Chapter 130 Wait for Me

Chapter 130: Wait for Me

The autumn hunt was set at the Tiansi Garden hunting grounds, located at the northern foot of Cangya Mountain.

Three sides were surrounded by steep cliffs, with only the eastern side open as a narrow valley that curves like a reclining dragon.

Here, dense forests stretched, blocking out the sun, with many wild beasts and complex terrain.

As the first rays of morning light broke, outside the Tiansi Garden hunting grounds, the guards had already lined up in solemn formation.

The Imperial Guard stood in two lines, long halberds like a forest, banners fluttering in the wind.

The pre-hunt sacrifice was, in fact, a secret ritual of the Military Yin-Yang tradition, not just about ghosts and spirits.

The most important thing about this autumn hunt was the sacrificial ceremony.

Suddenly, three drum rolls sounded, bugles blared in unison, and the entire field fell silent.

“His Majesty arrives——”

Zhou Mingqi, clad in a bright yellow embroidered riding outfit, with an ornate belt at his waist and deerskin boots on his feet, slowly ascended the viewing platform.

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince followed closely behind, standing to his left and right respectively.

Behind them came the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and officials from the Ministry of Rites, holding sacrificial vessels, standing in solemn reverence.

Zhou Zhan covertly glanced around, finally letting his gaze rest inconspicuously on the eastern hunting platform.

Cheng Ge seemed to sense something; he turned his head slightly, and their eyes met across the space.

Zhou Zhan had never seen him dressed like this before, and for a moment he couldn't look away.

At this time, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices began to chant the prayer in a loud voice, and Zhou Zhan quickly snapped back to attention, folding his hands into his sleeves and concentrating.

“In the third year of Xiande of the Great Zhou, the Son of Heaven is hunting at Cangya, respectfully presenting sacrificial animals and wine to announce to the spirits of the mountains and rivers...”

Musicians on both sides played the tune “Chu Liu Yue,” low and solemn, with drumbeats like thunder, as if summoning the spirits of ancient warriors.

The imperial guards led out a pure white buck, its antlers wound with gold thread, its four hooves bound with red silk.

Zhou Mingqi took a golden arrow and nocked it on his bow, and the entire field held its breath.

“Whoosh——” An arrow pierced the heart, and the white buck fell to the ground before it could even cry out.

Blood splattered across the altar. The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices took blood with a silver knife, smeared it onto the war drum, and shouted: “The blood sacrifice has been offered, the gods bless the Great Zhou!”

The sacrifice ended, and the emperor and all the officials took their seats. Cheng Ge sat down in his place.

No sooner had he sat down than he glanced around a few times and immediately let out a big yawn.

He casually covered his mouth with his hand, quickly stuffed a red date into his mouth, and began chewing furiously...

Cheng Ge: Damn! I gotta make a ton of sneaky moves just to eat something.

“The Northern Di delegation arrives——” An official from the Court of State Ceremonial led the Northern Di delegation slowly down the valley path.

Cheng Ge craned his neck in that direction and saw a group of unusually burly people walking in.

At the front was a man wearing a golden wolf-skin armor, with a curved saber at his waist and a crimson headband, making his features look knife-sharp.

This man was Alutai, the eldest son of the Northern Di Khan, known for his bravery in battle and a top contender to be the next Khan.

Behind him followed twelve Northern Di warriors, all draped in animal skins, with horn bows at their waists, walking with heavy steps.

Alutai walked to the front of the viewing platform, placed his right hand on his chest, and nodded slightly as a salute.

When he raised his eyes, his gaze swept across the positions of the Zhou officials on both sides of the viewing platform, sharp as an eagle's eyes.

Seeing his unbridled demeanor, Zhou Mingqi's eyes flashed with displeasure, and he shot a meaningful glance at the official from the Court of State Ceremonial at the side.

The official understood immediately and stepped forward, saying, “The distinguished guests from the Northern Di have come from afar, and the Great Zhou treats them with courtesy.

Please, envoys, take your seats and rest first; other delegations are still waiting for an audience.”

The implication was clear: The Great Zhou is a celestial empire with countless people trying to curry favor, and there is no room for you to act disrespectfully.

Alutai's eyes flickered with disdain, but he maintained the outward formalities and led his delegation to the seats on the eastern side.

When he sat down, his leather armor and scabbard clashed, producing a dull sound that drew sideways glances from several civil officials.

Cheng Ge squinted as he observed this Northern Di prince, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the table.

Cheng Ge smiled and casually stuffed another large date into his mouth.

“Huh... I saw in the list submitted by the Northern Di a few days ago that there were a full eighteen men, but now five are missing. Do you know what's up?” Yang Guanlan leaned closer to Cheng Ge and asked in a low voice.

Cheng Ge glanced at Yang Guanlan and shook his head frantically, “I don't know a thing about that...”

Yang Guanlan stared intently at Cheng Ge, his eyes sharp as daggers.

Cheng Ge met his gaze and suddenly felt a jolt in his heart.

What now? Could it be that the previous matter had been exposed?

No way. Zhao Yan had sworn to keep that secret for him, hadn't he? Had he turned around and gone back on his word?

But at the time, Zhao Yan had clearly taken a heavy oath: if he broke it, each time would surely be under three seconds.

Cheng Ge looked up at Yang Guanlan again, licked the corner of his mouth, and a rare unease flickered in his eyes, “I...”

“What were you just eating?” Yang Guanlan pressed abruptly.

Cheng Ge: ...

Cheng Ge immediately turned his face away and denied it outright: “I'm not gonna talk anymore, okay? Or it'll ruin the court's dignity.”

Yang Guanlan: ...

“Hand over half now, or I'll rat you out to Censor Wu.”

Cheng Ge's eyes flew wide open, and he stared at Yang Guanlan's kind face for several seconds.

“No way! I can only spare you two; I don't even have enough for myself!”

Yang Guanlan snorted coldly, turned his head toward Wu Zhongzi's direction, looking like he was about to wreck team harmony.

Cheng Ge gnashed his teeth in anguish and, with great reluctance, fished a small pouch of red dates out of his robes and handed half to Yang Guanlan.

Yang Guanlan merely glanced at Cheng Ge, a cold smirk curled at the corner of his mouth.

Without saying a word, he pried open Cheng Ge's fingers and dug out the two red dates from his palm.

Cheng Ge: "..." Tsk, what a jerk!

At this moment, the ceremonial music started again, and the official from the Court of State Ceremonies called out loudly: "The Nanling envoy requests an audience—"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately perked up, craning their necks to look.

Nanling was a country to the south of Great Zhou. The two countries didn't share a border, but they were evenly matched in power and size.

During the reign of Taizu, Nanling had friction with Great Zhou, and Prince Zhenbei had once led troops in a massive battle against Nanling.

But for reasons unknown, shortly thereafter, Nanling pulled back its troops and signed a non-aggression pact with Great Zhou.

Since then, the two countries had been at peace.

Now, decades had passed, and the two countries had never formed diplomatic ties.

But this year, for some reason, the other side had, breaking all precedent, sent an envoy.

At this moment, Cheng Ge couldn't care less about the so-called Nanling or anything else.

"Didn't I tell you? They're really sweet." Cheng Ge was huddled with his partner-in-crime, munching on red dates.

Suddenly, Yang Guanlan elbowed Cheng Ge and said in a low voice, "Look over there, the Nanling envoy has arrived."

Cheng Ge looked up casually, but the moment he saw the leader of the envoy, his mind went blank.

A round red date rolled off his palm and fell to the ground with a soft thud.

If he could, he would really want to borrow a hundred atomic bombs and blow up the whole planet.

Yun Xunyu was dressed in deep azure riding clothes, his face without its usual carefree expression, every move radiating nobility.

Behind him, dozens of accompanying envoys were walking at a leisurely pace along the corridor with the official from the Court of State Ceremonies.

The surrounding officials, upon seeing this, began to whisper among themselves.

However, just as he passed the civil officials' seats, he paused briefly.

He turned his head slightly, his narrow eyes slightly raised, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials.

As if he had some kind of radar, it landed directly on Cheng Ge.

Cheng Ge: "..." Holy shit! Even here I have to run into this freak!

If Cheng Ge remembered correctly, the leader of the Nanling envoy should be the third prince of Nanling.

Yun Xunyu shot a glance at Cheng Ge, tilted his head slightly, and his eyes sparkled with amusement.

He parted his lips and silently mouthed two words: "Wait for me."

Cheng Ge: "!!!"