913 Hunting (6)
Shen Miao was stunned and couldn’t help but look at Xie Jingxing. Lu Wan’er wouldn’t lie in front of Xie Jingxing. Had Xie Jingxing really listened to Lu Wan’er playing the Guqin and praised her?
Seeing Shen Miao throw a glance at her, Xie Jingxing smiled and said, “Oh? Are you unhappy?”
Shen Miao turned her head away.
Xie Jingxing shrugged. When he looked at Lu Wan’er again, his expression had changed. He was still talking lazily, but his smile was gone.
“Back then, when I was talking to my brother, we met Consort Jing. She said that her fourth sister was playing the Guqin in the Jinghua Palace and asked my brother to go and listen to it. That day, I listened to it and said that it’s comparable to the crow cawing. Fourth Miss Lu, can’t you even tell sarcasm from compliments?”
Shen Miao almost laughed out loud. She did not realize that Lu Wan’er was so stupid. Xie Jingxing never showed mercy when he spoke.
Lu Wan’er’s face immediately turned red.
In fact, back then at Jinghua Palace, after she finished playing the Guqin, she was focused on Prince Rui, and her heart was pounding non-stop. She was so engrossed in Prince Rui’s handsome face that she did not listen to what he said. She did not hear it clearly and thought that Prince Rui was praising her. Now that Prince Rui pointed it out, Lu Wan’er was immediately dumbfounded.
Xie Jingxing slowly glanced at her and said, “Also, be careful with what you say. I’m a married man and don’t want people to misunderstand.” With that, he pulled Shen Miao away, leaving Lu Wan’er to stand rooted to the ground.
Shen Miao felt that Lu Wan’er was so stupid that she was a little pitiful. She asked Xie Jingxing, “The Lu family is so powerful. How did they raise such a stupid daughter?” Be it Consort Jing or Lu Wan’er, they were comparable to Shen Miao in the past.
Xie Jingxing said, “The Lu family is all focused on the competition in the imperial court, so they naturally don’t have time for their children. Moreover, the Lu family has always been relaxed with their daughters. They focus on nurturing the men.”
Only then did Shen Miao understand. With the Lu family’s background, their daughters could live comfortably for the rest of their life. Therefore, it did not matter if they were arrogant and willful. Anyway, they had their family backing them up.
As he spoke, Xie Jingxing had already pulled Shen Miao to the edge of the hunting ground. As Xie Jingxing approached, Tie Yi led two horses over. One was a tall black horse, and the other was a slightly short red horse. Xie Jingxing helped Shen Miao onto the red horse and got on the black horse.
Emperor Yong Le also started to set out. The imperial guards were ready to follow Emperor Yong Le in.
The drummer began to beat the drum rhythmically. The sound of the drum became louder and louder. In the end, an archer standing on the platform drew his bow and shot. The bow flew straight and hit a golden fruit hanging in the distance. The drummer raised the drumstick and gave the drum a hard hit.
It was a signal for the hunt to begin!
Xie Jingxing brought Shen Miao to the outer venue. Mo Qing and the others were following closely behind. When they entered the hunting ground, they could bring a few guards with them. However, the outer venue was not dangerous to begin with, and it was broad daylight. Nothing would happen.
“When are you entering the inner venue?” Shen Miao asked Xie Jingxing as she rode. She had not ridden a horse for a long time, but the horse under her was quite docile.
“My brother will give me a signal when it’s time. At that time, I’ll leave.” Xie Jingxing sat up straight. “I can still show you around for a while. Do you want to hunt a fox?”
Shen Miao asked, “Fox?”
Xie Jingxing reached out and grabbed her reins. “Follow me.”
Xie Jingxing was an expert hunter. Shen Miao had no doubt that if not for the fact that he was Prince Rui of the Daliang Dynasty, he would probably be able to make a fortune with his hunting skills. In just a short period of time, their horses were already filled with prey.
“What else do you want to hunt?” Xie Jingxing smiled smugly. “I’ll help you hunt it.”
Just as Shen Miao was about to speak, she saw Cong Yang rushing over from the other side. He was out of breath and said, “Master, bad news. His Majesty has entered the inner venue! Just now, Tie Yi and I were searching for His Majesty, but we didn’t see him. We saw hoof prints at the bottom of the peak.”
“Inner venue?” Xie Jingxing frowned. “He went to the inner venue without giving me a signal.” His eyes narrowed and he suddenly growled, “Damn it!”