"What kind of leather does Attendant Lady Xi want?"
When Yun Jiao met Ying Lu again, she was taken aback by the question.
Her extra meal turned into fur?
Attendants do not have access to good leather, and if they do, it would be scraps. Patchwork leather might be a fashion trend today, but in ancient times, it was considered unseemly. It was a small matter for concubines to lose face by wearing it, but a big deal if the Empress, who manages the Six Palaces, was critiqued for neglecting the concubines.
"What animals can be hunted in the hunting ground?"
Yun Jiao asked.
"There are many options. The Emperor’s archery skills are excellent, and since he has given the command, even tigers, bears, and leopards can be hunted. However, for making fur coats, fox, raccoon, squirrel, leopard, or tiger skins would be more suitable."
Gray squirrel is actually squirrel skin.
Hanyang Hunting Ground is a transitional area between forest and grassland, with abundant wildlife resources. For this Qiu Lie, animals are also captured from other hunting grounds and released here, ensuring that as long as one can draw the bow, even a clumsy hunter can hit a target and not return empty-handed.
Yun Jiao pondered. She wasn’t very interested in wearing animal fur, but she dared not refuse the imperial favor, so she said, "As long as it’s hunted by the Emperor, I like it. Even if it’s a rabbit, it can be made into gloves."
"I will go and report back," Ying Lu said.
Ying Lu’s visit to convey the message left Nanny Mao silent.
Afterwards, she never spoke those veiled criticisms again.
...
It is rare for the Emperor to be in such high spirits, so naturally, everyone accompanied him.
At a command, the guards patrolling and standing on duty became more vigilant, fearing that a large predator capable of threatening the lives of the nobility might unexpectedly break into the hunting ground. If tigers or bears were found, they would try to encircle them and then seek the Emperor’s instructions on whether he wanted to take a decisive shot from a safe distance to claim it as his prey.
The delay in time, even if it resulted in casualties, was considered an acceptable loss.
Prince Duan went out with eight trained hunting dogs, which were indulged with good food and drink in ordinary times.
At this moment, a guard reported sighting tiger tracks in the southeast and asked if the Emperor wanted to lead everyone in capturing it.
"Isn’t that too dangerous? Emperor, let me go instead," Prince Duan joked.
Xie Zhixing raised his eyebrows, "Let’s go! I’ll make sure to leave the tiger whip for my third brother to soak in wine and nourish himself."
Everyone quickly praised the Emperor’s benevolence.
Those who were familiar knew that Prince Kang prided himself on being pure and untouched by dust, rarely even eating meat, and disdained such supplements that others found nourishing.
The hunting of the tiger involved seasoned hunters leading the way, with armed guards forming a net on either side, gradually narrowing the range. When the Emperor saw the tiger from afar, it had already been driven weary by guards with torches. The military general Shen Zhongxing, who was in charge of this Qiu Lie, ordered the guards not to kill the tiger with arrows, fearing damage to its pelt. The guards grumbled that Shen didn’t value their lives but diligently followed through.
The panicked tiger, choosing its path haphazardly, dashed through the muddy ground, its body covered in mud.
"Protect the Emperor!"
"Form up!"
Men are thrilled by horseback hunting, reveling in the thrill of the hunt and the excitement of shooting arrows. However, when the Emperor and nobility hunt, everything is done with meticulous attention, with a large amount of manpower and resources driving the prey into range. The cacophony disrupts the prey’s hearing... under such repeated assaults, even ferocious beasts become mere kittens.
Riding on the Akhal-Teke, Xie Zhixing remained indifferent, while those around him showed excitement upon seeing the tiger; only he remained unmoved.
"Does the Emperor find it inferior to before?"
"In the past, the late Emperor intended to test us. No one yielded to anyone, especially when the three brothers all assisted my third brother, giving him the prey. Only you sided with me," Xie Zhixing reined in his horse, a faint, elusive smile appearing on his lips: a victor’s smile, "But on reflection, perhaps I am now just enjoying the fruits of my victory."
Only the winner succeeding to the grand throne is greeted and presented with prey during the Qiu Lie.
In the past, he was the examinee; now, he is the examiner.
Times have changed.
Xie Zhixing knocked an arrow, drew the bow, and aimed at the crucial spot of the tiger. The arrow flew through the air and pierced through its eye. The charging tiger paused slightly, let out a pained roar, and suddenly changed from a panicked escape to charge angrily towards the archer, wanting to perish together with the one who had enraged it.
Ferocious beasts are not easily killed with a single blow.
Even if their intestines are pulled out, they struggle to shred the enemy’s flesh.
However, the accuracy of this arrow shocked even the Kesha people’s archers.
"Protect His Majesty!"
General Shen Zhongxing shouted, stepping in front of the Emperor’s horse with arms outstretched.
His gesture elicited sighs of admiration from his peers and subordinates.
With guards layered around the Emperor, no harm could befall him, and no one anticipated such a display of self-sacrifice to protect him at this moment. It was no wonder that he could receive promotions and rewards while others merely followed orders.
Rating the attitude, full marks!
Rating the impact, zero!
Xie Zhixing remained calm, shooting a second arrow. The iron-tipped arrow had immense power. The second arrow hit, slowing its charge slightly; a third arrow struck, ending its roar abruptly as it collapsed with a loud thud!
"The Emperor is valiant!"
"We’ve long heard the Kesha archers can shoot arrows through the eye of a needle at a hundred paces, but compared to the Emperor’s triple-arrow strike, it still falls short."
"We are utterly convinced!"
Praises surged, drowning the Emperor.
Xie Zhixing felt that the tiger’s strength had already been mostly exhausted, and its final skyward roar looked intimidating but was actually its last gasp. Listening with a faint smile for a moment, he instructed people to process the spoils.
The feat of the Emperor’s three-arrow tiger hunt quickly spread throughout the Hanyang Hunting Ground.
At this moment, the ladies were dining and chatting inside a separate large tent.
Accompanying female members from the palace, Consort Ji and Yun Jiao were not qualified to attend and were absent.
The Empress was happily conversing with a Kesha Princess when a Kesha maid quietly entered and recounted the hunting excitement. Upon hearing of the enraged tiger charging at the Emperor, the ladies exhibited expressions of horror: "The Emperor is esteemed, how could he risk himself? Was the fierce tiger subdued?"
"Swiftly, the Emperor drew two bows in succession, slaying the fierce tiger without damaging a single hair and obtained a complete tiger skin!"
Listening to the Kesha women marveling at the Emperor’s prowess, the Empress’s eyes revealed a smile.
Before the decision of the successor, Prince Kang was the most admired and agreeable one, but today’s Emperor consistently demonstrates abilities that earn him respect across different fields.
Hearing the Emperor ordered to have the tiger skin made promptly, the Princess Consort, who had been speaking to the Empress, jested, "I wonder who will receive this cloak made from a tiger skin personally hunted by the Emperor."
"The tiger skin, majestic as it is, doesn’t quite suit being worn by a woman. I heard before that the Emperor’s study lacked a favored carpet, so perhaps it’s being prepared for that."
If it were fox skin, the harem members might eagerly covet it.
Tiger skin doesn’t seem like something that would be gifted to a lady.