Jiuxi

Chapter 766 [The Curtain Opens]

The royal hunting grounds are vast, with rolling mountains in the west and vast dense forests in the north, where there are countless rare birds and animals.

According to the custom of the Tianqing Festival in previous years, after the royal family, civil and military officials, and Jinglian nobles paid homage to the emperor and congratulated him, the first ceremony was for some warriors to go hunting in the dense forests in the north, using all kinds of prey to celebrate the emperor's birthday. This has been the tradition of the Jinglian tribe for hundreds of years, known as the ceremony of the big hunt.

It’s just that the scale of the ceremony has become larger and the ceremony has become more grand, as the original leader has become the emperor today.

More than ten princes were seen riding their horses at full speed, rushing ahead of everyone else. Among them, the second prince Nagu, the fourth prince Haige, the sixth prince Wulie, and the eighth prince Ahudai were the most skilled in archery and horsemanship.

On a wide platform specially built for the Tianqing Festival, Emperor Jing sat on the throne with the imperial canopy behind him.

Today he put on a black dragon robe, which made him look even more majestic and unfathomable.

"My dear gentlemen, are you willing to make a bet with me?"

As the powerful voice of Emperor Jing spread, all the ministers could not help but look at him curiously.

Those who stayed here at the moment were either civil officials who were not good at riding and shooting, or military nobles like Qing Yugong and Sagai who were of noble status and transcendent status. Although they had different identities and factions, there was no stupid person among them and they quickly guessed the implied meaning of the emperor's words.

Qing Yugong said, "I wonder what your majesty wants to bet on?"

Emperor Jing smiled and said, "Let's bet on who will be the biggest winner of today's hunt."

The others gradually figured out some of the deeper meaning, and the place fell silent.

If we must choose a winner and make it clear to the emperor, then we can only choose from among the princes.

To be more precise, the target range is limited to the four people who are currently most favored by the emperor: Nagu, Haige, Wulie and Ahudai. The other princes are either difficult to catch the emperor's eye or are too young to be more than a foil. It is not their turn to be in the limelight in such occasions.

Now that Crown Prince Nalan has passed away and more than half a year has passed since his funeral, the candidate for the heir to the throne has still not been decided. Although the Fourth Prince Hai Ge seems to have the most hope, the Emperor has not spoken. Who among the ministers would dare to rashly say a name at this time? What if the name does not suit the Emperor's wishes? Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?
Seeing that everyone was silent, Emperor Jing continued to look at Qing Yugong and said, "The Prince of the County will start."

Qing Yugong said calmly, "Your Majesty, hunting requires both skill and luck. From these, I think the Second Prince and the Fourth Prince have a chance. After all, compared with other princes, they have experience in military campaigns, which is a small advantage. However, with such a big commotion today, the beasts in the forest must have been frightened and hidden. In the end, it may still depend on luck. Therefore, I think other princes may also have a chance to win."

Sagai, who was sitting not far away, lowered his head and curled his lips.

What a cunning old fox, what he said was all nonsense.

He didn't want to see Qing Yugong's face, so he looked to the other side and found that Jiagu Yong, the head of Jiagu clan, was staring straight ahead. He couldn't help but ask in a low voice: "What are you looking at?"

Jia Guyong suddenly came back to his senses, then forced a smile and said, "Nothing, two bugs just started fighting."

Sagai immediately rolled his eyes, too lazy to pay attention to this old man who was the leader of the fourth largest tribe in Jinglian after him and Qing Yugong but was always taciturn.

Under the canopy, Emperor Jing smiled and said, "Why do you take it so seriously, Prince? I am just setting a jackpot with you nobles. If anyone guesses correctly in the end, I will definitely reward him handsomely."

Qing Yugong was hesitating when a clear voice sounded behind him.

"Your Majesty, can I also guess?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Princess Yongping Qing Yu Huai Jin.

They were not surprised by this. Although Qing Yu Huaijin was a girl, she had been able to enter and leave the palace freely since she was a child. The emperor loved her even more than his own princes and princesses. Some actions that would have been considered heinous to others would not anger the emperor at all if they were done by her.

Emperor Jing said gently, "Yongping, who do you think will win in the end?"

Qing Yu Huaijin stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think it is the Fourth Prince."

An expected answer.

Emperor Jing laughed heartily, seeming to be in a very good mood. He raised his finger and pointed at her and said lovingly, "You are really not shy."

Qing Yu Huaijin did not push his temper any further and smiled slightly shyly.

"Okay, sit down."

Emperor Jing smiled and said to the eunuch beside him, "Remember this, Yongping is betting on the fourth prince."

After Qing Yu Huaijin's interruption, Emperor Jing felt it was not appropriate to continue questioning Qing Yugong. As the atmosphere became relaxed, others gradually gained the courage to speak up.

Generally speaking, the most people support the Fourth Prince Hai Ge, but there are also people supporting the Second Prince Na Gu, the Sixth Prince Wu Lie and the Eighth Prince Ahu Dai. Even through the final statistics, the number of votes bet on the Eighth Prince Ahu Dai is second only to the Fourth Prince Hai Ge, which is more than his other two brothers.

Emperor Jing watched leisurely without expressing any particular opinion, as if, as he had said before, this was just an insignificant game to liven up the atmosphere.

Behind Qing Yugong, Qing Yuzhong looked at his sister who was silent and lowered her head, and whispered with concern: "Huaijin, what's wrong?"

Qing Yu Huaijin glanced at his father's back not far away, forced a smile and shook his head, "Nothing. Brother, don't get drunk today."

Qing Yu Zhongwang said: "Don't worry, I know what kind of occasion this is."

Apart from the whispers between the brother and sister, after the eunuch counted everyone's bets, Emperor Jing suddenly coughed twice, and the place suddenly became quiet. He slowly said: "Today, all the wise men have come to celebrate my birthday, which makes me feel very gratified. The prosperity of Dajing today is inseparable from the hard work of all the nobles, but I hope this is just the beginning. This time, our army did not have a smooth journey in the southern border, which shows that the enemy is becoming stronger day by day. Not only Nanqi and Shazhou, but even Dai is ready to move. If I want to pacify the world and unify the four seas, I need all the ministers to work together, so that we can build a foundation that will last forever!"

When these words fell into the ears of the ministers, almost everyone had a different feeling.

Officials like Shangshu Ling Zhao Siwen, who had Qi blood and now held great power in the court, were naturally overwhelmed with emotion and said in unison: "We are willing to follow Your Majesty to create a prosperous era! We are willing to sacrifice our lives for him!"

The dozen or so important officials moved in an alarmingly orderly manner, as if they had rehearsed the action beforehand.

On the other side, the nobles with military honors seemed in a mess, but they were all patting their chests to show their loyalty, which looked quite lively.

Qing Yugong has a special status, but at this moment he obviously will not remain silent.

But he had already sensed the hidden meaning behind the emperor's words.

The so-called working together probably has a hidden meaning.

Taking the opportunity to lower his head, he glanced to the side with the corner of his eye and saw Sagai spitting everywhere, as if he was willing to lead his troops to attack Southern Qi immediately.

Looking over there, the three powerful leaders, Jiaguyong, Abuhan and Wengusun, showed generosity on their faces, but not as exaggerated as Sagai.

In short, no matter who you are, you will not fall behind at this time, at least you will not give others a chance to talk about you.

Emperor Jing smiled slightly and asked everyone to relax. Then he chatted with Qing Yugong, and the atmosphere in the room became more and more relaxed.

This is the characteristic of the Tianqing Festival. Different from the solemnity of other important festivals of the Jinglian tribe, the previous emperor of the Jing Dynasty established this festival for the purpose of sharing happiness with the people.

The sun gradually rose higher. Fortunately, a pergola had been set up on the platform to provide shade. With the breeze blowing across the grassland, the dignitaries felt more and more relaxed.

About half an hour later, the sound of horse hooves could be heard from the north, and the large group that went hunting returned one after another.

Apart from the princes, the only ones who are qualified to go on stage are the direct descendants of the Jinglian nobles. They are destined to be the backbone of the Jing army in the future, and Emperor Jing will naturally give them generous treatment.

Under the concerned gaze of the ministers, the princes lined up according to their age and came before the emperor.

Emperor Jing looked at them one by one and asked with a smile: "Who gained the most today?"

Qing Yugong raised his head at the right time and his eyes fell on the face of the Fourth Prince Hai Ge. He saw that he was calm and smiling, and it seemed that he was indeed the biggest winner of the day.

However, the eunuch in charge of statistics shouted, "Your Majesty, all the princes have hunted a lot today, but after careful comparison, the Eighth Prince has the most!"

The field suddenly fell into silence, with only the sound of the wind ringing in the ears.

Qing Yugong looked at the Fourth Prince's calm face, thinking deeply.

"Oh?"

Emperor Jing did not seem surprised. He looked at the Eighth Prince Ahudai, a 16-year-old son, with a smile and asked, "You are more powerful than your brothers?"

The Eighth Prince was obviously a little nervous, but at the same time he was filled with a bit of unbelievable joy. He said, "Father, I'm lucky today. There was almost no shortage of prey in front of me. After I killed one, another one popped up soon after. I'm definitely not as good at riding and shooting as my brothers, but I believe that as long as I practice hard, I will definitely catch up with them one day!"

Emperor Jing smiled but said nothing.

"Don't be modest, Eighth Brother. You are usually the most hardworking, so it is not surprising that you won first place today."

The first to speak was the Second Prince Nagu. His face was full of cordiality, and he seemed genuinely happy for the Eighth Prince.

The fourth prince Hai Ge also said, "Congratulations, eighth brother, for being able to use so many prey to celebrate father's birthday today."

With the two of them leading the way, the other princes surrounded the Eighth Prince. The older ones patted his shoulders, while the younger ones looked at him enviously.

All in all, it is a scene of great harmony.

After Crown Prince Nalan was poisoned, such harmonious relationship in the royal family seemed extremely precious.

However, the officials who were watching this scene had mixed feelings, because they were used to it, and when they heard the Eighth Prince say, "There is almost no shortage of prey in front of us," some of them began to feel strange.

Perhaps this was an innocent and careless remark made by the Eighth Prince, but how could such a coincidence exist in the world?
The same hunting ground, and there just happens to be an endless supply of prey in your area?
Of course, no one would be foolish enough to break the harmonious atmosphere among the princes at this time.

"Okay, good."

Emperor Jing still smiled, slowly stood up, looked at the friendly princes below, and said with emotion: "Brothers are friendly and respectful, you are worthy of being my sons."

"If Nalan were still alive and could see this scene, he would probably feel very relieved."

As soon as these words were spoken, it was as if a chill rose from the ground and penetrated into everyone's heart.

(End of this chapter)