As if having guessed what Su Mingyu was thinking, Gu Ruobai pulled her over without hesitation and made her sit beside him. "Everyone in the capital knows that you're my fiancée. Just sit down boldly. No one would dare to gossip about you."
Su Mingyu knew that no one would dare to talk behind her back in front of Gu Ruobai. However, she still felt that it was too high - profile.
But then she thought that compared to sitting beside Gu Ruobai, she was going to do something even more high - profile later. So, gritting her teeth, she gracefully lifted her skirt and sat down beside Gu Ruobai.
As soon as she sat down, she naturally caught many people's attention.
As a 21st - century agent, Su Mingyu was not affected by external things, so she was quite calm.
However, the women behind her were green with envy.
Especially Su Yueyue. Su Mingyu could even clearly feel the venomous glare from Su Yueyue.
The emperor was already sitting on the high platform. Seeing that most of the people had arrived, he raised his cup and motioned for Lord Zhang to start.
Lord Zhang was very sensible. He quickly stepped forward and began a series of procedures.
After he finally finished all he had to say, he raised the flag in his hand and shouted, "The autumn hunt begins! Please all participants get in position!"
As his voice faded, Su Mingyu saw many princes and officials around her stand up and walk towards their horses on the open ground.
Seeing this, Su Mingyu took a long breath, then stood up and walked towards a white horse.
When the crowd saw Su Mingyu stand up, the whole venue instantly boiled over.
"Am I seeing things? Isn't that a woman?"
"How could a woman participate in the autumn hunt?"
"That woman is Su Mingyu! The woman that the Wise and Virtuous King dotes on!"
Hearing the whispers below, Su Mingyu acted as if she didn't hear them. She just stood beside her horse with her hands behind her back, looking valiant.
Tuoba Wuyi happened to stand beside Su Mingyu. He looked down at her with disdain, eyeing her slender arms and legs. A contemptuous look flashed across his face.
"Your Majesty! Hunting has always been a man's business. What's the meaning of allowing a woman to participate?"
"Moreover, even if Gu Ruobai can't participate, there's no need to let his woman take part!"
His words stirred up quite a storm, and the people below echoed him.
"Yes! After all, swords and arrows have no eyes. Miss Su is just a woman. What if she gets injured?"
"Right. A woman should not make a fuss. We all have to be careful not to hurt you. You're just causing trouble."
The emperor stroked his beard, then calmly looked down at Su Mingyu and asked, "Su Mingyu, what do you have to say?"
Su Mingyu was a bit suspicious of the emperor's calm attitude. She glanced at Gu Ruobai out of the corner of her eye and saw his calm expression. She couldn't help but chuckle.
It turned out that that man had paved the way for her long ago. Was this the situation he had mentioned before?
So Su Mingyu stopped being polite. She stepped forward and bowed. "Your Majesty, I've checked the rules of the autumn hunt, and there's no rule saying that women are not allowed to participate."
After saying that, Su Mingyu turned around and looked at the man who had been the most vocal just now. "It's true that I'm a woman. But swords and arrows have no eyes, and this should be the same for both men and women, right?"
"Moreover, about avoiding me? This autumn hunt is about everyone showing their skills. If anyone happens to set their eyes on the same prey as me, feel free to take it. The winner gets the prey."
Su Mingyu straightened her back, and her voice was clear and forceful. "The winner takes all. Even animals understand this truth. How could I not?"
As she said this, Su Mingyu deliberately glanced at Tuoba Wuyi. She said neither over - bearing nor humble. "Hunting has always been about the relationship between prey and hunters. There's no distinction between men and women. Words are useless. Let's see who's the real one on the field."
As soon as Su Mingyu finished speaking, someone in the crowd started to clap.
One clap followed another, and then there was a thunderous applause.
Indeed, every word Su Mingyu said made a lot of sense.
Moreover, her attitude seemed to tell the world that even though she was a woman, she wouldn't lose to any man.
The emperor squinted his shrewd eyes and looked at Tuoba Wuyi.
Tuoba Wuyi glared at Su Mingyu angrily but didn't say anything more.
Seeing this, Su Mingyu respectfully looked at the emperor. "Your Majesty, although I'm just a woman, I like the thrill of galloping on a horse. So, please allow me to participate in the autumn hunt."
The emperor waved his hand. "Since everyone has no objections, let's start."
As soon as the emperor's voice fell, Su Mingyu neatly mounted her horse. Her valiant gesture made some girls blush.
But there was one exception, Su Yueyue. At this moment, she was looking at the direction where Su Mingyu left with a gloomy face. Her black eyes were filled with hidden venom.
"Humph, it's easy to talk big. I'd like to see what you can hunt."
Apparently, many people present thought the same as her. Although Su Mingyu had been gone for a while, the discussions still went on, mostly filled with mockery.
Gu Ruobai just calmly sipped his tea the whole time, seemingly not caring much about the result.
Not long after Su Mingyu set off, a beautiful black horse came in front of her.
"Miss Su, I didn't expect you to have such courage."
The King of Yu squinted his eyes. There was not much malice on his face.
Su Mingyu curled her lips. "I wonder if the King of Yu has heard the saying: A man lives for his pride. Since I've made my bold claim, from now on, all of you are my enemies. So, stop talking nonsense and do your best."
Saying this, Su Mingyu playfully winked at the King of Yu, then kicked her horse's belly and rode away.
The King of Yu was amused by Su Mingyu's sudden liveliness and let out a chuckle. "Since you've said so, let's meet on the field."
After saying that, the King of Yu also rode away.
Su Mingyu rode on. Not long after, she heard a contemptuous voice. "Tsk, a woman also wants to steal the limelight from us."
Su Mingyu ignored it and was about to move forward. But just as she took two steps, four men suddenly jumped out of the woods. They blocked in front of Su Mingyu and surrounded her tightly.
Su Mingyu frowned and looked at these people. She coldly asked, "It seems that you don't want to meet on the field but want to solve things privately?"