Chapter 141: Winter Hunt (3)

Hearing about these prizes, many ministers were somewhat puzzled.

Why was the Glazed Glass only ranked third?

No matter how one looked at it, the third-place prize should be worth more.

Coral could be bought for over a thousand taels of silver, and a more exquisite Jade Ruyi could also reach a thousand taels.

But this Glazed Glass...

They seemed to have seen a set of bowls and dishes at the Liuli Pu, consisting of four bowls, two dishes, and four pairs of Glazed Glass chopsticks.

That set alone was worth quite a lot of money!

However, it might also be the other set, with one bowl, one dish, one spoon, and one pair of chopsticks.

But these could also be worth quite a lot, much better than coral.

The method for the hunting competition was also very simple: after shooting an animal, one had to cut off its left ear as a token of the kill.

Afterward, palace servants would collect all the carcasses of the prey.

Xiao Huaijin was almost hunting like a madman.

He was excellent at mounted archery, taught hand-in-hand by his father; he had been learning since he was ten, and it had already been six years.

His strikes were fast, accurate, and ruthless; he shot as soon as he saw prey.

Then he would nimbly dismount and cut off the left ear to place in the cloth bag he carried with him.

Xiao Huaijin's movements were agile and swift, as if someone were chasing him from behind.

In truth, it was because his father had said that many people were jealous of his engagement to the Crown Princess, so he had to produce a good result.

After all, those who won the championship in previous years were basically all promised in marriage.

Xiao Huaijin was a bit worried at the time and even asked his father: "Father, if I cannot compare to them, can the Crown Princess still marry someone else?"

Xiao Chengtian said: "No, but you will be laughed at."

Thinking of this, Xiao Huaijin continued to hunt, as if he had gone mad; he hit the vital points of leopards, Deer, and tigers.

Then he began to harvest.

If he were the champion, it wouldn't matter whether a marriage was arranged or not.

Xiao Huaijin killed all the way, and people were processing these carcasses along the way.

Everyone's eyelids twitched as they looked at these carcasses.

There had never been such madness in previous competitions.

By five o'clock in the afternoon, the hunt ended.

Yan Ze looked at the animal carcasses laid out in front of the tents, and his eyelids twitched.

If this were the modern era, one would definitely be sitting in prison for life.

Yan Ning whispered: "Can leopard meat and tiger meat be eaten?"

Yan Ze said in a low voice: "Forget it, better not eat it; it doesn't seem like it would taste very good. I've only heard that the tiger's whole body is a treasure with medicinal value; I've never seen anyone eat a tiger."

However, looking at the few Deer on the side, Yan Ze whispered: "Venison has a fresh and delicious texture; I'll roast some venison for you to eat later, Father."

Yan Ning was satisfied: "There are also those wild boars and bear paws; since they are already dead, we might as well try them."

Then, the prey was brought out one by one, and Yan Ning's eyes widened.

"How are they so fierce?"

General Cao heard this from the side and said with a smile: "Of course, everyone is competing for the championship."

Yan Ning also smiled: "It seems the coral is very attractive."

General Cao stopped mid-sentence.

His son still wanted to marry the Crown Princess, so he would definitely give it his all this time.

As for Xiao Huaijin, looking at his delicate appearance, he didn't look like someone who could fight.

Perhaps the Crown Princess would have more interest if she saw someone brave and skilled in battle?

Yan Ning saw him smiling blankly, not knowing what he was thinking about, just smiling to himself.

How strange.

At this time, the youths arrived one after another; Xiao Huaijin came out holding a Rabbit in his arms and carrying a small satchel on his back.

General Cao's son, Cao Yu, glanced at Xiao Huaijin and said disdainfully: "As expected, just a pretty face, only knowing how to use his looks to attract the Crown Princess."

Xiao Huaijin:?

Cao Yu looked at the Rabbit in his arms, then took out a string of ears hanging at his side, as if in provocation.

Xiao Huaijin couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind and walked straight to Yan Ning's side, handing the Rabbit in his arms to her.

Yan Ning liked to eat rabbit meat, so when Xiao Huaijin saw that the hunting competition was nearing its end, he had hunted a Rabbit.

Seeing Yan Ning looking happily at the Rabbit in her arms, Cao Yu gritted his teeth.

The Prince of Nanyang was a man of iron bones; how could he have such a disappointing son who only used base, seductive tricks!

At this time, the Eunuch said loudly: "Line up first and take out your tokens."

As the Eunuch counted, someone recorded it.

Cao Yu went first.

He took out a string of ears and placed them on the table; the Eunuch's eyes were full of surprise.

When Cao Yu left, he glanced at Xiao Huaijin provocatively, but he didn't expect Xiao Huaijin to pour ears out directly from his white cloth bag.

Looking at the quantity, it was actually twice as many as Cao Yu's!

Cao Yu's expression was stunned; how could this be?

He had the appearance of a pretty boy; how could he be so capable of killing?

Xiao Huaijin took out so many ears, but he didn't show much reaction; he left directly and went to the Emperor's tent.

Yan Ze asked with a smile, "How is it?"

Xiao Huaijin thought for a moment: "It should be alright, I suppose..."

Yan Ze nodded, "Come eat the roasted Deer meat; we'll see how the results turn out after we finish eating."

Xiao Huaijin was very clean, having barely been stained by blood, and went straight around to the back of the tent.

His father was busy processing the Deer meat, slicing it into pieces, while Yan Ze was responsible for roasting it, adding seasonings from time to time and continuing to turn it.

After eating and drinking their fill, the sky had already darkened.

Over there, the Eunuch was still lighting a Lamp to record the results of the final few.

Finally, the Eunuch compiled a ranking and handed it to Yan Ze.

Yan Ze was quite surprised: "Huaijin is actually the champion?"

Xiao Huaijin smiled shyly.

Yan Ze laughed out loud, "I'll give you the biggest and best-looking Coral when the time comes."

Xiao Huaijin smiled and bowed, "Thank you, Your Highness."

The second place was Cao Yu, and he was somewhat unwilling to accept it.

But since Xiao Huaijin had hunted quite a few more prey than him, and recalling his earlier provocations, he only felt his face burning with pain now.

The third place was the son of the Minister of War; thinking about receiving a Glazed Bowl and Dish Set, the lad was incredibly excited.

Only Cao Yu was exceptionally displeased.

The next day, those who did not participate in the hunt yesterday could all participate, and women could also participate.

However, this competition was just for fun, and the prizes were not carefully selected either.

The first prize was one hundred taels of gold, the second prize was fifty taels of gold, and the third prize was twenty taels of gold.

Yan Ze also went along to join in the fun.

The encampment suddenly became much emptier.

At this moment, Cao Yu found Yan Ning.

Seeing him blocking her path, Yan Ning frowned: "What do you want?"

Cao Yu hurriedly said: "Your Highness, please do not misunderstand; I just want to speak with you in private."

Yan Ning glanced at him, nodded, and followed him over.

Cao Yu said directly: "Your Highness, I want to enter the palace; I want to be your consort."

Yan Ning was almost choked by her own saliva.

"What consort? Do not speak nonsense."

Seeing Yan Ning's reaction, Cao Yu gritted his teeth and said: "I am willing to be a secondary spouse; surely the Heir Xiao will not be so petty."

Yan Ning:...

No, what on earth is Cao Yu's train of thought?

Not to mention that Yan Ning is a modern person who does not like having multiple wives and concubines, even if she were willing, Yan Ning does not have a taste for this type.

Cao Yu's appearance is not bad, with sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, it is just that his skin is a bit dark.

However, Yan Ning does not like this kind; she likes good-looking ones like Xiao Huaijin.