The Prime Minister's White Moonlight - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Royal Hunt

When the royal hunt officially began, Zhao Yan was wearing a black casual robe today, a jade thumb ring on his hand, and holding a bow and arrow adorned with gold and jade drawn to a full arc.

The arrow that left the string hit a deer, but Hanbi guessed it was likely prepared beforehand by the palace attendants. Still, it didn’t matter; this shot by Zhao Yan signaled the opening of the autumn hunt.

“The one who wins the championship today shall be greatly rewarded!” he announced with a booming voice, seemingly full of youthful spirit, while the Grand Commandant beside him secretly frowned.

Empress Ning Changyi sat upright, maintaining her queenly dignity. Her attire today was also magnificent and unparalleled. Ning Changxue, however, seemed slightly lost in thought, unsure what she was contemplating.

Hanbi sat nearby. Hua Wu, noticing her gaze towards Ning Changxue, explained considerately, “Zhaoyi, that is the Empress’s younger sister.”

Hanbi’s lips curved slightly. Of course, she had seen Ning Changxue before, but that was back when she was still Miss Cui. She pondered the look Ning Changxue had given Zhao Yan just now it didn’t resemble the look of a simple sister-in-law.

“Interesting,” Hanbi murmured. The wind on the hunting ground was too strong, and Hua Wu didn’t hear clearly. “What did Zhaoyi just say?”

“Nothing,” Hanbi said vaguely. Then, she looked towards the crowd in the hunting ground. Zhao Yan naturally led the charge, with palace attendants following closely, leading the hounds.

Next, Hanbi’s gaze swept past Shen Zhuo. Today, for the hunt, he was wearing Hufu (Northern barbarian style clothing). He no longer looked like the refined young gentleman he once was, instead exuding a bit more gallantry.

When Shen Zhuo looked back, Hanbi covered her face with a round fan. There were also a host of noble young ladies from esteemed families nearby, so no one was sure who he was looking at, but it was like dropping a stone into a lake, causing ripples.

“Who was Lord Shen just looking at?” The speaker was Lan Suxin, the eldest daughter of the Lan family. Everyone knew she had been infatuated with Shen Zhuo since seeing him at an earlier banquet, and her devotion remained despite knowing he was engaged.

“It certainly wasn’t you, older sister,” another person spoke. This noble lady, though beautiful, had a somewhat sharp look to her face, and the words that came from her mouth were indeed a bit unkind.

Lan Suxin looked at her with some indignation but could do nothing. Chen Qian was the third daughter of the Chen family. Her eldest sister had entered the palace as a Ronghua (a high-ranking concubine), and the Chen family was currently at the height of its influence.

Chen Qian didn’t actually like Shen Zhuo; she simply enjoyed pouring cold water on Lan Suxin’s hopes. Seeing the atmosphere grow tense, the others began to mediate, urging the two to keep their distance.

However, Hanbi was too lazy to watch the two bicker. To her, it was merely a temporary outburst of pique from young girls. Yet, she had once been like that too. Thinking of this, Hanbi lowered her head and gave a bitter smile.

The hunt continued. After lunch, the attendants were busy tallying everyone’s game. However, Zhao Yan seemed still eager for more. Hanbi, meanwhile, was estimating how much longer the hunt would last.

As expected, they would be staying here overnight. Hanbi lay inside the felt tent, feeling restless. After a moment’s thought, she rose alone, put on a cloak, and walked out without disturbing Hua Wu and the others.

The moonlight fell upon the hollyhocks. Shen Zhuo saw Hanbi, wrapped in a cloak, standing nearby. He reluctantly called out, “Zhaoyi.” His voice was somewhat dry.

Hanbi turned to look at him. In the moonlight, the teardrop mole at the corner of her eye was very noticeable. “Oh? Lord Shen hasn’t retired either?”

Shen Zhuo did not look directly at her, merely saying, “Yes, I don’t know why my heart is a little troubled. I thought I’d come out for a walk and some air.”

He wasn’t lying. These past few days, he had constantly dreamed of the past. But Hanbi now was ultimately different from the one in his dreams. He always felt as if the current Hanbi was encased in a layer of solid ice.

“What a coincidence,” Hanbi said casually. The cold moon rested on her long eyelashes. Shen Zhuo could see her snow-white, slender neck at this moment.

Finally, he carefully asked, “Zhaoyi, are you well now?”

Hanbi smiled and replied, “Very well. His Majesty treats me exceptionally.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhuo clenched his hand inside his sleeve. But the words he wanted to say ultimately remained unspoken. He knew Hanbi wouldn’t believe him.

Asking her to abandon her current stable life and leave with him Hanbi probably wouldn’t agree either. In the end, he said nothing, only turning away and no longer looking at Hanbi.

Hanbi watched his retreating figure. The night wind ruffled a few strands of his hair, and her heart felt not a single ripple. She thought, he still seemed like his old self, but unfortunately, she was not.

Just then, a fire suddenly blazed in the distance. Both of their faces changed color. Hua Wu, who had come looking for Hanbi, stumbled over. She was a little dirty, likely having fallen in her haste to deliver the message.

“Zhaoyi, something terrible has happened! I heard it’s assassins sent by the Northern Di, but I don’t know if they are targeting His Majesty,” Hua Wu said to Hanbi in panic.

Hanbi remained relatively calm. She instructed Hua Wu, “The most important thing right now is His Majesty’s safety. Because of the autumn hunt, the Imperial Guards are only stationed near the Shanglin Garden. You and Ningzhi find a place and hide well. Lord Shen and I will go find reinforcements.”

Hua Wu looked at her, hesitating to speak. “Zhaoyi…” Hanbi tightened her cloak and looked at her. “You must protect yourself.”

Her gaze was now stern as she looked at Shen Zhuo. “Let’s go, Lord Shen.” Shen Zhuo looked at her. “No, you can’t go.” Hanbi, however, persuaded him, “The Imperial Guards only follow His Majesty’s orders. If you go alone, you have no proof. I am His Majesty’s favored concubine, and the Imperial Guard commander recognizes me and can speak with me. It should be easier than you going alone.”

In the end, Shen Zhuo couldn’t dissuade Hanbi. The two went to the stable in the Shanglin Garden, found two horses, and galloped towards the outskirts of the Shanglin Garden.

Hanbi and Shen Zhuo rode a horse each, traversing the forest.

The assassins, who were in close pursuit, discovered that they seemed to be going for reinforcements. One shouted a word in the Northern Di language that Hanbi didn’t understand, followed by countless arrows raining down upon them.

Hanbi’s horse took an arrow and was startled. She almost fell off. Shen Zhuo had to quickly pull her over, making her sit in front of him.

Unexpectedly, there was a tripwire set up ahead. Shen Zhuo’s horse was also spooked. As they fell from the horse, Shen Zhuo shielded Hanbi, holding her in his arms.

The faster-following assassins had already arrived. To protect Hanbi, Shen Zhuo was badly injured from the fall. The masked assassin, holding a short dagger, aimed to wound Shen Zhuo first, not taking Hanbi seriously. But Hanbi pushed him away and blocked the attack.

The short dagger plunged into her chest. The assassin was stunned. Shen Zhuo pulled out the dagger from her chest and threw it, taking the assailant’s life.

Afterward, he hastily bandaged the wound with torn cloth from his clothes. Shen Zhuo then carried her on his back and continued through the forest.

Shen Zhuo remembered that the Shanglin Garden should have some wooden houses for people to rest in during night hunts. Hanbi lay motionless on his back. A huge sense of helplessness suddenly rose in Shen Zhuo. He could only comfort her, “I’ll take you to find medicine, don’t sleep.”

The only response he received was an extremely faint “Mhm” from Hanbi, almost inaudible.

Shen Zhuo searched and finally found one. It was relatively tidy inside. He placed Hanbi on the wooden bed. Bl00d had soaked his back, but the usually fastidious Shen Zhuo couldn’t care less now.

Shen Zhuo searched the entire room. All that was left were crude styptic powders like Jinchuangyao (gold-wound medicine). Fortunately, it could stop the bleeding. He brought the powder to the wooden bed.

Hanbi’s luxurious robe was already somewhat damaged after the ordeal. Shen Zhuo very carefully lifted the cloth near the wound. The wound was deep; if it were an inch more to the side, it would have been her heart.

He sprinkled the powder on the wound. Hanbi lay on the wooden bed, her face pale from bl00d loss, already having fallen asleep. But even so, she still frowned slightly. Shen Zhuo remembered she used to be very delicate, complaining of pain for a small scratch for a long time.

After using the styptic powder to better stop the bleeding, Shen Zhuo wrapped a layer of cloth around the wound. Only when he saw Hanbi’s partially exposed fragrant shoulder did he realize something, and he instinctively withdrew his hand.

The palm of the hand that applied the medicine was somewhat hot, which made Shen Zhuo feel a bit uneasy. He comforted himself that he was only applying medicine for Hanbi and had not overstepped any boundaries. As long as Hanbi didn’t speak of it, no one would know.

When Hanbi woke up, her face was still pale. She looked down at her bandaged chest but said nothing, only staring at Shen Zhuo. “Lord Shen, why did you save me?” After all, he could have preserved himself first.

She knew the most beautiful angle to look at her face and wore a delicate, pitiful expression. However, Shen Zhuo still looked at her expressionlessly, and only after a long pause did he speak. “Zhaoyi is the person dearest to His Majesty’s heart. If I failed to protect Zhaoyi, I fear I would also be punished.”

Hanbi sighed inwardly. It seemed Shen Zhuo truly had no regard for the past anymore. “Zhaoyi is inconvenient to move. Please excuse my impropriety,” Shen Zhuo said, then picked her up horizontally. Hanbi could only wrap her arms around his neck. The atmosphere was momentarily indescribably ambiguous.

When they arrived at the camp of the Imperial Guards stationed in Shanglin Garden, Shen Zhuo initially planned to let Hanbi rest properly, but Hanbi insisted on going with Shen Zhuo to see the Imperial Guard commander.

“Lord Shen does not have the Imperial Tally, nor anything that can prove His Majesty is in danger. The Imperial Guards likely recognize me. This is a serious matter, and if I go to speak, it might be more credible.” She had already stated this rationale before they set off. Hanbi’s voice was clear, but now a bit weak. Shen Zhuo could still smell a faint scent of bl00d on her.

Shen Zhuo and Hanbi entered the Imperial Guard commander’s tent together. The commander was younger than Shen Zhuo had expected, but still had a solemn, commanding demeanor. The accompanying Imperial Guards didn’t dare breathe loudly, indicating that his authority was significant in peacetime.

Xi Wuming looked at the two before him, slightly surprised. “Zhaoyi Niangniang, is this…?” He indeed recognized Hanbi, Shen Zhuo thought.

Hanbi looked at Xi Wuming and could only say softly, “Assassins from the Northern Di have arrived. I implore Commander Xi to lead the Imperial Guards to protect His Majesty’s safety.”

Xi Wuming did not doubt her words. If anyone wanted Zhao Yan alive the most, Hanbi was likely among them. However, since the matter was of great importance, Xi Wuming said, “Please rest in the tent, Zhaoyi Niangniang. This subordinate will immediately lead the Imperial Guards to the scene.”

Hanbi slightly curved her lips. “Good.” Xi Wuming then strode out of the tent, followed by the few Imperial Guards inside.

Only the two of them remained in the tent. Hanbi finally relaxed. Shen Zhuo had thought it wouldn’t be so easy, so he was surprised that the Imperial Guard commander knew Hanbi.

Hanbi, who had just forced herself to speak, was now struggling to breathe again. Shen Zhuo had to gently rub her back. When she felt a little better, Hanbi looked at him and said, “The reason I know Xi Wuming is because he was the one ordered to raid the Cui family back then.”

At the mention of this, the guilt in Shen Zhuo’s heart surged up again. “Liuniang…” Shen Zhuo called her by her pet name, a once intimate pet name only he knew, which now felt somewhat strange and raw.

Hanbi, however, seemed tired. “That’s all in the past, Lord Shen should look forward.” She turned to look at Shen Zhuo. “I’m a little tired and want to rest for a while. Please wake me up later, Lord Shen.”

Perhaps afraid of sleeping too deeply, Hanbi merely rested her head on her soft hands on the table for a brief rest.

Shen Zhuo watched her quiet profile like this. When Hanbi woke up on her own, she was a little annoyed. “Lord Shen, why didn’t you wake me?”