Chapter 31: Every Day is a Shuraba, Crown Princess… p2
Zhao Yuanjia had not expected that such a proper and strict young lady would have such a heroic and free-spirited side. A strange feeling arose in his heart, which he himself could not quite grasp. He could only cough, take the other pheasant from behind his saddle, and give it to Fu Tangli. “Second Lady, this is for you.”
Lin Wanqing had one, and Fu Tangli had one. He was a generous person, treating the two young ladies the same. Perhaps in the future, the two of them could be more harmonious. He thought this and felt that his idea was brilliant.
Lin Wanqing’s expression changed. She then held the pheasant in her hand a little higher, intentionally letting Fu Tangli see it clearly. She looked up and showed a sweet smile. “That’s right. I was just thinking, the Crown Prince’s things should have been given to Sister Fu. Why were they given to me? It’s very improper. If Sister likes this, I can give you this one as well.”
What a joke. Who would want that pheasant? Fu Tangli glanced at Zhao Yuanjia, took her riding crop, and lightly tapped her boot, saying unhurriedly, “It seems Your Highness has hunted two pheasants in total. Either you give them both to me, or you don’t mention this to me at all. I am a petty person and do not wish to share the same thing with others.”
The white horse she was riding was a fine breed from Weizhou, exceptionally tall. Riding on it, with her back straight, her line of sight was level with Zhao Yuanjia’s. She looked at him just like that, her chin slightly raised, a half-smile on her face. It was an arrogant, almost rude posture, but her voice was still as soft as the wind brushing through the mountain forest.
Zhao Yuanjia was angry, but a secret emotion arose from the bottom of his heart, perhaps it was joy. He laughed and snorted. “Second Lady, why are you so presumptuous? Is it because gu is being too indulgent with you now?”
“Mm, if you say so, then so be it,” Fu Tangli said casually, turning the riding crop in her hand. “Your Highness must remember, this is my nature. It will be the same in the future. I can’t change it.”
The mountain sun shone down. For a moment, Zhao Yuanjia felt his body burn hot.
He tossed the pheasant in his hand to Lin Wanqing, signaling her with his eyes to catch it, then without another look at her, he turned his horse and moved closer to Fu Tangli, the two horses almost touching.
Zhao Yuanjia leaned over, as if nonchalantly. “Alright, let’s say gu was not thoughtful enough. Whatever prey you want, gu will hunt it for you today.” He paused, and to hide his feelings, he added, “Just consider it a thank you for copying the Daoist scripture for gu before.”
He was too close, and the breath from his words almost brushed against Fu Tangli’s cheek.
Fu Tangli turned her face away, avoiding him, her tone becoming distant again. “There is no need. It was a small matter, not worthy of Your Highness’s ‘thank you’.”
This posture of refusal did not displease Zhao Yuanjia. On the contrary, he felt a faint excitement. He leaned in even closer and even reached out his hand to pat the head of Fu Tangli’s white horse, showing an unusual intimacy.
“Alright, I know you’re being petty. Didn’t gu just apologize to you?”
Fu Tangli squeezed her horse’s belly. The white horse under her obediently took two steps, putting a little distance between them and Zhao Yuanjia. She said calmly, “There is really no need. Whatever I want, I can hunt it myself. I don’t need to trouble Your Highness.”
Only then did Zhao Yuanjia notice that there was a bow and a quiver hanging from Fu Tangli’s saddle. Some of the arrows in the quiver were already gone.
He grew even more interested. “Oh, the Second Lady also knows how to shoot? Let gu see your skill later.”
Fu Tangli raised her hand to smooth her hair and looked away, not answering.
Just then, two small horses came running from the distance. On them were the Prince of Chen and Princess Runing.
They were twin siblings, only thirteen years old, riding on docile, small mares. They had fallen far behind Fu Tangli and had only just caught up.
Princess Runing was as lively as a little sparrow. Before she even got close, she was waving her hand and shouting, “Sister Fu, you ride too fast! Why didn’t you wait for me?”
The Prince of Chen was relatively more composed, but his face was flushed with excitement, not much less than Princess Runing’s.
Princess Runing rode her small pony over. When she got close, she couldn’t wait to jump down and show her prey to her elder sisters. “Three quails. Sister Fu said she’ll roast them for me later. One rabbit, I’m going to make a scarf. And a fox, here, for my Imperial Brother to make a vest.”
She was extremely proud. “I told you, it’s so much more fun to come with us. What’s the point of you all coming here just to sit in the shade?”
The attendants eagerly took the prey from the princess’s horse and, to satisfy her desire to show off, arranged them one by one for display.
Not only the princesses, but even a few of the imperial sons came over curiously, all laughing. “You two little ones, how did you get these things? If you say you hunted them yourselves, we won’t believe you.”
The Prince of Chen said in a serious tone, “The prey was hunted by Sister Fu. Runing and I just followed behind and helped pick them up. How does that not count as ours?”
The Han clan had lived in Weizhou for generations. The local customs were fierce, and the Earl of Xining’s residence had risen through military merit. The heads of the family for generations had all been military generals. The young lady they had raised was actually skilled in archery and horsemanship. Zhao Yuanjia had underestimated Fu Tangli in the past. Now, he couldn’t help but take a few more looks at her.
Lin Wanqing noticed the series of fluctuations in Zhao Yuanjia’s expression. She was about to grind her teeth to pieces. At this moment, she finally couldn’t hold back. She raised her sleeve to cover her mouth and laughed softly. “How is Sister Fu like those men, riding a horse and carrying a bow? It makes your past reputation as a composed and virtuous lady seem to have been in vain. It’s quite surprising.”
Princess Runing was not happy and pointed her whip at Lin Wanqing. “How is riding a horse and carrying a bow like a man? Are you scolding me?”
Lin Wanqing took two steps back, her eyes immediately welling up with tears, a look of fragility on her face. “I did not mean that. The princess misunderstands.”
Fu Tangli, on horseback, looked down at Lin Wanqing and said calmly, “Lady Lin is mistaken. The Rites of Zhou says, ‘To nurture the sons of the state with the Dao, one must teach them the Six Arts.’ Although I am a woman, my elders have raised me with the way of a gentleman since I was a child. Archery and charioteering are both among the Six Arts. How can they be taken lightly? Lady Lin was raised in the deep boudoir and has seen little of the world. There is no need to be so surprised at everything.”
The heir of the Prince of An was watching from the side. He was a good-natured person and a generation older than these imperial sons and princesses, so he was more composed. He smiled and tried to smooth things over. “Since Lady Fu is skilled in riding and archery, that is excellent. Come, come, Crown Prince, let’s take Lady Fu with us later and go into the woods again to see if we can hunt some big game.”
Zhao Yuanjia nodded and was about to speak when he heard Li Huai’en let out a sharp cry. “Who’s there?”
Everyone looked over and saw Li Huai’en with a grave expression, quickly drawing his bow and nocking an arrow, pointing it into the woods, and saying in a deep voice, “Who is hiding there? Come out!”
The cheetah received Li Huai’en’s command, broke free from the keeper’s leash, let out a roar, and charged into the woods.
The ladies all cried out in alarm.
But the cheetah had just charged to the edge of the woods when it suddenly stopped. The fierce beast clearly flinched, turned its head, let out two low growls, turned around, its tail drooping, and ran back, hiding behind Li Huai’en.
The birds in the woods were startled and scattered in all directions. The sound of heavy hooves came, moving slowly. The sound of grass being trampled and the heavy breathing of a warhorse was faint, but it was unsettling to hear.
A troop of cavalry emerged from the woods. The riders were all in heavy black armor, wearing horned suanni helmets, and holding giant long lances. On their horses’ backs hung modao sabers and leather shields. The warhorses under them were covered in iron armor. The sunlight refracted into the woods, and a cold glint shone from the iron armor.
The leader rode a black horse. He wore black iron Bright Light Armor, the plates overlapping like kirin scales. The shoulders were raised like a dragon’s kiss, with a taotie perched on it, roaring at the sky, as if about to devour someone. He was tall and sturdy, and on horseback, he looked down on everyone, his bearing majestic, with the imposing presence of a mountain.
A white Haidongqing let out a long cry, circled down from the sky, and landed on the taotie armor on his shoulder.
Zhao Yuanjia was quite surprised and rode forward to greet him. “Why is Imperial Uncle here today?”
Zhao Shangjun gave Zhao Yuanjia a cool glance. “I was just at the camp, leading my troops on patrol. I heard you were here and came to see.”
The Black Armor Army under Zhao Shangjun’s command was the most elite heavy cavalry of the Great Zhou. Zhao Shangjun had led them to conquer lands in all four directions. Under their iron hooves, they were invincible. Their reputation for iron-willed slaughter was known throughout the world. The camp of the Black Armor Army was on the southern slope of Mount Beiqi.
Zhao Shangjun only wore armor in times of war. He usually wore a Daoist robe and cultivated in the mountains. The Black Armor Army was under the command of the General of the Garrison, Zhuang Jing. A situation like today was rare.
Zhao Yuanjia was not very knowledgeable about military affairs in the court. Hearing this, he was a little surprised. “Is there some important matter that has alarmed Imperial Uncle to come out on patrol personally?”
“It is of no consequence, just a precaution,” Zhao Shangjun did not say much, just a simple reply.
Everyone came over. Most were reserved and, according to the rites, paid their respects to the Prince of Huai one by one.
Fu Tangli was composed and humble. She went forward with the others, performed the rites properly, and then retreated behind Zhao Yuanjia, not daring to look at His Highness, the Prince of Huai, for more than a second.
Zhao Yuanjia warmly invited, “Since Imperial Uncle is here, why not hunt with us?”
Zhao Shangjun’s gaze swept over the crowd, pausing for a moment at a certain spot.
And Fu Tangli happened to look up, and their eyes met.
The color of his eyes was a little light, like amber in the sun, with a deep luster, almost identical to the Haidongqing on his shoulder—cold, with an almost bestial ferocity.
It made one’s heart palpitate.
His lips moved, as if to form two words, silent. To others, it would probably have been an illusion.
Only she knew.
“Lihua.”
Fu Tangli broke out in a cold sweat. She took a few steps back, pretending to have seen nothing, trying to hide herself.
Zhao Shangjun’s gaze turned dark, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on his lips. “You all go and play.”
With that, he led the Black Armor cavalry away, as if he had indeed just been passing by.
The heir of the Prince of An looked at Zhao Shangjun’s back, lost in thought. “I heard that there has been some movement in the Beiting Protectorate recently, and the Turks are quite restless. Seeing His Highness, the Prince of Huai’s, actions, could it be that the court is planning to go to war again?”
Zhao Yuanjia had vaguely heard about this in court, but he hadn’t paid it much mind. He just said, “With Imperial Uncle here, we need not worry.”
The heir of the Prince of An shook his head and said no more.
A sharp glint flashed in Li Huai’en’s eyes, and he silently retreated to the back of the crowd.
Once the Prince of Huai was gone, everyone became lively again, leading their hounds, releasing their goshawks, eager to try their luck.
Zhao Yuanjia called out to those around him, set off again, and casually called out to Fu Tangli, “Second Lady, come with gu.”
How could Fu Tangli dare? She was so unnerved by Zhao Shangjun’s gaze, as if she were a thief caught by the victim. At this moment, she just wanted to get away from Zhao Yuanjia.
She gave a faint smile, her expression nonchalant. “You men are mostly rough. I won’t go with you, lest someone accuse me of having a reputation as a composed and virtuous lady in vain. Why don’t we split up? Later, we can have a competition and see how much I lose to you.”
Zhao Yuanjia laughed heartily. “Alright, it’s a deal. The loser will have to accept a punishment.”
Fu Tangli did not answer. She flicked her riding crop and galloped away.
The long cry of a falcon and the neighing of a horse sounded in the distance. She couldn’t quite tell if it was Zhao Yuanjia’s group or the Black Armor Army led by Zhao Shangjun. She subconsciously just wanted to avoid them. She rode along the edge of the woods, the wind whistling in her ears. Now that the Prince of Chen and Princess Runing were not with her, she became more spontaneous, riding her horse and galloping freely in the mountains, her mood gradually relaxing.
After a long while, the clamor had long since faded. The scenery ahead opened up. It seemed to be the way down the mountain, with the plains in sight.
Fu Tangli reined in her horse, trotted a few steps, and wandered around for a while.
She was already far from the hunting party. It was very quiet around her now, only the occasional clear cry of a partridge in the woods, or the rustling of a small animal passing through the grass.
She remembered the “competition” she had casually mentioned to Zhao Yuanjia and now took out her bow and arrows, turned her horse toward the woods, intending to hunt another rabbit or two to make a show of it.
After entering the woods and walking a short distance, the white horse suddenly became restless, hesitating to go forward, shaking its head and snorting repeatedly.
When the Crown Prince went hunting, the officials of the Ministry of Parks had already sent people to clear the mountain forest. Any slightly dangerous wild beasts had already been driven away. What could be unusual?
Fu Tangli stopped her horse, looked around, and, concentrating, she heard the sound of human footsteps, hurried and faint, which moved and then disappeared.
“Is someone there?” she looked around and asked tentatively.
A faint rustle.
A figure flashed past in the distance, disappearing behind a tree.