Unintentionally Eavesdropping (Part One)
The next day, the autumn hunt officially began.
After Emperor Ning personally lit the incense in an offering to the heavens, he changed into a set of hunting clothes and shot three arrows into the sky from the top of his majestic horse.
When the last arrow was shot into the sky, everyone raised their arms and let out a loud cry that resounded through the forest and mountains.
Emperor Ning rode at the front and headed toward the dense forest, “Follow Us! Anyone who is able to hunt a black bear or a wild boar today, We will reward you generously!”
The officials followed Emperor Ning into the forest, while the female attendees had to stay behind as usual. Kun YuYang watched the men leave for the hunting ground, while she had to stay and drink wine with the other female attendees. She was absolutely displeased.
Imperial Consort Xian sat at the camp’s head seat and looked down. All of the female attendees were chatting and laughing, creating a very lively atmosphere.
Only the princess from Western Kun was sitting there while sadly looking in the direction in which the men had gone. She had heard that every citizen in Western Kun was trained in martial arts, and girls were no exception. It seemed that this princess from Western Kun was itching to go.
“Princess from Western Kun.”
Imperial Consort Xian called to her with a smile, and Kun YuYang immediately came back to her senses, turning to look at her, “Your Highness Imperial Consort Xian, what instructions do you have?”
Imperial Consort Xian said: “I see that you really want to go hunting. You look as if you can’t sit still.”
The female attendees nearby looked at Kun YuYang and could not suppress their looks of disdain.
As girls, they should never go out. They were here at the autumn hunt as His Majesty’s guests. They should be enjoying the scenery. How could they go and hunt with the men?
This was disgraceful, truly disgraceful.
Kun YuYang awkwardly smiled, “No, no, I was just worried for my husband. I fear that he might get hurt while hunting. That’s why I have been looking in that direction.”
She betrayed her feelings, and sure enough, there was a dramatic decrease in the number of disdainful looks.
Since she had come to Eastern Ling, she needed to adhere to Eastern Ling’s customs.
Kun YuYang repeatedly told herself that, as a princess from an enemy country, it was already good enough that Emperor Ning did not have her dealt with. That she was allowed to marry a young man from the imperial family, her luck could already be considered quite good.
She absolutely could not bring Western Kun’s customs with her. She could not cause any trouble for her husband.
Imperial Consort Xian could tell that she was not speaking truthfully but did not say anything about it. She just raised her cup of wine, and Kun YuYang immediately responded by raising her own cup. She threw her head back to down the wine in a single gulp.
The noble ladies seated nearby looked at her in surprise. She paused for a moment then spat some of the wine back into the cup.
This group of noble ladies was a pain to deal with!
Kun YuYang quietly complained to herself and thought about how great it would have been if Yu Fu was here. At the very least, she would have someone who understood her.
Hearing about the great victory at the border, but who knew when Yu Fu would be back…
They waited until noon, but the men still had not returned. Kun YuYang was bored out of her mind. She used getting changed as an excuse to leave everyone’s sight.
She would rather go and spend time in her tent alone than wait with the noble ladies for His Majesty’s return.
At present, the camping ground at the hunting ground was silent. Kun YuYang followed the familiar path to return to her own tent. She did not think that all of the tents would roughly look the same, and this was her first time coming here. As a result, she quickly found that she had gotten lost.
She walked around and suddenly heard the sound of someone’s voice coming from behind a tent. That voice seemed to mention His Majesty, and she stopped in her tracks.
“… That arrowhead is a specially made tip that has a secret mechanism concealed in it. Once it hits its target, it will immediately destroy that person’s internal organs. Consider His Majesty’s age. If his internal organs are destroyed, he would surely die.”
Kun YuYang felt her hairs stand on end!
She had just gotten lost. Why was she hearing this sort of secret?
Who was it that wanted to kill His Majesty. Whose arrow was it? She could not figure it out at all. She could not get involved in Eastern Ling’s political affairs, nor did she want to!
She turned around to leave but could not rein in her curiosity, as she continued to listen in on the conversation.
“The second prince thinks that those special arrows given to him by Baibu Yang are divine arrows that would allow him to hit the bullseye with ease. How could he know that the hidden mechanism is controlled by people? As long as it is shot in vaguely the correct direction, would it not land wherever we wanted it to land?”
It was the second prince!
Kun YuYang furrowed her brow. Based on what they were saying, Emperor Ning’s life was at risk!
Although she was not born in Eastern Ling, Emperor Ning had treated her with kindness. He did not blame her for anything and provided her with a good marriage. This was something that she would always remember.
Now that she knew that Emperor Ning’s life was in danger, if she acted as if she had not heard anything, would she not be acting too ungratefully?
But in the end, she was still the princess from an enemy country. If she brazenly stepped forward like this, would Emperor Ning really trust her?
Kun YuYang was extremely conflicted. Suddenly bumping into a pillar behind her, she inhaled sharply in shock.
She thought that there was someone behind her.
As soon as she gasped, the voices behind the tent suddenly stopped talking.
Kun YuYang thought to herself that this was bad. She had definitely been discovered!
Sure enough, the sound of a sword being unsheathed came from the tent. Kun YuYang immediately turned and fled. She could not allow them to see her face!
Fortunately, she was trained in martial arts and qinggong. Aside from a shadow, the opposition saw nothing but a light-green corner of fabric disappear behind a tent.
A man wearing light green clothes had overheard their discussion!
The two exchanged a look and immediately went to report to Yin Shuo.
Perhaps being pitied by the heavens, after Kun YuYang fled the scene, she ended up finding her tent by accident, and she hastily hid inside.
Inside the tent, there was only the one maid who had come with her from Western Kun. Seeing her, she rushed forward to receive her. Kun YuYang quickly stripped down and ordered the maid to dress her in more feminine clothing.
The maid looked at her suspiciously. Her princess had clearly said that she did not want to dress too fancily when going to the hunting ground, so why was she changing her mind now?
But this too was fine. She was not going to participate in the hunting, so why would she dress like a man?
The maid cheerfully went off and returned with a pink jacket and an emerald-green skirt. Kun YuYang’s face instantly turned green.
Emerald green paired with pink, did she want her to look like a lotus flower?
“This is a little too delicate, isn’t it!”
Kun YuYang looked around outside the tent and confirmed that nobody was coming. Sitting down on a sofa, she let out a long sigh of relief.
The maid miserably said: “Didn’t princess say that you wanted to wear more feminine clothes? Princess, what’s wrong? You’re in such a panic. Could it be that the noble ladies have been troubling you?”
“No, no, in any case, I am a member of the imperial family. They wouldn’t dare to openly cause me trouble.”
Eastern Ling’s women were weak and fragile. If they wanted to trouble someone, they would do it with their words. For someone like Kun YuYang, who had grown up seeing the glint of swords and blades in Western Kun’s imperial palace, it was nothing.
It could not cause her any harm.
What was troubling her now was whether or not she should tell His Majesty about what she had overheard and prevent someone from assassinating His Majesty!
“Hah, if only husband were here!”
She felt extremely conflicted and helplessly rested her face in her hands. She then listlessly leaned against the table.
The maid carefully observed her expression. It did not look like she was missing her husband. Rather, it looked as if there was something urgent, “If princess wishes to see her husband, why not just go and look for him in the forest?”
Kun YuYang looked up at her, “That’s easy to say. Earlier, when I looked in the direction that they had gone in, I was mocked by Imperial Consort Xian for wanting to go hunting with the men. If I really went, would I not be mocked by those noble ladies until I die?”
She was not worried about being laughed at by others, but she did worry about losing face for her husband and her in-laws.
The maid said: “While what you have said is true, if princess is feeling so troubled, what good is sitting around going to do? If there is something urgent, is being mocked by the noble ladies more important, or is princess feeling uneasy more important?”
Once Kun YuYang heard this perspective, it seemed as if she had gained enlightenment, and she immediately stood up.
“Right! If His Majesty is really taken down, I will definitely feel great regret!”
Saying this, she charged out of the tent. Completely disregarding her maid chasing after her, she rushed into the forest to try and save Emperor Ning.
The maid heard something about His Majesty being taken down and was given a great scare. She was afraid that something would happen to Kun YuYang, but Kun YuYang had always had a lively personality. Even if she tried to stop her, she could not.
Seeing her rush off on horseback into the forest, someone from the site where the noble ladies were gathered noticed her parting figure.
“Huh? Who was the one wearing pink clothes? Why has a girl gone off in the direction of where the men are hunting?”
She had even rushed off on horseback, and her form was no worse than any of the men.
Imperial Consort Xian overheard this comment and squinted in that direction. She just saw the girl wearing a pink top with a green skirt, which gave her a very delicate appearance. It did not at all match the figure riding off on horseback.
That figure was a little familiar, and she felt that she had seen it before.
For a while, she could not figure it out, and she turned to Mu Jin. Mu Jin leaned close and whispered into her ear, “Your Highness, that seems to be Western Kun’s princess, Kun YuYang.”
Imperial Consort Xian laughed, “She said that she was going back to get changed, but it turned out that she wanted to go hunting while we weren’t paying attention? That princess from Western Kun is truly too inconsiderate.”
She lowered her head and picked up a cup of tea. Suddenly remembering something, she looked up and stared at Kun YuYang’s parting figure.
Unintentionally Eavesdropping (Part One)
The next day, the autumn hunt officially began.
After Emperor Ning personally lit the incense in an offering to the heavens, he changed into a set of hunting clothes and shot three arrows into the sky from the top of his majestic horse.
When the last arrow was shot into the sky, everyone raised their arms and let out a loud cry that resounded through the forest and mountains.
Emperor Ning rode at the front and headed toward the dense forest, “Follow Us! Anyone who is able to hunt a black bear or a wild boar today, We will reward you generously!”
The officials followed Emperor Ning into the forest, while the female attendees had to stay behind as usual. Kun YuYang watched the men leave for the hunting ground, while she had to stay and drink wine with the other female attendees. She was absolutely displeased.
Imperial Consort Xian sat at the camp’s head seat and looked down. All of the female attendees were chatting and laughing, creating a very lively atmosphere.
Only the princess from Western Kun was sitting there while sadly looking in the direction in which the men had gone. She had heard that every citizen in Western Kun was trained in martial arts, and girls were no exception. It seemed that this princess from Western Kun was itching to go.
“Princess from Western Kun.”
Imperial Consort Xian called to her with a smile, and Kun YuYang immediately came back to her senses, turning to look at her, “Your Highness Imperial Consort Xian, what instructions do you have?”
Imperial Consort Xian said: “I see that you really want to go hunting. You look as if you can’t sit still.”
The female attendees nearby looked at Kun YuYang and could not suppress their looks of disdain.
As girls, they should never go out. They were here at the autumn hunt as His Majesty’s guests. They should be enjoying the scenery. How could they go and hunt with the men?
This was disgraceful, truly disgraceful.
Kun YuYang awkwardly smiled, “No, no, I was just worried for my husband. I fear that he might get hurt while hunting. That’s why I have been looking in that direction.”
She betrayed her feelings, and sure enough, there was a dramatic decrease in the number of disdainful looks.
Since she had come to Eastern Ling, she needed to adhere to Eastern Ling’s customs.
Kun YuYang repeatedly told herself that, as a princess from an enemy country, it was already good enough that Emperor Ning did not have her dealt with. That she was allowed to marry a young man from the imperial family, her luck could already be considered quite good.
She absolutely could not bring Western Kun’s customs with her. She could not cause any trouble for her husband.
Imperial Consort Xian could tell that she was not speaking truthfully but did not say anything about it. She just raised her cup of wine, and Kun YuYang immediately responded by raising her own cup. She threw her head back to down the wine in a single gulp.
The noble ladies seated nearby looked at her in surprise. She paused for a moment then spat some of the wine back into the cup.
This group of noble ladies was a pain to deal with!
Kun YuYang quietly complained to herself and thought about how great it would have been if Yu Fu was here. At the very least, she would have someone who understood her.
Hearing about the great victory at the border, but who knew when Yu Fu would be back…
They waited until noon, but the men still had not returned. Kun YuYang was bored out of her mind. She used getting changed as an excuse to leave everyone’s sight.
She would rather go and spend time in her tent alone than wait with the noble ladies for His Majesty’s return.
At present, the camping ground at the hunting ground was silent. Kun YuYang followed the familiar path to return to her own tent. She did not think that all of the tents would roughly look the same, and this was her first time coming here. As a result, she quickly found that she had gotten lost.
She walked around and suddenly heard the sound of someone’s voice coming from behind a tent. That voice seemed to mention His Majesty, and she stopped in her tracks.
“… That arrowhead is a specially made tip that has a secret mechanism concealed in it. Once it hits its target, it will immediately destroy that person’s internal organs. Consider His Majesty’s age. If his internal organs are destroyed, he would surely die.”
Kun YuYang felt her hairs stand on end!
She had just gotten lost. Why was she hearing this sort of secret?
Who was it that wanted to kill His Majesty. Whose arrow was it? She could not figure it out at all. She could not get involved in Eastern Ling’s political affairs, nor did she want to!
She turned around to leave but could not rein in her curiosity, as she continued to listen in on the conversation.
“The second prince thinks that those special arrows given to him by Baibu Yang are divine arrows that would allow him to hit the bullseye with ease. How could he know that the hidden mechanism is controlled by people? As long as it is shot in vaguely the correct direction, would it not land wherever we wanted it to land?”
It was the second prince!
Kun YuYang furrowed her brow. Based on what they were saying, Emperor Ning’s life was at risk!
Although she was not born in Eastern Ling, Emperor Ning had treated her with kindness. He did not blame her for anything and provided her with a good marriage. This was something that she would always remember.
Now that she knew that Emperor Ning’s life was in danger, if she acted as if she had not heard anything, would she not be acting too ungratefully?
But in the end, she was still the princess from an enemy country. If she brazenly stepped forward like this, would Emperor Ning really trust her?
Kun YuYang was extremely conflicted. Suddenly bumping into a pillar behind her, she inhaled sharply in shock.
She thought that there was someone behind her.
As soon as she gasped, the voices behind the tent suddenly stopped talking.
Kun YuYang thought to herself that this was bad. She had definitely been discovered!
Sure enough, the sound of a sword being unsheathed came from the tent. Kun YuYang immediately turned and fled. She could not allow them to see her face!
Fortunately, she was trained in martial arts and qinggong. Aside from a shadow, the opposition saw nothing but a light-green corner of fabric disappear behind a tent.
A man wearing light green clothes had overheard their discussion!
The two exchanged a look and immediately went to report to Yin Shuo.
Perhaps being pitied by the heavens, after Kun YuYang fled the scene, she ended up finding her tent by accident, and she hastily hid inside.
Inside the tent, there was only the one maid who had come with her from Western Kun. Seeing her, she rushed forward to receive her. Kun YuYang quickly stripped down and ordered the maid to dress her in more feminine clothing.
The maid looked at her suspiciously. Her princess had clearly said that she did not want to dress too fancily when going to the hunting ground, so why was she changing her mind now?
But this too was fine. She was not going to participate in the hunting, so why would she dress like a man?
The maid cheerfully went off and returned with a pink jacket and an emerald-green skirt. Kun YuYang’s face instantly turned green.
Emerald green paired with pink, did she want her to look like a lotus flower?
“This is a little too delicate, isn’t it!”
Kun YuYang looked around outside the tent and confirmed that nobody was coming. Sitting down on a sofa, she let out a long sigh of relief.
The maid miserably said: “Didn’t princess say that you wanted to wear more feminine clothes? Princess, what’s wrong? You’re in such a panic. Could it be that the noble ladies have been troubling you?”
“No, no, in any case, I am a member of the imperial family. They wouldn’t dare to openly cause me trouble.”
Eastern Ling’s women were weak and fragile. If they wanted to trouble someone, they would do it with their words. For someone like Kun YuYang, who had grown up seeing the glint of swords and blades in Western Kun’s imperial palace, it was nothing.
It could not cause her any harm.
What was troubling her now was whether or not she should tell His Majesty about what she had overheard and prevent someone from assassinating His Majesty!
“Hah, if only husband were here!”
She felt extremely conflicted and helplessly rested her face in her hands. She then listlessly leaned against the table.
The maid carefully observed her expression. It did not look like she was missing her husband. Rather, it looked as if there was something urgent, “If princess wishes to see her husband, why not just go and look for him in the forest?”
Kun YuYang looked up at her, “That’s easy to say. Earlier, when I looked in the direction that they had gone in, I was mocked by Imperial Consort Xian for wanting to go hunting with the men. If I really went, would I not be mocked by those noble ladies until I die?”
She was not worried about being laughed at by others, but she did worry about losing face for her husband and her in-laws.
The maid said: “While what you have said is true, if princess is feeling so troubled, what good is sitting around going to do? If there is something urgent, is being mocked by the noble ladies more important, or is princess feeling uneasy more important?”
Once Kun YuYang heard this perspective, it seemed as if she had gained enlightenment, and she immediately stood up.
“Right! If His Majesty is really taken down, I will definitely feel great regret!”
Saying this, she charged out of the tent. Completely disregarding her maid chasing after her, she rushed into the forest to try and save Emperor Ning.
The maid heard something about His Majesty being taken down and was given a great scare. She was afraid that something would happen to Kun YuYang, but Kun YuYang had always had a lively personality. Even if she tried to stop her, she could not.
Seeing her rush off on horseback into the forest, someone from the site where the noble ladies were gathered noticed her parting figure.
“Huh? Who was the one wearing pink clothes? Why has a girl gone off in the direction of where the men are hunting?”
She had even rushed off on horseback, and her form was no worse than any of the men.
Imperial Consort Xian overheard this comment and squinted in that direction. She just saw the girl wearing a pink top with a green skirt, which gave her a very delicate appearance. It did not at all match the figure riding off on horseback.
That figure was a little familiar, and she felt that she had seen it before.
For a while, she could not figure it out, and she turned to Mu Jin. Mu Jin leaned close and whispered into her ear, “Your Highness, that seems to be Western Kun’s princess, Kun YuYang.”
Imperial Consort Xian laughed, “She said that she was going back to get changed, but it turned out that she wanted to go hunting while we weren’t paying attention? That princess from Western Kun is truly too inconsiderate.”
She lowered her head and picked up a cup of tea. Suddenly remembering something, she looked up and stared at Kun YuYang’s parting figure.
