The villain prince is three and a half years old

But in fact, although Concubine Jing did not surrender to Queen Yin, she followed Queen Yin's lead. The eldest prince and the crown prince did not spend much time together and they had never had a quarrel.

The same is true for this spring hunt.

Xu Zhongde reported that the eldest prince hunted thirteen, the crown prince hunted nine, the fourth prince hunted six, and the fifth prince hunted seven.

In terms of both quantity and quality, the eldest prince surpasses the crown prince.

Emperor Kangning looked at the eldest prince and said, "You have always been a relief to me. Your talent and martial arts are both excellent. You performed well today as well."

He looked at the ministers and said, "This time the eldest prince will be the first. Do you have any objections?"

He just asked casually, but he didn't expect that a general would actually stand up.

"Your Majesty, I believe the Crown Prince is the first choice."

"Oh? Why?" Emperor Kangning narrowed his eyes.

"The prey obtained by the eldest prince is all dead, while the prey obtained by the crown prince is all alive. The crown prince is kind and should be ranked first!"

As soon as these words were spoken, most of the ministers echoed them, and the rest dared not object. Opposing the crown prince's victory? His own head might be fine, but whether the heads of future generations would still be there would depend on whether the crown prince was happy after ascending the throne.

Emperor Kangning laughed and turned to look at the eldest prince: "What do you say?"

The eldest prince knelt on the ground and said: "I am superficial and not as good as the crown prince!"

Emperor Kangning shook his head and said calmly, "You are quite modest."

Xia Jing took a bite of the venison and sighed inwardly. Emperor Kangning was a cold-faced emperor, but on ordinary days, he would feign emotion, which served as a signal for his ministers to understand and act according to his will.

At this moment, Emperor Kangning looked normal, he was not even pretending, he was extremely dissatisfied.

Even Xia Jinglai was dissatisfied. This wasn't a question of who was first, but rather a competition between the ministers and Emperor Kangning over the Spring Hunt.

Emperor Kangning won the first round. Now in the second round, before Emperor Kangning even said a word, the eldest prince had already surrendered.

What's more, who's hunting competition about who can catch the most alive prey? This is just like competing in LGBT in business culture, which is a pollution of the rules.

Any normal emperor would never agree to this.

But we cannot directly oppose it.

The emperor is not an executioner. He cannot kill his ministers just because they disagree with him. Compared with those emperors who were blocked and scolded by the censors, Emperor Kangning was already very majestic.

The ministers also used a backdoor listing to challenge Emperor Kangning in the name of the crown prince.

Emperor Kangning glanced at Xu Zhongde, suggesting that he think of a solution.

Xu Zhongde had no choice. This was considered benevolence, so how could a eunuch like him dare to interrupt?

Emperor Kangning remained silent for a moment, then asked the Crown Prince, "What do you think?"

"The accompanying imperial guards have worked hard. They deserve to be rewarded for guarding our father and the court officials." The prince knelt down and said.

Emperor Kangning was so angry that he laughed.

Xia Jing almost laughed out loud. This prince is truly kind.

He was eating the melon peacefully, but unexpectedly, the vine grew onto his body.

Emperor Kangning lowered his head and looked at the four little ones: "How did you harvest?"

Ning Xuenian said nonchalantly, taking credit for it: "I caught eleven!"

"I'm alone." Ning Gaoxiang lowered his head.

"I have one too." Ning Sisi noticed that the atmosphere was not right and said cautiously.

"What about you?" Emperor Kangning asked Xia Jing deliberately.

"Eleven." Xia Jing replied, feeling something was wrong.

As expected, Emperor Kangning stared into his eyes and said, "I heard that you, like the Crown Prince, always catch your prey alive."

It’s over. If you can’t teach the prince a lesson, you’re going to use me as a scapegoat!

Xia Jing was shocked.

He feigned innocence and licked his lips. "Mother said that rabbits taste best when they're freshly killed. If they're left dead, the meat won't taste good."

Before Emperor Kang Ning could react, Ning Xuenian's eyes widened: "You didn't tell me!"

Most of the little rabbits under her control died.

"It's okay, share your little rabbits with Fourth Brother and the others." Xia Jing said in a low voice.

Ning Zhixing laughed heartily. His laughter was the only sound echoing in the tent.

Then, Emperor Kangning also laughed, and Xu Zhongde immediately responded. The whole area was filled with hoarse laughter, which scared the birds in the nearby forest and made them flee in all directions.

"That's right." Emperor Kang Ning touched Xia Jing's head, "It tastes better if it's freshly killed."

He turned to look at the ministers and said, "The Crown Prince has nine living creatures, and the Ninth Prince has eleven living creatures. This name should belong to the Ninth Prince."

There was silence, and the ministers were at a loss as to how to object. How could the Ninth Prince suddenly appear?

The eunuch holding the reward was also stunned. Xu Zhongde hurried forward, kicked him hard, snatched the tray with the reward, and brought it to Emperor Kangning.

Emperor Kangning lifted the yellow cloth, revealing a golden dagger underneath.

This is a real sword. I originally wanted to give it to the eldest prince and his entourage. It is not suitable for the youngest prince, but it cannot be replaced at the moment.

"Here, your first place." Emperor Kangning stuffed the dagger into Xia Jing's arms.

Xia Jing breathed a sigh of relief and realized that Emperor Kang Ning was not going to use him as a target, but as a shield.

He took the dagger and felt it was hot.

This was what the eldest prince and the crown prince were fighting over. It was too early for him to take it now. Xiao Yue was still only a concubine, while Xiao Jida was only a fourth-rank military officer.

It is time to bide our time and not to show off in this regard.

Moreover, if he wanted the top spot, he had to earn it himself. Only then would he have the aura and authority to attract others. A top spot obtained by using others as a shield would be useless.

After figuring this out, he knelt on one knee, holding the golden sword, and handed it to Emperor Kangning: "Crown Prince said that the soldiers have worked hard, and Jing'er feels the same way, but Jing'er feels even more that it is father who has worked hard. The soldiers are guarding father's safety, and father is guarding the safety of the people of the world. This golden sword should be accepted by father!"

Chapter 92 Complaining about the Ninth Prince

Although he had received a long-term task from the system and his performance in this spring hunt would affect his rewards, Xia Jing had no intention of showing off except by showing off General Jade.

There was no way to show off this. Spring hunting was hunting. He had such small arms and legs that he couldn't even ride a pony, let alone gallop across the land in pursuit of game.

He didn't expect that even though he was not prepared to take action, the opportunity came to him shamelessly like a bad girl who prefers innocent boys.

The ministers used the spring hunt as an excuse to engage in a battle of discourse and ideology with Emperor Kangning. The princes either joined the enemy and added fuel to the fire, or remained indifferent and did not contribute at all. Emperor Kangning had no choice but to turn the focus to Xia Jing, preparing to use the child to dilute the confrontation.

Diluting the confrontation may not be considered a failure, but it is definitely not a success.

Xia Jing's words turned Emperor Kangning's defeat, which was not a failure, into a small victory.

The Fourth Prince, Ning Zhixing, immediately knelt down and said, "Ninth Prince, what you said is absolutely right."

The other princes also knelt down. Faced with this scene, the Crown Prince and the ministers were forced to kneel on the ground and boast about Emperor Kangning's achievements.

Ning Xuenian and Ning Sisi knelt beside Xia Jing. Ning Xuenian was dazed and didn't know what was going on. She only knew that everyone was praising her father and she smiled foolishly along.

Ning Sisi glanced at Xia Jing, marveling at her brother's intelligence. She then thought of the hare Xia Jing had given her, and couldn't help but glance behind her. The hare was locked in a cage.

Ning Gaoxiang held his head high, feeling very proud, as he felt that praising Emperor Kang Ning was actually praising himself.

Emperor Kangning smiled broadly, raising his hand to ask the ministers to stand. His inner depression dissipated, and he was even more delighted that he had won a small victory in his long battle with his ministers.

Turning around, he looked at the Ninth Prince who had helped him turn the situation around, and he felt much more favorable towards him.

He put away the golden dagger and said, "This thing is indeed not suitable for you. You will soon go to the upper study to study. It's not far from Jingyi Pavilion. I will give you a sedan chair to save you the trouble of traveling."

"Thank you, father!" Xia Jing saluted.

A sedan chair is a sedan without a roof but only with a seat. If a sedan chair is a car that can protect against wind and rain, then a sedan chair is a motorcycle that cannot avoid wind and sun.

The Ning Dynasty has always valued diligence and thriftiness. Without special permission, even the princes could not use the sedan chair. This reward can be said to be very practical.

Moreover, there is an unexpected surprise.

Compassion: 55 → 57

A 2-point surge! This is a major breakthrough for Emperor Kangning!

But why was that +10 gone? Although I knew that temporary favorability was short-lived, Emperor Kangning's was particularly short.

"You're not bad, but you're still a little behind me when I was young." Emperor Kangning looked at the remaining three little ones. "When I was your age, I could already bend the bow and draw the arrow."

This is just bragging. Drawing the bow and drawing the arrow may be true, but whether you can draw the bow to the full length and whether you can hit the target is beyond words.

"Xue Nian, you and the Ninth Prince have hunted as much. Is there anything you want?" Emperor Kangning decided to give the remaining three children a small reward.

This was a sign of dissatisfaction. The younger brothers and sisters received rewards, but the eldest princes did not. Of course, they had done something wrong.

Ning Xuenian didn't expect Emperor Kang Ning to ask her, and looked at Xia Jing in surprise.

Xia Jing was confused. Emperor Kangning asked, "Why are you looking at me?"

Ning Xuenian expressed the wish that had been suppressed in her heart for a long time: "Father, I also want to go to the study."

The Shangshufang was the prince's Shangshufang, not the princess's. Ning Xuenian had heard about Xia Jing's move to the Shangshufang a long time ago, and she had been thinking about it for a long time.

She stared at her father's face, hoping that Emperor Kangning would agree readily.

It might be possible for another emperor who doted on the princess, but not Emperor Kangning. He never doted on anyone and he didn't like anyone breaking his rules.

Emperor Kang Ning frowned, and Ning Xuenian's heart sank.

"But did you suffer injustice in Kunning Palace?" asked Emperor Kangning.

All the princesses were taught by the female officials in Kunning Palace.

Ning Xuenian shook her head: "Brother Jing went to the study, I also want to..."

"The Upper Study is where the Four Books and Five Classics are studied." Emperor Kangning interrupted her and looked at the group of ministers. "I remember that Concubine Yun has not returned to the Qin family for many years since entering the palace. It's rare that your uncle is in the capital recently. You should leave the palace to visit your relatives at the beginning of next month."

Emperor Kang Ning was not prepared to argue with Ning Xuenian and decided on another reward.

Ning Xuenian heard that something was wrong and bowed her head, "Thank you, Father."

Xia Jing's heart tutted. Leaving the palace to visit relatives seemed like a reward for Ning Xuenian, but in reality, it was a way to win over the Qin family.

While Emperor Kangning was not paying attention, he moved closer to Ning Xuenian and touched the back of the girl's hand with his fingertips to comfort her.

Ning Xuenian forced a smile.

Emperor Kangning looked at Ning Gaoxiang.

He didn't intend to ask about this child, nor did he even talk to Ning Gaoxiang directly. Instead, he instructed Xu Zhongde: "Send some silk and satin to the Summer Palace."

"Yes!" Xu Zhongde observed a moment of silence for the Seventh Prince. Emperor Kangning was displeased after hearing the report, as it implied that the Seventh Prince only knew how to enjoy himself.

Ning Gaoxiang thanked him happily, but he didn't understand the meaning behind Emperor Kangning's words.

"What about you?" Emperor Kang Ning looked at Ning Sisi for the last time, his tone far from perfect.

Ning Sisi lowered her head, not daring to look at Emperor Kang Ning.

She said, "Father, can I keep that hare?"

"Oh?" Emperor Kangning's eyes softened a little.

The Sixth Princess did not make a direct request, but added the word "may or not", which shows that she is sensible.

"Where is the hare?" asked Emperor Kangning.

The eunuch brought the cage, Xu Zhongde opened the lid, held the hare, and came to Emperor Kangning.

The hare held a piece of grass in its mouth and stared blankly at Emperor Kangning.

Emperor Kangning patted the hare's head and said, "There's a Coal General in the palace, a Jade General in the menagerie, and you, let's call you Stone General!"

He withdrew his hand and instructed Xu Zhongde: "Watch it carefully and send it to the Summer Palace when we get back."

"Thank you, father!" Ning Sisi knelt on the ground.

She looked at the gray rabbit with joy, and then glanced at Xia Jing.

After dealing with this unexpected little competition, Emperor Kangning began to prepare for the main event.

The ministers and princes each performed their duties, and the officials of the Ministry of Rites set up the altar and placed the offerings according to the rules.

The early spring wind is still a little cold. It blows across the wilderness, and the grass and trees bow respectfully to the sky. The vast horn is a letter handed to God. The solemn blessings are mixed in the sound of the horn and float in the wind.