Ban Heng had long known that his sister had prepared a lot of things for this autumn hunt, such as headgear, riding attire, boots, and so on. He had never been able to understand why his sister could put on such a good show. It was just a hunt.
However, when Ban Heng saw his sister's fiery red dress, he puffed out his chest proudly. In the entire capital city, only his sister could suppress such a gorgeous red. Having such a beautiful sister made him develop a good habit since he was young, which was to view beauty as nothing. In any case, he was not as beautiful as his sister.
The siblings walked to the main courtyard, where Lady Yin was waiting for them. When she saw them come out, she stuffed the fortune pouch she had asked for a few days ago into the hands of the siblings. "Swords have no eyes. You two must be careful."
"Don't worry, Mother. I will take good care of Brother Heng." Ban Huai took the fortune pouch, hung it around his neck, and carefully stuffed it into his clothes. "You really don't want to go?"
"You two should go. I don't like horse riding and archery. If I go, I can only sit in the tent. It's not as comfortable as having someone serve me in the marquis fu." Lady Yin smiled and touched the golden leaf crown on Ban Huai's head. "This is beautiful. It suits you."
Ban Huai smiled at Lady Yin and bowed in a man's manner. "Mother, I'll hunt some good hides for you to use as a cushion."
"It just so happens that winter is coming. I think the cushions at home are not soft enough," Lady Yin said with a smile. "Let's go out. Otherwise, it will be late."
The siblings bid farewell to their mother and followed Ban Huai out the door.
It was interesting. Although Ban Huai was the descendant of the great general, he was not good at horse riding and archery. He could usually trot on a horse, but it was difficult for him to pull a bow and shoot arrows. Fortunately, he was open-minded. No matter how others said that he was a dog son of a general, he would not show off. He did not know where he got such a good attitude from.
There was a large royal hunting ground in the western suburbs of Jing City. There were all kinds of animals there. Even the animals that should not grow in Jing City would obediently appear on the hunting ground when the Emperor was hunting.
"The weather is good this year. The grass is fat, and the horses are strong. It will definitely be a good harvest," Emperor Yun Qing turned his head and said to his two sons behind him. "What is the grain price this year?"
The Crown Prince's cheeks were red. He did not know the price of grain. Recently, his favorite concubine had given birth to a pair of twins for him. He was so happy that he did not know what was going on.
"Father Emperor, you might as well ask those officials instead of asking your sons," the second prince said in a strange tone. "If even big brother does not know, then your sons do not know."
Ever since the Emperor wanted him to marry the daughter of Count Zhongping, there had been animosity between him and the Crown Prince. He was not even stingy in front of the Emperor.
Emperor Yun Qing looked at his two sons. One was mediocre, and the other was unruly. He felt that if he looked at them any longer, he would kick them off the horse.
"Jun Po, you tell me." His two sons were worrying. The Emperor could only find some psychological balance in his favorite officials.
"Your Majesty, the price of grain in the capital is six copper coins per liter of refined rice and four copper coins per liter of unpolished rice." Rong Xia urged his horse forward. "The price is cheaper than two months ago."
"Hmm." Emperor Yun Qing nodded with satisfaction. "I am very comforted to have an official like Jun Po."
The Crown Prince's face was so red that it was almost bleeding. The second prince glared at Rong Xia unhappily. It was a pity that Rong Xia did not look at him, which made him even angrier.
Just at this time, the people from Count Zhongping's fu arrived. The second prince looked at Xie Wanyu who was riding on the horse. He thought with annoyance that such a mediocre woman was going to marry him to be his wangfei. It really made him feel uncomfortable.
Xie Wanyu did not know that her future husband was already annoyed with her. Thinking about how she would meet the second prince at the hunting grounds today, she did not sleep well the entire night. She had to rely on thick makeup to suppress the tiredness on her face. If she could raise her head to look at the expression of the second prince, she would know that the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with might not be the right person for her.
"Younger Sister Xie." Shi Feixian was wearing a plain white riding attire and a gauze hat on her head. When she was close to Xie Wanyu, she lifted the veil of the hat and revealed her face. "You were one step ahead of me."
Xie Wanyu bowed to her father, Count Zhongping, and then rode her horse in front of Shi Feixian. She smiled at her and said, "I was worried that you would not come today."
Shi Feixian looked in the direction of Rong Xia. Rong Xia was talking to the Emperor and did not notice her arrival. She was slightly disappointed and turned to say to Xie Wanyu, "The second prince is really quite handsome."
"You're doing it again!" Xie Wanyu's cheeks were red. "If you continue, I will ignore you."
"Alright, alright, alright. I will stop." Shi Feixian had been paying attention to Rong Xia from the corner of her eyes. However, other than talking to the Emperor, Rong Xia was talking to the other ministers. From beginning to end, she did not even look at them.
"Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop."
The sound of hooves came from behind. Shi Feixian turned around and saw a snow-white horse carrying a woman dressed in red galloping towards her. Although this woman was still a distance away from her, Shi Feixian's intuition told her that this woman would definitely attract the attention of many people present.
As the horse got closer and closer, Shi Feixian recognized who it was.
Ban Xun. It was her. It really was her.
She looked at the beautiful and exquisite golden leaf crown in Ban Xun's hair and turned her head to look at Rong Xia for some reason.
This glance, however, made her feel as if her heart was being pricked by needles, causing her to feel a dense pain.
"Oh, the girl from the Ban family is here." The Emperor heard the sound of hooves and wondered who was riding the horse. He looked up and the smile on his face grew. "I knew it. Other than this girl, not many people would dare to do this in front of me."
Rong Xia followed the Emperor's line of sight.
White clothes, red clothes, and a golden crown. On the golden land, they looked particularly dazzling.
"Go!" Seeing the Emperor and his entourage, Ban Xun whipped the horse and sped up to the Emperor. He jumped off the horse and bowed to the Emperor. "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Get up, get up." Yun Qing Emperor looked behind her with a smile. "Where are your father and brother?"
"Their horsemanship is not as good as mine. I was in a hurry to see Your Majesty so I came first." Ban Xun smiled and took a step forward. "It has been a few days since I last saw you. Your Majesty looks much more heroic."
"Girl, you always talk nonsense." Yun Qing Emperor looked at the lively young girl in front of him and the smile on his face grew. "Zhen is old and cannot compare to you young people."
"Your Majesty, you are the master of the world, a wise ruler. How can you compare to a little girl like me?" Ban Xun knew how to flatter the Emperor from a young age. Even though she was only the Emperor's niece, in front of the Emperor, she had more face than the junzhu of the wang fu.
The Emperor smiled at her more than the daughters of the concubines.
"Hahahaha," the Emperor laughed loudly. "Good, good, good, good. This horsewhip is for you. I hope you will hunt more good things back."
He looked at the lively and beautiful young girl in front of him and felt it was a pity. If this wasn't his niece, he definitely would have taken such a beauty into the palace to be a favored concubine. He would have given her the most beautiful jewels, the most beautiful cloth, and raised her well.
Fortunately, Yun Qing Emperor's integrity was still above the passing line. His love for Ban Xun was at the level of uncle and niece. Also, he was a very clear-headed father. Even though he favored Ban Xun, he would not let his son marry a woman like this.
It was fine for a younger generation to pamper a girl like this, but if he married her as a wife, it would be vexing.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Ban Xun took the horsewhip and swung it in her hand, "Your Majesty's whip is still the best." Finishing, she took the whip from her waist and threw it to the side in disgust. Then she put the horsewhip that Yun Qing Emperor had given her on her waist, "When this subject hunts something good, I will give it to you."
Jiang Luo's gaze landed on Ban Xun's white earlobe and wrist. Then she quickly moved her gaze away and raised an eyebrow in disdain.
It had been so many years, but Ban Xun's flattery skills were still so exaggerated and rough. But his fuhuang loved to eat her tricks. Whenever he had nothing to do, he would reward her with things. He spoiled her so much that she became more and more lawless.
Remembering that Ban Xun had also made things difficult for the woman he liked, Jiang Luo became even more picky with her.
No wonder no man dared to marry her. A woman like this … …
His gaze swept across Ban Xun's soft and smooth face. He wouldn't want such a beautiful woman even if she was given to him!
"This subject greets Your Majesty." The father and son of the Ban Family finally caught up. Without another word, Ban Huai directly apologized to Yunqing Emperor. "My daughter was rude. This subject was not strict enough. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
"Forgive what?" The smile on Yunqing Emperor's face did not fade. "Zhen thinks your daughter is very good. Don't restrain her."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Ban Huai took advantage of the situation. Without hesitation, he straightened his body and tactfully dragged his son into the crowd of officials.
"Your Majesty, then this subject's daughter will leave as well." Ban Xun touched the horsewhip at his waist, looking like he couldn't wait to show off.
"Go, go." Yunqing Emperor saw through her intentions at a glance and waved his hand to let her go play on her own. He was an elder, an emperor, a man. Seeing that a pretty junior liked his gift and was so happy to show it off to others, this kind of straightforwardness pleased him very well.
With Ban Xun's interruption, the Emperor also forgot the displeasure that the Crown Prince and Second Prince had brought him. He looked at the sky and said to the people behind him, "Get ready to begin."
Before the hunt began, the people from the Ministry of Rites would set up an altar to worship the heavens, hoping that the heavens would bless everyone to return safely with the harvest.
This kind of custom that had been passed down from ancient times had already become a formality before the hunt. However, this matter concerned the safety of the Imperial Family and the important officials of the court, so no one dared to be careless.
"Isn't it just a whip? Look at her frivolous appearance," Xie Wanyu saw a few short-sighted noble ladies surrounding Ban Xun to fawn on him and felt extremely sick of it. She turned to Shi Feixian and said, "How did the Jing Ting Marquis fu raise such a daughter?"
Shi Feixian smiled coldly and said, "An idiot will always be an idiot. In front of so many people, she can still act like this. How unbearably vulgar."
Xie Wanyu looked at Shi Feixian in surprise. Although Feixian didn't really admire Ban Xun's way of doing things in the past, he had never used such a sharp tone to criticize her. Today was the first time.
Shi Feixian also realized that he had been a little too agitated and forced a smile. "Let's go. We'll find a place to rest. There's no need to fight with those stinky men over the prey."
"Mm, alright." Xie Wanyu nodded, not taking Shi Feixian's strange behavior to heart.
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Translator : adDR
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