northernbook Chapter 153 The Useless Prince's Power Seizure (31)
Chapter 153 The Useless Prince's Power Seizure (31)
When Jingli woke up the next day, she seemed to feel that she was a little different from usual.
He lowered his head, his expression more one of surprise than shyness.
[Keiri: Mommy! I think I'm... having a reaction!]
When 6058, who was far away in the palace, heard Jingli's call, he thought something terrible had happened. After hearing the second half of the sentence and scanning Jingli's physical condition, he was both amused and exasperated.
Indeed, this is the first time Jingli has personally experienced growing up, no wonder he is so surprised.
Just like when he first went to the first world, he would fold and twist his body like a toy.
The past world is always covered in dust, and the little one has grown up, but is still the same little one.
6058 felt it was necessary to cultivate Jingli's awareness in this regard, so that he wouldn't be so unguarded with everyone in the future.
[6058: Are you dreaming?]
Jingli nodded obediently: "I dreamt of Yu An last night."
6058 thought to himself: I knew it!
[6058: Today's reaction was still mild. Come to think of it, you're probably around that age now.]
Next, 6058 gave Jingli a brief explanation of boys' physiological reactions, which Jingli listened to attentively.
[Keiri: So, does that mean I'm fully grown up in this world now?]
6058 facepalms: [It's just that the reproductive organs are mature; it can't be considered fully grown yet.]
Jingli seemed to understand but not quite.
After the two finished talking, Jingli's reaction subsided. Just then, Jingjing came to call him, so Jingli changed his clothes and went with Langyue to the spring hunt's lodging.
The main contenders for this spring hunt were the princes, each wearing a different colored headband and a corresponding colored ribbon wrapped around their arm. The young military officers or their sons, who were also participating in the hunt, each received a colored ribbon to tie around their arm and formed teams with the princes.
Of course, this squad is basically the same as the previous dynasty's squad.
For example, Yuan Lanying was in Jingli's group, as well as the sons of several ministers who were optimistic about Jingli, even though Jingli didn't know them.
In addition to those participating in the spring hunt, guards were also stationed in the designated areas to ensure safety during the hunt.
As for someone as lazy as the emperor, he would stay on the mountainside with his concubines, enjoying the flowing water, the sounds of music, and the peaceful atmosphere of singing and dancing. If this scene had truly occurred during a prosperous era, even the locals would have sighed at the exquisite ambiance.
Five groups of people, led by the prince, lined up in preparation.
The people present were all young people, with upright postures and handsome appearances, pleasing to the eye at first glance.
Jingli, standing beside the pure white snow, wore a flamboyant bright red headband that shone brightly in the sunlight.
With the added effect of being "harmless," he resembled an auspicious doll encased in golden silk, even prompting the eldest prince's mother, Consort Shuoyue, to exclaim in admiration:
"Even if Li'er only hunted one rabbit, I would still praise him highly for his appearance."
This statement has a slightly sarcastic tone, since everyone present knows that the Third Prince is used to being carefree. Today, he was assigned to a group and allowed to hunt on his own. Who knows if he can even catch a rabbit?
To everyone's surprise, the emperor agreed with her words and turned to Langyue, saying, "If Li'er can hunt something today, I will give him that red jade koi."
Although there was bias in his words, there was also a sense of belittling Jingli.
The Moon Goddess's expression changed constantly, but in the end she raised her eyes and looked at the Moon.
Langyue replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "On behalf of Li'er, I thank Your Majesty for your kindness. Li'er will do her utmost this time."
The emperor nodded, though it was unclear whether he was truly satisfied.
On Jingli's side, some unexpected things happened.
There are many animals in the mountains during the spring hunt, some of which are released and others that originally live in the mountains. Hunters have to make different strategies for different situations. They have to hunt the prey while ensuring that they and their team members are not injured. This is what Jingli understands as the fun of the spring hunt.
But this spring hunt was different from what Jingli had imagined.
Just before the hunt, Jingli learned that their prey this time included not only animals from the mountains, but also—people.
Hundreds of emaciated people were brought before the crowd, their legs tied. Each of them had a colored patch on their forehead corresponding to the prince's headband, the meaning of which was self-evident.
"The final result of this spring hunt consists of two parts. The hunted prey will earn you lottery tickets based on the difficulty of the hunt. In addition, each half-beast here represents one of your initial lottery tickets. Hunting another person's half-beast will earn you one lottery ticket, while hunting your own half-beast will not earn you any points, but will cost you one lottery ticket."
To put it simply, this competition uses a points system. Each person starts with close to 100 points. Hunting animals earns points, and killing people of the corresponding color from other groups earns points in return. However, killing someone of your own color results in no points being awarded and points being deducted.
The former was alright, but the latter sent a chill down Jingli's spine.
Whether it was the eunuch in charge referring to these people as "half-beasts," or the presence of elderly people and children among those about to be hunted down.
Looking at the people in the spring hunting party, among the remaining princes, apart from the younger fifth and sixth princes who looked reluctant, the eldest and second princes were only slightly stunned before accepting the rule.
Those born outside the palace need not be surprised, and even Yuan Lanying, who often accompanies Jingli, seems unfazed.
Seeing Jingli's strange expression, Yuan Lanying leaned closer to Jingli and briefly explained the situation.
"Your Highness need not feel pity. Some of these people are serious criminals. As half-animals, their sentences can be reduced."
During the spring hunt, any animal that was hit by an arrow was eliminated. Although there was a certain risk to its life, the chance of survival was still greater than beheading or exile.
“What about the elderly and children…”
"Most of them were sold into the country by their families to improve their lives because their families couldn't afford to raise them. If they died during the spring hunt, at least someone would collect their bodies. If they were injured, someone would help them. For those children, as long as they could survive the spring hunt, they might even be able to find a place to eat in the palace or in the homes of nobles. For them, it wasn't a bad thing."
From this perspective, that is indeed the case.
But Jingli did not agree.
First, let's talk about serious offenders. In this absurd world, are those "serious offenders" really heinous criminals? Or is it just a means for a pseudo-world consciousness to use the power of royalty to purge those who are unruly?
Then there are the elderly and children who were sold into the palace. People inside the palace live such a life of luxury, while those outside the palace have to risk their lives for a chance to enter.
This may seem like a "good thing," but isn't it also a tragedy of the world?
The moment the ropes were untied, the people known as "half-beasts" scattered and fled. Palace servants and guards kept reminding them that there was still an incense stick's time before the hunt began.
Outside the mountains and forests, nobles await to hunt them; inside, carnivores lurk, ready to pounce.
From Jingli's perspective, this running for the entire duration of an incense stick's burning time was as futile as ants trying to escape a flood.
"Under no circumstances should our group actively hunt other... half-beasts."
Jingli found it difficult to utter those two words and looked towards the group behind her.
"If anyone tries to hunt down our group, we should find a way to stop them."
·
【small theater】
Little Fish: I've grown up!
Yu Yuanyuan: Oh? (Just asking)
6058 (deciphering a 10,000-word erotic novel version) (covering Xiaoyu's ears) (pulling Mr. Lu over and covering Xiaoyu's eyes): Get away from me, you pervert!
Yu Yuanyuan: Huh?