Chapter 102.2 – Just Like A Woman
The Autumn Hunt lasted for a total of five days. The first and last day were used for travel, and only the middle three days were really spent hunting in the hunting ground. Therefore, after settling down outside the hunting ground on the first night, there was not much noise. Everyone was recharging their energy, waiting to show their skills on the next day.
On the second day, the weather was as good as the Directorate of Astronomy had predicted, with a clear and cloudless sky.
Today, Lu Qipei and Qi Yang had changed into neat riding attires, riding on horses with one hand holding a bow and the other holding the rein, looking very heroic. And next to Qi Yang, several princesses were also dressed in casual attire, obviously all of them wanted to participate in this Autumn Hunt.
After the fall of King Chu, Nanping had been quiet for a while, but she had already had a bad relationship with Qi Yang. Coupled with the matter with King Chu, the two sides completely became enemies.
At this moment, before the hunt began, she glanced at Qi Yang and her prince consort and suggested, “It’s rare for us sisters to get together like this. Today is a rare opportunity, so why don’t we all compare and see who gets the best prey?”
The princesses were all a bit excited, but this did not prevent them from understanding Nanping’s careful plan – Nanping’s prince consort was from a military background, and was the tallest and burliest among these prince consorts, and also the best in martial arts.
Setting aside everything else, Nanping’s prince consort should be the best in hunting. In comparison, Qi Yang’s prince consort was too thin. Especially when standing next to the women who had changed into riding clothes, she looked just like a woman.
Because they understood Nanping’s provocative intent, the other princesses did not want to get casually involved, so no one spoke up and they just waited for Qi Yang to respond first. Qi Yang played with her bowstring and said calmly, “No need to compare.”
Nanping thought that she was afraid, and when she heard this, she immediately felt complacent, casting a disdainful glance at Lu Qipei. “I didn’t realize that you now have more self-awareness, Qi Yang.”
Qi Yang didn’t take Nanping seriously at first, but she was a bit angry at her glance. Just as she frowned and wanted to say something, her sleeve was gently pulled by Lu Qipei. She looked at the latter and her anger subsided, and she completely ignored Nanping.
Nanping said a few more spicy words, but seeing that Qi Yang didn’t pay any attention to her, she felt like hitting a cotton bag, which was extremely boring.
The princesses next to them had seen enough of the excitement, so they stood up and started expressing their opinions. They also didn’t care about Qi Yang’s refusal and arranged for a competition among themselves. This way, Qi Yang seemed to be excluded.
Qi Yang straightened her back and didn’t care at all. Fortunately, shortly after, the Emperor ascended to the temporary tall platform and announced the start of the hunt.
Of course, the first arrow of the Autumn Hunt was shot by the Emperor, who killed the deer released by the guards with one arrow. Immediately after, with one command, hundreds of horses galloped out, roaring and rushing into the forest hunting grounds.
The one taking the lead was King Wei, followed by dozens of guards from his Mansion.
Since the Emperor got older, he didn’t end up doing much in the Autumn Hunt. After starting it by shooting an arrow, he just drank tea, ate snacks and chatted with the officials and royal clan elders, waiting for the young people who wanted to fight for supremacy to return with their prey.
The Crown Prince’s health had been poor in the past few years, and the Emperor felt sorry for him and didn’t insist for him to participate. Adding together the fact that the Emperor’s eldest grandson was coming this year to substitute for his father, and how the Crown Prince was tasked with guarding and patrolling the hunting ground, the Crown Prince would not be participating in the hunt this year.
Only after everyone else had entered the hunting grounds did he ride a horse with a team of royal guards to patrol, also exercising their muscles on the side.
When Lu Qipei and Qi Yang entered, it was neither early nor late. After entering the hunting grounds, the hundreds of cavalries instantly scattered around like drops of water disappearing into the sea.
The two were followed by twenty to thirty guards behind them. After separating from the crowd, they calmed walked into the forest.
Qi Yang suddenly heard a slight noise in the nearby grass, and without thinking, she raised her bow and shot an arrow. The arrow shot into the grass and didn’t hit anything, but startled a small animal. Before Qi Yang could see what it was, an arrow had already followed closely and nailed it in place. At this moment, Qi Yang looked again and realized that it was a fox.
The fox with messy fur was not very attractive, and its fur was not of much value. Qi Yang took a look and withdrew her gaze. The guard behind her came up to the front, jumped off the horse and picked up the messy-furred fox, then retrieved Her Royal Highness The Princess’s arrow.
The arrow that came after hers was shot by Lu Qipei. Qi Yang turned around and asked her, “Shall we go hunting first, or should we catch rabbits first?”
Lu Qipei couldn’t help but laugh when she saw her serious look when asking. “Of course we’ll go hunting first. Your Highness has been practicing archery at home for many days, so you won’t be completely useless, would you?”
She winked at her and continued, “Besides, Her Highness Nanping’s words are really unpleasant. If we can’t hunt more prey and slap her on the face, wouldn’t Your Highness feel aggrieved?”
Seeing her like this, Qi Yang couldn’t help but laugh. She raised her long bow and lightly patted her, angrily saying, “Since you knew I was angry, why did you still stop me back then, making her feel so complacent for a while.”
Lu Qipei pursed her lips and smiled innocently, “But Your Highness didn’t want to argue with her, so why should you get provoked by her?”
Qi Yang glanced at her and drove her horse forward, saying, “My riding and archery ability is just this much, and I won’t be able to win just by relying on the strength of my attendants. Since Prince Consort has made all those big words, I wonder if you’ll be able to make me proud?”
Lu Qipei drove her horse and followed her. There was only a gentle expression between her eyes, without any sharpness at all. “I will try my best.”
As she said that, she bent her bow and shot an arrow. There was a sudden scream and commotion in the bushes, indicating that she had hit something. Qi Yang looked back at her in surprise, unsure when the other party had discovered the prey.
Author notes:
Qi Yang (indignantly): I have been bullied! So angry, so frustrated!
Lu Qipei (kindly): I’ll help you slap her face. Just give me a kiss as a reward.
Qi Yang (hugging her head and kissing): Here, I’ll give you the advance deposit. Hurry up and find me a spot to watch!
Lu Qipei (dizzily): Okay, okay, I’ll go now…
