Chapter 7: Spring Hunt (1)

Chapter 7: Spring Hunt (1)

Qin Zhonglian strolled in casually from the back door.

"Ah, what a shame."

"Yeah, what a shame. I really thought it was real."

???

What's a shame? Did he miss something?

The two of them walked over with arms slung over each other's shoulders, giving Qin Zhonglian a solid thump on the chest. They had complicated looks, like they wanted to say something but held back, just sighing.

Huh? Wait, is this about me?

Qin Zhonglian was totally lost, scratching his head.

Chen Shuoan saw that Qin Zhonglian, the other main character, still had no clue what was happening. He couldn't help but tear up, thinking ignorance was bliss.

Little Qin, there's no such thing as peaceful times—it's me carrying the weight for you.

"Hey Shuo'an! Any plans for tomorrow's spring hunt? When we get to the hunting grounds, we've got to pick out a good horse for ourselves." Zheng Yuanzhi reached out from behind, slinging an arm around Chen Shuoan's shoulder, leaning in like they were old pals.

Chen Shuoan replied sheepishly, "No plans. Just hoping I don't die."

Zheng Yuanzhi: "..."

"The hunt's pretty exciting, you know. The young masters compete to see who bags the most prey, and the winner gets to ask the Emperor for a reward. Don't you want to see it?"

What am I supposed to look forward to—meeting the Grim Reaper?

Chen Shuoan shook his head calmly, saying what was on his mind: "I'm a bit worried."

Zheng Yuanzhi took a deep breath and gave a flat, forced reassurance: "Don't worry."

"I'm also a bit scared."

"Don't be scared."

Chen Shuoan turned to look at Zheng Yuanzhi's slightly dim-witted face, smiled, and said, "Get lost." Dense bastard.

————

The next morning came.

Yuan Rang looked at the groggy figure stumbling out of the side chamber, already used to the sight.

Chen Shuoan wandered over to Yuan Rang in a daze and said, "You've secretly gotten even more handsome, bro."

"..." Yuan Rang pressed his lips together, not really wanting to respond.

Honestly, you can't blame Chen Shuoan for saying that.

His Highness the Sixth Prince was dressed today in black brocade with gold-threaded cuffs, making his tall, elegant frame pop even more. His face was still somewhat youthful, but his features were already beginning to show sharpness—sharp brows and bright eyes, undeniably handsome!

Chen Shuoan chuckled to himself, feeling that his daily meals were practically a feast fit for a king.

A eunuch suddenly appeared at the corner of the corridor. As he passed Chen Shuoan, he said hello.

Chen Shuoan gave the man a thorough once-over.

He's new, I guess, he thought.

But he didn't think much of it—he'd only been here a few days, so he couldn't have met everyone in the palace yet.

The eunuch hurried over to Yuan Rang's side, bowing deeply with a deeply respectful demeanor, and spoke: "Your Highness, the Empress Dowager has some matters to discuss. Please accompany me to Xianfang Hall."

Though he didn't explicitly urge haste, there was a clear sense of urgency in his tone.

But this was right when they were supposed to leave. Chen Shuoan shot Yuan Rang a surprised look.

Yuan Rang, of course, remained expressionless. He took a big step, moving ahead of the eunuch.

"Take Young Master Chen to Shenyin Mountain. The journey is long," Yuan Rang paused mid-sentence, then added, "Send some servants along. Don't let him get too tired."

"Yes."

Once Jili said yes, Yuan Rang turned and strode quickly toward Xianfang Hall.

As he passed Chen Shuoan, the gust of wind from his robes made Chen Shuoan's messy hair flutter.

And the owner of that messy hair felt his mood shift right along with it.

What's this supposed to mean? He's being assigned?

Jili stepped forward to lead the way, saying, "Young Master Chen, please follow me to the hunting grounds."

Chen Shuoan snapped back to reality and asked groggily, "What about the Sixth Prince?"

The sky wasn't fully light yet. Chen Shuoan trailed behind Jili, step by step.

Chen Shuoan's figure was hidden in the darkness as a thin, sharp voice came from ahead: "Don't worry about His Highness."

————

By the time Chen Shuoan arrived at the foot of Shenyin Mountain, he saw Zheng Yuanzhi and the others, who had just arrived.

Zheng Yuanzhi was thrilled and eagerly invited his classmates to hike up together.

Chen Shuoan had no objections—being stuck with Jili made him desperate to talk to someone.

So the group set off in high spirits.

The weather was clear, and after the beginning of spring, temperatures had risen. The wildflowers on the mountain were blooming profusely.

The birds in the woods didn't seem afraid of people either, flying low to the ground. Some mischievous ones even perched on people's shoulders and pecked at their lapels.

Chen Shuoan was in a great mood.

After climbing for two hours like this, his mood began to sour.

"Where are we now?" Chen Shuoan asked, exhausted, parched, and on the verge of collapse.

"About halfway up, I'd say." Zheng Yuanzhi panted, taking a break while drinking water.

Chen Shuoan's vision went dark at that, wishing he could just pass out right then and there.

"Brother Chen! Brother Zheng! Brother Li!"

Just then, a lively shout came from not far off.

Before they could turn to see who it was, a carriage sped past them, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"It's Zhang Chenggong." Li Wei said through gritted teeth, watching the carriage get smaller.

Chen Shuoan was dumbfounded: "Wait, what? He's taking a carriage?"

Zheng Yuanzhi shook his head and explained, "His sister's probably in that carriage. That kid's definitely riding on the ladies' coattails."

"..."

The three of them went quiet.

Li Wei suddenly spoke up: "Would you slap Zhang Chenggong for a thousand gold pieces?"

Zheng Yuanzhi let out a sneaky laugh: "Forget the thousand gold—slapping him ten times is nothing."

Chen Shuoan lowered his head, thought Zheng Yuanzhi was wrong, and corrected him: "You can't forget it."

"..." Another silence fell.

Chen Shuoan thought numbly: his own failure was bad enough, but his friend's success was even more gutting.

Zhang Chenggong really wasn't a man.