kvmb Chapter 129 Royal Hunting Ground
Chapter 129 Royal Hunting Ground
The princes of the eight kingdoms were all handsome and talented. They hosted banquets in the palace for several days, accompanied Princess Chengde, and tried to win her favor.
Princess Li Cen and Crown Prince Li Guangqi have been busy these past two days receiving the princes from eight countries.
The Emperor's Thousand Machine Guards, sent to the Elite Guard Hall and the secret sentries, reported back that nothing unusual had happened. However, the Emperor remained uneasy and ordered the Thousand Machine Guards to secretly monitor the movements of the secret sentries and the Elite Guard Hall, reporting any suspicious activity immediately. He also dispatched the Thousand Machine Division to search for Bai Li's whereabouts, regretting that he shouldn't have spared her life for his own twisted sense of humor.
Fortunately, everything is peaceful now and nothing has happened. Perhaps Bai Li, having finally gained her freedom, has already escaped far away. The emperor comforted himself with this thought. In any case, Bai Li is just a woman. What trouble could she possibly cause?
Today is the day to host the princes of eight nations for a hunting trip; we must not let this important event be delayed.
Princess Li Cen, Princess Chengde, Crown Prince Li Guangqi, and Third Prince Li Yun have all set up camp at the entrance of the royal hunting grounds. The Imperial Guards have also set up camp there, and main tents have been prepared for the princes of various countries. The Imperial Guards are responsible for the safety of the residential area, while the Imperial City Guards are responsible for the safety of the hunting grounds. The hunt will last for three days, allowing everyone to have a great time.
"What does Second Princess think of Prince Feng Tianling of Feng Kingdom?" Li Yun teased Princess Chengde mischievously. "I've noticed you've been spending a lot of time with him these past few days. It seems you like this handsome young man?"
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Princess Chengde's expression darkened.
“Third brother, be careful with your words,” the Crown Prince said, playing the good guy again, as was his usual style: “This Feng Tianling is weak and frail, unable to lift a finger. He is not worthy of our second sister’s favor. Prince Mu Zheng of the Muma Kingdom is much better, as he is skilled in riding and archery and has a heroic bearing.”
Li Yun pouted: "You have the nerve to call others weak and frail, but look at your own sickly appearance."
"What are you saying, Third Brother? I'm just thin, not sick or weak." He still had a smiling expression.
"Alright, stop fooling around, my two brothers, stop teasing your second sister," Li Cen finally spoke up. "Go and get ready, get ready to go to the hunting grounds. As the hostess, don't keep the guests waiting!" The princess's imposing aura stopped the bickering, and Li Yun was the fastest to run.
"Eldest sister, won't you come along for some fun?" the Crown Prince invited.
"Why would I join in the selection of a consort for Chengde?" Li Cen deliberately shook his head, indicating that he did not intend to go.
“But it might be too much for my second sister to go hunting alone… Eldest sister, please accompany her. I know you love her.”
"Okay, you guys go ahead." Li Cen rubbed his temples, seemingly waiting for something.
"Then I look forward to seeing my elder sister demonstrate her riding and archery skills." After saying this, the Crown Prince tactfully withdrew.
"How is it?" Li Cen asked in a low voice, while pressing his finger to his ear.
The report from the sentry came through the earpiece: "All the men have been killed. They were all assassins. The Third Prince's servant token was found on one of them."
As expected, the assassins the Crown Prince had sent to ambush Li Cen at the hunting grounds were there to kill him and then frame Li Yun. What a vicious scheme! Even if the Third Prince wasn't convicted, he would still be deeply implicated and unable to challenge the Crown Prince for at least a short time. Assassinating the Eldest Princess was a serious crime that couldn't be dealt with lightly, so Li Guangqi must have a backup plan and would definitely find a way to pin the blame on Li Yun.
"Get ready for what you're about to do," Li Cen instructed.
The real show is about to begin.
Li Cen changed into military attire, carried a bow and arrows, and walked out of the tent. She encountered the Crown Prince, who was already mounted on his horse and ready to go. It seemed that the boy was dawdling here, waiting to see if she would come out.
"Elder sister, there are many wild animals in the forest, please be careful." Li Guangqi pulled the reins sharply, and the horse leaped into the hunting ground.
Li Cen snorted coldly, watching the dust cloud that followed him as he departed, "You're the one who should watch your step."
Just as the princes and princesses were bickering outside the hunting grounds, Lu He had already entered the palace and the imperial study. The emperor was getting bored reviewing memorials when he heard an announcement from outside that Mr. Lu was requesting an audience.
The emperor was feeling rather bored, but when he heard that it was that fortune teller who had come, he naturally became interested and summoned him in.
"Mr. Lu, what brings you to me? Is there something interesting to tell you?" The emperor rose from his desk, his gaze towards Lu He carrying a hint of amusement.
Lu He knew that the old man was both lecherous and loved to play.
"I just performed a divination, and auspicious omens will appear in the royal hunting grounds in the next two days!" She knew how to make up stories to pique the emperor's interest.
"Oh? What auspicious omen?" Sure enough, the emperor's eyes gleamed with a thirst for knowledge.
"Your Majesty, please take a look," Lu He said, taking out a modern poster with the Nine-Colored Deer printed on it: "This is the Nine-Colored Deer of the Heavenly Palace."
The emperor had never seen such color printing technology before; they only had hand-painted works by artists. The vibrant colors and sheen, the lifelike depictions, looked incredibly sacred. "This! This is truly an auspicious omen!"
Seeing that he was interested, Lu He took out another photo. The photo was taken by the sentry at the hunting ground, and the nine-colored deer was photoshopped in. This kind of technology could fool an ancient person so much that he would be crippled.
"Ah! This is, this is!" The emperor had never seen anything so realistic in a photograph before. He took the photograph and was so excited that he couldn't speak.
Lu He hurriedly took out the camera again: "Your Majesty, this magical artifact can see real scenes, much more realistic than paintings. Paintings are based on human imagination, but these photos are images taken by gods with divine power." As he spoke, he directly operated the camera to show the emperor, snapping photos of the imperial study and the eunuchs and maids beside it, and then the camera produced the photos.
She picked it up and shook it, and the photo appeared, stunning even the emperor.
"This magical artifact is wonderful!" the emperor exclaimed, immediately preparing to issue an order: "Quickly, have the hunting grounds cleared; I'm going to search for the Nine-Colored Deer..."
"No, no! Absolutely not!" Lu He hurriedly stopped him.
"What's wrong, Mr. Lu?" the emperor asked, puzzled.
"This auspicious omen depends on fate and divination. The current hunting grounds are positioned according to the stars, and you cannot change it in the slightest, otherwise the deer will not come. I have already calculated the right time, place, and people. You only need to follow my time and place, and this divine beast will surely be shot by Your Majesty!" Lu He spoke in a mystical manner, which she herself could not understand; it was all nonsense.
But the more confusing and obscure it sounded, the more intimidating it became. The emperor immediately nodded: "Let's go, I'll go to the hunting grounds right now!" Anyway, with the Thousand Machine Guards and secret sentries protecting him, and the Imperial Guards and the Imperial City Guard patrolling the area around the hunting grounds, the emperor was not afraid of the crowds and chaos at the hunting grounds.
For the safety of the princes of various countries, the hunting grounds were so secure that not even a fly could get in or escape.
Within the hunting grounds, the Imperial City Guard's patrol area and defensive routes were already known to Crown Prince Li Guangqi, who had summoned Bai Yu beforehand and obtained the hunting grounds' defenses by threatening Nie Qing's safety. He also instructed Bai Yu to open a breach and let in assassins, which Bai Yu did exactly as instructed.
Li Guangqi had hunted quite a few animals, all of which were carried on the backs of his trusted guards' horses. He looked up at the sun; at this hour, his assassins were probably already surrounding and killing Li Cen.
Li Guangqi was initially quite satisfied, and his mood remained high as he entered the hunting grounds, feeling that everything was under control... until this moment, when he saw the corpses of several assassins deliberately hidden in the grass, his smile vanished...
The servant's token, which the assassin used to frame Li Yun, has disappeared. Did the assassination fail and Li Cen take it, or did Li Yun accidentally discover that someone was trying to frame him?
"Your Highness, what should we do?" asked a trusted aide.
"Don't panic, just wait and see..." Before he could finish speaking, shouts and chaos erupted from all sides of the forest.
"There are assassins!"
"Quick escort!"
"Protect His Majesty!"
"What!" Li Guangqi was shocked. His father was also at the hunting grounds? And assassinated? What! What was going on? A bad premonition crept into his heart...