As Jiang Suizhou expected, when he rode his horse to the bottom of the hill, what he had just done in the courtyard already reached everyone’s ears.
When he arrived, the Hou Zhu said with an odd smile, “Fifth Brother, it can be said that you’re our trusted aid. It is so gratifying to know that you worry about our worries and consider our thoughts!”
Everyone around followed suit and laughed with him.
He was in a jolly mood today, and Jiang Suizhou heard more or less about it.
After all, Pang Shao knew how to play his cards best. He not only made his new lover serve on the Hou Zhu’s side, but also tried every means to find him a precious horse. The hounds the eunuchs were controlling on the side were also tall and mighty. There were countless rare and exotic animals in the hunting ground, each of which were very much to the Hou Zhu’s liking.
The Hou Zhu lazily waved the whip in his hand and urged his horse to walk in front of Jiang Suizhou.
“Shall we, Fifth Brother?” he asked with a smile.
“This younger brother is in poor health, and arrived late. Please punish me,” Jiang Suizhou bowed his head and said.
The Hou Zhu burst into laughter and scrutinized him from top to bottom.
Jiang Suizhou wore a black riding suit today. He looked neat and tidy, but it was difficult to hide his pale complexion.
“Not a problem,” the Hou Zhu replied lightly, and then urged his horse to gallop forward.
The crowd then followed him to the hunting grounds.
A large area of hills, rivers and thickets surrounded the foot of the mountain, and it was impossible to estimate the edge at a glance.
The regions south of the Great River were different from the north, and it was rare to see extensive flat grasslands. But since they had to hunt on horsebacks, the thickets made it a bit inconvenient. At the foot of the mountain, Pang Shao deliberately ordered people to clear all the trees in a flat space and replace them with a meadow.
When everyone arrived, many guards on horseback were already scattered around the pasture. They were driving the animals enclosed in the mountains out of the woods and onto the meadow for the Hou Zhu to hunt.
The Hou Zhu’s eyes lit up.
“Since everybody’s here, all of you can help yourselves. I have a huge reward for those who win first prize today!”
After he said this, the Hou Zhu drew his bow and arrow on his back, whipped his horse, and charged toward a goat in front of him.
Although the people behind the Hou Zhu heard him say ‘help yourself’, they all knew that His Majesty’s riding and shooting skills were quite average. If they really were to obey His Majesty ‘help yourself’ decree, it would be equivalent to slapping His Majesty on the face and ruining his good mood.
For a time, the crowd dispersed, but most of them followed far behind the Hou Zhu.
Jiang Suizhou wasn’t interested in joining the fun, so he rode his horse and cantered along. Fortunately, the weather was overcast, and the sun wasn’t too bright. Jiang Suizhou felt like going out for a walk. It was quite comfortable.
He watched from afar as the Hou Zhu hunted.
He was indeed terrible at archery. The goat was driven out of the mountain and was already a bit exhausted, yet there was a group of guards chasing after it to block its escape. Even so, the Hou Zhu let several arrows lose, but only one hit the goat’s buttocks. It felt so pained that it rampaged forward.
However, no matter what kind of archery skill the Hou Zhu possessed, people still praised him.
Therefore, the Hou Zhu was rather confident. He released arrows one after the other, but even if he hit the target, he failed to hit any vital points.
The goat had received four or five arrows from the Hou Zhu before it finally collapsed to the ground with a wail. It was surrounded by the guards, who pounced on it.
“Your Majesty’s archery skill is superb. You have hunted a big beast so quickly!” An official behind him shouted in praise.
The Hou Zhu was tired and sweaty, clasping his bow with one hand and panting. When he looked back, he saw the ministers scattered on the hunting ground, all with empty hands. The one or two that had hit a prey only caught rabbits and pheasants.
The Hou Zhu displayed satisfaction and ordered people to carry the goat down. Tonight, it would be cooked into dishes and distributed to everyone.
In an instant, gratitude rained down in succession from the ministers.
The Hou Zhu looked around and asked, “Hmm? Why is my Fifth Brother missing?”
Seeing that the Hou Zhu was looking for Jingwang, all the people followed suit and searched around. A few moments later, Jiang Suizhou rode his horse and trotted up to his side.
“Imperial Brother, you were galloping too fast. I couldn’t keep up for a long time,” Jiang Suizhou explained with a smile.
The Hou Zhu glanced at his unhealthy complexion and curled his lips happily.
“Fifth Brother, don’t just watch, either,” he said, “No matter what, you also have to hunt something today.”
Jiang Suizhou clasped his fist atop his horse and said, “Understood.”
The Hou Zhu turned around, looked at Pang Shao, and then said to Jiang Suizhou, “Follow me, and hunt with me today.”
Jiang Suizhou felt annoyed at heart, but did not dare to show it on the surface. Instead, he answered, “Got it.”
He thought to himself, in any case, when the Hou Zhu spotted a prey, he couldn’t care about anything. Anyway, I’m not in good health and can’t perform martial arts. It’ll be understandable if I can’t keep pace with them by then.
But at that moment, a cry rang out in the distance.
The crowd followed the sound and saw a tall beautiful stag driven out of the forest.
Unlike the goat just now, the stag was powerfully built, tall and running speedily. Although several imperial bodyguards drove it away on horseback, it showed no signs of fatigue. Even when someone stopped it, it would bow its head and attack with its horns.
“Your Majesty!” a minister exclaimed from the side
The Hou Zhu’s eyes were fixed on the deer. He raised his whip and said, “Let’s go and hunt it down!”
After announcing this, he charged toward the stag.
Jiang Suizhou sighed in resignation and raised his whip to follow.
Then he watched as the Hou Zhu once again started aiming arrows at the stag, all of which missed the target in succession. Gradually, the Hou Zhu became a little anxious and grabbed an arrow from behind him.
Finally, an arrow hit the stag’s hind leg.
