Mountains and rivers pray for peace

Chapter 31 Distress in the Forest

On October 27, the autumn sun covered the entire earth, and the entire Dongyan Ridge was coated with a layer of light gold. Occasionally, a loud cry of wild geese was heard.

Dongyanling Mountain is high and precipitous, the scenery is beautiful, and there are rare and exotic animals. It is indeed a good place for hunting. It is no wonder that this place has been designated as a royal hunting ground since the founding of the Qi Dynasty.

The periphery of Dongyan Ridge is a pine forest. The queen ordered people to set up a few sheds here for people to have a rest.This shed has everything you need, and a special cook is also arranged. Many female relatives eat some sweets and drink some wine here, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

Going further in, there is a serious hunting ground. There is a wilderness over there, where you can find a lot of foxes and rabbits. Many young masters who love to be lively will go in and have fun, thinking of hunting some game for a real treat. , if you meet a fox with good fur, you can make a cloak.

If you want to hunt some rare and exotic animals, you may have to walk along the plains to higher mountain peaks, but the deeper you go, the more danger you will encounter.Looking along the distance, there is an endless range of mountains in the field of vision. The tops of the mountains are covered with a layer of fog that does not dissipate, making it difficult to see clearly.Things that cannot be seen clearly are often scary.

Generally speaking, except for a few princes, no one would go deep into Dongyan Ridge. After all, for most people, hunting in autumn is just for fun.

By the time Huo Qi arrived at the outskirts of Dongyan Ridge, the princes had already entered the hunting ground.Bright yellow flags were planted around the pine forest outside the hunting ground, and a team of imperial guards stood by to protect the safety of the female family members.

Huo Qi didn't have many friends in the capital. At this moment, he could only rest in the shed with Ning Hui and a few ladies, make some household chores, and wait for the young masters who went hunting to hunt some game, which would also give him a full meal. .These ladies were all easy to get along with, and Huo Qi was happy to chat for a while and get some news.

A lady with a sharp chin spoke first: "We can take some time here, but I don't think things are peaceful in Dongyan Ridge."

Another lady with a round face took up the conversation: "Who said it wasn't? I came early, and I happened to meet a few princes entering the arena. They all seemed desperate."

"If there were no huge benefits, it wouldn't be worth these noble people's efforts." A lady with high cheekbones said something meaningful, pursed her lips and chuckled.

"In my opinion, the fifth prince has the greatest chance of winning. After all, your majesty taught the fifth prince how to ride and shoot!"

"I don't think the second prince is bad. I heard from my family before that the second prince is practicing on the shooting range, and his accuracy is very good."

"Why is no one betting on the Seventh Prince?" Huo Qi finally interjected.

"Seventh Prince? Although the Seventh Prince is good-looking, he is just a showman. In previous years, he only hunted rabbits and foxes while riding and shooting, but he never got any good results. What's more, this time, all the princes have put in ten percent of their efforts. "

Huo Qi knew clearly that in the eyes of most people, Shen Yuning was just an idle prince.Shen Yuning's mother and concubine have passed away long ago, and Emperor Xiaowen doesn't care much about her. He can survive in this palace that eats people without spitting out their bones. He relies on keeping a low profile and concealing his talents.As he wished, he acted extremely well and deceived everyone.

Huo Qi tentatively asked: "Listening to the ladies, this East Yanling seems to be very dangerous?"

"It's not dangerous at all. Each of His Highnesses brought a group of Imperial Guards in, and with General Ning Yuan on command, it was more than enough to deal with some ordinary beasts. But... I couldn't hold it back, and they all rushed to hunt the black beast. Lion, what's the conflict?" Mrs. Pointy Chin smiled mysteriously.

Huo Qi probed: "Since they are all Imperial Guards, even if there is some conflict between the princes, it will not be a big deal. Is there anyone else inside?"

The lady with the pointed chin was slightly stunned and winked: "Young lady, what you said is on point."

Huo Qi asked: "Is there really someone else?"

But the lady with the pointed chin just smiled, but refused to say anything more.

For some reason, Huo Qi always felt that something big would happen today.There were some things in these ladies' words, Shen Yuning's reminder and the note from last night, all made her panic.But she couldn't do anything, she could only sit in the shed in a daze.

In the blink of an eye, the sun has slowly set, and a trace of residual blood stretches across the sky, making the pine forest look dyed.

Many young masters have come back, and many of them have abundant prey. They took out some rabbits and deer and asked the guards next to them to help them barbecue.

The guard was also a veteran, he tore and peeled the rabbits and skewered them on the branches for roasting. The sound of oily oil could be heard endlessly, and after a while, the smell of meat came out.Many of the female relatives started to feast, but Huo Qi didn't have any appetite.

Logically speaking, in a short time, the entire Dongyan Ridge would be plunged into darkness. For the sake of safety, everyone should pull it out at the time of You, but now it seems that the few princes and Cui Xin in the palace have not been seen.

Looking at Shen Yuning's appearance yesterday, he should be on the same side as Cui Xin. Could it be that Cui Xin was involved in the prince's fight, what happened?

Huo Qi's heart sank slightly. When Ning Hui wasn't paying attention, he walked towards Dongyan Ridge to see if there was any news from the front.

Suddenly, Huo Qi's eyes went dark, and she only felt a big hand behind her cover her mouth severely, and then, the other hand slashed her neck hard with a knife, and immediately, she lost consciousness.

When Huo Qi woke up again, she was already in a dark cave.

Gradually regaining consciousness, Huo Qi glanced around, seeing how bright the outside was, it should have been about an hour since she was tied up.A man stood with his back facing him, as if he was waiting for her to wake up.

The pain in her neck forced her to look away and look down. Fortunately, her limbs were not tied up and she could still move freely.However, she didn't think that the other party was out of kindness to not tie her up, it was just that he didn't take her, a so-called weak woman, seriously and didn't bother to tie her up.

The man seemed to have noticed that she was awake, and slowly walked towards Huo Qi. His footsteps were extremely heavy, and his back was slanted on the mountain wall, making his aura even more terrifying.

Huo Qi stared coldly at the man in front of her. He was someone she didn't recognize.This man is tall and thin, with a scar on his face. He is wearing a short black coat and wide-waisted trousers. The fabric is made of ordinary servants' burlap, which has long been worn away from its original appearance.However, the workmanship of a pair of boots is somewhat exquisite, and they must be from a servant of some rank in some house.

The little guy sized up Huo Qi, slightly startled.

Ordinary little girls would either be so frightened that they would cry or curse.But the girl in front of him was calm and composed, and even dared to look back at him.

He put all his eyes on him, put on a frightening look on purpose, squinted his eyes and said, "Aren't you afraid that I'll kill you?"

"If your Excellency wants to kill me, you can kill me just now, why wait for me to wake up?" Huo Qi asked back, not frightened.

The boy smiled and said, "The eldest lady of the Huo family is really brave."

"Let's be honest, why did you tie me up?" Huo Qi said coldly.

This person could call out her identity just by opening his mouth, which proved that he was neither seeking money nor sex. This night must have been a purposeful kidnapping.Compared with ordinary desperadoes, it is much easier to deal with such people.

"The girl is a cheerful person, so I won't give in. The seal of the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion is in the girl's hand, right?"

Huo Qi was a little surprised. She originally thought that Yuan Shao had tied her up to vent his anger, but she didn't expect that the person in front of her was actually here for the seal of Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion?It seems like this thing is really a hot potato.But this boy obviously didn't know that the seal had already been in Shen Yuning's hands.While rejoicing, Huo Qi also began to secretly figure out the identity of the visitor.

Huo Qi rolled his eyes: "If you want the seal of Zhenyuan Marquis' Mansion, you can go to Zhenyuan Marquis to get it. What if you tie me up? Is my surname Yuan?"

It was a reckless act.

"Young lady doesn't need to pretend to be stupid with you. You're the one who hurts the girl herself." As he spoke, the servant took out a dagger from his sleeve and stood it on Huo Qi's neck. On the hot skin, Huo Qi couldn't help but get goose bumps.

It seems that the boy has some information, and pretending to be stupid will not work. After determining this condition, Huo Qi put his hands on the straw, moved his neck back an inch, slightly away from the dagger, and said with a smooth tongue: "If you have something to say, you have something to say. Easy to say. When you said that, I suddenly remembered it again, as if I had seen such a thing before. "

The boy was a little dumbfounded. He had heard that the eldest daughter of the Huo family was a well-mannered woman from an aristocratic family, but this girl in front of her was so cunning that even the rogues in the market had to admire her. The information seemed wrong?
He was a little displeased, and sent the dagger forward three points, and grabbed Huo Qi's neck: "Girl, don't play tricks with me, hand over the things honestly, and there is still a way to survive. If you don't hand over, this Longyang Peak will be killed." It's the girl's grave."

Huo Qi's eyes turned dark.

This place turned out to be Longyang Peak?

Thinking about it, if he really killed her and threw her into the woods to feed the wolves, she would be unaware of it.When the incident was revealed, it was revealed that she had entered Dongyan Ridge without overestimating her abilities.

However, Longyang Peak has penetrated deep into the hinterland of Dongyan Ridge. Even if she can escape, it may not be easy to find her way back.

"Why do you expect me to believe that handing over the seal will give me a way to survive?" Huo Qi glanced sideways, "There are many things in the book about killing people and silencing them. If I hand over this seal, I really have no chance of survival, right?"

"You!" The boy choked, and his eyes suddenly turned cold. "It seems that the girl is not very knowledgeable, so I can only send the girl to see the King of Hell." A sharp look flashed in the boy's eyes, and he raised the dagger in his hand, as if He was about to stab Huo Qi in the heart.

"Hey! Why are you serious!" Huo Qi exclaimed and hugged the boy's arm, "Don't worry, I didn't say no! If you really kill me in a rage, how can you fight with me? Master tell me?"

Perhaps it was Huo Qi's words that woke him up. The boy came back to his senses, retracted his hand movements, and looked at Huo Qi suspiciously, as if he was judging whether her words were true or false.

The girl in front of me started talking to herself again: "You also know that this seal is a treasure, and I can't carry it with me. Now that you have tied me here, how can I give it to you?"

"Girl, you can tell me the whereabouts of the seal. If you get the seal, I will naturally let you go," the boy said.

Huo Qi saw that this young man was not indifferent, so he started to make nonsense again: "I gave this seal to Hongtong Cabinet."

"Hongtong Cabinet?" The boy's pupils narrowed.

"It's Hongtong Cabinet. As you know, people who go to Hongtong Cabinet are either rich or noble. If you want to enter the private cabinet, you have to be a high-ranking member of the court and a member of the royal family. I will deposit the seal in Hongtong When passing through the cabinet workshop, a private cabinet was purposely stored, and the secrecy is extremely strong, and it needs a unique letter to take it out." Huo Qi said that there was something serious about it.

"Oh, by the way, if your Excellency takes it by force, it is absolutely impossible. The shopkeeper of Hongtong Cabinet Shop has hands and eyes all over the sky, and the forces behind him are deeply intertwined. Even the prince would not dare to make trouble easily." She continued. Replenish.

"What is the girl's letter? Hand it over." The boy said.

Huo Qifeng raised his eyes slightly.

This boy actually asked her to rely on her trustworthiness, regardless of her status threshold.From this point of view, his master is probably a high-ranking official in the court and a member of the royal family. There are only a few people in this range.It seems that the Daqi Dynasty situation is really in troubled waters, and many people are eyeing the fat piece of Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion.

Huo Qi cheated again: "Your master is a certain prince in the court."

(End of this chapter)