Although the young princes were still children, they had been studying literature and martial arts since the age of five, with horseback archery being an essential subject. While their proficiency in archery might vary, their horsemanship was undeniably skilled.
Excitedly, the little princes followed closely behind Xiao Ruiyuan on their smallest horses, chattering non-stop along the way about the potential prey they might encounter, their faces flushed and necks thick with eagerness, none willing to concede to the others.
Only the Sixteenth Prince did not partake in these conversations; he stared unwaveringly at the imposing figure a few yards ahead, his eyes never ceasing to reflect his admiration.
Thirty Imperial guards trailed closely behind, their vigilance unwavering. A single misstep with these young masters would likely an they would remain here forever.
The party swiftly reached their destination. Xiao Ruiyuan dismounted first, tying his horse to a large tree. The little princes followed suit, not seeking help from the guards despite their awkwardness, managing to secure their horses firmly.
Xiao Ruiyuan waited with pursed lips, his sharp eyes fixed on the forest before him, listening to the various leisurely bird calls within, his expression slightly darkened.
"General Xiao, this mountain is low and small; could there be any ga inside? Let’s find another place," the Thirteen Prince, who was nine years old, summoned his courage to approach Xiao Ruiyuan and suggested.
"That’s right, one look at this mountain and you know there’s no ga; there might be nothing but wild chickens and rabbits at the most—I do not care for such small things!"
"Yeah, exactly, I wanted to see live tigers and bears; wild chickens and rabbits are so boring."
"General Xiao, do you think we princes are only fit to hunt wild chickens and rabbits by bringing us to such a place?"
"..."
The other princes joined in, their words suffused with dissatisfaction, obviously believing that Xiao Ruiyuan looked down on them and had brought them to this place rely as a perfunctory gesture.
Before Xiao Ruiyuan could speak, the Sixteenth Prince, with a stern little face, started defending him: "We have several people here, and our martial and archery skills are not good. What if we encountered danger in the deep mountains? General Xiao is considering our safety, and it’s right not to go into the deeper mountains."
The princes seed to consider the Sixteenth Prince’s words plausible and gradually quieted down, but the initially suggesting Thirteenth Prince dissented, "Hmph, the wild beasts in the mountains have long been enclosed; where’s the danger in that? He brought us here only to shirk his duties!"
At these words, the rest of the princes once again turned their complaints towards Xiao Ruiyuan, and the Sixteenth Prince was overrun by their chorus.
Xiao Ruiyuan stared coldly at the noisy princes until they reluctantly shut their mouths, then he retracted his gaze and said dispassionately, "Your Highnesses are overthinking. This mountain is seldomly ventured by people. Several days ago, chased prey took refuge here—not just wild chickens and rabbits."
Hearing this, the princes looked at Xiao Ruiyuan with skepticism but eventually beca subdued by his chilling presence and reluctantly fell silent.
Xiao Ruiyuan didn’t care what they were thinking, instructed the guards briefly, and then, taking up his bow and arrows, walked into the forest. Ignoring the rustling footsteps and muted complaints behind him, he didn’t turn back but drew his bow and released an arrow, nailing a pheasant trying to beat its wings and escape in the undergrowth to the ground.
This action proved more effective than any words. The reluctant princes, seeing the pheasant pierced by the arrow and carried out by the guards, promptly clamped their mouths shut.
The clamor had faded from his ears, and Xiao Ruiyuan cald his heart as he searched for prey, constantly wandering in this small forest without venturing a step deeper.
One by one, the arrows were shot, and each piece of prey was picked up and brought back. Though it was only wild chickens and rabbits that the princes did not fancy, none of them dared to belittle Xiao Ruiyuan’s precision in archery. So even imitated his posture, practicing over and over.
Only the Thirteenth Prince, who had previously insisted on going deeper into the mountains, looked unsightly, rolling his eyes around, evidently plotting sothing.
Indeed, there were large ga such as deer and wild sheep in the forest. However, they were highly vigilant and quick to flee. Out of concern for the younger princes, Xiao Ruiyuan did not pursue these animals, much to the younger princes’ regret, who were itching to chase and hunt them down themselves.
After a few rounds on the mountain, a pile of wild chickens and rabbits had been hunted. After the initial excitent wore off, the young princes gradually lost interest and started pestering Xiao Ruiyuan to teach them archery.
It was at this mont that the Thirteenth Prince grimaced in pain, clutching his belly and said haltingly, "General Xiao, this prince has a stomachache and needs to relieve myself."
Xiao Ruiyuan frowned, surveyed the area, and pointed to a clump of dense bushes not far away, saying, "Go there!" After speaking, he arranged for several guards to follow, just in case.
The Thirteenth Prince glanced at the guards, his expression sowhat unpleasant, but said nothing, turned and headed to the bushes, the guards hurrying after him.
Xiao Ruiyuan turned back, hung a wild rabbit on a tree trunk four feet off the ground, and said to the princes who were requesting archery guidance, "Shoot!"
The princes, upon seeing this, excitedly drew their small bows and aid at the wild rabbit ten ters away, releasing the little hands that gripped the arrow’s tail.
The arrows flew towards the wild rabbit as they left the bowstrings, alas, they had the range but not the accuracy. Except for the Sixteenth Prince’s arrow that grazed the fur of the rabbit, the others did not even touch a hair.
The princes looked at Xiao Ruiyuan expectantly, hoping to receive his guidance.
Xiao Ruiyuan watched them expressionlessly, offering no comnt, and simply told them to continue shooting.
The young princes were helpless but did not dare to impose their status as princes on him and resignedly continued to shoot at the rabbits.
Ti swiftly passed, and a quarter of an hour had gone by. The princes’ arms ached from drawing the bows, each one secretly complained, and their accuracy and range got worse with each attempt.
Seeing it was about ti, Xiao Ruiyuan let them stop and rest. After they had rested properly, he would give them individual guidance.
The young princes cheered and, not minding the damp ground, plopped down to sit. They ordered the guards to bring food and water and began replenishing their strength.
The Sixteenth Prince sat beside Xiao Ruiyuan, munching on pastries. He looked at the bushes not far off and muttered softly, "The Thirteenth Imperial Brother hasn’t co back yet, could it be constipation?"
Xiao Ruiyuan’s deanor turned stern as he sensed that sothing was amiss. He looked towards the bushes and saw several guards stationed outside, but still feeling uneasy, he quickly got up and walked over...
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