ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 76
“Mother, why not let the Crown Prince ride the horse?”
Upon hearing Li Zhizhi’s words, Xiao Yan paused and subconsciously looked over. He stopped walking, a slight smile playing on his lips as he said, “Do you want to ride with me?”
The remark carried a teasing tone, and Li Zhizhi naturally wouldn’t let him have his way. She raised her eyebrows and sweetly smiled, “I’m just concerned about the Crown Prince. There’s no other meaning, please don’t misunderstand, Brother. I can wait here for the guards to bring another horse.”
Xiao Yan was about to say something when he noticed the Grand Princess casting a glance in their direction. He closed his mouth reluctantly, and in the end, it was the Grand Princess who made the decision. Everyone waited as a guard swiftly rode back and brought more horses.
Walking to the location took time, but riding back on horses was much faster. Xiao Yan couldn’t possibly ride with Li Zhizhi. Instead, his silly younger sister, Xiao Rulei, took advantage of the situation.
Li Zhizhi sat in the front, and Xiao Rulei wrapped her arms around Li Zhizhi’s waist, whispering something in her ear. They both burst into laughter, sunlight filtering through the pine branches, casting golden specks on the girl’s face and hair, accentuating her radiant and charming beauty.
Because Li Zhizhi had injured her foot, the outing ended early. The Grand Princess caught several birds, and there was even a large fox caught by Su Tangyu and his sister. It was considered a somewhat fruitful trip.
Suddenly, Li Zhizhi remembered something. Glancing around, she realized one person was missing. She asked, “Where is Young Master Pei?”
Others exchanged glances and inquired around, but no one had seen Pei Yanchuan. Only Su Qingshang pointed in a direction, saying, “Young Master Pei rode his horse. I watched him head towards the deep woods over there.”
“That side is the river valley,” the Grand Princess frowned slightly and said, “Indeed, there are more prey by the river, but the terrain there is quite complex, not as flat as this side.”
Li Zhizhi suggested, “It’s not even an hour yet; we might as well wait a little longer for him.”
The Grand Princess agreed, and the group rested in place, waiting for Pei Yanchuan to return. After waiting for almost half an hour, there was still no sign of him. The Grand Princess couldn’t help but feel a bit worried, so she ordered a few guards to go and look for him. It took another two quarters of an hour until Pei Yanchuan finally arrived, looking a bit disheveled.
He appeared quite disheveled, with half of his body soaked as if he had been in the water. There was mud on his clothes, and they seemed to have been torn. Moreover, there were several small cuts on his handsome face. However, that wasn’t the focus; the surprising part was that he had hunted a deer.
Although the deer’s size was not very large, it was impressive compared to foxes and rabbits. In addition to the deer, he also caught many birds.
The Grand Princess was quite surprised and asked with a smile, “Did you hunt these in the river valley?”
Pei Yanchuan looked somewhat awkward and said, “Yes.”
At that time, he was determined to take the lead, chasing a flock of birds deep into the woods. He happened to see a deer drinking by the river and decided to try his luck. His archery skills were not bad; the arrow hit the deer’s abdomen. However, instead of dying immediately, the deer panicked and ran wildly into the mountains and forests, crossing hills and rivers in its desperate attempt to escape.
Pei Yanchuan immediately chased on horseback and eventually caught up with the deer. However, all the birds he had shot fell into the stream and were washed downstream. Pei Yanchuan was at a loss and had no choice but to search along the riverbank, spending a considerable amount of time salvaging what he could, ending up with a modest catch.
However, due to this delay, by the time he returned carrying the prey on his horse, the appointed time had already pa.s.sed.
After explaining the ins and outs of the situation, Pei Yanchuan felt extremely embarra.s.sed. He didn’t even dare to look at the expression on Li Zhizhi’s face. He wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. He had originally intended to showcase his skills to impress his beloved, but unexpectedly, he ended up making a fool of himself. He was frustrated beyond words.
Fortunately, no one mocked him. After the final inspection, it was discovered that the person who won the prize was actually a guard from the Su family, followed by the Grand Princess Yong Ning, and then the Su siblings. As for the Crown Prince, he didn’t even bring a bow, so naturally, he had no catch at all.
In reality, if one were to truly consider, Pei Yanchuan had caught the most birds and small game, but his tardiness rendered it all meaningless, truly regrettable.
Li Zhizhi had someone fetch a silver ingot as a consolation prize and presented it to the Su family guard. Then, she turned to see Pei Yanchuan standing there with a dejected look, head hung low. He appeared quite pitiful, and she thought for a moment before smiling and praising, “Young Master Pei is truly remarkable. He actually managed to hunt such a large deer.”
Upon hearing this, Pei Yanchuan quickly perked up, raising his head with a determined look. Beside him, Xiao Rulei was curious and asked, “Sister, I’ve never seen a dead deer before. Can you eat it?”
Grand Princess Yong Ning couldn’t help but chuckle, saying, “Of course, you can eat it. If it’s winter and there’s snow, you can set up a stove in the house, hang a copper pot, and roast the deer meat. Warm up a pot of wine, and it’s the best feast.”
Xiao Rulei immediately became eager, “A’yang wants to eat.”
Pei Yanchuan promptly declared, “Then, this deer is a gift for the princess and Miss Li…”
Xiao Rulei cheered, but Grand Princess Yong Ning laughed and said, “This was hunted by you with so much effort. How can I take advantage of you?”
She then discussed with Li Zhizhi, “Why not give Master Pei some gold and silver as if we bought it from him.”
Li Zhizhi nodded, and Pei Yanchuan immediately became anxious, repeatedly refusing, “No need, I…”
His gaze caught Li Zhizhi still holding a small bow, so he changed his mind and said, “No need for gold and silver. Pei admires Miss Li’s bow very much. I wonder if Miss can part with it?”
Upon hearing this, Li Zhizhi was somewhat surprised, but Grand Princess Yong Ning smiled and said, “Master Pei has a good eye. This is indeed a good bow.”
Li Zhizhi originally didn’t understand archery and only played with the bow. So she agreed to give the bow to Pei Yanchuan. When she handed it over, she suddenly remembered something and said with a smile, “Master Pei has excellent archery skills and strong martial arts. I believe you will have a bright future. In giving you this bow, I wish you success in your martial endeavors, and may you win the top spot in the martial examination next year.”
Pei Yanchuan blushed slightly and dared not look into her eyes. He nervously said, “Th-thank you, Miss Li.”
Xiao Yan on the side watched the two, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed. His heart began to feel uncomfortable again. No other reason, he recalled that he had previously helped Pei Yanchuan deliver messages and gifts. The Crown Prince felt like a fool.
Although not very smooth, the hunting trip finally ended. On the way back, a guard approached Xiao Yan’s carriage to report that Pei Yanchuan requested an audience. After a moment of silence in the carriage, a voice finally came, “Let him come in.”
When Pei Yanchuan boarded the carriage, Xiao Yan only noticed that he still carried a bow on his shoulder, a gift from Li Zhizhi. Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow and asked, “Why are you carrying a bow? What do you need it for?”
Pei Yanchuan replied with joy, “I don’t feel at ease leaving it elsewhere. What if it falls and gets damaged? This is a gift from Miss Li.”
Xiao Yan: …
The Crown Prince naturally wouldn’t admit to feeling jealous. He coolly mocked, “It’s just a bow. You’re not planning to sleep with it at night, are you?”
Upon hearing this, Pei Yanchuan blushed instantly, as if his thoughts had been exposed. Xiao Yan’s expression changed slightly, his fingers playing with the prayer beads tightened suddenly. His sword-like eyebrows furrowed, and he stared at Pei Yanchuan, angrily saying, “Do you really have such filthy thoughts?”
Pei Yanchuan hastily explained, “Your Highness, you’ve misunderstood! I have never thought that way!”
But how could Xiao Yan believe him? With a cold smile, he said, “What you think in your mind, how could others know? Even if you don’t have such thoughts now, who’s to say you won’t later? If you have affection for her, how can you resist thinking about her?”
As he spoke, Xiao Yan became increasingly agitated. His heart seemed to be soaked in sour brine, bubbling with anger. How dare Pei Yanchuan?!
Under the onslaught of scornful remarks, Pei Yanchuan struggled to find words to retort. His face turned red, and after stammering for a while, he finally managed to say, “I have never thought that way… I wouldn’t dare to disrespect Miss Li!”
Xiao Yan’s phoenix eyes became sharp, and he coldly said, “What? Are you still thinking about disrespecting her? Pei Yanchuan, you have quite the audacity.”
Pei Yanchuan was in great distress, thinking about how to frame him with false charges. This was an unfounded matter, and he wondered how he could prove himself. Was he supposed to dig out his brain and show it to the Crown Prince?
Pei Yanchuan really wanted to slap himself. He was told to come and show off, and now he had landed himself in trouble. Originally, he had planned to seek advice from the Crown Prince on how to win the favor of Miss Li, but now it seemed better to forget about it.
However, he still couldn’t understand why the Crown Prince was in such a bad mood today. Why was he so irritable? His tone was sarcastic, as if Pei Yanchuan had stolen eight hundred taels of silver from him.
…
It was evening, with a gentle breeze and the lakeside covered in lush gra.s.s and vibrant flowers. There was a small pavilion in the middle of the lake, and a young girl was leaning against the railing. She wore a crimson dress, adorned with gold accessories in her hair and ears, giving her a luxurious and n.o.ble appearance. With delicate fingertips, she fed the fish in the lake, and they eagerly competed for the food.
She seemed to be focused on feeding the fish, and after a while, she spoke softly, “So, you want to ensure that Li Zhizhi never returns to the Li residence?”
Standing beside her was Li Suwan. Hearing this, she nodded quickly, biting her lip and saying, “As long as she doesn’t come back, she won’t compete with me anymore.”
This way, she would still be the precious daughter of the Li family. Her father, mother, and brother would continue to love her just like before.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Man chuckled, “You fool.”
Li Suwan blushed but dared not retort. She could only mutter, “County Princess…”
Xiao Man suddenly said, “Do you think I poisoned the fish food, and all these fish that are fighting for food will die from the poison?”
Li Suwan was stunned for a moment, then reacted, her face turning pale. Although she disliked Li Zhizhi, she had never thought of causing her death. She was momentarily frightened, and her voice became somewhat shaky as she stuttered, “But, but killing someone has consequences…”
“Look at how timid you are, like a mouse,” Xiao Man glanced at her, calmly clapping her hands. She took the handkerchief handed to her by a maid and said, “I didn’t ask you to poison her. It’s just that someone like Li Zhizhi, if you don’t put her in the mud from the beginning, it’s likely to become more troublesome in the future.”
Li Suwan was at a loss, anxiously asking, “What should we do then?”
However, Xiao Man remained silent. She raised her eyes slightly, and her gaze fell on a pair of people walking side by side on the bridge by the lake. The man was dressed in fine clothes, resembling a scholar, while the woman wore a smoke-pink dress. They seemed familiar, walking intimately and talking with smiles, like lovers.
“Who are they?”
Li Suwan followed her gaze, showing surprise on her face, which quickly turned into disgust. This change didn’t escape Xiao Man’s eyes. She raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, “Do you know them?”
Li Suwan replied, “One is my cousin, and the other is Jiang Ziyu.”
She frowned. In fact, she didn’t like Song Lingyun, thinking that she, being self-proclaimed beautiful, had already won him over. However, when she found out that he was entangled with another woman, Li Suwan felt somewhat uncomfortable.
“By the way,” she suddenly remembered something and said to Xiao Man, “Li Zhizhi also admires my cousin. She just didn’t dare to say it, perhaps feeling ashamed and not daring to express her feelings.”
As she spoke, she went on to describe in detail Li Zhizhi’s various behaviors, embellishing the story. Xiao Man seemed to become interested and asked, “Does she really like him?”
“Really,” Li Suwan hesitated for a moment and said, “But even if she likes him, it’s useless. My cousin has already confessed that he likes me.”
“Oh?” Xiao Man smiled slightly and said, “Well, that’s interesting.”