Yu Ning didn’t expect that Mrs. Huo could catch her subtle expressions and offer such thoughtful advice.

“I didn’t sleep well last night, and I felt achy all over, so I didn’t go. Mother, you don’t have to worry too much about me. Don’t worry, I’m very open-minded, I’m not that fragile.”

But her refusal to participate wasn’t a deliberate attempt to hide her abilities; she simply didn’t want to keep running into Shen Tuo.

She was afraid that too many appearances in front of him would lead him to misunderstand her intentions and bring trouble to herself and Xiao Bao.

In a moment, the sound of drums rang out, and the Emperor slowly ascended the high platform to speak to the young men of the aristocratic families below.

Yu Ning watched from afar, silently observing him.

She had come from Qingyun City to the capital, thousands of miles away, standing at the foot of the Emperor, seeing a prosperity she had never seen before, and enjoying the hard-won affection of her family.

She thought that everything she possessed now was so beautiful and precious, something worth fighting for.

Once, when she first met Shen Tuo, she was amazed. She was captivated by his unparalleled handsome face and his imposing aura, and she fell in love, unwilling to let go.

Even now, she thought this man was perfectly to her liking.

But compared to her current peaceful life, this liking could be sacrificed.

The emperor, though handsome, was best admired from afar.  She couldn’t afford to provoke him any further, not only for herself, but also for Xiao Bao.  From now on, discretion was the better part of valor.

No, she wouldn’t even look at him, she would look straight ahead.

Yu Ning made a firm decision in her heart. She swore to make Shen Tuo believe that she was now a law-abiding person, with absolutely no ambition to cling to the past, and that Xiao Bao had nothing to do with him. 

She and her daughter would stay far away from him, hoping that Shen Tuo would also let her off the hook, as if they had never met.

The sound of horns rang out, and the young men and women in riding attire mounted their horses, picked up their bows and arrows, and each of their faces was full of excitement and enthusiasm.

After the hunters rode off, the women who remained behind returned to their tents to rest. Only then did Yu Ning take Xiao Bao on a horse and slowly ride into the woods.

Yu Ning brought a bow and arrow, and a few arrows, to let Xiao Bao experience the feeling of drawing a bow and shooting an arrow.

There was no game on the edge of the woods, so the mother and daughter used tree trunks and rocks as targets, having a great time.

After playing for a while, Xiao Bao lost interest in shooting rocks. She wanted to find some rabbits and have her mother hunt them for her.

Yu Ning estimated that the people who had entered the woods to hunt had already gone far, so she rode a short distance into the woods.

“Mother, there’s a rabbit over there, look!”

“Yes, I see it.” Yu Ning drew an arrow, nocked it, and aimed at the gray rabbit hidden in the weeds.

The arrow left the bowstring, carrying a whistling wind, and flew into the weeds.

“I hit it! I hit it!” Xiao Bao exclaimed, “Wait, why is another arrow coming?”

Yu Ning looked to the left front and saw a man of about twenty years old riding towards them.

“Mother, you both hit it at the same time, so does the rabbit belong to us or to him?”

“It’s just a rabbit. Mother will get you another one.”

Yu Ning didn’t want to argue over a rabbit, so she didn’t dismount to pick up the dead rabbit, thinking she would find another one.

But the man who had shot the rabbit with her came towards them, handing her the prey.

“Madam, your prey.”

“General, you’re too kind. You hit the rabbit first, I shouldn’t take it.”

The man was surprised and asked, “Madam, why did you call me General? Do you know who I am?”

Yu Ning didn’t recognize him.

“I guessed. People who practice martial arts for years can be distinguished by their every move.”

Lu Chengxiao handed the rabbit to Yu Ning and said, “Good eyesight. My name is Lu Chengxiao. I don’t know which family this madam belongs to? You look unfamiliar. I’ve never seen you at any banquets in the capital.”

Those who could appear at the royal autumn hunt were all from prominent families in the capital, and it was impossible not to have met them at various banquets.

“I’ve only been back in the capital for a few months, so I’m naturally unfamiliar. Thank you for your generosity, General. My father is Xie Zhi’an, the Marquis of Yongning. I’m the third daughter of the family, my name is Xie Shenyue.”

Lu Chengxiao suddenly realized, “Oh, so you’re the third daughter of the Xie family who was just found a few months ago.”

He had heard that the third Miss Xie’s husband had died early, and she had only brought a young daughter home. Lu Chengxiao looked at Xiao Bao in Yu Ning’s arms and said, “This is your daughter, isn’t she? She’s quite lovely.”

“Yes, thank you, General…”

Yu Ning wanted to take Xiao Bao to another place to find another rabbit, but Lu Chengxiao kept following her, talking all the way.

Yu Ning thought Lu Chengxiao was talkative, but she didn’t dare to ask him to leave, so she could only respond perfunctorily until they met Xie Yutang and the others.

“Uncle, Xiao Bao is here.” Xiao Bao was happy to see Xie Yutang and immediately waved to him, staring at the prey hanging on his horse. “Uncle, you have so much prey, you’re so good!”

“It was just a coincidence.” Xie Yutang was humble, but the corners of his mouth were raised. “Third Sister, didn’t you say you wouldn’t come in with us? Why are you here, and with Xiao Bao?”

“Xiao Bao wanted to ride a horse, so I took her for a walk on the edge of the woods. I didn’t plan to go any further.”

Behind Xie Yutang was Xie Yuke, and two guards accompanied them.

Lu Chengxiao naturally knew Xie Yutang and Xie Yuke. After a few polite greetings, Xie Yutang invited Lu Chengxiao to hunt deeper in the woods, but Lu Chengxiao politely refused.

Xie Yuke was quick-witted. He pulled Xie Yutang’s sleeve and whispered a few words.

Then, Xie Yutang’s eyes lit up, and he walked over to talk to his niece. “Xiao Bao, do you want to hunt deer with your uncle?”