Chapter 46
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Surprisingly, this side quest had a time limit.
For many years, Xue Yao had a lingering concern that he might pamper the Long Aotian cub. Today he finally received a “spoiler warning.”
In the novel, the Long Aotian cub should have been injured at around the age of eight.
Now, due to Xue Yao’s intervention, the Third Prince no longer gave special attention to the Seventh Prince, and there had been no outbreak of fighting in the training field.
Moreover, the Seventh Prince had never experienced the humiliation and cold looks that he should have received from the age of six. His childhood had been truly carefree.
The chubby cub today was still the same innocent fool. At least that was how Xue Yao felt.
Raising a cub like this was actually very dangerous.
Xue Yao might not be able to shield the Seventh Prince from all future storms.
A single misstep could lead to utter defeat. If the Seventh Prince lacked the inherent abilities from the novel, Xue Yao’s care might, ironically, become detrimental.
Stuck in the midst of it all, with a feeling of helplessness, Xue Yao always thought about waiting for the child to grow a bit more and then finding opportunities for him to gain experience.
But in the eyes of this old father, the child remained too young, so he kept postponing what could be done today to tomorrow.
What could be done to resolve this?
Losing interest in practicing archery, Xue Yao bid farewell to the Fifth Prince, and discreetly observed the chubby cub from the shadows.
The only current solution was to step into the fray personally. Xue Yao planned to challenge the Seventh Prince in the guise of a martial arts spar, exchange a few moves, and then seize the opportunity to strike a blow at his pressure point, attempting to unblock his Du and Ren meridians.
He began to assess his “opponent.” The chubby cub was now slightly shorter than him but seemed manageable.
The Seventh Prince was only a bit taller than most children his age, but his strength and agility were not to be underestimated.
He couldn’t afford to delay any longer. If he waited for Long Aotian to mature, even without unblocking the Du and Ren meridians, Xue Yao wouldn’t stand a chance.
If a thrashing was in order, it needed to be done sooner rather than later.
So, Xue Yao quickened his pace, silently trailing behind the Seventh Prince, always ready for a surprise attack.
The Seventh Prince remained silent, walking on, never turning back to check the situation behind him. After a while, he halted, dropped to one knee, and lowered his head to examine the tracks left by the wild animals in the underbrush.
The opportunity had arrived!
Lowering his eyes to the huddled form of the cub, Xue Yao slowly and silently raised his fist—
“Wild boar,” the Seventh Prince suddenly spoke.
Startled, Xue Yao hastily withdrew his sinister hand and asked in surprise, “You saw me?”
The Seventh Prince inserted an arrow into the animal tracks as a marker, then stood up, turned around, and looked at Xue Yao with an expressionless face.
It was a clearly a look as if he were observing a fool!
“Your Highness, how did you know I was following you?” Xue Yao had always been confident in his stealthy skills!
The chubby cub had been focused on tracking, so he shouldn’t have noticed him!
The Seventh Prince turned his head to look at him with a blank expression. “Yaoyao has been obediently following Your Highness all along.”
Xue Yao: “……”
He was definitely not obediently following him!
He had been secretly tracking him just now!
“When did Your Highness discover me?” Xue Yao found it hard to accept!
The Seventh Prince turned and pointed to a tree not far away. “Yaoyao.”
He then gestured to a spot about thirty yards in front of the large tree. “Your Highness.”
Xue Yao was momentarily stunned, but when he realized, he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat!
When he first began trailing the Seventh Prince, he had been hiding behind that tree, while the Seventh Prince had been standing exactly thirty yards away.
In other words, he had been discovered from the very beginning!
Xue Yao stood there in a daze.
He felt uneasy, as if the cub he had raised with so much effort had suddenly exceeded his control.
“Yaoyao?” The Seventh Prince tilted his head, seemingly noticing something unusual in his expression.
“Ah?” Xue Yao snapped back to reality, gazing at the now seemingly unfamiliar cub.
“Want the wild boar?” The Seventh Prince lowered his head and kicked the arrow stuck in the ground. He raised an eyebrow and flashed a mischievous smile at Xue Yao. “It’s an animal trail, fresh earth has been turned up, and the den is within three miles.”
Xue Yao lacked hunting experience and didn’t understand the Seventh Prince’s reasoning for believing the wild boar was nearby. He replied with a casual smile, “Sure, I’ve never caught a wild boar before.”
The Seventh Prince immediately stepped forward, lowering his head towards Xue Yao.
It wasn’t a bow but a gesture of seeking encouragement and approval from the chubby cub.
Between them, an unspoken understanding had already formed. Xue Yao promptly reached out and gently stroked the back of His Highness’ head, softly reassuring, “Your Highness is the most skilled.”
As evening fell, Xue Yao and the two princes carried wild rabbits and pheasants, with two attendants shouldering a wild boar behind them.
The group of readers-in-waiting had only managed to bring back five small animals, conceding defeat gracefully, and pooling together sixty taels of silver to hand over to the Fifth Prince.
The Fifth Prince generously handed all the silver to Xue Yao.
The readers-in-waiting, looking disheartened, looked as if they’d lost a battle of life and death.
Back at the campsite, a bonfire was set up outside the tents.
Xue Yao followed the Seventh Prince to the side of the bonfire and discovered that the Crown Prince, adorned in white and gold-patterned riding attire, was also seated to the south of the bonfire, “enjoying the festivities with the people.”
Spotting an empty seat beside the Crown Prince, Xue Yao considered making a shameless move but was preempted by the Second Prince, who raised his hand to beckon, “Old Seventh, come sit here!”
Knowing that his elder brother favored Old Seventh, the Second Prince always made sure to arrange things for his beloved brother.
The Seventh Prince glanced at the space beside Eldest Brother. There was only one empty seat.
His Highness didn’t wish to go over. He wanted to sit with Xue Yao.
“Come here!” the Second Prince eagerly beckoned.
The Crown Prince, on the other hand, didn’t even look at his youngest brother, calmly poking at the bonfire with a tree branch.
“Too crowded,” the Seventh Prince said with reluctance, casually strolling toward an empty seat to the west.
The Crown Prince couldn’t stay calm any longer. He glared and sternly commanded, “Come here!”
The Seventh Prince turned and walked over to Eldest Brother.
It was time to concede when it was necessary.
“Sit!” The Crown Prince used his chin to gesture to the space beside him.
The Seventh Prince immediately took a seat, feeling somewhat weakened.
The cherished seat of Eldest Brother was not to be refused.
Xue Yao couldn’t help but feel envious. He also wanted to sit beside the Crown Prince.
Suddenly, a gentle and familiar voice sounded by his side.
“A’Yao, come sit here,” the Sixth Prince said.
Xue Yao turned his head and saw the Sixth Prince, smilingly patting the space next to him.
The flickering firelight appeared softer in the bright eyes of the Sixth Prince.
The several princes discussed their hunting achievements.
After the Fifth Prince proudly showcased his success, he didn’t forget to mention Xue Yao’s “never hitting the mark a hundred times” feat, bringing some laughter to the group.
Because of his good relationship with the three younger princes, Xue Yao wasn’t too formal with the two older princes. He intentionally wore a disgruntled expression, giving himself an excuse, “It’s all because my archery isn’t great. If I had a beautiful horn bow like Your Highness, I’d hit the mark every time!”
“Even the bow feels wronged hearing that!” The Fifth Prince teased him.
The other princes burst into laughter, but the Seventh Prince was eager to enjoy the roasted suckling pig and got up to find the chef at the barbecue station.
The Third Prince was sitting with the Fourth Prince near the quiet bonfire to the west of the barbecue station, engaged in a conversation.
The pavilion closest to the water enjoys the moonlight first. The first batch of roasted rabbit legs had already ended up in the hands of the two princes.
As the Seventh Prince approached the bonfire, he instinctively checked whether Third and Fourth brothers had any roasted meat.
Just as he looked, he happened to overhear what the Third Prince was saying.
The Third Prince tore a large piece of rabbit leg meat with a bite and mocked, “What kind of place is Pingrong County? Father Emperor sent Eldest Brother there to experiment with new policies, just to dampen his spirit and make him understand that he’s just a fool. He shouldn’t be preoccupied with these irrelevant matters, causing harm to the people!”
The Fourth Prince, as usual, smiled and chimed in, but he subtly expressed his own opinion, “Eldest Brother has considered the reform quite thoroughly this time. Pingrong County is a small place, and Father Emperor has provided him with ample resources. Maybe it can really develop.”
“Develop? Nonsense!” The Third Prince wore a stern expression. “A bookworm governing the country, a laughingstock! He walks around with the aura of a sage and virtuous gentleman, only to impress Father Emperor. Among us brothers, he’s the most useless one. You’ll see, this time, I’ll certainly help him… oh!”
Before the Third Prince could finish, a figure suddenly darted out from the side, knocking him over.
“Insolent!” The rabbit leg in his hand was knocked to the ground. The Third Prince, fuming, glared at the intruder. “Old Seventh? Why did you run into me?”
The Seventh Prince raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the barbecue grill in the distance, indicating that he wanted to get some meat. Then, he wordlessly passed by the Third Prince.
“Stop!” The Third Prince, with his greasy hand, grabbed the Seventh Prince’s wrist and forcefully pulled him back. “Don’t you have eyes? Can’t you see two grown men sitting here? You bumped into me, and want to leave without apologizing? Have you no manners?”
The Seventh Prince stood upright, his eyes cold as he stared at the Third Prince. “Your grandpa apologizes.”
“Insolent! Is this your way of apologizing? You…”
“Forget it… forget it, Third Brother. Old Seventh is still young.” Because Consort Xi had favored Noble Lady Yi, the Fourth Prince wanted to help Old Seventh out of this situation. He intentionally pointed to his own temple, indicating that Old Seventh might not be in his right mind, and asked Third Prince not to argue with him.
“I must give him a lesson! He doesn’t watch where he’s going! He bumped into someone and didn’t even apologize!” The Third Prince looked down at the half-eaten rabbit leg on the ground. He immediately pointed at the rabbit leg and scolded, “Look at this! Look at this! This rabbit leg is freshly roasted, and you knocked it down! What are we going to do? Look at you…”
The Seventh Prince swiftly bent down, picked up the rabbit leg from the ground, and forcefully shoved it into Third Prince’s mouth.
When something falls, pick it up, right? What else can be done? Silly.
“Mmm-mmm…” The Third Prince, with his mouth blocked, was silenced by the mud-covered rabbit leg!
The Fourth Prince couldn’t help but burst into laughter!
“Ptui, ptui, ptui.” The Third Prince quickly spat out the rabbit leg, ejecting a mouthful of dirt and mud. He angrily rose to his feet, intending to punish his younger brother. However, he realized that Old Seventh had already disappeared!
“You little brat, don’t let me catch you!” The Third Prince stomped his foot in frustration!
•••
After a day of hunting and a late-night campfire banquet, Xue Yao returned to his tent and fell asleep immediately.
He paid no attention to the two readers-in-waiting sharing the tent with him, who were fuming with red faces, as he slept soundly through the night.
Early in the morning, the sound of an unfamiliar man’s voice could be heard outside the tent.
“Is Second Young Master Xue here?”
After calling three times in a row, Xue Yao finally woke up, put on an outer garment in a daze, and quickly went outside to see.
The newcomer was an unfamiliar imperial guard, holding an exquisite horn bow.
“Are you looking for me?” Xue Yao looked at this unfamiliar man with confusion.
The palace guard asked emphatically, “Are you Xue Yao, the Second Young Master Xue?”
“Yes, I am.”
The palace guard raised his hand and handed the bow to him with a crisp sound. “His Highness ordered me to deliver this bow to you. I apologize for the disturbance.”
Saying this, he thrust the bow into Xue Yao’s arms.
Xue Yao, still puzzled, took the bow and was about to ask a question when the guard had already turned and briskly walked away.
“Huh!” Xue Yao lowered his head to look at the bow in his hands. It was made of the same material as the bows used by the princes.
A gift from His Highness?
Which Highness?
It wasn’t that Xue Yao lacked confidence, even though he had raised the cub for nine years. He was very certain that the Seventh Prince wouldn’t give gifts to anyone else. This “His Highness” was definitely not the Seventh Prince.
So, who could have sent this bow? And why send it to him?
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