Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C079 pt2

Seeing the Princess Consort of Prince Wei emerge, the Imperial Guards stationed outside the detached palace exchanged glances.

Prince Wei had not yet returned, which they, the guards at the gate, naturally knew. They also knew that, as things stood, Prince Qin was likely to win first place this time.

Given this, it was not difficult to understand why Prince Wei was delaying his return. After all, which prince did not care about face?

It was also said that Prince Wei had made great achievements in battle, and his reputation outside made the barbarians tremble. This time, he was likely to suffer a great humiliation.

As the several Imperial Guards were exchanging glances, they saw the Princess Consort of Prince Wei, who had been standing still, suddenly lift her skirts and run forward.

The sky was already somewhat dark. In winter, it grew dark early. Lead-colored clouds swirled overhead, and the north wind howled.

The woman was like a fluttering butterfly, landing beside the black horse.

The black horse was strong and sturdy, with long legs and a long mane. Its muscles were knotted. It snorted and lowered its head to sniff the woman.

The man on the horse leaned down, "Why have you come?"

"Your Highness, you've finally returned. I thought…"

"Thought what?"

He raised an eyebrow. He was originally composed, handsome, and dignified, but suddenly reached out to pull her.

Wushuang was startled, but she listened to him and raised her leg at the right moment, sitting in front of him.

"Let's go, we're going in!"

As the words fell, the group moved inside. Besides Prince Wei and Wushuang sitting on the lead horse, there was no one on the ten horses behind. Behind each horse, a simple bamboo raft was dragged by ropes. The rafts had high barriers at the rear to ensure that the prey on them would not fall off.

Usually, when there was too much prey, this method was used to transport it back. The guards were not surprised by this. What surprised them was that two horses were pulling a bamboo raft side by side. The raft was more than two meters wide and more than three meters long, and on it lay a huge, black beast.

That—that was a bear?

But could there be such a large bear? It was simply a behemoth!

The guards thought that such a large bear was enough to be shocking, but who knew there was another one behind it? Had they hunted both of them?

But what surprised them even more was still to come. After several simple bamboo rafts had passed, two guards drove a herd of deer towards them.

There were about ten or so, of various sizes. Their antlers were tied with vines, ensuring they were strung together and could not run away. One person pulled them from the front, and another drove them from behind.

Had they raided a deer herd?

***

Prince Qin was very pleased with himself.

Because he had slain a tiger, everyone praised him to the skies.

Look, even the king of beasts was felled by him, who else could compare?

In truth, it wasn't that tigers were difficult to hunt; no matter how difficult, they couldn't withstand a large and powerful force. But tigers were solitary creatures with a strong sense of territory, and their territories were vast. Within a radius of several hundred li, there might only be one tiger.

Prince Qin had once estimated that this Mount Xiang hunting ground likely had only one or two tigers at most. Therefore, to hunt a tiger, one first had to find it. Tigers were not foolish; with such loud commotion of people chasing chickens and rabbits, and everyone carrying weapons and bows, how could they allow themselves to be discovered?

It must be said, Prince Qin's luck today was truly good. He encountered a tiger that was so difficult to find. Actually, it wasn't that he encountered it, but rather that others had tracked the tiger's trail and informed him to go hunt it.

However, it was still he who led the men to bring it down.

Just as Prince Qin was feeling pleased with himself, he suddenly noticed the change in the expressions of those around him. Turning his head, he saw Prince Wei and his Princess Consort riding a single horse towards them.

What was this?

Afraid of losing face, he was taking a different approach, trying to create a spectacle and divert attention?

A contemptuous smile played on Prince Qin's lips as he said, "Third Brother, what are you doing? Even if you lose to your elder brother, you don't need to resort to..."

Because Prince Wei's horse was blocking his view, Prince Qin naturally didn't see what was behind. But those around him saw it. Seeing that he was still speaking, they hurriedly tugged at him.

They tugged, but he didn't react, so they tugged again.

"Why are you pulling at this Prince?" Prince Qin scolded, not bothering to ridicule Prince Wei.

"Your Highness, look..." the person who tugged him said softly.

And then Prince Qin saw it.

Some of the princes and ministers who were fond of hunting had discussed in their leisure time, which was more powerful, a tiger or a bear.

Some said that the tiger was the king of beasts, but others said that the bear had thick skin and flesh. If a tiger bit it, it wouldn't be able to do much damage, but a bear could smash a tiger with a single paw.

In short, opinions varied, and no one had ever seen a bear and tiger fight. It was all just talk.

But even if they had never seen it, the size of the creatures was there for all to see.

The tiger that Prince Qin had hunted was placed on a bamboo raft in the center of the field. The bear that Prince Wei had hunted was dragged over by a horse and placed right beside it.

Comparing them side by side was the most direct way to see the difference. Perhaps because there was little prey in winter, this tiger had been half-starved all winter. Although its body was tall, it was emaciated, with skin stretched tightly over its bones. The bear beside it was different. The bear was stout and plump, with thick layers of fat. One bear was probably the size of two tigers.

The key was that there wasn't just one, but two. The other, a female bear, was half a head shorter than the male bear, but was equally tall and stout.

Looking at their pelts, the tiger's body was covered in wounds. It was known that the most valuable parts of a tiger were its skin and bones, but now it was clear that the tiger's skin was ruined. The bear's fur was dark brown, so it was difficult to see the specific wounds, but it was clear to the naked eye that the fur was not badly damaged.

Which was superior and which was inferior was clear at a glance.

Prince Qin's expression immediately turned ugly.

Standing beside Emperor Taihe, Lord Fang Xu, the Minister of Works, stroked his beard and said, "Bears have always had the habit of hibernating. Could it be that Prince Wei has found a bear's den?"

His voice was not loud, but it caused the scene to fall silent.

The gazes of admiration that everyone had been directing at Prince Wei suddenly became hesitant.

"I knew someone would say that!" A man dressed as a guard, standing behind Prince Wei's horse, suddenly said.

Before his voice had faded, he waved his hand, and two guards immediately dragged over a bamboo raft, on which were placed some broken stones, tree trunks, and roots.

Wang Xichen pointed at the miscellaneous items and said, "This bear is extremely ferocious. When this subordinate and the others arrived, the scene was a complete mess. These tree trunks were shattered by the bear's claws. There are splinters of wood on the bear's claws, and the claw marks on the tree trunks should match. This tree root was cut from a tree that the bear uprooted. The tree was too large, so we cut the root to bring back as evidence. The broken stones were also selected because they had claw marks. If Lord Fang still doesn't believe it, His Majesty can send people to accompany this subordinate and the others to investigate the original site. His Highness would not deign to fabricate such a falsehood!"

Fang Xu did not expect this guard to speak so directly, even calling him out by name. His expression stiffened somewhat.

People in the crowd had already begun to whisper amongst themselves.

Some said that Fang Xu was Prince Qin's father-in-law, while others discussed the habits of bears, saying that even if a bear was hibernating, it would not allow itself to be killed without moving. Moreover, hibernating bears were the most irritable, and once awakened, they would tear apart everything in front of them.

At this moment, someone suddenly said, "This is not a bear, it's a grizzly."

Although a grizzly is a bear, not all bears can be called grizzlies.

Liu Hedong of the Tang Dynasty once wrote in his "Discourse on the Grizzly": "Deer fear the lynx, the lynx fears the tiger, and the tiger fears the grizzly. The grizzly's appearance is that of a person with disheveled hair standing upright, possessing immense strength and being extremely harmful to humans."

The biggest difference between a grizzly and a bear is that a grizzly is much larger than a bear and can walk upright, also known as a man-bear. When it encounters a person, it will stand upright and pounce, relentlessly pursuing them, preying on jackals and wolves, and is inherently ferocious.

"Look at its hind legs, they are longer and thicker than those of an ordinary bear, and its neck is also longer than that of an ordinary bear." The old man who said the bear was a grizzly was completely unafraid, circling the bear while clicking his tongue.

Someone stepped forward to take a look, and after seeing it, said, "Lord Liu is right. This subordinate also thinks that this doesn't look like a bear, but rather a grizzly."

So, people went forward to take a look, whether they genuinely wanted to see or were just supporting Lord Liu, the scene was very lively. After looking, they all agreed.

The old man, who was called Lord Liu, finished looking at the bear and turned his head to look at Prince Wei.

At this time, Prince Wei had already dismounted, and Wushuang was standing beside him.

The old man then looked at Emperor Taihe and said, "Your Majesty, a tiger is already inferior to a grizzly, let alone two grizzlies. It is truly a rare sight. It seems that the person who has won the first prize today is without a doubt."

"There are other prey, not just two bears."

"There are also a few deer here." A guard, who had finally managed to drive the deer over from the crowd, said timidly.

"Deer? Alive?" Emperor Taihe suddenly laughed loudly, "Good, very good. Lord Liu has already spoken, it seems that the person who has won the first prize today is without a doubt, it should be Prince Wei."

The people around them all shouted, 'Prince Wei is mighty!'

It was not that these Imperial Guards and chamberlains were deliberately trying to please Prince Wei, but rather this was an old custom. Every year on the first day of the winter hunt, the person who won the first prize would receive such an honor.

Because Wushuang was small, she was almost submerged in the crowd.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at 'Prince Wei' standing there. Suddenly, he turned his head and glanced at her, reaching out to pull her hand.

She quietly pulled back.

At this moment, Prince Wei, who was also looking from the outside, finally understood why she had pulled his hand so tightly that time. It turned out it was for this reason.

Prince Qin, Prince Jin, Prince Zhao, and Prince Han were also in the crowd at this time, but some of them had unpleasant expressions, while others had forced smiles. Prince Zhao, however, looked at Prince Wei, then at Prince Qin, and revealed a rather meaningful smile.

On the high platform to the side, the noble consorts and princesses who had been in the tents all came out. Standing high, they naturally saw Wushuang standing beside Prince Wei in the crowd.

Princess Consort Han's face turned pale and then flushed. The words she had just spoken seemed to still echo in her ears, yet they felt like a slap across her face.

The reason why Emperor Taihe laughed so heartily upon seeing the live deer had to do with an old habit of the founding Emperor.

At that time, every time the founding Emperor went hunting with his ministers, he would leave behind two live deer to have their blood drawn and made into deer blood wine, which would then be distributed to the ministers to enjoy.

Although this habit was a personal quirk, it was passed down because later emperors admired the founding Emperor's majesty.

Unfortunately, in recent years, it seemed that everyone had forgotten this custom. Emperor Taihe, due to his advanced age, had long since stopped hunting. Although every hunt had people specifically hunt deer to make deer blood wine, this was done deliberately, and it always made Emperor Taihe feel like something was missing. That was why he was so happy when he saw the live deer just now.

Having chosen the two strongest deer, they were led away to prepare deer blood wine on the spot. By this time, the initial hunt had concluded, and the grand bonfire feast was the main event.

There was no need to change locations; they only needed to clear this area, light a bonfire, and select the fattest game to roast and eat on the spot. This was in accordance with ancient rites.

Taking advantage of the lull before the feast began, many who had gone hunting returned to their lodgings to tidy themselves.

Indeed, after scrambling through the forest, even someone as refined and fastidious as Prince Wei was covered in dust, dirt, and blood from head to toe. It was only because he wore black that it was not so obvious.

Oh, that's right, the one outside at this moment was not Prince Wei, but Ji Yang.

Seeing that the bathhouse had prepared water, Ji Yang pulled Wushuang inside.

"Are you not injured?"

Wushuang had held back this question for a long time, but she had not been able to ask it in front of others.

Everyone was marveling at how ferocious the bear was, and how fortunate it was to have been hunted. For every bit of the bear's ferocity, her heart trembled a bit more, fearing he had been injured.

While helping him remove his clothes, she touched and examined his body, no longer caring about her shyness.

Seeing the red marks on his arms, and the bruises on his arms and shoulders, Wushuang could not help but redden her eyes.

"Actually, I didn't suffer any serious injuries." Seeing her like this, Ji Yang was at a loss for words. "My martial arts are strong; no matter how powerful the bear, it could not injure me."

What Ji Yang did not say was that he had almost been touched on the head by the bear. It was also due to his carelessness. Encountering the female bear had made him quite happy, but just as he was about to kill the bear wife, the bear husband came and swatted at his head and neck.

Fortunately, he dodged quickly, but the force of the blow still grazed his shoulder, which was how the injury on his shoulder came to be.

"Does it hurt?" Her tears hung on her eyelashes.

Ji Yang was taken aback and said, "It's alright, it doesn't hurt much..."

What was pain to Ji Yang? It was something he had long grown accustomed to.

Compared to his chronic headaches, the pain of battle was nothing. Sometimes, when the pain was severe, he even developed a kind of habit. The more it hurt, the more he would slowly experience that pain. Other than making him irritable and wanting to vent, it was nothing.

"It must hurt a lot, that bear was so big."

Her hand lightly touched the area, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"It's alright, after washing it later and applying some medicine, it will be fine in a few days."

He entered the bath, and then pulled her in. Wushuang, thinking of helping him wash his wounds, did not refuse.

Both of them were dressed in thin clothing. Once they entered the water, their clothes became transparent. Wushuang held a cloth, and went behind him. Seeing that the bruises on his back were even more severe, she dared not rub too hard while helping him wash. She splashed water to rinse, and slowly wiped.

His hand was restless under the water. As he moved, he pulled her in front of him, lowered his head to gently inhale the fragrance of her body, and nuzzled her temples and neck with kisses.

Wushuang said helplessly, "Your Highness, how can I wash your wounds if you do this?"

"Then don't wash them," he said in a hoarse voice.

"You have so many wounds on your body."

"They are all superficial injuries."

"But superficial injuries must also be taken care of, if…"

He took the cloth from her hand and threw it aside.

Someone coughed softly, but was immediately silenced.

Outside, Linglong and the others waited, holding trays laden with clothing, while inside, all was bustling.