Chapter 513: Chapter 4: Entering the Forest for a Hunt

Graceful as a lotus emerging from water.

For decades, it had the calming effect as if unchanged.

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten Doctor Xiao Dou’s advice again?"

Upon hearing this, the Emperor’s expression turned gloomy from bright, darkening significantly.

"Although the Emperor is still in the prime of life, years of laboring over state affairs have taken a toll on his well-being; thus he needs to take good care of himself."

Lin Wanyi’s words clearly implied that the Emperor was aging.

In the Emperor’s view, aging equaled being useless.

He had ascended the throne at the age of eight or nine, and thirty-five years had passed since then.

He had never felt old before.

So, hearing Lin Wanyi’s words, he snorted coldly.

In a place unnoticed by others, he gently pinched Lin Wanyi’s waist.

This was her most sensitive spot.

Instantly, Lin Wanyi’s face blushed.

The Han Prince Consort, who was watching the children with her, saw it.

Worried, she asked immediately.

"Mother Consort, are you perhaps suffering from a bit of heatstroke? Shall I have someone bring a bowl of mung bean soup?"

Lin Wanyi gave a sheepish smile.

She couldn’t very well explain in front of her children and grandchildren.

So she pretended to have a slight headache and said.

"You are considerate, have them bring two bowls then, to also help relieve the heat for His Majesty."

"Yes, daughter-in-law understands."

Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Wanyi gave the Emperor a glare.

In the Emperor’s eyes, that glare was full of charm, as in the old days.

A wave of joy filled his heart.

Looking at the Crown Prince and others, he was also extremely satisfied.

The Crown Prince’s horse was indeed extraordinary.

In no time at all, he had left everyone far behind.

Leaving only the Han King and the Crown Prince’s loyal guard Lin Ying in a frenzied chase behind.

Shouting loudly.

"Crown Prince, slow down, wait for us."

Behind them were other guards and Prince Pei.

Several people formed a corral, riding on both sides and behind.

Both pursuing and protecting at the same time.

The Crown Prince’s status was second only to the Emperor.

The autumn hunt involved using arrows, so extreme care and prudence were required.

The greatest fear was that someone might take advantage of a loophole, posing a threat to the Crown Prince.

If that happened, they would all be in deep trouble.

Seeing the Crown Prince charge into the woods like an arrow piercing the clouds,

the faces of everyone darkened noticeably.

Accelerating their horses, they immediately dashed into the forest.

Once inside the forest, the once glaring sunlight became mottled.

The dense leaves, not yet shed,

blocked most of the sunlight within the forest.

The further in they went, the darker it became.

Even the surrounding temperature dropped considerably.

The first to rush into the forest was Lin Ying.

Although he was a year or two younger than the Crown Prince, his physique was not inferior in the slightest.

Perhaps because his father and grandfather both came from military backgrounds,

his training was particularly rigorous.

Thus, he quickly secured his position as the lead guard beside the Crown Prince at a young age.

Known as "Little Lin Guard."

Scanning the area, he quickly identified the direction the Crown Prince left from the hoofprints of the Ferghana Horse.

Immediately, he said to the Han King beside him.

"Your Highness should wait here to guide them; the forest is unknown, and I shall go in to check."

Compared to him, the Han King seemed somewhat frail.

So he did not insist.

He nodded and said.

"Little Lin Guard, go quickly, I will wait here."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Ying spurred his horse forward.

Soon, he disappeared without a trace.

Not long after, Lin Zong and the others reached the spot.

Seeing the Han King waiting there.

Lin Zong, with a serious expression, said to the Han King.

"Your Highness, where are the Crown Prince and my brother?"

"Little Lin Guard went in pursuit; I stayed here to guide you."

Lin Zong nodded and immediately called out to the accompanying guards behind him.

"Leave ten people here to wait, the rest follow me in to protect the Crown Prince."

"Yes!"

These members of the Imperial Guard were all carefully selected by Lin Xingzhi.

Every one of them was brave and skilled.

At Lin Zong’s command, everyone followed the hoofprints and charged in.

The Crown Prince had no idea things had blown up like this behind him.

Once he rode into the forest, he felt as free as a dragon crossing a river.

The wild deer and rabbits in the forest fell at his hands.

But looking at them, he found no enjoyment.

"Only being able to come out for fresh air once a year, yet it’s so boring, all these dumb rabbits and chickens that won’t even dodge the arrows."

Talking as he slowed down.

He heard the sound of hooves behind him and knew Lin Ying had arrived.

Many years of companionship made him intimately familiar with the sounds made by the four main guards by his side.

So he shouted without turning his head.

"Lin Ying, I’m here!"

Lin Ying heard the voice and immediately galloped over.

Seeing the Crown Prince safe and sound, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, the Crown Prince noticed a flash of a red fox darting by.

Its agile speed caught the Crown Prince’s interest at once.

He immediately pursued it.

"Crown Prince..."

"Don’t call out, if you scare away this little treasure, I’ll have you grind ink for Mr. Zeng for three days!"

Hearing this, Lin Ying fell silent.

He could only stay closely behind the Crown Prince’s horse.

Luckily this was a forest.

So the Ferghana Horse couldn’t gain too much speed.

Lin Ying was not left behind by the Crown Prince.

After several arrows missed, 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

the Crown Prince remained undeterred, holding his breath and continuing to hunt.

But he forgot the path he came by.

Heading deeper into the woods.

Impatiently, Lin Ying left clues for those following behind like his brother Lin Zong.

Unfortunately.

Soon after he moved on, several figures emerged from the shadows.

Destroying and covering the hoofprints and the clues he left.

The two of them were venturing further away.

Those chasing from the outside faced a dilemma.

At a fork in the road, the hoofprints led left.

Lin Zong frowned instantly.

Every path in the hunting grounds had been previously cleared and prepared.

He recalled that the trails on both sides of the fork were sealed off.

Why would the hoofprints lead left?

Thinking that someone might have arranged something in secret.

Alarm bells rang.

"Not good, the Crown Prince might be in danger!"

The Han King and Prince Pei dismounted to scrutinize the hoofprints.

Both looked unsettled.

Currently, the court was stable, and the empire was at peace.

If anything happened to the Crown Prince now, they as Vassal Kings would inevitably be implicated.

Whether it was an accident or deliberate.

At this moment, it was still unclear.

So the Han King remained cautious.

He spoke to Prince Pei, Lin Zong, Jiang Shouyuan, and Feng Xun behind him.

"I will lead people to the left path, Prince Pei will take Lin Zong to the middle path, Jiang Shouyuan, and Feng Xun will take people to the right path, we will split into three groups to search, and signal with a red bullet as soon as there is any trace of the Crown Prince."