AYM Chapter 44

As the sound of horse hooves faded into the distance, everyone finally dared to lift their heads. Most people dared not peek at the emperor’s face, yet there were still some who deliberately stole a glance.

 

Yan Zheng’s brows furrowed slightly. Hearing Yan Yihuan let out a low cry, he had secretly lifted his eyes. Although he had not seen the full scene, he had caught sight of the Emperor holding his younger brother’s hand. 

 

Setting aside the fact that such handholding was already against proper decorum, the strength with which the Emperor gripped it was so great that, even from this distance, Yan Zheng could see Yan Yihuan’s fingers turning pale from the pressure.

 

A strange, indescribable feeling rose in Yan Zheng’s chest, and for a moment his heart pounded like a drum. He thought of the Daoist priest who had come to their residence when Yihuan was ten years old and the things he had said to him.

 

Truth be told, although his younger brother’s health had clearly improved after the Daoist’s visit, what the man had said was truly hard to believe, even outright absurd.

 

At the time, they hadn’t fully believed him, but after much thought, the family felt that it was already no small feat for Yihuan to keep his life. Letting him live as he pleased and be a carefree young master was well within their means. In any case, it was best for him to stay far away from the capital and far from the imperial family.

 

But ever since Li Xuanming secretly visited in disguise as Zhao Chufeng, Yan Yihuan’s infatuated behavior had given Yan Zheng a vague sense of foreboding. It was only when he saw that the Crown Prince had no interest in him that he felt relieved.

 

Who could have expected that the late emperor would suddenly die, and that after Li Xuanming ascended the throne, he would summon Yan Yihuan to the capital? From then on, everything that followed could no longer be stopped.

 

“Yan Zheng, Yan Zheng?” Li Xuanjing’s voice interrupted Yan Zheng’s thoughts. “Do you want to…?”

 

Li Xuanjing raised his chin slightly towards the direction where the horse had disappeared, his meaning clear.

 

Yan Zheng actually wanted to follow and take a look, but to go without being summoned could at best be considered ignorance of proper etiquette, and at worst be seen as harboring ill intent.

 

He shook his head, pretending not to care, and said, “Yihuan is still waiting for you to hunt the tiger. Go on.”

 

Li Xuanjing glanced in that direction again before finally smiling,

 

“Then I must get it.”

 

Meanwhile, in the dense forest they were both concerned about, Yan Yihuan, seated on the fine steed, felt a trace of nervousness. After all, he didn’t know how to ride a horse to begin with, and this one was especially tall and imposing. When he leaned forward to look down, the ground was much farther away than he had imagined.

 

Sensing his unease, Li Xuanming tightened the reins slightly to slow the horse, and leaned back a little, allowing Yan Yihuan to press closer against him.

 

“What are you thinking about?”

 

It was rare for Yan Yihuan to be this quiet. It wasn’t only because he was nervous. He was still recollecting the dozens of steps he had just taken from the palace gate to the horse, wondering what that inexplicable, throbbing feeling in his heart was. He even tried to recall whether he had ever felt something similar when he was sick as a child. 

 

But for some reason, he felt that this feeling was his alone, something he could not share with anyone else.

 

“Isn’t hunting supposed to be quiet? What if we scare the prey away by talking?” Yan Yihuan, taking advantage of Li Xuanming being behind him and unable to see the guilt on his face, started rambling to change the subject.

 

Before he had even finished speaking, a rustling sound came from the bushes ahead, instantly drawing both of their attention.

 

At this time of year, the grass was not yet very dense, and through the leaves he caught sight of a small, fiery-red figure darting past.

 

“Hey, hey!” Yan Yihuan couldn’t help reaching back to pat Li Xuanming and whispered, “Did you see that?”

 

“Mm.”

 

The arm that had been wrapped around his waist loosened, and then, without a sound, a longbow appeared before his eyes.

 

“Hold here.”

 

Yan Yihuan held his breath and gripped the bow, only for a large hand to completely wrap around his own, strength pressing in from all sides. The steady firmness gradually calmed the heart that had been pounding up into his throat.

 

His right hand was lifted as well, his index finger gently curved to hook the taut bowstring. Both his arms were firmly supported, and the moment the string was drawn to its fullest, Yan Yihuan’s eyes widened slightly in silent awe.

 

The silver-tipped arrow pointed straight at the unsuspecting red fox, moving slowly along with it. Even the horse beneath them was incredibly perceptive, not only did it stand perfectly still, its breathing was barely audible.

 

Why weren’t they releasing the shot when they had already taken aim? The question stirred in Yan Yihuan’s mind, but he didn’t dare speak. In the deep stillness, his back was pressed so tightly to Li Xuanming’s chest that he could feel every subtle rise and fall of breath with perfect clarity.

 

All at once, Yan Yihuan felt the pressure at his back tighten, and the arrow suddenly shifted a few inches to the left.

 

“Release.”

 

Instinctively, he loosened his fingers. The twang of the bowstring rang so sharply that his ears buzzed, and in an instant the red fox in the grass was pierced clean through, even bounced into the air by the force of the arrow. 

 

Yan Yihuan didn’t even have time to react before the hunt was already over. He stared in astonishment, and when he recalled the scene of hunting that rabbit earlier, it felt almost like child’s play in comparison.

 

Han Zhen, who had been following behind them, went forward to retrieve the prey and offered it up with both hands. Li Xuanming gripped the arrow’s tail and held it up before Yan Yihuan, 

 

“You hunted this.”

 

It was only then that Yan Yihuan saw the arrow had entered the red fox’s neck diagonally from the side and exited through its mouth, the tip piercing the rabbit in the fox’s jaws. A single arrow had taken down two animals at once!

 

He hadn’t even noticed that the red fox had been hunting. So the emperor’s delay in releasing the shot had been to wait for that perfect moment. It was truly awe-inspiring.

 

Although the emperor said it was his kill, he couldn’t bring himself to claim the credit. Yan Yihuan turned his head, eyes sparkling with admiration and delight, but shook his head.

 

“It had nothing to do with me. It was all Your Majesty’s skill!” He seemed to feel that this didn’t give enough credit, so he quickly added, “If Your Majesty took part in the spring hunt, no one else would stand a chance.”

 

“But why is it that in past spring hunts, I’ve never seen you take the prize? If Your Majesty had competed three years ago, then that tiger definitely wouldn’t have gone to my brother.”

 

“You think Zhen is better than Yan Zheng?”

 

Li Xuanming handed the prey and the bow to Han Zhen, then turned back to meet those calm, bright eyes. As a thought stirred in his mind, his hand had already tilted up the other’s chin, and he lowered his head to kiss those soft, slightly parted lips.

 

The instant his breath was stolen, Yan Yihuan’s hands gripped the saddle nervously, yet his head tilted higher as he pressed his lips firmly in return, the kiss lingering and unrestrained. 

 

For a fleeting moment, Yan Yihuan considered that they were out in the wild and wondered if this was far too bold. But in the next second, he let the thought go. Just as when the emperor had taken his hand and led him out earlier, he hadn’t been afraid then, so why should he be now?

 

In his ears was the soft rustle of wind through the leaves, the flap of wings as birds flew overhead, and their pleasant cries like a clear song nearby. Yet none of the world’s sounds could reach them; in their ears, there was only the mingling of each other’s breaths.

 

But as the kiss deepened, the taste of desire grew stronger, drawing an involuntary murmur from Yan Yihuan’s throat. His body turned halfway toward Li Xuanming, one hand clutching tightly at the fabric over his chest.

 

It was as if he couldn’t bear to part, yet also longed for something more. Forcing himself, he pushed against Li Xuanming’s chest to separate them. His breathing was still uneven as he looked up and said,

 

“Your Majesty… can we go back?”

 

Author’s note:

Little Yihuan: You promised me, you can’t go back on your word.

Li Xuanming: Of course. I’ll fulfill it right now.