The wager had already been made. With their sights fixed on the hunt, the Crown Prince and the Eldest Prince could no longer be bothered to waste time on minor figures like Yun Shu and Yun Chuhuan. One after the other, they swung into their saddles and galloped off, their figures quickly vanishing into the woods.
Yun Shu watched their graceful departure with a hint of envy in her eyes.
"I want to ride too," she murmured.
"Then ride!" Yun Chuhuan lifted his chin with pride.
"I already mentioned it to Consort Mother," he said loftily. "She made sure someone prepared two gentle ponies just for us. I heard they're very steady on their feet—even if they run a little fast, we won't need to worry about falling off."
"Really?" Yun Shu's eyes lit up. "Where are they?"
"They're with my men!"
For once able to puff himself up before Yun Shu, Yun Chuhuan clasped his hands behind his back and strode off with the air of a prince unbound by kin or clan.
"Come! Let's go hunting on horseback as well!"
Horseback hunting!
Could she really have such a dashing moment in her life?
Yun Shu followed Yun Chuhuan with no small amount of anticipation. Before long, they arrived to find the two horses in question—ponies so short and round they looked like they'd been carved from barrels.
Their bellies were stout, their legs stubby.
They were, without exaggeration, the corgis of the horse world.
Just looking at them made Yun Shu question whether the word dashing had any relevance to this scene at all.
She had imagined, given Yun Chuhuan's flair for dramatics, that these horses would surely be tall and proud, worthy of a prince's swagger. That strut of his just moments ago had been so confident.
But now…
Yun Shu couldn't help glancing sideways at Yun Chuhuan. His face, never good at hiding emotion, was clearly stricken with disappointment and shock.
And in that moment, she understood—
Evidently, Yun Chuhuan was seeing these ponies for the first time as well.
"Well, when you look at them long enough, they're kind of cute," Yun Shu said, recovering quickly from her initial dismay. She took the reins with a shrug. "If Noble Consort had sent us two towering warhorses instead, we probably wouldn't even be able to control them."
She gestured toward the ponies. "Come on, mount up. Didn't you say you wanted to catch something yourself today?"
"…Fine," Yun Chuhuan grumbled, still reluctant. "But if Third Brother and the others see us riding these things, they're going to laugh at us for sure."
"Then what if we ride these things and still end up catching more game than they do?" Yun Shu replied with a sweet smile. "Wouldn't that be more impressive?"
"You have a point!"
Just like that, Yun Chuhuan's spirits lifted again. He sprang onto the back of his pony, enthusiasm rekindled.
"So, Fifth Sister, what's our plan now?"
"First, divide your men into ten small squads."
Yun Shu hadn't expected Yun Chuhuan to take her earlier advice so seriously and bring along fifty guards for this hunt.
Pleased by his commitment, she gave careful instructions.
"Have the squads spread out. Start by searching for terrain that includes a cliff face. Once you've found one, see if there's a narrow path nearby—one that's blocked off on all sides by branches, brambles, or fallen trees, with only one way forward."
She added, "If you find such a place, set two or three traps like the ones I taught you. Make sure to mark them clearly with a warning sign nearby. We don't want anyone getting hurt by mistake."
"Yes, my lady!"
The guards obeyed her commands without question. But Yun Chuhuan was not so easily satisfied.
The guards had only just begun to disperse when he rode his chubby little pony closer to Yun Shu and asked:
"Fifth Sister, I get why you want to place traps along narrow paths. If game comes through, it won't have any choice but to walk into them. But… why the cliffs?"
"Because…"
Because in the original plot, the Eldest Prince lured the Crown Prince to a cliff and used the white 'divine deer' to set him up for an 'accident'.
Of course, she couldn't say that aloud.
So Yun Shu quickly made something up.
"This place is enormous. Finding a path with no splits or turns is incredibly difficult if we just wander around aimlessly."
She gestured ahead.
"But a cliff makes for a natural starting point."
"I see! That makes sense!" Yun Chuhuan nodded eagerly. "Then let's go find one too!"
"Mm."
At the moment, Yun Chuhuan posed no real threat to the Eldest Prince. Even if they happened to cross paths with the Eldest Prince's men later, they likely wouldn't make a move against him. After all, the Liu faction still held great sway in court, and even the Eldest Prince wouldn't dare provoke them lightly.
Yun Shu wasn't overly concerned for their safety.
She loosened her grip slightly on the reins, letting the short-legged pony trot into the forest at its own steady pace.
At first, they occasionally passed other groups riding through. But as they ventured deeper into the woods, the only sound left was the whisper of hooves brushing through wild grass.
"Fifth Sister, look—there's a small hill over there. Shall we take a look?" Yun Chuhuan pointed ahead.
They hadn't deliberately chosen any particular route, simply letting the ponies go wherever they pleased. This modest hill was the first elevation they had encountered since entering the forest.
Yun Chuhuan took it as a sign of good fortune.
"There must be a cliff somewhere up there too, right?"
"Yes, Your Highness," said one of the guards who had been silently following them. He finally spoke for the first time. "There is indeed a cliff on that hill. Below it grows a large, leafy tree. The crown of the tree reaches right up to the edge of the cliff, blending in with the surrounding underbrush. At a glance, it's very difficult to see the drop."
He added, "If someone were riding too fast and failed to pull the reins in time, it could be extremely dangerous."
"A tree crown?"
Could this be what people meant when they said fortune finds the unseeking?
In the original story, the Crown Prince fell from a cliff but was saved because of a tree—he survived, though he came away with a crippled leg.
Could this be the very cliff from that story?
Yun Shu, who had begun to grow bored after the novelty of riding wore off, instantly perked up.
"That sounds risky. Why haven't they just cut down the tree?"
"Its roots are anchored in the cliff wall itself. No one can get down there," the guard answered respectfully. "So, those of us who are familiar with the hunting grounds always make sure to warn the young masters and mistresses once they reach this area."
"I see…"
No wonder the guard had been silent until now. He'd been waiting for the right moment to speak.
Yun Shu nodded.
"Let's head up the hill, then. Slowly."