Chapter 72: Champion of the Hunt

The drill ground was already packed with people. Most of the hunters had returned and were queuing up, waiting for officials to tally their numbers to determine the final rankings.

Li Hongji sat atop his warhorse, looking smug. During the hunt, he had shot five wild rabbits and two pheasants, and by sheer luck, had also captured two adult deer. It was a substantial haul. Looking around, he saw no one with more; the top spot was surely his.

Several sturdy men glared at Li Hongji, but dared not speak. One man in particular was furious; he had managed to shoot a deer, only for Li Hongji to leverage his status and seize it for himself. How could he not be angry? Yet, Li Hongji was an imperial prince; no one dared to offend him.

When Yang Lian appeared near Li Hongji, the prince chuckled. Yang Lian’s hands were empty, and as he sat on his horse, he appeared rather dejected. As Yang Lian passed by, Li Hongji could not resist a sarcastic jab: "Yang Lian, it seems you have no harvest. I have a few pheasants here; perhaps I should gift them to you."

"It seems Commander Yang is only fit to accompany pheasants," a man beside Li Hongji sneered. Yang Lian glanced at him, not recognizing the man.

Yang Lian smiled, not bothering to respond. Seeing Yang Lian stay silent, the man’s arrogance grew. "Is Commander Yang silent out of pride, or because he is too ashamed to face anyone?" he goaded, blocking Yang Lian’s path with a smug expression.

"A good dog does not block the road," Yang Lian said flatly.

"Who are you calling a dog?" the man barked, enraged.

"Whoever blocks my path is a dog, and a lowly stray at that," Yang Lian replied, his eyebrows arched as he looked at the man without a hint of fear.

"Yang Lian, I hear you distinguished yourself in the Battle of Changzhou. Do you dare to spar with me and see who is truly superior?" the man challenged.

"Who are you?" Yang Lian asked.

The man paused, then introduced himself: "I am Zhu Lingyun, Commandant of the Divine Guard."

"Forgive my ignorance, this... Zhu Ling-what-was-it? I don't know you, nor do I wish to," Yang Lian scoffed, turning his horse to leave.

Zhu Lingyun blocked him again. "Yang Lian, you go too far!"

"And if I do?" The moment the words left his lips, a sharp "Clang!" rang out as Yang Lian drew his blade. In a flash of cold light, the steel rested against Zhu Lingyun’s throat.

Zhu Lingyun was startled. Yang Lian’s movements were incredibly fast. Seeing Yang Lian’s seemingly weak and vulnerable appearance, he had let his guard down, never expecting the man to draw his sword at the slightest provocation. Feeling the icy touch of the blade against his neck, Zhu Lingyun dared not speak, fearing that this rash youth might actually kill him. Even if he didn't, he would surely suffer for it.

"You talk too much," Yang Lian said calmly, looking at him with intense focus. "It is a pity your skills don't match your bravado."

Zhu Lingyun cast a pleading look at Li Hongji, hoping for intervention, but Li Hongji, disgusted by Zhu Lingyun’s humiliation, simply snorted and walked away.

Yang Lian sheathed his blade and chuckled. "Even a dog needs to follow the right master, or else it won't be fed." With that, he rode off. Zhu Lingyun watched his retreating back with cold, vengeful eyes; this debt would be repaid.

Yang Lian quietly joined the queue, but Princess Huairou was far from quiet. She arrived with her guards, carrying small deer and sheep, creating a chaotic stir.

Prince of Qi, Li Jingsui, was tallying the counts. Seeing Yang Lian approach empty-handed, he found it strange. Had he caught nothing? However, he soon saw Princess Huairou arriving with her guards, charging in with a significant amount of game. Li Jingsui breathed a sigh of relief, assuming the spoils had been gathered by the Princess.

The tallying took over an hour. Once counted, the game was collected for the evening feast. Soldiers from the logistics battalion dragged the sheep and deer away to be butchered, cleaned, and cut into portions for boiling or roasting.

Li Hongji’s haul was prominent among the hunters, but it paled in comparison to Princess Huairou’s. In truth, Zhongshan was teeming with game, but the drums ordered by the Prince of Qi had scared away many animals. With most hunters restricted to the perimeter and the high concentration of people, the animals were scarce, and many returned empty-handed.

Yang Lian, who had spent the time crossing multiple ridges to avoid the crowds, was truly an exception.

Prince of Qi intended to attribute the game under Princess Huairou’s name to Yang Lian. In his view, since Huairou could not shoot, she couldn't have hunted them; even if not killed by Yang Lian himself, they were likely taken by his guards. It was better to give the credit to Yang Lian.

"Father, these are mine!" Princess Huairou protested excitedly.

"Yours?" Li Jingsui glanced at Yang Lian, puzzled.

Yang Lian nodded. "It is indeed the Princess’s."

Princess Huairou lifted her head proudly, chest puffed out like a peacock. The men nearby stared, until Li Jingsui let out a cold huff, prompting them to scatter.

"Then what about yours?" Li Jingsui felt something was off. It was impossible for Yang Lian to come back with nothing after hunting with Huairou.

Yang Lian took a blood-soaked parcel from his back; the bottom was saturated and still dripping. He placed it on the ground and opened it, drawing gasps from the crowd. Inside were numerous ears—all right ears. There were deer ears and sheep ears, at least a dozen in total.

"What is this?" Li Jingsui asked in surprise.

Yang Lian smiled. "I had good luck today. I captured seven deer and five sheep. Unfortunately, they were too large and the dense forest made transport difficult, so I cut off their right ears as proof of the catch."

The crowd gasped at his yield. This was an extraordinary achievement. Given how crowded the perimeter was, how could Yang Lian have secured so much? Hearing the commotion, Li Hongji rushed over, stunned by the sight of the ears.

Li Jingsui laughed and ordered the ears to be counted. The numbers matched Yang Lian’s claim, so they were recorded accordingly. He then took the results to Emperor Li Jing.

At that moment, Li Jing was chatting with Empress Zhong. The hunt was merely a formality; Li Jing was more interested in the military’s combat effectiveness. After the defeats in Fuzhou and Changzhou, he had suffered a significant blow. As an ambitious monarch, he refused to accept defeat and hoped to use the spring hunt to assess his soldiers. The imperial couple had discussed it for a while without finding a clear direction.

Li Jingsui entered, bowing. "Your Majesty, Empress."

"Prince of Qi, you have arrived. How was the tally?" Li Jing asked.

Empress Zhong smiled. "I heard Ji'er participated. Did he catch anything?"

Li Jingsui replied, "The Duke of Dongping caught five wild rabbits, two pheasants, and two adult deer."

Empress Zhong was pleased. "Good, that is a respectable result."

"Indeed, it is. The Duke of Dongping places third," Li Jingsui added.

"Who are the first and second?" Empress Zhong asked with interest.

"The second place is Huairou, but she brought guards and cannot shoot, so the credit must belong to others. I have merely recorded it faithfully and await your judgment. As for first place, I also request your ruling."

"Whoever hunted the most wins. Could it be that their counts are identical?" Li Jing asked, confused.

"Your Majesty, the winner is Yang Lian. He caught seven deer and five sheep, but they were too large to carry, so he kept their right ears as proof and released the animals."

"Oh? He caught that many?" the Empress exclaimed.

Li Jing was also stunned. To catch over a dozen animals in just two hours was an exceptional feat. "Since the right ears serve as proof, Yang Lian is the undisputed winner."

"Your Majesty is wise. However, Huairou’s qualification must be disqualified," Li Jingsui noted.

Li Jing nodded. "Bringing others broke the rules. Let Hongji take second place and adjust the others accordingly."

"As you command." Li Jingsui withdrew and announced the rankings based on the counts. Yang Lian was indifferent, but Princess Huairou pouted in displeasure. Li Hongji remained silent, his thoughts unreadable.

Although some remained dissatisfied, the disqualification of the Princess provided a semblance of fairness, and the crowd eventually dispersed.

By dusk, bonfires were lit. The hunters dined in the drill ground, seated by rank. Yang Lian sat quietly in the back, drinking and eating. Li Jing, a man of refined tastes, ordered palace maids to dance, accompanied by songs.

After a performance, Li Jing stood and raised his cup. "My ministers, the power of Tang is rising, all thanks to your hard work. There is a saying: the plans for the year are made in spring. I wish you all good health."

Many stood up, shouting, "Thank you, Your Majesty!" Amid the clamor, someone yelled, "Long live the Emperor!"

The shout spread until a deafening roar rose, startling the birds in the nearby woods into flight. Yang Lian drank silently, occasionally feigning enthusiasm to avoid suspicion.

When the noise subsided, Li Jing spoke further, mostly on encouraging service to the state, which failed to interest Yang Lian. The banquet lasted until the moon rose. Riding his horse, Yang Lian left carefully. He didn't know who had tried to sabotage him, and now that he was in the light and his enemy in the dark, he had to be vigilant.

The journey home was uneventful. Once back, he summoned Chen Tie and ordered him to secretly investigate those who held grievances against him. After Chen Tie left, Yang Lian felt something was missing. Today’s events made it clear: he was rising too fast, and jealousy was inevitable. Zhou Hongzuo and Zhu Lingyun were only the beginning. With his roots shaky and his position exposed, he couldn't be on guard every second.

He needed to build an intelligence network to gather information from the court and the city of Jinling. With this thought, Yang Lian drifted into sleep.