Opening a Tavern in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 235: The Hunt Ends and Returns to Camp, Various Adventures Storied

Lord Qin finally breathed a sigh of relief. As he straightened his disheveled clothes, he said with lingering fear, "Today's encounter was truly horrific. Thanks to General Cheng and the brothers for their help, otherwise I would have been tormented by this elk."

Everyone smiled at each other, then called their servants to properly handle the hard-earned prey, preparing to take it back to the camp to show off their "achievements".

At this time, the emperor arrived and frowned slightly when he saw the messy scene.

He rode on the tall imperial horse, his posture still upright and majestic. His eyes slowly swept over the crowd, finally landing on the subdued elk.

The emperor asked in a deep voice, "What's going on? Why is the hunting ground so chaotic?"

Cheng Yaojin hurried forward, knelt on one knee, and reported the entire incident in detail: "Your Majesty, initially, Lord Qin was hunting this elk, but it struggled desperately and took Lord Qin away. We heard about it and rushed to rescue it. After a chase, we finally subdued it. We disturbed Your Majesty and deserve death."

Lord Qin also hurriedly knelt beside him, bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, it is all because of my negligence that this situation has occurred. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

The emperor was silent for a moment, then looked at them and said, "Although hunting is fun, it can also be dangerous. You should be careful and avoid such mishaps again. Now that we've hunted this deer, it's a great achievement. Everyone, get up."

Upon hearing this, everyone shouted in unison: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

The emperor looked at the rather large elk on the ground, nodded slightly, and said, "Not a bad harvest, huh?"

Cheng Yaojin grinned and quickly responded, "Your Majesty is wise. Hunting this elk was indeed not easy. This is a good harvest."

Lord Qin also echoed: "It is only thanks to Your Majesty's blessing that we have been able to achieve this."

The emperor smiled faintly, glanced at everyone, and said, "In that case, let's go back. We've had a great time hunting today. I'm sure the food is ready at the camp. Let's go back and rest for a while, and then look at the prey together."

After saying that, he turned his horse and headed towards the camp.

Everyone hurried to catch up, chatting and laughing along the way about the interesting and thrilling moments of today's hunting. The sound of horse hooves echoed in the hunting ground.

The group returned to the camp in a mighty procession, and the hunting ground gradually returned to its previous tranquility.

Upon hearing that the Emperor was returning to the camp, several other princes hurried over. The eldest prince said excitedly, "Father, I've had quite a harvest today! I've hunted several plump rabbits and a sika deer. I've truly made the most of this wonderful hunting ground."

The Second Prince was not to be outdone. He patted the wild boar hanging on the side of his horse, his face full of pride: "Father, I have also hunted a wild boar. It was quite difficult to deal with at first, but it was finally defeated by my spear. Haha."

Although the Third Prince was young, he was quite clever. He held up a cage containing several golden pheasants and said crisply, "Father, I have also caught these beautiful golden pheasants. It was so much fun."

The Emperor looked at his princes, all of whom were in high spirits and had made a great harvest. He was filled with satisfaction and said with a smile, "Well, well, my princes are indeed capable. Now that you have all gained something, let's go back together. Let's go back to the tent and take stock of today's prey."

After that, everyone surrounded the emperor and walked slowly towards the tent, with laughter and joy all the way.

Cheng Wu saw her father Cheng Yaojin coming back from a distance. Surprise flashed in her bright eyes and she immediately ran towards Cheng Yaojin, shouting, "Daddy, Daddy, you're finally back!"

When she ran closer, she saw that Cheng Yaojin looked a little disheveled, his clothes were torn in several places, and there were some scratches on his face. Her little face was immediately filled with worry.

She hurriedly grabbed Cheng Yaojin's arm and asked anxiously, "Dad, what happened to you? Did you encounter any danger in the hunting ground? You scared me to death."

Cheng Yaojin laughed heartily at his daughter's nervous look, rubbed Cheng Wu's head with his hand, and said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, Wu'er. It was just a few times tormented by the prey. How could your father be easily hurt? Look, he even brought back a big one. It's a good harvest today."

After hearing this, Cheng Wu felt relieved a little, but she still held Cheng Yaojin's arm tightly and followed him into the tent, chattering about various things in the hunting ground along the way.

Hua Da Jiao strode over. Seeing Cheng Yaojin's slightly disheveled appearance, she frowned, pointed a finger at him, and said angrily, "You're always a worry every time you go out. Look at you. You've been fighting with your prey again, haven't you? You're so old, and you're still so reckless. What if you get hurt?"

Cheng Yaojin scratched his head, grinned, revealing his large white teeth, and said flatteringly, "Madam, I'm back safely. Besides, we've had quite a good harvest today. We hunted a large elk, which took a lot of effort. I can't just watch the prey fly away when it's right in my mouth, can I?"

Hua Da Jiao glared at him, feeling both angry and amused. She turned to look at Cheng Wu and said, "Wu'er, you have to take good care of your father. Don't let him behave like this all the time. If he does this again next time, I'll really give him a good beating."

Cheng Wu covered her mouth and laughed secretly, nodding repeatedly in response: "Mom, Wu'er has taken note of this. I will definitely take good care of Daddy."

Mrs. Qin also came over. She had a graceful figure and was very elegant, but her eyes were full of concern.

Seeing that Master Qin had some scratches on his body and his clothes were a little messy, she hurried forward, reached out and gently held Master Qin's arm, and said distressedly: "Master, what happened? Why are you in such a mess? I am so worried about you."

Lord Qin looked embarrassed and hurriedly comforted her, "Don't worry, Madam. It was just an accident while hunting that elk. It tossed me around a bit, but luckily it wasn't serious. I've returned safely now."

Madam Qin frowned slightly, carefully examining the wounds on Master Qin's body, and scolded him, "Master, you must be more careful next time. Hunting is fun, but what if you get hurt?"

"I heard at home that there were many problems at the hunting grounds today. My heart has been hanging in the air for a long time. I just hope that the master can be safe and sound."

Lord Qin nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Madam. I will be more careful next time."

Mrs. Qin said: "But why would the elk fly and carry people?"