The wild deer galloped, blood dripping continuously, and gradually exhausted, its speed became slower and slower, and its body was swaying.
Li Shao, who was following it, raised his hand to add another arrow, but was stopped by the guards beside him.
"What's wrong?" Li Shao asked.
The guard pointed further ahead: "Look, there is another end."
Li Shao took a closer look, and sure enough, there was something there.
"This deer is already in the bag," Li Shao said, "let's go after that one."
After speaking, he greeted the guards and continued forward.
Li Du did not rush to catch up. He only told the people around him: "Go and take good care of the prince. Don't put him in danger."
For a time, most of the people left with Li Shao.
Li Du drove his horse slowly closer to the injured deer, watching its dying struggle until his strength was exhausted and it became motionless.
He dismounted, picked up the deer's head, and put the dead deer on the horse's back with strength.
Li Du sighed: "This deer is pretty good."
The waiter hurriedly agreed: "It's really good. Look at those two legs that are thick and strong. They will taste great after roasting."
Li Du smiled and said: "I said it has a temper. When it gets hurt, it will run home. It saves the prince the effort of looking for the deer again. Buy one, get one free."
The chamberlain said: "You are right."
"Let's go," Li Du said, "Let's go and see if the prince has hunted the other end."
Li Shao hasn't succeeded yet.
This time, he was no longer accurate. He pulled the bow three times and missed the deer. Instead, he was so frightened that the deer ran away and went deep into the forest.
That is to say, the snow makes it easy to track, so the deer’s position was not lost.
Li Shao followed more and more anxiously, and the strings of the next few arrows were loosened before they were fully drawn. The long arrows lacked enough force to break through the air and fell halfway.
Seeing him like this, Li Du said: "The more urgent it becomes, the more chaotic it will be. I'll ask the guards to follow me. Prince, you might as well follow me in another direction and surround him with fast horses from the front."
Li Shao said "Okay" and raised his whip.
It is better to say that he followed Li Du than that Li Du followed him. The horses' hooves kicked up the snow and foam flew everywhere.
Li Shao walked around to the front of the deer and tried to shoot with his bow. After several attempts, it was difficult to aim.
When Li Du saw this, he called for his followers.
The man understood what he meant, drew his long bow to full length, and shot an arrow, hitting the deer's head right in the head.
The deer fell to the ground instantly.
Li Shao held the horse's rope, gradually slowed down, and turned to look at Li Du.
Li Du said: "If we go further forward, it will be difficult to move forward quickly. The deer is nimble and may escape."
Li Shao heard this and looked forward.
The trees there are getting denser and thicker, making it difficult for horses to move. It is an area that he rarely went to for hunting in the past.
It is better to kill than to let the prey escape.
"The people around my uncle are very good at riding and shooting." Li Shao said.
Li Du said: "He is in his prime, and his hands are naturally strong. The prince will be able to make further progress if he practices for a few more years."
Li Shao just said it casually and didn't care who was stronger or weaker. He was more concerned about the two deer.
While waiting for the guards to move the deer back, Li Shao asked Li Du: "Speaking of which, I forgot to ask, how did my uncle get along with his brothers before?"
His answer was first a laugh.
Then, Li Du narrowed his eyes: "His Highness asked me this, which really made me sigh.
My eldest brother, the late King Ding, was a few years older than us. He was a kind-hearted man and an excellent eldest brother.
Compared with him, as the second elder brother, I am not a good role model for my younger brothers.
No matter what the trouble between the third and fourth children ended up being, we were still very close when we were young.
I just didn’t expect that so many things would happen in the one or two years before my father’s death.
However, there is no way to escape it. Nine times out of ten, the royal father and son brothers will end up like that."
As he said this, Li Du stopped talking when he saw another deer was brought back.
Li Shao went over to watch the deer carefully and was quite satisfied with today's harvest.
Previously, I galloped for a while and my body was very hot. The cold wind was blowing and I didn't feel the chill, but I felt very refreshed.
He patted the fat deer butt hard and said: "Let's go back to the palace now."
Li Shao was furious and urged people to go back.
"You succeeded, I haven't drawn the bow yet," Li Du said, "I'll leave later."
Li Shao touched the tip of his nose.
He specially called his uncle to the forest farm, but it was really pointless for his uncle to go back without drawing his bow.
But I have been busy chasing prey all morning, and when I return to the palace to process the venison and grill it, it still takes a lot of work. If I don't hurry up, I'm afraid the roasted deer won't be on the table tonight.
Li Du waved his hand and said, "Prince, please go back. Remember to give me a deer leg later."
"When I bake it, I'll have it delivered to my uncle's house." Li Shao agreed.
As soon as Li Shao left, most of the bodyguards and chamberlains followed him.
Li Du was not in a hurry. He slowly urged his horse to walk, went deeper and came out again. He didn't draw his bow until he left.
Outside the paddock, the palace people are waiting here.
When they saw Li Du bringing his people back, they all cheered up to greet him.
Li Du dismounted, someone led the horse away, and someone offered him a steaming clean handkerchief.
Taking off his leather gloves, Li Du wiped his hands with a handkerchief, stepped onto the car, and sat leaning against the seat pillow.
The chamberlain followed up, brought him a hot drink, and asked: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is watching the government, can he and the Duke of Fu Guo get along peacefully?"
Li Du took a small sip and glanced at the waiter.
The waiter lowered his eyes and said no more.
After a while, Li Du finished his drink and said, "Your Majesty, it's just wishful thinking."
In the other room, Li Shao, who hurried back to the palace, first sent someone to the Imperial Study Room to report the news to Cining Palace, and then went to the Imperial Kitchen Room, where he skinned and cut off the waist himself, laid out the ingredients and roasted it on the fire.
The four legs of meat are divided just right between the father, the uncle, the empress dowager and the imperial concubine.
The rest was divided among the people below.
Two deer, clearly arranged.
When it was ready to bake, Li Shao personally sent it to the imperial study.
Eunuch Cao happily prepared wine and filled it for the father and son. He listened to the prince telling him about today's deer hunting.
In the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager tasted the deer leg and nodded repeatedly.
It still tastes meaty!
Rich in oil and fragrant in the mouth.
"Yun Yan ate so deliciously last time. Knowing that the Ai family was greedy, she deliberately came to tempt the Ai family," the Empress Dowager said with a smile, "She is not here today, and the Ai family is the only one enjoying the feast."
Grandma Wang said: "I don't know what the princess will eat tonight, whether it tastes good or not..."
The Queen Mother said goodbye, but she was still thinking about Lin Yunyan.
Thinking of the cute way Yun Yan gnawed the mutton chops just to satisfy her craving, the Empress Dowager said: "The Ai family can't finish such a big deer leg. The meat is thick, so I quickly cut it off and sent it to Uncle Chengyi's house." My father-in-law, who was younger than me, did as he was told, sliced the meat, put it on a plate, and asked people to send it to him as soon as possible.
Lin Yunyan is not in the house.
She was in the yard behind Taohe Zhai, holding the thick soup stewed by the He family, and after taking a sip, she frowned.
He frowned, but did not put down the bowl. He even added another bowl after finishing the drink.
Xu Jian saw this and raised his eyebrows slightly: "It doesn't have to be so hard to drink."
The little princess has a picky mouth, but she is not biased. Aunt He's craftsmanship is good, so she will not have a different taste in her mouth...
