts as a matchmaker, they'll all blame you. If I can't get married, then you can forget about getting married either. We'll just be widowers together when we get old."
Su Musong looked desperate and gave Xiao Luochen a cold look, as if he had already made up his mind to drag him down and not let him get married.
Xiao Luochen was at a loss for words when he heard Su Musong's angry words. He said to Su Musong:
"Our Mu Song is handsome and talented, both civil and military. Marriage proposals would surely knock on the door of the Duke of Anguo's mansion. How could he be a widower?"
"Who can predict what will happen in the future? Are you so unwilling to spend the rest of your life with me as a widower?"
For some reason, Su Musong suddenly thought of Yu Wujie and Bixing Zhailai.
"It's certainly possible to spend the rest of our lives together..."
"That's more like it."
Xiao Luochen wanted to ask back, "What does growing old together have to do with being a widower?" But seeing that Su Musong seemed satisfied, he stopped talking, to avoid him getting stuck on it and launching into a long speech about being a widower.
The hunting ground was not close to the capital, so the team stopped to rest on the way. The emperor got off the dragon chariot to stretch his muscles, and a boy of about eleven or twelve years old followed him.
Although Su Maoyi had a close relationship with the emperor, in order to stay away from the court struggles, the Anguo family always kept a distance from the court and the royal family. Therefore, Su Musong's brothers and sisters were not familiar with the royal family.
"Luo Chen, who is that young man in the front?"
Xiao Luochen looked in the direction Su Musong pointed, and saw a boy of about eleven or twelve years old with an indifferent expression but extraordinary bearing.
"Judging from his age and demeanor, he should be the Prince Ding."
Su Musong had also heard of the name of Prince Ding. He only knew that he seemed to be a noble prince, but he had never seen him. Or rather, apart from the people in the imperial palace and the prince's mansion, few people had seen Prince Ding.
"He's so young, and has such a noble status, why does he look so bitter and resentful?"
"Although this prince is the current emperor's uncle and his status could not be more noble, his life has been one of the most difficult. He is the youngest son of Emperor Zhao and was crowned a prince at birth. Sadly, Emperor Zhao died when he was only one year old, and his mother was subsequently ordered to be buried alive with him. After the late emperor ascended the throne, he was left alone and confined to the cold palace until he was five years old. Rumor has it that the current empress dowager regarded him as a thorn in her side and frequently targeted him while in the palace. Even after he left the palace to establish his own residence, she frequently lectured him and made things difficult for him. Although he was of noble status, he was ultimately just a child. With both his parents dead and being targeted, I wonder how he managed to survive all these years."
Su Musong thought about his life experience. Prince Ding lost both his parents, and so did he. Fortunately, he still had his parents and brothers and sisters.
"I'm luckier than him."
Xiao Luochen's heart skipped a beat when he heard this, fearing that his words would bring back Su Musong's sad memories.
"Musong, are you okay?"
"It's okay. I have my parents, my brothers and sisters, and you as my confidant. I'm living a good life. My parents in heaven must be very happy watching me. I will live happily from now on. When I have the ability and get my revenge, I will have no regrets."
Seeing Su Musong's calm expression, Xiao Luochen knew that he was speaking the truth and was happy for him in his heart.
When you have someone to talk to, even the longest journey doesn't seem that far.
The team rested on the first day after arriving at the enclosure and officially started the autumn hunt on the second day.
As in previous years, the person who caught the most prey would receive a reward from the emperor. The emperor fired a signal arrow, signaling the start of the hunt. The young men from various families who participated in the competition rode their horses into the arena, hoping to gain an advantage.
Xiao Luochen knew that he could not compare with those sons of military generals who were skilled in archery and horse riding, so he did not think of competing for the first place. In comparison, he was more calm and composed.
Su Musong set off first, but after walking for a while, he found that Xiao Luochen was still behind, so he turned back to look for him.
"Luo Chen, hurry up."
"You go first. I'm certainly not as good as them at hunting, but as long as I don't get nothing, it's fine. Go on your own, no need to wait for me."
Su Musong wasn't a competitive person, and his riding and archery skills were only passable, not exceptional. He also had no ambition to achieve great things, so unlike the others, he didn't want to stand out in the autumn hunt and attract the emperor's attention. Now, after hearing Xiao Luochen's words, he lost even more fighting spirit.
"What are you talking about? How can I leave you alone? Well, I can't get first place anyway, so I'll just accompany you for a leisurely stroll."
In this way, there was no sense of urgency in the competition, and the two of them just treated it as an ordinary hunt, riding their horses leisurely, and were quite happy and comfortable. However, such occasions never seemed to be peaceful and tranquil.
As the hunt was nearing its end, Su Musong and Xiao Luochen's harvest was not very rich, but it was better than others. The two were very satisfied with the result.
"Quick, quick, shoot that rabbit!"
The voice sounded like a child's, which shouldn't have appeared in this hunting ground. Su Musong and Xiao Luochen looked in the direction where the voice came from, only to see Prince Ding and a 17 or 18-year-old child riding on the same horse, shooting a rabbit.
"Who is that kid?"
Su Musong didn't expect that Prince Ding, who looked bitter and vengeful and had a cold expression, would play with children.
"It seems to be the Second Prince."
"It seems they have a good relationship. But according to seniority, is Prince Ding the Second Prince's grandfather?"
"Indeed."
"Well, it can be seen that Prince Ding, this grandfather, really loves his grandson."
Prince Ding rode his horse to pick up the rabbit, but before he could stabilize his body, an arrow shot out from somewhere and grazed the horse's hind legs. The horse was frightened and ran away wildly.
"not good!"
Seeing this, Su Musong knew that something bad was going to happen, so he hurried over to help. If Prince Ding was alone on the horse, he might be able to control the horse, but with the Second Prince there, there was no way. Although Prince Ding was good at martial arts, he was only eleven or twelve years old after all.
Su Musong rode his horse alongside Prince Ding, whipped the horsewhip and pulled the second prince onto his horse.
"Take him away first."
Prince Ding only said this, and Su Musong knew from his expression that he was saying that he could control the horse.
Su Musong handed the second prince to Xiao Luochen, and when he went to see Prince Ding again, he saw that he had indeed restrained the frightened horse and was about to get off.
However, Prince Ding seemed to have underestimated the determination of the person who was trying to harm him in secret.
Prince Ding had just about left the stirrup when another arrow shot out from the woods, this time hitting the horse squarely in the rump. The horse, in pain, became enraged again and threw Prince Ding high up in the air.
Fortunately, Prince Ding held the rope tightly and did not let go, but his other foot was stuck in the stirrup, and his whole body was hanging on the side of the horse, which was very dangerous.
Su Musong and Xiao Luochen watched helplessly, unable to help. After all, they were not good riders, and everything happened so quickly that by the time they reacted, the horse carrying Prince Ding had already galloped a long way away.
Su Musong and Xiao Luochen had no choice but to take the Second Prince on horseback to chase after him, but they were no match for the mad horse. Just as they were getting anxious, a man and a horseman came galloping towards them. The man on horseback met Prince Ding, drew his sword, and neatly severed his stirrup, freeing his left foot. He then grabbed Prince Ding's shoulder and pulled him onto his horse. Then, he hurled his sword into the horse's belly, killing the mad horse instantly.
Su Musong and Xiao Luochen witnessed this thrilling scene and admired from the bottom of their hearts the man who came on horseback and resolved the crisis cleanly and neatly.
He rode forward and found that it was an old acquaintance.
"I hope you two are well!"
The man dismounted and saluted the two of them. Su Musong and Xiao Luochen looked at each other, both of them in disbelief. This man turned out to be Qiu Zhao.
After the shock, Xiao Luochen was the first to react.
"Brother Qiu, how are you?"
Su Musong looked at Qiu Zhao. The man in front of him had wheat-colored skin, firm and bright eyes, a strong body, and an agile and capable aura. He looked like a general on the frontier battlefield. There was no trace of the dandy boy he looked like when he was a child, but he was clearly Qiu Zhao.
"I haven't seen you for seven years. Doesn't Mu Song remember me?"
Su Musong returned half-jokingly and half-seriously
"How could that be? Even if you turned into ashes, I would still recognize you."
"I've been stationed in the northwest for years, and haven't had the chance to sincerely apologize to you. I was ignorant back then, and I acted recklessly. I'm truly sorry. If you would do me the honor of inviting me to your house after I return to Yongjing, I'll make a sincere apology to you then."
Qiu Zhao spoke so sincerely that Su Musong felt a little embarrassed.
"I stabbed you with an arrow back then, and Luo Chen has forgiven you. There's no reason for me to keep pestering you. Now you're a general guarding the border for our country, and we'll both take the imperial examinations next year. We'll both be colleagues in the future, so let's put the little grudges from our youth behind us."
"In that case, let's not talk about the past. But we still have to eat this feast. I've been away from Yongjing for seven years, and I need to hear what happened in Kyoto later."
Qiu Zhao invited them again and again, and Su Musong and Xiao Luochen could no longer refuse, so they had to agree.
The three of them were reminiscing about the past, while Prince Ding and the Second Prince, too lazy to wait, rode off on Xiao Luochen's horse. However, it didn't matter, because before the three of them could finish their conversation, a horn sounded, signaling the end of the hunt.
Xiao Luochen had no horse, so he had to share a horse with Su Musong.
After the hunt was over and the prey was counted, Prince Ding won the first prize and was rewarded generously by the emperor.
Despite being ambushed, Prince Ding didn't say a word to the Emperor. It seemed he'd encountered this kind of thing so often that he was used to it. The Second Prince didn't even utter a word, surprisingly able to endure such a shock at such a young age.
Prince Ding thanked Qiu Zhao and asked Su Musong to choose an item he liked from the emperor's rewards to thank Su Musong for his rescue.
"Your Highness, there's no need to be so polite. It's just a small favor. Besides, this is a gift from the Emperor. It would be inappropriate for me to choose from it."
"I don't want to owe anyone anything. Since you don't want to choose from these, just take this one."
Prince Ding took off the jade ring on his hand, put it into Su Musong's hand, and left without looking back.
"I don't want to owe anyone anything, so just take this."
The second prince followed suit, took off a small jade gourd from his body, stuffed it into Su Musong's hand, and chased after Prince Ding.
"This grandfather and grandson are quite interesting."
Although the jade ring and jade gourd are top-grade items, the Su family is a wealthy family and Su Musong has no shortage of such things. However, since these are gifts of thanks from others, Su Musong had no choice but to accept them.
When Su Musong returned home and stepped over the threshold, Su Mufeng and Su Muliu came running over happily.
"Brother, did you bring the little rabbit back?"
Su Muliu walked around Su Mushong but didn't see the little rabbit.
"Little rabbit?"
Su Mufeng raised his head and asked
"Mother said you went to catch little rabbits, didn't you catch any?"
"this……"
Su Muliu pulled Su Musong's sleeve down
"Brother, squat down."
Su Musong squatted down as he was told, and Su Muliu's hand went into Su Musong's arms.
"Did you hide the little rabbit here?"
The rabbit didn't touch anything, but it touched a jade gourd and a jade ring.
"I didn't go to catch rabbits, I went to look for treasure. Look, this is the treasure I found."
Su Musong went along with it. If he didn't say that, these two little ancestors would make him go catch two rabbits.
"I want this gourd. Can I give you this jade ring?"
Su Muliu took the gourd for himself, and did not forget to give the ring to Su Mufeng. Fortunately, Su Mufeng really liked the jade ring more than the jade gourd. After the two little ghosts divided the loot, they completely forgot about the rabbit and left contentedly.
Many years later, when Su Mufeng stepped into the bridal sedan, he probably didn't expect that his fate with Prince Ding had been arranged by his younger sister long ago.
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