Becoming the Queen by Serving as Prime Minister | Chapter 15 | The Persian Rabbit | Novela.app

Chapter 16 - The Persian Rabbit As previously established, the Eldest Master of the Yin family was a woman who never let a slight go unavenged. Upon hearing her scandalous declaration, the young Prince Fulu, Shen Tingjiao, nearly erupted in a fit of pique. "Lingyu’s man? You mean my... my Imperial Second Brother?!" He caught the lewd, inquisitive glances of the surrounding patrons and hurriedly leaned in, hissing at Yin Zhuli in a low, frantic voice, "You scoundrel! Is that something a woman should ever say?!" Yin Zhuli remained focused on her task, meticulously brushing a layer of golden honey onto a sizzling slab of beef. After a long silence, a predatory, mocking grin spread across her lips. "I don't care if it's your second, third, fourth, or fifth brother. If you dare show even a hint of dalliance with Qu Lingyu, I will drag every last one of them out and bed them all!" "You!" Shen Tingjiao’s blood pressure spiked. Driven to a frantic rage, he jumped up and began pummeling her shoulders with his fists. Yin Zhuli sat as steady as a mountain before the roasting pit, her head bowed, allowing him to vent his frustration without moving an inch. The onlookers watched the domestic spat with pained expressions, biting their lips to keep from bursting into laughter at the sight of the mighty Prince acting like a disgruntled child. Once the feast concluded, Yin Zhuli offered the young Prince two choices to settle his mood. "Want to go fishing?" Shen Tingjiao turned his head away with a huff. "No!" Yin Zhuli began packing the tea sets with Tan Yue. "Fly a kite, then?" The Prince didn't even look back. "Hmph!" Yin Zhuli stood up and turned to her master. "Master, I shall accompany you to paint the 'Peach Blossoms Over the Water' scroll." Behind her, Shen Tingjiao finally snapped. He stood up and grabbed her sleeve, tugging her toward the exit. "Accompany this Prince to the hunting grounds at the mountain peak! My mother’s birthday is approaching, and I wish to capture a Persian Tiger to present to her as a gift." "Don't pull and tug..." Yin Zhuli allowed herself to be dragged along. Catching the mournful, longing gaze of Qu Lingyu in the distance, she couldn't resist rubbing salt into the wound. She smiled brightly and called out, "Qu Lingyu is right there. Shouldn't you spend more time with her?" Shen Tingjiao knew that gaze was fixed on him, yet he refused to look back. "She... she is my Imperial Sister-in-law now. It would be improper for her to remain in my company for too long. It would only bring her trouble." Yin Zhuli reached out and draped an arm over his slender shoulders. Noticing his thin attire against the mountain breeze, she unfastened her own outer cloak and wrapped it around him, bowing her head to carefully tie the silk laces. "Fine, then. Let’s go shoot us a Persian Tiger!" As they walked, a thought struck her. "Did you even bring a bow and arrows?" Shen Tingjiao shook his head as if the question were absurd. Yin Zhuli slapped her forehead in exasperation. "Do you expect me to wrestle a tiger with my bare hands?" The pair set off up the mountain. Meanwhile, Tang Yin and Tan Yue headed toward the stream for fishing. The Emperor, Shen Tingyao, had originally intended to paint a portrait of Qu Lingyu, but her eyes kept wandering toward the upper hunting grounds. Seeking to please his consort, the Emperor decided to follow, renting bows and horses to take her hunting as well. Shen Tingjiao’s horsemanship was mediocre at best, and worse still, he suffered from motion sickness on horseback. Consequently, he was forced to share a saddle with Yin Zhuli. The equipment at the grounds was of middling quality; Yin Zhuli selected a sturdy iron-backed bow and a quiver of feathered arrows before entering the fray. The grounds were crowded with hunters, many of whom were merely pampered sons of nobility playing dress-up. One had to be as wary of stray arrows from these fools as they were of the prey itself. Ahead of them, a young nobleman was attempting to shoot a white rabbit. He had fired ten arrows in a row, and the rabbit had seemingly learned a lesson from his incompetence: it simply sat still, realizing the man couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. It calmly continued nibbling grass while Yin Zhuli steered her horse in zig-zags to avoid the nobleman's erratic shots. By the twentieth missed arrow, Shen Tingjiao lost his patience. From his position in front of Yin Zhuli, he began to curse loudly. "You useless waste of space! How dare you come out hunting? If you miss again, I’ll have your entire clan executed!" The nobleman, already flustered, trembled at the Prince's roar. His hand shook, and his next shot went even wider. Yin Zhuli casually drew her bow. With a sharp *twang*, an arrow whistled through the air, and the rabbit collapsed instantly. She spurred the horse forward, retrieved the prize, and handed it to Shen Tingjiao to hold. The Prince looked at the fluffy creature with disdain. "I have no interest in rabbits. Let’s find the Persian Tiger!" The Persian Tiger was a ferocious beast, and since most hunters here were idle rich men, the creature was kept in a separate, fenced-off enclosure for safety. Yin Zhuli rode deeper into the woods, her arms encircling Shen Tingjiao’s waist to grip the reins. Because of his nausea, she kept the pace slow, though she managed to pick off several pheasants and wild deer along the way. As they ventured further, the prey became more dangerous, and the other hunters they encountered seemed far more skilled. Yin Zhuli popped a piece of candy into Shen Tingjiao’s mouth, telling him to keep it under his tongue to ward off the dizziness. As he sucked on the sweet, Yin Zhuli suddenly realized she had pulled from the wrong pouch—that candy was meant for 'Old Third,' her horse. Seeing the Prince already enjoying it, she nonchalantly tucked the pouch away. Her eyes swept over the surrounding men. She noticed something odd: their saddles were empty. They carried no trophies. Furthermore, their grip on their bows was seasoned, their fingers bearing the thick calluses of lifelong warriors. They handled their mounts with effortless precision. If they were here for the tiger, they were lingering on the outskirts too long, showing no intent to enter the deep woods. As the horse plodded forward, Shen Tingjiao grew restless, shifting against her. "Go in! The Persian Tiger is just inside!" Yin Zhuli’s expression suddenly darkened. "You tell me to go in and I just go? Who do you think you are?" Shen Tingjiao was bewildered. "What’s wrong with you? I didn't even do anything!" Yin Zhuli didn't argue. With a swift tug of her right arm, she hoisted him up and unceremoniously dumped him onto the ground. Without a word, she lashed her whip and galloped away into the dense forest. Left standing by the roadside, Shen Tingjiao was livid. "Yin Zhuli! You scoundrel! I’ll seize your estate! I’ll seize your neighbor’s estate! I’ll seize your neighbor’s neighbor’s estate!!" While he fumed, Yin Zhuli disappeared into the thickets. Shen Tingjiao kicked a stone in frustration, only to end up clutching his foot in pain. Down by the stream, Tang Yin and Tan Yue were interrupted by Xi Yue, the head maid of the Yin matriarch. Her expression was respectful but urgent. "Master Tang, the Old Madam says there is an emergency. She requests your immediate return." Tang Yin narrowed his eyes. "What kind of emergency?" Xi Yue bowed her head. "I do not know, but the Old Madam sounded very distressed. It must be urgent." Tang Yin studied her for a moment, then looked up toward the mountain hunting grounds. His face suddenly paled. He barked an order to Tan Yue and began sprinting up the mountain with incredible speed. Xi Yue called out after them, but she was no match for their pace. Deep within the hunting grounds, Yin Zhuli reached the iron fence that cordoned off the apex predators. Warning signs stood stark against the greenery. She knew that if an ambush was planned, this was the killing floor. The area was carved into the mountainside with cliffs on three sides and a ten-foot fence to prevent escape. On horseback, she was a target; on foot, she would be too slow to outrun the long-range arrows of her pursuers. If she knew this was a dead end, the assassins knew it too. They would be closing in. Tang Yin reached the mid-mountain path and found the fuming Shen Tingjiao. After a few quick questions, he commandeered a horse and turned to Tan Yue. "Go to the King immediately. Tell him the hunting grounds are crawling with assassins." He lied without blinking. "Tell him his location was leaked and an ambush was set. Tell him the Eldest Master has gone in to flush them out. The King must be protected!" Tan Yue, suspecting nothing, rushed to find Shen Tingyao. The Emperor, hearing of a plot against his life, was furious. Though traveling incognito, he was never without his elite guards. He immediately dispatched a troop into the hunting grounds with orders to seize every last assassin. Inside the thickets, Yin Zhuli huddled in the tall grass. An arrow was lodged in her shoulder, but the wound itself wasn't the problem. She had traded that hit to take the arm off one of her attackers. The real issue was the steel needle that had followed. The needle was coated in a numbing agent. Half her body was already dead weight. She had been forced to abandon her horse and hide. It wasn't a lethal, "blood-sealing" poison, but the point of impact was... awkward. She pulled back her collar, looking down at the skin of her chest, which was turning a bruised shade of black-blue. She couldn't help but find the irony amusing. The sound of hooves drew closer. Arrows thudded into the brush periodically. The distant roar of a tiger mingled with the shouts of men; the scent of blood had clearly drawn the beast out. As she lay there, the paralysis spread. Soon, her entire upper body was immobile. She had planned to scale the iron fence and climb down the cliffs via the trees, but a moment of carelessness had landed her in this dire strait. Just as despair began to set in, she heard the rhythmic beat of a horse's hooves. Yin Zhuli tried to shrink further into the grass, but her muscles refused to obey. From the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of green fabric—the hem of a robe. Her heart leaped. She tried to call out, but her throat felt like it was filled with hot ash. The rider galloped past her line of sight, and she cursed herself for hiding too well. Fortunately, the rider circled back moments later. Before Yin Zhuli could celebrate, her face contorted in pain—the horse had stepped squarely on her hand. Tang Yin dismounted and stood over her, his hands behind his back as he looked down. After a long silence, he spoke. "How long does the Eldest Master intend to lie there?" Yin Zhuli could only offer a wry, helpless smile. She couldn't move a single finger. Tang Yin realized something was wrong and knelt to examine her. "Poisoned?" Her neck was stiff, but her eyes remained wide and pleading. Tang Yin’s expression darkened. He checked the arrow wound on her shoulder; the blood was a healthy red. That wasn't the source. He frowned, his hand tracing a path from her neck down toward her collarbone. When he reached her chest, she blinked with great difficulty. Tang Yin glanced around. The Emperor’s guards were busy scouring the woods for assassins. He didn't hesitate. He reached out and unfastened her outer robe. Beneath it, her moon-white inner garment was already loose from her own earlier attempt to check the wound. Tang Yin’s eyes dimmed for a fleeting second. He reached out and pulled the inner silk aside, revealing the darkened skin. He didn't look at her face. Instead, he tore a strip of cloth from his own sleeve and tied it over his eyes, blindfolding himself. Only then did he lean down, pressing his lips to the wound on her chest to suck out the venom. Yin Zhuli felt a sharp, stinging sensation, followed by the warmth of his mouth. She lay there, watching him. Despite his stern, focused demeanor, a faint crimson flush had crept up his neck. The March woods were beginning to bloom with new green, and the occasional bird chirped in the canopy. Every few moments, he would turn his head to spit out the blackened blood before returning to his task, his lips stained a vivid, floral red. Once the poison was cleared, he produced a detoxification pill and fed it to her. He wrapped her robes back around her before removing the blindfold. Yin Zhuli still couldn't move, but the color was returning to her face. The hunting grounds kept physicians on hand for accidents; Tang Yin had her wounds properly dressed and, without further word, carried her to a carriage to return home. Shen Tingyao had captured several assassins, but they were mere mercenaries who didn't know their employer's identity. Tang Yin didn't care to investigate; he just wanted to get Yin Zhuli back to the "Ghost Doctor" Ke Tingfeng. Shen Tingjiao was waiting outside. Seeing her injured, he was about to offer some words of concern when Yin Zhuli beat him to it. "It seems we won't be catching a Persian Tiger today," she rasped, her voice like sandpaper but her eyes dancing with mischief. She gestured with her chin toward the rabbit in the Prince's arms. "Just give that rabbit to Consort Dowager He. Tell her it’s a... well, a Persian Rabbit! It’s the thought that counts, after all." She chuckled weakly. "Oh, and you should probably dye its left ear red and its right ear blue. She’ll believe it for sure." Shen Tingjiao stood there clutching the rabbit, staring as the carriage pulled away. It took several seconds for the realization to sink in. "Yin Zhuli! Go to hell!!" ***