Chapter 527. Accompanying on the Hunt (2/2)
Little Black and Little White had also been given permission to go to the Autumn Hunt. However, in order to not startle any of the horses on the journey there, the two of them could only follow the procession from far behind. When they got to the grasslands, they were like fish in the water and ran so far that no one could see them. Occasionally, they would remember their master and bring some game back and leave it in front of the temporary imperial residence. The patrolling bodyguards benefited from their gifts.
Zhu Junfan also voiced his agreement, “That’s right ah! Beloved Official Yu seems to like to hide her hunting dogs from the rest of us. If you don’t take them out now to play, when will you? Anything a hunting dog catches is also counted under the master’s game count. Don’t you want to place highly?”
Get first to third place? Was it really alright for someone who couldn't even bend a bow to get in the first three rankings? Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes inwardly but turned to face the prairie and raised her voice to yell, “Little Black, Little White, come here——”
Zhu Hanwen was currently sitting on his pony and stood up in his stirrups to look afar. His childish face, which still had some baby fat on it, was lit up in anticipation. However, after waiting for a bit, he noticed that there weren’t any signs of movement in the grass and the little fellow became a bit dispirited. He mumbled quietly, “Official Yu, was the sound of your voice too soft such that Little Black and Little White couldn’t hear you? How about you raise your voice a bit louder and yell for them…”
Before he could finish his thought, the little pony beneath him became uneasy and started stomping its hooves restlessly, turning around and around. If it wasn’t for the young eunuch holding tightly onto the reins, the pony might have already started running off uncontrollably. Just like this, there were a couple of times that the prince had almost fallen off the pony. When Zhu Junyang saw this, he hurriedly bent over and pulled the eldest imperial prince onto his horse to sit steadily.
The other horses in the vicinity also became restless. Fortunately, the horses that the imperial family rode were all carefully picked out and meticulously trained. Thus, people were able to calm them down and restrain them easily.
At this time, in the distant thickets, a black and white small dot appeared and speedily headed towards their directions. The small dots became larger and larger. In the blink of an eye, the eldest imperial prince could make out the full figures of those small dots. The black and white colored figures looked like very big and fierce dogs.
Within the span of a couple of breaths, the two massive hunting dogs stopped not far from the group of people. They did so because their master had told them that not every human would be able to tolerate them and treat them with friendliness, so they needed to keep their distance from people they didn’t know.
Little Red, who had already become a bit impatient, trotted forward when it saw the two wolves without even waiting for its master for an order. It reared up slightly to warmly greet the two wolves. Little White was its usual cold and arrogant self. Little Black, on the other hand, warmly licked Little Red’s hooves to send a greeting back.
Two pairs of shining blue eyes regarded their master with excitement and intimacy. Xiaocao dismounted from her horse and hugged a furry wolf neck with each arm. Her small hands caressed their heads, mussing up their fur. The two of them clearly enjoyed their master’s pets and closed their eyes in joy and their mouths opened in what looked like a smile.
“Wow! Official Yu, your dogs are so big and so majestic looking ah!” Zhu Hanwen had somehow appeared next to her and had stopped when he was about three steps away. The prince knew that most strong and fierce hunting dogs had some wildness inside. Other than their own masters, they very rarely allowed strangers to get close to them.
“Imperial Majesty! Those two are clearly...will the eldest imperial prince be in any danger?” The head steward in charge of the hunting lands had come across many animals in his time. Naturally, he was able to tell the difference between wolves and dogs. Thus, he was asking this out of concern.
As the father, Zhu Junwan wasn’t the least bit worried by any of this, “No worries, Official Yu is there!”
As expected, as soon as Little White noticed the boy coming close, it became wary and wrinkled its snout to start to snarl at Zhu Hanwen. Xiaocao lightly stroked its ears and smiled, “Little White, no need to be so nervous! He’s a friend, not an enemy! Relax a bit! Look closely you two, protecting him today is also your responsibility today ah!”
Zhu Hanwen noticed that Little White’s previous snarling countenance had immediately disappeared and exclaimed in surprise, “Official Yu, Little White seems to be able to understand what you’re saying!”
Xiaocao turned her head around and beckoned towards him with a hand. The little boy scampered over and bravely attempted to stroke Little White’s soft and silky white fur. However, the arrogant wolf dodged his attempts. Xiaocao spoke to Zhu Hanwen, who had a face full of loss, “Imperial Highness, Little White is a bit bad tempered. Go pet Little Black, he’s much more gentle and amiable!”
Little Black, who had just been sold out by its master, heard its master calling its name and excitedly turned in a circle. Then it shoved its large head over to push away Little White and opened its mouth in an attempt to act cute.
Zhu Hanwen giggled in amusement when he saw the large dog, who was taller than himself, acting adorable for the sake of begging for pets and favors. This black dog’s eyes seemed to be more gentle and sweet. No wonder Official Yu said that its temperament was a lot better!
“You can reach out a hand to pet it!” Yu Xiaocao noticed that the eldest imperial prince had scooted over and had a face full of desire to pet, yet he still seemed hesitant. His large eyes were shining with longing and he somehow resembled a tiny puppy begging for a bone to chew on. He was so cute that he made a person want to pinch his chubby little cheeks. In actuality, her hand had already reached over and started to do what she thought of!
Zhu Hanwen was startled for a moment and he stared blankly at that claw that had gone back to its owner. Other than his imperial father and mother, the rest of the people around him either treated him with utmost respect or had an air of flattery around them. No one had ever been so daring to pinch his little face. He didn’t fly into fury because of this. Instead, he felt it was a bit novel and intimate. Official Yu must really like him in order to pinch his face, right?
Yu Xiaocao sheepishly looked over in the direction of the emperor and empress, praying that the two of them didn’t see her incredibly rude action earlier. When she met the emperor’s eyes, the man regarded her with a faint smile on his face and he turned around as if nothing had happened. Everything was just an illusion, all fake and a figment of your imagination…
“Eldest Imperial Prince, Little Black is very gentle. Once you become familiar with each other, you can even ride on its back. However, it’s not as steady or comfortable as riding a horse, so you need to be careful!” Yu Xiaocao’s deliberate attempt at changing the subject was successful in distracting the little fellow.