Chapter 127

Qin Qinian, who was sitting nearby, didn't wait for an invitation. He grabbed a sesame cake and started eating. "Have a bite, let's eat while we chat. Qin Yanzhou, for this rabbit hunting competition, is it purely about who hunts the most rabbits and finds the most rabbit holes? Comparing the sum of both?"

Shi Rongyue had arrived a bit late and missed the beginning, but hearing "rabbit hunting" and "competition," it wasn't hard to guess they were having a contest.

But, competing in hunting rabbits?

She pricked up her ears to keep listening.

Qin Yanzhou then replied, "Yes and no. It is indeed about quantity, but it's not a one-to-one ratio. The specific rules are: hunting ten rabbits equals finding one rabbit hole with live rabbits inside, all to be completed within a single daylight period. This way, we can test not only agility and observation but also luck."

It was the first time Qin Qinian had heard of such a game. "Interesting."

Qin Yanzhou added, "In ordinary competitions, the winner is usually known only after a tally at the end, which inevitably leads to slacking off midway. This time, we will each bring an inspector, both to keep count and to report."

"Report? How will they report?" Qin Qinian was full of doubts. "When hunting, we'll definitely be riding horses all over the place. It won't be easy to find people."

The corners of Qin Yanzhou's mouth curled up slightly. "Indeed, so this inspector will carry gongs and cymbals. Every time a rabbit hole is found, they will beat the gong or clash the cymbals, sending a message through sound to inform the other party from a distance."

Qin Qinian's eyes lit up. "Hey, that's a good idea!"

It was equivalent to real-time reporting of the score.

In a competition, the thrill of the chase is what makes it fun!

"Young Master Qin, Little Cousin, what are you competing to catch rabbits for?" Shi Rongyue asked curiously.

Qin Qinian: "I've always wanted to spar with this guy. He refused before, but today he finally relented. However, he proposed a rabbit catching competition. Only if I win will he truly agree to it."

Shi Rongyue suddenly said, "Young Master Qin, I also want to join the rabbit catching competition. Can I?"

Both of them were slightly stunned.

Shi Rongyue smiled, revealing a pair of dimples. "How can a life-saving grace be offset merely with lip service and a small box of dried meat? Actually, I also wanted to invite Young Master Qin to a restaurant or teahouse outside. But if I just asked normally, I guess you probably wouldn't agree..."

Qin Yanzhou wanted to say "There's no need," but for some reason, the words caught in his throat.

Seeing that he was somewhat swayed, Shi Rongyue hurriedly continued, "You just said that hunting rabbits is a test of luck, so how about we leave this matter for heaven to decide?"

Qin Qinian thought it was fine. They could play together; the more, the merrier. "Qin Yanzhou, let's add her. Anyway, there's no danger in hunting rabbits."

Two pairs of round eyes stared at him. Qin Yanzhou felt as if he were being watched by innocent little puppies.

Suddenly, he remembered his professor neighbor from many years ago. At that time, his father had already passed away, and his mother was raising him alone. The publishing house wasn't too busy, but sometimes she had to travel for business.

Whenever that happened, his mother would entrust him to the retired old professor next door, asking him to help look after him for two or three days.

The old professor had a little local dog at home, a puppy with a yellow head and a white face, as fluffy as a sponge cake.

It was a particularly smart puppy. Though tiny, it could understand human words. Its eyes were wet, not pure black, but a light brown.

Whenever it saw him, it would wag its tail, running around him and playing with him, making him want to have a puppy of his own for a very long time.

Qin Yanzhou lowered his eyes and slowly nodded in agreement.

The dimples on Shi Rongyue's face instantly deepened. She seemed genuinely happy, nodding her little head, causing a stray tuft of hair that hadn't been pinned into her bun to sway along. "Then it's settled."

"Some rules will have to be slightly changed."

Qin Yanzhou rearranged things. "Your inspector will use a suona to send messages, Qin Qinian's will use a gong, and mine will use cymbals. Every time a rabbit hole is found, after the inspector makes a simple mark, they will blow or strike the instrument twice in a row to transmit the sound."

"Alright!"

"Alright!"

*

"Is Rongrong back?"

Qin Hongying saw her daughter return carrying a small round bucket, the golden wheat-ear tassels hanging from her bun swaying back and forth. Looking to be in a very good mood, she smiled and said, "I heard from Nichang that you prepared some tea and snacks before going out. Not bad. Young men of Qinian's age have the biggest appetites, sometimes eating five times a day."

Nichang was Shi Rongyue's personal maid.

The young girl froze. Her mouth moved as if she wanted to say something, but she saw her mother smiling encouragingly, "You can continue tomorrow. Anyway, that child Qinian is not a picky eater; he's very easy to feed."

After Qin Hongying finished speaking, she noticed her daughter's unusual expression. "What's wrong? Did something happen just now?"

"Little Cousin said there will be a winter hunt in a few days. He and I, along with... Young Master Qin, have agreed to hunt rabbits together," Shi Rongyue said in a low voice.

"Hunting rabbits?" Qin Hongying raised an eyebrow, finding it novel. Along with the novelty, she felt a bit pleased. "Good, good, good. I didn't expect that despite Qinian looking careless normally, he is still a thoughtful child deep down. Worried that you wouldn't be able to keep up hunting fierce beasts, he changed it to hunting rabbits."

"Mother, it's not like that." Shi Rongyue shook her head. "It was Little Cousin and Young Master Qin who originally planned to compete in hunting rabbits. I... I heard about it, got interested, and asked to join them myself."

Qin Hongying frowned at this. "They originally planned to hunt rabbits?"

What's so good about hunting rabbits?

The mountains are full of them. With a bow and arrows, and a hunting dog, there's no worry of coming back empty-handed.

Qin Hongying thought she had figured out the reason. "Oh, could it be to take care of Qin Yanzhou? I heard his health has always been poor, so I assume his skills aren't that great either..."

"They aren't poor," Shi Rongyue couldn't help but say. Under the gaze of those long eyes that were seventy percent similar to her Second Uncle's, the young girl whispered, "If his skills were poor, that day I... and Little Cousin would have both been buried in the tunnel."

Qin Hongying thought about it and realized it was true.

"You don't need to constantly keep Qin Yanzhou's life-saving grace in mind. I, your mother, will thank Daili myself; there's no need for a junior like you to busy yourself with it."

Qin Hongying added, "Your Second Uncle taking a wife is a done deal, and Qin Yanzhou will be your elder brother from now on, but he is not on the same path as you all. In the future, maintaining a superficial politeness will be enough."

The "you all" she mentioned referred to Shi Rongyue and Qin Qinian.

Shi Rongyue pursed her lips and said nothing.

Having given birth to her, Qin Hongying believed she understood her daughter. Seeing her like this, she knew she disagreed in her heart.

Her daughter had reached adulthood and grown up; some matters could be discussed with her in depth.

Thus, Qin Hongying said, "Qin Yanzhou is not your Second Uncle's biological son, and Daili does not come from a prominent family. To put it bluntly, Qin Yanzhou's biological father is a nobody. If it weren't for his mother being capable, he would be destined to be a commoner in this life. It's hard to say if the silver he could save up in a whole year without eating or drinking would even be enough to buy a single hairpin for a noble lady. Taking a step back, even if your Second Uncle loves his mother enough to love him too, and treats him as his own son, wanting him to succeed him is almost as difficult as ascending to heaven."

"Why?" Shi Rongyue asked.

Qin Hongying said seriously, "Because some people have already quietly chosen sides. They have secretly formed a secondary faction belonging to Qinian. For the sake of their own future interests, these people will sweep him up and push him constantly forward."

Shi Rongyue knitted her delicate brows. "What if my little cousin is unwilling? I feel that with his personality, he doesn't really like fighting with his family."

Qin Hongying shook her head. "There is a saying: one cannot control one's own destiny. Some things may not be Qinian's original intention, but in the end, they truly benefit him. Your second uncle is currently in his prime. He can hold on for ten years, but what about twenty or thirty years? Our generation will eventually see the day when our strength falls short of our desires. And Daili does not have a powerful maternal family. This means that besides your second uncle, there is no one behind her to back her and her son up. This will always be a fatal weakness."

"Mother, are we... also going to be the ones pushing little cousin forward?" Shi Rongyue's eyelashes trembled slightly.

Qin Hongying did not answer whether they would be those people or not. She stroked the top of her daughter's head, smoothing down a stubborn tuft of hair. "Rongrong, you are my only daughter, and I only want your future path to be steady and secure. And Qinian is your second uncle's only biological son; on this point alone, he is miles ahead."

When the time comes for the Qin and Shi families to unite in marriage, it will be like adding wings to a tiger for Qin Qinian himself.

Qin Hongying suddenly remembered something. "Your second uncle will likely make a grand affair of this year's winter hunt. Rongrong, you are going to marry into Yuyang in the future. Take advantage of this winter hunt to get familiar with the young ladies and madams of the prominent families in Yuyang. You must get to know them all in advance."

Shi Rongyue lowered her head and bit her lip.

...

Recently, the prominent families of Yuyang all received an invitation.

An invitation to participate in the winter hunt.

The lockdown and the dispatch of soldiers into various households to catch thieves some time ago had left some lingering effects. Now, sending this invitation to the prominent families felt very much like giving a sweet date after striking with a stick.

Living under someone else's roof, the prominent families were still quite happy to eat this sweet date.

Daili was also aware that Qin Shaozong had invited the prominent families to join the winter hunt.

"...So it is three days and two nights in total, and we set off tomorrow?" Daili looked at the man beside her.

Both of them were in the study. Two desks were set up side by side; Daili occupied one, and Qin Shaozong occupied the one next to it.

"Yes, we set off early tomorrow morning." Qin Shaozong sat boldly behind the desk, looking at the secret reports from other states spread out on it.

He divided his attention, speaking to Daili, "Many prominent families have been invited to this winter hunt. There are twenty-two prominent families of various sizes with recognized names. Each family will bring about thirty descendants, female relatives, and servants."

Not counting the Qin family members and the guards responsible for security, that was already over six hundred people.

Daili paused her wolf-hair brush from practicing calligraphy. "That is more people than I imagined."

"Aren't you happy to see this happen, Madam?" he said meaningfully.

Qin Shaozong had seen right through her little scheme.

More people meant there would be many things to arrange, which would take up a lot of time.

It didn't matter if he saw through it. Daili smiled and said, "Yes, I am indeed happy to see it. What is there to be ashamed of in wanting to win?"

"It's not shameful, it's just that Madam can only think about it," he said.

These words were extremely certain. Daili frowned slightly and probed, "Qin Changgeng, you aren't planning to send all the Xuanxiao Cavalry out to hunt for tigers, are you?"

"Do not underestimate your husband." He said this with great confidence.

Daili felt relieved.

As long as the entire army wasn't deployed, it was fine.

Qin Shaozong continued, "At that time, many noble ladies will come to converse with Madam. If you get along, chat with them for a bit. If not, then let it be. There is no need to force yourself."

The power and influence he had accumulated to this day were not meant for his woman to have to read other people's faces.

Daili lowered her eyes, slowly practicing writing the character for respect. Hearing his words, she replied with a hum of agreement.

...

The sun set and rose, and in the blink of an eye, a day had passed.

Today the sky was clear and bright, and the heavy snow had stopped. It wasn't snowing, but the wind had picked up. The cool breeze blew by, bringing a chill that made people involuntarily shrink their necks into their collars.

The Qin Manor became busy before dawn. Daili was dug out of her warm bed, keeping her eyes closed as she let Nianxia and Bipo help her change clothes and fuss over her hair.

By the time her complex hair bun was styled and decorated with gold hairpins and jade dangling ornaments, Daili's sleepiness had faded by eighty percent, and she slowly washed up.

At this time, the sky outside only had a faint, barely visible layer of light, paler than the white of a fish's belly, as if covered by a layer of black gauze.

By the time they finished breakfast, it was broad daylight outside.

It was time to set off.

The carriage convoy, surrounded by horses, drove out from the main gate of the manor and headed north.

The early morning market was always bustling, but today was an exception. Public notices had been issued in advance, and vendors and commoners automatically made way. Along the route, military patrols stood guard, driving away any commoners who wandered in by mistake, allowing the streets and alleys to reveal their original spacious and open appearance.

Carriages hanging wooden plaques of prominent families converged from all directions, passing through swiftly one convoy after another.

An hour later, the blockade was lifted.

Daili lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the uniform white of the world outside, feeling an inexplicable sense of emotion.

The last time she was outside the city was three months ago when she returned to Yuyang with Qin Shaozong. And it had been almost a year since she arrived in this unfamiliar era.

A year was not short, but compared to her past thirty-odd years, it really wasn't much. Yet in this short year, it was painted with rich and vibrant colors, full of ups and downs, all inseparable from one person.

Qin Shaozong rode his red horse, walking beside Daili's carriage. He knew the moment the curtain beside him was lifted. The sun had not yet risen, so the snow at this time would not hurt her eyes; it didn't matter if she looked a little longer.

But Qin Shaozong quickly noticed that her gaze had fallen upon him.

It lingered for quite a while, at least longer than usual.

The originally somewhat languid man slowly straightened up. He lightly pulled the reins, making the horse beneath him walk more steadily and closer to the carriage.

"Madam..."

Qin Shaozong turned his head. He had only spoken two words when he saw the carriage curtain fall right at that moment, hiding the beautiful face of the woman inside.

The cold wind blew harder at this moment, carrying some snow particles blown from who knows where, feeling prickly against his face.

Qin Shaozong: "..."

Pressing his tongue against his back molars, the man chuckled lightly. "Alright then, take your time discovering it."

An hour later, the convoy arrived at the hunting grounds in the northern suburbs.

Before the main force officially arrived, a group of the Northern Army had come to the hunting grounds yesterday to scout ahead.

The most basic preparations had already been completed here. For example, trenches to defend against wild beasts were dug near the camping grounds, and excessively thick snow had basically been cleared away.

Now that the convoys had arrived, the servants of various families immediately began deeper cleaning work.

This area instantly became lively.

Daili stepped out of the carriage and gathered together with Qin Hongying and Shi Rongyue to chat.

Daili did not come from a prominent family, so she might not be able to relate to the squabbles and dirty deeds of those large clans. Therefore, Qin Hongying automatically avoided topics in this area.

The other party was not a northerner, and she had never been to the south, so there was no topic to discuss regarding the other's hometown either.

There were simply too few points of intersection. Qin Hongying finally placed the topic on the younger generation, first asking about Qin Yanzhou's health.

Dai Li looked at her son who was wandering around not far away. "...Zhouzhou has recovered very well. Thank you for your medicinal herbs, Hongying. Otherwise, even if Old Mr. Ding had matchless medical skills, the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice."

Qin Hongying smiled, "No need to thank me. Yanzhou is a blessed child, and he later saved Qinian and Rongrong, which can be considered karma. When I brought Rongrong to Yuyang before, I was worried that she would have no playmates here and would be bored. I didn't expect that when Yanzhou and Qinian had a rabbit-hunting competition, they were actually willing to bring her along."

Approving of her daughter and little nephew spending time together before marriage was one thing, but the two of them being alone would be too conspicuous. Adding Qin Yanzhou made it perfect; to outsiders, it was just a cousin taking his younger sister out to play.

A trace of surprise flashed across Dai Li's eyes, "Rongrong is going too?"

The little girl nodded and said yes. After speaking, she felt that Dai Li's question was unusual and looked at her cautiously.

Dai Li smiled: "Let her go, it's actually for the best."

As for what was for the best, Dai Li didn't say.

The morning of the first day of the winter hunt was mainly for setting up camp and socializing. Except for the young gentlemen who rode their horses out, everyone else basically stayed at the base camp.

Visiting this one, making connections with that one.

Wei Cheng was also here, coming to the winter hunt with her husband's family, the Zous. She seemed to have lost a piece of her memory. The person who had previously spoken with veiled barbs was now coming with several of her sisters-in-law from the Wei family to pay their respects to Dai Li, showing her the utmost humility.

The second signal spread silently.

Soon, Dai Li was surrounded by a group of noble ladies, and words of compliment and flattery filled her ears. Even the smallest details about her could be praised to the skies. She was getting dizzy from seeing so many smiling faces.

Her eyes were filled with swaying phoenix hairpins, swaying willow waists, and fragrant breezes.

The young ladies followed their mothers, lining up to pay their respects to Dai Li.

Dai Li only felt that one delicate flower passed by, and another came over, softly introducing themselves.

The myriad of flowers gradually dazzled her eyes, and she couldn't remember any of the names.

Dai Li: "..."

Finally managing to extricate herself from the group of noble ladies, Dai Li sat in the already pitched tent, feeling as if she had finally come back to life.

She wasn't socially awkward, nor did she dislike socializing, but she really couldn't handle crowds and lines of people swarming her like an assembly line.

Qin Hongying looked at her sitting quietly holding a cup of hot tea, her eyes vacant, and immediately smiled, "My second brother's achievements will absolutely not end here. You will have to face much more in the future."

Dai Li rubbed the space between her eyebrows.

In the morning, the various families set up their camps and established connections. After noon, Dai Li, who was resting in the tent, received a message from Qin Shaozong.

He had Hu Bao bring a verbal message, asking if she wanted to go watch the ceremony.

The ceremony, the small ceremony marking the official start of the winter hunt.

At that time, Dai Li had just finished lunch and was overwhelmed by sleepiness. The tent was warm, and she didn't want to move. Moreover, Qin Shaozong had asked if she wanted to, rather than directly telling her to come over, so she declined Hu Bao.

Shortly after, Dai Li heard the sound of horns.

Following that was the neighing of horses trampling the snow, and a group of people set off.

Dai Li took a short nap in the tent and woke up to find that Qin Shaozong had returned at some point.

"Madam wakes up right on time." He was boiling tea.

Dai Li supported her hair bun, from which the hair ornaments had already been removed, and sat up. "Isn't My Lord going hunting?"

Qin Shaozong remained calm and composed. "If I set off at noon and returned empty-handed in the evening, would Madam tell me that the outcome has been decided?"

Dai Li paused for a moment and smiled, saying she would.

A day is a day, regardless of when he sets off, as long as he sets off, the timer starts.

"There you have it. I will set off early tomorrow morning to hunt a tiger." Qin Shaozong changed the subject, "How did Madam chat with the young ladies from various families this morning? Are there any young ladies that caught your eye?"

Doubt appeared in Dai Li's eyes, "Young ladies that caught my eye?"

"Qin Yanzhou has just reached adulthood. A grown man should marry, and a grown woman should be wed... Madam, please do not look at me with such eyes. I didn't say he should get married immediately, just that this major life event can begin to be planned. The young ladies showing their faces at this winter hunt are basically unbetrothed and all come from prominent families, so their backgrounds won't be too bad. If there are any that catch Madam's eye, it wouldn't hurt to call them over for a few words and then let Qin Yanzhou meet them." Qin Shaozong's voice was calm.

Compared to his initial strong rhetoric insisting on "the orders of parents and the words of matchmakers," Dai Li knew that Qin Shaozong's willingness to let Zhouzhou meet them was already a huge improvement.

So she didn't give him a cold shoulder, but only said gently, "In my eyes, they are all about the same. The winter hunt has just begun. Let the child play for now, and I'll ask him later."

Qin Shaozong lowered his eyes, "So there are none that Madam fancies."

Dai Li caught a whiff of something unusual, "Qin Changgeng, what are you trying to do?"

"What could I do?" Qin Shaozong asked with a smile.

Dai Li looked him up and down suspiciously.

He

spoke of other things, "The two older boys are of similar age. After the winter hunt, we can prepare for their capping ceremonies together. Have you thought of a courtesy name for Qin Yanzhou? Will you choose it yourself, Madam, or will you let Nalan Wugong choose it?"

A man is capped at twenty and given a courtesy name. The capping ceremony marks adulthood, meaning he can stand on his own.

Dai Li's attention was diverted, "Let me think about it."

...

The first day of the winter hunt ended amidst the hustle and bustle. Those who rode horses out to hunt today were mostly young men in their teens and twenties, with fewer older men.

It wasn't that they didn't want to go, but upon hearing that Qin Shaozong would only set off tomorrow, they involuntarily pushed their schedules back.

There were very few military generals among them. They were used to living in luxury. One day of high-intensity exercise might be fine, but two consecutive days would inevitably be strenuous.

The night slowly passed amidst the occasional howling of wolves in the surroundings. The weather the next day was just as good. The sun hid behind the clouds, the sky was a clear blue, and the snow was not glaring.

Perhaps because she had something on her mind, when Dai Li noticed movement beside her today, she woke up immediately.

Opening her eyes to a small slit, she roughly took in the situation, then accurately grabbed the arm of the man beside her and pulled him back, "Won't you sleep a little longer?"

Caught off guard, Qin Shaozong actually fell towards her a bit. But it was only a bit. Before he pressed down on her, he relied on his core strength to straighten up again.

He turned his head to look into the bed. The woman in the cherry-red inner garment was sunk in the brocade quilt, with skin like snow, hair like satin, a face like flawless jade, and that spot of dark red between her eyebrows perfectly matching the cherry red of her clothes.

She slowly opened her eyes, her beautifully shaped peach-blossom eyes rippling with water. Nestled in the soft bed looking at him, she appeared even more alluring.

The veins on the side of Qin Shaozong's neck tightened, and a wisp of dark fire emerged in his brown eyes. "Madam."

Dai Li slowly sat up. Her black hair slid past her snow-white neck and the open collar of her inner garment, faintly revealing her moving plumpness.

"My Lord, keep me company and sleep a little longer." she pressed against him from behind and to the side, her soft arms wrapping around his neck, hooking him towards the soft bed.

A rich fragrance floated at the tip of his nose, that warm, fragrant, and soft jade pressed against his back shoulder, and her fair fingers affectionately stroked his cheek.

The dark fire in Qin Shaozong's eyes surged, and his mountainous desire clamored for him to devour this annoying fox.

But, it was daylight.

From now on, every quarter of an hour was extremely precious.

"Husband." she breathed out like orchids, and finally, her red lips kissed the corner of his mouth.

Qin Shaozong's tall frame stiffened. He turned around and fiercely pinned the woman back down into the soft bed. "Seducing me? Fine!"

The heat inside the main tent steadily rose.

...

By the time Qin Shaozong had tidied himself up and stepped out of the tent, it was already eight in the morning.

"My Lord, your breakfast..." Before Nianxia could finish her sentence, she watched the man casually grab some dry rations and stride off without a backward glance.

Nianxia looked at the steaming bowl of noodle soup in her hands and muttered in confusion, "What could be so urgent that the Lord won't even stop for his noodles?"

Inside the tent, Dai Li nonchalantly put on her clothes.

Qin Shaozong had kept his plans to hunt a tiger today a secret. The main reason was that if the news spread, a bunch of dead weight would inevitably swarm around him.

He mounted his horse and led a squad of men hurriedly toward the mountains. However, just as they entered the woods, two loud clangs echoed from deep within the forest, sounding exactly like a struck gong.

Qin Shaozong and his entourage were all momentarily stunned.

"Who is beating a gong?"

The moment the words left his mouth, a few more clattering sounds rang out from another direction.

It was like a chaotic musical performance—clanging over here, cymbals crashing over there, and surprisingly, someone was even blowing a suona horn.

The entire forest was filled with a cacophony of noises, rising and falling, ringing endlessly in their ears.

Qin Shaozong's face instantly turned pitch black.