It was almost dark, and a bonfire was lit in the center of the Baishan pasture. Everyone gathered around the fire to drink and eat meat.
The princes came out of the forest one after another, but the princes Li Jincheng, Li Yanchang and Li Jifeng were still missing.
While chatting and laughing, someone said: "It seems that the hunting ground is rich in prey this year, and your highnesses are having so much fun."
But I saw that some people were getting more and more anxious, including Emperor Tongxu and Marquis Xuanping and his son.
After another half an hour, Li Jifeng and Xie Tingzhou came out from the northern forest farm.
When Li Jifeng landed, his legs were unsteady. Two guards each held one of his arms and listened to his screams.
Emperor Tongxu looked at Li Jifeng who had returned and asked solemnly: "What happened? Is Jifeng injured?"
Li Jifeng is still acting coquettishly at such an old age, "Father, my son is injured."
"Hey - slow down, slow down." Li Jifeng was helped to sit down.
Emperor Tongxu was stunned, "How did you get injured? Where is it?"
"My thigh is broken. It's worn out by riding a horse for too long. I'm exhausted."
As soon as Li Jifeng said this, everyone burst into laughter, and some people also praised him, saying that His Highness the Ninth Prince was diligent and brave.
Emperor Tongxu was speechless.
"Father, I have hunted a deer, and I will roast the deer meat for you." Li Jifeng waved to someone to bring the deer up.
Xie Tingzhou turned his back to the commotion and strode towards the camp.
The guard guarding the tent entrance raised the curtain, but Xie Tingzhou did not go in, "Shigure hasn't come back yet?"
The guard said: "No."
Xie Tingzhou's face darkened.
Baishan Forest Farm is very big, and it takes half a day to go in and out of the forest. If I didn't catch up with her, I thought she would come back by herself, but I didn't expect that she hasn't returned yet.
"Xifeng, gather some people and go back into the mountain with me." Xie Tingzhou got on his horse.
Suddenly, there was a noise from the other side of the pasture.
"Prince, His Royal Highness is injured! Hurry!"
"The imperial physician——"
Xie Tingzhou frowned, there was indeed a problem in the south.
The prince was injured in the hunting ground. I am afraid that no one who entered the southern hunting ground today will be able to escape. It depends on how they can clear away the suspicion.
But what he is most worried about now is Shen Yu. She is in the deep mountains and is even more dangerous at night.
Just as he was about to leave, he heard Li Jifeng shout: "It's Shigure, and Shigure is back too."
Xie Tingzhou immediately hit the horse, and in a blink of an eye, he turned over and saw Li Jincheng being surrounded by a group of people and entering the tent, while she followed alone, covered in blood and looking embarrassed.
Xie Tingzhou didn't move, watching from a distance, feeling like he was about to stop breathing.
As if she suddenly remembered something, she raised her eyes to search among the crowd, and finally fixed her gaze on him, without moving away for a long time.
Xie Tingzhou finally stepped forward, but did not speak.
"I'm fine." Shen Yu said in a tired voice, "It's all other people's blood."
The worry in Xie Tingzhou's eyes was swept away, and his cold eyes were calm, "You went to the South Hunting Ground."
Shen Yu said nothing.
Xie Tingzhou said again: "You led me to the North Hunting Ground, but you went to the South Hunting Ground. Why?"
Shen Yu hasn't figured out how to answer yet.
A chamberlain chanted from afar: "Xuan——Shigure is here to see you."
Shen Yu glanced at Xie Tingzhou, and she walked towards him. When she passed him, she quickly squeezed his hand.
He whispered: "You believe me."
Shen Yu followed the chamberlain into the imperial tent. There were so many people in the tent that Shen Yu did not dare to take a closer look. She bowed her head and knelt on the ground.
There was silence in the tent, as if everyone was holding their breath and concentrating.
Shen Yu knelt for a long time before she heard Emperor Tongxu's voice: "Your name is Shiyu?"
This is the name that Emperor Tongxu knew from Li Jincheng.
Emperor Tongxu's voice was full of fatigue, but no one dared to look down upon him. Perhaps this was the majesty of someone who had been in power for a long time.
Shen Yu: "Your Majesty, yes."
"Who are you?" Emperor Tongxu asked.
"I know." Li Jifeng interjected: "He is the guard who stopped the boat."
Emperor Tongxu said: "Since he is the bodyguard of the Crown Prince Beilin, he should be with Xie Yun. Why are you with the Crown Prince?"
Li Jifeng: "I know——"
"Shut up." Emperor Tongxu interrupted, looked at Shen Yu and said, "Tell me the whole story in detail."
"Yes." Shen Yu said: "I suddenly felt unwell on the way, so I looked for a place to go to the toilet. After that, I got separated from His Highness Ninth Prince and His Highness the Crown Prince. I remember before entering the mountain, His Highness Ninth Prince told His Highness Seventh Prince that we were going to the south on this trip. hunting ground, so I chased south, but failed to find the two His Highnesses. Instead, I met His Highness the Crown Prince who was besieged by assassins."
"At that time, more than half of the bodyguards of His Highness the Crown Prince were dead and wounded, and they were no match for the assassins, so I joined the battle, but there were too many of them, and the bodyguards of His Highness the Crown Prince also gradually decreased during the fight. I had no choice but to leave the others behind and then go alone. Take His Royal Highness to avoid the assassins."
Emperor Tongxu was silent for a moment, and suddenly asked Li Jifeng: "I remember you came from the north, right? You were originally planning to go south, but why did you change your mind temporarily?"
Shen Yu was nervous, raised her head slightly, saw Li Jifeng brushing off his previous slutty look, and said with a serious expression.
He said: "The woods in the hunting ground in the south are too dense. The sea turtle that stopped the boat couldn't get out. How could it find prey for us? It had to go north. Fortunately, it didn't go south."
Li Jifeng looked worried, but it seemed that he could not completely dispel Emperor Tongxu's doubts.
"Let Xie Yun come in." Emperor Tongxu said.
Xie Tingzhou entered the imperial tent and was given a seat by Emperor Tongxu, but did not ask Shen Yu to get up.
Shen Yu raised her eyes and met Xie Tingzhou, who was sitting next to Li Jifeng.
She glanced at him quickly and said, "Your Highness."
Xie Tingzhou said lightly "Yeah" and stopped looking at her.
Only then did Shen Yu see that there were many people sitting in the tent, including Pei Chunli, Marquis Xuanping, Jiang Lianzhi, and other princes. Except for Jiang Yuanqing, all the important ministers in the cabinet were there.
Emperor Tongxu said: "The prince was assassinated in the hunting ground. I have ordered the mountains to be closed and the boats to be stopped."
Xie Tingzhou said: "I'm here."
"Why did you suddenly change your route and go to the north?" Emperor Tongxu asked the same question again.
Emperor Tongxu himself took this position amidst the fighting among the princes. The title of Ninth Five Supreme Being was too tempting. The royal family could believe in interests, but the last thing they could not believe was brotherhood.
Xie Tingzhou's tone was calm, "There are wild beasts in the hunting ground in the south. I have a sick man, and if I take the Ninth Prince with me, there is no guarantee that I will escape unscathed. It would be safer to go to the north."
Emperor Tongxu nodded slowly, as if this reason was more convincing to him.
Xie Tingzhou asked: "How is His Royal Highness doing now?"
Emperor Tongxu raised his hand and pointed, "The imperial doctor is treating you inside."
The emperor's palace occupied a large area, and the imperial tent was divided into several compartments. The prince was in the room where the emperor slept.
Xie Tingzhou glanced around the tent, tapped his fingertips on his knees and said, "Why don't you see the Seventh Prince?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone reacted. They were so confused because the prince was injured that they actually forgot that there was another prince who had not returned.
Emperor Tongxu frowned, "Come here, send people into the mountain to look for him. We will definitely bring Lao Qi back."
Everyone in the royal tent had different expressions and thoughts.
Shen Yu didn't dare to look at Xie Tingzhou, but found a pair of eyes staring at her.
She looked back, and it was the Western Prince Li Zhaonian who was looking at her.
