The Hengshan Hunting Grounds were divided into three parts: one was the resting area with tents, one was the forest for hunting, and the last was the viewing platform where the hunt was observed.
The next day, with the spirited sound of the horns, this year’s Autumn Hunt officially began.
According to the daily hunting custom, the Emperor first led the Imperial Guard, bow and arrow in hand, chasing after prey as they rode into the hunting grounds.
After the Emperor returned, the princes and participating military officers were supposed to enter the field in turn. However, since the Emperor had no sons, it was several dozen skilled archers and generals who competed for the prize.
This competition would last a full five days. They would enter the forest at sunrise and tally their kills at sunset. On the sixth day, the one with the most game would be selected, and the Emperor himself would bestow the reward.
The rewards themselves were secondary. In previous years, many had been promoted and granted official positions for winning first place.
This Autumn Hunt was almost equivalent to the Palace Examination for military officers!
That’s why it was always exceptionally fierce and exciting every year.
After the hunt began, the Emperor and his grand entourage entered the hunting grounds, and the forest soon swallowed them from view.
The Princess, the Empress, the Empress Dowager, and a crowd of officials’ female relatives sat on the viewing platform, watching from afar. On their side, the sovereign and his ministers were harmonious. The Princess found it utterly boring. Coupled with the drowsiness from the late-night conversation the night before quickly overtaking her, she felt groggy and lightheaded, answering the pleasantries of those around her in a completely nonsensical manner.
She forced her eyes open, wanting to find someone to talk to, but when she turned her head, the only one beside her was Pei Shangyu.
Logically speaking, both Shen Yuezhuang and Pei Shangyu should have been with her. But she thought Shen Yuezhuang might have overslept, so she didn’t make a fuss.
It wasn’t until the Emperor and his vast procession returned that she saw Shen Yuezhuang, clad in a stunning red riding outfit, following behind the Emperor with heroic grace.
The Princess snapped awake at once, looking at the spirited and energetic person on the field. She even began to doubt if it was the same person who had talked with her late into the night!
“This person… day in and day out, where does she get all that energy?”
The shock and disbelief on the Princess’s face were unmistakable. Hearing this, Pei Shangyu behind her let out a soft laugh. “As long as it’s not about studying or writing, she’s always full of energy.”
The Princess turned back to give Pei Shangyu another look.
There was no doubt she disliked people with too many schemes. Yet Shen Yuezhuang was surrounded by such people, and Pei Shangyu was the cream of the crop. That was why she had always kept a respectful distance from Pei Shangyu before.
But today, the familiarity in Pei Shangyu’s words regarding Shen Yuezhuang stirred a strange… sense of closeness in her heart.
For the first time, she gave Pei Shangyu a genuine smile, tinged with a hint of helplessness. Then she turned back to watch Shen Yuezhuang dismount.
The autumn wind stirred her robes, making them flutter in the wind.
Shen Yuezhuang’s movements were crisp and clean, showing no hesitation. Even though the Princess knew nothing about riding or archery, she could see Yuezhuang’s proficiency, her tone carrying even more shock.
The Princess heard the officials’ female relatives whispering about Shen Yuezhuang. “She can trip while walking, but she’s agile on a horse!”
Pei Shangyu’s explanation was rather understated. “She’s been taken to the military camps by the Old Marquis since she was little. She was on a horse before she even learned to walk, so it’s not strange.”
Almost in the span of two glances, their conversation had already turned into the casual chat of old friends. They watched Shen Yuezhuang wave in a certain direction—seemingly towards the Empress, or perhaps the Empress Dowager. Mu Huaqiong was startled for a moment, then saw her stride over, heading straight for herself.
Pei Shangyu shifted her gaze slightly, glancing towards the Empress Dowager.
The Princess, completely unaware, laughed. “No wonder! She’s probably so used to horseback that smooth ground makes her trip!”
Almost as soon as she finished speaking, Shen Yuezhuang, who had drawn everyone’s attention the moment she entered the viewing area, stumbled over her own feet. She staggered two steps, then frowned and looked down, as if kicking at something.
The Princess graciously let out a “pfft” of laughter. She turned back to say something to Pei Shangyu but saw a palace maid from the Empress Dowager’s side approaching.
Mu Huaqiong’s expression sobered. She almost instinctively guessed that this person had come to call Shen Yuezhuang over.
She felt the discontent of a child whose toy was being snatched away. Just as she was thinking of an excuse, the palace maid came before her and bowed. “Your Highness, Her Grace the Empress Dowager wishes to invite Lady Pei for a conversation.”
By the time Shen Yuezhuang reached the Princess’s side, Pei Shangyu had already left.
The Emperor had returned to his seat and was giving a speech. Shen Yuezhuang asked in a low voice, “Where’s Sister Pei?”
“The Empress Dowager called her away.” The Princess didn’t think much of it and asked instead, “Why did you follow the Emperor into the hunting grounds?”
Just as Shen Yuezhuang was about to answer, the military officers had already received orders to enter the forest. A bonfire as tall as a man was lit on the field ahead, and several teams of soldiers came in, dancing and singing prayers for victory before battle. Another five men stood by a drum, the sound deafening.
Shen Yuezhuang couldn’t help but lean in closer, getting near the Princess’s ear. “I went to find the Emperor to see if I could get a chance to talk to him about your marriage!”
Shen Yuezhuang said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but Mu Huaqiong was stunned.
The Princess hadn’t expected that Shen Yuezhuang’s words about wanting to set her up with Liu Lusheng had been sincere!
She had thought that conversation the other night was just Yuezhuang’s comfort given the circumstances, much like her own promise to later enter the palace and grant Yuezhuang a marriage—she wasn’t going to be Empress, and given Yuezhuang’s status, how could it ever be Yuezhuang’s place to grant her a marriage?
Those words had been nothing but a beautiful, hollow promise. What she had understood Yuezhuang’s “I’ll help you” to mean was simply getting her out of the palace for some fresh air on a day like this.
The Princess couldn’t put into words the turmoil she felt at that moment. She stared fixedly at Shen Yuezhuang. “You… you really asked?”
“Didn’t find the chance!” Shen Yuezhuang looked dejected. “This matter of yours needs to be discussed privately. Look at this moment…”
She jutted her chin out, indicating the scene on the field, and sighed. “There’s simply no private moment to be found right now. I thought I might get a chance when we were in the woods, but those people surrounded him even tighter than the prey.”
Shen Yuezhuang had always been a woman of action. If she wanted to do something, she did it. If she met an obstacle, she tried her best to break through it. It was only when it was truly insurmountable that she would accept it couldn’t be done.
Her sheer drive surprised the Princess. In fact, this surprise overshadowed any disappointment that the plan hadn’t succeeded.
She naturally understood that unless the Emperor arranged it, it was incredibly difficult for Shen Yuezhuang to find a moment alone with him. It was precisely this difficulty that had made her hold out no hope for this matter, not even expecting Yuezhuang to actually try!
Mu Huaqiong’s throat tightened. She looked at Shen Yuezhuang for a long moment, then silently turned away.
The feeling of being moved was too foreign, catching her off guard. But Shen Yuezhuang didn’t give her much time to dwell on it, giving her shoulder a firm pat.
“Don’t just ask about me! You have to step up your game too. Marriage is a matter for two people. You have to win him over first!” Shen Yuezhuang clenched her right fist, looking at her determinedly. “For the next few nights, you follow him and learn to ride a horse. Seize the moment and work on building your relationship, got it?”
In Shen Yuezhuang’s view, a marriage alliance was meant to solidify the pact between two nations through matrimony. If the two people were willing, then it was perfect. The marriage would serve the greater good without betraying their own hearts.
But since the Princess was clearly unwilling to enter the palace, there were only two solutions: either convince the Princess to see things differently, or find someone else for her to marry.
Not to mention the Princess already had someone she liked. Even if she didn’t, Shen Yuezhuang couldn’t quite understand it. Emperors usually harbored a deep hatred for enemy nations, using every conceivable method to extract information from captured enemy spies. So how could they feel safe, believing their power and charisma were enough to make a woman forget the enmity between their countries, just by marrying her off?
This woman would be sharing their bed, after all. Weren’t they afraid to close their eyes at night?
So, given the precedent of Liu Yun’s poisoning, Shen Yuezhuang felt that her chances of successfully persuading the Emperor to abandon the idea of the Princess entering the palace were much, much, much, much higher than persuading someone to change their personal preferences.
After all, who wouldn’t want to stay alive?!
What she lacked now was a private opportunity. What the Princess lacked was a chance to build a relationship with Liu Lusheng—and for that, Liu Lusheng had to be willing!
Thus, during this crisp autumn weather at the Hengshan Hunting Grounds, while others came to rest, hunt, or have fun, Shen Yuezhuang alone spent her days busy trying to catch the Emperor alone, and her nights accompanying the Princess to an open space west of the hunting grounds to watch Liu Lusheng teach her how to ride.
Fortunately, Liu Lusheng was not only unopposed to the idea of teaching the Princess to ride, he was quite enthusiastic. The only slightly strange thing was the look in Liu Lusheng’s eyes when he looked at the Princess… it seemed full of wariness.
Seven days passed. Shen Yuezhuang, who had failed to catch the Emperor, and the Princess, who had made zero progress, huddled together in the tent, reflecting on why their plan over the past few days had failed so completely!
Shen Yuezhuang flipped through a storybook in her hand, shaking her head with absolute conviction. “It can’t be the advice I gave you. It must be your fault!”
With a “slap,” Shen Yuezhuang closed the book and tossed it onto a nearby stack that was already half her height. She stood up and paced a couple of steps. “It must be that the chicken soup you made on the second night was so horrible that Commander Liu thought you were trying to murder him!”
Mu Huaqiong was sprawled inelegantly on the carpet, yawning and waving her hand dismissively.
She wanted to protest, but she lacked the energy. Several consecutive days of staying up late and waking up early had left her too weak even to speak.
Shen Yuezhuang continued, talking to herself. “On the third day, I told you to give him a bouquet of flowers, and you gave him chrysanthemums! Well done with that gift—autumn hasn’t even started, but you’ve already chilled the person!”
“I told you to chat and joke around with him, not to stab him in the back of the head with your hairpin, and definitely not to punch him in the arm with your iron fist!”
“Who ‘jokes around’ by risking their life? Are you some grim reaper on a business trip from the underworld, so eager to meet your quota?!”
Shen Yuezhuang’s face was a picture of frustration. She had never thought that a day would come when she’d look at someone else and the words “hopeless case” would pop into her head!
Finally, she took a deep breath, as if forcing herself to hold back. “Setting all that aside, I told you to act a little dumber so he’d have to teach you more. But you? Seven days, and you still can’t even get on a horse. I’m starting to think this clumsiness of yours isn’t an act…” A note of concern crept into Shen Yuezhuang’s accusatory tone. “Maybe you should get the imperial physician to check you out?”
The Princess’s head drooped, barely able to hold itself up. “Forget it. Let him think what he wants.”
Saying this, she pushed herself to her feet. Shen Yuezhuang was startled. “You don’t want to marry him anymore?”
The Princess yawned, her eyes streaming with tears from the fatigue. “All I know is that if I don’t sleep tonight, I won’t live long enough to see my wedding day.”
She staggered towards the entrance of her own tent. “I’m going to sleep. Right now, I just want to survive.”
*
Liu Lusheng was almost certain that the Princess was in love with Shen Yuezhuang too!
That overly salty chicken soup she gave him? It was clearly so he’d keep his mouth shut when the three of them were together.
And those wilted chrysanthemums she gave him right in front of Shen Yuezhuang? When he hadn’t even said anything, she’d already teared up, saying she’d picked them especially for him and asking if he didn’t like them.
And one night, he only mentioned his sister a couple of times, and while riding, the Princess stabbed him in the back of the head with her hairpin.
~~~
Venting! This was definitely venting!
In front of Shen Yuezhuang, she’d deliberately act like she was doing it for his own good. In private, she’d hit him and stab him.
How insidious! How treacherous!
She must have thought that since he was the younger brother of the woman in Shen Yuezhuang’s heart, she couldn’t use these tactics on her older sister, so she was taking it all out on him!
Liu Lusheng gulped down half a pot of clear tea, determined that if the Princess tried to give him any more of that disgustingly salty soup tonight, he would tell Shen Yuezhuang what this woman was really like!
But that night, only Shen Yuezhuang came.
Shen Yuezhuang said the Princess was sick, unwell, and couldn’t make it. A sudden flash of insight hit Liu Lusheng.
Understood! Loud and clear!
She was faking an illness to vie for affection. Ha! Liu Lusheng sneered inwardly. “Lord Shen, no need to worry. I’ll go fetch the best imperial physician for Her Highness!”
Tonight, he would definitely expose this woman’s true colors!
But Shen Yuezhuang quickly stopped him.
“Ha! It’s nothing serious. She just caught a bit of a chill. I’ll go watch over her while she sleeps; it’s fine. No need to trouble the imperial physician.”
Just as I thought!
Liu Lusheng prided himself on seeing through the Princess’s scheme. He thought for a moment, then lowered his voice. “Sister Shen, before the Princess fell ill, did my sister call for you?”
“Huh?” Shen Yuezhuang looked completely confused. “No, she didn’t.”
Liu Yun did call for Pei Shangyu.
And come to think of it, Liu Yun often called for Pei Shangyu. Sometimes, when Shen Yuezhuang returned to her tent at night, Pei Shangyu still wasn’t back.
A sliver of strangeness crossed Shen Yuezhuang’s mind, but Liu Lusheng interrupted her thoughts.
“Impossible! My sister must have called you!” Liu Lusheng was convinced that the Princess’s fake illness was a ploy targeting both him and his sister. He was so stubborn he even started making things up. “I was right there when she was instructing the palace maids! I heard it with my own ears! Someone must have deliberately stopped you. Go see her! My sister is definitely waiting for you!”
