After noon, everyone was fully prepared and ready to go, waiting for His Majesty the Emperor's order to open the hunting grounds immediately.

Even the sixty-year-old Grand Secretary came to join in the autumn hunt.

The old man shakily mounted his horse, and those around him couldn't help but praise, "Sir, you are still vigorous despite your age!"

"You can't just praise this?" Yin Cheng muttered to the little beauty, "Can this old man ride a horse steadily? What if he bumps into something and falls, and his whole family comes crying in front of the emperor?"

Lin Nian quickly covered the man's mouth, "Don't talk nonsense!"

He could see the Prime Minister glancing at him every now and then.

Even though her husband had kept a low profile in the capital for the past few months, he still couldn't resist submitting impeachment memorials.

Lin Nian was very worried, wondering why her husband was always being impeached when he wasn't some heinous villain.

Yin Cheng took the bow and arrow from the guard, drew it and tried to pull it out, but found it too light and unreliable. Just as he was about to ask someone to change it, he felt his sleeve being tugged.

A restless glint shone in Lin Nian's eyes, as if silently saying:

I want to play too! I want to play too! I want to play too!

Yin Cheng handed the bow and arrows to Lin Nian.

The little beauty is wearing a long-sleeved shirt today; she's beautiful, but not suitable for drawing a bow.

Lin Nian pulled out a ribbon and tied the large sleeve behind her back, revealing her slender arms.

He struggled to lift the bow and arrow, his arm trembling.

Yin Cheng supported his hand, letting most of the weight of the bow and arrow rest on his own, "Try to draw the bow."

Lin Nian closed one eye and stared intently for a long time, but she didn't see a single bird flying by in the sky.

He put down his bow and arrows. "I'll go into the woods and try again!"

Yin Cheng closed his eyes, listened intently for a while, then drew his bow, and the arrow flew into the forest with lightning speed.

The arrow whistled through the air, startling a flock of birds into flight.

Hua Yue, quick as a flash, swiftly picked up her prey and darted back, holding it up to Lin Nian as if presenting a treasure: "My lord, look! It's a meat pigeon!"

Yin Mo: "..."

Yin Mo coughed, signaling Xiao Anzi to begin reciting the blessing.

Xiao Anzi's high-pitched voice was like a lullaby. When his blessing ended, Yin Cheng also fell asleep.

Lin Nian pinched the man's arm without making a sound, but then rubbed it tenderly afterward.

Yin Cheng snapped back to reality. "Finished?"

"Yes, the hunting grounds are already open."

Yin Cheng looked around and saw that some impatient people had already set off on horseback.

Even the Grand Secretary, who was over sixty years old, walked shakily into the woods.

Hua Yue summoned the chestnut-colored pony and stuffed the found pigeon into Xiao Fu's hand, saying, "Take this and cook it; we'll eat it when we get back tonight."

Xiao Fu carried the poor little bird that had been pierced by an arrow, his face showing a horrifying mask of pain.

"Ah! Ah!" Xiao Fu couldn't bear to look at the pigeon in her hand. "So cruel, so bloody, so violent."

"The soup smells so good," Huayue said. "Last time at Jufulou, you ate two big bowls with tears in your eyes."

Xiao Fu recalled the taste of stewed pigeon, smacked his lips, and immediately removed the mask of pain from his face. "Then should I stew this one too?"

"I'm going rabbit hunting. Do you want anything to eat?" Huayue said, "If not, I'm leaving."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Xiao Fu quickly said, "I want to eat... Oh, I want to eat everything, I'll eat whatever you catch."

Hua Yue hung the bow and arrows on her body, mounted her chestnut pony, and said, "Okay."

Xiao Fu carried the pigeons and happily went to the mess tent to find a stove to stew them.

As soon as the two young men separated, Yin Cheng ordered his men to bring a lighter bow for the young men.

He whistled, and Si Dianbai ran towards the two of them.

Lin Nian was lifted onto the horse by the man, and a moment later, the four white iron hooves kicked up, like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins.

If the man's arm hadn't been wrapped around her waist, Lin Nian would definitely have screamed.

The wind blew past his ears, and Lin Nian felt as if he were being embraced by the wind. He slowly opened his eyes, and all he could see was the scenery rushing past him.

After the initial panic and tension, all that remained was carefree joy.

The only flaw was that he wasn't wearing his hair up today, and his smooth, dark hair would occasionally brush against the man's neck.

Yin Cheng felt an itch on his neck and thought to himself, "Next time I take my little beauty horseback riding, I'll tie his hair up first."

It was autumn, and everything was golden.

The Four Points of White finally stopped at the mountain stream, where a waterfall cascaded down, gathering into a small stream.

As the horse lowered its head to graze, Lin Nian was lifted off the horse.

He walked on the thick, soft grass for a while before he regained some of the feeling of being grounded.

"Husband, this place is so beautiful! Do you think there are fish in this water?" Lin Nian squatted by the stream, playing with the cool water.

Yin Cheng said, "The water here is shallow, so if there are fish, they're probably small."

Lin Nian tied her sleeves shut. "I'm going to arrest them!"

Yin Cheng sat by the rock, responsible for getting his wife her shawl, hairpins, and floral shoes. "Alright, go get them."

The water was so shallow that the little beauty could splash around however she wanted, so Yin Cheng was relatively at ease.

Lin Nian rolled up her trouser legs, stepped into the water, and intently observed the surface.

"I can only fish for half an hour." Yin Cheng laid out his precious gear on the stone one by one. "I'm going to gather some firewood. Call me if you need anything, I can hear you."

Lin Nian didn't answer, she just waved her hand, afraid that making a sound would scare away the little fish.

Although it's deep in the mountains and forests, the view here is wide open, and four white stalks are still grazing on the grass by the shore.

Traveling with her husband again, Lin Nian was quite bold this time.

Yin Cheng didn't go far. He picked up some dry firewood nearby and started a campfire in a pile of stones by the stream.

He basked in the sun, his eyes half-closed, but his attention remained fixed on the little beauty splashing in the water.

Judging that it was about time, Yin Cheng stepped forward and picked up the little beauty who was still soaking in the water.

Place the person on the stone and pull over the hem of your clothes to wipe their feet.

"Time's up, the fish-catching game is over."

Just as Yin Cheng finished putting shoes and socks on the little beauty, he saw her eyes sparkle as she brought a small wooden stick to him.

"Look, I caught two small fish."

Two palm-sized fish were threaded onto a small wooden stick, their fine blue and white scales shimmering in the sunlight.

This surprised Yin Cheng. "My darling has this skill?"

Lin Nian pouted, "What do you mean!"

"Praise your baby for being so clever," Yin Cheng asked. "Do you want your little fish grilled?"

Lin Nian smiled and said, "Yes!"

Yin Cheng took over his wife's work, cleaned it simply, and then slowly roasted the two small fish on a spark.

He had driven two wooden stakes into the ground beforehand, just enough to hold the sticks for stringing fish.

Lin Nian tidied herself up and, propping her chin on her hand, watched curiously as the man pulled a packet of seasonings from the satchel hanging on his back.

It is a special seasoning made by mixing five-spice powder with salt.

It smells wonderful, and it smells even better when sprinkled on small fish.

"When can we eat?" Lin Nian squatted by the campfire, sniffing the fire every now and then.

"Watch out for sparks." Yin Cheng pulled his wife away a bit. Although all that was left was a pile of charcoal still glowing red, it would still occasionally explode and spark.

"Okay." Lin Nian obediently moved a step away and stared intently at her little fish.

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