Chapter 135

Chapter 135

Hunting is perilous due to the ferocity of wild beasts, so civilian hunters usually enter the mountains in groups or bring along one or two hunting dogs. These dogs can help chase small game like pheasants and rabbits and assist in killing wolves or tigers and leopards.

The royal hunt in the North Garden allows team formation, but scoring is based on the arrows that kill the prey, counted individually.

Each point earned translates to a reward of one tael of silver, and the top three scorers receive additional awards.

Lower-ranking officers who lack confidence in their archery skills or luck prefer to form teams. The best archer claims the total score for kills, while others help find and drive the prey. After the hunt, the reward is split as previously agreed.

Princes, scions of nobility, or ambitious high-ranking officers strive for the top three spots to catch the emperor's eye. They can choose to hunt alone or recruit other officers to assist them, which involves selecting the right people, hunting skills, and tactical application.

Emperor Yongchang knew that his second son always hunted alone, accompanied only by two guards responsible for carrying the prey without participating in the hunt. However, this year was different, so Emperor Yongchang assigned Yao Lin to assist his second son. Given the second son's temperament, he might not be pleased with an outsider, but Yao Lin, being his brother-in-law, would likely not object, given the affection between him and his sister.

After arranging for his second son, Emperor Yongchang looked towards his eldest son and, as expected, saw the two sons of the Duke of State Stabilization's Li family, both skilled in archery and martial arts.

Once prepared, Emperor Yongchang, accompanied by dukes, marquises, and imperial guards, charged into the hunting grounds.

Prince Kang and Prince Hui followed suit, with nearly a hundred eager young officers in tow.

Upon entering the hunting grounds, Emperor Yongchang rode to a higher vantage point, turned his horse around, and looked back.

Prince Kang and his entourage took the central path leading directly to the mountain, rich with hidden prey. To the east, Prince Hui's steed raced across the flat grasslands, seemingly eager to enter the mountain first. However, Emperor Yongchang and others clearly saw that Prince Hui did not head towards the mountain but went north instead, eventually disappearing into the woods.

The hunt was just underway, and Prince Hui's intentions remained a mystery to all.

Emperor Yongchang was too far to ask, and Yao Lin, seeing that Prince Hui had no intention of entering the mountain, grew anxious: "Where is Your Highness going?"

Foxes were scarce, and he harbored no illusions of catching one. But with thirty wolves and deer in total, and both his and Prince Hui's horses being top-notch, they could easily bag a few by being the first into the mountains. A deer fetched ten taels of silver, and a wolf twenty. Just catching one would allow him to boast to his hundred soldiers and his parents and grandfather at home!

Yao Lin grew more excited the more he thought about it, but the further they strayed from the mountain, the more anxious he became.

Regrettably, his noble and reticent brother-in-law remained silent.

Yao Lin held his tongue and followed closely.

The hunting grounds sprawled vast and wide. After galloping for a while, bypassing a few sparse woods, and crossing a sparkling shallow stream, about a quarter of an hour later, Zhao Sui slowed down at the northern outskirts of the mountain. He selected a small mound adorned with seven or eight dense bushes, rode to the mountain's sheltered side, dismounted his bow and arrows, and stood still.

Zhang Yue and Wang Dong remained mounted and motionless behind Prince Hui.

Yao Lin ventured, "...What does Your Highness intend?"

Zhao Sui replied, "Waiting for the rabbit."

Yao Lin glanced at Prince Hui, then at the forest ahead, listening to the steady drum of hoofbeats from the south.

After a moment, Yao Lin grasped the plan: "Your Highness suggests the prey will flee here, driven by the hunters in the mountains?"

Zhao Sui responded, "Not necessarily. The mountain range is vast, and the prey might be intercepted before they escape here. But the chance of catching stragglers here is greater."

Prey living in the mountains do not flee immediately when hunters arrive; they only escape to the foothills when they find the mountains completely unsafe.

Yao Lin frowned; he did not like waiting here foolishly, regardless of the odds.

Zhao Sui stated, "I do not aim for a ranking and do not need an assistant. You can go hunt in the mountain, but be careful."

Yao Lin was tempted but refused: "I do not aim for a ranking either. The Emperor assigned me to follow Your Highness, so I will follow Your Highness."

Zhao Sui added, "If you can hunt a wolf or a deer, the Princess Consort should be very pleased."

Yao Lin thought of his sister waiting outside. Never mind wolves; in the past, when he had hunted rabbits in the mountains, his sister would jump for joy.

He attempted to convince Prince Hui: "If the wolf is hunted by Prince Hui, my sister would be even happier."

Zhang Yue and Wang Dong, silent all this while, stayed quiet.

Zhao Sui lowered his eyes and said, "The mountain path is uneven. If I enter the mountains, there is a risk of falling from my horse."

Yao Lin was at a loss for words.

Zhao Sui continued, "Go on. I prefer hunting alone."

Yao Lin sensed that the prince truly did not need him to follow, and what use was he anyway? He would only rub salt in the prince's wounds!

"Alright, then Prince Hui can wait here. I will go into the mountains to hunt wolves!"

With a confident shout, Yao Lin whipped his horse and boldly charged into the forest.

If the prince couldn't enter the mountains to hunt wolves, then he would herd the wolves toward the prince!

Because Prince Hui had led them to the northern side of the mountain first and lingered there for a bit, by the time Yao Lin entered the mountains, the young military officers from the south had also arrived. Some were searching for prey from south to north, while others, more clever, had circled around from the sides, forming a tight ring around the prey.

Red Foxes and white foxes were small, highly intelligent creatures that were rare and elusive, so Yao Lin didn't set his sights on them. Instead, he aimed to hunt wolves, which, although they scored fewer points, would bring him more prestige and honor when brought out. Deer were his second choice.

Finally spotting three wolves being driven toward him, Yao Lin chased after them, trying to drive all three toward where Prince Hui was hiding. However, the three wolves ran off in different directions, and Yao Lin could only focus on the closest one. Seeing that he had failed to drive even this one, Yao Lin clenched his teeth, drew his bow, and sent an arrow flying like a comet. With a "thud," the arrow struck a tree after the wolf dodged it.

Yao Lin was dumbfounded.

During the military examination, his horseback archery was top-tier. It seemed the wolf's speed and evasiveness were even better.

At that moment, another arrow shot through the air, hitting the wolf in the side of the neck.

Yao Lin turned his head and recognized the archer as Jiang Qu, the commander who was the superior of his father's superior, Li Qianhu!

Yao Lin eagerly approached him: "Sir, your archery skills are amazing!"

Jiang Qu glanced at him and asked, "Why aren't you with the prince?"

He had seen Yao Lin earlier and, noticing Yao Lin driving the wolf, had thought Yao Lin was trying to guide it toward Prince Hui. It wasn't until Yao Lin chose to shoot it himself and failed that Jiang Qu had stepped in.

Yao Lin let out a sigh, "The prince doesn't want me tagging along. He told me to go earn points on my own."

Jiang Qu asked, "Is the prince waiting on the northern side of the mountain for prey?"

Yao Lin's eyes widened in surprise: "How did you know?"

Jiang Qu didn't answer.

That year, when Prince Hui had led the campaign in the southern frontier, Jiang Qu had served under him. It was Prince Hui who had given him the opportunity to distinguish himself, and it was also Prince Hui who had mentioned his achievements in the official report, allowing a poor young man like him to rise to the rank of commander at a young age.

Back then, Prince Hui had not sought personal glory in battle, and now, with his leg crippled, he would certainly not covet achievements in a mere hunting competition. So when Jiang Qu saw Prince Hui galloping northward from afar, he had a vague idea of the prince's intentions. While the prince might not compete for glory, it would still be undignified for a prince of his stature to return without a single decent trophy. Given his difficulty in riding into the mountains, Prince Hui would naturally choose the most suitable ambush spot.

"I will help you drive the wolves. Just act as if I am competing with you. There is no need to mention me in front of the prince or anyone else."

Yao Lin was puzzled: "Why are you helping me, sir?"

Jiang Qu smiled and pointed at the wolf lying motionless on the ground ahead: "I got the better of you here, so I naturally have to make it up to you elsewhere."

Prince Kang and his party of five were the first to enter the mountains and the first to encounter the wolf pack.

The eldest son of the Duke of State Stabilization's household, Li Jingtang, and the second son, Li Guantang, are both skilled in horseback archery. However, this time they are here to assist Prince Kang in winning the championship, so they can only help in herding the wolves and cannot shoot arrows themselves.

Prince Kang is quite skilled at *chuiwan*, and occasionally scores well when shooting at stationary targets. However, once he starts moving, his accuracy drops to just average, and when it comes to horseback archery...

Before the ten wolves had fully scattered, Prince Kang shot five arrows in a row and missed all of them. The sixth arrow, with Li Jingtang's timely reminder to aim slightly to the left front, finally struck a wolf's hind leg, while Li Guantang had already gone ahead to herd the wolves.

After bagging two wolves and two deer, Li Jingtang personally took Prince Kang to search for the dens of three foxes. Li Guantang, along with one of Prince Kang's guards, took a separate path to look for them, planning to call the guard over to report once they found them.

Riding on his horse, Prince Kang felt an unprecedented sense of pride. In royal hunts, military officers tacitly reserve the Red Fox for the princes, which is why his second and third brothers had successfully hunted Red Foxes in the previous two hunts. This year, his third brother didn't participate, and his second brother probably wouldn't compete with him, so it was finally his chance to hunt a Red Fox!

After successfully bagging a white fox with some effort, Prince Kang's confidence in bagging a Red Fox grew even stronger.

North of the mountain.

Zhao Sui had been waiting for quite some time when he suddenly heard the rapid sound of hooves. Before drawing his bow, Zhao Sui whispered to Startling Mist, "Stay still."

Startling Mist simply tilted its head toward the other side of the forest.

A spotted chestnut deer, panicking and running blindly, came charging over. As the deer passed the bushes where Prince Hui was hiding and finally noticed someone concealed there, Prince Hui's arrow shot out, striking the deer just above its hind leg, injuring the muscle but not the bone.

Wang Dong pursued it and successfully intercepted the deer, which could no longer run fast, tying it up with a rope and loading it onto the horse's back.

Zhao Sui was quite pleased with this deer. Compared to a wolf, the princess would likely prefer a live deer, which could be taken back to the palace and kept in the rear garden.

Deep in the forest, through the gaps in the leaves, the eldest son of the Marquis of Weiyuan, Cen Jun, watched as Prince Hui finished hunting the deer and departed slowly. He signaled to his deputy across the way and continued his own hunt.

Luck was with him, as a wolf appeared ahead.

Cen Jun shot and killed it with one arrow. Just as he finished, he heard a thunderous roar of anger from across the way: "That's my wolf!"

Cen Jun looked up and recognized Yao Lin, who had entered with the prince earlier, the elder brother of Princess Hui. Another figure left without approaching.

When Yao Lin angrily approached, Cen Jun calmly said, "Driving for the prince? Unfortunately, the prince has already left."

Yao Lin: "..."

Cen Jun: "The prince seems to have hunted a deer."

Yao Lin: "..."

Cen Jun: "If you don't mind, I can be your deputy, whatever you want to hunt."

Yao Lin's expression changed several times, and he disdainfully said, "Forget it, hitting the target is your skill. Let's go our separate ways. I'll hunt on my own!"

He wanted to earn silver, but he didn't care to take advantage of others.

Leaving the unfamiliar person behind, Yao Lin randomly chose a direction and walked away, heading toward quieter areas where he heard less commotion.

As he walked, the sound of hooves suddenly came from the northeast. Yao Lin didn't bother to recognize the person on horseback because he saw the prey they were chasing—a red fox, the only Red Fox worth a hundred points and a hundred taels of silver!

Yao Lin drew his bow and chased after it.

The person behind him shouted for him to stop, but Yao Lin paid no heed. Hunting is like this—whoever shoots it gets it. He had driven wolves twice before, only to benefit others. Angry as he was, he didn't actually fight with them.

After shooting two arrows, Yao Lin, who had scored high in the spring military examination's horseback archery, finally lived up to his years of hard training. The second arrow struck the fox's rear!

Yao Lin laughed heartily as he rushed over, taking the net he had received before entering and capturing the hundred-tael Red Fox.

Only then did he turn to look at the person who had caught up to him.

The second son of the Duke of State Stabilization, Li Guantang, looked at him with a complicated expression. If it weren't for waiting for Prince Kang to arrive, how could he have let the fox slip through his fingers?

Yao Lin smiled at him: "Surely, the second young master of the Duke's mansion wouldn't be one to lose gracefully, would he?"

Both were in the prince's service, and Li Guantang knew Yao Lin. He glanced around and asked, "Where is His Highness the Second Prince?"

Yao Lin replied, "He's gone back. He's not in need of money. After hunting a deer, he was quite satisfied and left."

Li Guantang: "..."