Hong'an Xiangzhuang - 16

Hong'an Xiangzhuang - 16

In the mountain forest and hot spring area, white steam rises and radiates heat outwards.

Xu Zhihao lay prone behind a blue stone, the arrowhead moving slowly, tracking a stag drinking water thirty paces away.

He breathed very softly, his fingers resting on the strings, but he hesitated to release the string.

Ten feet to the left, Liang Qiu made a gesture indicating that something was amiss.

Three Khitans were creeping down from the eastern cliff face, short crossbows in their hands, their eyes scanning the area below.

Suddenly, the leader revealed a sinister smile and pointed in the direction to the other two.

Zhao Yunkang had his back to the three Khitans, seemingly oblivious, and was focused on the animals beside the hot spring.

The two deputy generals dared not delay, and Xu Zhihao arranged troops nearby.

Liang Qiu took out a bamboo whistle from his pocket and put it in his mouth... Before the whistle could be heard, a black-feathered arrow pierced through the air, accurately piercing the bamboo whistle, and the residual force made him lean back.

Khitan arrows!

Almost simultaneously, the sound of a bowstring rang out from the opposite hillside. Zhao Yunkang shot an arrow at the rocky top next to the hot spring, and the accumulated snow collapsed with a roar.

Amidst the swirling snow and mist, a tiger's roar erupted, and a white-browed tiger leaped out, startled, and pounced down, landing right where the three Khitans were.

Yelü Hong appeared in the distance and roared at the Khitans. The three of them panicked and tried to escape, which attracted the tiger to chase and pounce.

A tiger's roar echoed from afar, this time mixed with the startled neighing of horses.

The animals by the hot spring were thrown into chaos; deer, roe deer, and wild boars scattered and fled, leaving a trail of messy footprints in the snow.

Xu Zhihao shot an arrow into the sky, and it exploded at its highest point, creating a red cloud of smoke...

"Princess Consort Kang, you have no choice but to leave!"

Zhang Qing received a report from a young eunuch that all the civil officials and women in the camp had left, but no one had moved from Princess Kang's tent.

Why not?

Yun Yixia stood on high ground, gazing at the mountains and forests. She heard the tiger's roar growing fainter and fainter, as if the battle was coming to an end.

"What if the tiger runs out and hurts you?"

Zhang Qing wiped the sweat from his forehead. Even His Majesty had boarded the carriage, ready to leave the western hunting grounds at any moment.

He wanted to run away too, but Princess Kang was oblivious to his tact.

"If it runs out, I'll go in," Yun Yixia chuckled. "My man is in the woods... I'm going to find him!"

"…promise!"

Zhang Qing took a step back and stood behind Yun Yixia. Suddenly, he recalled how the Empress and the concubines had pretended to refuse several times before quickly getting into their carriages and leaving.

About an hour later, when Yun Yixia saw Zhao Yunkang riding out of the forest, her legs suddenly went weak and she almost knelt on the ground.

"My wife!"

"princess!"

Bai Wei and Shaoyao each supported Yun Yixia, while Zhang Qing extended his hands to protect her, withdrawing them once she regained her footing.

I'm fine now!

Standing for a long time made Yun Yixia's legs and feet sore and swollen. After moving around a bit, the soreness was relieved, and she walked downstairs with a slightly faster pace.

When Zhao Yunkang returned and saw the empty hunting ground, he raised an eyebrow slightly. Just as he was about to dismount, he noticed a group of people walking down from the watchtower, with his queen at the head.

He flicked the whip lightly on the horse's rump, ran to her side, and then dismounted.

"Why are you still here?" Zhao Yunkang glared at Zhang Qing. "Didn't you see everyone else has left? What are you doing here?"

"You're not back yet!" Yun Yixia hugged him. "If you don't come out, I'm planning to bring people in to look for you."

There are so many people, the tiger can't possibly eat them all.

What if he's still alive?

One night as husband and wife, a hundred nights of kindness.

He was far superior to all men in the world, and would be in no way inferior even in modern times.

She didn't want to give up until the very last moment!

"Fool!"

Zhao Yunkang cursed under his breath, his arms tightly embracing the soft woman in his arms, his veins throbbing, his heart burning with passion.

He once envied his subordinates who were greeted when they returned home, and thinking of his own mother and elder brother, he thought he would never experience such warmth in his life.

Unexpectedly, the woman he "forced" into marriage gave him such a strong sense of belonging.

"Mmm!" Yun Yixia tilted her head back and kissed his chin. "It's good that you're back safe and sound!"

Xu Zhihao and Liang Qiu dragged their prey out of the forest, followed by Yelü Hong and his entourage.

Only when they got closer could they see that they were dragging a huge white-browed tiger with an arrow stuck in its throat, the arrow feathers of which were made in Daqing.

Yelü Hong's face was ashen. Half of the men who had entered the mountains had not returned, and the saddles of several warhorses were empty.

"Isn't it against the rules for Prince Kang to return to the palace and not pay his respects to the emperor, but instead go to the brothel first?"

His eyes were fixed on the tiger's corpse, his cheek muscles twitching violently. He held back for a long time before finally speaking out fiercely.

“My wife is timid, so she inevitably has to be more cautious.” Zhao Yunkang raised an eyebrow. “Unlike the Yelü envoy, who doesn’t have anyone around him who cares about him.”

Before the Khitans could react, he half-carried her back to the tent to rest.

"You can rest in the tent. I'll have someone bring dinner back. You don't need to go out."

Zhao Yunkang gently stroked the stray hairs at Yun Yixia's temples, held back for a moment, but couldn't resist cupping her face and kissing her endlessly.

The kiss was devoid of any lustful desires, filled with tenderness and satisfaction.

"Ahem!" Zhang Qing cleared his throat outside the tent. "Reporting to Prince Kang, His Majesty requests an audience!"

"knew."

Zhao Yunkang reluctantly left the tent, then resumed his aloof and dignified demeanor.

Inside the imperial tent, the ambergris incense was thick and heavy, like a mist, but it couldn't suppress the stench of blood seeping in through the cracks in the tent doors.

Zhao Yunxian sat upright on the gilded throne, his fingertips tapping the sandalwood armrests.

Yelü Hong sat to the lower left, and both he and the Khitan behind him had very unpleasant expressions.

The curtain was lifted, and Zhao Yunkang entered, enveloped in a chill. Just as he sat down, a royal physician carrying a medicine chest rushed in, greeted him, and went straight to him.

"Your Highness, the Princess has ordered me to treat your injuries!"

"Brother, please forgive me!"

Zhao Yunkang lowered his eyes and curled the corners of his mouth, then rolled up his sleeves to his upper arm, revealing a bloody gash in front of everyone.

"King Kang has married a wonderful wife!"

Yelü Hong spoke sarcastically across from him, and Zhao Yunkang nodded his thanks generously, which made him so angry that he slammed his eyes shut.

Zhao Yunxian rested his chin on his hand, sitting above them watching their back-and-forth exchange.

According to the information brought back by the secret guards, Yun Yixia did not want to marry the emperor's younger brother, and even actively fueled the rumors about herself.

A tiger was discovered in the forest, and everyone evacuated, but Yun Yixia resolutely stayed behind.

When did their relationship become so close?

The imperial physician swiftly treated Prince Kang's wounds, bowed, and left the imperial tent. He never suspected how the princess knew he was skilled at treating external injuries.

After all, there are few external injuries in the inner palace, so everyone usually turns their attention to studying the internal lesions.

"Your Majesty, the prey has been counted."

Zhang Qing stepped in and reported the results of the hunt.

"Daqing hunted: one white-browed tiger, three male deer... plus pheasants, roe deer and other small animals, totaling forty-three animals."

"The Khitan hunted: five male deer, seven gazelles... plus small animals, for a total of twenty-nine animals."

"Judging by type and quantity, Daqing wins."

The generals inside the tent were smug; with Prince Kang having captured the white-browed tiger, they were certain of victory.

Yelü Hong's cheek muscles twitched as he grabbed a silver bowl from the table and gulped down a mouthful of wine. The wine spilled from the corner of his mouth, dripping down his tangled beard onto the cushion.

"The outcome is decided!" Zhao Yunkang looked at the other side. "Embassy Yelü, when do you plan to pay the prize?"

Yelü Hong stared intently at Zhao Yunkang. The tent was so quiet that the faint popping of the silver frost charcoal in the brazier could be heard.

After a long while, he suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly, the sound of which shook the top of the tent and caused dust to fall in a flurry.

"King Kang is right! We lost! The bet will be honored after the hunt!"

He spoke with great gusto, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a strong sense of resentment.

"Rest assured, Your Excellency!" Zhao Yunkang said with a hearty smile. "We will select the strongest donkeys for you."

The tent fell into a deathly silence. The Khitan attendant suddenly stood up, his hand on the hilt of his sword; the commander of the Daqing Imperial Guard took half a step forward, his armor clanging.

"Your Highness Kang, is this truly the case?"

Yelü Hong's smile gradually froze, and his voice became as low as a whetstone.

"Your Excellency, a ruler's word is not to be taken lightly!"

Zhao Yunkang was not afraid of Yelü Hong breaking the agreement, and the two sides negotiated peace, putting the Khitan at a disadvantage.

They dared not resist!

At the same time, Zhao Yun Kang also wanted to see if his good brother would interfere again.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Yelü Hong's Adam's apple bobbed as he grinned menacingly, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

"A donkey is a donkey!"

We, the sons of the grasslands, can ride sheep and gallop a thousand miles!

The Khitans looked indignant, but they didn't dare to actually make a move.

Daqing is powerful now, and even if we kill them, we won't be afraid to fight the Khitan again.

They died in vain!

"Now that it's settled, envoy, you may withdraw!"

Zhao Yunxian waved his hand, and the Khitans left first. The military officer said a few words and then left as well.

Only the two brothers were inside the imperial tent, remaining silent and neither of them spoke for a moment.

Zhao Yunkang looked down at his forearm and felt that there was no point in lingering like this, so he might as well go back and be with his wife.

"King Kang, we've won the hunt. What reward do you want?"

Zhao Yunxian looked down with a complicated expression. After the shortage of food supplies, the brothers had gradually drifted apart.

At that time, Daqing was beset by internal and external troubles. He did not expect that someone would dare to tamper with the military rations, which made that batch of military rations unusable and required time to collect more grain.

He originally wanted to explain the reason, but then he thought, why should a king explain to his subjects?

The Minister of Revenue said that the army is constantly urging for grain and fodder, so it would be better to delay and collect some good grain to send over.

When he learned that the northern border army was starving and eating tree bark and roots, "Zhao Yun" had already sent a large amount of grain to them, relieving their immediate crisis.

It was too late for Zhao Yunxian to explain at this point; he could only urge the Ministry of Revenue to send the military supplies to the northern frontier as soon as possible.

"Your Majesty, among the hunted animals were several snow foxes, which I wish to take back to make clothes for the Princess."

Zhao Yunkang didn't stand on ceremony. Thinking of her cool fingers, he figured the snow fox should be warmer than her cloak.

"Getting married really makes a difference!"

Zhao Yunxian nodded in agreement and let Zhao Yunkang go back.

Looking at his younger brother's tall stature, Zhao Yunxian subconsciously placed his hand on his soft belly, which had a slight weight on it, indicating that he had been neglecting to exercise.

The servants were busy preparing dinner. Zhao Yunkang handed over several snow foxes to them to help skin them and tan them before bringing them over.

"I'm back!"

Zhao Yunkang lifted the curtain and stepped into the tent, a bitter smell wafting towards him.

"You've come back just in time!"

Yun Yixia poured out a thick, dark medicinal soup, her smile as gentle as ever, yet he found it both beautiful and wicked.

"Such a minor injury can heal without medicine."

Zhao Yunkang began to regret why he hadn't dodged faster.

He has never liked drinking bitter medicine soup since he was a child, and he wishes he would never get sick in his life.

"Don't you want to drink?" Yun Yixia lowered her eyes. "Then forget it!"

Zhao Yunkang couldn't bear to see her so upset, so he walked over, picked up the bowl of medicine, and gulped it down her throat. It was so bitter that she kept hiccuping.

He pressed a piece of candied fruit against his thin lips, took a bite, and pulled her into his arms, determined to let her experience the bittersweet taste as well.