Ning ChengZhi, That Idiot (Part Four)
As the autumn hunt drew closer, because Emperor Ning was in a good mood, he ordered the court’s officials and their female relatives to accompany him on the hunt.
As the prime minister, Yin Shuo was naturally invited. It was just that none of the females of his manor could go with him.
Yin JiYao sneered and said: “Is my current appearance not thanks to eldest brother? From now on, I will never be able to go out. He is all too eager to keep me hidden in the manor forever to conceal that unfortunate truth, right?”
Pei’er listened to her but did not dare respond. Subconsciously, her gaze landed on the scar on her forehead.
The scar was dark, and even the imperial physician who had come was unable to do anything about it. If any outsiders were to see her appearance, the prime minister’s manor would definitely be mocked.
The young miss, she… really might never be able to go out ever again.
Thinking of this, Pei’er felt a great sense of guilt. She regretted trusting the folk remedy that she had discovered.
Yin JiYao could not go out, and neither could Princess DanYang.
It was as if her body had completely lost its strength. Over the past few days, she could not even get out of bed and was forced to recover in her room.
The servants in the manor saw this and felt that something was off. If she was sick, why was an imperial physician not called? After communication between the servants, they found out that the newlywed couple had consummated their marriage.
They did not think that their eldest young sir, who was usually very refined and elegant, would also have a vicious side like this.
It seemed that a child would soon be born into the prime minister’s manor.
To others, this sort of thing might sound like a joyous occasion. Only Princess DanYang herself knew just how serious the wounds on her body were, but she thought that newlywed girls all went through this sort of thing. She did not think that Yin Shuo was doing this deliberately.
Dian’er and the wet nurse wanted to check up on her, but she refused to let them. She feared that they would say something that could get back into the palace, and that could potentially ruin the relationship between her and Yin Shuo that she had worked so hard to cultivate.
Just how much pride did Princess DanYang usually have? Not to mention being covered in injuries, but if anyone dared to step on a toe, they would not be able to avoid the death penalty. Since she said she was fine, she was fine, right?
The servants did not think about it too hard, as they all said that the newlywed couple was going through their honeymoon phase. Things would be fine in a few days.
However, after a few days passed, she discovered something unusual that was horrifying.
The injuries to her lower body did not seem to be healing. She always felt that there was a pungent fishy smell, and she had no choice but to ask for an imperial physician knowledgeable in obstetrics to come and examine her.
After the imperial physician finished the examination, he reservedly prescribed some methods for treatment and prescribed a number of medicines.
When he left, he left with a sigh. Unfortunately, Princess DanYang did not see this.
“While my husband is accompanying father Emperor out to the autumn hunt, it’s the perfect time to try and recover. I don’t want him to see me with my current appearance and while I have this weird smell.”
Princess DanYang figured that the autumn hunt would last three to five days. During that time, the wounds on her body would surely be able to heal.
Emperor Ning departed the city under the protection of the imperial guards. Along the sides of the road, long curtains were lifted, and the citizens would stand behind the curtains to watch the lively procession. They watched the noble and gloriousness of the procession and noted just how large the group was.
Behind Emperor Ning were the members of the imperial harem. Behind the imperial harem were the princes, princesses, and other members of the imperial family. Behind them were officials based on their ranking and even more imperial guards.
The location of the autumn hunt was an area not ten li outside the capital. The expectation was that Emperor Ning and the various guests would be camping there for the next few days.
After everyone settled in at the hunting ground, they all went to pay their respects to Emperor Ning.
Imperial Consort Xian accompanied Emperor Ning the entire time. She would order for more charcoal braziers to be brought in and for another cloak to be given to Emperor Ning. She was very thorough in taking care of him.
Eunuch Gao brought a red cloak for Emperor Ning to see, “Your Majesty, please take a look. This is a cloak made from a red fox pelt that was hunted during the autumn hunt three years ago. It’s rare to find such a great pelt these days.”
Red fox pelts were naturally red and were more beautiful than the fabrics that had been dyed red. Emperor Ning looked at it and laughed.
“That’s right. Three years ago, ShuBai hunted it and presented it to Us. We loved it dearly and told you to take care of it, for We were reluctant to take it out to be worn. Why have you brought it out today?”
Eunuch Gao said with a smile: “This servant noticed that Your Highness was missing Lord Marquis Gu and the eldest young sir. That’s why this servant boldly decided to bring the cloak out to the hunting ground. Will Your Majesty wear it?”
Emperor Ning gave him a plaintive look.
This old joker clearly knew that he wanted to wear it but just had to ask.
Emperor Ning put on the red fox cloak and looked around at the people seated below. He found that Yin Shuo was the only one from his manor present.
“Where’s DanYang? She loves this sort of lively occasion. Why did she not come out this time?”
Yin Shuo stood up to report: “Replying to Your Majesty, Princess DanYang was feeling a little tired today. She even requested Imperial Physician Gua a few days earlier to examine her. This subject asked princess if she wanted to come and accompany Your Majesty to this hunt, but princess said that the imperial physician told her to recover, thus this subject did not feel it was proper to force her to come.”
Emperor Ning thought for a moment. Imperial Physician Gua was known for his skill in obstetrics. It was possible that Princess DanYang was having some problems that a woman might have, and it was not something that Yin Shuo could bring up in front of so many people.
As a result, he did not ask any further, “Then why did young miss Yin not come along? We quite like that girl. She is quiet, gentle, and very literate. We were hoping that she and DanYang could learn from each other and become close friends.”
Ever since Yin JiYao recited her poem during the spring banquet, Emperor Ning was able to remember her. Yin Shuo said: “Many thanks to Your Majesty for the concern. Your Majesty has surely also seen that my younger sister is not well. In eight out of ten days, she suffers from a malady. With this being the case, my father and I very rarely let her go out. Initially, she should have come along with Your Majesty, but her illness has gotten worse again.”
He claimed that Yin JiYao had some sort of illness, and Emperor Ning did not have any doubts about it.
Girls were fragile, much less that girl, who clearly looked to be born with a sickly constitution. It was possible that her illness could pop up at any time.
Emperor Ning did not ask him anything else and turned to ask about the other officials’ families. The atmosphere was harmonious, and the second prince was the first one to run out of patience.
“Father Emperor, son has recently been training in archery and hope to be able to go hunting with father Emperor like Marquis Gu and the eldest young sir. Son does not know if I would be worthy of such an honor, but would father Emperor please provide some commentary on my archery?”
Emperor Ning looked toward the second prince. He usually liked wearing bright clothes that flaunted his status as the prince born of the empress. Today, however, he was wearing a set of plain clothes. It was immediately clear that he had come prepared.
He had given his two sons the cold shoulder for quite some time, but blood was thicker than water. Seeing the second prince earnestly try to make him happy, his heart started to soften.
“We recall that you hated training in martial arts the most. Since you were young, We have always told you two that you must not neglect your martial arts training just because Eastern Ling emphasizes scholarly pursuits. In order to manage the country, you must focus on both martial arts and literary studies.”
When he mentioned the two of them, the eldest prince also stood up from his seat and respectfully listened to Emperor Ning’s advice.
The second prince modestly said: “In the past, son was too young to understand and failed to understand the efforts that father Emperor put in. Father Emperor allowed son and eldest brother to go and learn riding and archery at Marquis Gu’s Manor. Marquis Gu and the young sirs are all talented in martial arts, yet son never bothered to train properly. Now, son has turned a new leaf and has put in a great deal of effort to train. Father Emperor, please consider son’s attempt to change and provide some advice.”
Emperor Ning stood up from his seat with a smile, “Speaking of this, YiZhao did a bit better in his training at Marquis Gu’s Manor than you did. Don’t look at how We have gotten old and very rarely pick up a bow and arrow, but when We were young, We were not any worse than your uncle Gu.”
The two princes stepped forward and support Emperor Ning from both sides. The eldest prince smiled and said: “Father Emperor’s praise is exaggerated. Son did not train very well either and have fallen behind second brother. Naturally, father Emperor’s skill in martial arts is great. Not even Marquis Gu is able to compare!”
The former part was deliberately modest, while the latter part went too far with the flattery, and Emperor Ning did not comment.
Everyone followed them out, and there were already some targets placed outside. The second prince saluted then stepped forward, picked up a bow, and shot the arrow. The arrow steadily soared until it landed on the red bullseye of the target.
Emperor Ning’s eyes lit up, “Good!”
All of the officials praised him. They had never heard that the second prince was proficient at riding or archery, but seeing him today was an extraordinary sight.
The second prince smiled triumphantly, but the smile on his face was modest, “Son did some last-second training and trained bitterly for a few days. It was due to good fortune that I was able to hit the bullseye.”
Emperor Ning laughed and said: “To be able to have such skill with just a few days of training, it just shows that Our son is like Us, having talent in riding and archery.”
Saying this, he turned to look at the eldest prince, “YiZhao, you come and shoot one too.”
It would be disrespectful for the eldest prince to refuse, thus he had no choice but to step forward. With the second prince’s spectacular showing coming before, the pressure on him was great.
There were some officials in court who had favorable views of the eldest prince, and they were all nervous for him.
If his arrow could not hit the bullseye, His Majesty would definitely favor the second prince, feeling that the second prince more closely resembled him.
The eldest prince drew the bow taut, and the arrow was loosed, landing on the edge of the target.
How close, it very nearly missed the target entirely.
The eldest prince wiped away some sweat. Turning around, he saw that Emperor Ning had a look of dissatisfaction on his face. The second prince was delighted and was on the verge of bursting out laughing.
“You should properly learn from ChengZhi when it comes to archery.”
Emperor Ning emotionlessly said this then turned around and returned to his tent, leaving the eldest prince bowed behind him with a humble look on his face.
After everyone left, he straightened his back, and the corners of his lips faintly curled up.
Ning ChengZhi, you really are an idiot. Did you really think that your skill in archery is as good as mine?
Ning ChengZhi, That Idiot (Part Four)
As the autumn hunt drew closer, because Emperor Ning was in a good mood, he ordered the court’s officials and their female relatives to accompany him on the hunt.
As the prime minister, Yin Shuo was naturally invited. It was just that none of the females of his manor could go with him.
Yin JiYao sneered and said: “Is my current appearance not thanks to eldest brother? From now on, I will never be able to go out. He is all too eager to keep me hidden in the manor forever to conceal that unfortunate truth, right?”
Pei’er listened to her but did not dare respond. Subconsciously, her gaze landed on the scar on her forehead.
The scar was dark, and even the imperial physician who had come was unable to do anything about it. If any outsiders were to see her appearance, the prime minister’s manor would definitely be mocked.
The young miss, she… really might never be able to go out ever again.
Thinking of this, Pei’er felt a great sense of guilt. She regretted trusting the folk remedy that she had discovered.
Yin JiYao could not go out, and neither could Princess DanYang.
It was as if her body had completely lost its strength. Over the past few days, she could not even get out of bed and was forced to recover in her room.
The servants in the manor saw this and felt that something was off. If she was sick, why was an imperial physician not called? After communication between the servants, they found out that the newlywed couple had consummated their marriage.
They did not think that their eldest young sir, who was usually very refined and elegant, would also have a vicious side like this.
It seemed that a child would soon be born into the prime minister’s manor.
To others, this sort of thing might sound like a joyous occasion. Only Princess DanYang herself knew just how serious the wounds on her body were, but she thought that newlywed girls all went through this sort of thing. She did not think that Yin Shuo was doing this deliberately.
Dian’er and the wet nurse wanted to check up on her, but she refused to let them. She feared that they would say something that could get back into the palace, and that could potentially ruin the relationship between her and Yin Shuo that she had worked so hard to cultivate.
Just how much pride did Princess DanYang usually have? Not to mention being covered in injuries, but if anyone dared to step on a toe, they would not be able to avoid the death penalty. Since she said she was fine, she was fine, right?
The servants did not think about it too hard, as they all said that the newlywed couple was going through their honeymoon phase. Things would be fine in a few days.
However, after a few days passed, she discovered something unusual that was horrifying.
The injuries to her lower body did not seem to be healing. She always felt that there was a pungent fishy smell, and she had no choice but to ask for an imperial physician knowledgeable in obstetrics to come and examine her.
After the imperial physician finished the examination, he reservedly prescribed some methods for treatment and prescribed a number of medicines.
When he left, he left with a sigh. Unfortunately, Princess DanYang did not see this.
“While my husband is accompanying father Emperor out to the autumn hunt, it’s the perfect time to try and recover. I don’t want him to see me with my current appearance and while I have this weird smell.”
Princess DanYang figured that the autumn hunt would last three to five days. During that time, the wounds on her body would surely be able to heal.
Emperor Ning departed the city under the protection of the imperial guards. Along the sides of the road, long curtains were lifted, and the citizens would stand behind the curtains to watch the lively procession. They watched the noble and gloriousness of the procession and noted just how large the group was.
Behind Emperor Ning were the members of the imperial harem. Behind the imperial harem were the princes, princesses, and other members of the imperial family. Behind them were officials based on their ranking and even more imperial guards.
The location of the autumn hunt was an area not ten li outside the capital. The expectation was that Emperor Ning and the various guests would be camping there for the next few days.
After everyone settled in at the hunting ground, they all went to pay their respects to Emperor Ning.
Imperial Consort Xian accompanied Emperor Ning the entire time. She would order for more charcoal braziers to be brought in and for another cloak to be given to Emperor Ning. She was very thorough in taking care of him.
Eunuch Gao brought a red cloak for Emperor Ning to see, “Your Majesty, please take a look. This is a cloak made from a red fox pelt that was hunted during the autumn hunt three years ago. It’s rare to find such a great pelt these days.”
Red fox pelts were naturally red and were more beautiful than the fabrics that had been dyed red. Emperor Ning looked at it and laughed.
“That’s right. Three years ago, ShuBai hunted it and presented it to Us. We loved it dearly and told you to take care of it, for We were reluctant to take it out to be worn. Why have you brought it out today?”
Eunuch Gao said with a smile: “This servant noticed that Your Highness was missing Lord Marquis Gu and the eldest young sir. That’s why this servant boldly decided to bring the cloak out to the hunting ground. Will Your Majesty wear it?”
Emperor Ning gave him a plaintive look.
This old joker clearly knew that he wanted to wear it but just had to ask.
Emperor Ning put on the red fox cloak and looked around at the people seated below. He found that Yin Shuo was the only one from his manor present.
“Where’s DanYang? She loves this sort of lively occasion. Why did she not come out this time?”
Yin Shuo stood up to report: “Replying to Your Majesty, Princess DanYang was feeling a little tired today. She even requested Imperial Physician Gua a few days earlier to examine her. This subject asked princess if she wanted to come and accompany Your Majesty to this hunt, but princess said that the imperial physician told her to recover, thus this subject did not feel it was proper to force her to come.”
Emperor Ning thought for a moment. Imperial Physician Gua was known for his skill in obstetrics. It was possible that Princess DanYang was having some problems that a woman might have, and it was not something that Yin Shuo could bring up in front of so many people.
As a result, he did not ask any further, “Then why did young miss Yin not come along? We quite like that girl. She is quiet, gentle, and very literate. We were hoping that she and DanYang could learn from each other and become close friends.”
Ever since Yin JiYao recited her poem during the spring banquet, Emperor Ning was able to remember her. Yin Shuo said: “Many thanks to Your Majesty for the concern. Your Majesty has surely also seen that my younger sister is not well. In eight out of ten days, she suffers from a malady. With this being the case, my father and I very rarely let her go out. Initially, she should have come along with Your Majesty, but her illness has gotten worse again.”
He claimed that Yin JiYao had some sort of illness, and Emperor Ning did not have any doubts about it.
Girls were fragile, much less that girl, who clearly looked to be born with a sickly constitution. It was possible that her illness could pop up at any time.
Emperor Ning did not ask him anything else and turned to ask about the other officials’ families. The atmosphere was harmonious, and the second prince was the first one to run out of patience.
“Father Emperor, son has recently been training in archery and hope to be able to go hunting with father Emperor like Marquis Gu and the eldest young sir. Son does not know if I would be worthy of such an honor, but would father Emperor please provide some commentary on my archery?”
Emperor Ning looked toward the second prince. He usually liked wearing bright clothes that flaunted his status as the prince born of the empress. Today, however, he was wearing a set of plain clothes. It was immediately clear that he had come prepared.
He had given his two sons the cold shoulder for quite some time, but blood was thicker than water. Seeing the second prince earnestly try to make him happy, his heart started to soften.
“We recall that you hated training in martial arts the most. Since you were young, We have always told you two that you must not neglect your martial arts training just because Eastern Ling emphasizes scholarly pursuits. In order to manage the country, you must focus on both martial arts and literary studies.”
When he mentioned the two of them, the eldest prince also stood up from his seat and respectfully listened to Emperor Ning’s advice.
The second prince modestly said: “In the past, son was too young to understand and failed to understand the efforts that father Emperor put in. Father Emperor allowed son and eldest brother to go and learn riding and archery at Marquis Gu’s Manor. Marquis Gu and the young sirs are all talented in martial arts, yet son never bothered to train properly. Now, son has turned a new leaf and has put in a great deal of effort to train. Father Emperor, please consider son’s attempt to change and provide some advice.”
Emperor Ning stood up from his seat with a smile, “Speaking of this, YiZhao did a bit better in his training at Marquis Gu’s Manor than you did. Don’t look at how We have gotten old and very rarely pick up a bow and arrow, but when We were young, We were not any worse than your uncle Gu.”
The two princes stepped forward and support Emperor Ning from both sides. The eldest prince smiled and said: “Father Emperor’s praise is exaggerated. Son did not train very well either and have fallen behind second brother. Naturally, father Emperor’s skill in martial arts is great. Not even Marquis Gu is able to compare!”
The former part was deliberately modest, while the latter part went too far with the flattery, and Emperor Ning did not comment.
Everyone followed them out, and there were already some targets placed outside. The second prince saluted then stepped forward, picked up a bow, and shot the arrow. The arrow steadily soared until it landed on the red bullseye of the target.
Emperor Ning’s eyes lit up, “Good!”
All of the officials praised him. They had never heard that the second prince was proficient at riding or archery, but seeing him today was an extraordinary sight.
The second prince smiled triumphantly, but the smile on his face was modest, “Son did some last-second training and trained bitterly for a few days. It was due to good fortune that I was able to hit the bullseye.”
Emperor Ning laughed and said: “To be able to have such skill with just a few days of training, it just shows that Our son is like Us, having talent in riding and archery.”
Saying this, he turned to look at the eldest prince, “YiZhao, you come and shoot one too.”
It would be disrespectful for the eldest prince to refuse, thus he had no choice but to step forward. With the second prince’s spectacular showing coming before, the pressure on him was great.
There were some officials in court who had favorable views of the eldest prince, and they were all nervous for him.
If his arrow could not hit the bullseye, His Majesty would definitely favor the second prince, feeling that the second prince more closely resembled him.
The eldest prince drew the bow taut, and the arrow was loosed, landing on the edge of the target.
How close, it very nearly missed the target entirely.
The eldest prince wiped away some sweat. Turning around, he saw that Emperor Ning had a look of dissatisfaction on his face. The second prince was delighted and was on the verge of bursting out laughing.
“You should properly learn from ChengZhi when it comes to archery.”
Emperor Ning emotionlessly said this then turned around and returned to his tent, leaving the eldest prince bowed behind him with a humble look on his face.
After everyone left, he straightened his back, and the corners of his lips faintly curled up.
Ning ChengZhi, you really are an idiot. Did you really think that your skill in archery is as good as mine?
