Salted Fish Chapter 54

 Chapter 54

A Terrifying Thought

Xiao Shan's leisurely demeanor quickly caught the Emperor's eye. After all, amidst a group of people galloping and hunting, his behavior was too conspicuous. Emperor Xiao Sheng's eyelid twitched, and he almost wanted to pull Xiao Shan off his horse. On the hunting grounds, was he here to take a stroll instead of hunting?

In his youth, Xiao Sheng also galloped across the hunting grounds, drawing his bow and shooting arrows to earn rewards. He received approving glances from his father and greatly enjoyed that feeling.

It felt very liberating; everything on the hunting grounds depended on one's own skills.

However, after becoming Emperor, except for the first few years when he still hunted with his true abilities, he gradually stopped joining the younger generation in horseback hunting.

To be honest, even he didn't know if there was anything amiss with the deer he had just shot. But it didn't matter; after being Emperor for so long, he now pursued higher ideals, such as ensuring that his first arrow always hit its mark.

That said, Xiao Sheng still envied those galloping across the hunting grounds. If he were younger, he would definitely compete with them. He didn't want to admit defeat or acknowledge his age, but facts were facts. He couldn't let personal desires undermine the dignity of the Emperor.

Now, he could only sit and wait for the person who hunted the most game.

Seeing Xiao Shan's behavior, Xiao Sheng felt quite frustrated. On the hunting grounds, having no competitive spirit at all—what was that?

So, he had Chang Le call Xiao Shan over and directly asked, "Everyone else is out hunting. What are you doing? Strolling through your own backyard?"

Xiao Shan dismounted and greeted the Emperor with a bow, a smile on his face. "Father Emperor, you know my skills. I can only admire your prowess in drawing a full bow."

Initially, Xiao Sheng felt that Xiao Shan was too casual on the hunting grounds, but hearing his words, his mood suddenly improved. However, he still frowned and said, "Zhen can draw a full bow because Zhen practiced from a young age. You, on the other hand, avoided hard work and now can't draw a bow. That's your own doing, and you have no one else to blame."

Xiao Shan's expression remained unchanged, and he continued to smile. "Father Emperor, this time I have Xie Zhui. As the saying goes, 'husband and wife are one.' His game is my game. With Xie Zhui out there, I won't be too embarrassed on the hunting grounds."

"You dare say that in public?" Xiao Sheng was almost infuriated by these words. "You, a grown man, hiding behind someone else to claim credit—how shameless can you be?"

"There's nothing to be ashamed of," Xiao Shan said, blinking. "I acknowledge my shortcomings, and that's not embarrassing. If I were to take all of Xie Zhui's credit and claim the game as my own, that would be truly shameful."

The Emperor gave him a sidelong glance. "Fine, let's say you have a point. But Xie Zhui has already run off and is nowhere to be seen. How do you expect to find game just by staying behind?"

Xiao Shan replied, "If I'm too close to him, it might distract him. On the hunting grounds, arrows don't have eyes. If something happens, without me around, he can protect himself better."

The Emperor snorted twice and said, "There are guards driving the game towards the hunting grounds. What could possibly happen?" By this time, the weather had turned cold, and naturally, there were fewer animals.

This was the royal hunting ground, and to get the game to come out, some measures had to be taken. Otherwise, the forest wouldn't be so lively.

Xiao Shan said, "That's because of your wisdom, Father Emperor."

Xiao Sheng replied, "Alright, enough flattery. Go on now. If you delay any longer, Xie Zhui will be back with the game."

Seeing the Emperor dismiss him, Xiao Shan didn't say anything more. He bowed to the Emperor and then mounted his horse.

The Emperor shook his head as he watched Xiao Shan's departing figure. Xiao Shan's mounting posture was impressive, but it was all for show—good-looking but not practical.

While Xiao Shan was speaking with the Emperor, Xie Zhui had already set his sights on an antelope. He had been chasing it until someone reported that the Crown Prince had hit his target, prompting him to shoot the antelope.

Coincidentally, Xiao Rong also spotted the antelope at the same time. Both of them drew their bows and shot almost simultaneously. Xie Zhui's archery skills were superior, hitting the vital spot, while Xiao Rong's arrow landed on the antelope's rump, causing it to kick its legs in pain as it fell.

Xie Zhui glanced at Xiao Rong and cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you for letting me have it."

Seeing the arrow feathers still quivering in the antelope's rump, Xiao Rong's face instantly darkened. The reality was clear: if he had shot a moment earlier, the antelope would have been startled and Xie Zhui's fatal shot would have missed.

Xie Zhui's "Thank you for letting me have it" was the most straightforward form of mockery.

Xiao Rong snorted coldly and glanced at Xie Zhui. He wanted to say something harsh, but remembering that Xie Zhui was Xiao Shan's prince consort, he knew he could mock Xiao Shan but couldn't direct sarcastic remarks at his consort.

In the end, Xiao Rong spurred his horse and galloped in another direction. He felt that he and Xiao Shan, along with Xie Zhui, were a bad match.

He wanted to stay far away from these two troublemakers.

The guards would loudly announce whenever someone hit their target, and hearing that Xie Zhui had shot an antelope after Xiao Jin, the Emperor muttered to Chang Le, "This time, that brat is really being spurred on by Xie Zhui."

Chang Le laughed and said, "Your Majesty, the Prince and his consort have a good relationship; they share everything."

The Emperor chuckled, "That brat is just shameless. Don't speak up for him."

Chang Le quickly replied, "Your Majesty, this old servant is only speaking the truth." Besides, the Emperor himself seemed to acknowledge this, showing no signs of anger when the topic was brought up. If he didn't know how to smooth things over, that would be foolish.

As the hunt came to an end and the Emperor called for a stop, the hunters began to return.

Xiao Shan, who had been leisurely riding along the edge of the hunting grounds, soon saw Xie Zhui galloping towards him.

When Xie Zhui reached him, Xiao Shan looked him up and down. Seeing that Xie Zhui's face was flushed and his eyes were bright, with no signs of discomfort, he felt somewhat relieved but still asked, "You didn't encounter any danger, did you?"

Xie Zhui shook his head. It wasn't really dangerous. When being hunted, the game would only run away, unlike enemies who would swing swords at you.

Xiao Shan said, "That's good."

The two of them slowly made their way back to the tent.

On the way, they passed by Xiao Rong, who gave Xiao Shan a fierce glare before storming off.

Xiao Shan felt quite frustrated by the glare, thinking he hadn't done anything to offend Xiao Rong. If Xiao Rong hadn't run off so quickly, he would have definitely glared back.

He felt like he had suffered a hidden loss.

Seeing Xiao Shan's indignant expression, Xie Zhui smiled with amusement.

Not long after, Xiao Jin caught up with them.

Xiao Shan immediately said, "Second Brother, you must have hunted quite a bit this time."

Xiao Jin glanced at him, too lazy to even ask why he was empty-handed. After all, every time they went hunting, Xiao Shan's game count was always zero.

Not wanting to talk to Xiao Shan, Xiao Jin turned to Xie Zhui and said, "Well done."

If he remembered correctly, Xie Zhui had only one less piece of game than he did.

A very meaningful number.

Xie Zhui said, "Thank you for the praise, Crown Prince."

Xiao Shan, feeling quite proud, added, "Second Brother is just stating the truth, no need to be modest."

Xiao Jin shot him a glare. "Let's see how you explain yourself to Father Emperor." Every time they went hunting, the Emperor would use Xiao Shan as an example. Today, even Xiao Yi, a scholar, managed to hunt two rabbits, while Xiao Shan still had nothing to show.

If possible, Xiao Jin even considered giving him a few of his own game.

Xiao Shan chuckled, "I have my own clever plan." He had already explained everything to the Emperor; there was nothing more to explain.

Seeing his confidence, Xiao Jin felt relieved. It seemed Xiao Shan found a way to handle the situation.

***

When the hunters returned to the Emperor, they each took their seats, and the guards stepped forward to report the number of game each person had hunted.

This time, Xiao Rong took the lead, having hunted the most game.

Next was Xiao Jin.

Xie Zhui followed after Xiao Jin, with Yin Tong, Zuo Li, and Xu Guang having hunted the same amount of game, ranking jointly after Xie Zhui.

Xiao Rong was very pleased with the outcome, feeling that his efforts and improved archery skills had paid off.

After receiving praise from the Emperor, his first reaction was to look towards Xiao Shan.

But Xiao Shan was engaged in conversation with Xie Zhui, not even sparing him a glance.

This made Xiao Rong even angrier. With a darkened face, he turned to look at Xiao Jin. Xiao Jin, sensing his gaze, smiled slightly and said, "Congratulations, Eldest Brother."

Xiao Rong was left speechless.

For some reason, even after hearing Xiao Jin's congratulations, Xiao Rong was still very angry.

Fortunately, the Emperor soon began to talk about rewarding Xiao Rong.

The moment the Emperor spoke, Xiao Rong stood up and quickly stepped forward, kneeling on the ground and loudly saying, "Father Emperor, may I request a reward?"

Xiao Sheng was slightly surprised. It was the first time he had seen Xiao Rong so assertive, and he wondered what Xiao Rong was planning. However, since the reward had been promised from the start, and Xiao Rong had brought it up, Xiao Sheng couldn't directly refuse. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "Of course, as long as your request is not excessive, I will consider it."

Xiao Sheng's words were deliberately vague, leaving plenty of room for maneuver.

The implication was clear: if Xiao Rong's request was too excessive, he would certainly not agree.

Xiao Sheng was now very curious about what reward Xiao Rong would ask for in front of everyone.

Xiao Rong took a deep breath, bowed to the Emperor, and said through gritted teeth, "Father Emperor, Third Brother and I both serve in the Ministry of Justice, but we have many disagreements and are constantly arguing, which greatly affects the efficiency of the officials there. I humbly request to resign from the Ministry of Justice and hope you will grant my request."

As he spoke, there was an unintentional hint of grievance in Xiao Rong's voice.

He had enough. Even if he couldn't gain the support of a single court official by not serving in the Six Ministries, he no longer wanted to be around Xiao Shan.

Xiao Shan could do whatever he wanted; Xiao Rong was done with him.

Xiao Sheng blinked, then blinked again.

He knew that Xiao Rong always looked down on Xiao Jin and had his eyes set on the position of Crown Prince.

When Xiao Rong first spoke, Xiao Sheng speculated about what kind of request he might make to benefit himself. He considered that Xiao Rong might ask for the promotion of a court official who favored him, request an item that symbolized status, or even propose something detrimental to the Crown Prince.

Xiao Sheng considered many possibilities, but he never expected Xiao Rong to say this.

By making this request, Xiao Rong was almost openly declaring that he was giving up on all the officials in the Six Ministries.

It must have taken a significant amount of grievance from Xiao Shan for Xiao Rong to make such a request at this moment.

For a brief moment, Xiao Sheng felt a pang of guilt towards Xiao Rong.

He wondered if having Xiao Rong constantly deal with Xiao Shan had been a bit too much.

Xiao Shan never expected that without saying a word, he would become the center of attention. He looked innocently at Xiao Rong and then at the Emperor. Rising from his seat, he knelt beside Xiao Rong and said, "Eldest Brother, are you saying that you feel you lack the knowledge I have, so you don't plan to continue working in the Ministry of Justice? That's not right. Father Emperor assigned you to the Ministry of Justice, and I'm just there to learn. Although I may have made some progress, Eldest Brother, you still have your merits. If you leave halfway, it would be like abandoning your post, which isn't appropriate."

After saying this, he added with some disappointment, "If you truly dislike me, Eldest Brother, then... then I will miss you dearly."

This strategy of retreating to advance was suggested by Gu Guang, advising him to bring it up at the right moment. Firstly, it would evoke a sense of guilt in the Emperor, and secondly, it would inform the court officials that he and Xiao Shan were not in cahoots.

Things were progressing smoothly, and he even felt the Emperor's gaze on him, warmer than ever before. But he never expected that at such a moment, Xiao Shan would say something like that—what did he mean by "missing him dearly"?

Was this an attempt to drag him down together?

Xiao Rong looked at the person beside him in horror. Xiao Shan was truly infuriating.

With Xiao Shan's interruption, the Emperor naturally moved past the issue.

To make up for Xiao Rong's wounded feelings, the Emperor rewarded him with three thousand taels of silver, a leg from the deer he had hunted, and a Nine-Turn White Jade Horse, a tribute from the Southern Qi.

The White Jade Horse was one of the Emperor's favorite items, carved from a single piece of natural jade.

Its craftsmanship was exquisite, and it felt warm in winter and cool in summer to the touch.

In short, the Emperor spared no expense to appease Xiao Rong.

Receiving such rewards should have been a very joyous occasion for Xiao Rong, but he was not happy because he hadn't managed to rid himself of Xiao Shan.

He even had a feeling that he would never be able to shake off Xiao Shan for the rest of his life.

He thought, That is terrifying.

***

That evening, in the vast open space of the hunting grounds, the Emperor, along with the Empress, the concubines of the harem, and the courtiers, enjoyed the game they hunted.

Of course, the most prized game was the deer hunted by the Emperor.

A large bonfire was lit in the center of the area, with the game roasting over the fire. Everyone sat around the bonfire, chatting and laughing, creating an atmosphere of harmony.

As he watched the burning flames, Xiao Shan felt a sense of unease for some reason.

His heart was pounding, but he couldn't find any reason for his anxiety.

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TN: I'll stop here since the next chapters after this are cliffhangers... and I am famished... and my brain can only work on two more chapters, but it won't be enough to end the cliffhanger... hahaha.... I'll see you again next time, dear readers!