Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C077 pt1

This was just outside the other residence, and Emperor Taihe was within.

As the first hunt was two days away, many who would participate chose to come out early to familiarize themselves with the terrain or practice to get a feel for it, all to show their faces before others.

Earlier, many had seen Prince Wei teaching Princess Consort Wei to ride, but no one dared to approach and exchange pleasantries. Now, Prince Qin and Prince Jin were actually in conflict with Prince Wei.

Especially the miserable cries of the vicious dog before its death, which were truly terrifying. Many who were not nearby came upon hearing the sound, but upon seeing the scene, dared not approach further.

This woman truly had a sharp tongue!

Prince Jin's expression stiffened slightly. He naturally knew where this was, and he also knew why this woman would say such words.

Emperor Taihe was in the other residence, and now there were probably many people nearby watching the commotion here. It was likely that these words would soon reach Emperor Taihe's ears.

Today, this dog disobeyed and bit Princess Consort Wei. Emperor Taihe would think, would it disobey and bite him tomorrow? Emperors were always suspicious. As long as this seed of doubt was planted, Prince Jin and Prince Qin would not fare well.

Prince Qin also understood, the cold glint in his eyes contracted, and he wanted to laugh, but it turned into a grimace.

Just as he was about to say something, Prince Jin spoke again.

"Third Sister-in-law is right, it was this foolish brother who was inconsiderate," he said with a look of shame, "but this dog belongs to Prince Qin. Very well, today I will overstep my bounds and make a decision on behalf of Prince Qin. Someone, quickly drag these vicious dogs down and kill them!"

Since it was said that the dogs belonged to Prince Qin, the guards naturally looked to Prince Qin.

Prince Qin could not help but say, "Prince Jin, you..."

Prince Jin did not speak, but looked around. Prince Qin followed his gaze, and his cheeks twitched.

"What are you looking at this Prince for? The vicious dogs caused trouble, naturally they should be killed."

As Prince Qin issued the order, several guards immediately separated from behind him and took the vicious dogs away. They did not go far, but dealt with the hunting dogs in the nearby woods.

After several miserable cries of the dogs, the woods fell silent, and the surroundings were also deathly still.

"I wonder if Third Sister-in-law is satisfied with this method of disposal?"

Ji Yang saw that Prince Jin was speaking to Wushuang again and again, and was about to step forward, but Wushuang quickly pulled him back. She then gave Prince Jin a forced smile and said, "Your Highness Prince Jin, why must you say so? The dogs are yours, and you brought them out. It is also you who want to kill them. Why ask a woman like me?"

Prince Jin's expression stiffened, and he turned to Ji Yang, "I wonder if Third Brother is satisfied with this method of disposal?"

This time, Ji Yang completely ignored him, not even glancing at him.

The scene was somewhat awkward. Clearly, Prince Jin was standing up for Prince Qin, fulfilling this brotherly bond, but now it had turned into Prince Jin being unable to step down.

But Princess Consort Wei was not wrong. The dogs were yours, and it was because you brought them out that they almost hurt someone. It was also you who wanted to kill them. You have already finished acting out the play, what is there for others to say?

Not far away, several people were standing, some old and some young, all on horseback. They were clearly also preparing to go hunting, but were forced to stand far away because of the incident in front, which blocked the road.

At this time, after hearing Wushuang's words, two of the middle-aged men exchanged a look. They did not speak, but continued to watch the commotion here.

Prince Jin had a gentle nature and was always good at enduring insults. He continued, "Since Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law do not find it strange, then this elder brother is relieved."

He then mounted his horse again. He and Prince Qin had only come out pretending to hunt. Now, it was not good to turn back, so they could only continue in the direction they were going.

After they left, Ji Yang pulled Wushuang aside, "You weren't frightened, were you?"

Wushuang was of course frightened. Didn't he see that she didn't dare look in the direction of the dead dog, not even a glance from the corner of her eye? However, she was also clear that if she had truly shown that she was frightened, the scene would have definitely spiraled out of control.

Prince Qin and the others had put on such a show. How she was was secondary. The main thing was to provoke 'Prince Wei to go mad'. She naturally would not do as they wished, and did her best to plant a nail for the two of them. If this matter reached Emperor Taihe's ears, naturally their Prince Wei's mansion would be wronged, while Prince Qin and Prince Jin would be seen as harboring ulterior motives.

It was only then that Wushuang felt a lingering fear. Everything had happened so quickly just now, including the scene of the vicious dog lunging at her, which had flashed by in her eyes. Now that all her memories had returned, she felt not only lingering fear but also a deep-seated malice.

The other party truly wanted her life.

In this setting, just outside the other courtyard, she and Ji Yang had decided to go riding on a whim. Yet, Prince Qin and Prince Jin were able to plan such a scheme in such a short time. It could only be described as swift, ruthless, and venomous.

If she were injured or killed by the vicious dog, even if the matter were brought before the Emperor, who would believe that someone had deliberately attacked her in such a place? It would naturally be deemed an accident, that the beast had not obeyed its master. If she were injured or killed, and Ji Yang had a relapse, that would be even better, perfectly confirming that Prince Wei's madness had not only persisted for so many years but had actually worsened.

Ji Yang was worried about Wushuang, but Wushuang was even more worried about him. Seeing that his face was extremely cold and that there was a visible ferocity between his brows, but that he had not lost control, she quickly squeezed his hand in response and then feigned a relaxed smile, saying, "With Your Highness protecting me, of course I'm fine. Did Your Highness think I was very impressive just now? That Prince Jin even wanted to pretend to be a good person, but I wouldn't give him the face."

Seeing her like this, Ji Yang immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense nerves slowly relaxed.

He wanted to embrace her, but there were too many people around, so he pulled her along, saying, "I'll take you to ride Black Steed. It's been a long time since it's run, let it stretch its muscles and bones a bit."

***

"Are we just leaving like this? How spineless," Prince Qin complained after they had moved out of sight of the crowd.

Prince Jin's face had also lost its smile at this moment.

Spineless?

Their plan had been conceived on the spur of the moment after learning that Prince Wei was teaching his wife to ride. Prince Qin's pack of dogs were indeed specially trained, but not for use in this place.

He felt that the opportunity was too good to miss—just think, what a perfect chance. Who would believe that someone would deliberately harm another in such a place? If they had truly succeeded, and Prince Wei had another public outburst, even if the Emperor favored him, he would have to consider whether a son with such madness was suitable to become an emperor.

Wasn't that what Prince Qin was aiming for when he made his move?

Now that the plan had failed, he was calling it spineless?

"If we alarm Imperial Father, it won't be a matter that can be resolved by the deaths of a few dogs." At the very least, the two guards who had led the dogs would certainly die, and perhaps the other guards would also suffer.

Who told you not to keep a close watch on the dogs? How could Emperor Taihe know which guards had failed to watch the dogs? Naturally, they would all be punished together.

Such things were not uncommon in the palace. When a master made a mistake, regardless of how the master was punished, those who served by his side would be the first to die as a sacrifice.

Prince Qin's guards were also aware of the gravity of the situation, and they immediately showed their agreement. One of the guards, a middle-aged man who appeared to be a leader, approached Prince Qin and said, "Your Highness, since the plan has failed, resolving it this way will minimize our losses."

He also hinted to Prince Qin to look at those around him, lest he lose the support of his subordinates.

At this point, Prince Qin could no longer feel sorry for his dogs, which had been trained for two years and had cost him countless efforts. In his heart, if he could exchange two guards for those dogs, he would have been willing, as those dogs were difficult to train. However, it was not appropriate to say this in the current situation.

"Since this time failed, it will be difficult to find another opportunity. Third Brother will definitely keep his princess consort under strict guard," Prince Qin said with some regret.

"Opportunities are found slowly."

Hearing this, Prince Qin gave Prince Jin a forced smile and said, "Speaking of finding opportunities, has Prince Jin found his? You incited me to make a move first, but you shrank back behind."

Prince Qin's words were not polite at all, clearly showing his disdain for Prince Jin. However, Prince Jin was not angered. Instead, he said calmly, "The opportunity I seek may be slower and more subtle, but when I make a move, it will be fatal."

Prince Qin seemed to understand this riddle. His expression changed several times, but he did not say anything more.

***

Ji Yang helped Wushuang onto Black Steed, and the guards quickly mounted their horses as well.

At first, Ji Yang was afraid that Wushuang would be scared, so he did not ride fast. Gradually, the speed increased, and Black Steed seemed to be enjoying itself, galloping wildly. The trees on both sides flashed past like lightning, gradually becoming a blur.

As for the guards behind them, they were completely unable to keep up.

After running freely for a while, Ji Yang remembered that the person in his arms had been silent for a long time, so he quickly looked at Wushuang.

He saw that her small face was pale, her lips had lost their color, and her eyes were tightly closed. She had buried her face in the hood of her cloak, but she was not crying. When he stopped, she quickly opened her eyes.

"Your Highness…"

"Why didn't you say you were afraid sooner!"

Ji Yang was somewhat annoyed, blaming himself for only indulging his own frustration, and forgetting that she would be frightened.

"I saw that Your Highness was not in a good mood…"

Ji Yang was speechless. He was indeed not in a good mood, but also...

After much thought, he only blamed himself for his negligence, and couldn't help but feel a pang of tenderness, saying, "Next time you are afraid, just tell this Prince."

She softly hummed in agreement.

He reached out to touch her face, then touched her hand, finding it quite warm.

"Are you feeling better now?"

His actions made Wushuang feel somewhat embarrassed.

"Your Highness, actually, I wasn't very scared."

At the beginning, she was indeed very scared. Seeing the trees beside her gradually become blurry, she felt as if she was about to fall off at any moment, and her heart was about to leap out of her throat. Later, she realized that he had been holding her waist, so she probably wouldn't fall. Since she was scared to look, she simply closed her eyes and covered her face.

She explained her clumsy method in a low voice, which made Ji Yang laugh.

"Let's go, I'll take you for a slow ride, and we can wander around nearby."

Soon, the guards behind them also caught up, and the group wandered around the area.

Most of the guards carried swords and sabers, and some even carried bows and arrows. When they saw rabbits and pheasants running by, some would fall behind to hunt them. Before long, they had hunted quite a few, and Ji Yang did not stop them.

At noon, they were originally planning to return, but Ji Yang's interest was piqued again, and he ordered the men to start a fire on the spot to roast the pheasants and rabbits for a meal.