Chapter 48

Unedited

At the beginning of autumn, the palace started to prepare for the autumn hunt. Under the feudal system of ancient times, the nobles liked to show off, with many people and grand momentum. The Emperor of Chu was even more exaggerated and almost emptied the entire court and harem for one autumn hunt.

As the favored imperial concubine in the harem, Shen Fengyue naturally appeared on the list of attendants.

Flags with Chu’s totems fluttered in the wind, and the soldiers were divided into two teams for protection, standing tall and majestic.

As Shen Fengyue was favored, he was allowed to ride in the same carriage with Emperor Chu. He was so curious that he couldn’t help but lift a corner of the curtain to look back, seeing a long dragon flying behind them.

Emperor Chu was reading a book and didn’t reprimand him, indulging his behavior.

He really doted on him very much.

“Imperial Concubine…,” someone called out to him.

Shen Fengyue lowered his head and saw the devil from last night. Ignoring the other party, he angrily pulled the curtain down.

Eunuch Shen was taken aback, looking at the hanging curtain, but then burst out laughing.

The location for the autumn hunt was selected at a royal hunting ground that was specially designated. The mountains were clear, the waters were beautiful, and the trees and grass were lush. There was a wide variety of prey, but as it was currently autumn, everything was withering and the golden leaves were falling to the ground, giving off a chilly autumn atmosphere.

Emperor Chu got off the carriage first. The carriage was quite high, and Shen Fengyue really wanted to jump down, but due to his status, he had to slowly and gracefully walk down with the help of Hong Mei.

All the royal family members, court ministers, and harem concubines gradually got off their carriages and gathered around Emperor Chu.

“My dear ministers, the air is fresh and cool in autumn, it’s a good time to hunt.” Emperor Chu said. “Since the founding of our Chu Kingdom, we have held the autumn hunt every year. Firstly, it is to showcase the royal magnificence, and secondly, it is also a small consideration for all of you.”

Eunuch Shen handed over a bow and arrow, which the Emperor took and pulled taut, aiming at a bird flying in the sky before letting go.

After two bird cries, the prey fell down, and specialized palace servants rushed to retrieve it and presented it to the Emperor, revealing that it was a one-shot kill.

Seeing this, the crowd immediately began to flatter the Emperor, even the scholars were flattering in a cultured manner. Among them, the Prime Minister’s flattery was the best, saying things like “the heavens are raining flowers,” causing the Emperor to laugh with wrinkles forming on his face.

Shen Fengyue pursed his lips as he listened.

The Emperor was very pleased with himself, throwing the bow to Eunuch Shen before subconsciously looking at Shen Fengyue, who immediately acted like a drama queen and showed admiration in his eyes.

“I didn’t expect that after not practicing archery for many years, I haven’t regressed. Now let’s see the abilities of you younger generations.”

Someone immediately spoke up after his words, “Father, why not let your son throw a brick and see if anyone will pick up the jade?” ¹Throwing out a brick to attract jade.” This idiom means to offer an immature opinion or work in order to solicit better ideas or works from others. It is often used to describe a process of constructive criticism or creative collaboration.

The person speaking was the current Crown Prince, the eldest son of Emperor Chu, who was almost forty years old and in the prime of his life. He was dressed in a black robe embroidered with a four-clawed dragon in gold thread.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Chu waved his hand and pointed to the young man in a red silk robe beside him, saying, “Today, I want to see the demonstrations of the younger generation. You don’t need to intervene. Let my grandson come.”

The young man was fourteen years old and was the eldest son of the Crown Prince, and also the current Emperor’s grandson. He was slim and tall, with handsome features and a vigorous spirit, radiating youthful vitality.

When the Crown Prince heard Emperor Chu’s words, the smile on his face stiffened for a moment.

The Emperor of Chu was old but still vigorous in health. He was at the age where he should showcase his ambitions. The relationship between the crown prince and the old emperor was becoming increasingly delicate.

In recent years, the Emperor had begun to show his favor toward his own son, which made the Crown Prince unhappy.

The Crown Prince’s son seemed to sense something and glanced at his father before stepping forward to take on the task.

He pulled the bowstring, aimed at the sky, and shot an arrow flawlessly, hitting the prey, surprisingly it was also a one-shot kill.

“Your grandson has made a fool of himself, Your Majesty,” the Crown Prince’s son said, putting down the bow, clenching his fists, and slightly bowing.

“You did very well,” praised the Emperor, clapping his hands. As soon as he applauded, everyone followed suit, and thunderous applause filled the air. The people praised the Crown Prince’s son to the sky.

Finally, the Emperor added a sentence, “My grandson resembles me, seeing him is like seeing myself when I was young.”

This was heavy praise, and the courtiers who had ulterior motives understood the Emperor’s meaning. He was determined to let the Crown Prince’s son inherit the throne, and his bias toward him has become even firmer.

After the grandson’s demonstration, it was the turn of other members of the royal family. The Emperor looked at each one of them and praised those who performed well with indifference while saying nothing to those who didn’t.

Shen Fengyue felt tired of watching people shoot arrows back and forth, but his interest was rekindled when it was Chu Xi’s turn. Chu Xi stood in front of Shen Fengyue’s right side, and his eyes lit up when he saw him looking towards him, but he quickly restrained his expression, feeling it was too uncivilized.

At that moment, a hawk flew across the sky, majestic and imposing. Chu Xi aimed at the target and shot his arrow toward the soaring hawk.

Everyone watched with anticipation as the arrow flew toward the hawk, but the bird, being a raptor, swiftly dodged the arrow and flew away. Chu Xi’s shoulders drooped in disappointment, and the others sighed with regret. Just as Emperor Chu was about to order the next activity, his favorite concubine applauded and praised the Ninth Prince, “The ninth prince is amazing.”

Emperor Chu became interested and asked, “What do you mean?”

Shen Fengyue replied, “At such a young age, he already has the ambition to shoot a big hawk with a bow. I clearly saw that the hawk couldn’t escape when the arrow was coming, and it was even shaken three times in fear. The Ninth Prince is still young and needs more practice, otherwise, the hawk would have had nowhere to run. In that case, how can we not reward him?”

Emperor Chu agreed with his reasoning and nodded, saying that a reward should be given. He ordered someone to bring the reward.

As soon as Emperor Chu spoke, the wind direction changed immediately, and everyone began to praise and compliment Chu Xi as if they hadn’t just sighed with regret.

Amidst the praise and compliments of the crowd, Chu Xi quickly glanced toward Shen Fengyue and met his slight smile. He blushed and turned his face away, leaving only the tips of his ears tinged with a peachy color.

After the interlude, everyone dispersed to go hunting. This time, the Empress was ordered by Emperor Chu to stay in the palace and didn’t come along. It was a rare moment of peace without having to argue with anyone, but before Shen Fengyue could even return to his own tent, he was intercepted by someone who liked to argue.

“Imperial Concubine, may I have a word with you?”

Shen Fengyue turned around with an unpleasant expression just to see Zhang, the “gossip queen” concubine. “What is it?”

“Your Majesty, since we have come out for the autumn hunt, why not enjoy it and join in the fun? It’s such a waste to stay in the tent every day and not appreciate the outdoors,” Concubine Zhang said, holding a whip in her hand, dressed in riding attire.

Because Shen Fengyue was a man disguised as a woman, he naturally had a taller stature than most women, while Concubine Zhang was a petite woman from the south, making their height difference particularly noticeable.

Shen Fengyue took a few steps forward and stood in front of Concubine Zhang, using his height to assert dominance and looking down at her with a smug smile. “There’s no need, if Concubine Zhang wants to go hunting, go by yourself.”

Concubine Zhang couldn’t stand being looked down upon by a woman and took a step back, creating some distance between them, but still insisted on dragging Shen Fengyue into her plan. “I admire Your Majesty and would like to compete with you. It depends on the imperial concubine whether to accept my challenge or not.”

Tsk, this foolish woman wears all her thoughts on her face. Who would fall for her tricks?

Just as Shen Fengyue was about to retort with his own clever words, Emperor Chu interjected, “Yan Yan is usually a bit lazy, but the scenery today is good, so she should go out and have some fun.”

Shen Fengyue couldn’t believe what he was hearing as he looked at Emperor Chu, but the emperor acted as if he didn’t see his disbelief and waved his hand, saying that he still had things to attend to and couldn’t accompany her.

System, “Horse riding, oh, it’s so interesting.”

Shen Fengyue, “Can you help me?”

The system shook its head and poured some alcohol, “No, no, no. You need to be independent and learn to handle troubles on your own. Don’t always think of relying on me.”

Shen Fengyue, “…”

“Formerly good brothers, now our friendship has dissipated. The desolation could be seen everywhere.” Shen Fengyue looked around and randomly pointed to a person, saying, “Since Sanlang can’t accompany me, let one of the palace servants follow me instead.”

Emperor Chu agreed, and the palace servant, who had been facing away and whose face couldn’t be seen, turned around and bowed when he heard the order. When he lifted his head, Shen Fengyue was surprised to see an old acquaintance.

Eunuch Shen smirked and flicked his feather duster, saying. “This servant will obey the order.”

Shen Fengyue, “…”

Damn!

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  Throwing out a brick to attract jade.” This idiom means to offer an immature opinion or work in order to solicit better ideas or works from others. It is often used to describe a process of constructive criticism or creative collaboration.