From cute to empress

Chapter 302: Hunting Soul

"Your Majesty, I…I have something important to report!"

I stood up suddenly, my heartbeat accelerating. It was Zhen Youcai! I couldn't have misheard that voice!

When I opened the curtain, a tall figure stood before me against the moonlight. He was covered in dust, but the heroic spirit in his brow could not be concealed.

"You're talented!" I rushed over and threw myself into his arms, tears streaming down my face, unable to hold back any longer. "Why are you here? Your injury..."

"I'm fine." Zhen Youcai gently stroked my hair, his voice low but full of strength. "I heard that His Majesty was in danger, so I rushed here without stopping. Fortunately, I made it in time."

His embrace was as warm as ever, as if it could dispel all my fear and anxiety. I hugged him tightly, greedily breathing in his familiar scent. At this moment, I truly understood what it meant to survive a catastrophe.

We just hugged each other quietly until a cold breeze blew past, and I realized I had lost my composure. I gently pushed him away, wiped the tears from my face, and said calmly, "Come in and talk."

When Zhen Youcai walked into the tent, I noticed that he was pale, his lips were chapped, and his armor was damaged in several places. It was obviously the result of running around and not sleeping for days.

"Your injury hasn't healed yet, why did you rush here?" I held his hand with heartache, his hand was icy cold.

"I can't care about that anymore." Zhen Youcai held my hand with a firm look in his eyes, "I can't let you face danger alone."

His words were simple, yet they carried a weight of weight. I knew he was willing to sacrifice everything for me, even going so far as to disobey military orders, abandon the frontier war, and take the risk alone.

"Your Majesty, I am late and I frightened you." Zhen Youcai knelt on one knee, speaking with a self-blaming tone.

"Hurry up, there's no need to be so polite between you and me." I helped him up and gestured for him to sit next to me. "What's going on now?"

Zhen Youcai briefly briefed me on the battle situation on the border and the Black Spider Gang's movements. It turned out the Black Spider Gang's target wasn't just me, but him as well. They wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate both of us, weaken the imperial court, and seize the opportunity to cause chaos.

"I have been secretly protecting Your Majesty these days. I will deal with those assassins." A cold light flashed in Zhen Youcai's eyes, revealing his murderous intent.

At this moment, a strange noise suddenly came from outside the tent. Zhen Youcai stood up alertly and drew the sword from his waist, "There's an assassin!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a dark shadow broke through the tent and rushed towards me. Zhen Youcai was quick-witted and swift-handed, swinging his sword to block the assassin's attack, and the two of them instantly engaged in a fight.

I hid in a corner, nervously watching this life-or-death struggle. The assassin was agile and ruthless, but Zhen Youcai was no pushover either. Though wounded, he remained incredibly brave and fierce, fighting the assassin to a close draw.

During the fierce battle, Zhen Youcai slashed through the assassin's veil, revealing an ordinary face. I was startled. I've seen this face before. It's...

"Be careful!" I was about to speak out to remind him, but I saw the assassin seize Zhen Youcai's weakness and stab him in the chest with the sword.

"Youcai!" I exclaimed, but saw that Zhen Youcai was prepared. He dodged the fatal blow by turning sideways, and at the same time, he stabbed the assassin's heart with a sword in his backhand.

The assassin groaned and fell to the ground, dead.

Zhen Youcai put away his sword and walked up to me, his tone filled with fear. "Your Majesty, are you okay?"

I shook my head, still recovering from the thrill of the moment.

Zhen Youcai helped me sit down, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp, "Your Majesty, this assassin... I seem to have seen him somewhere before."

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. "I think he looks familiar too. If I remember correctly, he should be..."

"It's a guard beside Prince A!" Zhen Youcai and I said this in unison. The air in the tent seemed to freeze, and a chill ran from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.

Prince A, my uncle, has always been respectful and humble, never interfering with me or the affairs of state. Why would he send someone to assassinate me? Could he... be trying to usurp the throne?

I forced myself to calm down and think carefully about what had happened recently and Prince A's behavior, trying to find some clues.

"Your Majesty, do you remember that before we came to the hunting ground, Prince A and Marquis B tried their best to stop you from coming?" Zhen Youcai asked in a deep voice, with a wise light in his eyes.

His reminder reminded me that before I set out, Prince A and Marquis B had indeed tried to dissuade me from coming to the hunting grounds for various reasons, even saying that there were ferocious beasts lurking there and it was extremely dangerous. At the time, I simply thought they were concerned, but now I think there might be something else going on.

"You mean, they knew the assassin would come to kill me, so they..." I stood up suddenly, anger burning in my heart. "What a daring Prince A, what a daring Marquis B, how dare they be so presumptuous!"

"Your Majesty, calm down. This matter requires further consideration." Zhen Youcai held my shoulder, signaling me to remain calm. "The most important thing now is to find out what Prince A and Marquis B are planning. Are there other forces behind them?"

"You're right. We can't alert the enemy." I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. "We need to find evidence and expose their true identity."

"Your Majesty, I might be able to help." Hunter C, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.

I looked at him and asked, "What can you do?"

Hunter C walked to the tent door, looked around, and then lowered his voice and said, "I have lived in this forest for generations. I am very familiar with the terrain and know some secret passages that are not well known. If the assassin wants to leave the hunting ground, he will definitely pass through those places. I can lead the way and hunt them down."

"Okay, as you say." I made a quick decision. "Youcai, you take the others with him and make sure to capture the assassins in one fell swoop. I want to see them alive or dead!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhen Youcai took the order and left. Only I and a few guards were left in the tent.

I waited anxiously for news. As time passed, my heart became heavier and heavier.

Finally, when it was almost dawn, Zhen Youcai returned with his men, but failed to catch the assassin.

"Your Majesty, we chased the assassin to the edge of the cliff and found that he had jumped off the cliff and died." Zhen Youcai knelt on one knee and reported in a heavy tone.

My heart sank, knowing that this was Prince A and Marquis B's way of silencing me. It seemed that they were determined to kill me.

"Do they think this will cover up their crimes?" I sneered, a fierce look flashing in my eyes. "Pass the order down, seal off the entire hunting ground. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my order!"

"Yes!"

I knew in my heart that a war was inevitable. Since Prince A and Marquis B dared to attack me, they must have made thorough preparations.

Sure enough, not long after, Prince A and Marquis B led their private soldiers and surrounded my tent.

"Niu Mengmeng, you're so audacious to send people to hunt us down!" Prince Jia, riding on his tall horse, pointed at me and shouted angrily, "If you know what's good for you, surrender yourself. Otherwise, don't blame us for being rude!"

"Prince Jia, stop spitting bloody words!" I shouted angrily. "Assassinating the emperor is a capital crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your clan. Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

"Hmph, you're still stubborn even when death is imminent!" Marquis B sneered, "Brothers, come on, kill Niu Mengmeng and enthrone His Royal Highness the Prince as emperor!"

"Kill!" Marquis Yi's soldiers suddenly rushed over like a tide, surrounding me and my guards in the center.

I drew the sword from my waist and looked at the group of traitors in front of me with a firm gaze, and a surge of blood rushed to my heart.

"Protect His Majesty!" Zhen Youcai shouted, drew the sword from his waist, stood in front of me, and fought a desperate battle with the enemy who rushed up.

A great battle is about to break out. The clang of clashing blades, the roars of soldiers, the wails of the wounded, all intertwined into a chaotic war song that echoed in my ears. I gripped the hilt tightly, each swing imbued with rage and determination. I am not born brave, but to protect my people and my kingdom, I will never retreat!

"Your Majesty, be careful!" Zhen Youcai's voice, like a sharp arrow piercing the air, drew my attention back to the battlefield. Prince A, longsword in hand, charged at me with a ferocious expression, his eyes filled with greed and a desire for murder. I dodged his attack and swung my sword, aiming it squarely at his face. Prince A, clearly underestimating my swordsmanship, hurriedly raised his sword to block, but was still wounded by my sword energy, leaving a bloody mark on his face.

"Damn it!" Prince A covered his wound and roared in anger, "Go ahead, kill her!"

"Don't even think about it!" Zhen Youcai stood in front of me like a fierce tiger, engaging in a fierce battle with Prince A's soldiers. He was agile and his swordsmanship was sharp. Every move he made was precise and ruthless, and he quickly defeated the enemy.

Zhen Youcai and I stood back to back, shielding each other and working in perfect harmony against wave after wave of enemy attacks. His every breath, every movement, seemed to sync with my heartbeat, giving me strength and peace of mind.

"Niu Mengmeng, do you think you can win?" Seeing the situation was bad, Marquis B tried to attack me from behind. I was prepared and stabbed him with my sword, sneering, "How dare a clown like you try to usurp the throne?"

Marquis Yi covered his wound, his eyes filled with fear and despair. He knew that he had lost, completely lost.

In the end, Prince A and Marquis B were captured alive, and their soldiers were completely annihilated by our army. Standing on the battlefield strewn with corpses, looking at the two men bound, I felt no joy, only endless exhaustion and sadness.

After returning to the palace, I ordered a thorough investigation of the matter. All those involved in the conspiracy, regardless of their status, were severely punished. I knew that only by killing one person as a warning to the rest could we deter evildoers and maintain the dignity of imperial power.

I strengthened supervision over the royal family and the nobility, promoted a group of loyal officials, and worked hard to build a clean and honest court. I knew that only with the support of the people could my rule be stable.

"Mengmeng, you have done a great job." Late at night, Zhen Youcai came to my bedroom, looked at my tired face, and said with heartache.

I put down the memorial in my hand, rubbed my sore eyes, and forced a smile: "Youcai, this time thanks to you, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable."

"There's no need to say this between you and me." Zhen Youcai held my hand and looked at me affectionately.

I felt the warmth of his palm, and a surge of warmth welled up in my heart. After this life-or-death ordeal, I suddenly realized that my feelings for him seemed to have transcended friendship...

"It's getting late, you should go to bed early." Zhen Youcai suddenly let go of my hand, turned and walked out the door.

"Wait," I called out to him, "how about we go hunting together tomorrow?"

Zhen Youcai stopped and looked back at me, a subtle emotion flashing in his eyes: "Okay."

Early the next morning, Zhen Youcai and I rode side by side, leading a group of people to the royal hunting ground.

The winter sun shone brightly on the snow, reflecting a dazzling light. I squinted my eyes, gazing at the distant mountains and forests, and suddenly a strange sense of unease welled up in my heart...

"What's wrong?" Zhen Youcai noticed my abnormality and asked with concern.

I shook my head, suppressed the uneasiness in my heart, pointed ahead and said, "Let's go."

The sound of horse hooves stepping on the snow made a crunching sound, echoing in the silent mountain forest.

I didn't know that a bigger crisis was waiting for me ahead...