Chapter Thirty-One

Many people had already arrived at the camp and were greeting each other. When those people saw them, they immediately came forward to say hello.

“General Yan will have a big harvest today, ah.”

“Lieutenant General He and Lieutenant General Zhong are also energetic. It looks like they’re going to hunt a lot of good things today.”

They praised these military officials one by one, automatically ignoring Zhao Yelan, who was powerless.

Zhao Yelan also didn’t want to make sham gestures of politeness with them. Taking a seat, he saw those martial arts masters approaching Yan Mingting and the others, their voices full of longing and admiration.

The father and son of the Yan family could be said to be role models in the hearts of all warriors.

The others also slowly arrived. At this time, Eunuch Gao shouted: “The Emperor is here!”

Everyone got up and saluted one after another. Zhao Xuan walked out well-dressed, and said in a loud voice: “You don’t need to be so polite, today is the day of the hunt. Everyone goes into battle according to their skills, and what they hunt can be brought back directly. Anyone who can hunt down the tiger will receive a generous reward.”

The group of people were eager to compete, and when he finished speaking, they could hardly wait to ride into the forest.

Most of the officials were old, but their children were in the prime of their youth and bustled with noise and excitement in search of prey. Even Li Yucheng was among them.

Bows and arrows were distributed uniformly. Zhao Xuan picked up a quiver and was about to set off, when he subconsciously looked at Zhao Yelan.

They looked at each other, and Zhao Yelan smiled and nodded as if in encouragement.

Zhao Xuan smiled tacitly and raised his voice: “General Yan, let us go together.”

“Yes.”

Yan Mingting raised his bow, jumped onto his horse, and tightened the reins. He glanced at Zhao Yelan in high spirits, but Zhao Yelan looked back at him indifferently: “Do not be complacent.”

The corners of Yan Mingting’s mouth rose: “Let’s go.”

He Cuizhang and the others followed in sequence. The sound of horseshoes gradually faded away, and the people who remained waved away the dirt and dust that rose into the air.

After entering the hunting grounds, Zhao Xuan separated from Yan Mingting and the others. He was good at riding and shooting, and didn’t want to use Yan Mingting’s martial arts to obtain his prey. With a small entourage, he went in the other direction.

“General, what should we do now?” He Cuizhang asked.

“There is no need to stay together. Everyone enjoy within your own abilities, ba.” After Yan Mingting gave his orders, Zhong Yuehong turned her horse’s head and rushed into the forest excitedly.

Even at a distance from the hunting grounds, the civil officials sitting in the camp could hear the neighing of the horses and the growling of the game inside. It sounded a bit terrifying. Particularly worrying was that some people’s children were still inside.

The Prime Minister seemed to fear that Li Yucheng would have an accident, so he wanted to call up a few followers and go in search of him.

Someone laughed at him: “Minister Li, don’t you write poetry now?”

Li Jinyu wiped the sweat from his forehead: “I can’t right now, I’ll do it later.”

The others laughed out loud, and someone added fuel to the fire: “By the way, I heard a few days ago that Zhao Yelan and General Yan hung Li-gongzi from a tree. Is this true? You are the Prime Minister, ah, how can he live as such a good-for-nothing? If it was me, I would be sure to……”

“What would you be sure to do?” Zhao Yelan asked with a smile.

The man’s voice paused. He didn’t expect him to say this, and stammered without saying a complete sentence for a long time.

Zhao Yelan: “I recall that your young master is thirteen years old and won’t die after being hung up for a night. One of these days, I will……”

“Zhao-daren, excuse me, I made a slip of the tongue. Don’t mind me, have mercy on my son, ba.” The man hurriedly begged for leniency, knowing that he had forgotten himself for a moment. Even though Zhao Yelan was currently only a seventh-rank scholar, he could regain the Emperor’s favor at any moment. What’s more, Yan Mingting had already accompanied him to do wicked things, so there was no guarantee that he would not be spurred on by him.

Zhao Yelan smiled faintly: “I’m out of tea.”

“I’ll pour some for you.” The man trotted over with haste, respectfully poured him tea, and handed the teacup to him with a smile on his face.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yelan poured the tea out as soon as he accepted it.

“Too hot.”

The man bore with it under everyone’s complicated gazes and poured him another cup. Zhao Yelan took it and said indifferently: “All right, you have no business here. Go back.”

The people around Kan Chuan couldn’t help muttering, and the Imperial Censor said: “Why is this Zhao Yelan still so powerful? It is too outrageous! Tomorrow morning, I will certainly censure him!”

“It’s useless,” Kan Chuan said. “He will say that the other party offered the first insult, and that he splashed the tea because it was too hot and his hand was unsteady. The Emperor will not deal with such a small matter, and will only think that you focus on trivial matters every day.”

“It is as Kan-daren says. But since this Imperial Censor can’t speak out, why doesn’t Kan-daren go to speak to the Emperor? The Emperor has always summoned you alone these days, so he should take your opinions seriously, right?”

“The Imperial Censor should speak carefully. The Emperor summons me to speak about important matters concerning the common people, not to listen to me suing officials. If I truly did such a thing, what would be the difference between me and Zhao Yelan and his ilk?” When Kan Chuan finished his righteous speech, all the respectable people around him agreed and admired him greatly.

“However, should he continue to be so arrogant?” Asked another.

Kan Chuan looked at Zhao Yelan, who happened to be looking over too. Their eyes met, and he said calmly: “Although nowadays he is a tiger who has come down from the mountain, it is not good to provoke him easily. A rabbit may bite when it is desperate. Whoever crosses him now will suffer disaster in the future if he is allowed to return to power.”

When the others heard this, they also had the same reasoning. Wasn’t that the case with Liu-daren just now? This Zhao-daren had yet to return to power, yet he dared to ask Liu-daren to pour tea for him in front of so many people. They dared not think about how things would develop in the future.

Sitting nearby, Wang Guisheng listened to their conversation and looked at Zhao Yelan with a complicated expression. There was arrogance in his heart, and he wanted to completely remove this treacherous person, but he always thought of the night when Zhao Yelan talked about poetic essays with him. Warm dishes and warm wine, earnest words, and gaining genuine appreciation that he had never received before.

When Zhao Yelan looked over casually, he subconsciously straightened his back and didn’t know how to face the other. While he was struggling, Zhao Yelan had already glanced away. Although he was relieved, there was also a subtle sense of loss.

“Zhao-daren, I’ve found you.” Ruan Xian walked over with a smile. The camp was spacious and there were many officials who had come to participate. Ruan Xian had searched around while carrying a flagon of wine, only to see the slightly lonely-looking Zhao Yelan and sit beside him familiarly. “How is your health?”

“Thank you for your concern, there is no……” Zhao Yelan withdrew his inquisitive gaze, covered his mouth and nose, and coughed a few times before continuing, “……big problem.”

“This is what you call not a big problem?” Ruan Xian said with concern. “It so happens that my brother-in-law is out to see a patient and hasn’t returned yet, but I have already sent him a letter, and he will return to Beijing in two days. He will definitely give you a good diagnosis.”

“There is no need to bother him in this way.”

“Hey, isn’t that being too polite? Our first meeting was like that of old friends, and although I call you Zhao-daren, I treat you as an elder brother in my heart,” Ruan Xian laughed.

Zhao Yelan smiled: “Thank you, Ruan-daren, for your kindness.”

Ruan Xian smiled in surprise. “If you don’t mind, could I address you less formally, and instead call you Zhao-xiong?”[1]

“All right.” Zhao Yelan nodded in agreement.

Ruan Xian was a little happy and wanted to drink with him, but it could be seen that he was frequently coughing, so he had to sip the wine alone.

The two sat and conversed for a while. Something occurred to Ruan Xian, and he asked in a low voice: “Zhao-xiong, I see that you have a very good relationship with General Yan. Can you tell him not to look at me so fiercely every time he sees me? It makes my heart uneasy, and I don’t know how I offended him.”

“What is this?” Zhao Yelan asked in surprise.

“Yes, ah, the few times I’ve seen him, he would glare at me a few times without giving a reason. I’ve never had much contact with him, and I don’t know what could have made him unhappy. Although he is big and handsome, he can be intimidating when he looks fierce. I’m really afraid of him,” Ruan Xian complained without end.

“No, what I’m asking is, when did you see that our relationship is good?”

“……” Ruan Xian frowned. “Is it not okay?”

“Okay?”

“Uh……” Ruan Xian saw that he was confident that his relationship was not good, and was not sure of himself anymore, beginning to suspect that it was his own illusion. “It may be that I read it wrong, ba.”

“You must have read it wrong,” Zhao Yelan affirmed.

The time limit for the hunt was one day, so lunch was also eaten at the camp. Everyone gathered together to eat, and heard the sudden sound of hoofbeats as someone returned.

“Ya!” Li Yucheng was the first to come back, his head soaked in sweat as he shouted excitedly, “Dad, I caught something!”

Everyone looked over curiously and saw a group of attendants following him carrying a dozen rabbits.

In an instant, everyone burst into laughter. It went without saying that there were no words for his riding and shooting skills. They laughed so hard that Li Yucheng was too ashamed to show his face, and he lowered his head listlessly.

Only Li Jinyu patted him on the head with a smile on his face: “Very good, Dad is very happy as long as you are safe and sound. Tell Dad how you hunted them?”

Li Yucheng’s face was full of joy again and he pulled him to sit down, animatedly talking about the scene inside: “There are so many things in there! Leopards and big tigers as well, so scary……”

Smiling, the other people turned back around. Zhao Yelan couldn’t help but take another look, and saw that no matter what Li Yucheng said, Li Jinyu would listen very carefully and repeat a few words, offering him praise.

“You said that our Prime Minister has great literary talent, but why is his son so useless?” Ruan Xian said in a hushed voice, shaking his head with a sigh.

Zhao Yelan lowered his eyes sadly: “This is Li Yucheng’s good fortune.”

“That is true, Li Yucheng has such a doting father, and has been comfortable all his life, unlike me……” There was a hint of sourness in Ruan Xian’s tone, and he immediately laughed. “Forget it, since there is no such father, I can only rely on myself.”

The corners of Zhao Yelan’s mouth twitched, and he said, “Yes, ah.”

The temperature rose a bit in the afternoon. Fortunately, the camp was shaded by trees, so it wasn’t overly hot. Zhao Yelan sat in his chair and dozed off for a while. He heard the sound of hoofbeats but didn’t bother to open his eyes. In any case, there were countless voices reporting the results.

Which official had hunted a deer, which gongzi had shot a wolf……there were congratulatory voices all around, which was very noisy.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes and examined the people who had hunted trophies. They were encircled by crowds as they told about their experiences inside, arousing everyone’s curiosity.

“I heard that the tiger is difficult to subdue, did any of you try?”

“The Emperor, did he……look, isn’t the Emperor coming back now?”

Everyone looked over one after another, and Zhao Yelan followed suit. He saw Zhao Xuan ride out in a mighty manner, his clothes stained with blood. The entourage behind him was pulling a wooden cart, upon which was the corpse of a tiger. It was so big that just looking at it was terrifying.

The officials approached in succession to observe, and didn’t forget to say a few words of flattery.

Zhao Xuan was in a good mood, and ordered the tiger to be cut up and divided among everyone. When he caught a glimpse of Zhao Yelan’s figure, he couldn’t help but step forward and ask with a smile: “How is it?”

“Your Majesty’s prestige remains unparalleled,” Zhao Yelan complimented.

Zhao Xuan laughed loudly and patted him on the shoulder, saying in a low voice: “In due course, the tiger skin will be given to you to protect you from the cold.”

“Many thanks, Your Majesty.”

Zhao Xuan turned around to inspect other people’s achievements, praising them without hesitation. The scene was very lively.

Not long after, He Cuizhang and Zhong Yuehong also returned. He Cuizhang had hunted the wolf king, and Zhong Yuehong had captured a leopard.

“Not bad, the two lieutenants are really young and promising.” Zhao Xuan walked up to them, laughing loudly. When he looked at Zhong Yuehong, he was full of praise. “Lieutenant general Zhong’s skill is extraordinary, she is truly a heroine.”

“Your Majesty flatters me.”  Zhong Yuehong clasped her hands in a soldier’s salute.

Zhao Xuan glanced at her appreciatively and then looked away: “Your people have all returned. Why do I not see Yan Mingting?”

“Yes, why hasn’t the General come back yet?” Someone asked.

“The General wasn’t with us, we don’t know,” He Cuizhang said.

Zhao Xuan counted the people and found that there were still a few gongzis from aristocratic families who had not returned , so he ordered the people to continue to wait.

“How about we guess what General Yan will bring back?” One person suggested.

“But the tiger has been captured by His Majesty, and the wolf king and leopard have also been caught. What else can be hunted?”

“There is also a bear. It seems that no one has brought it back yet.”

“True, General Yan must have caught the bear.”

Just then, the person in charge shouted: “Report! Wu Zhuangyuan hunted down one black bear, twelve wild geese, and one deer.”

“Whoo, it turns out that Wu Zhuangyuan gets the credit!”

“What else can General Yan catch?”

“There is nothing great left in the forest, maybe General Yan is going to fight a phoenix, ha ha ha ha.”

Everyone laughed, and at this time some people had already revealed mocking expressions. They suspected that this famous general had a reputation with no substance. Was it really all right if he couldn’t even hunt the heads of prey?

The other lieutenants also came back one after another, and their harvest was not small. Seeing that Yan Mingting had not come back, they automatically came to Zhao Yelan’s side.

Zhao Yelan turned his head and asked: “What is he doing?”

The lieutenants were clearly aware of the taunts from others, and He Cuizhang replied: “I haven’t seen him either……could something have happened, ah?”

Zhao Yelan frowned and covertly glanced around, inexplicably feeling that everyone present might have set a trap for Yan Mingting.

On the one hand, it might be because the Yan family had too much power, and on the other, it might be because of himself. They had made enemies of too many people, so he would start with the people closest to them first.

They would not normally be able to murder Yan Mingting without difficulty, but today, taking advantage of the Spring Hunt, they could set up some traps in the hunting grounds and declare that he had died at the mouth of a beast……

He looked at Zhao Xuan abruptly.

Zhao Xuan noticed his pointed gaze and looked sideways at him. When he met those deep, dark eyes, he couldn’t help but freeze.

Over the years, he had seen Zhao Yelan reveal such a dangerous look countless times, but never toward himself. Every time Zhao Yelan looked at him, his eyes were always fragile and filled with unspeakable emotions.

When he looked again, the other party had already returned to normal, as if it had been an illusion. He even gave him a gentle smile, making him really suspect that he was overly tired and having hallucinations.

Not Zhao Xuan, Zhao Yelan thought.

He soon came to his senses. Although Zhao Xuan feared Yan Mingting, his army was still needed, and he would not use such lowly tricks to murder Yan Mingting.

If he wanted to harm Zhao Yelan, it would be an easy task, and he would not have to go through such trouble to dispense of Yan Mingting first.

At this moment, the slow plodding of horseshoes sounded in the forest. Everyone heard the sound and looked over to where Yan Mingting finally appeared at the entrance.

Yan Mingting emerged slowly on horseback, his long hair half held back and blowing in the wind, his eyes like bright stars, and looked around with an unreadable expression. There was clearly nobody behind him, but people inexplicably felt that there were thousands of troops at his back, poised for action, an invisible deterrent.

“Son!” An official in the back of the crowd suddenly shouted, pushing forward. “Son, what happened to you?!”

Only then did everyone come to their senses and notice the person lying in front of Yan Mingting. The person heard that voice and raised his head, stretching out a hand helplessly. “Father, cough cough cough.”

Yan Mingting lifted him from the back with one hand, and others instantly went to retrieve him. He said to the people: “Ling-gonzi was bitten by a wild dog. Take him to a doctor and have him checked carefully.”

“Many thanks, General Yan!”

There was an Imperial physician accompanying them, and Zhao Yelan immediately ordered him to check on the injury.

Others also clearly saw that Yan Mingting had not brought back any prey, but saving someone’s life made for a good story, and nobody sneered anymore.

Yan Mingting didn’t know that he had been secretly mocked. He dismounted, threw his quiver to He Cuizhang, and walked right up to Zhao Yelan.

He Cuizhang enumerated his shortcomings: “Hey, General, this is no good, did you not hunt at all?”

“How could this be?” Yan Mingting spoke without care and noticed that Zhao Yelan’s face was gloomy, asking in concern, “Why are you unhappy?”

Zhao Yelan looked at him silently, not saying a word, and couldn’t explain why he was so depressed.

In the silence, he suddenly saw Yan Mingting’s chest move and pointed to it: “What is that?”

Yan Mingting’s eyes curved: “It’s for you.”

Several other lieutenants also looked over curiously. Zhao Yelan looked down again, and in the next instant, a fluffy white rabbit poked its head out from the hem of his clothes. The little mouth moved and moved, and it opened a pair of innocent red eyes, meeting Zhao Yelan face-to-face.

“Ah, rabbit!” Zhong Yuehong fell in love with it, and just as she reached out to touch, her hand was smacked away by Yan Mingting.

Yan Mingting grabbed the rabbit by the ears and stuffed it unhesitatingly into Zhao Yelan’s hands, saying with a smile: “Hold it firmly.”

[1] The suffix -xiong is the equivalent of “elder brother.” So, Elder Brother Zhao. ⮐