Chapter 109

I Truly Am Not a Wise King!

"Hyah!"

"Hyah, hyah!"

Qu Dubian went out with them as well. Once they entered the outer perimeter, he didn't venture further in, choosing instead to wander just outside—worried that if his eldest and third brothers competed too fiercely, he might get caught in the crossfire.

There was game in the outer area too, things like pheasants and rabbits.

After shooting three rabbits and two pheasants, Qu Dubian stopped. He found a crooked-neck tree, tethered his horse beneath it to graze, then with a light tap of his toes, he leaped up into the tree. He lay back leisurely on a branch, plucked two leaves to cover his eyes, and slipped into a state of feigned sleep.

The two guards tasked with following the Seventh Prince to collect his game: "..."

Right.

They also found a spot to start resting.

After a while, the Fourth Prince passed by this area and saw his seventh brother sleeping in the tree. "Little Seven has found himself a nice spot."

He ordered his guards to pile his own game together with Qu Dubian's and also climbed the tree.

Qu Dubian lifted one leaf. "Fourth Brother is here."

The Fourth Prince found a spot and also lay down, praising, "Indeed, this tree is really well-grown."

He too plucked two leaves to cover his eyes.

The two of them lay there peacefully, perfectly still.

The Fourth Prince's guards and the Seventh Prince's guards looked at each other, then had no choice but to stay put as well.

A little while later.

The Second Prince arrived.

"Whoa." He reined in his horse.

He looked up: "..."

"Fourth Brother, Seventh Brother, quite the pleasant mood you're in."

The Fourth Prince said lazily, "Second Brother, care to join us?"

The Second Prince laughed. "No need, I'll just rest here for a bit."

Qu Dubian glanced down. "Second Brother, you've bagged quite a lot of game."

The guards behind the Second Prince carrying the prey were laden with it: a deer, several hares and pheasants, a live boar, and a large bird.

"Not at all, the guards helped a great deal," the Second Prince waved his hand, and the guards behind him stepped forward. He instructed, "Give some of the game to Fourth Brother and Seventh Brother, consider it payment for borrowing this spot to rest."

Qu Dubian said, "Second Brother, please, make yourself at home. No need for such formalities."

The Second Prince teased, "I'd rather not bring back too much game, you both understand. Do your second brother this favor." Meaning, if he brought back too much, he might become a target for the First and Third Princes.

Qu Dubian understood and said nonchalantly, "Then do as you wish, Second Brother."

The Second Prince divided the game. He didn't give too much, just kept it within a reasonable amount.

After dividing it, he sat cross-legged under the tree.

Qu Dubian asked, "Has Eldest Brother and Third Brother not returned yet?"

The Second Prince hummed in affirmation. "They surely headed for the inner perimeter. They might even bag something big."

-

Inner perimeter of the hunting grounds.

"Hyah!"

"Hyah!!"

The Third Prince was hot on the heels of the First Prince.

Ahead was an extremely rare deep purple fox, fleeing at full speed. Further ahead was the forested area. Once the fox entered the woods, the horses' speed would slow, and catching up would become difficult.

The First Prince looked back. The Third Prince was sweating profusely. He scoffed, "If you're physically weak, don't push yourself. Save yourself from fainting, lest I have to carry you back!"

It was meant as a taunt, but it happened to hit the Third Prince's sensitive spot directly. His face instantly darkened, and he fiercely whipped his horse.

The horse, in pain, neighed, the grass ring hanging around its neck swaying. Its speed suddenly increased, showing signs of becoming unruly.

The Third Prince shot past the First Prince.

The First Prince cursed under his breath.

Ahead, the fox leaped into the woods. The First Prince reined in his horse in time. "Whoa—!"

Too hard to chase now, forget it. Better cut his losses and hunt something else.

The Third Prince, however, didn't slow down at all. He maintained his original speed and galloped into the woods. The First Prince stared wide-eyed. "Hey! Have you gone mad?!"

Although horses could pass through the woods, the paths were narrow. At that speed, a single misstep could mean crashing into a tree, with his head likely bursting open like a smashed melon.

A guard beside the First Prince asked, "Your Highness, shall we go in?"

The First Prince: "Go in my foot! Hunt something else. He's reckless with his life, but this prince still has a family to provide for." Risking his life for a fox? If Wen Xin found out, she'd probably skin him alive.

He snorted with some unwillingness, turned his horse around, and prepared to go elsewhere.

In the woods.

The Third Prince's gaze was fixed on the fox's tail. His speed decreased slightly upon entering the woods. Then he narrowed his eyes and let an arrow fly!

Swish!

It hit the fox's leg.

The fox let out a shrill cry, and the scent of blood immediately spread.

The Third Prince: "Excellent! Someone, retrieve the fox! We'll present it to Father Emperor." Such a unique fox pelt would surely win His Majesty's favor.

He pulled on the reins, but the horse did not obey. It continued to charge wildly through the woods.

The Third Prince's heart sank, and for a moment, he panicked.

"Stop! Stop!"

He whipped the horse again, making it even more frenzied. The direction, which he could barely control before, was now completely lost as the horse dashed about chaotically in the forest.

The guards following behind couldn't keep up, their souls nearly frightened out of them. "Third Highness! Your Highness!"

"You mustn't go further ahead! We've passed the cleared area of the hunting grounds! Your Highness, ahead is the isolation trench! Dismount quickly!"

Hunting grounds were cleared in advance. Particularly fierce beasts were driven out beforehand. If any were missed, whoever hunted one would be the undisputed first in the hunt. If not, the winner would be judged by the rarity and quantity of the game.

To prevent other large game from entering the hunting grounds, the managers dug a deep, wide trench as a barrier between the grounds and the exclusion zone.

The isolation trench was just ahead.

The Third Prince's face had turned deathly pale, his limbs feeling weak.

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stay calm. He tasted blood in his mouth. Then, with a sudden, forceful pull on the reins, the horse stiffened. Seizing the moment, the Third Prince let go, throwing himself to the ground and protecting his head.

After tumbling on the ground as a buffer, he didn't fall directly into the deep trench but rolled down a gentler slope before finally tumbling in.

Crack.

The Third Prince slammed hard onto the ground, clearly hearing the sound of his arm dislocating.

His vision went dark for several seconds. Every part of his body ached from the fall.

The horse leaped over the isolation trench, neighing as it galloped deeper into the wilderness.

The Third Prince coughed a few times and called out hoarsely, "Someone..."

"Quickly, someone..."

He faintly heard the shouts of his guards rushing over. Just as he began to relax, his expression suddenly froze.

In the dim light of the isolation trench, a massive shadow was slowly moving towards him. A black bear kept sniffing the air, its savage fangs gleaming with a foul, bloody stench.

The Third Prince began to tremble.

Wave after wave of numbness washed over him. He almost forgot how to breathe.

By the time the guards arrived, they only heard a piercing, agonized scream:

"Ah—!"

The scent of blood filled the bottom of the trench.

The First Prince, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, looked down into the trench. His pupils constricted sharply. "Third Brother!"

The Third Prince's right arm had been torn clean off.

The First Prince roared, "Why are you standing there?! Save him!!"

The guards worked together to rescue him, driving off the black bear. The First Prince jumped directly into the isolation trench, hoisted the nearly unconscious Third Prince onto his back, tied them together with rope, and had his men pull them both up.

The eldest prince, covered in blood, tightly bound the third prince's severed arm with strips of cloth. Riding his horse, he galloped swiftly back towards the camp, muttering several curses under his breath: "This isn't about brotherly affection, don't you dare fall asleep! If you do, the damn suspicion falls on me!"

Before losing consciousness, the third prince gave him one last look, his expression complex. His lips moved a few times soundlessly before his eyes closed.

-

Qu Dubian hastily dismounted.

By the time he returned, the atmosphere at the main campsite was already thick with tension.

Ye Xiaoyuan lowered his voice, "Your Highness, you're back."

Qu Dubian frowned, "I came as soon as I received the message. What happened? How is Third Brother now?" He walked towards the third prince's tent while unwinding the protective bandages from his hands.

Ye Xiaoyuan reported, "One arm was torn off by a beast. He lost a lot of blood and fell unconscious. He also broke two bones. He's not out of danger yet."

Qu Dubian's heart sank.

In ancient times, there was no concept of blood transfusion. If someone went into shock from excessive blood loss, the chances of survival were slim. Third Brother was in grave danger.

The struggle for the throne...

Ye Xiaoyuan followed closely behind him, "Your Highness, you don't think it was an accident?"

Qu Dubian replied, "An accident is often the result of inevitability. Let's go see for ourselves."

At that moment,

The area around the third prince's tent was already surrounded by two rings of guards from the Eastern Depot and the Imperial Guard.

Imperial physicians were inside the tent diagnosing the patient. The faint scent of blood permeated the air, and basins of bloody water were being carried out.

Emperor Chongzhao, the imperial consorts, and all other relevant personnel were gathered outside the tent.

Emperor Chongzhao sat on a chair, his elbow resting on the armrest, his palm supporting his head. He was shrouded in a heavy cloak of cold fury and somber gloom.

Qu Dubian covered his mouth and nose with a thick cloth and quietly took his place beside the fourth prince.

The fourth prince whispered, "Father Emperor has ordered men to find that crazed horse."

Qu Dubian nodded and looked towards the eldest prince kneeling in the center.

The eldest prince hadn't had time to change his clothes, which were deeply stained with blood. "Father Emperor, that is all I know. When I arrived, Third Brother was already in that state."

Emperor Chongzhao asked, "The rest of you, who else has seen the third prince? Who has spoken with him? Did anyone notice anything unusual?" His gaze swept over the second prince.

The second prince stepped forward, bowed, and said, "After hunting some game, I slacked off a bit. I met Fourth Brother and Seventh Brother, who were also taking a break, and rested with them. I did not see Third Brother."

Qu Dubian frowned slightly.

Emperor Chongzhao called, "Fourth Prince, Seventh Prince?"

The fourth prince nodded, "It is true. Second Brother even shared some of his game with us."

Consort Wen emerged from the tent, her expression dazed, her face streaked with tears. She stared fixedly at the eldest prince kneeling in the center. "It was you! It must have been you!"

She rushed forward and knelt, pleading desperately, "Your Majesty! The rivalry between the eldest prince and the third prince is something everyone knows. Now that the third prince has met with disaster, and the eldest prince just happened to be present, who could believe it has nothing to do with him?"

She pointed at the eldest prince, "You—"

The eldest prince's mother, Consort De, rushed out with a cold face and slapped away Consort Wen's pointing finger. "Get back! Who do you think you are, pointing at my son?"

"Before this matter is concluded, you dare to falsely accuse a prince? Consort Wen, you have quite the nerve."

"I have nerve?" Consort Wen's usually calm and gentle face was utterly torn apart by grief. Her voice was nearly shrill, her eyes red-rimmed. "Sister, if it were your child lying in there, could you remain calmer than I? I only seek justice for my child!"

Consort De retorted, "Your seeking is unnecessary. If my son truly did this, you wouldn't need to say a word. I would hand him the knife myself and let His Majesty deal with him!"

The eldest prince: "..."

It really wasn't him!

Consort Wen was momentarily stunned, choked up. After a dazed pause, the memory of the bloody, mangled scene inside the tent overwhelmed her again, and she broke down into loud sobs.

Emperor Chongzhao's voice was weary. "Enough. Silence, all of you."

Only then did Consort Wen's weeping subside into quiet whimpers.

The sky darkened bit by bit. Finally, the guards found the horse the third prince had been riding in the forest area.

The horse was dead.

Emperor Chongzhao's eyes darkened. With a wave of his hand,

The accompanying imperial physicians immediately stepped forward to examine it.

After about a quarter of an hour, they studied the grass wreath from the horse's neck. The wreath was taken apart, its strands sorted and laid out one by one, occasionally picked up and sniffed.

A short while later, a physician came out and reported, "Your Majesty, the grass wreath was mixed with 'Horse-Frenzy Grass'. Upon contact with this grass, a horse will experience pain and itching all over its body, gradually driving it to madness."

Everyone knew who had hung the grass wreaths that day.

Consort Wen whirled around abruptly. "The sixth prince!! Consort Lan!!"

The sixth prince's face instantly turned deathly pale.