Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 158
Chapter 158 - Delivering Weapons Late at Night
Xie Shi'an sat upon his horse, his hands gripping the reins tightly.
He had spent his entire life studying, focusing solely on books. No one had ever taught him horsemanship or archery, nor had he ever sought to learn them.
Once he had resolved to come on the hunt, he specifically went to the market to select a fine steed and had his father hire a tutor to specialize in teaching him equestrianism and archery.
It was simply that the time had been far too brief. Over the span of ten-odd days, he had only managed to master riding; archery was far too difficult and required a much longer period to grasp its techniques.
He had anticipated long ago that this group of people would make things difficult for him.
Since it was an expected occurrence, he naturally did not panic or lose his footing. He released the reins and dismounted.
"Eldest Young Master Xie can just trail right behind us and pick up our game, hahaha!"
The Sixth Prince burst into loud laughter, lashing his whip across Xie Shi'an's horse. The startled steed bolted away, and the others joined in with raucous mocking laughter.
As the group rode off at a gallop, Xie Shi'an pressed his lips into a thin line and followed after them on his own two legs.
"Mother, that's her eldest son, isn't he?" Chu Hongyu crouched low among the flower bushes and whispered, "He's being bullied, so why isn't Mother going to help him?"
Yun Chu smiled faintly.
Xie Shi'an was no ordinary twelve-year-old boy. This individual understood all too well what he wanted, and to achieve his objectives, he would stop at nothing.
Right now, the Sixth Prince was humiliating him, but once Xie Shi'an managed to firmly plant his footing, he would trip the Sixth Prince up with a devastating fall.
However, Xie Shi'an likely would not even be given that opportunity.
Having picked a multitude of flowers and woven two wreaths, Yun Chu and Chu Hongyu rode their horses back to the encampment.
The hunting party had also returned from their excursion. Without the slightest suspense, the one who carried off the highest honors was the Prince of Pingxi, who had bagged over a dozen game animals, including a live hare.
The Emperor was overjoyed, bestowing the imperial reward upon the Prince of Pingxi on the spot.
The remaining princes offered their congratulations one after another.
The atmosphere was amicable and harmonious.
As night gradually descended, bonfires were ignited, and everyone partook in their evening meal gathered around the dancing flames.
Yun Chu and Lady Lin were preparing to head over to Imperial Consort Yun's tent together when Xie Ping approached them with a beaming smile on her face. "Grandmother, Mother, I wish to pay my respects to Imperial Consort Yun as well."
Lady Lin's expression turned cool and detached.
Chuchu and Xie Jingyu's formal separation was already a settled matter set in stone; it was only because Chuchu had stated she wanted to wait for an opportune moment that they had held off on making a formal move.
As for these concubine-born children of the Xie family, they would henceforth have not the slightest shred of relation to Chuchu, and there was no longer any need to pamper them.
"You are now the Princess Consort Anjing, someone belonging to Noble Consort De's palace. It is inappropriate for you to come pay respects to Imperial Consort Yun at this hour," Lady Lin said in an indifferent tone. "If outsiders were to witness this, they would mistakenly assume that Noble Consort De and Imperial Consort Yun had boarded the same boat, needlessly provoking suspicion from Her Majesty the Empress."
Xie Ping's expression stiffened. "I—is that so? Then it was simply this foolish one who failed to consider the matter thoroughly."
Noble Consort De didn't take her seriously in the slightest, and she had to avoid suspicion around Imperial Consort Yun; she felt as though the path ahead of her was vast and blindingly hopeless.
Leading Yun Chu directly into Imperial Consort Yun's tent, Lady Lin entered side by side with her daughter.
Imperial Consort Yun was the daughter of a military household. Back in the day, she had practiced martial arts alongside Yun Chu's father, Yun Silin, under the tutelage of the old general, making horseback riding and archery second nature to her. However, since the Empress favored hunting, Imperial Consort Yun had set aside this pastime, refraining from galloping across the hunting grounds with the Emperor even when visiting Yanshan.
Before Lady Lin and Yun Chu could even perform curtsies, Imperial Consort Yun hurried forward to support them both, pulling them down to sit beside her. "There are only the three of us in this tent; there is no need for such formal courtesies."
Pausing for a moment, she continued, "Eldest Brother wrote to me, saying that Chuchu had experienced an ominous dream—she dreamed that our Yun family suffered execution by the extermination of our entire clan?"
Lady Lin nodded. "Many events in Chuchu's dreams have manifested in reality."
Originally, she had been unaware of these dreams because the men of the Yun family believed there was no need for the women to be burdened with such matters.
It was only when Chuchu's father abruptly brought up the matter of the separation from the Xie family that she pressed with relentless questioning, finally discovering that Chuchu had experienced such a vision...
"Eldest Brother said that in Chuchu's dream, the Eighth Prince died..." Imperial Consort Yun's heart trembled. "Chuchu, was it because of this dream that you previously asked me to agree to have the Eighth Prince sent off to his fiefdom at an earlier date?"
Yun Chu nodded, then immediately shook her head. "I originally thought that simply escaping the whirlpool of the struggle for the succession might grant the Yun family a glimmer of survival. Yet after conversing with Grandfather, Father, and Eldest Brother, I realized that once the Yun family has risen to this position, it is forever impossible to stand outside of it. Therefore, I wish to pose a single question to you, Aunt: Have you ever considered allowing the Eighth Prince to ascend to that supreme seat?"
Frightened out of her wits, Imperial Consort Yun experienced a sharp contraction of her pupils and hastily cast a glance toward the exterior of the tent.
"Qiutong is stationed outside; everything is secure," Yun Chu reassured her. "If Aunt does possess this intent, then the Yun family is willing to hazard everything for a single gamble."
A bitter, self-deprecating smile touched the corners of Imperial Consort Yun's lips. "The Yun family certainly possesses the strength to utter such words, but... the Eighth Prince's temperament is entirely unsuited for that position. Even if he were to sit upon the throne, he would be unable to secure it firmly—why put oneself through such bitter torment?"
Lady Lin understood the Eighth Prince thoroughly; he was far too pure and inherently kind.
Imperial descendants typically began developing cunning stratagems by the age of five or six, yet the Eighth Prince, even at ten years of age, remained as innocent as could be.
She chimed in, "In that case, let us heed Chuchu's counsel. Submit your petition early to have the Eighth Prince conferred the title of Prince and granted his fiefdom, departing from this viper's nest of the capital at the earliest possible moment."
Imperial Consort Yun's long eyelashes fluttered before she nodded in assent.
The Eighth Prince was currently ten years of age; he could only be officially invested as a Prince upon reaching at least twelve. She still had a minimum of two years... She needed to plot and scheme carefully.
Emerging from Imperial Consort Yun's tent, Yun Chu and Lady Lin returned to their respective accommodations.
Since they were not members of the imperial lineage, their tents were pitched on the outer perimeter.
No sooner had Yun Chu stepped inside her tent and prepared to freshen up than Qiutong lifted the door curtain and walked in. "Madam, the Prince of Pingxi requests your presence outside to discuss a matter."
It was already approaching the end of the Hour of Xu; the vast majority of people were exhausted and had long since retired for the night, leaving the vicinity of the tents profoundly quiet.
Yun Chu could not fathom what business the Prince of Pingxi could possibly have with her at this late hour.
Yet if there was a matter of vital importance to deliberate upon, this hour was indeed the optimal window, ensuring they would not be stumbled upon by prying eyes.
Changing into a set of dark-colored attire, she stepped out of the tent. Chu Yi's personal attendant, Chengxu, was waiting right at the threshold and bowed respectfully upon seeing her. "Lady Xie, this way, please."
He kept his gaze lowered as he led the way, inwardly engaged in a continuous stream of grumbling.
Their Prince had always been a man of upright and honorable character; from the time he first began serving by the Prince's side until now, he had never once witnessed the Prince arranging a private rendezvous with a woman.
Even if there were a matter of monumental importance to discuss, it ought not to take place at such a late hour, nor in a location so secluded... Had he not placed absolute faith in the Prince's moral integrity, he might have suspected the Prince was up to some illicit machinations.
Yun Chu followed Chengxu all the way to the edge of a lake nestled within the mountains.
The vegetation here grew lush and dense, reaching up to knee height. The surface of the lake mirrored the moonlight and sparse starlight, while a single torch had been planted nearby, emitting a faint, crackling hiss as it burned.
Chengxu kept his head bowed as he withdrew, while Qiutong stood guard a short distance away.
Only Yun Chu and Chu Yi remained.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Chu Yi turned around. "There is no need for such formalities."
"On the previous occasion, General Yun entrusted me with procuring a weapon for you. After searching far and wide, I could find nothing quite suited for a woman, so I had someone forge one specifically." He extended the item in his hand toward her. "Take a look and see if it is to your liking."
"Sorry to have troubled Your Highness."
Yun Chu genuinely had not anticipated that he was actually presenting her with a weapon.
Accepting the item, she discovered it to be an exquisite short sword, roughly the length of a woman's forearm, capable of being seamlessly concealed within a sleeve.
Drawing the blade, it flashed with the brilliance of a freshly unsheathed edge; the steel mirrored the silvery moonlight, radiating a bone-chilling frostiness.
She tested a few swift motions; the short sword felt remarkably balanced and natural in her hand. Plucking a single strand of hair from her head, she swept the blade across it, and the hair parted effortlessly in two.
"My thanks, Your Highness!"
Yun Chu truly adored such a handy and responsive weapon, and she could not resist running through a few more practice motions.
"Lady Yun, this short sword possesses another hidden mechanism."
"What hidden mechanism?"
Completely absorbed in exploring the weapon, Yun Chu remained entirely oblivious to the fact that the other person had altered his form of address for her.