I've Decided To Be This Tyrant's Dark Moonlight - Chapter 74

This time, during the autumn hunt, the Prince of Luling accompanied the emperor.

The autumn air was crisp and clear, the sky vast and deep blue, with a few wild geese crossing the sky, flying southward to warmer, more humid regions.

“Are they going to Yingying’s hometown?” Yun Shao looked up at the geese and suddenly wondered.

Jiangnan, the southern water towns, sounded so beautiful—misty air, stretching lotus leaves, river mists flickering red in the light, and drifting fishing fires.

She imagined such a scene, and her lips curved slightly upward.

The Prince of Luling tightened the reins and interrupted her thoughts: “Your Majesty, the competition is about to begin.”

In the Great Sheng tradition, the hunting competition in the hunting grounds measured skill by who captured the most prey. The victor received heavenly blessings and gifts.

The Prince of Luling knew the emperor’s hunting skills were poor, and inwardly sneered—after all, he had grown up in the city and had no real abilities. In the hunting competition, nothing could be done for the emperor; all followed the ancient rule of fairness, relying purely on skill.

He resolved to let the emperor show his prowess here.

Moreover, this time, he had a horse!

The icy wind blew toward them, scattering golden sunlight in streams.

Yun Shao squinted against the wind, turning her head to glance at the few girls behind her: Wei Ying and the Noble Consort rode side by side, carrying bows and arrows, both eager for the emperor’s signal to see who would capture the most prey.

Consort Li huddled delicately behind Xiao Qianxue, her pale face revealing a mixture of fear and excitement.

Yun Shao looked at Wei Ying—

She wore a sleek riding outfit, the black emphasizing her long, slender figure. Her black hair was tied up in a high ponytail. She turned to speak to Xiao Qianxue, then, hearing the Noble Consort’s call, turned back with a warm smile. The black horse beneath her shook its head, mane flaring, exhaling in impatience.

Yun Shao smiled, signaled the start of the competition, and Wei Ying and the Noble Consort shot forward like arrows, racing across the hunting grounds.

The Prince of Luling was shocked by their speed. The emperor, still behind, sneered coldly: “Your Majesty, you can’t let women take the lead!”

Unexpectedly, the emperor didn’t get angry, instead showing a strange smile.

Yun Shao’s lips curved, her thumb rubbing against her forefinger, cheeks flushed slightly. She said, “Why not?”

The Prince of Luling: ???

He thought to himself: This imperial brother is too irresponsible, always wanting women to be on top.

In the hunting grounds, the two girls’ arrows struck prey like falling stars. Wei Ying hit a fleeing rabbit, glancing at the Noble Consort, who had already captured a number of animals.

The Noble Consort was right—the prey in the hunting grounds had been released in advance, with no claws or teeth, only frantic escape.

It was meaningless.

Her eyes drifted to a figure—turning slightly, she saw the Prince of Luling spurring his horse after a deer.

Wei Ying frowned unconsciously: “Chasing the deer across the land…”

She turned and found the emperor still sitting on his horse, following her slowly.

Seeing her turn back, the emperor smiled, his eyes softening.

Wei Ying exasperated: Couldn’t he be more proactive? Back when she first encountered that tyrant who would chop off heads or cane people, where was this gentleness?

The deer, panicked, fled to the edge of the hunting grounds. Perhaps by instinct, it leapt over the wooden fence into the dense forest.

The Prince of Luling didn’t think much and spurred his horse after it.

Wei Ying, seeing this, rode to the edge of the hunting grounds, her steed pawing the ground, and easily jumped the fence into the dense forest. Pei Que thought she was going to hunt in the forest, raised his bow excitedly, and followed.

“Wei Ying, wait for me!”

Wei Ying smiled and glanced back, noticing the emperor also riding swiftly after her. Though the emperor’s riding skills were poor, the horse he rode was the fastest in the hunting grounds, leaping over fences in the blink of an eye to reach the hillside.

From above, Wei Ying looked down at him, sunlight filtering through the forest, casting dappled shadows.

She said, “Your Majesty, don’t move here. I’ll shoot the deer for you.”

With that, she turned, riding into the dense woods, taking an arrow from her quiver, aiming in the direction of the Prince of Luling.

Soon, Wei Ying saw the Prince’s figure, with the deer hiding in the shadows ahead.

She drew the bow fully, aiming at the prince’s back, lips pressed tight. Her fingers gripped the bowstring so hard the joints whitened from the force.

The palace strategist in her head noticed: “Host! What are you doing?”

Wei Ying, expressionless, pulled the bow. In her mind, the emperor’s death in the book was connected to the Prince of Luling; if not now…

An alert bell rang in her head.

The strategist shouted, “Don’t deviate from the plot!”

Wei Ying pressed her lips tighter. Suddenly, a shout behind her caught her attention. Yun Shao had followed them into the forest without her noticing.

The forest was thick, thorny. Yun Shao, poor at riding, struggled; her golden crown had been snagged by branches, her black hair fell freely, and her pale face looked helpless.

Wei Ying: “……”

Yun Shao lowered her head, tying her hair in front, “I was worried about you, Wei Ying, so I came in.”

Wei Ying sighed helplessly, glanced at the crown caught in the treetop and at the Prince of Luling running after the deer. She wasn’t too concerned and went to the emperor, helping her figure out how to retrieve the crown.

The crown bent the treetop under its weight, hanging above them.

Yun Shao tried to stretch for it, but was always just short, and since she wasn’t good at riding, any movement made the horse veer.

Finally, Wei Ying pressed the treetop with her long bow and retrieved the crown. She threw it to the emperor, saying, “Your Majesty, wear it yourself.”

At this point, if they tried again, they might still catch the deer.

Thinking this, Wei Ying glanced back, noticing the emperor pouting slightly, one hand holding the crown, the other grabbing his hair, trying to fix it neatly.

Yun Shao lifted her water-like eyes, slightly dazed, leaning against her. She thought: Being held like this, without needing to pay a dowry or reward, I’ve won big!

The emperor’s horse, the fastest one, ran through a small forest. Wei Ying reached the Prince of Luling. She scoffed, lips curling—this person actually wants to chase deer?

Wei Ying drew an arrow, then told the emperor to place his hand on the long bow and hold the string.

Yun Shao obeyed completely, stretching the bow nervously: “Wei Ying, my archery… isn’t good.”

If she missed, she feared Wei Ying might be angry.

Wei Ying smiled, holding the emperor’s hand, and together they drew the bow.

The Prince of Luling had chased the deer through the forest, several times losing direction. Near a mountain stream, he found an opportunity, drew his bow, heart racing—he could finally catch the deer!

Chasing the deer across the land.

Recalling the great undertaking he had to complete, his blood boiled with excitement.

Perhaps too excited, he barely noticed an arrow whistling past him. The deer cried once and fell by the stream.

The Prince of Luling grabbed the fallen deer, thinking, “Indeed, I am the chosen one!”

Suddenly, he realized he was still holding something—an arrow. His whole body almost split in disbelief.

The arrow was still in his hand—how did the deer fall?

Looking up, he saw Wei Ying and the emperor approaching slowly, placing the deer behind the horse.

Prince of Luling: !!!

That was his deer!

Wei Ying tilted her head, smirking slightly, then whispered to the emperor. The emperor smiled and nodded, then raised his bow.

The Prince of Luling swallowed nervously, “Y-Your Majesty, what… what do you want to do?”

The emperor smiled: “Brother, don’t be afraid. Let’s play a game. Hunting these animals is boring. How about this: you run first, I’ll count to ten, then we’ll see if I can hit you.”

The Prince broke out in cold sweat, disbelief: “Your Majesty… are you joking?”

The emperor: “Nine—”

The Prince of Luling, unwilling to gamble with his life on whether the emperor had lost his mind, hurriedly turned and ran into the forest. The emperor, however, jumped from counting “ten” straight to “Three, two, one!”

Trickster—not ten counts?

Desperately galloping through the forest, he realized he was the hunted, not the hunter.

Arrows whizzed past his crown, embedding in nearby trees, white feathers trembling. He knew they were serious; sweat hairs bristled all over him. He whipped the horse into the forest.

Wei Ying followed calmly, firing arrows that missed deliberately. Given her skill, she shouldn’t have missed so many. She realized the “plot force” was affecting it—an invisible force altering her arrows’ trajectory.

That meant she couldn’t hit him—but she could scare him!

Arrows whistled past the Prince of Luling’s head, clothes, and ears, each shot thrillingly close.

The prince had never run so desperately in his life; his heart pounded violently, blood rushing to his face, wind screaming past, breathing ragged, hands trembling on the reins.

His clothes were shredded like a beggar’s, crown pierced by an arrow, hair and garments disheveled—no resemblance to the dignified prince from moments ago.

Suddenly, his horse tripped over a dead vine, flipping backward.

In panic, he fell, rolling on the ground, watching Wei Ying and the emperor approach.

Looking up, he met the emperor’s gaze—dark, unreadable, a terrifying aura surrounding him.

Like a great villain from a storybook.

The prince’s legs weakened. In his heart, he wailed: “Mother… I want to go home!”

Wei Ying reached for an arrow from her quiver, found it empty, and thus unilaterally ended the game: “Prince, are you alright?”

The prince’s legs still trembled; no one in his position could honestly say “yes.”

Yet the girl smiled brightly, turning to the emperor: “Your Majesty, look, the prince enjoyed this game very much, so invested!”

The emperor’s icy gaze melted slightly, nodding with a smile: “Wei Ying is right.”

The prince was speechless; could anyone not get invested in this game?

Wei Ying spotted the horse the prince had abandoned, smirked, waved: “We’ll go first. You can walk back yourself, exercise your body!”

Once they were gone, the prince finally relaxed, collapsing on the ground. After a long while, he regained his senses, angrily pulling up some grass.

Oh no, these two are cruel. Being an emperor, being a consort, their hearts are all wicked!

Wait—what did that woman say? Walk back herself?

Realizing belatedly, he stood, looking around desperately, only to find his horse gone again.

His horse—gone again!

The prince held his head, wanting to leap off the mountain in despair.

From the forest came a wailing shout: “Where—my—horse?”

Wei Ying and Yun Shao exchanged a smile, riding away without a care.

The wind roared past their ears, the intense sunlight turning the forest red. They passed the stream where the deer had been shot and paused to rest.

Wei Ying felt a little thirsty. She dismounted first, picked up the water jug, bent over the clear mountain spring, filled it, took a sip, and prepared to offer it to the emperor.

The emperor’s gaze lingered on the blood-red stream, recalling how Wei Ying had grabbed his hand to hunt together, his heart tingling slightly. He lifted his water-like eyes and smiled gently at Wei Ying: “Wei Ying, weren’t you going to compete with the Noble Consort? Why delay so long? Now, surely, you won’t win.”

Wei Ying thought for a moment.

Light filtered through the forest, casting a faint golden outline on her figure. She tilted her head, the tidy high ponytail swaying elegantly, golden strands flying. The black iron water jug in her hand gleamed in the sunlight.

Yun Shao softly asked, “Why, Wei Ying?”

Wei Ying bent down, kneeling on one knee, looking up at the emperor sitting on the stone, offering the water jug: “Because you are above all, Your Majesty, and must not be bullied by others.”

Yun Shao’s eyes widened, her heart pounding wildly.

The little deer thumped wildly in her chest—harder than the day she first saw the little pear blossom.

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