bookrebus Chapter 372
Chapter 372
After a hearty lunch, Yue Fuguang mounted her white horse. Followed by dozens of guards and with two wingmen flying overhead, she entered the hunting ground in grand style.Among the crowd behind them, one person silently slipped away and ran in another direction.
Yue Fuguang, sensing something, glanced back sideways but didn't pay it much mind as she galloped into a small forest trail.
Among the hundred or so horses, only the white horse she was riding seemed to run in a completely chaotic manner!
It was also the Seventh Prince and the Eighth Princess's first time seeing this mount of hers. Previously, during equestrian classes in the palace, she never had to bring her own horse.
Because Emperor Mingxi had long picked out a good horse for her, the offspring of his favorite horse in the Imperial Stables.
The Seventh Prince couldn't help but ask, Little Aunt, why does your horse run so... so differently?
He wanted to say chaotically, but he didn't dare. Even if Yue Fuguang didn't blame him, his father, the Emperor, would scold him if he found out.
Yue Fuguang laughed, This isn't different. It's an ambling horse. It might look chaotic when it runs, but I'm much more comfortable than you are right now.
An ambling horse experiences relatively less bumping. If He Qisha didn't have a knack for taming horses, he wouldn't have been able to train an ambling horse!
However, the Eighth Princess's attention was on the horse's hooves. The Great Yan Dynasty already had saddles and stirrups, but horseshoes hadn't appeared yet.
She was very curious about the sound the white horse Yue Fuguang rode made when walking.
She couldn't help but ask, Little Aunt, why is your horse wearing shoes on its feet? The sound it makes when walking is different from ours.
Ah Rui, these aren't shoes. They are called horseshoes. With them, the horse's hooves can be well protected from harm.
As for extending the working life of the horses, she didn't need to say it. Not only could the Seventh Prince and Eighth Princess think of it, but even the commander of the guards behind them had his eyes light up upon hearing this.
Ever since they entered the hunting grounds, because they were protecting the princes, princesses, and the true golden treasure of Great Yan, they had been nervously guarding their surroundings and hadn't paid much attention to the horses everyone was riding.
Now, after Yue Fuguang mentioned it, they looked again at the private guards following the Junior Preceptor. Led by He Jin and Dai Yuxing, the dozens of people all seemed to have this thing called horseshoes equipped to protect their horses' hooves.
The guard commander immediately called someone over and whispered a few words in his ear. The man nodded solemnly and quickly whipped his horse to head back.
The guards sent to protect Yue Fuguang were all from the batch of smart and highly skilled individuals.
The guard commander naturally thought a bit further. This thing might look simple, but it was a great asset for Great Yan.
The same was true for the other countries.
He not only had to tell His Majesty this news as soon as possible, but he also had to keep it hidden and prevent the diplomatic mission from noticing anything unusual.
The guard commander's idea was simple: if a good thing could be kept from spreading outwards a little longer, then keep it that way.
The group galloped wildly for over a dozen miles in one breath. By now, they had left the outer perimeter of the hunting ground, and the mountains slowly changed color from their original deep green.
The dense forest on both sides of the road now looked like an overturned paintbox. Yellows, reds, and dark greens mixed together, with shifting shades of color. The overlapping blocks of color spread across the mountain forest, blending with the jagged, strange rocks to form the most beautiful scenery commonly seen deep in the mountains.
Golden leaves shone like gold under the sunlight, while a gust of wind sent a layer of dry, dull yellow leaves fluttering down.
As the horses' hooves stepped over them, a rustling sound echoed.
Faced with such beautiful scenery, Yue Fuguang's face was originally full of appreciation, but that was only until her gaze fell upon the rocks and dead leaves deep in the forest.
She immediately pulled back the reins tightly. The two front hooves of the white horse she was riding reared up high, and after neighing twice, it came to a halt.
At the same time, Yue Fuguang raised her hand to signal everyone to stop.
My Lord!
He Jin and the guard commander rode forward to ask about the situation, while Dai Yuxing had already ordered the guards to be on high alert.
Although everything seemed normal at the moment, Dai Yuxing felt that something was wrong.
Yue Fuguang stared at a certain spot in the forest and said, Something is wrong. Everyone, prepare for battle.
Because half the leaves on the trees in the forest had fallen, everyone's field of vision was a bit better here than on the outskirts.
The mountain forest before them was not deathly silent; rather, it was full of vitality everywhere.
There was the rustling of the wind sweeping through the treetops, the occasional friction of birds flying through the woods, and the snapping of twigs and dead leaves as cunning rabbits darted through the dry grass, but there were no human footprints.
This was the scene in everyone's eyes, but at this moment, what Yue Fuguang saw was vastly different from them.
Her eyes seemed to pierce through the surface layer of dead leaves and broken branches on the ground, seeing the deep, shallow, and messy footprints underneath.
These footprints led to the place they were heading to, a hundred meters away, where besides tall trees, there were also huge grayish-white rocks that appeared from time to time.
Unfortunately, Yue Fuguang did not yet have the ability to see through thick rocks to see what was hiding behind them.
But she could barely see through the thin layer of soil to spot the human silhouettes hiding beneath.
Her eyes didn't have thermal imaging capabilities. If she hadn't vaguely seen the hearts in those people's chests beating faster and faster, she would have thought this was a large-scale murder and burial site!
Hearing Yue Fuguang's orders, everyone didn't ask further questions and immediately trusted her judgment unconditionally.
Tongtong, how many enemies are there?
Host, two hundred and eighty-nine people. Over a dozen are scattered behind the trees, more than thirty are hiding underground, and the rest are hiding behind the rocks.
Yue Fuguang glanced back at her own people. Besides herself, the Seventh Prince, and the Eighth Princess, there were eighty-one guards, not even a fraction of the enemy's numbers.
This eighty-one-person guard detail showed how much the Emperor valued them; it was even larger than the Crown Prince's entourage.
But no one could have ever imagined that those people placed such heavy importance on Yue Fuguang. With this kind of lineup, it was enough to assassinate the Emperor.
The people hiding behind the rocks felt their hearts sink when they saw Yue Fuguang's group suddenly stop. They were just a few steps away from entering the ambush circle they had set up.
But the group had suddenly stopped. They had been discovered!
Boss! A man in gray martial attire next to him lowered his voice, looking warily in the direction of Yue Fuguang's group. Did that person discover us? Should we make our move? The only problem was that the distance was a bit far, and the effect of a preemptive strike would be greatly weakened to a minimum.
The man he called Boss wore a black face mask, obscuring his expression. Only a pair of exposed, falcon-like eyes narrowed dangerously, then suddenly widened, shooting out a terrifying murderous intent.
He said in a deep voice, Prepare to strike. Except for Yue Fuguang, leave no one else alive.
Just as he gave the order, Yue Fuguang, sitting upright on her horse, suddenly felt the stagnant murderous intent ahead burst forth like floodwaters breaking a dam, surging violently toward her face.
He Jin, Dai Yuxing, protect the Prince and Princess well! Commander Xue, prepare to meet the enemy!
Dear readers:
As the new year dawns, hoofbeats echo across the snow. May you, upon turning this page, also unfold a year of boundless horizons. May the road ahead be smooth and the path behind leave no regrets. Ride the spring breeze, spur your steed, and gallop onward. May you take your dreams as your horse, live fully in your glorious youth, and journey toward the next magnificent mountains and seas.
Most importantly, may you all be blessed with wealth and leisure, free from illness and sorrow!