Chapter 53 Qianlong's Supervision

Everyone dismounted one after another, and Yongqi stepped forward and said, "Reporting to Father Emperor, today's harvest was quite fruitful. However, at noon, we ate a few rabbits. I wonder if we should include that in the harvest?"

Emperor Qianlong quickly replied, "Of course we want them! You all earned those through your own abilities!"

Afterwards, the eunuchs accompanying the princes and young masters reported their masters' achievements one after another. Upon hearing this, Qianlong laughed heartily and said, "You children are all quite capable. Erkang and Xiao Jian, you two are even more outstanding than my sons!"

Xiao Jian quickly replied, "Your Majesty flatters me. No matter how capable I am, I am still inferior to the Fifth Prince."

Yongqi stepped forward and patted Xiao Jian on the shoulder, saying with a smile, "Xiao Jian, we have all witnessed your achievements with our own eyes, so you don't need to be modest. We are not sore losers. If we lose to you today, we will work harder tomorrow. One day, we will surpass you."

Yongzhang continued, "Xiao Jian, I saw you shoot that wild goose this afternoon. I heard you're the same age as me. Tomorrow we'll have a good competition to see who's better, you, this lonely bird from the edge of the world, or me, this royal prince..."

Yongcheng and Yongrong, standing next to Yongzhang, were clearly eager to watch the show. Yongcheng said, "Xiao Jian, they all say you are highly skilled in martial arts, but I haven't seen it for myself. Tomorrow, I want to see for myself just how capable this 'Hero Xiao' they speak of really is."

Xiao Jian was slightly helpless, but he couldn't refuse, so he could only say, "In that case, Xiao Jian can only respectfully accept your offer."

Yongzhang added, "Don't go easy on me just because I'm a prince. I want you to show your full strength and fight me seriously, understand?"

"Yes, Xiao Jian obeys!"

Afterwards, everyone gathered in Qianlong's tent for dinner, and only then did Qianlong learn that Yongqi and the others had a private competition.

Yongqi said, "Father, let Xiaoshunzi and Xiaoguizi serve you here tonight, and let them come with us tomorrow."

Emperor Qianlong looked at Yongqi with wide, puzzled eyes and curiosity. "Why did you have them stay here to serve me?"

Little Swallow explained, "That's because we have a competition with a half-month time limit. Whoever catches the most prey will be the winner, and the last place winner will have to make a weapon for the first place winner. To ensure fairness, we've put them on the Emperor's side and asked the Emperor to supervise them."

Emperor Qianlong became interested and said, "Very well, let them stay. I will supervise them and act as the referee to determine the final winner."

Sitting next to the Empress Dowager, Qing'er looked at Xiao Yanzi and said, "Xiao Yanzi, this time we must not hold back, we must go all out."

Little Swallow raised an eyebrow at Qing'er, "Qing'er, do you mean you want to be number one? You wouldn't want to let..."

Before Xiao Yanzi could finish speaking, Qing'er interrupted her, "Xiao Yanzi, stop teasing me. I was just thinking that we lost once in Master Ji's assessment last time, so we absolutely can't lose again this time."

"Alright then, Qing'er, you be first, I'll be second, and let my brother be last, how about that?"

Yongrong, standing nearby, laughed and said, "Sister Xiaoyanzi, aren't you being a bit too certain? I think the first place will either go to Fourth Brother or Fifth Brother..."

Little Swallow turned to look at him and asked, "How about we make a bet?"

Yongzhang added, "I also think that either Fourth Brother will win, or Fifth Brother will win."

Xiao Yanzi looked at Yongzhang in disbelief, "Third Prince, do you have so little confidence in yourself?"

"The most valuable thing about a person is to know their own limitations. I certainly don't have the abilities of my fourth and fifth brothers, so I won't try to be strong."

Yongzhang's mindset left everyone speechless for a moment.

"Yongcheng, what about you? What do you think?" The speaker was Consort Jia, whom Xiaoyanzi found terrifying. Seeing Consort Jia's smiling face as she asked Yongcheng, Xiaoyanzi got goosebumps.

Yongcheng looked at the people on his left and right and said, "I always leave some room for maneuver for things that haven't happened yet, and I won't make any definitive statements. No matter who wins, it's Father Emperor who wins."

Whether it's the emperor's son, the minister's son, or even Xiao Yanzi and Xiao Jian, who don't yet hold official ranks, the result is still Qianlong's victory, because they are all Qianlong's subjects, people whom Qianlong diligently needs to protect!

Yongcheng's words struck a chord with Emperor Qianlong. He looked at Yongcheng with satisfaction and said, "Yongcheng, what you said is quite right. No matter who wins, I will be happy because our Qing Dynasty will have more capable people, and our country will become even stronger."

Little Swallow laughed and said, "Fourth Prince is right, Your Majesty. I think we should have a drink and toast him."

When Emperor Qianlong heard that they were going to drink, he frowned and said, "You are all still young. It's not good for you to drink."

She looked at Yongcheng and said, "I, Xiaoyanzi, am still young, but the Fourth Prince is already twelve years old. Besides the Sixth Prince and me, there is also the pregnant Empress and Consort Jia present. All of you may drink now."

Fu Erkang and Fu Ertai did not have dinner at the Qianqing Palace, so Fu Ertai, who was even younger than Xiao Yanzi, was not included in the count.

Yongqi added, "Father, I think Xiaoyanzi is right. We can indeed drink now. Let Xiaoyanzi and Sixth Brother toast Fourth Brother and Father with tea instead of wine, wishing us a smooth and successful hunting trip. What do you say?"

Since Yongqi had already said all that, Qianlong and the others had no choice but to drink a cup. "Alright, then bring out the wine. Let's take Yongqi's auspicious words as a blessing and wish our hunting trip a smooth one."

After dinner, everyone returned to their respective tents. Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi helped Consort Yu walk to their tent, one on each side. Consort Yu looked down at the two little ones on either side and smiled, "Did you have fun hunting today?"

Little Swallow nodded quickly, "Of course I'm happy! I never knew hunting was so much fun! Galloping on horseback across the grasslands, chasing after prey, I didn't want to go back at all."

In the palace, you have to wear flowerpot-soled shoes, pay respects to your elders morning and evening, and follow so many rules and regulations. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

Upon hearing Xiao Yanzi's words, Consort Yu turned to Yongqi and said, "Did you hear that? This place is even more attractive to Xiao Yanzi than the palace. Yongqi, if you let your guard down, you might lose the wife you've already got."

"Mother!" Yongqi never expected that Consort Yu would become even more adept at teasing them now. "Little Swallow would never abandon me!"

When Xiao Yanzi saw that Yongqi was pouting, clearly unhappy, she quickly said, "Oh, the most important thing is that you're here with me. If you weren't here, there would be no happiness in this place."

Yongqi smiled after hearing his wife's words. His wife continued, "Yongqi, you need to understand one thing: where we are isn't the point. The point is that you need to be by my side. As long as you're here, I'll be happy."