allonlinenovel Chapter 291 Falling off the cliff
Chapter 291 Falling off the cliff
Princess Guangning stood beside King Qi with an unnatural flush on her face and looked listless.
Shen Qingtan frowned slightly. Princess Guangning was ill, yet she still came to participate in the autumn hunt...
Was it beyond their control, or were there other reasons?
Princess Guangning noticed Shen Qingtan's gaze and dared not meet her eyes for a moment.
She received a message from Shen Qingtan yesterday, instructing her to make an excuse not to attend the autumn hunt. After careful consideration, she decided to follow Shen Qingtan's advice, soaked in cold water for most of the night, and claimed to be ill to avoid attending the hunt.
For her, the autumn hunt was fraught with unknown dangers, and not participating would be entirely beneficial.
Even so, the King of Qi disregarded her illness and insisted that she come to the autumn hunt.
Princess Guangning felt guilty for disappointing Shen Qingtan and wanted to apologize to her, but unfortunately, she couldn't find a suitable opportunity.
When they saw Shen Qingtan again, it was when everyone arrived at the hunting grounds.
The men and women participating in the hunt were dressed in riding attire and each led a horse.
Princess Guangning was also among them, holding a rein in her hand. She looked up at the high platform and noticed that Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi had not changed into riding clothes. The two of them were sitting below Emperor Jing'an.
Following Princess Guangning's gaze, King Qi asked, "Have you remembered what I told you?"
Princess Guangning dug her nails into her palm and nodded.
How could the King of Qi not see Princess Guangning's resistance?
His younger sister is becoming more and more opinionated.
The King of Qi warned, "You are not the only princess in Northern Qi. If you cannot complete the mission, I will not hesitate to have my father replace you with another one."
Princess Guangning's face turned deathly pale; the consequences of being abandoned were far beyond what she could bear.
Her fingernails scratched her palm, and the pain brought some clarity to her dazed mind.
She looked at Shen Qingtan on the high platform. She was without makeup and wore a light blue dress. She was a dazzling presence just by sitting there.
Immediately afterwards, she turned her gaze to Shen Du, who was not far away. He was wearing black riding clothes, and his profile was clear and sharp. His toughness was accompanied by a cold and stern look, like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, exuding a murderous aura.
It was as if the hunting ground before him was not a hunting ground, but a battlefield.
Princess Guangning looked at it for a long time before lowering her head.
King Qi knew that Princess Guangning was afraid of death and wanted to live, so he had her weakness in mind and was not afraid that she would not comply.
He had a gut feeling that the leverage Gao held over him would make it difficult for Shen Du to marry Guangning.
Only Guangning and Shendu were the ones rumored to be married, forcing Shendu to marry them.
Autumn hunting is the best time for this.
He watched as Princess Guangning stared intently at Shen Du, a mocking smile playing on his lips. He figured she would obey him this time.
Not far away, Shen Qingtan also noticed Princess Guangning. Seeing the brother and sister talking about something, Princess Guangning's expression immediately changed.
Especially the glance that Princess Guangning gave her and Shen Du seemed to be a hint to her.
Shen Qingtan had a guess in her mind, her expression changed, and she whispered in Zhao Yi's ear, "Second Master, before your eldest brother goes hunting, tell him to be careful of the people from Northern Qi."
The envoy from Northern Qi truly harbored treacherous intentions towards the Prince of Zhenbei's residence.
Zhao Yi glanced in the direction of the Prince of Qi, understood the meaning behind Shen Qingtan's words, and turned to instruct Jiang Chao beside him.
Jiang Chao received the order and quietly withdrew.
Shen Qingtan breathed a slight sigh of relief when she saw Jiang Chaochao walking towards Shen Du. At the same time, she understood why Prince Qi still wanted to bring Princess Guangning to the autumn hunt even though she was ill.
It turns out they wanted to take this opportunity to scheme against Shen Du.
This autumn hunt was truly a case of everyone harboring their own ulterior motives.
She scanned the people who were going to hunt one by one and was surprised to find that Prince Rui had not come to the autumn hunt. Where could he have gone?
"The men of the Great Zhou are outstanding in literature and martial arts, and the women are equally capable. Whoever comes out on top in today's hunt will be richly rewarded by me." Emperor Jing'an set aside one spot each for men and women.
The fact that women were allowed to participate in hunting was a precedent set by Empress Xiaoen.
After Empress Xiaoen passed away, the late emperor forbade women from hunting.
After Emperor Jing'an ascended the throne, he followed the rules set by Empress Xiao'en.
With Emperor Jing'an's prize, the young nobles were extremely excited. As soon as the drums sounded, they rode their fast horses and galloped towards the hunting grounds.
Prince Yu and Shen Du were skilled horsemen and were far ahead of the others. They left everyone else far behind, disappeared into a dense forest, and then parted ways, heading in opposite directions.
Princess Guangning had a high fever and her head was spinning. The horse galloped away, jolting her so hard that her bones felt like they were about to fall apart, and her head was throbbing with pain.
King Qi followed closely behind Princess Guangning, watching her sway unsteadily, as if she were about to fall off her horse at any moment.
He spurred his horse to catch up, wanting to reach out and grab Guangning's reins, and take her to chase after Shen Du.
With a "whoosh," an arrow pierced the air and stabbed into the horse's leg.
The horse beneath King Qi was startled and bolted wildly forward.
Princess Guangning was stunned by this sudden turn of events.
To prevent cheating during this hunt, guards were not allowed to accompany the hunters.
Princess Guangning's heart was in her throat. Was this arrow a mistake while hunting animals, which accidentally shot into the leg of the King of Qi's horse, or was it a premeditated murder?
Thinking of this, Princess Guangning's eyes showed panic. She tightened her grip on the reins and was about to flee in a panic.
With a "whoosh," another arrow shot out and hit a rabbit.
Just then, someone rode up on horseback, leaned over, picked up the rabbit, and explained to her, "I shot this rabbit, and your brother's horse sped up, so I accidentally shot it."
Princess Guangning pursed her lips, shook her head, and indicated that it was alright.
The man carried his prey away.
Princess Guangning breathed a sigh of relief upon confirming that it was not a premeditated attempt to harm her.
She glanced up at the dense forest, completely disoriented, and there wasn't a soul in sight.
Princess Guangning was frightened and dared not wander off recklessly. She mustered her courage and headed toward the direction from which the sound of horses' hooves came.
Unbeknownst to her, she rode her horse out of a dense forest, where she found herself facing a sheer cliff, the howling wind making her ears ache.
Princess Guangning quickly reined in her horse, turned around, and prepared to go back.
Suddenly, she was grabbed and then fell.
P.S.: Babies, there will be more updates, probably very late. Goodnight, muah~