Yun Yaoyao was still unaware that her entrance had secretly captured the hearts of a group of noble ladies.
To embody her "caring for subordinates" persona, she went to chat idly with the group of ministers.
Tu Shanjin, on the other hand, stood in place, his face cold and aloof, as if there was an invisible aura around him within a few meters, exuding a regal air that seemed to say "you are all trash."
As a result, some of the ministers' wives who had originally wanted to come forward to pay their respects and make friends felt intimidated and didn't dare to approach.
However, the young men whose hearts were stirred couldn't suppress their straightforward and passionate admiration, and they all cast their gazes towards him.
Tu Shanjin was a man with normal sexual orientation, and faced with the infatuation and affection of a large group of men, he only felt disgusted.
Consequently, the aura he emitted became even colder, now tinged with a thick murderous intent.
The ministers' wives became even more afraid to approach.
Tu Shanjin stood alone, neither socializing nor speaking, his silhouette appearing somewhat desolate.
Seeing this scene from afar, Yun Yaoyao couldn't help but shake her head. This tyrant truly had a talent - the ability to keep people at a thousand miles' distance!
Yun Yaoyao withdrew her gaze, and in the next second, someone appeared in front of Tu Shanjin.
"Greetings to Consort Miao, may you be well," Yun Yanyan formally curtsied to Tu Shanjin.
Tu Shanjin didn't even bother to give her a glance.
Yun Yanyan said with a sorrowful expression, "Consort Miao, this humble servant has learned of the matters at home. You ordered the servants to punish my mother, and I wish to apologize on her behalf."
"This humble servant doesn't ask to reconcile with you, only that you no longer hold grudges for past events and cease to trouble us mother and daughter..."
Yun Yanyan rambled on pitifully in front of Tu Shanjin, seeing him grow increasingly impatient, and was about to speak.
Fearing another harsh scolding, Yun Yanyan quickly curtsied and prepared to leave.
As she turned, a wisp of powder fell from Yun Yanyan's sleeve, dusting onto the hem of Tu Shanjin's robe.
When she returned to Prince Ze's side, Yun Yanyan's expression had already turned smug, a smile curling at the corner of her lips.
You lowly wretch who dared to bully my mother, today I'll make you die without a burial place in this hunting ground!
Meanwhile, after Yun Yaoyao finished her hypocritical bonding with the ministers, the autumn hunt was about to begin.
She mounted her horse, drew her longbow, and shot an arrow that precisely shattered the wooden sign on the tree.
"Let the autumn hunt officially begin!"
As soon as the words fell, a herd of fine horses galloped forward, surging into the hunting grounds and kicking up clouds of dust.
Yun Yaoyao and Tu Shanjin also rode into the grounds one after another.
Perhaps due to being cooped up for too long, Rice Bucket and Swift Wind both seemed unusually excited, constantly snorting.
Yun Yaoyao patted Rice Bucket's back to soothe him: "Don't worry, I'll let you have a good time today."
The outermost area of the hunting grounds was filled with small animals like pheasants, wild birds, and rabbits. They were numerous but posed no threat.
Tu Shanjin rode Swift Wind, drew his bow, and a series of arrows flew out in rapid succession, never missing, each one striking its prey.
The guards following behind to collect the carcasses were sincerely impressed.
"Consort Miao's talent in horseback archery is truly remarkable, not a single arrow misses! Worthy indeed of being personally taught by Your Majesty!"
Yun Yaoyao felt somewhat guilty hearing these praises.
Tu Shanjin's teachings over the past seven days had indeed been effective; her horsemanship was flawless now, and Rice Bucket had nearly been ridden to exhaustion these past few days.
But archery wasn't so easily mastered.
In just seven short days, being able to steadily hit stationary targets was already no small feat. To expect her to hit moving animals that could run and fly while riding a horse was asking too much.
Yun Yaoyao seriously shot a few arrows.
Sure enough, one arrow stuck in a tree, another shot into the grass, and the third, by sheer luck, hit the wing of a wild chicken that was laying eggs, frightening it so much that it flapped its wings and retracted its egg.
Yun Yaoyao gave an embarrassed smile: "My archery skills are far inferior to my beloved consort's."
The guards were surprised. In previous years, Your Majesty had always won first place in the autumn hunt. Some of them had seen Your Majesty's gallant figure while riding and shooting, which was extraordinarily valiant and dashing. How come now...
Nearby, Xiao Wuzi's face showed hopeful expectation: "His Majesty truly loves Consort Miao so much, even pretending to be bad at archery to make her happy! At this rate, Consort Miao should soon have a little master in her belly..."
The guards suddenly realized, so that's how it was!
Yun Yaoyao, with her sharp hearing, naturally heard Xiao Wuzi's imagination, and also saw the guards' perfect misunderstanding. The corner of her mouth twitched; they could even interpret it this way...
But it was good, at least it provided a nice excuse for her poor horsemanship and archery.
So Yun Yaoyao could now shoot arrows boldly and without restraint.
Thus, the scene became Tu Shanjin riding Swift Wind at the front, shooting arrows with a swish-swish-swish, cutting a gallant figure, hitting the mark from a hundred paces, never missing a shot!
Yun Yaoyao rode Rice Bucket behind, shooting arrows with a whoosh-whoosh-whoosh, her archery skills clumsy, arrows flying every which way, missing every target!
Yun Yaoyao outwardly praised: "Consort Miao is so great, so impressive, I can't compare!"
Inwardly she cursed: Damn tyrant, with so many people watching, don't you know to save some face for her!
The guards and Xiao Wuzi following behind picking up the game: His Majesty truly dotes on Consort Miao so much! We're shipping it!
Gradually, the group moved from the outer area of the hunting grounds to the inner area.
Small animals were rarely seen in the inner area; instead, large carnivores roamed about - foxes, wolves, deer, tigers, and leopards.
There were dedicated people in the hunting grounds who fed meat to these large animals, so they wouldn't actively attack humans, and would retreat into the forest upon sensing people's approach.
Half an hour passed, and Tu Shanjin had only hunted two wolves and one deer in there.
Yun Yaoyao felt these hunts were about enough, so she asked Xiao Wuzi: "Xiao Wuzi, according to previous years' customs, what rank would these hunts achieve?"
Xiao Wuzi quickly answered: "In response to Your Majesty, according to previous years' customs, these hunts would easily secure a top three position in the autumn hunt."
"But..." Xiao Wuzi's tone changed, "This year it's a joint hunt by two people, so achieving top three in the autumn hunt is not enough."
Yun Yaoyao thought: Well, it's her dragging them down.
Tu Shanjin didn't care much about rankings; his enthusiasm today was merely to vent the frustration that had built up in his heart since the soul swap.
After this cathartic release, he felt much lighter all over, and so put on a poor act of being tired.
Yun Yaoyao immediately understood: "My beloved, are you weary?"
"Mm."
"Xiao Wuzi, take them and bring the game back. We will follow shortly," Yun Yaoyao immediately ordered.
"Yes!" Xiao Wuzi directed the guards to carry baskets full of game back.
Before long, the distance widened, and only Yun Yaoyao and Tu Shanjin were left in the forest.
The two exchanged a glance, immediately understanding each other.
It was time to find Zhou Siren!
Unexpectedly, they didn't find Zhou Siren, but a fierce tiger that had been lurking behind them revealed itself.
The tiger's front paws touched the ground, its body tense, blood-red beast eyes fixed on Tu Shanjin, saliva dripping from its fangs.
"Don't move."
Tu Shanjin reined in his horse, his whole body tense.
Though a galloping horse is fast, the distance between the tiger and the horse was too close now. Running would be no match for this ferocious tiger's sudden burst of speed.
Yun Yaoyao heard the sound and turned her head. The moment she saw the fierce tiger, cold sweat poured down her back.
Before she could react, the tiger let out an earth-shaking roar and pounced fiercely towards Tu Shanjin!
Tu Shanjin reacted quickly, yanking hard on the reins. The warhorse reared up on its hind legs, narrowly avoiding the lunge.
But the lower body was hit, destabilizing the horse, and Tu Shanjin was violently thrown off.
The tiger roared again and pounced towards Tu Shanjin.
Tu Shanjin rolled to the side to dodge, using his bow to block the tiger's jaw. His face was solemn and cold: "Leave quickly, go get help!"
"Alright!"
Yun Yaoyao didn't hesitate at all, immediately turning her horse and galloping away.
Rice Bucket, who was preparing for a difficult battle, snorted: ? She really just ran like that? Leaving that female two-legged beast to be mauled to death?
After putting a safe distance between herself and the ferocious tiger, Yun Yaoyao finally reined in her horse, stopping in place.
Her eyes flashed sharply as she nocked an arrow single-handedly, quickly drew the bow, and shot the arrow straight at the tiger that was attacking again!
How could she possibly flee? The one in danger was her body!
If Tu Shanjin died, and one day she had a whim and transmigrated back into this body, wouldn't that be a dead end for her too?!
One arrow missed, and Yun Yaoyao shot another!
The flying arrows seemed to trace the tiger's outline, not even grazing a single hair on the ferocious beast.
Yun Yaoyao cursed angrily.
However, the harassment of arrows managed to restrain the ferocious tiger's swift attacks, giving Tu Shanjin time to dodge.
At this moment, a minister leisurely riding his pony stumbled into the scene.
This person was Zhou Siren. During the autumn hunt, his horse suddenly went berserk and galloped for several miles with him on its back, separating him from his guards. He then got lost in this vast forest.
Upon seeing Yun Yaoyao, he couldn't contain his joy: "Your Majesty, you're here—"
Suddenly, Zhou Siren caught sight of something in his peripheral vision. His words of delight instantly turned into terrified stammering: "Th-th-th-there's... there's... ti-ti..."
His whole body shook like a sieve, and finally, he was so frightened that he fell off his horse, tumbling and crawling.
"Tiger! There's a ferocious tiger!!!"
