Old Mrs. Wang was already advanced in years; any broken limbs or fractured bones would have been enough to kill her.
Besides, it was true that although she had treated Wang Qingyao poorly, observing her entire growth process with indifference, she had not, like Wang Qinglin and Madam Bai, plotted to harm Wang Qingyao.
Though she might be about to do so.
Let's wait until she actually does it. Wang Qingyao was willing to give the elderly a chance.
The next day, the grand hunt officially began. The Emperor ordered the Second Prince, Prince Qi, Prince Wu, and Little Seven to participate. With several princes taking part, everyone else naturally followed suit. The sons and daughters of royal princes,郡王府, and official noble families, aged sixteen and above, all joined in. Some young ladies and wives who were skilled in archery and horsemanship also participated.
Wang Qingyao was eager to join, but unfortunately, she knew nothing about riding or archery.
She could only accompany Consort Wei and watch.
The ladies followed behind Consort Wei, forming a long line. Those at the very end could barely be seen.
Consort Wei, of course, paid no mind to such matters. Wang Qingyao glanced around. This time, the female relatives of officials of the third rank and above were accompanying them. Wang Da was third rank, so her position was arranged at the very end. As the Princess of Ding'an, she sat next to Consort Wei. The distance was a little far, so Consort Wei beckoned her to come closer.
This distance was the distance of power. Even with her reliance on filial piety, Old Mrs. Wang could not secure a front-row seat.
Consort Wei was in high spirits and even offered prizes. It was said that she was also a skilled archer and horsewoman in her youth, a woman who could rival any man. The two Wei sisters, Wei Qing and Wei Yu, also knew a bit. This time, Wei Yu had also entered the competition. Wei Qing, however, was in a bad mood and sat absentmindedly beside Consort Wei.
It was likely she had been disheartened by the Second Prince again.
The female relatives of the Ban family were also present this time. The Ban family was Wei Yu's maternal family. Wei Yu and Wang Qingyao did not get along, and the Ban sisters also looked at Wang Qingyao with disdain. However, Wang Qingyao was the Princess of Ding'an, and they were just a group of young ladies without rank. Even their disdain could not be too obvious.
They still had to pay their respects!
Wang Qingyao naturally disdained to bicker with them.
Consort Wei indeed pulled Wang Qingyao aside to chat, asking about her recent illness.
"I have fully recovered, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."
Consort Wei smiled and said, "You have truly devoted yourself to the Xiao family. If Prince Ding'an dares to bully you, come and tell me, and I will scold him for you!"
Wang Qingyao giggled and feigned shyness, "He would never bully me!"
Consort Wei laughed heartily. Seeing her happy, the Emperor's gaze towards Wang Qingyao became much more favorable.
Occasionally, soldiers on horseback would ride up to report who had hunted what.
With the princes participating, no one dared to compete with them. The reports were mostly dominated by the princes, with only occasional mentions of Prince Ding'an and others.
Among them, the Second Prince and Prince Qi hunted the most. Prince Qi also hunted more ferocious beasts. Prince Wu and the Seventh Prince hunted small rabbits and pheasants. One small rabbit was injured, and the Seventh Prince, unable to bear it, let it go.
The reporting soldiers were also quite amusing, describing everything so vividly that everyone burst into laughter.
The Emperor rewarded them several times.
Wang Qingyao's heart itched, and she really wanted to use her clairvoyant eyes to watch the live broadcast.
However, she still remembered the incident at Prince Wu's manor where she had suffered from qi and blood depletion from using her clairvoyant eyes at a distance to observe Mu Jin County Princess.
Saving someone was a last resort; playing around was out of the question. She would have to lie in bed for several days afterward, which was not worth it.
On the first day of the hunt, Prince Qi took the lead, winning Consort Wei's prize. However, the Second Prince hunted a live deer and presented it to the Emperor, who was greatly pleased and praised and rewarded him again.
Xiao Yun caught a snow-white rabbit, which was lively and hopping. He even had someone weave a cage for it, and the rabbit was kept inside with some dry grass.
He presented it to Wang Qingyao like a treasure, "For you."
This drew a wave of envy from several young ladies, who wanted to get closer to the little rabbit but were hesitant.
Wang Qingyao took it and examined it closely. "Oh, it's quite plump. Here, hold it for me, Zhenzhu. Can you kill a rabbit? We'll have roasted rabbit tonight. It's a shame I don't know how to make spicy rabbit heads..." As she spoke, she recalled the spicy, fragrant, and endlessly flavorful spicy rabbit heads from modern-day food stalls, licked her lips, and sighed, "I haven't had spicy rabbit heads in so long..."
The field instantly fell silent.
Several young ladies and wives who were nearby quietly distanced themselves from her.
Eating a rabbit was one thing, but eating its head...
The Ban sisters' faces showed expressions of disgust and revulsion.
Zhenzhu: "..."
Xiao Yun: "..."
Wei Qing glanced at her but said nothing.
Wei Yu, dressed in a bright red riding outfit, showed a look of pity on her face, "The bunnies are so cute, how can you eat them?"
The Ban sisters chimed in repeatedly.
"Exactly, it's too cruel."
"I never eat rabbit."
"Me neither."
Wang Qingyao suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and said to Wei Yu, "When you were hunting, why didn't you think that the bunnies were cute, the pheasants were cute, and the deer were cute?"
"And you," she pointed to the group of girls who were echoing Wei Yu, "Don't you eat chicken, duck, beef, lamb, and fish? Aren't they cute too? You all eat meat quite happily, don't you? What are you pretending to be bodhisattvas for!"