Lan Yan thus dragged Jun Ye Lan to the archery range. He truly felt Lan Yan was very different, not only not the Empress he knew, but also not like the women he knew.
"Jun Ye Lan." Lan Yan waved the bow in her hand in front of him.
Jun Ye Lan snapped back to attention, looked into Lan Yan's eyes, and said, "Stand properly first. Your stance must be stable. Concentrate your strength on your shoulders, look straight ahead, grip the arrow, and draw the bow."
Lan Yan tried her best to follow Jun Ye Lan's instructions but couldn't aim. She looked at the target in front of her, moving the bow and arrow, and felt she had aimed at the bullseye.
However, from Jun Ye Lan's perspective, Lan Yan's arrow would land above it. Seeing that Lan Yan hadn't reacted, he walked over helplessly, took Lan Yan's bow from behind, and also took her hand.
Lan Yan was startled and focused her attention.
Jun Ye Lan moved Lan Yan's bow and arrow to aim at the bullseye and shouted, "Release."
As the words fell, the arrow shot out with a swish, hitting the bullseye.
Lan Yan immediately exclaimed with joy, "I hit it!" She turned her head, but Jun Ye Lan was still beside her, her cheek pressed against his.
The warmth from his cheek was transmitted, and it grew hotter. She dared not look up and quickly took a step back, fiddling with the bow in her hand.
Jun Ye Lan had not expected Lan Yan to act so suddenly. Looking at her flushed face, she was completely different from the dissolute Empress.
A thought crossed his mind: either the rumors were false, or the person in front of him had changed her ways. But a person's nature didn't change easily unless something significant happened or someone else took their place.
Seeing Jun Ye Lan's silence, Lan Yan thought she was the one who had caused this situation. She looked up and gave an embarrassed yet polite smile, "Jun Ye Lan, that was an accident. I'll continue practicing."
She didn't hear a reply and quickly turned around, continuing to practice archery.
Jun Ye Lan's eyes darkened. Regardless of the rumors, he would focus on the person in front of him. He approached Lan Yan, grabbed her bow and arrow as before, and whispered in her ear, "Focus."
Lan Yan could hardly concentrate. Fearing the same thing as before, she tried to subtly avoid Jun Ye Lan, but Jun Ye Lan would approach again.
She even suspected Jun Ye Lan was doing it on purpose. Turning her head, she saw Jun Ye Lan's calm expression and realized she was overthinking.
At this moment, Jun Ye Lan watched Lan Yan's small movements, a hint of a smile in his eyes. The person in his embrace was just a simple woman.
Outside the archery range stood several people. The person in front was Lin Zhi. He had begged his mother for a long time before she agreed to bring him. He glanced at the Lin family woman beside him and sneered, "Look how close the Empress and Jun Ye Lan are."
"Neither you nor I have completed Mother's plan. Think about our fate."
The Lin family woman shivered, not wanting to return to her past life. "Young Master, whatever you want me to do, I will do it."
Lin Zhi smiled. "There will be many fierce beasts during the hunt, and accidents are quite normal. If Jun Ye Lan were disfigured or broke his leg, do you think he would still receive the Empress's favor?"
"If I gain favor, I will definitely help you enter court. Then you can also marry a prince like King Ting."
The Lin family woman's heart was moved, and she said, "Young Master, what should I do?"
Lin Zhi smiled triumphantly, leaned close to the Lin family woman's ear, and said, "Tonight, go to the stables, and then..."
Not far from them stood Jun Jiu. He had seen Lin Zhi before and noticed Lin Zhi staring at Jun Ye Lan with malice. He curved his lips. It seemed his elder brother was about to suffer.
He turned and left.
As night fell, Lan Yan, having practiced archery all day, could finally return to her room to rest. She stretched her neck and noticed she hadn't seen Prime Minister Lin today, but had seen Minister Jun several times.
She then asked Mei Dong.
"Empress, Prime Minister Lin was unwell and rested in his tent early in the morning. He also sent his apologies to you, stating he would not be able to accompany you on the hunt tomorrow."
Lan Yan didn't care whether Prime Minister Lin attended or not, but the hunt had been too quiet. She instructed Mei Dong, "Arrange more guards around the perimeter, and remember to protect Jun Ye Lan."
Mei Dong nodded, "Yes, Empress." She was not only Lan Yan's personal maid but also responsible for her protection and could mobilize the Imperial Guards.
"You may go," Lan Yan said, fiddling with her fingers. She wondered if they would still be able to hunt tomorrow.
Jun Ye Lan entered the tent, holding a jar of ointment. Seeing Lan Yan's distress, he knelt before her and applied the ointment to her fingers.
"After applying this, your fingers won't hurt in the morning."
Lan Yan leaned down, looking at Jun Ye Lan's trembling eyelashes and his earnest expression, unable to suppress her smile. "Jun Ye Lan, I've discovered you're a truly good person, you just don't say it."
"From now on, whether you want to say it or not, I will know."
Jun Ye Lan looked up and saw Lan Yan's radiant smile, her eyes still so bright. His heart trembled slightly. He put away the ointment, stood up, and said, "It's time to rest. We have the hunt tomorrow."
"Okay." Lan Yan consciously slept on the left side of the bed, leaving the large space on the right for Jun Ye Lan. There was only one bed in the tent.
As Jun Ye Lan lay down, he heard Lan Yan's even breathing, realizing she was truly exhausted today. Just as he was about to close his eyes, his peripheral vision caught Lan Yan kicking off the covers. He sat up helplessly and covered her.
Then he finally lay down with peace of mind and slept soundly this time.
The next morning, Lan Yan was dressed in riding attire, her long hair tied up. She chose a black horse, tested the stirrups a few times, and smoothly mounted it.
She turned to look at Jun Ye Lan beside her. He was already comfortably seated on his horse, and he smiled at her.
Jun Ye Lan did not return the smile but his expression had improved. He looked at the horse Lan Yan was riding, his eyes darkening slightly. Did Lan Yan know how to ride?
Behind them, Lin Zhi was also on horseback, with the Lin family woman leading the horse. He stared at Jun Ye Lan's horse and exchanged a look with the Lin family woman, his eyes full of smugness.
Lan Yan tightened the reins and shouted, "Let's go!" She galloped ahead into the forest.
Jun Ye Lan followed, then Lin Zhi and other ministers' families.
Lan Yan saw a rabbit pass by in the distance and quickly stopped. She picked up the bow and arrow hanging on her horse, raised it, and aimed at the rabbit.
With a swish, the arrow firmly embedded itself in the ground, and the rabbit darted to the side. Just as she looked disappointed, she suddenly heard a sound from behind, and the rabbit in front of her fell to the ground.
She turned and saw Jun Ye Lan drawing his bow, smiling, "Jun Ye Lan, you're amazing. I'll roast rabbit meat for you tonight." She dismounted and walked towards the rabbit, a smile on her lips. "Little rabbit, I'm sorry."
At this moment, Jun Ye Lan's horse suddenly went wild, and rustling sounds came from the surrounding woods. Jun Ye Lan's eyes darkened, he leaped from the horse, directly caught an arrow shot towards Lan Yan's back, and threw it forward.
The sound of someone falling came from the front, followed by a large group of men in black.