The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

Spring Equinox in the twenty-first year of Yonghe.

Before dawn, the entire palace was already awake.

New oil was added to the stone lanterns along the palace path, and the flames flickered uncertainly in the pre-dawn chill, casting long and short shadows of people hurrying to and fro along the path.

The servants of the Imperial Household Department have been busy for three whole days, and today they got up at the third watch of the night.

Those carrying horse harnesses, assembling ceremonial regalia, and transporting ingredients toward the hunting grounds all moved with lightning speed, yet dared not utter a single extra sound.

Spring hunting is an ancestral tradition that has existed since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty. It is held every year around the spring equinox for three purposes: military training, offering sacrifices to Heaven, and inspecting the imperial guards.

The emperor personally hunted in the Shanglin Garden, with princes and nobles vying to hunt. The three dukes, four marquises, and heads of various government offices were all present, making the event second only to the Winter Solstice Grand Sacrifice in its grandeur.

For the seventeen princes, the spring hunt was an even greater contest without bloodshed.

Horsemanship, archery, courage, and magnanimity—each of these was a yardstick by which the Emperor measured him.

Just after dawn, the ceremonial square outside the South Palace Gate was already adorned with banners that blotted out the sun.

The white-robed formation of the Imperial Guards, the red-clad formation of the Tiger Guards, and the black-armored formation of the Imperial Bodyguards were distinctly different in color and arrayed in a solemn manner. Their swords and spears gleamed coldly in the morning light.

Xu Chu, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard Battalion, stood at the front of the formation with his hand on his sword. His eyes, as big as copper bells, swept over each column of soldiers. Wherever his gaze passed, even the horses snorted uneasily.

Today he wore a newly made set of black iron armor, the plates gleaming with a dark luster in the morning light, and the imperial-bestowed fine iron longsword hung at his waist. The sight of him was like an iron tower that no one dared to cross.

Inside the palace gate, Dian Wei, the sword-wielding guard, stood guard by the gate as usual, his double halberds crossed behind his back, his eyes fixed straight ahead, motionless.

Occasionally, someone would pass by him, and he would simply nod slightly in acknowledgment. He didn't say much, but every civil and military official entering or leaving the palace would unconsciously quicken their pace.

After this taciturn man made a name for himself in the Imperial Guard competition, everyone inside and outside the palace knew that he was a ruthless character who should not be messed with.

Zhan Zhao stood on the flank of the Imperial Guard's formation. Today, his duty was to patrol the sentry posts around the hunting grounds.

He was still wearing that indigo guard uniform, with the long sword that had never been drawn hanging at his waist.

His posture was a bit more upright than usual, but his expression remained relaxed and composed, as if what was about to begin was not a fierce hunt, but a casual outing.

Only the most observant person would notice that his gaze would sweep across the passageway inside the South Palace Gate every few moments, as if he were waiting for someone.

At exactly 7:00 AM, nine tolls of the bell resounded throughout the palace.

Emperor Wu of Zhou, Zhou Qian, dressed in black hunting attire with a dark gold soft armor over it, rode out of the palace gate first on a jet-black imperial horse. Behind him followed Wang Zheng, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and then the Three Dukes, Four Marquises, Ministers of the Six Ministries, Commander of the Zhenwu Division, and the heads of various government departments.

Grand Commandant Zhou Jing rode an old chestnut horse today, with the Second Prince Zhou Xun by his side. The two rode side by side, and Zhou Jing would occasionally lean over to talk to him in a low voice. His friendly attitude made the surrounding ministers exchange glances.

Grand Tutor Kong Yan and Crown Prince Zhou Cong walked on the other side. Kong Yan was holding prayer beads, while Zhou Cong was holding a scroll. The two occasionally exchanged a few words, their tone unhurried, as if they were discussing the interpretation of a classic text rather than going to participate in a bloody hunt.

Taibao Yuwen Lie rode alone, a gentle smile on his face as usual, neither getting close to nor distancing himself from anyone.

The four marquises and the ministers of various departments followed in small groups, chatting about trivial matters of the court. Occasionally, laughter could be heard, creating a relaxed yet subtle atmosphere.

The carriages of the princes and princesses followed closely behind, arranged in order of seniority.

The second prince's carriage was in first place, drawn by four magnificent white horses. The carriage curtains were made of the finest lake-blue brocade, which fluttered slightly in the wind, attracting many palace servants to stop and look.

The eldest prince's carriage followed closely behind, its entourage much simpler than the second prince's, consisting of an ordinary blue-curtained carriage, but the coachman sitting on the shaft was an old eunuch with the cultivation level of a fifth rank.

This understated depth carries more weight than any ostentatious decoration.

The carriages of the third, fourth, and fifth princes were arranged in order, each one decorated in a magnificent manner, with just the right distance between them.

Zhou Xing was ranked seventeenth, but according to the order of age, he should have been ninth. However, his carriage was arranged at the end of all the princes' carriages, behind several younger brothers.

Chunlan muttered under her breath in the carriage, "Why are we so far back in the queue?" but Qiuju stopped her with a look.

Zhou Xing didn't care at all; on the contrary, he thought it was quite good. Being at the very end meant no one would notice him, and he could quietly watch the show all day long.

He leaned against the car wall, lifted a corner of the curtain to look out, and the fake vortex in his dantian was still slowly rotating, his breath steadily maintained at around the first grade.

His second-grade cultivation was sealed deep within the hidden meridians of his spine, as quiet as a hibernating seed.

The hunting grounds were located in Shanglin Garden, on the western outskirts of the capital, about thirty miles from the imperial palace.

After the caravan left the city, the official roads along the way had already been cleared by the Imperial Guards, with a Feathered Forest Guard standing every ten steps on both sides, his armor gleaming in the sunlight.

After a bumpy ride of more than an hour, Zhou Xing's carriage finally entered the territory of Shanglin Garden.

He lifted the carriage curtain, and before him stretched a vast and boundless royal hunting ground.

In the distance, the green mountains are like dark eyebrows, and the grasslands nearby are like a carpet. A jade-like stream meanders down from the foot of the mountain, through the entire hunting ground, and flows into a green lake.

Dozens of tents had been erected in the center of the hunting grounds, the largest of which was Emperor Wu of Zhou's imperial tent, with a five-clawed golden dragon embroidered on the top, fluttering in the wind.

On either side of the imperial tent were the tents of the three dukes, four marquises, and various government offices. Further out were the garrisons of the three major camps of the Imperial Guard, forming layers of protection, like stars surrounding the moon.

The carriage had just come to a stop, and Zhou Xing hadn't even had a chance to get off, when he heard a powerful neighing of horses coming from outside.

He lifted the carriage curtain and looked out. The Second Prince, Zhou Xun, rode a snow-white steed galloping past the caravan. The horse's mane flew in the wind, its hooves thrashing about as if flying, raising a cloud of dust wherever it went.

A longbow with a sandalwood handle hung beside his saddle, its bowstring shimmering with a faint reddish luster, clearly indicating it was no ordinary object.

The bow was longer than that of an ordinary hunting bow, and two dark red fire gems were inlaid at the bow tip, shining brightly in the sunlight.