Hong'an Xiangzhuang - 15

Hong'an Xiangzhuang - 15

The cold wind stung my face, and the copper bells under the eaves jingled, shaking off the frost that had formed overnight.

Zhao Yunkang boarded the carriage first, then turned around and pulled Yun Yixia up. While she couldn't see him, he gave a look that scared away the maids who were about to follow.

Your hands are so cold!

He grasped her delicate, white fingertips and naturally pulled them into his sable handcuff.

Inside the carriage, the silver charcoal brazier burned brightly, and the refreshing scent of pine needles emanated from him, mingling with the faint aroma of medicine.

"That's what happens when it's cold!" Yunyi didn't pull her hand away. "I heard he wants me to be in charge of this hunting trip?"

The day after returning from the palace banquet, she slept until the afternoon before getting up. Peony said that someone from the palace came looking for her, but the prince sent them away.

“Zhang Qing came to invite you, but I sent him away on the grounds that you were ‘sick from exhaustion!’”

Zhao Yunkang's eyes darkened. His elder brother kept reaching into his backyard. What man could stand that?

After Zhang Qing left, Zhao Yunkang immediately submitted a memorial to the palace to "complain" to his mother.

The effect was obvious: the emperor entrusted the hunting arrangements to the Ministry of Rites and never contacted her again.

"Even after the Zhao family's shops were all closed down, he still won't let me go?"

Yun Yixia playfully scratched Zhao Yunkang's palm with her finger, a gesture that was both mischievous and alluring.

The playful fingers were grasped by a large hand, and he skillfully pulled the person into his arms, then wrapped the person in a fox fur cloak.

"Your Highness's embrace is so warm!"

Yun Yixia relaxed and leaned against Zhao Yunkang's chest, feeling the warmth on her back, and drifted off to sleep in the swaying carriage.

“Money can be a powerful motivator!” He rested his chin on her neck. “He’s eyeing the money from the sale of your shop, but he can’t very well ask for it.”

"I hope he doesn't go too far!"

Yun Yixia spoke vaguely, curling up in a warm embrace like a sleepy cat.

"Sleep well!" Zhao Yunkang kissed her smooth cheek. "I'm here, you won't!"

I believe you!

The two, like mandarin ducks with their necks intertwined, took a nap in the carriage.

The hunting ground gates stand tall, and the flags flutter in the sky.

The Khitan tents were pitched in the southeast corner, with wolf-head flags fluttering atop the ochre-red tents, facing the Daqing Azure Dragon Flag from afar.

Those who came to the royal hunting grounds in the western suburbs were mostly military officers; civil officials did not come to join the fun unless absolutely necessary.

Zhao Yunxian made it clear in court that there was no need for so many civil officials to accompany him, lest they become weak and sick, thus delaying the administration of the country.

Fewer people means easier things to do.

Yun Yixia and Zhao Yunkang entered the western suburbs hunting grounds and saw the Khitans wrestling in the distance, their heads steaming from the heat.

Yelü Hong, dressed in a thick fur coat, strode over, making the frozen ground beneath his feet rumble.

"Your Highness, the royal hunting grounds are far too small!" he grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth. "Our Khitan warriors can't find a proper place to roam!"

After he finished speaking, a burst of laughter came from behind Yelü Hong.

"The Khitan do have a few nice plots of land; giving them to Daqing as hunting grounds would be perfect."

Zhao Yunkang lifted the curtain, a smile playing on his lips, but his eyes were as cold as if he were looking at a dead man.

"King Kang, what arrogance you have!"

"Oh~" Zhao Yunkang adjusted Yun Yixia's collar, "Am I being arrogant?"

Their eyes met, sparks flew, and the atmosphere plummeted to freezing point.

"Your Highness, I'm so cold!"

Yun Yixia broke the deadlock, and the carriage resumed its journey. Yelü Hong sneered and turned back to the Khitan tent.

She gently lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, and outside, the Khitan soldiers all had eyes like hawks, thick knuckles, and worn-out bow scabbards; they were all skilled warriors who had seen blood.

The servants went in and out setting up the tent. After they warmed the tent, Yun Yixia got off the carriage. Zhao Yunkang returned after greeting his subordinates, and the two of them went in together.

"My lady, our people are all around the tent."

Mu Jin gave her wife a wink, and her departing figure exuded joy.

"Your maid is quite lively!"

Zhao Yunkang joked, then carried Yun Yixia onto the soft couch, wrapping her up tightly like a tiger marking its territory.

"Indeed, there are some!"

In modern parlance, Mu Jin's actions are called "shipping" (or "dating").

Unable to explain, Yun Yixia simply went along with Zhao Yunkang's words.

“He’s excellent!” Zhao Yunkang whispered in her ear. “He lives with them every day and hasn’t been exposed. He’s a good candidate to be a scout.”

"His singing, recitation, acting, and martial arts skills were honed from a young age. As a teenager, he was active in the northern frontier with his troupe leader and learned a lot of Khitan language."

These people accompanied the delegation to Beijing and observed many of their customs, making it easier for them to impersonate the delegation.

Yun Yixia leaned close to his ear and whispered the whole story.

When did you begin planning?

"They began their journey into the border area of ​​Daqing..."

At 3:45 AM, the western hunting grounds were shrouded in iron-gray morning mist, and the first bugle call had already sounded from the Khitan camp.

The horn's harsh sound, like a beast's howl, tore through the morning silence of the western mountains.

In the Daqing military camp, the soldiers who were doing their morning exercises on the drill ground all stopped at once.

"The death knell blows!"

Xu Zhihao slammed the Fire Dragon Spear into the ground and glared fiercely at the Khitan tent.

"What's the rush?" Zhao Yunkang, dressed in a black martial arts outfit, was fastening his wrist guards tightly. "Save your strength; we'll see who's the real deal on the field!"

The generals of Daqing were eager for battle, their fighting spirit high.

The reddish-brown tent in the southeast corner was opened, and Yelü Hong led the Khitan soldiers out.

They walked on foot to the training ground in the center, their leather boots clattering on the frosty ground.

"Good morning, Prince Kang!"

Yelü Hong stood ten paces away, his gaze fixed on the Daqing soldiers, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Practicing formations?" He thumped his chest. "We grassland men can fight wolves on our own!"

A scarred man behind Yelü Hong said something in Khitan, and the other men burst into laughter, their eyes filled with malice and extreme offense.

What's the point of just talking?

Zhao Yun Kang drew a white-feathered arrow from his quiver, nocked it, drew the bowstring taut, and released his finger... The arrow whistled sharply like the cry of a crane, grazed Yelü's ruby ​​earring, and shot into a cowhide drum three hundred paces away.

With a muffled thud, the white-feathered arrow struck the small black nose of the beast-head totem, bursting out of the drum.

The entire venue fell silent as the Daqing troops raised their arms in cheers, their morale soaring to unprecedented heights.

"What a fine arrow!" Yelü Hong casually tossed away her earring. "If it's so effective at killing animals, I wonder how many living creatures it can capture?"

"You'll know once you compare!"

Zhao Yunkang and Yelü Hong were both imposing and ready to fight.

At this moment, Yun Yixia stepped out of the tent, dressed in a smart riding outfit, her hair adorned only with a plain jade hairpin, looking quite dashing.

"Your Highness, breakfast is ready!"

"Everyone, go eat breakfast in shifts!" Zhao Yunkang waved to his soldiers, "We'll go too!"

The dispute was completely resolved, and the couple returned to their tent for a meal.

"I never expected that Prince Kang would become so infatuated with women; be careful he doesn't break his heroic spirit!"

Yelü Hong seemed unwilling to let the event end like this, and shouted a message to their retreating figures from afar.

"Whether heroes break their bones... I don't know!" Yun Yixia turned around and glanced at him. "Wild geese fly in pairs in the sky, and intertwined branches grow on the ground."

Some people live lonely lives, and their constant croaking is quite noisy.

Her clear, bright voice carried far on the wind, loud enough for both sides in the contest to hear clearly.

The Daqing soldiers laughed loudly and without ceremony. The Khitans didn't quite understand what they meant, and by the time they realized what it meant, the soldiers had already returned to their tents.

The scarred man angrily tried to enter the tent and drag the man out, but Yelü Hong did not stop him. Instead, the Khitan soldiers rushed over and pulled the man back.

joke!

Trespassing into the tent of the Prince of Daqing Kang was treated as an assassin, and killing the scarred man was both reasonable and legal.

"What's the rush?" Yelü Hongyin smirked. "We'll see who's the best on the hunting grounds!"

At 3:45 AM, on the open ground at the entrance of the royal hunting ground in the western suburbs, two groups of people stood clearly separated.

On Daqing's side, Zhao Yunkang led the way, wearing black armor over a dark cloak, with a bow slung across his shoulder and a sword hanging beside his saddle. Behind him, Liang Qiu smiled, while Xu Zhihao glared fiercely at the person next to him.

On the Khitan side, Yelü Hongguang rode a black steed named Ta Xue Wu Zhui, its mane braided into dozens of fine braids and adorned with wolf teeth.

"King Kang, shall we have a contest?"

"What are we comparing?"

Whoever hunts the most...wins!

What is the prize?

Zhao Yun looked down at the group of burly men, not taking them seriously at all. On Daqing's territory, foreign tribes had no chance of winning.

"If I win, the princess will dance for us; if I lose, the black horse will be the prize."

Yelü Hong tapped his palm with his riding whip, again and again, enjoying the sight of the angry, multicolored face opposite him.

"If I were the prize, your black horse wouldn't be enough."

Yun Yixia walked over gracefully, handing Zhao Yunkang a water pouch, her almond-shaped eyes filled with affection and her brows gentle.

"What does the princess want?"

Yelü Hong stared intently at Yun Yixia. If one looked closely, one could see that his pupils were unfocused and even trembling slightly.

"I want all your horses to stay behind, and you to go back and ride your donkeys out of the northern border!"

Yun Yixia slightly raised her chin, her domineering posture no less than that of Zhao Yun Kang on horseback.

"good!"

Yelü Hong readily agreed and high-fived Zhao Yunkang to swear an oath.

According to the rules, the two teams enter the mountain from different entrances and return before sunset, with the winner determined by the quantity and value of the prey.

The arrow whistled as it shot into the sky, exploding into three plumes of blue smoke.

Horse hooves shattered the thin ice at the valley entrance, and the two teams split into two groups, one going east and the other west, as they ventured into the mountains and forests.

The hunting terrain is like a jar, with a narrow entrance but a wide interior, and hot springs deep inside. Wild animals often gather here in winter.

Yun Yixia, dressed in a silver fox fur coat and holding a telescope, watched the two teams enter the mountains and forests.

"My lady, the Khitans often carry short crossbows, which they hide under their saddlebags."

When Mu Jin returned from gathering intelligence, she found that her wife was not surprised at all.

"They brought not only crossbows, but also tripwires..."

Yun Yixia turned the lens tube and looked in the direction where Daqing's team had disappeared.

Birds took flight in fright amidst the forest, wild beasts roared, and the hunting party resembled tigers plunging into the mountains.

"Awooo!!!"

A tiger's roar pierced the dense forest, and everyone in the hunting ground froze in place, staring in terror at the mountains.

"White-browed tiger!"

Someone shouted, but before they could run out, the guards pinned them to the ground to prevent panic.

Zhao Yunxian ordered the women and civil officials to return home, and mobilized troops to surround the hunting grounds, determined not to allow any wild beasts to rush into Xijing City and harm the people.

"Princess Consort Kang, please return!"

Zhang Qing wiped the sweat from his forehead. How could this guy still have the interest to climb high and look into the distance? Quickly pack up, pack up, and run!

"My man is still in the mountains... Where do you want me to go back to?"