Chapter 106.1 – Endless Storm
Qi Yang calmly gave her a slap in the face. Although Nanping didn’t want to admit it, news that everyone was called back because a fierce tiger appeared in the hunting ground eventually spread. Knowing that Qi Yang and her prince consort had indeed hunted a tiger, Nanping was so furious that she abandoned the two firefoxes she had been so fond of and never looked at them again.
But in the end, the angry Nanping was just a small matter. The real issue was how something like a fierce tiger could appear in the hunting ground.
As expected, after the news spread, many people privately doubted the Crown Prince. If it weren’t for the dragon pendant that the Emperor gave to the Eldest Grandson earlier, expressing his attitude, the Emperor’s desk would probably be filled with memorials concerning the Crown Prince’s negligence in just half an hour!
These were all to be expected, and Qi Yang didn’t care too much about them. After sending Nanping away, she returned to the entrance of the hunting ground with Lu Qipei. She asked the royal guard on duty and learned that the Crown Prince had not returned yet.
There were also some people who went deep into the hunting ground in pursuit of their prey and had not returned yet. However, a large number of royal guards had already entered the hunting ground, and if there was really any danger, they could ward it off.
The answer made Qi Yang both relieved and worried, and she dragged Lu Qipei to wait outside the hunting ground. After waiting for half an hour, they met several groups of people who returned one after the other, but they never saw the Crown Prince’s figure.
Lu Qipei frowned and looked into the depths of the hunting ground, then suddenly said, “It seems that King Wei has not returned either.”
This sentence made Qi Yang’s heartstrings tense again, and she finally turned around and said, “I’ll go ask Royal Father to send more troops inside.”
Unexpectedly, as soon as she turned around, she heard the sound of horse hooves behind her. Lu Qipei pulled her back and said, “Your Highness, the Crown Prince has returned.”
Hearing this, Qi Yang immediately turned around, and sure enough, she saw the Crown Prince atop his horse wearing a riding suit. He was followed by dozens of royal guards behind him, and the group were acting all normal. There was no sign of distress, so obviously they didn’t encounter anything.
This discovery made Qi Yang feel a little relieved, and she stepped forward to welcome him.
As the Crown Prince got closer, he gradually slowed down his horse then jumped off its back when he arrived in front of Qi Yang. He quickly scanned her then asked, “Is Royal Sister alright? I heard that you and Ah Qi met a fierce tiger.”
Qi Yang shook her head and repeated the words that she had told the Emperor to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince obviously came back after receiving news from the hunting ground, but didn’t know the details in all the rush. Qi Yang’s detailed explanation right now made his expression calm down slightly. “I understand. Don’t worry, Royal Sister. I will deal with this matter.”
Qi Yang seemed to want to say something else, but Lu Qipei quietly pulled her sleeve. She suddenly understood something, and soon her interest was gone. She didn’t ask anymore question, and nodded while saying, “Since that’s the case, then I’ll return. Royal Brother, go ahead and keep yourself busy.”
The Crown Prince gave her a deep look, then he glanced at Lu Qipei next to her and gave her a nod. Afterwards, he turned around and got on his horse, leading his men away.
Lu Qipei didn’t care about the Crown Prince’s attitude and took Qi Yang’s hand, saying, “Let’s go, let’s return.”
Qi Yang gave one last look at the Crown Prince’s back, then looked at the direction of the hunting ground, but didn’t insist on doing anything else. She obediently allowed Lu Qipei to lead her back to the camp, but she was still full of worries.
Lu Qipei led her by the hand and said to her as they walked, “Your Highness, there is something I haven’t told you yet.”
Qi Yang was listless and didn’t pay attention to Lu Qipei’s words. She just casually asked, “What is it?”
Lu Qipei also didn’t look like she was too concerned and casually replied, “It’s about the rabbits that you had the attendants catch. One of them ran away, while the other was frightened to death, but it should be fine to eat.”
When she heard this, Qi Yang suddenly stopped and turned her head to look at Lu Qipei, saying in disbelief, “Frightened to death!?”
Lu Qipei gave and innocent look and said, “Rabbits are very timid, don’t Your Highness know?”
Qi Yang wanted to slap her forehead, but in the end, she had no choice but to wave he hand and say, “It’s fine. Get someone to go to the market and buy two and take them back later, I don’t have time to catch more.” She sighed, “I don’t know how the Autumn Hunt will end this time. The hunting ground might get closed.”
The Autumn Hunt was not a small matter. After this incident, it seems that the storm would continue.
Qi Yang had expected that the Autumn Hunt would have a difficult end, but she didn’t expect that things would turn out even worse than she had thought.
The Emperor ordered everyone in the hunting ground to return in the afternoon, and by evening, regardless of whether they got the news or not, all those who entered the hunting ground should have returned. But when they counted the number of people, they suddenly realized that one group was still missing – King Wei and his attendants had not returned yet!
This was already one of the worst situations that Qi Yang and her companions had thought of. When she received the news, she immediately took Lu Qipei to the Emperor’s tent. On top of the Crown Prince, there were also several senior officials in the tent. After she entered, she asked directly, “I heard that Royal Brother Wei has not returned yet?”
The Emperor looked at her in a daze with a sense of déjà vu. It was just like when King Wu had an accident – Qi Yang also came to ask him, but in the end, King Wu still died in the flood. Now Qi Yang asked the same question again, and King Wei was still trapped in that dangerous hunting ground, nowhere to be found. Could it be that King Wei was not going to return today??
