The most dissolute couple in the capital

Just as everyone was having a great time, a loud noise suddenly came from the forest.

"Protect the Emperor! Quickly, protect the Emperor!" The commander of the guards, his eyes bloodshot, drew his sword with a clang.

A dozen armored guards quickly stepped forward and formed a defensive formation, thrusting their spears out like a forest. However, the wild boar was fearless, seemingly oblivious to the pain, and with a sudden flick of its head, it sent several burly guards flying like rag dolls!

Screams and screams erupted instantly, and chaos broke out both inside and outside the pavilion.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Wenhan not only didn't back down, but his eyes lit up. He felt this was the perfect opportunity to show his manly spirit in front of the princess!

"Princess, be afraid! Watch me shoot this beast dead!"

He frantically grabbed a bow from the shelf beside him, and before he could even catch his breath, he drew the bow and nocked an arrow with trembling hands.

His white horse, weighing eight hundred taels, was quite sensible; it galloped away happily and disappeared without giving its master a chance to urge it on.

"Whoosh—"

The arrow veered off course a full three zhang (approximately 10 meters) and embedded itself in an innocent pine tree.

Pine tree: Thank you, but I don't need it.

The wild boar didn't even glance at the arrow; its crimson eyes were fixed on the living person in front of it as it charged forward at full speed.

The Second Prince Li Han's personal guards immediately shielded him behind them, the six of them retreating in a fan-shaped formation. This was a normal act of protecting their master, but Cui Qingyi noticed that their retreat was extremely precise, heading exactly the right way—

Princess Li Zhao was exposed to the wild boars' attack route.

Coincidence? Or was it a case of using someone else to do the dirty work?

The autumn hunt in her previous life went smoothly. In other words, it was the butterfly effect brought about by her rebirth that changed some people's plans, or did this event also happen in her previous life, but it did not affect her location and she had no idea about it.

Li Zhao was the emperor's eldest daughter, but at this point in time, she had not yet shown any ambition for the throne and posed no real threat to any of the princes.

But do the princes have any guesses?

She quickly glanced in the direction of the Second Prince, Li Han.

Li Han was pale and was being closely protected by guards; he did indeed look frightened.

Is it a ruse?

Perhaps someone wants to create chaos at the autumn hunt, with the assassination target possibly being the Second Prince himself. The goal is to inflict minor injuries on him and then shift the blame to an unsuspecting scapegoat. And if the princess is injured or even suffers an accident during the chaos, that would be an even better surprise.

The wild boars have breached the second line of defense.

Cui Qingyi's heart pounded wildly. Without thinking twice, she grabbed Li Zhao, who was still directing the guards, and pulled her sharply behind her.

"Imperial Aunt!" Li Zhao exclaimed in surprise.

"Don't make a sound! Get behind the pillar!" Cui Qingyi shouted sharply, shielding the princess behind her while facing the stench of blood directly.

There was nowhere to hide. The pavilion was only so big, and the crazed beast was upon them in an instant. Cui Qingyi could even smell an extremely strange, faint fragrance emanating from the beast, in addition to its stench.

Damn it, I wasn't reborn to be killed by a pig.

Li Chengjing was so anxious that sweat beaded on his back. He didn't have time to think; his hand had already reached for the pouch at his waist. It was the spice pouch he always carried with him, containing more than a dozen kinds of ground powders, which he used to test fragrances whenever he wanted.

He swiftly grabbed a handful of powder—a mixture of musk powder, atractylodes powder, and magnolia powder—and aimed at a thick pine tree, so large it would take two people to hug it, in front of the wild boar. With a sudden burst of strength from his waist, he swung his arm and hurled the powder at it.

The powder exploded in the air, forming a pale yellow mist, and a pungent, spicy smell instantly filled the air.

The wild boar, which had been charging straight towards the pavilion, suddenly stopped.

Its nose twitched violently, and a look of confusion flashed in its crimson eyes. The delicate fragrance that had driven it mad was completely overshadowed, replaced by a pungent, irritating odor so strong it caused it pain.

It roared and suddenly veered off course.

The massive 300-pound body, with astonishing momentum, violently crashed into the old pine tree.

"boom--"

The tree trunk shook violently, and pine needles rained down. The wild boar's head slammed into the trunk, its tusks embedded deep in the wood. Its hooves twitched a few times, and then it fell silent.

He died on the spot.

When Li Chengjing threw the powder, his momentum was too strong, and he tripped over a protruding tree root, staggering forward two steps. A broken branch that bounced off the wild boar as it crashed into the tree grazed his right arm squarely.

"Your Highness!" Seeing the guards rushing to surround the wild boar, Cui Qingyi lifted her skirt and quickly walked down the pavilion steps to Li Chengjing's side.

Lee Seung-kyung, still holding up his bleeding arm, watched her approach with pleading eyes: "I'm injured."

"...Your Majesty, I saw it."

"I bled a lot."

Cui Qingyi glanced at the wound.

A shallow scratch, about three inches long and no more than half an inch deep, with sparse beads of blood, at most it was just a scratch from a cat.

But she still frowned in agreement, her tone full of concern: "Your Highness has suffered. I will have someone fetch medicine for your injuries right away."

Cui Qingyi lowered her head and gently blew a breath next to the wound.

Lee Seung-kyung's face flushed red again, and he whispered, "There are still people around."

Cui Qingyi glared at him: "Ignore them."

Lee Seung-kyung was so satisfied he was practically wagging his tail.

The Empress had already rushed down from the platform and hugged Li Zhao tightly in her arms. She carefully examined Li Zhao's body, making sure she was unharmed before she could finally relax.

The emperor's face was ashen: "Where is Xu Changfeng, the commander of the Imperial Guards?!"

A burly commander clad in black armor strode up from below the platform: "Your subject, Xu Changfeng, failed in his duty of protection. I beg Your Majesty for punishment."

The emperor looked down at him: "Minister Xu, I entrusted you with the ninefold security and the hundred-mile hunting grounds. Is this how you guard them? If it weren't for Prince Liang's quick thinking, wouldn't this palace be stained with blood today?"

Xu Changfeng did not shirk responsibility, but replied in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the outer perimeter of the hunting grounds was thoroughly searched three times by elite imperial guards last night at midnight and this morning at dawn. There is absolutely no way such a ferocious beast could have escaped. Furthermore, I just sent men to investigate the area where the beast rushed out, and there were no signs that the defensive fence had been forcibly breached. I suspect..."

"This beast was deliberately released into the enclosure before the patrols began."

The emperor sneered, "It seems that some of the Imperial Guards, or even the officials accompanying you, have such a long reach that they can come and go freely even in my autumn hunting grounds. If today's matter is not thoroughly investigated, you will lose your position as commander of the Imperial Guards."

"Your subject obeys!" Xu Changfeng bowed his head and kowtowed.