Although Prince Zhongxin's build had long since made him utterly unsuited to riding or hunting, his residence still kept several fine hunting hounds.
Such was the way of princes and nobles: whether they had any use for something was one matter, but if others had it, they had to have it too—and theirs had to be better and more exquisite.
Naturally, the hunting hounds that appeared before Sun Shaozong were all tall at the shoulder, broad-chested, narrow-waisted, and long-limbed.
Not only were their fangs snowy white, even their tongues were considerably larger than those of ordinary village dogs.
That last point was not to be underestimated. Dogs relied on their tongues to shed heat; the larger the tongue's surface area, the faster they could cool down. In a hunt, that meant greater endurance.
Sun Shaozong watched with considerable envy, wondering whether he ought to raise a few himself. With Zuo Qiangcang on the left, You Qianhuang on the right, wives and concubines at his side, children around his knees—would that not be splendid?
But thinking of his own children, who had grown wild and unruly, Sun Shaozong quickly abandoned the idea—there were not even any problematic vaccines to speak of these days.
"Lord Sun."
At that moment, Hu Tai whispered briefly with the skinny steward, then approached with an odd expression. "The Princess Consort has just sent word. If Lord Sun requires it, Her Highness can bring Consort Wu and Lady Liu over to answer your questions."
This was becoming increasingly strange.
What medicine was Princess Consort Niu selling from her gourd?
The area around the study was guarded by Dali Temple men. Surely she did not think a few frail women could kill him?
Sun Shaozong had originally intended to avoid Princess Consort Niu as much as possible, but