“This counts as my catch, so I get to decide how to eat it, right?”
Kangxi raised an eyebrow: “Without me, could you have caught it?”
Fang He: “……”
It’s not like she was going to eat a child; it’s just a rabbit.
Does he have to be so particular?
She heard the barking of the dogs and knew the guards were coming back.
She quickly moved closer to Kangxi, stood on her tiptoes, and gave him a quick kiss, leaving him with a meaningful remark:
“Your Majesty, the mouth is a good thing, but sometimes you really shouldn’t use it to talk!”
With that, she dashed off.
Kangxi: “……”
Was she being a bit too carried away?
What about the rules?
He thought this way, but seeing Fang He hopping around to ‘grab’ the game, he just smiled lazily and watched her, with no intention of scolding her at all.
Liang Jiugong, stealing glances at his master’s expression, noticed that since leaving the royal tent, the master’s lips hadn’t stopped curving upwards.
He wasn’t worried about his face tomorrow…
Before he could finish his thoughts, Kangxi’s expression suddenly changed.
In an instant, he nocked an arrow and shouted at Fang He,
“Fang He! Come back!!”
Fang He was startled.
She had already reached the rabbit, so why was he suddenly calling her back?
Thinking of roasted rabbit, cold rabbit, and braised rabbit chops, she hesitated for a moment.
“Protect the Emperor!!” “Scoundrel! Protect…”
In that moment of hesitation, she lost her chance to dodge.
Amidst Liang Jiugong’s loud cries, Fang He heard heavy breathing, panting quickly as it approached her.
Fang He looked up and saw several wolves sprinting towards her, which made her back instantly break out in a cold sweat.
But she was the kind of person who became calmer in emergencies.
In a flash, she turned around and hugged a nearby tree, using almost superhuman strength to climb up swiftly.
“—Fang He!” Kangxi’s roar had barely left his lips when Fang He was almost at the treetop.
Everyone:Even so, does a palace maid in front of the throne have such skills?
Fang He, her legs trembling, clung tightly to the tree branch, her face pale with fear.
If she got bitten by a wolf now, there wouldn’t be any rabies vaccine available!
Thank goodness for the job she had in her previous life, which required frequent exercise of stress resistance and forbade her from making a fuss.
She was also grateful to her friend from the mountains, Geng Shuning, who was an expert at climbing trees.
During a picnic, after losing at cards, she had been forced to learn how to climb.
Boohoo, she would never secretly curse her company’s boss or her dear Darning again!
The wolf pack quickly surrounded them from all directions.
Among the accompanying guards, a few exchanged glances and silently moved to protect Kangxi.
The guard captain, Ma Jiarongshang, urgently said,
“Your Majesty, please leave first. We will hold the rear and ensure Lady Fang’s safety!”
Kangxi’s face turned ashen, but he didn’t speak.
He just took his sword from the horse, intending to charge forward.
Liang Jiugong was shocked and instinctively tried to stop him, “Your Majesty——”
Even Fang He, who was still in shock, couldn’t help but plead,
“Your Majesty, please leave first!”
“Have you forgotten what you promised me? If you don’t keep your word, I won’t be able to live either!”
“Get out of the way!” Kangxi coldly shouted at Liang Jiugong, ignoring Fang He.
“It’s just a pack of wolves. Galdan didn’t escape, and I, the Emperor of the Great Qing, will not be a deserter! It would only be a laughingstock if it got out!”
There were only about a dozen wolves, and with Liang Jiugong and the others, they had twenty-two people in total.
Even without Fang He, as the Emperor of the Great Qing, he would never flee without a fight!
Liang Jiugong had no choice but to step aside, gritting his teeth and drawing his knife to protect Kangxi alongside Ma Jiarongshang.
Fang He dared not shout anymore and watched with her hand over her mouth as Kangxi led the men into a fierce battle with the wolf pack.
The killing intent emanating from Kangxi at this moment was more intense and profound than anything Fang He had ever seen, yet she wasn’t scared at all.
Instead, she was cheering for Kangxi in her heart.
Boohoo, no matter how much Kangxi stayed for her, this was a real life-saving favor, and she couldn’t help but be moved.
From now on, she would never complain about his inadequacies or that he used his power to keep her by his side.
If they could make it back alive, she would spend the rest of her life pampering him… or at least try her best.
A life-saving favor should be repaid with her whole being.
She would push him tonight… and if necessary, she would prepare some oil.
Under Fang He’s anxious gaze, the guards fought desperately, trading injuries for injuries, and soon wiped out the wolf pack.
All the guards were more or less injured, and Liang Jiugong had a wounded leg, sitting on the ground and panting heavily.
Several times just now, the sneaking wolf king had almost injured Kangxi, scaring him almost to the point of throwing himself in front of his master to be eaten by the wolf.
He hadn’t felt it just now, but now with his leg hurting and his whole body feeling as weak as noodles, he really couldn’t stand anymore.
As for Kangxi, who had been protected all along, apart from having more bloodstains on his clothes and a fierce look on his face from the fight, he didn’t seem particularly exhausted.
He walked up to the tree, and the guards quickly surrounded him for protection.
Liang Jiugong gritted his teeth and staggered over.
“Can you get down? I’ll catch you,” Kangxi looked up and asked.
To prevent wild animals from hurting people, most of them were starved for a few days before being released into the hunting ground.
The strong smell of blood here could attract wild animals that had escaped from the hunting ground or those that originally lived here.
They needed to get back as soon as possible.
Kangxi felt that the appearance of the wolf pack was too suspicious.
Fuchuan and Changning were both good at hunting.
Before setting up the encirclement, they must have patrolled the area and wouldn’t have allowed such a large pack of wolves to roam the hunting ground.
Thinking of what Galdan had mentioned about encountering a wolf pack on the road…
Kangxi’s eyes flashed with an even stronger killing intent.
He instinctively felt that this had something to do with the Dzungars.
Fang He pinched her thigh hard, using the pain to pull herself together a bit, and nodded at Kangxi with tears in her eyes.
“I can get down. Your Majesty, just move aside a bit so I don’t hit you.”
Everyone: “…………”
Did she plan to jump down?
Kangxi pursed his lips and took a step back.
As soon as he looked up, he saw Fang He hug the tree and slide down with her backside sticking out.
His brow furrowed slightly.
The secret report he had received didn’t mention that the Xu family had planted trees.
The Xu family’s old house did exist, but back then, her father was still just a little boy.
How did she learn to climb trees?
After Fang He got down, she turned around and saw Kangxi looking at her with a complicated expression, making her scalp tingle.
Oh dear!
Would it still be in time to say that her original self, when she was a child, was so hungry that she climbed trees to steal fruits from others?
She wasn’t afraid of being scolded for being ill-mannered.
As long as the logic held up, she could be a street urchin.
But
Before she could say anything, Kangxi interrupted her,
“Let’s leave this place first and talk later.”
Oh……………Smelling the pungent smell of blood, Fang He walked towards him in an unprecedentedly docile manner.
When Fang He was just two steps away from Kangxi, Ma Jiarongshang, who was on guard nearby, twitched his ear slightly and heard the sound of an arrow cutting through the air.
His eyes flickered violently.
He gritted his teeth and stayed in place, only secretly tripping Fang He with his toes.
The next moment, Fang He stumbled and immediately felt a considerable force pierce her body.
Then came the intense pain spreading from her shoulder as she was pushed into Kangxi’s arms, her head burying into his blood-stained casual robe.
‘Fuck——’
It hurts so much!
Tears slid from the corners of her eyes and filled her eye sockets.
She was in so much pain that she almost wanted to faint.
She wanted to give herself to him, not to give her life for him!!!
Kangxi felt like he had heard something he shouldn’t have, but now was not the time to fuss.
He had just finished fighting the wolves and was focused on Fang He, not noticing the cold arrow.
His entire body was filled with rage, almost enough to set the entire forest on fire.
This was the hunting ground that nearly seven thousand Qing soldiers had repeatedly patrolled, the hunting ground that four thousand officers and soldiers guarded day and night!
Yet, wolf packs were still allowed in, and assassins managed to sneak into the hunting ground right under their noses.
How did Fuchuan and Changning set up the encirclement?!
He quickly shielded Fang He behind him, together with the guards, they cut off a wave of cold arrows, and he sternly ordered——
“Rongshang, you take Liang Jiugong and leave!”
“The rest of you divide into four teams and break through the encirclement!”
“Whoever gets out, immediately convey my imperial edict, order Prince Yu and Prince Gong to come to the rescue, and have Alan Tai surround the hunting ground, not allowing even a fly to escape!”
Leave.
Ma Jiarongshang was frantic, “Your Majesty, this is absolutely not possible. It is crucial that we protect you and get out first!”
As for Liang Jiugong, with his injured leg, he couldn’t run fast.
And that Lady Fang, who had caused Prince Rong to be confined to his quarters, was a troublemaker.
If they died, so be it, but the most important thing was to ensure the safety of His Majesty.
Otherwise, they would all be executed with their entire families!
Kangxi spared a moment from his vigilance and swept him with a thunderous gaze that almost made Ma Jiarongshang’s legs go weak and kneel down.
“This is an imperial decree! I do not wish to hear any more of your nonsense!”
The enemy’s arrows had diminished, but they hadn’t shown themselves, clearly not wanting him to notice their pursuit.
But they couldn’t have only arrows as their means; they hadn’t avoided all the arrows, and Fang He had been hit.
She was still alive, and the arrow was not poisoned.
They wanted to capture the Emperor of the Great Qing alive!
Kangxi realized the key in an instant and no longer paid attention to Rongshang.
He picked four guards who were not severely injured and took the lead in choosing a direction.
Ma Jiarongshang and the two guards who had been bribed all had flashes of reluctance in their eyes, but they dared not do anything at this critical moment.
Liang Jiugong was still there.
Rongshang quickly helped Liang Jiugong up, divided the others into three teams, and bit his teeth until they bled, barely suppressing the urge to chase after Kangxi.
He knew that His Majesty’s orders were correct.
The enemy would definitely pursue His Majesty.
They wouldn’t want to kill His Majesty, but they wouldn’t show mercy to them.
They had to escape and bring in Prince Yu and Prince Gong to rescue them.
They could also divert the assassins’ attention from chasing the Emperor, giving His Majesty more time to hold on.