Chapter 65

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Chapter 65: Title

Gu Cheng got married, but Gu Hengbo didn’t go; she only sent someone to deliver the wedding gifts. In truth, she really wanted to attend, but when Lian Rong shot her a glance, she immediately sank back in disappointment.

At the royal hunting ground, Lian Rong, in a red robe, leaped onto a horse. Gu Hengbo found it rather boring and amused herself with the horse. She looked up at the sun overhead; though it wasn’t too hot, she didn’t want to get dark from sun exposure.

In a pavilion, the emperor and empress sat with several concubines, along with high-ranking officials from the court. Besides Lian Chen and Lianyang, other princes and princesses were seated beside the emperor and empress, while some children of noble families were in the outer seats. Gu Hengbo and Lian Rong were the last to arrive since they traveled on horseback from the palace’s outskirts.

Originally, Lian Rong didn’t need to participate in this hunting competition, but when Gu Hengbo whispered, “It’s all young people; why do you need to join the fun?” Prince Rong was quite displeased. Therefore, before little Gu could get off her horse, someone kicked the horse’s rear, and she shot forth.

Lian Rong calmly sat on his horse and slightly bowed to the emperor, saying, “Brother, royal sister goes ahead.” Before the emperor could speak, he tightened the reins and gave chase.

Everyone watched in astonishment, unsure of what to say.

The emperor shook his head helplessly. “Ever since A-Rong got married, she has changed completely.”

The empress remained silent, her gaze following that flash of red with a deep and distant look, as if something had briefly crossed her mind, too quick to capture.

“Your Majesty, the king of Xiliang should be arriving soon,” one of the ministers reminded.

The emperor nodded. “It should be time; let’s wait a bit longer, and we’ll begin shortly.”

The horse beneath Gu Hengbo surged like it had gone mad, rushing into the woods. Lian Rong’s kick was indeed powerful; both the horse and its rider were far ahead, and she could still hear the sounds of it braying.

Lian Rong cracked her whip against the horse’s flank, a smile playing at her lips as she caught up to Gu Hengbo. She tossed her whip and, in a moment, drew Gu Hengbo into her embrace, looking at the trembling girl who seemed still in shock. With a playful tone, she asked, “Do you still think I’m old?”

Gu Hengbo, pale-faced, shrank into her arms, shaking her head vigorously, “No, not old.”

Lian Rong was in high spirits, tightening her hold around Gu Hengbo’s waist, tilting her chin up for a lingering kiss. “Ah Heng, are you going back or will you sit with me?”

Gu Hengbo glanced at her horse, which was now behaving and calmly grazing, displaying no trace of its earlier frenzy that had her joining in the commotion.

After a while, Lian Rong let go and Gu Hengbo returned to her own horse. Expressing her annoyance at Lian Rong’s constant affection, she rolled her eyes and said, “I’ll wander around by myself,” before riding away.

Lian Rong did not chase after her; she had been too focused on catching up and had forgotten her bow. Pulling on the reins, she turned back.

When Lian Rong returned, the competition had already begun. Everyone who was participating was ready. Before she could dismount, someone presented a bow and arrow to her. A cheerful male voice said, "This longbow is from my ancestor Helan. Prince Rong should give it a try."

Lian Rong smiled but did not get off her horse. "Brother, why didn’t the King of Xiliang inform the royal sister of his visit beforehand?"

Upon hearing this, the emperor gave her a teasing look. "Wasn’t the royal sister in a hurry to chase after your crown princess? I didn’t even have a chance to speak."

The King of Xiliang laughed heartily. "Prince Rong, there is no need to be polite. I just arrived as well. For today’s hunt, you can practice with this longbow. If you use it well, I will give it to you."

Lian Rong nodded. "The King of Xiliang is indeed straightforward. Then I will not hesitate and will give it a try."

Lian Rong rode a bit and then remembered that Gu Hengbo was alone and might be wandering somewhere. She touched the longbow in her hand and thought it was a good bow, too precious to use for hunting.

While she was pondering, she suddenly heard the sound of a horse neighing nearby. Gu Hengbo’s horse belonged to Prince Rong’s residence, so she recognized it immediately. Without hesitation, she fiercely whipped her horse and sped away.

Just as Gu Hengbo thought she might fall off, someone suddenly caught her. She silently thanked her lucky stars while murmuring that her life was very important.

Lian Rong held Gu Hengbo’s waist, looking at the person on the nearby horse with cold eyes. "Who are you?"

"Why do you care?"

Gu Hengbo was frightened and clutched Lian Rong’s neck tightly, looking in the direction of the voice. Not far from them sat a young woman dressed in red on a white horse, appearing to be only sixteen or seventeen years old, a lovely young beauty with a displeased look in her eyes as she stared at them.

Gu Hengbo tightened her grip on Lian Rong’s arm and cautiously asked, "That person… could it be she who knocked me off?"

Lian Rong applied slight pressure with her hand, bringing their bodies close together. If she held on a little tighter, Gu Hengbo might even get a kiss.

"Hey, why are you holding so tightly?" someone whined.

Lian Rong’s hand slowly rubbed her waist, still focused on the young woman in red. "Who are you?"

The young woman snorted, lifting her chin slightly with an air of pride. "My father is the king of Xiliang. Who do you think I am?"

Lian Rong raised an eyebrow and said lightly, "So you are the princess of Xiliang."

The girl in red frowned. "Why didn’t you kneel when you saw me?"

Lian Rong gently rested her chin on Gu Hengbo’s shoulder and chuckled. "I won’t kneel to you. What can you do about it, little girl?"

Gu Hengbo twitched her mouth; she was sure this woman did it on purpose.

The girl in red’s face turned bright red, and she pouted. "I will tell my father to punish you!"

Lian Rong laughed even louder, finally burying her face in Gu Hengbo’s neck, muttering, "This is Dongyin, not your Xiliang where you can do as you please, little girl."

The girl in red was so angry that she almost jumped up. "I am not a little girl! I have a name; I am Helan Yin!"

Lian Rong bit Gu Hengbo’s earlobe playfully, her tone lazy. "No matter who you are, you should not bully her."

"I didn’t! She blocked my path. I was about to catch a little rabbit, and she scared it away!" Helan Yin retorted.

"Wrong is wrong."

Gu Hengbo sensed Lian Rong’s tone was off and quickly tried to ease the situation. "Oh, it’s nothing, look, I’m fine. She’s just a little girl; why bother arguing with her?" She also shot a glance at Helan Yin.

Lian Rong squeezed her waist lightly. "If I come a bit later, you should go meet your Gu family ancestors." Falling off a horse is not a joke, especially for such a small person.

Gu Hengbo rolled her eyes. "It’s not that serious; stop teasing her!"

"Do you think I’m playing with her?" Lian Rong asked.

"Of course not! Oh, Miss Helan, run away quickly, or this scary aunt will eat you!" Gu Hengbo shouted loudly.

Helan Yin looked at her as if she were foolish. "Why should I run away?"

“Gu Hengbo,” Lian Rong said in a low voice beside her, “are you going to turn traitor?”

I truly didn’t.

At that moment, a shadow suddenly rushed through the woods. Helan Yin’s body shook, and she quickly drew an arrow from behind and set it on her bow. Before she could pull back the bowstring, there was a ‘whoosh’ sound by her ear, and something rolled down from the hill behind her.

Gu Hengbo opened her mouth, realizing that this was a royal hunting ground and they were here to hunt.