Volume 1 Chapter 25
Before going to bed, Lu Chang received news that after returning to her palace, Concubine Li smashed a lot of things and eventually miscarried. The palace doctors were all summoned, and Long Yueli, who was originally playing chess with the Prime Minister in the pavilion, was hurriedly called away halfway through. Upon hearing this, Leng Jiu chuckled while holding the cool blanket, thinking that Concubine Li wanted to provoke her with Hua Yuxuan, but ended up provoking herself. This was called digging one’s own grave. She hoped the child in Concubine Li’s belly was lucky enough to withstand her antics!
Next day
After a full night’s sleep, Leng Jiu appeared very spirited. A palace maid dressed her in a red and silver armored riding outfit, with sleeves and pants tied up, and underneath was no longer a skirt but trousers. Her hair was tied into a simple ponytail as per her request, and she put on a pair of golden-edged riding boots. Her whole demeanor changed immediately, losing the allure and coldness, and exuding a heroic spirit with a touch of elegance.
Lu Chang also changed into a simple riding outfit. He planned to follow by Leng Jiu’s side, knowing that she was going hunting. The Emperor even specially assigned ten skilled imperial guards to protect her. Although she didn’t know his intentions, Leng Jiu didn’t refuse. Having more people meant less danger, which was not a bad thing!
“Your Majesty! It’s time to depart. His Majesty and the others have probably already started!” Lu Chang said.
Leng Jiu nodded, slung the bow and arrows over her body, and mounted her horse. “Let’s go!”
The hunting ground was still some distance from the palace. It had been a long time since Leng Jiu had ridden a horse, and now she felt a hint of familiarity. Although she was the daughter of a prominent underworld family with countless wealth and luxurious cars, she didn’t like any of it. When she was sixteen, her father gave her a horse ranch, and she fell in love with riding. Her favorite mount was a purebred Arabian horse, glossy dark red all over except for a white patch on its forehead like a dagger. It was very understanding, and she visited it almost every month to ride a few laps!
Returning to her thoughts, she lightly flicked the reins. “Let’s go!”
When Leng Jiu and her entourage arrived at the South Mountain hunting ground, everyone had already gone into the woods. Even the delicate daughters of the wealthy families had mounted their horses to join the excitement. Only some soldiers and palace maids remained behind. As for Concubine Li, it was said that she had miscarried last night and was still recuperating.
“Let’s go!” Leng Jiu didn’t dismount but rode straight into the woods. This was her first time participating in such a hunt, which should be much more interesting than modern ones!
“Swoosh! Swoosh!” The sound of arrows piercing through the air constantly came from the woods, accompanied by the cheers of the young ladies. Leng Jiu raised an eyebrow and continued forward!
“Master Hua! It’s a wild rabbit, hurry! There’s a wild rabbit over there!”
“And there’s another one!”
“Master Hua, shoot quickly! Hurry!”
Leng Jiu almost burst out laughing. It’s no wonder her thoughts were impure. That kind of talk was too easy to misinterpret!
Leng Jiu’s laughter had just stopped when it abruptly ceased, because an arrow ‘swooshed’ through the air, aimed directly at her face… “Your Majesty! Get down quickly!” Lu Chang’s face, already pale, now turned as white as a corpse’s. His eyes widened, and at night, they would probably scare people to death!
“Your Majesty!” The guards behind were also shocked, but the arrow’s speed was too fast. They didn’t expect such a thing to happen, so they didn’t react in time. When they wanted to block the arrow, it was already too late. Just at that moment, as the arrow came straight towards Leng Jiu’s face!
At that moment, a red figure suddenly rushed over and threw Leng Jiu off her horse. The two of them rolled on the ground for a few rounds before stopping. Just as everyone had breathed a sigh of relief, they heard an annoyed voice scolding, “Are you stupid? Can’t you dodge?”