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

This is one of Grand Commandant Zhou Jing's most prized possessions, named "Crimson Flame." It is said that the Grand Commandant seized it from a Xiongnu king on the northern battlefield, and its bow power is astonishing.

An ordinary third-rank martial artist would be exhausted after drawing three arrows, so the fact that he was willing to hand it over to Zhou Xun today shows how high his expectations were for this disciple.

"Is the Second Prince riding that swift steed from the Grand Commandant's manor today? I heard that this horse can travel a thousand miles a day. It's a Ferghana horse, a tribute from the Xiongnu, and the Grand Commandant personally raised it for three years before taming it. And now it's just been given to the Second Prince like this?"

In front of the imperial tent, several civil officials whispered to each other, their tone carrying a hint of deeper meaning.

"The Grand Commandant is openly supporting the Second Prince. Look at the First Prince, the Grand Tutor is as unassuming as ever."

The speaker gestured towards the direction of the eldest prince.

The eldest prince, Zhou Cong, was indeed much more reserved in his entourage.

He was standing beside Grand Tutor Kong Yan, dressed in a blue robe, holding a bow and arrow, and talking to Kong Yan in a low voice.

His bow was an ordinary standard hunting bow, worth less than one-tenth of Zhou Xun's "Crimson Flame" bow, but his posture while holding the bow was calm and standard, and every subtle adjustment revealed solid basic skills.

The conversation between the two was inaudible to others, but judging from their expressions, Kong Yan seemed to be instructing him on something. Zhou Cong nodded slightly, his expression respectful and composed.

The third, fourth, and fifth princes, along with their respective entourages and hunting gear, were also busy adjusting their bowstrings and checking their arrows, creating a lively and bustling scene.

The servants sent by the Imperial Household Department were busy moving around the camp. Wei Zhongxian, as the person in charge of the Personnel Department, personally dispatched manpower around the camp and arranged the servants in an orderly manner.

His voice wasn't loud, but every word he uttered hit the nail on the head.

"Go to the east side and help the Tiger Guard brothers set up their tents. Be quick and efficient, so people don't say that our Imperial Household Department people are incompetent."

"You two go and wait behind the imperial tent, ready to receive any orders from Eunuch Wang."

He weaved through the crowd with a warm smile on his face, occasionally greeting familiar guards.

He would occasionally pat a handyman on the shoulder and offer a few words of encouragement, appearing to be just a diligent supervisor.

The Imperial Kitchen's tents were pitched not far behind the Imperial tents, and Gao Lishi was standing in front of the stove, personally overseeing the preparation of the imperial meals.

Various ingredients were neatly arranged on the cutting board in front of him.

Venison, rabbit, pheasant, and fresh fish are all kept chilled with ice to ensure they don't spoil before lunch.

While directing the kitchen helpers to prepare ingredients, he listened discreetly to the idle chatter of the palace ladies and maids outside the tent.

"Her Majesty the Virtuous Consort coughed again this morning."

"Her Majesty the Empress said that the food for this year's spring hunt is lighter than last year's."

"The Second Prince was quite impressive today; the Grand Commandant even gave him the Crimson Flame Bow."

He absorbed these seemingly casual conversations one by one into his mind and categorized them neatly.

Zheng He was also at the hunting grounds, but his position was even less prominent.

As the custodian of the Imperial Horse Stables' storeroom, he was responsible for the safekeeping and allocation of all spare military equipment during the spring hunt.

His tent was right next to the temporary stables of the Imperial Horse Administration, and inside the tent were neatly stacked dozens of spare swords, hundreds of arrows, and a batch of spare crossbows.

He sat on a low stool at the entrance of the tent, holding a bowl of coarse tea in his hand, sipping it slowly, his gaze calmly sweeping over the crowds coming and going.

Occasionally, when someone comes to borrow arrows or exchange bowstrings, he will stand up and carefully register them.

Then, take out the corresponding supplies from the tent and, during the handover, remind them, "Return them when you're done, and make sure there are enough."

As for Zhao Gao, he did not come to the hunting grounds.

The duty of the Assistant Chief Steward of the Imperial Household Department was to guard the household.

Chen Ju accompanied the emperor to the hunting grounds, leaving all the affairs of the Imperial Household Department to Zhao Gao alone.

He was sitting in the east wing of the main hall of the Imperial Household Department, with three official documents in front of him that required urgent approval, and a cup of tea that had gone cold beside him.

The pen tip glides across the paper, making a soft, rustling sound.

The faint sound of palace servants sweeping the corridors could be heard outside the window, along with the distant chimes of the clock tower. The entire palace was unusually quiet, apart from the hustle and bustle of the spring hunt.

He stopped writing, looked up, glanced at the empty palace road outside the window, and then lowered his head to continue writing.

At 3:45 AM, the spring hunt officially began.

According to ancestral tradition, the spring hunt is divided into three sessions.

The first event was the "Sacrifice to Heaven and Pray for a Bountiful Harvest," in which the emperor personally shot the first prey and offered it on the altar, praying for favorable weather and abundant harvests throughout the year.

This segment is a one-man show by the emperor; everyone else is just an audience.

Zhou Qian rode into the arena, drew a golden-feathered arrow from his quiver, nocked the bow, drew the string, and aimed—all in one fluid motion.

As the bowstring twanged, the golden-feathered arrow transformed into a streak of light, traversing a distance of nearly a hundred paces, and accurately struck a stag that was drinking water by the stream.

The deer fell to the ground with a thud, its four hooves twitched a few times and then it remained still. The arrow had pierced its heart, killing it instantly without any further pain.

The Imperial Guards stepped forward, lifted the stag, and presented it to the altar.

Zhou Qian dismounted, handed the bow to his attendant, straightened his clothes, and personally offered the sacrifice.

Incense smoke curled from the altar, the officiant's chants rose and fell in cadence, and the entire hunting ground was completely silent.

After the ceremony, the three armies shouted in unison, "Long live the Emperor!" The sound reverberated throughout the land.

The second event is "Capture the Flag".

The rules are simple: twelve command flags are erected deep within the hunting grounds, hidden in different locations such as valleys, dense forests, and lakesides.

The princes and noble sons entered the arena in groups and hunted wild animals and searched for command flags within a specified time. The final score was based on the number of prey and the number of command flags, and the group with the highest score won.

This segment is the best stage for the princes to showcase their abilities. In previous years, the one who won the flag-grabbing competition was often the one with the highest hopes for the throne.

Zhou Xun charged into the hunting grounds first.

He rode on his steed, the Crimson Flame Bow in his hand whirring, and with each twang of the bowstring, a prey would fall to the ground.

He shot a running red fox, the arrow piercing its eye socket and penetrating its skull, yet its fur remained undamaged. He had truly mastered the art of archery under Zhou Jing's tutelage.

Searching for flags was one of his strengths. He galloped through the forest, his eyes scanning every possible hiding place for flags with lightning speed. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he found three command flags.

One of them is hidden in a crevice in the cliff, requiring one to leap from horseback and pull it out in mid-air, which is extremely difficult.

Zhou Xun spurred his horse over the cliff face, leaping off the horse and lightly tapping the cliff face twice with his toes for leverage. With a quick reach and a snatch, he firmly grasped the command flag in his hand.

He landed perfectly back on the saddle, the whole movement flowing smoothly, prompting several Imperial Guards soldiers nearby to cheer in unison.

In stark contrast to Zhou Xun's triumphant progress in the hunting arena, the eldest prince Zhou Cong's performance was lukewarm, even unremarkable.

After riding into the forest, he did not shoot arrows at any prey he saw, like the others. Instead, he slowly rode along the stream, occasionally stopping his horse to admire the scenery.

His attendants pointed several times to the deer roaming in the forest, but he simply waved them off and continued walking at his own unhurried pace.

But every arrow he occasionally fired was extremely accurate.

A duck was hidden among the water plants, completely invisible to others. He raised his hand and fired an arrow. The arrow pierced through the dense reeds and struck the duck squarely in the neck.

He only caught a glimpse of the command flag hidden deep inside a hollow tree trunk as he rode past.

He immediately drew an arrow, nocked it, and shot it into the tree hole. The arrow shaft caught the flagpole, causing the entire command flag and arrow to bounce out. He caught it with a clean and efficient motion.

The eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial, who was secretly keeping score behind him, frowned several times as he watched his performance.