Chapter 39 Part 1

When they set out from the Imperial Palace, Li Zhaoyi still felt some nervousness.

Strangely enough. In the past, when Yun Yin had first placed him on the Throne and trouble arose, his initial reaction had been more panic and helplessness.

But this time—the Autumn Hunt was an event far more complex and cumbersome than the birthday banquet—compared to anxiety, what he felt more was excitement.

Ultimately, it likely still came down to Yun Yin.

These days, Li Zhaoyi had been learning nonstop from both Yun Yin and Lin Ping.

Their areas of expertise differed, but their teaching methods were remarkably consistent.

They knew well the proverb: Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. Often, when issues arose, they let Li Zhaoyi find his own way, because with Yun Yin there, even if the sky fell, someone had his back.

Over time, this had unexpectedly cultivated a touch of unflappable poise in Li Zhaoyi.

He had always been a placid person, showing more spirit only around Yun Yin. Recently, the court officials had become noticeably more respectful during audiences. Yun Yin observed this, but Li Zhaoyi himself remained completely oblivious.

He was full of eager anticipation for this Autumn Hunt.

By now, he had a basic grasp of the court officials and noble families.

He knew the Yan Dynasty favored civil over military pursuits, and that the current great families didn’t value martial development in their descendants, resulting in many famous scholars who couldn’t truss a chicken, but…

Li Zhaoyi thought.

This was just an Autumn Hunt.

It wasn’t a war, nor a real blade-against-blade martial contest.

They might not hunt large, ferocious beasts like tigers or bears, but hunting smaller creatures like deer and rabbits… Li Zhaoyi felt that shouldn’t be too difficult.

That was what Li Zhaoyi thought.

But reality, it seemed, was not so.

–

Today, a great many people from the various noble families had come.

The Autumn Hunt was a grand event, an excellent opportunity to show one’s face before the Imperial Presence.

Although the Yan Dynasty’s Imperial Examination system had existed for over a hundred years, recent years had seen rampant cheating, coupled with the deeply entrenched power of the noble families. Few actually became officials through the examinations; more gained positions through recommendations, or merely went through the motions for form’s sake.

For example, Chang Zixuan becoming Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review at such a young age—while his ability was certainly outstanding, his family behind him had also put in considerable effort.

The crowd was a vast sea. At a glance, Li Zhaoyi saw a host of youths, elegant and spirited, full of vigor. This made his anticipation surge even more.

He only looked for a short while.

As he observed the noble scions, they were also observing him.

Many showed open admiration in their eyes. Some were cautious, while the bolder ones stole frequent glances during rest periods.

The Yan Dynasty had liberal customs; matters of male wives and cut-sleeve preferences were not uncommon. These youths had, to varying degrees, heard the secret, romantic rumors of the palace.

Originally, there had been disdain, but after seeing Li Zhaoyi, only envy for Yun Yin remained.

Li Zhaoyi was unaware of this.

All he knew was that after they resumed travel, Yun Yin hadn’t allowed him out of the carriage again.

Sitting inside, he couldn’t even lift the curtain.

He said, “Yun Yin, it’s stuffy.”

Hoofbeats sounded. Yun Yin, expression unchanged, passed him a Plum Blossom Lock through the curtain. Li Zhaoyi preoccupied himself with it, and for the rest of the journey, he didn’t make another sound.

When they arrived, they rested for a while.

As the various ceremonies concluded, the Autumn Hunt officially began.

In an instant, dust clouds billowed as dozens of columns of riders plunged deep into the dense forest—a truly spectacular sight.

~

Once the Autumn Hunt began, the atmosphere at the grounds grew heated.

Most present were civil officials who knew no martial arts, but even they had family members or juniors participating in the hunt.

Goblets in hand, people chatted and laughed below, yet in everyone’s eyes was a tension hard to conceal. Li Zhaoyi found it amusing. Yun Yin sat at the nearest lower seat and saw his expression clearly.

He suddenly smiled, set down his cup, and stood, pretending to lean over and pour tea for Li Zhaoyi.

As he did, he whispered in his ear: “Your Majesty, who do you think will take first place today?”

At his movement, the murmur of conversation below fell into a strange silence. Chang Zixuan’s mouth twitched. Drinking with Yan Hengzhou, he said something that made Yan Hengzhou lean closer, listening with keen interest.

The undercurrents below went unnoticed by the two on the platform.

Or perhaps they noticed but didn’t care.

Li Zhaoyi thought seriously. “Zhao Yuhong, son of Vice Minister of War Zhao Yue, I suppose.”

Vice Minister of War Zhao Yue’s only son, Zhao Yuhong, was famed in the Capital for his love of martial arts. He was physically strong and looked tall and robust.

Among the noble sons who had looked at Li Zhaoyi earlier, he had stared the longest.

Directly, his gaze somewhat dazed.

As if captivated by something.

Li Zhaoyi didn’t mind such things. When he was young, the looks he received had been far more filthy than that. Zhao Yuhong’s gaze held more admiration and wonder than anything else; to him, it was just a casual glance.

His main reason was to answer Yun Yin’s question.

He thought Yun Yin wanted to place a bet with him. They’d been playing this game frequently recently.

Who would submit the first impeachment memorial when trouble arose? Which factions would be the first to shift blame, frantic to avoid any connection? Li Zhaoyi had gone from being utterly confused about names to managing a roughly fifty percent win rate by guessing and muddling through. It had been quite an experience.

And he’d eaten his fair share of bitter lessons.

Now, he could answer Yun Yin’s question with composure.

But Yun Yin’s eyes had darkened slightly.

He mused, “So Your Majesty holds the Zhao family’s son in such high regard.”

Li Zhaoyi: ???

What did he mean, high regard.

He was just stating facts.

But Yun Yin had already moved on. “Your Majesty, would you like… to play something more interesting?”

Li Zhaoyi said, “…What?”

Yun Yin straightened up and commanded, “Bring my bow.”

The moment the words fell, the entire banquet fell utterly silent. Nearby, Chang Zixuan and Yan Hengzhou paused mid-drink, exchanged a glance, and saw the same thought reflected in each other’s eyes.

–

Compared to those two, the reaction from the rest was significantly stronger.

Who was Yun Yin?

He was a man who had truly been on the battlefield, earning military merit blade by blade.

In past Autumn Hunts, at the end, participants were ranked before the Imperial Presence based on the quantity and rarity of their kills. The champion was always richly rewarded, but more than the prize, it was the glory that mattered most.

If Yun Yin entered the field, what suspense was left for first place?

In an instant, the faces below changed to a spectrum of expressions. Just then, someone arrived carrying Yun Yin’s bow.

His bow was entirely jet black. Li Zhaoyi had seen it before, even held it.

It was very heavy. Back then, Yun Yin had stood behind him, bearing the weight, the heat of his chest as scorching as his palm.

Li Zhaoyi’s throat felt dry. He whispered, “You don’t… have to, right?”

His thoughts mirrored the others.

This year’s Autumn Hunt wasn’t a true one; a small area had been cordoned off, with the game driven into it beforehand. The grounds were small, the prey sparse. Given Yun Yin’s status and skill, there was really no need.

But Yun Yin said, “Don’t worry, Your Majesty, I won’t compete with them.”

He asked, “What small animals does Your Majesty like? Rabbits, or a fawn?”

Li Zhaoyi: ???

He managed, “Either… either is fine?”

He realized what Yun Yin intended to do, but still found it somewhat unbelievable. Then he saw Yun Yin take his bow, say “Wait here,” and a short while later, his figure vanished into the dense forest.

The hall below had fallen so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Li Zhaoyi kept his composure outwardly, but his heart beat much faster than before.

He gripped his teacup nervously, unconsciously drinking one sip, then another.

As the sun dipped towards the western hills, the sound of hoofbeats finally came from the distance. Li Zhaoyi stood without thinking, his gaze fixed on the approaching figure.

~

The first to return was a youth in green.

His looks were merely average, but he appeared quite radiant.

His servant led his horse. Stepping forward, he bowed to pay respects to Li Zhaoyi. Realizing he was the first back, his face was full of smug pride.

He had hunted a beautiful sika deer, and also a small roe deer.

The game was presented to Li Zhaoyi one by one. Li Zhaoyi offered formulaic praise and bestowed some gold, silver, and jewels. The youth returned to his seat at the banquet, his father’s face also displaying faint traces of pride.

Next came Zhao Yuhong, son of Zhao Yue, the Vice Minister of War.

Zhao Yuhong had also hunted a roe deer.

But compared to the previous one, his was considerably larger and looked much fiercer.

In addition, he had taken a tiger cub.

He looked somewhat disheveled, having reportedly sustained a minor injury while subduing the cub. Li Zhaoyi also commended him, and in addition to the standard rewards, granted some high-quality wound medicine.

However, after these two, things didn’t go so smoothly.

Truthfully, Li Zhaoyi hadn’t even found the previous two’s game all that impressive.

The problem likely stemmed from his archery and riding lessons with Yun Yin.

Yun Yin had never taken him hunting, but he had taken him to shoot arrows countless times. Every draw and release of the bow had carried a biting chill and lethal sharpness.

They aimed at targets, but it was enough to make Li Zhaoyi believe—had they been facing a ferocious, blazing beast, or even more savage enemies, they would still seize the final victory.

Victory.

Not merely bagging a few docile animals or cubs and acting as if it were some great achievement.

But those who came after couldn’t even claim that much success.

When yet another person returned to the banquet empty-handed, face burning with shame, even Chang Zixuan, off to the side, couldn’t resist a soft scoff.

Yan Hengzhou said, “The Capital truly grows more and more boring.”