When she thought about it again, she realized that it didn't matter if Feng Junyi chopped off people's heads or skinned them in his palace. But now that he had crippled one of the Yun Nation's favorite princess's legs before asking her, it seemed rather inappropriate.
She couldn't help but ask, "But Big Brother Emperor, you killed so many people for me. You even crippled her. What if Yun Nation pursues the matter?"
"What is there to be afraid of?"
Feng Junyi continued, "His daughter hurt my Empress. I'm still going to pursue the matter with him. Remember, from the moment you entered Fengqi Palace, you belonged to me."
Su Nuan blushed. Is he confessing?
Just before she was about to smile at Feng Junyi in delight, he added, "It doesn't matter who. As long as they're in my palace, no one is allowed to harm them."
"…"
So he was treating me like a nobody?
Su Nuan pouted unhappily.
Forget it. Whatever it is, my goal is to conquer the little tyrant. There are still more than ten years before this nation is destroyed. That's still a long way to go. But, of course, it wouldn't be so easy to conquer him.
Feng Junyi rested in her palace for a while before returning to deal with government affairs.
Su Pinting's legs were broken. Feng Junyi arranged for Su Qinghan and people from other nations to rest outside the palace. They had arrived to join him on the hunt. He also sent someone to deliver a letter to Yun Nation. The letter more or less said, "Your precious daughter conspired to murder my Empress. I have punished her for you."
The Emperor of Yun Nation was so frightened that he immediately submitted documents, ceded three lake cities, and gifted countless rare treasures.
In the end, not only was Shang Nation able to avoid repercussions after crippling the Fifth Princess, they even received compensation from Yun nation. Su Nuan was shocked once again.
Fortunately, Su Qinghan did not make any meaningful actions. The Eldest Prince stayed in his palace and didn't show himself, allowing Su Nuan to have a few peaceful days.
Soon, it was hunting day.
She had read the name list before, so she knew a little about the people coming.
She knew that this was a novel after all. If she wanted to change the plot, turn the tables around, and have the villain Feng Junyi counter attack, she had to take away the original male protagonist's fortune.
She had to do it subtly instead of forcefully turning the tables around.
Hence, she did not make any changes to the list of people who were attending.
She was kind enough to even allow Su Pinting, whose legs were broken, onto a horse carriage to participate in the hunting activities.
The group set off very quickly after finishing the preparations. The Major General led the General and a group of elite soldiers in front. Su Nuan and Feng Junyi shared a horse carriage, while the Empress Dowager was in another on her own. The Regent rode a large horse next to the Empress Dowager's carriage. The two luxurious carriages were positioned in the middle, surrounded by others. There were other princes and princesses behind them, followed by the nobles of other countries.
The lines of carriages stretched a very far distance. It took about eight hours before they arrived at the Royal Hunting Grounds.
Su Nuan was not interested in the hunt. She was more interested in ripping open the hunted prey, washing its intestines, sprinkling some salt, and roasting the wild animals over a charcoal fire.
There were various barbecue ingredients in her supermarket. She had already taken them out and poured them into smaller containers before placing them in her wooden box.
Feng Junyi noticed the big box that she asked her servants to carry. "What's inside?" he asked curiously.
Su Nuan was not in a hurry to explain. She replied excitedly, "I won't tell you. You'll know when we get back."
There was going to be a sacrificial rite before the hunting began. Su Nuan looked around, and when she saw a familiar figure, she whispered to Feng Junyi beside her, "Big Brother Emperor, I'll step out for a while. I'll be back."
She lifted her long dress and ran towards Feng Linche. She tapped his shoulder. "Hey, come with me."
When Feng Linche saw that it was Su Nuan, he perked up immediately and snuck out with her.
When they were a little further away from the others, Su Nuan reached out her hand, and the hamster in her sleeve climbed out.
When Feng Linche saw his little pet, he was so touched that he almost cried. "That's great. He's still alive," he said.
He thought that his lovely pet had already been killed by his brother.
Su Nuan said, "Do you miss it? How about this, don't go hunting later. It's not fun anyway. I'll return it to you. You can play with it for a while? This place is not as stuffy as the palace, and you're its first owner. It is very attached to you, so you have to accompany it."
Feng Linche felt happy immediately when he heard this. However, he thought about it and said, "But the hunt is today. If I win, Brother will reward me handsomely."
Su Nuan glanced at him and asked, "No matter how good you are, can you beat Su Qinghan?"
"…"
Feng Linche was discouraged at once.
There were hunting events in the previous years as well. Besides his brother, it seemed like no one else could win against Su Qinghan.
"And, you are the most powerful Prince of Shang Nation. You can have any treasure you want. Why do you have to fight for those lousy goods?"
Lousy goods…
Only the little Empress would dare say such things. If I said that, Brother would definitely beat me up.
However, when he saw the furry little thing in her palm, his heart melted instantly. "Sure, I don't mind not going. There's still next year, anyway," he said happily.
"That's right."
With that, Su Nuan returned to Feng Junyi's side. The hunt had finally begun.
One by one, the valiant hunters rode off on their horses. With a single command, everyone entered the hunting grounds, regardless of rank.
The competition would last for four hours. Whoever hunted the highest number of prey, the largest prey, or the rarest prey within four hours would win.
She knew that if she hadn't persuaded Feng Linche to play with his hamster, that idiot would have snatched Su Qinghan's prey while hunting. He would've even instigated the other princes to beat Su Qinghan up, drawing hatred towards himself.
The bullying and humiliation made Su Qinghan even more determined to destroy Shang Nation. Also, after Su Qinghan was injured, he was treated by the Eldest Princess, who knew some medical skills.
In fact, Su Nuan was very confused about this. The Emperor had brought along an imperial physician for the hunt. Why did he not let the imperial physician examine him? Instead, he allowed the dignified princess of Shang Nation to take advantage of this opportunity to be alone with Su Qinghan.
She felt like she could understand it after she thought about it some more. They're the male and female protagonists. Whenever something happens to one of them, the other will appear. These repeated encounters cause the spark between them. Meanwhile, cannon fodders like Feng Linche will only get in the way and die in the end.
As long as I eliminate the source of the problem, everything will be fine.
Su Nuan found the hunt boring and slept in the tent when she became tired. Feng Junyi did not stay idle either. He sat in the tent and watched her sleep.
Four hours passed, and Eunuch Wang respectfully reported from outside the tent, "Your Majesty, everyone who has been hunting has returned with their prey. Today is only the first day, but we have gathered a lot. This is a good sign! Would Your Majesty like to come out and take a look?"
Feng Junyi responded flatly and turned back to look. Su Nuan, who had been in a daze, sat up suddenly. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and said, "Let me see, what delicious prey have we caught?"