In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

"Get up!" Li Yuanchang lifted the man up in one swift motion, then glanced at the tiger.

Despite its ferocity, it was clearly no match for the encirclement of a hundred riders, its body dripping with blood and bearing more than a dozen wounds.

It can't escape; its speed and explosive power are decreasing sharply.

"Take this, shoot an arrow quickly!" Li Yuanchang stuffed the bow and arrow into Fang Yi'ai's hand, as a way of repaying Fang Xuanling for his many tips.

Don't underestimate this arrow. Afterwards, Fang Yi'ai will achieve a new accomplishment: following Li Shimin to hunt tigers. This will enhance his reputation and courage.

"Your Highness, this...this...I can't do it..."

Without a second thought, Li Yuanchang forcefully shoved the arrow into his hand and then helped him raise it.

"Your Highness, I dare not..." Fang Yi'ai cried out.

Li Yuanchang was speechless. The food was already in his mouth, but he didn't seem to know how to chew it.

If it weren't for Fang Xuanling's sake, he wouldn't have bothered with this effort.

"hurry up!"

"Do you want the princess to look down on you for the rest of your life?" Li Yuanchang said in a low voice, directly hitting Fang Yi'ai's weak spot and his most sensitive and insecure place.

He roared and pulled the bowstring taut.

Li Yuanchang used his hand to help fix its direction.

call out! !

Once the bow and arrow leave your hand, their force is not great; they are even somewhat weak.

However, its advantage lay in the short distance and the fact that the arrow was armor-piercing, successfully hitting the tiger's hide.

"Take this and go help!" Li Yuanchang tossed him a knife.

Fang Yi'ai took it, his whole body trembling, but when he thought of Princess Gaoyang, the cowardly man gritted his teeth and rushed forward like a madman.

While spraying water, he shouted, "Ah!!"

The next second, bang!

Fang Yi'ai tripped over a tree root and fell, breaking his head and bleeding profusely.

Li Yuanchang covered his eyes with one hand, unable to bear watching any longer.

Guo Chao and the others also had indescribable expressions on their faces.

By the time Fang Yi'ai got up, the tiger had been mostly dealt with, but he still rushed over.

The huge crowd dispersed.

Li Shimin dismounted from his warhorse, looked at the enormous tiger carcass, panting heavily, but his face was filled with joy.

"Hahaha!"

"Everyone will be rewarded!"

"yes!"

"We thank Your Majesty!"

Li Shimin's gaze flashed and suddenly stopped on Fang Yi'ai, who was trembling and bleeding from his face: "Hey, Yi'ai, what are you doing here?"

Fang Yi'ai was trembling with fear and dared not speak.

Li Yuanchang followed, determined to see things through to the end. He wasn't helping Fang Yi'ai, but rather giving Fang Xuanling face.

"Your Highness, Consort Fang volunteered to come to my side, saying he wanted to protect Your Majesty's safety."

"Just now, when we were hunting the tiger, Prince Consort Fang charged ahead."

"Oh?" Li Shimin raised an eyebrow. He could tell at a glance that Fang Yi'ai was not cut out for this job, even his eyes were filled with fear, but he did not expose him, giving Fang Xuanling face.

"The prince consort is extremely brave!"

"You deserve credit for this tiger hunt. Guards, record your contribution."

"Yes!" shouted the rider, immediately taking out paper and pen.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Fang Yi'ai immediately knelt down to express his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Your Majesty."

"Do a good job, I have high hopes for you," Li Shimin encouraged him.

"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty. I will certainly do my best!" Fang Yi'ai was extremely grateful.

Li Yuanchang sighed inwardly. He had done his best and hoped that this little incident would change something about Fang Yi'ai, thus preventing trouble for the Fang family.

Princess Gaoyang's affair was at most a scandal; what truly led to the Fang family's downfall was the subsequent rebellion, which of course was also related to Princess Gaoyang.

Before long, the tiger's carcass was collected by hundreds of soldiers.

Li Shimin continued leading his men on the hunt.

Taking advantage of the break, Fang Yi'ai came up to Li Yuanchang and almost kowtowed to him on the spot, his face full of excitement.

"Your Highness, I am deeply grateful!"

"From this day forward, I, the prince consort, will follow your lead without question."

"Hey, no!" Li Yuanchang blurted out, startling him.

"I am merely repaying a favor to Lord Fang; you will have to walk the rest of the road yourself."

Fang Yi'ai felt a little embarrassed, but more excited. It was the first time he had made an appearance, and he could finally be more assertive when he got back.

"Regardless, thank you, Prince Han."

"After the hunt, I, the prince consort, will certainly host a banquet to entertain you!"

Li Yuanchang didn't take it seriously; he didn't expect Fang Yiai to repay him for what he did.

……

The hunt lasted a full day, and Li Shimin returned with a bountiful harvest.

Its hunting foes alone consisted of nine large beasts, led by tigers and black bears, plus various other prey, which were roughly estimated to weigh seven or eight thousand catties.

Li Shimin was overjoyed and held a banquet at the camp that very night. The banquet was filled with singing and dancing, and the aroma of wine and meat filled the air. It was a huge bonfire party.

Perhaps feeling that he hadn't had enough fun, Li Shimin immediately ordered that the hunt continue the next day, but he felt that hunting alone was not interesting.

They even set up an award to let the teams compete, with the weight of the beasts as the basis for the victory. Whoever hits the heaviest beast wins.

Rabbits are easy to hunt, but they're light.

Tigers are difficult to kill, but one often weighs several hundred kilograms.

He divided the troops into twelve teams, most of which consisted of 100 cavalry, the Left and Right Guards, and some noble sons. The royal family only had one team, led by Li Ke and Li Zhi.

Once the competition was decided, it immediately aroused the excitement of all the officers and soldiers in the battalion throughout the night.

Everyone wanted to be the best; the award was secondary. The most important thing was to gain Li Shimin's favor, which would lead to a bright future.

Everyone was eager to participate, but Li Yuanchang deliberately avoided it and did not join in.

In his current position, he no longer needs any rewards. His job is to hide, and he is in charge of security. He just needs to do his job well.

The competition began early the next morning!

Twelve teams ventured deep into the mountains, starting at sunrise and ending at sunset.

With the elites of the Tang Dynasty emerging, the beasts of Wangchuan Mountain began to tremble.

Li Yuanchang was appointed as a referee, collecting animal carcasses one after another, and identifying which team it was by the inscriptions on the bows, arrows, swords, and spears, as well as the ribbons.

The number of wild animals hunted far exceeded expectations, piling up like mountains.

In ancient times, without refrigerators, raw meat couldn't be kept for long. It had to be butchered and given to soldiers. If there was too much meat to eat, it would simply be taken back to Lantian County and given to the people.

This hunt gradually evolved into a grand event.

But a crisis is also quietly approaching.

On the treacherous edge of Wangchuan, a group of uninvited guests, armed with daggers and ropes, are slowly climbing the chasm.

Upon closer inspection, they were actually wearing Tang Dynasty military uniforms!