The hunting event was scheduled for the thirteenth of August. After the hunt, the civil and military officials accompanying the Emperor would be given a three-day holiday for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
On the night of the ninth, after lying down, Zhao Sui said to the Princess Consort, Tomorrow morning I have arranged to go riding with my eldest brother. We will set off at dawn and return by mid-morning. You can ask the First Princess and the others to accompany you for a stroll in the garden first.
Yao Huang, who was resting her head on Prince Hui's shoulder, looked up in surprise. It felt exactly as if her martial-arts-loving brother had suddenly told her one day that he was going to compose poetry with a scholar from the alley.
Did Your Highness invite the First Prince, or did the First Prince invite you?
Yao Huang truly could not imagine Prince Hui taking the initiative to invite Prince Kang for a ride. If Prince Kang had invited him, then this eldest brother was being much too tactless. It was a rare rest day for Prince Hui to spend with her, yet Prince Kang had to come and steal him away.
Zhao Sui replied, I invited him. Eldest Brother often comes to see me, so I should return the courtesy.
Yao Huang nodded, then playfully bit Prince Hui's shoulder. Your Highness has never taken the initiative to invite me for a ride. Now that I am pregnant, you go and talk about returning courtesies with the First Prince. Could it be that you simply do not want to spend time with me?
Zhao Sui could not tell if his wife was saying this on purpose or if she was truly feeling sour. He turned to hold her and said, No, I will be back by mid-morning. I will still be able to spend almost the entire day with you.
Yao Huang laughed in his arms. I was just saying that casually, why did Your Highness take it seriously again?
Zhao Sui was speechless.
Yao Huang took Prince Hui's Adam's apple between her lips, kissed it twice, and said, Since the First Prince is stealing Your Highness away, I will steal Sister-in-law away. You can ride with an easy heart and need not worry about me.
Prince Hui had long since closed his eyes.
With a wife like this, when she was not by his side, he would wonder what she was doing. When she was right before his eyes and he did not need to wonder, his body suffered a sweet torment instead.
Early the next morning, while the Princess Consort was still sound asleep, Prince Hui ate breakfast alone and was then pushed out of the Yunshan Hall in his wheelchair by Qingai.
Prince Kang was already waiting outside the Qinghui Hall ahead. Seeing his younger brother, he strode over and took over the wheelchair.
Since they were going riding, there was no need for idle chatter on the way. Prince Kang walked quickly, and it did not take long to reach the outside of the temporary palace. The palace servants had already led the two princes' fine steeds over.
Seeing its master, Jing Wu took the initiative to kneel on the ground.
Qingai and Feiquan skillfully assisted Prince Hui in mounting the horse.
This was the first time Prince Kang had seen his younger brother mount a horse with his own eyes. Recalling the green excitement of his younger brother when he first learned to ride as a youth, and the fearless posture of his eighteen-year-old brother donning armor and mounting his horse to head to the southern borders, Prince Kang tilted his head up slightly. While Jing Wu had not yet stood up and his brother was not paying attention to him, he walked to his own mount and took the longbow and quiver handed over by his attendant.
On the other side, Zhao Sui had also slung on his longbow and quiver. With a simple tug on the reins, Jing Wu stood up steadily.
For riding and hunting, it was inconvenient for close attendants like Qingai and Feiquan to follow. They were replaced by Zhang Yue, Wang Dong, and two of Prince Kang's guards.
A group of fine horses galloped across the grassland. When they reached the vicinity of a low hill far from the temporary palace, Zhao Sui was the first to slow down, changing to a slow walk.
Prince Kang did not dare to speak; he just silently accompanied his younger brother, who had invited him to ride together for the first time in so many years.
Zhao Sui rode up beside Prince Kang, glanced at him, and asked, Does Eldest Brother know why I wanted to come hunting?
Prince Kang felt a pang of sorrow. Pretending to scan the surroundings for potential prey, he smiled and said, It is for the hunting competition on the thirteenth, right? I heard Imperial Father mention that you will also participate.
Zhao Sui said, Since I followed the entourage here, if I were to avoid such a grand event, it might cause Imperial Father to worry.
Hearing this, Prince Kang's eyes began to sting. Imperial Father did not call for his younger brother out of fear that it would upset him, yet his younger brother was participating precisely so that Imperial Father would not worry!
Zhao Sui continued, I told my wife that I am just here to join the fun and will not compete for prey...
Prince Kang interrupted, If you can compete, then compete. Eldest Brother knows your archery is excellent; you do not need to yield to anyone!
Zhao Sui said, Good archery does not mean good horseback archery. Nowadays, even if I spot prey, I can only stop to draw an arrow and pull the bow. By the time I am ready, the prey will have long run away. So it is not that I am being modest and refusing to compete; it is that I truly cannot.
Prince Kang was silent.
He tilted his head, and two lines of tears suddenly rolled down his serious, square face. Why did his younger brother invite him out just to say these things? Was he intentionally trying to make him feel terrible?
Zhao Sui said, I asked Eldest Brother to accompany me out here because I wanted to practice beforehand. Whether I compete or not, I still want to hunt a prey or two by myself to bring back and make my wife smile.
Prince Kang replied, Alright, I will go ahead and take a look. If there is any prey, I will drive it toward you, and you act as you see fit!
Apart from the hunting enclosures, there were no fierce beasts in the Northern Park, only small animals like wild pheasants and hares that hid at the sight of people.
Zhao Sui did indeed want to practice shooting from horseback in advance. He asked Prince Kang to come along to make things clear to him, lest Prince Kang mistakenly think he could still show off in the hunting competition.
When the practice hunt ended, the two brothers put away their bows and arrows early on their way back, making it look as though they were just returning from a casual ride.
On the eleventh of August, Prince Kang came to pay his respects to Consort Xian according to custom.
Consort Xian asked, Yesterday morning, you went riding with Prince Hui?
Prince Kang nodded.
Consort Xian found it strange. Who brought it up first?
Prince Kang knew his mother tended to overthink, so he simply recounted the entire cause and effect. The more he spoke, the lower his spirits sank. He had searched the woods for two hours but found no prey, only startling a few small birds. His younger brother had fired six or seven arrows in total, only managing to hit a palm-sized titmouse.
Consort Xian looked at her son's honest face, which was full of heartache for another, and sighed. It is a fact that Prince Hui's horseback archery is nowhere near what it used to be. But think about it carefully. If he only wanted to practice, he could have just brought his own guards. Why did he insist on having you help? Just to let you see the awkwardness of him mounting and dismounting his horse?
No matter how open-minded a person was, they would try their best to avoid exposing their scars in front of others.
Prince Kang froze.
After pondering hard, he guessed, Because he never goes riding by himself, and he did not want his wife to know he was practicing secretly, so he asked me along as a cover?
No matter how cold his younger brother was, he was still a man, and all men wanted to maintain their dignity in front of their wives.
Consort Xian said, That is one reason, but it is not the most important one.
Prince Kang could not figure it out and said helplessly, Mother, just tell me directly. I still have duties to attend to later.
Consort Xian closed her eyes briefly, then glared at him and said, Take yourself for example. Before you knew his horseback archery was ruined, if you suddenly heard he went to practice archery right before the hunting competition, would you not think he was highly ambitious and wanted to continue claiming first place this year?
After Prince Hui had achieved success in martial arts, he won first place at the Northern Park hunting grounds at the age of fifteen, completely solidifying his position as the top prince in the Emperor's heart.
Now, Prince Hui's legs were crippled. But if Prince Hui still harbored the ambition to win the hunt, Consort Xian would be on guard against him, and the same went for Consort Rou, the Eldest Princess, and Prince Qing.
Prince Qing was currently being punished with confinement to reflect on his mistakes. If he could walk freely, Consort Xian believed that Prince Hui would have invited Prince Qing to ride along yesterday as well.
Prince Kang was speechless.
He lowered his head, avoiding his mother's sharp gaze.
Consort Xian said, I told you long ago, although Prince Hui is quiet, he actually has the deepest schemes. In his early years, when he could compete, he seized the opportunity to capture the Emperor's favor. Now that he can no longer compete, he takes the initiative to show weakness in front of you all, so as to prevent you from suspecting him.
Prince Kang said, ...Does Mother mean that Second Brother's display of weakness is also fake? Did he deliberately trick him out of his tears?
Consort Xian: Whether his weakness is real or feigned will depend on how much game he brings back from the hunting grounds. In short, you must still go all out. Do not intentionally let him win just because he is showing weakness. If you really let him take first place, your father's thoughts of making him the crown prince might be revived.
During this hunt, Prince Qing was absent, so Consort Xian made up her mind to help her son stand out. The two young masters from the Duke of Zhenguo's estate would both participate and assist her son in chasing down prey. As long as there were no unexpected surprises from Prince Hui's side, and the other young military officers knew their place, her son's chances of winning were very high.
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In the blink of an eye, it was the thirteenth day of the eighth month.
Emperor Yongchang was going to take his sons and military officers into the hunting grounds, while the consorts and accompanying female family members would wait outside the enclosure, eating, drinking, and chatting.
Yao Huang sat in the carriage, with the First Princess and Second Princess riding their horses alongside her.
Yao Huang asked, Are you two going to join the hunt as well?
Both princesses shook their heads. They only knew how to ride horses, not how to use a bow and arrow.
Yao Huang said regretfully, I know how, but unfortunately, the timing isn't right this year. Practice well after we return to the capital. Once I give birth, I'll take you hunting in the mountains on the outskirts of the city.
Next year, once the two princesses were married, she would have two more playmates outside the palace. The Second Princess used to have a foul mouth, but now that she had changed and knew how to have fun, Yao Huang didn't mind bringing her along. If the Second Princess ever went back to having a foul mouth, Yao Huang would simply ignore her again.
The carriage traveled for six or seven miles before reaching the hunting enclosure ahead.
The lower part of the enclosure was heavily wooded, with a low mountain in the middle that could be ridden up on horseback.
Outside the enclosure, felt mats, tables, chairs, and canopies had been set up. Fruits, pastries, and tea were prepared in advance, and young eunuchs and maids stood by, ready to serve the nobles at any moment.
Chen Ying, Yao Huang, Zheng Yuanzhen, and the two princesses sat on the felt mats to Empress Zhou's right, while Consort Xian, Consort Rou, and Grand Princess Fucheng sat on her left.
The couple had departed separately that morning, so it was only now that Yao Huang saw Prince Hui on horseback. His python robe was a common sight, but with a bow and arrows slung over his shoulder, he suddenly looked even more heroic and dashing than when he was just riding.
As Yao Huang was looking, someone among the young military officers suddenly waved at her. Yao Huang turned her head and saw her own brother.
Yao Lin was in the Imperial Guard and had joined the emperor's retinue this time. However, he usually guarded the city walls with the Imperial Guard, and he wasn't the type to slack off and enjoy the scenery with his princess sister.
For Emperor Yongchang's hunting competition this time, aside from the older dukes and marquises accompanying him, the age requirement for the young military officers was between twenty and thirty. This was how Yao Lin, with his rank as a sixth-grade military officer, was able to get the opportunity.
Yao Huang smiled at her brother.
Just as she finished smiling, she saw Emperor Yongchang call her brother over. She didn't know what was said, but her brother then went to Prince Hui's side.
When the time came, fine horses carrying their masters charged into the enclosure.
The Second Princess spoke excitedly about the prey for this hunt: I heard they released one red fox, two white foxes, ten wolves, and twenty deer. A deer is worth ten points, a wolf is twenty points, a white fox is fifty points, and the red fox is one hundred points. Rabbits, wild pheasants, and the like are all worth one point. If you want to win, you have to go for the big game.
In the past ten years, Imperial Father has only visited the Northern Park twice. There were two hunting competitions; Second Brother caught the red fox once, and Third Brother caught it the other time. Since Third Brother isn't here this year, Second Brother will definitely catch the red fox again.
The Second Princess had been getting along well with Yao Huang lately, so she assumed Yao Huang would be happy to hear this, completely forgetting that her eldest sister-in-law, Chen Ying, was also right beside them.
Yao Huang didn't look to see if Chen Ying felt awkward for Prince Kang. She simply said to the Second Princess, Your second brother said it's inconvenient for him to ride up the mountain, so he'll just look around the outer woods. Whatever he manages to hunt will depend entirely on luck.
Before going to sleep last night, Prince Hui had specifically told her not to expect any good catches.
Yao Huang wasn't fixated on the red or white foxes. Just being able to see Prince Hui's dashing figure with his bow and arrows made the trip worthwhile.
