Fang He’s chatter came to a halt as she reached the stable.
She looked up at the three horses in the stable, each saddled with bright yellow saddles, and fell silent as still as a bridge.
She now understood what “tall and majestic horses” meant— the horses didn’t lower their heads… and she couldn’t even see their eyes!
After the stableman led the horses out, she stood close but couldn’t see the entire saddle.
Annoying, she missed the 168 and inner height-increasing shoes from her previous life!
Seeing her pout and tiptoe backward, a hint of amusement flickered in Kangxi’s eyes.
“We won’t ride these horses into the woods today.”
The stableman understood and immediately led out another horse from a different stable.
This one was pure white, with only a tuft of brown hair on its forehead, a whole head shorter than the previous three horses.
Now Fang He could see the horse’s back.
She eagerly stepped forward to touch it, feeling the warmth and smoothness of its back, and finally showed a satisfied smile.
This kind of short but handsome white horse prince should be the standard for little princesses!
But she was still a bit envious of the three tall horses.
Although she hadn’t been friendly to short horses before riding, in her previous life she had ridden gentle racehorses led by trainers.
Only those who had ridden would know— the view was incredibly refreshing!
She smiled ingratiatingly at Kangxi,
“It’s not good for the horses to always be kept in the stable. How about… we take them for a walk before we go into the woods?”
Kangxi chuckled, “With this short distance, it’s not even a warm-up for these imperial horses. A walk is more like it.”
Fang He: “…”
Well said, next time please keep quiet!
She puffed out her cheeks, and under Liang Jiugong’s sly laughter, she still wanted to argue, but then she saw the guards leading hunting dogs over, and she didn’t have the heart to be shameless anymore.
Even if she didn’t want to, she had to leave some face for the dominant figure in front of her, lest he get petty and do something unreasonable again.
But Kangxi was particularly easy going today.
Seeing her looking over frequently, he personally led out one of the horses, which was completely black, mounted it, and then lifted Fang He onto the horse.
Fang He covered her mouth and let out a small “Wow”— as Kangxi’s legs moved slightly, the horse beneath her began to walk forward, trotting leisurely.
Liang Jiugong and the guards also mounted their horses, and the well-trained hunting dogs barked a few times and followed them as they trotted off.
Only then did Fang He realize that not far from the hunting ground, there was a shimmering silver river, surrounded by small ponds that sparkled like stars.
Under the blue sky and white clouds, she felt as if the grassland was rolling like green waves, with silver light sprinkling down, and the breathtaking beauty was gently delivered to her eyes by the breeze.
She couldn’t help but hold her breath, her face breaking into a bright smile, genuine and full of joy.
Kangxi glanced over, and the corners of his mouth also curled up as he leaned down to Fang He’s ear.
“Do you still feel bitter now?”
Fang He smiled and tilted her head, trying to look into Kangxi’s eyes, her flattery particularly sincere.
“I’ve said it, ever since I came to Your Majesty’s side, I’ve been very happy every day.”
Although most of the time it had nothing to do with this master.
“Today is the happiest day since I entered the palace! Thank you so much!”
She should be content to appreciate the beautiful scenery and the good times in this world.
Seeing her so relaxed and happy in front of him, Kangxi didn’t feel offended by her familiarity.
Instead, he let out a low chuckle.
The sound, transmitted through the vibration of his chest, made Fang He’s heart flutter.
It wasn’t just because of his laughter, but also because Kangxi had whispered something shameless into her ear.
“Then I’ll wait, and you must thank me properly!”
The hand holding Kangxi’s arm tightened slightly.
In fact, she wasn’t averse to something happening.
If only this master’s skills were a bit better, she wouldn’t be so hesitant.
Fang He knew the size of that “tool” and was really worried that it would cast a shadow over what could be a beautiful experience.
But it would happen sooner or later.
She had already obtained the best possible conditions in her current situation, and it would be a bit unreasonable to be overly sentimental.
She shouted loudly, “Your Majesty! Can we go faster?”
Kangxi did as she wished, giving the horse a strong kick.
The world in Fang He’s eyes instantly turned into a stormy sea, and the breeze became passionate, as if it wanted to seep into her very bones.
The imperial horse ran at full speed, and the horses of Liang Jiugong and the guards couldn’t keep up for a moment, quickly falling behind.
Fortunately, they were still within the hunting grounds, where there were patrolling soldiers everywhere.
Liang Jiugong and the others didn’t worry too much and just tried their best to catch up.
Fang He leaned back in Kangxi’s arms, looking up at his strong chin and smiling.
“Your Majesty, will you have a drink with me tonight? I really need to thank you properly!”
Kangxi’s body tensed for a moment.
The place where her head was resting against his chest seemed to have a long-suppressed flame that roared to life, spreading throughout his entire body.
He also revealed an unprecedentedly relaxed smile and laughed out loud, “Granted!”
Although Liang Jiugong didn’t hear what the two were talking about, he hadn’t seen the Emperor laugh so heartily in a long time, and his face also lit up with a smile.
His master had ascended to the throne at the age of eight, facing internal and external troubles, and was strictly taught by the ancestors.
Although he seemed to live in luxury and be good at strategizing, always calm in the face of changes, only Liang Jiugong knew the difficulties and torments his master had endured.
It was only after Fang He came to the Emperor’s side that his master truly began to relax.
For this reason alone, he was willing to treat Fang He like an ancestor, and once they returned to the capital, he would light a perpetual lamp for this “ancestor,” hoping that she would stay by his master’s side for a long time.
When they reached the edge of the woods, Kangxi stopped the horse.
The A Dun guards from the Shangsiyuan, who had followed, took the reins and led over the previously chosen white horse.
“Qi!”
Fang He looked at the black horse reluctantly and asked,
“What are their names? Chase the Wind? Lightning? These names sound so dominant.”
Kangxi smiled and said,
“The black horse is named Fei Li, and the white horse is named Zhao Ying.”
Fang He: “…………”
Sorry, excuse me, she, a semi-illiterate, shouldn’t humiliate herself like this.
Kangxi laughed and first helped Fang He onto the horse, then mounted it himself and quietly explained to her.
These names come from the “Mu Tianzi Zhuan,” which mentions the eight steeds of the king.
Fei Li is for the black horse, and Chao Ying is for the white horse.
Only the imperial horses he used could bear these names.
Fang He wasn’t interested in this.
If it were about designer handbags and high heels, she would definitely perk up.
But she was truly uninterested in luxury cars, and horses… the only topic she was interested in was their value in terms of real estate.
They entered the woods from the west side.
The trees here were not as tall as those in the other two directions, making it inconvenient for hunters to ride tall horses to chase prey, which was why few people came here.
After entering the woods and walking for a while, Kangxi saw that Fang He was not interested in the names of the horses.
She was just excitedly shaking her head, looking around for a game.
He didn’t say anything, but the corners of his mouth curled up again.
Their group of more than twenty people, along with eight hunting dogs, made quite a bit of noise.
No one had set up an ambush in advance, and the game, hearing the noise, had long fled.
Even if Fang He strained her eyes, she probably wouldn’t see a single animal.
But he didn’t point it out.
Seeing Fang He’s enthusiasm in searching for game, he quietly encouraged her.
“I’ll be in charge of shooting the arrows, and you’ll be in charge of finding the game. How much roasted meat we have when we return tonight will all depend on Lady Fang.”
Fang He instinctively felt something was off.
It wasn’t anything specific, but she knew this guy had never been so good with words before.
Although she couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong, she wasn’t going to fall for his honeyed words and immediately retorted.
“Why can’t I shoot the arrows?”
Kangxi, trying to suppress his laughter, teased, “Aren’t you not good at it?”
“I can’t learn?”
Fang He hadn’t come out to do hard work.
She had come to enjoy a sweet romance!
She tilted her head and humphed at Kangxi,
“Your Majesty has praised me for being clever, and I am eager to learn. Whether we get to eat roasted meat or not will depend on whether Your Majesty is willing to teach me!”
Trying to shift the blame onto her?
Humph, that would never happen!
Kangxi: “……There are no bows and arrows suitable for you.”
Fang He extended her small hand, covering Kangxi’s large hand, which had turned wheat colored from traveling, and playfully tapped his fingers.
“I think there are bows and arrows that I can use, don’t you think, Your Majesty?”
Kangxi looked down and saw her tender, lively fingers dancing on the back of his hand.
His interest in hunting waned even more.
He wanted to take her back to the royal tent and teach her a different kind of archery.
The more he thought about it, the more Kangxi felt a certain part of him becoming more prominent.
Since they were still with so many people, he stopped teasing Fang He, lifted her off the horse, and handed the reins to Liang Jiugong.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you hunting!”
Liang Jiugong smiled and waved to the guards.
The guards scattered in groups, leading the hunting dogs to search for the tracks of the game, forming an encircling pattern and slowly driving them inward.
Soon, a snow-white rabbit hopped into Fang He’s line of sight.
“Ah! What a cute rabbit……” Fang He exclaimed in a low voice.
At the same time, Kangxi guided Fang He’s small hand to draw the bow and nock the arrow.
Amidst the soft, fair skin and the bulging veins of strength, the arrow flew out and struck the white rabbit right in the eye, killing it instantly.
Only then did Kangxi hear Fang He’s words and felt somewhat amused and frustrated.
He hadn’t taken Fang He to the main hunting area to avoid the overly bloody scenes that might scare her.
The guards could have caught larger game, but he didn’t expect a rabbit to evoke her compassion.
He was about to suggest catching another one for her to keep when he heard Fang He excitedly say,
“……It’s perfect for a rabbit three-ways! Don’t you think, Your Majesty?”
Kangxi: “……”
Fang He didn’t realize she had left Kangxi speechless and proudly raised her chin, boasting about herself by saying,