love palace

The old eunuch cleared his throat, and then followed the emperor's instructions and read in a cadence: "This hunt is divided into encirclement, invite encirclement, watch encirclement and stop encirclement as usual. The encirclement is divided into hunting, gathering and annihilating, For pursuit and interception, all princes and generals can participate...the rules are as follows."

What the eunuch read was very clear to everyone present. The so-called galloping hunting means that the emperor's sons and grandsons, ministers, and hunters sent from all over the country gallop in the paddock to show off their skills.

Hunting is also the main activity in the first five days. The emperor requires generals and shooters to be able to hunt a cart full of prey, while the princes must fill their tents, but the time will be extended for three days.

Gathering and annihilating means enclosing on all sides; chasing and chasing means first pressing the herd of beasts from one end to the other, and then letting go of an opening.

Interception is the opposite of chasing and killing, that is, encircling on three sides, soldiers rushing from one end, and setting up some elite soldiers to intercept and shoot.

It can be seen that the so-called autumn rhinoceros hunting is actually a huge military exercise, from which we can see which prince is the best at leading troops to fight, he is an all-rounder capable of both civil and military skills!

During the hunting period, there will also be competitions in archery and horse riding, which did not happen in previous years. Everyone knows that the emperor intends to test the princes.

Although there were as many as fourteen princes participating in the competition, the youngest ones were all six or seven-year-old children. The prince Yaokang, and the ninth prince Huang Ye.

The veteran officials headed by Zhao Guowei and Li Duo all looked at the five princes with evil intentions. What they gambled on was not only the glory and wealth, but the career of the family depended on whether the prince they supported could become the prince.

The old eunuch paused suddenly after reading, and then loudly shouted, "The prince who ranked first in the autumn macaque and martial arts competitions, is now the crown prince of the Great Yan Kingdom, hereby!"

"What?! Isn't this too fast?"

Except for Zhao Guowei who knew a thing or two in advance, the prince and other ministers were shocked!

I thought that the emperor would go back to the imperial city to make a decision after the autumn rhinoceros was finished, but I didn't expect that once the hunt was over, the position of the crown prince would be decided?

"Hurry up? Dayan should have had a prince long ago." Zhao Guowei said dissatisfied.

"But it's too hasty to appoint the crown prince just by hunting alone?"

"that is……"

All the ministers whispered to each other and discussed a lot. At this time, the eldest prince Chunyu Yaozhong came out and said: "I think this matter is very good. Don't let people think that I use the big to bully the small to distinguish the high ones in the autumn rhesus hunting grounds." Excuse me, it's very fair." Chunyu Yaozhong is 36 years old. He is in the prime of his life. He already has a pair of children under his knees. Compared with other younger brothers, he is indeed much older, and he is backed by the imperial grandmother. If it is an ordinary competition, Naturally, it will make people feel that he bullies the small with the big, and bullies the young with the elder.

But here, as long as there is not too much movement, I believe everything will go smoothly. The unfamiliar paddock is fair to all princes. It is just hunting. Yaozhong is still full of confidence, and he is even more powerful in the position of prince. must!

"In that case, let's settle it like this." Chunyu Wen said.What he wants is to be taken by surprise, lest the princes have long thought of a countermeasure and come to catch the turtle in the urn, so that the competition would be meaningless.

"My emperor is wise!"

Now that the imperial decree has been issued, there is nothing that can change the emperor's mind, so all the ministers knelt down one after another, expressing their support for the prince to complete the hunting competition.

After talking for a while, Chunyu Wen announced his resignation. He did not participate in the subsequent singing, dancing and banquet, because the journey was too bumpy and tiring, and he was already very tired, so he let the old eunuch take care of it.

※※※

The banquet given by the emperor was naturally unusual, and Princess Ke appeared on the seat of the female relatives with the princess Shuo Lan in full attire.

Along with dance and music, three fish dishes: sweet and sour crucian carp, braised carp, squirrel yellow croaker; three cups of seafood: sea cucumber with pine nuts, honey sauce shrimp, peony shark's fin; The precious pigeons, as well as other court snacks with all kinds of color, fragrance, etc., were carried out by the little eunuchs one by one in carved food boxes and placed on the table.

"Come on, please pick up your chopsticks." Princess Ke said with a smile.

"Your Majesty, please first!" Princess Ke has the highest status here, and other officials and wives raised their glasses to toast her.

And Shuo Lan didn't care to chat with those vulgar wives and concubines, she always secretly looked to the east side, where the princes were seated at the main banquet.

Of course Princess Ke knew what her daughter was thinking. After drinking for three rounds, she took her daughter and asked Prince Ke to be the matchmaker to toast the princes.

"Sister Shuo Lan has grown up so much!" The eldest prince was a little drunk, and he looked at Shuo Lan in amazement.

He had visited Prince Ke's Mansion a few years ago, and in his memory, Shuo Lan was still a toddler, but now he is 11 years old, so pretty and lovely, Shuo Lan has long glossy black braids She wore a jadeite peony hairpin, and she was wearing a very light-colored light green dress, which made her waist slender, and a waist skirt embroidered with beads, full of girlish vigor.

"Brother Huang, good." Shuo Lan obediently bowed and saluted, showing a sweet smile.

"Here are all elder brothers, who is your name?" The second prince Yaozhong, who was seated at the same table, joked.There are already many relatives in the royal family, even if it is the first time meeting a cousin, they can quickly strike up a conversation.

"Everyone is." Shuo Lan is very clever, and the phrase "everyone is" includes all the princes. The third prince Yaotai laughed and praised, "The little princess is not very old, and his head can Clever."

Shuo Lan wanted to say something, but when she looked up, she was attracted by the handsome young man sitting opposite.

He should also be a prince, wearing a crown of silver beads on his head and light yellow brocade clothes, reflecting his two sword eyebrows as black as ink, his eyes as clear as a cold pool, straight nose, lips as if painted, and complexion. Ruyu is like a fairy in a painting.

He has an extraordinary handsome appearance, but his expression is cold and distant, like an ice moon hanging high in the night sky, giving people a sense of repulsion.

Shuo Lan had never felt this throbbing feeling before, she seemed to be on fire, her cheeks were red and hot, her gaze was hard to move away, her pink lips were slightly parted, and her breath was short of breath.

"Look, another Huaichun girl who easily fell at the feet of the ninth brother." Yaotai had already seen the strangeness, and just shook his head and smiled.

"I didn't..." Shuo Lan became more shy and denied it.But she thought in her heart that he turned out to be the Ninth Prince Huang Ye, the very powerful prince in the legend, but he didn't expect him to be so handsome!

Only now did Huang Ye realize that there was a little girl looking at him enthusiastically. He took a sip of his wine, but didn't intend to talk to him.

"How could it be, how old is Shuo Lan, there is no way to have any unreasonable thoughts." The princess took Shuo Lan's hand and said with an apologetic smile. After another round of toasting, they came to the second table separated by a screen. at the banquet.

The table was full of half-grown little princes, and there were old eunuchs serving the food. Princess Ke said a few words symbolically, teasing the little princes, while Shuo Lan turned her head frequently, looking through the hollowed-out carved screen. , looking towards Huang Ye.

But when she turned her head again, Huang Ye had already left the table, Shuo Lan felt indescribably disappointed, but the identities of the two were different after all, she couldn't go to him rashly, she had to wait until the next time, when she had a chance to meet again .

※※※

Late at night in the countryside, the cool wind blew away the fatigue of the journey, and Huang Ye came to a secluded hill with a torch in hand.

At the bottom of the mountain is a scene of brilliant lights. The huge palace composed of nearly [-] palace tents looks like the Milky Way in the sky shining brightly.

The tents used by the princes to load their prey are located on the left side of the valley, near a stream. There are fourteen tents in total, all of which are closely guarded by the imperial guards.

Huang Ye thought in his heart that if he wanted to fill the entire tent within eight days, he would need at least 200 prey. The Suzaku River Valley is so deep and wide, and the mountains and forests are so dense. It shouldn't be difficult to capture the prey. The difficulty lies in not knowing what methods other brothers will use. ?

In front of his father, the big brother said nicely, fair competition, but in fact, among the many princes, he is the one who can bully the young with the big.

This hunting ground is no better than the inner garden of the imperial palace. If an assassin breaks into it, it is really hard to guard against!

In order to calm down the ups and downs, Huang Ye took out a bamboo flute inlaid with horns from his arms, sat on the grass, and played the flute.

This melodious flute sound is actually louder than a horn, and has a deep penetrating power. The gentle evening wind sends the low and melodious flute sound far away...

On the far side of the hunting ground, Wei Qing woke up suddenly, startled Lao Liu, and asked loudly, "What's wrong? What happened?"

"No, it's okay, I had a nightmare..." Wei Qing whispered, blood and wailing were everywhere in his dream, many people were trampled by iron hooves, that's why they jumped up, also, in the evening, officers and soldiers executed A prisoner in Guanwei was killed, and his head was beheaded with a knife right in front of their eyes!

The reason is that the death row prisoner ran out of dry food, so he secretly caught a pheasant to satisfy his hunger. The officers and soldiers on patrol found a chicken feather all over the place, and executed him on the spot, as a warning to others!

Wei Qing wanted to save him, but there was no room for intercession. The officers and soldiers held machetes and killed people without blinking an eye. It is not a pity that the crime is even worse.

During these days, Wei Qing saw many poor people who were beaten and starved. He distributed the rations to other people, and he himself was too hungry. Those soybean cakes with rice bran distributed by King Ke’s mansion would make him hungry after a while No, it doesn't work at all.

"Oh, it's no wonder you're scared. Go on and sleep if you have nothing to do. It's time to get up in a while." Lao Liu yawned, turned over and fell asleep again, muttering, "Tomorrow is the day of hunting, we can Brace yourself and don't get shot by those arrows."

"En." Wei Qing replied, leaning against the weeds, lying down again, looking up at the vast starry sky, when a cool wind blew, he was a little surprised when he heard the sound of the flute.

Is it the palace musician?The little princess has also learned this song before, and it is the first song in the marching song, "Breaking the Army".

It is obviously the same piece of music, but now I hear it with a completely different feeling. The sad and heavy rhythm seems to be mourning something.

Tomorrow must be bloody, mourning, how many people will die?And will he be one of the corpses?Wei Qing couldn't help thinking, and closed his eyes amidst the sad sound of the flute.

※※※

In the early morning of the next day, the sun was shining all over the Zhuque River Valley and the sky was clear. It was a good time for hunting.

Accompanied by the sound of the melodious and magnificent horn, the roar of horseshoes breaking through the grassland suddenly sounded, and the continuous chariots, flags, and spears formed a magnificent camp.

Ma Ming Xiao Xiao, tens of thousands of soldiers shouted long live, and Emperor Wen took the lead in hunting.The location he selected starts with the rolling Fengshan Mountains in the north and ends with the tributary of the Zhuque River as the boundary, marking out a hunting ground with dense forests and vast reeds.

The prey here ranges from parrots and geese flying in the sky to porcupines and tigers running on the ground. There is also a rare spiritual creature called a tiger!

This thing is a bit like an elk, but its head is exactly like a leopard, but it is stronger and taller than both, and it has a pair of hooked fangs.

In this hunting, if you catch a tiger!People, no matter how high or low, can be rewarded, but ordinary people can't catch it. Even the emperor rushed east and west with three thousand cavalry, and after half a day, he couldn't catch a tiger! , so I can only give up and camp to rest.

After lunch, it was time for the princes to show their talents. The eldest prince Yao Zurong was in armor, with an iron bow and long arrows on his back, and he personally drove a four-horse chariot.The body of this car is brand new, tailor-made for the First Prince, and it also has a golden hood. Looking from a distance, it is glittering and eye-catching.

This is also the idea of ​​the empress dowager, no matter where the chariot goes, it can be seen by the emperor and is in the center of attention.

Behind the first prince's chariot are the chariots of the second prince Yaozhong and the third prince Yaotai. They are also magnificent, but these two princes obviously don't have much confidence in hunting, and they have twice as many other princes with them. cavalry.

The tenth prince Huangyue, the twelfth prince Hongqi, the thirteenth prince Zhihui, and so on, these younger princes also huddled together and did not dare to hunt alone.Anyway, it's hunting, whoever's arrow hits, the prey will belong to him, and it's convenient if there are many people chasing him.

The princes under three years old didn't participate, they just sent cavalry representatives.

At the end of these grotesque and fully armed chariots is a white and flawless war horse. Huang Ye took off the luxurious clothes from yesterday's banquet and put on a pure black light copper armor with a short sword on his waist and a bow and arrow with carved feathers on his back , driving the horse, and behind him, only ten light cavalry followed.

"It's just these few people who want to hunt in delusion, Huang Ye really doesn't know how to live or die!" The eldest prince had a contemptuous smile on his face. Of course, hunting is better when there are many people.

Moreover, chariots are far more advantageous than war horses. They can go up and down high slopes, and they are not afraid of swamps and muddy land. They have many horseshoes and can shock wild beasts. Only one war horse can compare to the momentum of four galloping horses.

The auspicious time has come, the emperor personally issued the order this time, the horn blew, the princes and their nearly [-] cavalry, divided into three sides, surrounded by half a month, and marched into the hunting ground.

All of a sudden, the mountains and plains were full of roaring flags, plus the sound of gongs and drums, footsteps, and shouts, the whole earth was rumbling, and all formation changes were made by shouting at the top of their lungs.

Huang Ye's team had the smallest number of people, and they all followed Huang Ye non-stop. They did not follow the main force, but found another way and went directly to the branch of the Zhuque River.

When the first prince saw it, he felt that Huang Ye must be hiding a secret, so he changed his original intention and ran to the bank of the Zhuque River.

The wild beasts in the hunting ground had already fled inside after hunting in the morning, but due to the blocking of the rushing river, most of them hid among the reeds and trees on the river bank.

There are also guards in the reeds and soldiers in charge of the hunting grounds. I believe they have already controlled the prey within a certain range.

But Huang Ye's target is not those wild birds sika deer, but a man-eating tiger! !

Riding his horse up to the higher river bank, Huang Ye held his breath and gazed at the entire river beach. Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide. A stone's throw away, where layers of reeds were floating, a black shadow was moving rapidly.

Behind the black shadow, the reed grass fell down like being crushed by the wind. A huge beast was chasing the black shadow in front, and the distance between them became shorter and shorter.

This black figure is obviously some untouchable in Guanwei, but he is not as tall as the reeds. I saw that although he ran in a panic, he did not panic, and would keep changing directions, always luring the beast behind him. within the river beach.

"Drive──!" Huang Ye shook the reins, and the white horse stretched its hooves in the air, galloping straight towards this person and beast!

"Hurry up! It's a tiger!! Chase up!" At this moment, the First Prince suddenly charged, and they also saw the scene, and a large number of chariots and horses slanted in.

As a result, Huang Ye's men and horses and the First Prince's convoy formed a picture of one front and one back, one left and one right fighting desperately, and this ferocious tiger! , is within easy reach!

※※※

"Hoo hoo!" panting anxiously, covered in cold sweat, Wei Qing pushed aside the reeds and ran towards the river beach, only felt his eyes turn white, and deep fear penetrated his whole body!

All this happened in a blink of an eye. Lao Liu was anxious when he was guarding the siege, so he ran to the back of the mountain to relieve himself, but he didn't expect that there was a tiger baring its fangs lurking there! !

Tiger!He tore off one of Old Liu's arms in one bite, blood sprayed all over the ground, and then the beast's claws pounced and stomped Old Liu on the ground, wanting to bite his head off, Wei Qing picked up the stone in a hurry and yelled , Hit the tiger!nose.

Tiger! "Aww" wailed, actually put down the human flesh already in his mouth, turned his head and rushed towards Wei Qing.

Old Liu kept yelling, "Run! Run! Run away!" Wei Qing fled to another small road, and the other guards saw that it was a ferocious tiger! , who dared to help, they all ran for their lives with their heads in their arms!

The little Wei Qing had no choice but to dig east and west, using the lush reeds to cover himself, but when he rushed to the river beach in one breath, his strength was obviously insufficient, and the road was muddy, and his hands and feet were shaking.

The heartbeat was so fast that it seemed that it would jump out of his throat at any time. Wei Qing took a deep breath, but still felt his chest was tight and painful, and his lips were dry and cracked. In a daze, he heard the sound of horseshoes behind him. Dream it!

Even soldiers will not easily approach this mad beast!

"Ah!" Wei Qing's feet were weak, and he fell to the ground, then rolled down a steep slope, and fell into a big pit full of muddy water with sparse reeds.

Behind him was the rushing river, Wei Qing fell so badly that he hadn't had time to get up, tiger!It jumped out of the reed grass and rushed towards him!

"Woo!" Wei Qing was so frightened that his whole body went limp, but he didn't close his eyes, he stared at the tiger firmly! , looking at its sharp fangs like a sickle, biting straight towards his throat.

Ping!

The moment that fang touched Wei Qing, bright red blood spurted out first, and an iron arrow as thick as a finger pierced through the tiger diagonally!throat, and shattered one of its teeth.

Tiger!Without even whimpering, he fell heavily into the mud, splashing like rain, drenching Wei Qing all over.

Wei Qing had sewage running down his face, but he didn't have the energy to wipe it off, he just stared at the tiger who was gradually turning the muddy red!The dead body seemed to be still in a dream, only the shoulders kept trembling, and it took a quick breath.

"──Report! It's His Highness Ninth Prince's arrow!" Suddenly, soldiers shouted from the steep slope ahead.

Only then did Wei Qing notice that there was a piece of yellow silk tied to the end of the iron arrow, and there was a word on it, but Wei Qing couldn't read and didn't know what it was embroidered on.

"Nonsense! This prince also shot! You don't have to open your eyes wide, and see clearly!" The eldest prince's carriage was lying horizontally on the steep hillside, and almost fell off.He shot an arrow, but was knocked out by Huang Ye's arrow and fell into the river.

The First Prince's arrow was tied with red silk, while His Highness the Ninth Prince was tied with yellow silk, so the soldiers knew it at a glance.

"Return to Your Highness, it is indeed the arrow of His Highness Ninth Highness, there are no other arrows." The soldier jumped down the steep slope and carefully checked the tiger!After the corpse, he told the truth.

"Huang Ye, you──! How dare you steal my prey!" The eldest prince felt ashamed, raised his head and cursed loudly.

"Luo De, bring the tiger back to the camp." Huang Ye said to his subordinates, he ignored the eldest brother's scolding from the beginning to the end, and didn't even say such polite words as "thank you for the concession".

This made the First Prince so angry that he wished he could kill someone immediately to relieve his anger!He lashed his horsewhip hard, and drove the cart down. Seeing that the revolving wheels were about to hit Wei Qing's body, another arrow flew out like a shooting star!

The arrow pierced through the axle and split it in half. Suddenly sawdust flew, the wheels fell off, the huge chariot fell sideways in the mud, and the four horses were frightened, they stopped their hooves hastily, and even threw the eldest prince away. go out!

"Your Highness!" Everyone exclaimed, and the eldest prince fell on the rocky beach, screaming in pain!

His beautiful golden chariot has now turned into a pile of dirty waste wood, which makes him pound the ground and fly into a rage!

"He's my man," Huang Ye approached his horse unhurriedly, and said to his brother, "You can't kill him."

"What?! An untouchable in Guanwei, when did he belong to you?" The eldest prince wiped the plaster on his face and said angrily.

"Just now." Huang Ye replied coldly, "Father has made a decree, but anyone who successfully captures a tiger! No matter how high or low, everyone can receive a reward. Then I will reward him as my slave."

"you……!"

"It's windy by the river, and there are water snakes infesting. Brother Huang, you'd better get up early." Huang Ye sneered, took the rein, and drove the horse to Wei Qing's side.

"Get up." Huang Yeju said condescendingly.

"Hmm...?" Wei Qing blinked his big black eyes, still unable to understand the current situation, let alone believe that this young man who was as beautiful as a fairy had actually saved his life.

Huang Ye bent down impatiently, like an eagle catching a chick, picked up Wei Qing from the muddy water, and threw him on the back of a horse carrying prey.

Wei Qing had no choice but to fight the tiger that still had the warmth left!Together, lie down on the saddle.

"Return to the camp." Huang Ye gave an order, and the cavalry followed him and left majestically.

As you can imagine, with a tiger!Huang Ye who went back would definitely be rewarded by the emperor, and all the officials would kneel down and shout, 'Your Highness the Ninth Prince! '

With the support of his cronies, the eldest prince reluctantly sat on the saddle, his buttocks still hurt badly.

'This matter must not be left alone!Huang Ye, I will make you regret it! ’ The eldest prince had an idea in his mind, so he ordered his men to continue hunting, and he went back to the camp to rest and heal his injuries.