The atmosphere was slightly awkward. Tantai Yi, seemingly unbothered, spoke first, “Minister Song, do not be afraid. It is merely a bear; I can handle it with ease.”
The guard spoke in a flustered tone, “Your Majesty, please reconsider. In my humble opinion, this bear probably weighs around three hundred shi. There would never be such a large bear in the hunting grounds. It must have come down from the deep mountains. If it is hungry, it will be very difficult to deal with…”
Tantai Yi frowned, his gaze sweeping over him, and said coldly, “If you cannot handle it, surely I can?”
He was naturally arrogant and had never felt fear. Provoked by the guard’s words, his fighting spirit surged, and his eyes gleamed with eagerness. “Minister Song, would you dare come forward and take a look?”
Song Pu spoke tactfully, “Your Majesty’s martial arts are unmatched, and a mere bear is no threat. However, my presence at Your Majesty’s side may be a hindrance. I think it best to avoid a direct confrontation for now.”
Tantai Yi said unhappily, “Minister Song, do you not trust me? If I say I can handle it, I can. Even if you come along, it will not change much for me.”
He paused, then added firmly, “I said I could protect you, Minister Song, and I certainly can.”
Song Pu was touched but still did not approve of this decision. His mind raced. “…Your Majesty, to be frank, I am afraid, truly afraid. If I see a black bear, I will have nightmares. Your Majesty, shall we avoid it?”
Tantai Yi replied, “…What is there to fear in a bear? I am not afraid.”
Song Pu said, “I am afraid, Your Majesty. Let us avoid it, please?”
It was almost a plea. He believed in Tantai Yi’s skill, but a black bear capable of such a roar was a true beast. Even someone as powerful as Tantai Yi was still human. Facing a bear could result in serious injury, even if not death. In such a case, it was better to avoid trouble.
For some reason, Tantai Yi had recently found Song Pu’s tone utterly intolerable. His golden eyes sharpened, and he stared at Song Pu with mild exasperation, “Minister Song, you are soft-hearted and timid. I don’t know what to do with you!”
Song Pu, sensing some softening in his tone, smiled. “Your Majesty, let us move quickly. We can call more men to deal with it later. After all, this is the hunting grounds; for an unexpected beast to appear is the Imperial Guards’ negligence. They can drive it away to make amends rather than Your Majesty risking yourself.”
Hearing this, Tantai Yi suddenly realised that Song Pu was probably afraid he might get hurt. A faint smile played on his lips, and his eyes gleamed with pleasure. His tone softened considerably, almost sweetly, “Lord Song’s thoughtfulness is admirable.”
He paused, then continued, “I was right. Lord Song’s virtue is remarkable; she already has the bearing of an Empress. I am pleased. Therefore, I will follow your advice and temporarily avoid that nameless bear.”
Hearing this, Song Pu’s face flushed crimson. He instinctively glanced to the side, meeting Cao Xi’s surprised gaze.
The promise of the Empress’s position had always been private between the two of them, never spoken of publicly. Song Pu knew Tantai Yi had a habit of speaking without thinking and had never discussed such topics in public, subtly instilling the idea that this was a secret. Yet now, he had spoken openly in front of so many.
Song Pu hastily averted his gaze. Everything had already been said; any attempt to explain would backfire. He grew increasingly irritated.
Tantai Yi, because Song Pu sat in front of him, did not notice his expression and gave the order to temporarily avoid the area.
But before he could turn his horse, a loud cry rang out, “Tang-xiong! Tang-xiong, save me!”
Song Pu looked over and saw Tantai Yue and Tantai Qinyue galloping toward them. Behind them, the bushes rustled and fell, and a huge black bear followed closely, roaring angrily.
Song Pu’s sharp eyes noticed that Tantai Yue was carrying a small black creature under his arm. It looked exactly like… a bear cub.
He could see it, so naturally, Tantai Yi could too. Narrowing his eyes, he cursed mercilessly, “Idiot!”
A bear is not as fast as a horse, but with many obstacles in the forest and Tantai Yue in extreme panic, the black bear repeatedly closed the distance, nearly pulling him off his horse.
Seeing Tantai Yi draw his bow and ready his arrow, Song Pu quickly spoke, “Your Majesty, wait! The young master is holding a bear cub. The adult bear must be its mother. The young master took its cub first. It is innocent. Let him put the cub down; it certainly will not chase him anymore. Your Majesty, please do not kill it. Let it go!”
Tantai Yi hesitated for a moment. Then Tantai Yue’s urgent, terrified voice rang out again, “Tang-xiong! Tang-xiong! Help me! It’s going to pull me down! Tang-xiong!”
Distracted by the urgent cry, Tantai Yi’s hand loosened. The arrow shot forth with a whoosh, and seemingly casually, it precisely pierced the throat of the bear behind Tantai Yue.
The bear let out a pitiful howl, took a few steps forward, scratched its neck a few times, and collapsed, dead.
Song Pu’s eyes reddened, and he could not help but shout, “I told you not to kill it! How could you… why did you…!”
His chest heaved rapidly, lips pressed tight, and he turned away, refusing to look.
Startled by his roar, Tantai Yi’s fingers trembled. “It is right in front of me. Why can I not kill it?”
Before Song Pu could reply, Tantai Yue’s joyful voice approached, “Tang-xiong, that arrow truly saved my life. I don’t know how to thank you enough.”
Tantai Yi was not pleased. He sensed Song Pu’s anger, a strange unease and irritation rising within him. Seeing the instigator Tantai Yue, he had no patience, his words dripping with sarcasm: “I wonder how the Prince of Yong’an raised the Crown Prince. He dares cause trouble in my hunting grounds and even lead a bear toward me. If it had injured me, did he think he could get away with his life?”
The joy on Tantai Yue’s face vanished instantly. At his age, he had grown tall but not wise. He stammered, “Tang-xiong is strong. He killed this black bear with a single arrow. How could I have been harmed?”
Tantai Yi coldly retorted, “Insolent! You still dare argue? You’ve lived too long!”
Tantai Qinyue quickly dismounted and pulled Tantai Yue down as well, kneeling in apology. “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The Crown Prince did not intentionally lead the bear to you; he merely bumped into you. It is our fault for disturbing Your Majesty. We beg Your Majesty to punish us!”
Tantai Yue echoed, “We beg Your Majesty to punish us.”
Tantai Yi asked Song Pu, “Minister Song, how will you punish them?”
Song Pu still turned his head away, ignoring him.
Tantai Yi grew angry. “Minister Song! How will you punish them?!”
Song Pu muttered, “Wasn’t it Your Majesty who shot the bear?”
Tantai Yi laughed angrily. “Minister Song, if you treat me this way over this. Tell me, am I less than a wild beast?!”
Song Pu said, “I told you not to kill it. It is a mother. Anyone holding its cub would anger it; it is maternal instinct. The Crown Prince stole its cub, and Your Majesty shot it. The cub is now motherless. I told you, if you return the cub, it will not chase the Crown Prince. You did not listen and still shot it. I told you.”
Tantai Yi said, “That was also the Crown Prince’s fault. Minister Song, just tell me how you wish to punish him. Even if he is the Crown Prince of Yong’an, I will punish him.”
Song Pu remained silent.
Tantai Yi, irritated, dismounted, snatched the bear cub from Tantai Yue’s hands, and said to Song Pu on horseback, “Why worry it has no mother? I will have palace maids feed it. It will survive. Is that sufficient?”
Song Pu still refused to speak.
Tantai Yi pursed his lips. After a moment, he said coldly, “Do you truly intend to sulk over this, Minister Song?”
Song Pu replied, “Your Majesty, I am not sulking.”
Tantai Yi said, “If you are not sulking, then why will you not look at me?”
Song Pu refused to turn. He was genuinely angry now, recalling the Summer Palace incident when Tantai Yi had shot a fawn in front of him… perhaps even angrier.
Tantai Yi did not understand. Seeing Song Pu still not look, he walked around his horse and held the cub up to Song Pu. “Minister Song, I want you to look at me.”
Song Pu glanced at the small, quiet bear cub, then quickly looked away, still refusing to meet Tantai Yi’s eyes.
Even the proud Tantai Yi grew annoyed. “Since you do not want to see me, I will not see you. I will ignore you!”
He threw the bear cub down, abandoned his horse, mounted Tantai Qinyue’s horse, and, giving Song Pu one last look, flicked his whip and rode off in the direction they had come.
The guards behind him lassoed the black bear and carried it back to the hunting camp.
Cao Xi remained beside Song Pu, cautiously asking, “Lord Song, will you return?”
Song Pu glanced at Cao Xi but was preoccupied with the earlier public announcement, his mind troubled by recent events.
Meanwhile, Tantai Yue, the instigator, scoffed from the side, “What happened to tang-xiong’s temper? At least give me some face. It’s so embarrassing.”
Tantai Qinyue said, exasperated, “I told you not to provoke the bear cub, but you insisted. Now you’ve dragged me into this, you troublemaker!”
Tantai Yue said, “How can you blame me? This cub came to me on its own. Was it not fate that I was meant to take it? Who knew it had a mother?”
He then looked at Song Pu and asked curiously, “How dare you speak to tang-xiong like that? Aren’t you afraid of him?”
Song Pu ignored him, offering no glance.
Tantai Yue muttered, “He’s still ignoring me.”
Tantai Qinyue could not bear it any longer. “Let’s go. Just hope His Majesty does not complain to your father. With his temper, a beating would be the least of your worries.”
Tantai Yue shut his mouth.
Shortly after they mounted and began returning, a fine horse appeared galloping toward them, Tantai Yi atop it, his face extremely stern.
Tantai Qinyue and the others felt an oppressive aura, like a sudden storm. They instinctively held their breath. Before Tantai Yi’s horse even reached them, his harsh voice rang out, “Minister Song, give me one word. What exactly do you intend?”
