"Sigh."
A soft sigh came from the right, catching the attention of Ning Yuwang and Chu Nian'an.
An Xingzhi quickly covered her eyes and eyebrows with a handkerchief to hide her sarcasm and pretended to be worried. "The heir apparent has always been in poor health. How could the princess consort let him go hunting? What if the wind worsens his old illness?"
Ning Yuwang raised her eyebrows. "Does Miss An live by the sea?"
"I don't understand what the princess consort means," An Xingzhi replied, looking back in confusion.
"So you're so nosy," Ning Yuwang said coldly.
Yan Zhao was the heir apparent and also Ning Yuwang's husband.
But An Xingzhi was just an outsider, yet she pretended to care more about Yan Zhao than Ning Yuwang.
If Yan Zhao were still unmarried, it would be okay for An Xingzhi to show concern.
Now that Yan Zhao and Ning Yuwang were a loving couple, for her to constantly interfere was clearly malicious.
Ning Yuwang's tone was cold and detached.
Chu Nian'an looked around and quietly stroked An Xingzhi's hand. "Xingzhi, stop talking..."
An Xingzhi had clearly said in the pavilion that she had long let go of her obsession with Yan Zhao.
In Chu Nian'an's opinion, An Xingzhi shouldn't have said such ambiguous things.
"Don't misunderstand, princess consort. I just hope the hunting event can proceed smoothly. If there's an accident and the event is interrupted, it won't be fun," An Xingzhi said.
In fact, An Xingzhi was also afraid of Ning Yuwang, especially when her sharp and cold eyes were slightly raised, looking down on everything. It was really scary. So she quickly changed her tune.
"So Miss An only cares about winning or losing," Ning Yuwang sneered, leaning back on the chair. "But Miss An has lost several times. She should be used to it by now."
Not only in the game of passing the flower during the imperial garden gathering but also at the queen's birthday banquet.
An Xingzhi never got the upper hand.
But at the moment, she seemed confident.
After all, the heroic Gu Xiao seemed to have a better chance of winning than the weak and pale Yan Zhao.
"The outcome is still unknown. The princess consort is being too presumptuous to assume that the heir apparent will be the winner," An Xingzhi said.
Chu Nian'an's little head kept turning between the two of them, trying to smooth things over. "We'll know who wins soon enough."
Even though she and An Xingzhi had made up, there was still a bit of a rift between them after months of estrangement.
Deep down, her heart had already leaned towards Ning Yuwang.
But Yan Zhao's health...
Chu Nian'an didn't have high hopes.
On the other hand, Gu Xiao was full of youthful vigor, every move exuding courage and charm.
As she hesitated, she caught sight of Pei Yunlu walking from afar. It was like seeing a savior.
"Yunlu, do you want to place a bet too?"
On the small table, there were many candidates for the winner.
Even He Mengchang got a vote. No one knew which naive girl with poor judgment had chosen him.
But most people were betting on Gu Xiao. There were countless wagers and stakes for a while.
As for Yan Zhao, there were only seven votes.
Why seven votes?
Naturally, it was because Ah Da, Lianzi and others who were loyal to their master each cast a vote.
It was just for fun, so Chu Nian'an didn't restrict the people below too much.
If they had money, they could place their bets to their heart's content.
Gu Xiao or Yan Zhao?
A choice between a stupid cousin and a wise older brother.
Pei Yunlu only took a moment before placing her red jade bracelet under Yan Zhao's name.
Not only Chu Nian'an was curious, but An Xingzhi was also intrigued. "Why did Miss Pei bet on the heir apparent Yan?"
She really couldn't figure out Pei Yunlu's thoughts. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration came to her, and her black eyes turned sinister.
Could it be that Pei Yunlu had pretended to be aloof and cold before just to hide her love for Yan Zhao?
No wonder she always sided with Ning Yuwang.
She must be trying to curry favor with Ning Yuwang in order to get a chance to be a concubine in the heir apparent's mansion.
The sinister look in her eyes instantly turned into understanding. A cold smile crept onto An Xingzhi's lips.
She thought Pei Yunlu was really calm and carefree, but it turned out she was hiding her true colors.
Pei Yunlu had no idea that just because she had chosen her own brother, she had been hated by An Xingzhi.
Anyway, she had never gotten along well with An Xingzhi.
She simply replied, "I'm willing."
After saying that, she sat down on Ning Yuwang's side.
An Xingzhi was left with an angry and flushed face.
Chu Nian'an stuck out her tongue slightly, glad she hadn't asked.
For some reason, she always felt that Yunlu's personality was gradually becoming similar to her cousin-in-law's. They were both like thorny roses.
Her cousin-in-law was like a gorgeous red rose, magnificent and eye-catching.
And Pei Yunlu was like a flawless white rose, elegant and fragrant.
The atmosphere among the ladies was not very friendly, and the situation among the men was even more tense.
Gu Xiao held the bow in his left hand and an arrow in his right. With a swift movement, he shot through a prey.
All the prey in his sight belonged to him.
Others didn't dare to compete with him, but they were also unwilling to let him take all the credit.
He Mengchang rolled his eyes and pleaded with a smile. "Your Highness Gu, please give us a chance."
Gu Xiao was aiming for the top spot and planned to win the bamboo arrow jade pendant and give it to An Xingzhi.
Naturally, he wasn't going to give in. He simply replied, "You don't practice archery and horseback riding on weekdays. Now you want me to give you a chance. Aren't you ashamed to take it?"
He Mengchang and the few men behind him stood there with their mouths wide open, speechless.
In fact, if Gu Xiao really wanted to give in, they would be happy to take it.
There was a slight movement in the thorny bushes in the forest. It seemed that there were still wild animals hiding deep inside.
Gu Xiao rode his horse forward. He didn't even spare a glance at He Mengchang and the others before leaving.
It was okay for Yan Zhao to be arrogant and cold on weekdays, but Gu Xiao, a "foreigner" who had been away from the capital for five years, was also so arrogant!
He Mengchang gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in anger. How infuriating!
Lin Lang, the son of the vice minister of the Ministry of War, angrily said, "Gu Xiao, that bastard who was exiled, is really too arrogant! Brother He, can you bear it? Shouldn't we teach him a lesson and let him know who's in charge in the capital?"
The Marquis of Wuan had retreated from the prosperous capital to the desolate Xiaoshan Mountain.
In the eyes of these young men today, it was seen as a demotion by Emperor Chu.
The Marquis of Wuan had fought bravely on the battlefield back then and had created the reputation of the two great generals who defended the country with Yan Lin.
Even the neighboring countries were afraid of them and didn't dare to invade.
If it weren't for the efforts of the predecessors to defend the country, these young men wouldn't have their current life of debauchery.
It was really a pity that the new generation didn't understand the honor and hard work of the predecessors and even maliciously slandered them.
Gu Xiao was also a heir apparent, but in the eyes of these young men in the capital, he was not as noble as Yan Zhao, who was born and raised in the capital.
He Mengchang was tempted but hesitated. "But he's still cousins with Yan Zhao. If that god of death finds out, do you think we'll still be alive?"
That god of death was as fierce as a tiger, and the human skin lanterns he made were terrifying to everyone.
If Yan Zhao was determined to protect Gu Xiao, their little tricks wouldn't be enough.
Lin Lang couldn't bear the anger in his heart. "There are many accidents in the forest. If Gu Xiao insists on hunting deep inside and accidentally falls off a cliff, what does it have to do with us?"
The water at the bottom of the cliff was deep and there were waterweeds that could entangle people. Gu Xiao would surely never return.
In the end, he was not willing to give up.
He was not only annoyed by Gu Xiao's arrogance but also coveted the large number of prey on Gu Xiao's horse.
Under Lin Lang's expectant black eyes, He Mengchang half-heartedly agreed. "As you say."