Chapter 156

Chapter 156: Let Her Have It

“At that moment, you only needed to give a light tug. The stick would collapse, the cage would slam to the ground, and the little birds would be caught.”

Emperor Chong Sheng tilted his head and asked, “So you used the red fox’s claw marks as bait, used the Northern Di soldiers as the birds… and that group led by Qi Shu Xian was what you called the cage?”

“Uh, yes.” Shang Xing Yu chuckled, then dragged out the few men who had been keeping their heads down, too scared to say a word. “It wasn’t just me. I also had a few brothers!”

“I know.” Emperor Chong Sheng pointed them out one by one. “You are Ye Rong. You are Pei Yu An. You are Chen Bao Jing.”

Ye Rong and the others opened their mouths, stunned that His Majesty actually knew their names.

“Yes, yes!” Shang Xing Yu kicked them.

The men panicked and immediately knelt again to salute.

Emperor Chong Sheng laughed so hard he looked pleased all over again. More importantly, this imperial hunt had gone even better than he imagined.

As long as Lu Chuo did not die in Sheng Kingdom, Northern Di would not send troops against Sheng Kingdom for at least two years. Intimidation alone was not enough, but if they spread the results of this hunt, then Northern Di soldiers might yield without a fight. Fear of the unknown would weaken Northern Di’s fighting spirit.

“What a capital city number one dandy!” Emperor Chong Sheng looked at Shang Xing Yu. After watching him a moment longer, Emperor Chong Sheng said, “Su De Yun, reward them. Reward Shang Xing Yu with one thousand taels of gold. Reward Ye Rong, Pei Yu An, and Chen Bao Jing with one hundred taels of gold each.”

Emperor Chong Sheng added, “As for Sheng Yuan Qi, Qi Shu Xian, and the others with them, twenty-six men in total, reward each with one hundred taels of silver.”

“Yes!” Su De Yun quickly accepted the order.

Minister Ye, General Pei, and Censor Chen grabbed each other and wept with joy.

Someone congratulated Shang Tian Hao, saying, “General Shang, you taught your sons well!”

Wasn’t that true? Both sons received rewards, and even the capital city’s famous number one dandy had shown real ability. People could not help but envy it.

Under all those jealous stares, Shang Tian Hao forced an ugly smile.

Qi Shu Xian stood ramrod straight where he was. When Emperor Chong Sheng left, Emperor Chong Sheng had looked at Qi Shu Xian once.

That look was hard to read. It might have been disappointment, or something else. In any case, Qi Shu Xian’s plan to regain his post, and even climb higher, had all turned to nothing because of Shang Xing Yu.

Shang Xing Yu was the kind of person whose name being mentioned alongside Qi Shu Xian’s felt like an insult. Yet this person had crushed Qi Shu Xian completely.

How could Qi Shu Xian accept that?

“Heir Apparent, are you… are you alright?” Meng Yang walked over, looked up, and carefully held Qi Shu Xian’s hand.

Qi Shu Xian closed his eyes, about to speak.

Then Shang Xing Yu, who had taken all the glory today, walked over with the red fox in his hand.

The red fox looked limp and boneless, its head and tail drooping. Even so, Qi Shu Xian felt like the beast itself was laughing at him. The calm he had just managed to regain sank even deeper.

Qi Shu Xian’s voice turned cold. “Young Master Shang Er truly had a fine scheme. You played every one of us in your palm and used us as tools.”

Shang Xing Yu smiled. “Young Master Qi Shi praises me too much. I only trusted Young Master Qi Shi’s ability. Oh, right-” Shang Xing Yu lifted the red fox in his hand. “I thought it over. Since this red fox was something you specifically begged His Majesty for, for the Princess, then how about this? For fifty thousand taels of silver, I’ll give it to you.”

“Fifty thousand taels?” Qi Shu Xian’s face darkened. “Are you crazy, or am I?”

“It’s not that,” Shang Xing Yu said seriously. “But if it’s a gift for the Princess, it can’t be too cheap. The more silver Young Master Qi Shi spends, the happier the Princess will be.”

Qi Shu Xian was so angry he did not even want to look at Shang Xing Yu.

Meng Yang stared at the red fox. Only then did Meng Yang understand why a Cang Nan creature had appeared inside the imperial hunting grounds. It turned out that Qi Shu Xian had asked for it specifically for Sheng Zhi Wan.

Meng Yang’s lover had worked so hard for another woman. The thought made Meng Yang’s heart turn sour and ache.

Meng Yang saw Sheng Zhi Wan walking over. Meng Yang pressed her lips together and spoke. “If the Princess likes red fox fur, Heir Apparent only needed to tell me. The hand-warmer cover Mother gave me last time was made from red fox fur. If the Princess likes it, I can give it to the Princess.”

Sheng Zhi Wan stopped.

Sheng Zhi Wan had noticed Shang Xing Yu talking to Qi Shu Xian, and Sheng Zhi Wan’s eyelid had been twitching. Sheng Zhi Wan was afraid this wastrel would say something he should not.

Sheng Zhi Wan did not expect to hear that sentence instead.

So Qi Shu Xian had hunted a red fox in Cang Nan. Everyone knew, except Sheng Zhi Wan.

Sheng Zhi Wan could not help letting out a self-mocking smile.

“Zhi Wan…” Qi Shu Xian heard Sheng Zhi Wan’s voice and turned around. The moment Qi Shu Xian saw Sheng Zhi Wan, Qi Shu Xian’s expression changed. Qi Shu Xian shot Meng Yang a cold glare, then stepped forward and tried to hold Sheng Zhi Wan’s hand. “Last time, Mother saw the red fox and liked it, so Mother took it. This time, I will definitely give it to you.”

Sheng Zhi Wan frowned and dodged Qi Shu Xian’s hand.

Qi Shu Xian turned to Shang Xing Yu and said, “Young Master Shang Er, red fox fur is hard to find, but even if you auction it, it’s only worth four or five thousand taels. It’s useless to you. This Heir Apparent is willing to buy it for eight thousand taels of silver. How about it?”

“No.” Shang Xing Yu’s smile vanished.

Shang Xing Yu was angry.

Was Qi Shu Xian blind, or was Qi Shu Xian stupid? Qi Shu Xian knew exactly what Sheng Zhi Wan wanted, yet Qi Shu Xian still gave it to someone else. And some concubine from nowhere even dared to show off in front of Sheng Zhi Wan.

The more Shang Xing Yu thought about it, the more unhappy Shang Xing Yu became.

And when Shang Xing Yu was unhappy, Shang Xing Yu wanted to do something that would make everyone else unhappy too.

Shang Xing Yu suddenly looked at Sheng Zhi Wan. “If the Princess likes it, then this red fox will be my gift to the Princess.”

Shang Xing Yu held out the red fox’s drooping body, but halfway through, Shang Xing Yu felt it was still not right. “Princess, why not tell me what you want the red fox fur for? I’ll have someone make it properly and send it to you.”

Sheng Zhi Wan pressed her lips together. By reason, it was not proper.

But when Sheng Zhi Wan met Shang Xing Yu’s eyes, Sheng Zhi Wan paused. Qi Shu Xian could pamper a concubine and trample his wife, yet Sheng Zhi Wan was only accepting a fox pelt that Young Master Shang Er offered because he could not stand it.

What was wrong with that?

Sheng Zhi Wan said, “Then please trouble Young Master Shang Er to prepare the pelt and send it to this palace.”

red fox fur was softer and finer than Grey Fox and White Fox. Sheng Zhi Wan had always wanted to make a pair of knee guards for Grandmother. Sheng Zhi Wan had not managed it in her previous life, but now Sheng Zhi Wan could finally get what Sheng Zhi Wan wanted.

“Zhi Wan!” Qi Shu Xian’s face turned iron-gray. Qi Shu Xian snapped, “How can you take something from an outside man?”

Sheng Zhi Wan glanced at Qi Shu Xian and smiled. “I am not taking a gift. When the time comes, this palace will pay Young Master Shang Er fifty thousand taels of silver. This fox fur will count as something I bought from Young Master Shang Er.”

Shang Xing Yu did not care about silver.

But Shang Xing Yu also knew that if Sheng Zhi Wan accepted Shang Xing Yu’s gift in front of Qi Shu Xian, it would harm Sheng Zhi Wan’s reputation. Besides, all of Sheng Zhi Wan’s silver was being kept with Shang Xing Yu anyway.

Shang Xing Yu cupped his hands and bowed. “The Princess is bold. Then I will thank Your Highness.”

Fifty thousand taels? Where would Sheng Zhi Wan find that much silver? Would it not still come from the money Shang Xing Yu had returned to Sheng Zhi Wan?

Qi Shu Xian’s anger rose. Qi Shu Xian gritted his teeth and lowered his voice. “Zhi Wan, if you truly want it, I can find another one for you elsewhere. Why must you take the one in his hands-”

“Fourth Prince, Fourth Prince! Hurry, someone!”

The sudden shout cut Qi Shu Xian off.

Sheng Zhi Wan’s fingers tightened. Sheng Zhi Wan turned and looked toward the source of the cries-