You Rong lowered his eyes and gazed at Lin Qinghe’s fair cheeks. Uncontrollably, he slowly raised his hand…
Just as his hand was about to caress Lin Qinghe’s cheek, she suddenly looked up and said with a smile, “Thank you, Crown Prince. This servant has finished dressing. Let’s go out quickly. Be mindful of the time and don’t miss the start of the hunting ceremony.”
You Rong quickly withdrew his hand, clenching his fist behind his back. He forced a calm expression and said, “Alright, let’s go.”
Lin Qinghe trotted ahead, with You Rong following behind. His ears were slightly red, and a hint of regret flickered across his handsome face.
He had almost made a disrespectful move.
Upon arriving at the assembly point outside the tents, the annual winter hunt officially began after the Emperor shot the first arrow.
The Emperor, mounted on his horse, turned to You Rong with a smile and said, “Rong’er, you mustn’t disappoint me today. As the Crown Prince, you should set an example for everyone. Hunt more prey, do you understand?”
You Rong cupped his hands and replied, “Yes, Father Emperor, your son remembers.”
“Good, then I shall lead the way. You follow closely!”
“Yes, Father Emperor.”
With a flick of his reins and a gentle nudge to his horse’s belly, the Emperor rode into the mountains.
The Imperial Guards swiftly followed.
As soon as the Emperor left, You Feng rode up beside You Rong, sneering dismissively, “Fifth Brother, be sure to hunt more prey after we enter the mountains. If you return empty-handed, you, the Crown Prince, will be a laughingstock.”
You Rong glanced at You Feng and said calmly, “No need for Third Imperial Brother to worry. Third Imperial Brother should worry about himself.”
“You!” You Feng’s face turned pale with anger. He gritted his teeth and said hatefully, “Fine! We’ll see!”
You Feng, along with a group of soldiers, rode into the forest. The other ministers and their families, also on horseback, followed suit for the hunt.
You Rong pulled on the reins, tilted his head slightly, and said in a low voice, “Follow behind me.”
“Yes, Crown Prince.”
You Rong and Lin Qinghe led their party into the mountains on horseback. Not long after entering, You Rong spotted a wild goose perched on a withered branch in the distance. Without a word, he drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and shot the goose.
The goose fell to the ground. The Imperial Guard soldiers dismounted to retrieve it. Lin Qinghe saw this and smiled, flattering, “Your Highness the Crown Prince truly has remarkable archery skills! You hit the goose with a single arrow. Truly amazing!”
You Rong sat ramrod straight on his horse, turning his head slightly to look at Lin Qinghe, a barely perceptible curve on his lips.
As You Rong prepared to ride further ahead, Lin Qinghe’s sharp eyes spotted Xu Ling’er and other ladies who had received permission riding towards them. Her heart leaped with joy, and she called out, “Miss Xu, what a coincidence! Have you hunted anything yet?”
Xu Ling’er rode over and recognized Lin Qinghe, who was disguised as a man. She was secretly surprised, wondering why a palace maid could accompany them on the hunt.
Despite her curiosity, Xu Ling’er did not ask further questions. She smiled lightly and nodded at You Rong, “This humble woman greets Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
You Rong’s brows furrowed slightly. He gave a brief nod in response.
Seeing the wild goose held by the soldiers behind You Rong, Xu Ling’er said with graceful composure, “Your Highness the Crown Prince is fortunate to have already hunted a wild goose. We, however, have been less lucky and haven’t even seen the shadow of any prey.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Qinghe quickly chimed in, “Since that’s the case… Miss Xu, why don’t you accompany His Highness the Crown Prince from now on? It would be good to have each other’s care in the mountains, wouldn’t you agree?”
You Rong frowned and was about to speak when Xu Ling’er demurely said, “That would be good. This humble woman thanks Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
At this point, You Rong found it difficult to refuse. He nodded impassively, catching a glimpse of Lin Qinghe secretly smiling. Annoyed, he said in a low voice, “Keep up. Let’s move forward.”
Lin Qinghe responded with a smile, “Yes, Crown Prince.”
The group mounted their horses and continued onward.
Suddenly, the system announced, “World progress bar increased by five percent, total progress at thirty percent.”
Hearing the system’s prompt, Lin Qinghe was overjoyed.
As expected, increasing the progress bar depended on Xu Ling’er!
Next, she needed to find a way to get Xu Ling’er and You Rong into close contact…
Lin Qinghe subtly surveyed her surroundings and saw more people riding towards them from behind.
No, with so many people, how could Xu Ling’er and You Rong’s relationship heat up? She needed a plan…
Lin Qinghe’s eyes lit up, and she suddenly pointed to a small path on the right, exclaiming, “Crown Prince! Quickly! This servant saw a sika deer run that way. Let’s go chase it!”
You Rong’s expression turned serious, and he sternly instructed Lin Qinghe, “Keep up.”
Lin Qinghe tightened the reins. “This servant will!”
With a shout of “Hya!” You Rong took the lead, riding his horse forward, followed closely by Lin Qinghe. She glanced back and saw Xu Ling’er also riding towards them, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.
You Rong rode his horse for nearly the time it takes an incense stick to burn, but he did not see the sika deer Lin Qinghe had mentioned. Finally, sensing something was wrong, he pulled hard on the reins, stopping his horse with a “Hoo!”
Lin Qinghe, who was following behind, also stopped. You Rong frowned and asked, “Did you really see a sika deer?”
Lin Qinghe gave a somewhat guilty chuckle. “Heh heh… well, this servant did see it. Perhaps the sika deer ran too fast and disappeared. We’ve been chasing for a while, and everyone is a bit tired. Why don’t we stop and rest for a moment?”
She hadn’t even seen the shadow of a sika deer. She had lured You Rong here simply because there were fewer people, making it easier to create an opportunity for him and Xu Ling’er.
Seeing Lin Qinghe’s face reddened by the cold wind, You Rong let out a barely audible sigh. “Let’s rest for a quarter of an hour, then continue forward.”
Lin Qinghe replied, “Yes, Crown Prince.”
Xu Ling’er stopped her horse as well and echoed, “Yes, Crown Prince.”
Lin Qinghe lowered her eyes, her dark pupils darting around. Hearing the sound of a distant stream, she wondered if she should use a lack of water as an excuse to have Xu Ling’er and You Rong fetch water together.
Before Lin Qinghe could decide, an arrow suddenly shot out from the darkness, heading directly for You Rong. Fortunately, You Rong dodged just in time. The arrow struck the neck of an Imperial Guard soldier standing beside him, killing him instantly.
Xu Ling’er and the other two young ladies with her cried out in shock, their faces turning ashen.
The Imperial Guard soldiers quickly shouted, “Quick! There are assassins! Protect the Crown Prince! Guards… quickly protect the Crown Prince…”
Before he could finish speaking, an arrow shot out, and the shouting Imperial Guard soldier fell from his horse, dead.
As one hidden arrow after another flew towards them, the remaining Imperial Guard soldiers frantically tried to defend themselves, descending into chaos.
A cold glint flashed in You Rong’s eyes. He leaped from his horse, tackling Lin Qinghe, who was on horseback, and rolling with her on the ground several times.
At that moment, an arrow that would have hit Lin Qinghe’s previous position struck the trunk of a nearby tree.
You Rong pulled Lin Qinghe behind a thick tree and said in a low voice, “Stay here and don’t move!”