novelden Chapter 126 Unexpected Events
Chapter 126 Unexpected Events
Empress Wang did not participate in the hunt. She watched Chu Qingyin, who was keeping pace with Pei Yuanling, from afar, and a cryptic smile appeared on her lips.
"Your Majesty, everything is ready."
Lin Qing suddenly appeared behind her, bending over, his face hidden in the shadows of the shaded pavilion, making it impossible to see his expression.
Empress Wang simply hummed in agreement, but the smile in her eyes grew even deeper.
Whether you are Chu Qingyin or Qiao Qingyin, once you enter this forest today, don't expect to come out unscathed.
I want to see if His Majesty will still dote on you if your face is ruined.
The distant mountains stretch endlessly, contrasting beautifully with the blue sky and white clouds. A gentle breeze rustles the leaves.
Chu Qingyin was riding on that chestnut-colored foal, with a quiver nearly half her height on her back.
Before her were several caged beasts, who seemed to sense their impending doom and were extremely agitated. Some were even banging their heads against their cages.
For some reason, Chu Qingyin's sense of unease grew stronger.
She looked at the man beside her with some trepidation and said, "Your Majesty, please protect me well later."
Sensing her dependence, Pei Yuanling's eyes softened even more. "Okay."
Under the blazing sunlight, the man's meticulously combed hair seemed to shimmer with golden light, making his sharply defined profile appear even more striking.
Wang Jingyi, who was not far away, overheard their conversation and, mimicking them, asked the man beside her, "Lord Lu, you will protect me too, right?"
Lu Zhiheng didn't even glance at her, only saying coldly, "Don't hold me back."
"Huh?" Why is the answer different from what I expected?
In an instant, tears welled up in Wang Jingyi's eyes. When she was about to speak again, she found that the other person's gaze was always following Consort Qiao.
She sniffed, sensing that something was amiss.
At that moment, the sound of bugles suddenly rang out, breaking the brief silence.
The cage was opened, and the beasts rushed out like wild horses, running in panic into the depths of the jungle.
Pei Yuanling spurred his horse and charged ahead, with Chu Qingyin close behind. The chestnut foal kicked up a cloud of dust as it galloped away.
Soon, the group rode their horses into the woods and dispersed in all directions.
Pei Yuanling always kept Chu Qingyin's speed in mind and never whipped her away, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far between them.
Before long, Chu Qingyin spotted a wild rabbit hiding in the bushes.
She was overjoyed and quickly nocked an arrow, drew the bowstring, and released the arrow with focused and determined eyes.
With a "whoosh," the arrow missed its mark, startling the hare into fleeing quickly and disappearing from sight.
She frowned slightly, ordered someone to retrieve the arrow that had missed its mark, and then pouted at Pei Yuanling not far away: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid I'll be a burden to you and prevent you from winning the championship this time."
"It's alright."
Pei Yuanling didn't think much of it, and instead comforted her, saying, "This arrow was already very powerful; it was only a hair's breadth away from hitting the target."
Upon hearing this, Chu Qingyin lowered her head shyly, concealing the expression in her eyes.
She deliberately missed with that arrow.
After all, while horseback riding and hunting are enjoyable, she also bears a more important responsibility: to maintain her image as a complete novice in riding and archery.
The two chased the hare deeper and deeper into the jungle. Because the bushes were difficult to traverse, even the guards soon couldn't keep up.
During this time, Chu Qingyin gained nothing, while Pei Yuanling did manage to hunt two wild rabbits and a roe deer, so it wasn't a complete loss.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows. The birds around were startled and took flight, chirping and chattering.
Chu Qingyin took a deep breath, feeling that something was off, and her unease grew stronger.
"Your Majesty, for some reason, I always feel a little uneasy."
Chu Qingyin gently tugged at the reins, moving closer to Pei Yuanling: "It's quite a distance from here to the training ground, why don't we head back first?"
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Pei Yuanling reached out and took her hand, offering her some comfort. He then frowned and looked around, only to realize that none of the accompanying guards had managed to keep up.
In an instant, Da Shou also subconsciously tightened his grip on the gold-inlaid knife at his waist.
It seemed almost too quiet here; there wasn't even a sound of birds or animals.
"Let's go back first."
To avoid any accidents, Pei Yuanling took the reins of the chestnut horse and quickened his pace to walk back.
Just then, a cold arrow shot out swiftly from among the dense foliage, heading straight for Chu Qingyin.
"call out--"
The arrow whistled through the air, but fortunately Pei Yuanling reacted quickly, pulling Chu Qingyin into his arms and narrowly avoiding the arrow.
"There are assassins!"
Pei Yuanling roared, but his bodyguards were too far away to arrive as quickly as possible!
Chu Qingyin's face turned deathly pale, and she gripped Pei Yuanling's sleeve tightly, "Your Majesty..."
"Don't be afraid." Pei Yuanling reassured Chu Qingyin while keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.
In an instant, several more arrows came flying, and the two men tumbled off their horses, barely dodging them.
"Your Majesty! Are you alright!" Chu Qingyin exclaimed in surprise. Just now, a cold arrow had barely grazed his arm, leaving a bloody mark.
"It's alright!" Pei Yuanling glanced around warily, then tightly shielded Chu Qingyin behind him.
"Yinyin, find a place to hide first. I'll deal with these assassins!"
"Your Majesty, please be extremely careful!"
Chu Qingyin bit her lip, her eyes filled with worry, but she still obediently nodded and quickly hid behind a thick tree.
In the short time it took to speak, the assassins hidden in the shadows had already surrounded the two of them.
The group exchanged glances and then drew their swords to attack Pei Yuanling.
Chu Qingyin gripped a short sword, leaned against a large tree, and gasped for breath.
Outnumbered, Pei Yuanling soon could not hold on. However, the assassins did not seem to be looking at him and did not try to kill him. Instead, they tried their best to get close to Chu Qingyin, but Pei Yuanling blocked them all and did not let her suffer any harm.
The two fought and retreated, until they unknowingly reached the edge of a cliff.
"Be careful, Your Majesty!"
At the critical moment, Lu Zhiheng, who was the first to arrive, stepped onto his horse and rushed into the assassins' encirclement, raising his hand to block a fatal sword for Pei Yuanling.
In an instant, his left arm was slashed by a sharp blade, and blood soaked his sleeve. He didn't have time to look at it, he just gritted his teeth and killed someone with a backhand.
Chu Qingyin breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her reinforcements had arrived.
Soon, the belated guards caught all the remaining fugitives.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?"
The head of the guards who rushed over knelt down and said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty and beg for punishment!"
The others also hurriedly knelt down. Such a huge blunder had almost led to His Majesty's attack. They were all to blame, and even death would be the least they could do to atone for their sins.
"Investigate for me! Who is so audacious as to commit such a crime in the palace!"
Pei Yuanling was clearly furious, his face flushed red. He disregarded his injuries and ordered sternly, "Dig three feet into the ground and find out who's behind this!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Yinyin, are you alright?" Pei Yuanling asked, turning back to look for her after he had finished venting his anger.
To avoid the assassin, she had just hidden behind an ancient tree near the cliff.
Her face was pale as she was about to answer when one of the assassins on the ground, who had been feigning death, suddenly lunged forward and shoved her down with a fierce shove!
"Yinyin!!"