Her Majesty Chose Violence, They Chose Her

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Bamboozled by the Little Emperor

Xiao Lv was busy all morning, and he had just gotten home when he heard the Little Emperor had arrived.

"Where is Your Majesty?"

The butler replied, "He’s in the backyard with the Prince, sawing wood."

Huh?

’What is the Little Emperor up to now?’

Xiao Lv went to the backyard and searched for a while before finding the two of them in a pavilion.

"Like this here... this part needs to be thinner... and drill a hole here..."

The Little Emperor was squatting to one side, pointing things out, while his father had his sleeves rolled up, grunting and panting away at his carpentry work.

Xiao Lv was speechless.

Though he pitied his own father, he had no desire to get roped into manual labor, so he pretended he’d never seen them and quietly slipped away.

Besides, his father looked like he was having the time of his life. He wouldn’t want to interrupt.

When the Little Emperor first came looking for him, Prince Jing had been reluctant. But then the Little Emperor produced a blueprint, showered him with praise, and said that only a great master like him, with his deep knowledge of the Mo Family’s Mechanical Techniques, could possibly help her.

’Who else could it be but him?’

Prince Jing swallowed the flattery hook, line, and sinker. Before he knew it, he’d been roped into being a carpenter, and was later even forced to act as a blacksmith.

It was a good thing he loved tinkering with such things and had a fully equipped workshop at home; otherwise, he really wouldn’t have been able to help her.

With eyes full of admiration, the Little Emperor said, "Uncle, you’re incredible! You can do anything. You’re even more capable than my Imperial Father!"

"You shouldn’t be at the Ministry of Revenue, Uncle. You should be at the Ministry of Industry, using your creative genius to become a divine craftsman for the ages!"

It was all Prince Jing could do to keep from grinning from ear to ear. At that moment, he was far too giddy to consider whether the Emperor had ulterior motives. His head was spinning, and he felt like he was walking on air.

’Yes, this nephew of mine is not only handsome, but also knows just what to say.’

After that, he went back to planing the wood with renewed vigor.

The two of them tinkered away until nightfall. When Xiao Lv returned home once more and saw the imperial carriage still at the gate, he could hardly believe it.

"Your Majesty is still here?"

The gatekeeper was about to answer, but then he looked up. "Preparing to leave now."

Xiao Lv looked over and saw his father and the Emperor walking shoulder to shoulder. The Little Emperor was holding a bizarrely shaped object and gesturing with it, looking extremely satisfied.

His father, meanwhile, had his chin tilted up, cutting the very figure of a proud, reserved master. With one hand clasped behind his back, he stroked the new, prickly stubble on his jaw with the other.

He was the very picture of lofty, dignified pride.

’Seriously...’ Xiao Lv thought, ’The Little Emperor has my father wrapped around his little finger.’

"Your Majesty, Father, what are you talking about?"

He walked over, his curious gaze landing on Xiao Yang’s hands. "Your Majesty, what is that?"

Xiao Yang gave a mysterious smile. "We’re going hunting tomorrow. You’ll find out then."

Prince Jing waved his hand dismissively. "It’s just a little trinket, not worth mentioning."

Xiao Lv was at a loss for words.

’These two... they’re so infuriating.’

Unsurprisingly, Xiao Lv slept poorly that night. The Emperor arrived early the next morning to fetch him, entourage in tow, that bizarre-looking object still in hand.

Xiao Yang brought the Rainbow Trio, the thirty men Li Wei had provided, and a hundred Imperial Guards, and headed straight for the hunting grounds.

The hunting grounds were in a mountain forest outside the city. Even at a full gallop, the journey took a full hour.

Fortunately, they were all young and didn’t mind a little hardship.

When they finally reached the hunting grounds, Xiao Lv couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer. "Your Majesty, can you please tell me what on earth that thing is now?"

It looked like a bow, but it was bent in the opposite direction.

The others looked over as well. The Little Emperor had been carrying that thing the entire way, and they were just as curious.

Now that they had arrived, Xiao Yang didn’t drag it out. She picked up an arrow and nocked it on the compound bow.

She drew the string to its full extent, seemingly without much effort. But the moment she let go...

WHOOSH!

The arrow tore through the air, moving too fast for the naked eye to follow.

By the time they located the arrow with their eyes, it had pierced the trunk of a tree fifty meters away. The tree was over a foot thick, yet the arrow had gone clean through.

"Wow, that’s amazing."

A group of people gathered around the tree trunk to study it. Someone even tried shooting at the same spot with their own bow at full draw.

His arrow also pierced the trunk, but it didn’t go as far through. This man was one of the army’s finest archers, and the power of his full draw was nothing to scoff at. The Emperor, by contrast, looked slender and slight; there was no way his physical strength could compare.

The difference had to be that strange bow in the Emperor’s hands.

Xiao Yang held the bow up triumphantly. "Incredible, isn’t it? Prince Jing developed it just for Us. It’s one of a kind, you know."

"I’ve long heard that Prince Jing enjoys studying the Mo Family’s Mechanical Techniques. He truly is amazing."

"Prince Jing’s skill is insane! If this technology were applied to the military, wouldn’t our combat effectiveness multiply?"

"It would be a true shame for the Prince’s talent to go to waste."

Xiao Lv was speechless.

’It’s over,’ he thought. ’The Little Emperor has my father completely in his grasp.’

He could already picture his father’s reaction when he heard about this. The man’s ego would be so inflated he’d probably float away.

Dozens of curious, expectant eyes were fixed on the compound bow in the Little Emperor’s hands. Everyone was itching to give it a try.

But the Little Emperor was being stingy, letting them look but not touch.

"You can all hold a contest," she announced. "Whoever bags the most game, We will allow them to try this bow."

Everyone immediately cheered, "Long live Your Majesty!"

The crowd charged into the forest, splitting into three parties. They kept a slight distance from one another but didn’t stray too far from the Emperor, allowing them to both watch each other’s backs and help drive game towards the center.

Xiao Yang took the lead, charging into the forest first. It wasn’t long before she spotted a rabbit and took it down with a single, decisive arrow.

"Amazing, Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty is magnificent!"

A moment like this called for a bit of hype. The praise was a little stiff, but it set the mood.

"Onward!"

Xiao Yang cut a path through the forest, bagging one creature after another. Her eyes shone, and she radiated a spirited, youthful energy.

Anyone who looked her way was captivated. A youth of such androgynous beauty, clad in fine clothes astride a spirited horse, flamboyant and untamed—it was a truly stunning picture.

Xiao Lv didn’t draw his bow. Instead, he remained glued to Xiao Yang’s side, subtly blocking any prying gazes.

Weaving through the forest on horseback, they were occasionally hit by branches, but the thrill of the chase made one ignore such small difficulties. The satisfaction of a successful hunt was the best medicine for pain and fatigue.

Xiao Yang had gone hunting with friends a few times in her past life, but there were protected species everywhere, which severely limited what you could hunt. You could go abroad, but even that came with a host of restrictions.

All in all, opportunities to truly let loose were rare.

"A fox!"

Someone cried out, pointing to a patch of grass not far off. "Your Majesty, a fire-red fox!"

Xiao Yang immediately rode over, took aim, and let an arrow fly.

The arrow missed the fox, but it was as if she had kicked a hornet’s nest. A horde of men in black suddenly burst from the tall grass, leaping into the air.

"FUCK!"

Xiao Yang’s eyes widened in shock.

’Where did all these people come from? I didn’t see a single trace of them! Have they been hiding in the ground this whole time? Are they Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or something?’

"Protect the Emperor!"

’This is no time to run. Turning your back on an enemy like this is a death sentence.’

The assassins were lightning-fast. In the blink of an eye, the two sides were locked in combat.

The air filled with the glint of steel as branches and grass were sent flying in the chaotic melee.