CH 40

Chapter 40: Hunting

If it was before, she would never have done these things as a concubine, but recently, she had been under too much pressure and there had been no movement in her stomach. The voices for the crown prince to take a secondary consort were getting louder. Many people in the imperial court were also thinking of ways to inquire about the crown prince’s preferences.

When she was with Zhang Wan Yi yesterday, Zhang Wan Yi had specially reminded her that Ding Hai Bo was related to the Zhang family and Zhang Wan Yi could be regarded as a distant cousin. As Zhang Wan Yi was the niece of the current empress, her words held some weight.

During the original choosing of the crown prince’s bride, His Majesty had given it great thought to choose a generous and decent family that did not hold real power. Therefore after some back and forth, he chose this young lady from Ding Hai Bo’s residence and she was also a distant relative of the current empress. Now the sea had been sealed off and the military power in Ding Hai Bo’s hands had long been taken back. They were just a mere skeleton of an aristocratic family with outstanding meritorious deeds.

Therefore, the crown princess still relied very much on Zhang Wan Yi, the niece of the empress.

Her thinking was not complicated and she just wanted the crown prince to be well. She and the crown prince had been married young. The crown prince was radiant, handsome, upright, and noble so her heart had long been taken by the crown prince. Seeing the crown prince frown, she only wished that it was her who was frowning.

It was silent all night until the afternoon of the second day. The weather was fine and sunny and Gu Yu Qi had just finished lunch when she was invited over by the people from the princess’ palace.

Liang-shi wanted to follow along but the eunuch who carried the message spoke very indirectly that Her Highness Princess Ping Hu had only invited Miss Gu to go so Liang-shi could only give in. In addition, ladies from other residences had sent invitations and she really could not get away, so she could only tell Chun Xing to follow along.

After Gu Yu Qi was dressed up, she was taken to Princess Ping Hu. As soon as she entered the tent, she felt like her outfit was out of place.

How was this coming over for a chat?

In the tent sat several noble ladies of her age. Gu Yu Qi had some impressions of them. She recognised them at a glance. Those present were the Eleventh Princess Jing Cheng, the two daughters of Prince Ding’s palace, Princesses of the Third Rank Yun Xi and Yun He, and the Princess of the Fourth Rank Jia Xi (TN: princess titles will be referred to as simply “Princess (Name)” where possible after the first instance since it’s so clunky). They were all dressed in various horse-riding outfits, looking valiant. Her long dress really did not match their style.

Gu Yu Qi murmured in her heart. Looking at their manners, they were going out to ride horses! Her long dress reached the ground, she was afraid…

She did not know that these people were here today to foil her. Last night, Princess Ping Hu, the crown prince, and the others had discussed for a long time how to test Gu Yu Qi. After much deliberation, the only thing they thought of was to compare the number of prey hunted.

Princesses Jing Cheng, Yun Xi, Yun He, and Jia Xi were the best in archery and riding among the women in the imperial family. As long as Gu Yu Qi could obtain more prey than their average, then Yun Yi would win. Otherwise, the crown prince would win.

Gu Yu Qi stepped forward to greet them. Those sitting inside the tent who were not a direct Princess were Princesses of the Third and Fourth Rank. As the young lady of the Marquis residence, she had the lowest status.

Princess Jing Cheng was His Majesty’s favourite little daughter and she had the most arrogant temperament. Seeing Gu Yu Qi wearing a long dress that reached the ground coming to greet them, her eyes fluttered slightly, “Forget it, are you dressed like this to dance?”

As soon as she spoke, the other two Princesses of the Third Rank and Princess of the Fourth Rank also covered their mouths and laughed.

Gu Yu Qi lowered her head and replied, “Originally, just listened to the eunuch carrying the message say to come over and did not think that the Princess and the Princesses of the Third and Fourth Ranks were going out to ride horses. It was wrong to have ruined everyone’s mood.”

Princess Jing Cheng saw that Gu Yu Qi was very humble even though she was very famous these days and her expression softened a little. She had heard about Gu Yu Qi’s deeds and was inexplicably a bit hostile towards her. This was how little girls were like. She was the princess who everyone held in their hands and was afraid of dissolving. She had always been the focus, but now suddenly there was a girl of the same age who was said to have good looks, wisdom, and good fortune. She invariably felt a sense of comparison.

“Raise your head and let us see,” Princess Jing Cheng raised her chin slightly and said to Gu Yu Qi.

Gu Yu Qi knew the temperament of this obstinate princess. She needed people to conform to her ideas to be happy. So she respectfully raised her face. She only lifted it slightly then lowered it again.

In her last life, she had suffered a lot from this princess after she entered Yun Ke’s palace. She had also been too arrogant at that time and had looked down on this princess. When two arrogant people met, they clashed loudly and endlessly. Gu Yu Qi had been arrogant in her previous life but had not had the identity to match it. She had been a lowly concubine of the palace with a beautiful face, talented and arrogant. Of course it was inevitable that Her Highness the Princess would teach her a lesson.

However, Gu Yu Qi did not hate this princess. If she had not provoked her, she would not have been so difficult to get along with. Moreover, although she was so favoured now, she had ended up in diplomatic marriage with a foreign country. Gu Yu Qi heard that the second year after she had gone over, her husband had died. According to the traditions over there, she must marry the new king which was her husband’s younger brother. With her arrogance, she could not stand marrying two brothers one after the other. Also, it was likely that he had been her husband’s murderer. The poor princess was alone in the foreign country with no way to prove that the murderer was the new king. In a fit of rage and anxiety, she committed suicide on the day of the wedding. It must be known that the day of the wedding was the day of ascending the throne. Princess Jing Cheng slashed her neck and turned the big day for the new king into a massive disaster. Matters took a turn for the worse and in the end, Princess Jia Xi had been given the title of a direct princess and given to a diplomatic marriage again. This had prevented a war between the countries. At that time, Yun Ke had not yet ascended to the throne and it had been the doing of the current emperor.

So when Gu Yu Qi first saw her here, she could not help but feel a little sad. Speaking of things, the princess in front of her was still a respectable girl.

Those who had the same misfortune sympathised with each other. Gu Yu Qi looked at her with soft and regretful eyes.

It was not Princess Jing Cheng’s fault that she had been born into the imperial family. She had not wished for a diplomatic marriage to a foreign country, and it was not her wish to marry twice. In this world dominated by men, Gu Yu Qi understood how insignificant a woman’s power was. If there was a way, she would rather that the little princess in front of her could have exposed her future brother-in-law’s conspiracy, quickly kill him, protect her husband, or become the queen of the foreign country herself which would be most gratifying.

Seeing that Gu Yu Qi’s gaze towards her was full of gentleness, Princess Jing Cheng’s brows could not help but wrinkle slightly. She was the first girl of her age to look at her like that. The daughters of ministers had always looked at her with envy or fear, or just a little bit of disdain.

Gu Yu Qi’s eyes at that moment made her feel as if the girl in front of her was an old friend that she had known long ago, but was just now meeting again. Her eyes were calm and warm, distant and peaceful, like a wisp of clear spring water which eased her original dissatisfaction.

Princess Jia Xi jumped out of her chair. She generously came over and grabbed Gu Yu Qi’s hands, then comparing their heights, she said with a smile, “It’s alright that Miss Gu came over without riding clothes. I have several sets here. If Miss Gu doesn’t mind, she can wear mine.”

Gu Yu Qi was a little overwhelmed by Princess Jia Xi’s enthusiasm. She had known her in the previous life but only as an acquaintance, they had not crossed paths. She was the only daughter of the Prince of Second Rank Jiang Xia. It was a pity that Prince of the Second Rank Jiang Xia died of typhoid fever in his early years. Prince Ding missed his younger brother’s bit of mutual affection so he put her in his palace. In her previous life, she had been an open-hearted princess. Gu Yu Qi knew this. After Princess Jing Cheng died, one of the two princesses Prince Ding’s palace was originally meant to be sent to the marriage. Neither Princess Yun Xi nor Yun He wanted to, so on the contrary, Princess Jia Xi stepped forward and was willing to take place in the diplomatic marriage on behalf of her cousins, and also repay the kindness of Prince Ding’s upbringing.

As for Princesses Yun Xi and Yun He, they lived their lives ordinarily and peacefully.

Gu Yu Qi was now about the same height as the Princess Jia Xi. Before she could speak, she saw Imperial Princess Ping Hu walk in surrounded by everyone.

***

Gu Yu Qi and the other princesses curtseyed. Imperial Princess Ping Hu saw Gu Yu Qi wearing a long palace dress and could not help but purse her lips happily, “This princess sees that Yu Qi probably didn’t know we’re going out on horseback for hunting so didn’t prepare in advance. If Jia Xi has clothes here, just put hers on first.” Her gaze moved and she asked, “I wonder if Miss Gu can ride a horse?”

“This minister’s daughter knows a little bit. Mother taught me yesterday,” Gu Yu Qi replied.

“That’s good. This princess was worried at first that you wouldn’t be able to ride a horse.” Imperial Princess Ping Hu smiled and said, “Dear child, go and change first then come over when ready.” She naturally knew that Gu Yu Qi could ride a horse. Everything that had happened at the racecourse yesterday, she had inquired about clearly. She had also specifically asked if Gu Yu Qi had learned to ride a horse.

Gu Yu Qi could not even try to refuse now. She dared not provoke the princesses present here. Moreover, it was the Imperial Princess who had spoken just now!

Princess Jia Xi seemed to have prepared riding clothes. Gu Yu Qi nodded and immediately, someone took Gu Yu Qi to the tent next door to change clothes.

When noble girls travelled, they usually brought more sets to change so as to avoid getting them dirty. This did not attract Gu Yu Qi’s attention.

The riding clothes fit perfectly. It was a set of bright red clothes with gold edges and the craftsmanship was beautiful. As soon as Gu Yu Qi put it on, a maid undid her bun hairstyle and restyled it into a braid which was convenient for horse riding. When everything was ready, Gu Yu Qi was about to get up and head over when she saw a little palace maid bring over a bowl of lily and snow fungus soup, saying that it was from Princess Ping Hu.

Gu Yu Qi did not doubt her. Thinking that they would be riding horses in a while and would be thirsty, it would be good to drink a little and moisten the throat first. So she picked it up and downed it. 

She was not worried about horse riding, but with archery, she would just pretend to be clumsy. When the well was full, it would overflow. The limelight on her was strong enough now, there was no need for her to be famous for riding and shooting. However, her riding and archery skills took a lot of effort to practise in the previous life. She knew the customs of the Qi dynasty. To be noticed, there was no place better than the Winter Hunting Festival. In her previous life, she had been dressed in red with enchanting eyebrows. Sassy and heroic with a brilliant shot, she had really won the hearts of many young men.

Gu Yu Qi knew she was suited for wearing strong colours. Her eyebrows were beautiful and strong colours would make her stand out more and be eye-catching. So in this life, she had tried to choose light-coloured clothes to wear, but had not expected that the clothing Princess Jia Xi gave her would be bright red.

So when she changed her clothes and returned to Princess Ping Hu again, even Princess Ping Hu who was accustomed to seeing beauties in the palace could not help but admire her secretly in her heart.

Although the little girl in front her had not grown up, she had a luminous and fiery body. The expression between her eyebrows was set off by the red colour which was as warm as the rising sun, unrestrained. Her hair was neatly braided and fell scattered behind her head, far from diminishing her beauty.

If the Gu Yu Qi before had been a warm cup of water, then the Gu Yu Qi right now was a bottle of strong wine. Although she was not old enough, not mellow enough, it was deliciously spicy and irresistible.

Princess Jia Xi ran over and circled around Gu Yu Qi, her eyebrows full of envy, “Unexpectedly, Miss Gu looks much better in this outfit than me.”

Gu Yu Qi waved her hand hurriedly. Princess Jia Xi’s refreshing nature made Gu Yu Qi feel that she was very amiable, as if she had no pretence of being a Princess of the Fourth Rank at all.

“Alright, alright.” Imperial Princess Ping Hu smiled and said, “This princess knows you all are bored inside the palace and prince’s palace. Today, just play openly. This princess has already ordered someone to clean up an area for your hunting use. This princess will also provide a bonus. If you catch the most prey before dark, this princess has something good to give. As for what it is, it’s a secret for now.” After speaking, Princess Ping Hu walked out of the tent bringing Jing Cheng, Yun Xi, Yun He, and Jia Xi who were all cheering lively. Gu Yu Qi had no choice but to follow quickly.

Gu Yu Qi originally thought that Princess Ping Hu was just joking, but unexpectedly, there were a few horses waiting as soon as she got out of the tent. They were real horses, not the ponies used by the noble ladies and girls in the racecourse for practice.

This was over the top… What if they got hurt? Gu Yu Qi stared at the horses in front of her with a stunned expression. While she was in a daze here, Princess Jing Cheng rushed out first and chose the most beautiful white horse, “I want this one, no one steal it!” She was a little girl at heart, choosing the most beautiful in everything she did. She spoke cheerfully and grabbed the reins which she never let go of again. The horse she chose was all white and was really the most beautiful. 

Who dared to steal from you?! Gu Yu Qi slandered inwardly but her lips said yes. She had the lowest status here and could only wait for everyone else to finish. Only then did she walk slowly towards the last black horse.

After the selection was complete, Gu Yu Qi was a little dumbfounded. Everyone had brought personal bodyguards and palace maids. The maids helped them mount the horses, but as for her… Chun Xing had been left outside of the Imperial Princess’ main tent, looking anxiously at her over the guards. There was no point being anxious. Gu Yu  Qi looked up at the tall black horse. No one cared about her so she just gritted her teeth and grabbed the reins and saddle. When no one was paying attention, she got onto the horse.

Her movements naturally caught Imperial Princess Ping Hu’s eyes. Imperial Princess Ping Hu was surprised. She had arranged for someone to help Gu Yu Qi onto the horse but had deliberately been slower because she wanted to see Gu Yu Qi’s reaction. She had not expected this child to be so sincere, not get angry, and even more be so silent. She dealt with it herself and seeing her movements, neat and clean, it was likely she was capable. His Highness the Crown Prince would probably lose.

However, being agile did not mean that her hunting skills were also powerful and the crown prince was not without a chance of winning.

The women of the Qi dynasty imperial family were outstanding in riding and archery. They were taught these skills from an early age. Hence, in her previous life, Gu Yu Qi had worked hard in riding and shooting, otherwise how could she have been shocking with a single feat? At the Winter Hunting Festival surrounded by a large number of women from the imperial family, other noble ladies also learnt to ride horses but their requirements were not as strict as those for the imperial family women.

Fearing that these little girls would cause trouble, Princess Ping Hu found some guards and eunuchs with martial arts backgrounds to follow Jing Cheng, Yun Xi, Yun He, and Jia Xi. As for Gu Yu Qi, she also sent someone to follow. After all, it was just a gamble and there was no need to cause an accident. That would not be fun.

She had arranged it well. Even the hunting area had been cleaned up by Yun Yi’s people. A large section of the hillside had been cleared out, enough for the girls to run around. There was also a special net on the periphery which prevented large beasts from entering. Only some rabbits had been put on the hillside as well as some deer which were relatively mild animals.

The hillside faced the sun and it was at the middle height. It had open areas and pine forests that were not particularly dense. The gap between the pine trees was relatively large. When Princess Ping Hu went and looked around, she was very satisfied. The place Yun Yi had chosen was really good.

The sound of the horn could be faintly heard from other places. The little girls were very excited before they even reached the hillside, chattering incessantly. Only Gu Yu Qi followed behind a little wanly. The princesses were speaking so of course there would be no place for her to interrupt. It was fine for her to just follow. She also observed secretly and saw that each of the princesses were followed by two guards and a eunuch. There were also two guards behind her. Her heart settled a little.

This hunting ground stretched for miles and miles. Some of the places were still very dangerous but this hillside looked very safe.

She also knew in her heart that for these princesses to have fun, this place must have been cleaned up beforehand so that there was no danger. Otherwise, Imperial Princess Ping Hu would not have brought the girls here to look for trouble.

Princess Ping Hu gave the palace maid next to her a wink. The palace maid sent the order forth and several guards came running on horseback in front of the hillside, surrounding three youths in Chinese outfits. They stood before the princesses. Gu Yu Qi took a look then frowned slightly. Why did she meet them wherever she went? What misfortune! Who else was it surrounded by guards if not the crown prince, Yun Yi, and Yun Ke? They dismounted and saluted Princess Ping Hu. This side also curtseyed to them. Then they mounted their horses again.

Yun Ke followed behind Yun Yi and looked coldly at Gu Yu Qi who was at the end. She was indeed in a red outfit just like in the previous life. Was she going to again show horsemanship and archery skills today that would bring unanimous applause? There was a hint of contempt at the corners of his lips. In her previous life, did she not come here to win everyone’s attention?

Gu Yu Qi felt Yun Ke’s eyes on her keenly. She lowered her head a little trying to avoid that person’s gaze.

With the approval of Princess Ping Hu, the six guards blew the horns pinned to their waists.

***

The sound of the horn spread into the depths of the hillside and there was also the sound of the horn in response. This was the signal that everything was ready and the continuous sound of the horn would also startle the prey in the forest and make them run.

“Go!” Princess Ping Hu waved her hand and Princess Jing Cheng could not wait to take the lead and rush out.

“Aunty, elder brothers, wait for me to bring back something delicious!” Jia Xi followed Princess Yun He and rushed out. Before she left, she did not forget to look back and say this to Princess Ping Hu.

“Aunty is waiting.” Princess Ping Hu laughed as she sat on her horse. Then she looked at the unhurried Gu Yu Qi, “Miss Gu doesn’t dare to go? Or you can’t use a bow and shoot arrows?”

Gu Yu Qi deliberately hid her clumsiness although she held the bow and arrows specially prepared for her by Princess Ping Hu, but she shook her head, “I cannot shoot well and do not dare to show incompetence in front of His Highness the Crown Prince, the princes and princesses.”

She felt that the limelight was obviously on the four little girls who rushed out just now. She was merely there as a supporting cast so it was just a matter of if she went or not. Especially now that the crown prince, Yun Yi, and Yun Ke were all present, she should try to shrink back as much as possible.

As soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to hear Yun Ke’s cold snort. Gu Yu Qi tried her best not to look at him, lest she make herself uncomfortable.

Who knew that Princess Ping Hu would look unhappy, “It seems that Miss Gu doesn’t like the Winter Hunting Festival very much?”

“How could that be?” Gu Yu Qi was startled, and immediately smiled, “This minister’s daughter is really happy to be able to participate in this kind of event.”

“Then why don’t you go and play?” Princess Ping Hu saw that she had fooled Gu Yu Qi and immediately smiled, “Go, go. Don’t worry about it so much, just go play.” She also said to the guards behind Gu Yu Qi, “Follow Miss Gu, don’t let anything happen.”

Since she said that, it would be ignorant not to move. Even though Gu Yu Qi was reluctant, she could only bow and lift the reins and let the horse run. It was also good to leave so as not to feel uncomfortable facing Yun Ke.

In fact, she liked horse riding very much. At first, she was rather restrained but when she gradually got out of the sight of Princess Ping Hu, the crown prince, and the others, she squeezed its belly with her legs and let the black horse run away.

When Gu Yu Qi rode into the pine forest, she saw a wild rabbit running out of the forest from a distance. It was probably lured out by the horn somewhere. For a moment, she pulled back the longbow in her hand. Princess Ping Hu had specially made these longbows for them. They were exquisite and suitable for girls their age with thick leather wrist and finger guards to prevent injuring their hands. Gu Yu Qi drew an arrow with a red mark from the quiver. She put it on the string, aimed, then in the end, the arrow missed. The arrow struck the snow beside the little rabbit. The rabbit was startled and spreading its legs, it ran deep into the pine forest.

Gu Yu Qi deliberately missed. She was not going to be in the limelight here. Missing nine out of ten shots should be her goal right now.

“Oops!” Gu Yu Qi sighed deliberately right away.

The two guards following behind her glanced at each other. In their hearts, they thought that although she was born to a general, in the end she was just a young miss and it seemed that she really was not good at archery, but she rode the horse very smoothly. The Imperial Princess had ordered them to have a good look at whether the daughter of the Marquis’ could do martial arts or not. Now, it looked like she probably could not.

After that, Gu Yu Qi duly missed all her shots.

At this time, several signal arrows of different colours had been raised in the forest. At the Winter Hunting Festival, whenever there is a hunting competition, there would be guards with signal arrows of different colours. If the master they followed shot a prey, the guards following would release a signal arrow. Gu Yu Qi’s signal arrow was red. It seemed like whether it was Princess Jing Cheng, Princess Yun Yi and Princess Yun He, or Princess Jia Xi, they had all caught something.

Princess Ping Hu, the crown prince, Yun Yi, and Yun Ke sat far away in the makeshift tent. Looking at the signal arrows flying up from time to time in the sky in the distance, she smiled, “It seems that Jia Xi that child’s archery skills are a little bit better.” 

On the contrary, Gu Yu Qi’s red signal arrow never flew even once.

She really had changed and knew how to be restrained. Yun Ke, who had been sitting for a long time, silently put down the fragrant tea in his hand and pursed his lips tightly.

He raised his eyes slightly and glanced at his side. Yun Yi seemed to be unable to sit still and although the crown prince did not say anything, there was some joy in his eyes.

Even Princess Yun He had caught prey. There had been no movement on Gu Yu Qi’s side for a long time. It was likely that he had won and the tension in the crown prince’s heart gradually eased a lot.

He cared about money. It had originally been just for fun but who knew Yun Yi would bet so big? Sigh, Yun Xuan sighed in his heart but he could not suppress the joy in his eyes. It was likely that Yun Yi was going to shoot himself in the foot this time. Supposing he won, more than a hundred thousand taels of silver would enter his account. How much is his crown prince’s salary a year? The annual revenue of the store under his command was only about 500,000 taels. It was not that he was stingy as a crown prince. His mother the empress had died early and the honour guard for his mother’s family had originally been thin. After all these years, the crown prince had been trembling with fear so how would he dare to do something to enrich his own pockets. Even during festivals and at New Year, he did not dare to accept the presents from the officials everywhere for fear of having his shortcomings caught by others. Maintaining the great crown prince’s palace was really not easy. Others only knew that he was the crown prince, but they did not know how hard it was for him to be the crown prince.

The eunuch and two guards who followed Gu Yu Qi saw that Gu Yu Qi was dawdling. They saw a lot of prey along the way, but none of them were hit which made them a little discouraged.

Gu Yu Qi looked back at them, smiled and said, “I’m a bit stupid. I can’t compare to Her Highness and the others.”

“Does Miss Gu want to try over there?” A guard said quickly, pointing in a direction, “Maybe there will be something to catch.”

“Okay.” Actually, what Gu Yu Qi wanted to express was that she was tired and they should go back! How would she know that the guards at the Imperial Princess’ palace were so diligent!

Gu Yu Qi’s first few arrows were indeed deliberately shot crookedly, but the next few arrows were really not intentional… She also needed to bring one or two prey back to fulfil her duty. Originally, she saw that everyone else had caught a lot so she just wanted to shoot a rabbit or something then go back, but somehow her arm seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. Her whole body felt heavier and heavier. Was this the residual effects of her fever from before?

Gu Yu Qi tried her best to cheer herself up. She shook the reins and continued to walk in the direction pointed by the guard. She felt more and more weak, as heavy as a cement block, and there was no strength in her hands and feet.

“Can we take a break?” Gu Yu Qi endured it but finally could not help but ask the guards.

“Yes.” The two guards got off the horse, “Is Young Miss thirsty? Drink some water.” The little eunuch who followed Gu Yu Qi took a water bag hanging from the saddle and gave it to Gu Yu Qi.

“Mn.” Gu Yu Qi took the bag with effort but found that she even had a little difficulty holding the water bag. What was going on? Her whole body seemed to have lost its strength.

“I… feel…” Before Gu Yu Qi could finish speaking, the sky spun and she fell down from the horse.

The two guards were stunned. The little eunuch who gave the water subconsciously reached out. Fortunately, he caught Gu Yu Qi’s falling body and hurriedly carried Gu Yu Qi aside. 

“Send the signal!” He said to the two guards.

“Oh,” A guard took out an arrow from the bag, lit it, and shot it into the sky.

“Look, isn’t that a red arrow rising?” Princess Ping Hu said with joy, pointing to the sky.

Yun Ke raised his eyes but his heart tightened and he stood up suddenly, “It seems like something happened!” It was indeed a red arrow rising but it was not the signal arrow indicating prey had been caught. It was the red arrow for help! Something happened to Gu Yu Qi!

“Aunt, Your Highness the Crown Prince, Fifth Brother, this younger brother will go and have a look,” Yun Ke said quickly with his fists cupped to Princess Ping Hu.

“Go quickly.” Princess Ping Hu’s heart tightened and she hurriedly said to Yun Ke, “Don’t let the girl in the Gu family be in danger!”

At first glance, she thought it was a red signal arrow but she had not expected the arrow to explode in the air after it was shot. It was a red distress signal arrow and there were three fired in a row. Something must have happened!

Yun Yi also stood up and frowned slightly as he watched Yun Ke’s back leaving quickly.

“Aunt, I will go look too.” Yun Yi also wanted to go but was stopped by Princess Ping Hu, “Xiao Qi going is enough, you need not go.”

Something happened to the daughter of the Gu family and two princes scrambled in a mad rush to go over. What was this? Were they not afraid of other people spreading jokes?!

Although Princess Ping Hu did not mind the exchanges between the younger generations, this was the hunting ground of the Winter Hunting Festival after all. If rumours spread, it would be bad for Gu Yu Qi. Although Yun Yi was anxious, it obviously seemed a little bad if two princes went together, so he could only sit down again. “Send more people to go have a look,” he said to the guards beside him.