The hunt

At a quarter to four in the morning, the servants of Yuning Hall were already moving along the covered walkway. Two young eunuchs crouched beside a charcoal stove, fanning the fire. A copper kettle sat on top, wisps of white steam rising from its spout.

The younger one was so sleepy that his head kept drooping, until the senior eunuch beside him gave him a light slap on the head.

"Mind what you're doing. Once the water boils, it still needs to cool. His Highness will be getting up in another hour." The young eunuch rubbed his eyes and added another piece of charcoal to the stove.

Inside the hall, the maid on night duty stirred the sinking agarwood in the incense burner and added a small spoonful of fresh incense.

Pale bluish smoke curled through the pierced lid and spread along the foot of the wall. The empress had specially sent the incense over last month, saying it was a new tribute from the south, lighter than the varieties usually used in the palace and not at all choking.

A Ping came in through the side door, already dressed, his hair neatly combed. He walked to the partition doors at the innermost end of the bedchamber and pressed his ear against one of them. There was no sound inside. He waited a little longer before gently pushing open a crack and slipping through sideways.

The curtains in the inner chamber were still drawn. Only the horn lantern in the corner, kept burning all night, shed a pool of dim yellow light. Half the bed curtains hung down; the other half was hooked onto a silver hook. The bedding was bright yellow, but there were two pillows: one of brocade, the other a somewhat worn pillow of plain cotton.

Qi Yu lay curled beneath the brocade quilt, his face buried in the cotton pillow. Only his sleep-tousled black hair showed. One foot stuck out from under the quilt, his bare ankle resting on the edge of the bed.

A Ping went over and bent down, keeping his voice very low. "Your Highness, it's time to get up. You're going to the West Mountain Hunting Grounds today. Have you forgotten?" The person beneath the quilt did not move.

A Ping waited three breaths, then leaned a little closer. "Your Highness, yesterday you told His Majesty you'd be back between three and five. If you don't get up now, it'll be nearly noon by the time we reach the hunting grounds. All the deer will have hidden in the woods."

Qi Yu rolled over and pulled the quilt farther over his head. A Ping straightened and beckoned toward the door. Two maids came quietly in, carrying everything needed for washing. The one in front, wearing a pale green sleeveless jacket, was Chun He. She had served in Yuning Hall for five years and knew the Fourth Prince's temperament best.

She set the copper basin on its stand. The water had been mixed to just the right temperature, neither hot nor cold. Then she went to the bedside and crouched down.

"Your Highness, your washing water is ready."

The quilt stirred. After a while, Qi Yu stretched both hands out and groped blindly at the air. Chun He hurriedly passed him a warm, damp cloth.

Qi Yu covered his face with it. Several breaths passed before he exhaled, took the cloth away, and opened his eyes.

"What time is it?" "Nearly five. The palace gates are already open." Qi Yu sat up, several strands of hair sticking upright, a little moisture still unwiped at the corners of his eyes.

He drew his foot back from the edge of the bed, set it on the floor, and walked barefoot to sit before the bronze mirror.

Chun He followed and picked up the comb. Qi Yu's hair was thick and black, with several knots from a night's sleep. She combed it little by little, holding the roots whenever she came to a tangle and slowly working her way down. Qi Yu kept his eyes closed, his head swaying gently with the pull of the comb.

Two young eunuchs carried in a slate-blue riding outfit, carefully unfolding it and hanging it on the clothes rack. The empress had ordered the Wardrobe Bureau to make it from cloud brocade newly presented as tribute by the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau. The collar and cuffs were edged with ermine, and a piece of exceptionally fine white jade was set into the belt.

Qi Yu opened his eyes and looked at the outfit in the mirror. "Isn't that a bit too showy? I'm not going off to get married."

"Your Highness, Her Majesty said this is a proper occasion. You won't be the only one there. Sons from several ducal and marquis households are going too. Surely you can't wear something old."

Qi Yu looked at himself in the mirror, then at the outfit, and said no more. Two maids stepped forward to help him out of his sleeping clothes. He spread his arms for them to slip on his inner garments, followed by the outer robe. When Chun He crouched to fasten his belt, he sucked in his stomach.

"Is it tight?" Chun He looked up at him.

"Just right." Qi Yu touched the jade buckle on his belt and glanced down. "This jade is pretty, though. Just heavy."

By the time he had finished washing and dressing, the sky outside was faintly light. A Ping took a bowl of hot congee and several small dishes from the food carrier and set them on the table. Qi Yu sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and took two bites before suddenly looking up. "Have Xie Ning and the others already left the city?"

"The Jinghai Marquis Residence sent people ahead to the West Mountain Hunting Grounds yesterday. Second Young Master Xie should be leaving the city between five and seven." Qi Yu finished his congee, stuffed two chopstickfuls of pickled vegetables into his mouth, and said, "Then let's hurry." A Ping stopped him, drew a clean handkerchief from his sleeve, and offered it. "Your Highness, wipe your mouth."

Qi Yu took the handkerchief, pressed it against the corners of his mouth, then tossed it back to A Ping and strode outside. A Ping followed, giving Chun He a meaningful look at the door. She understood and turned back to make the bed.

She shook out the brocade quilt and folded it, then picked up the worn cotton pillow and patted it. Its cover had been washed pale, and there was a patch of faded embroidery at one corner, so crooked that it was impossible to tell what it had originally depicted. Chun He set it beside the brocade pillow, the two lying side by side. She straightened, looked at the bed, then at the two pillows, lowered the bed curtains, and turned to leave.

The carriage journey from the palace to the West Mountain Hunting Grounds took more than two hours. By the time Qi Yu left the palace gates, it was broad daylight. The men De'an had arranged were already waiting outside: eight guards, four men in plain clothes, and two men specifically assigned to tend the horses. The lead guard's surname was Zheng. He was just over thirty and had served in the imperial guards for ten years, having trained under Xie Ting back then. When he saw Qi Yu emerge, he swung down from his horse and knelt on one knee.

"Zheng Ping, reporting by imperial command to escort Your Highness."

Qi Yu waved for him to rise, then stepped onto the mounting stool and climbed into the carriage. A Ping followed and sat outside the carriage curtain. The wheels rolled over the stone-paved road outside the palace gates, heading toward the West City Gate.

The carriage was spacious, with brocade-covered cushions and a copper hand warmer in one corner, burning silver charcoal. Qi Yu leaned against the wall and lifted the curtain to look outside.

The streets were already bustling. White steam rose from breakfast stalls, and people carrying baskets walked to and fro through the morning market. As the carriage passed, some stopped beside the road and lowered their heads, waiting for it to go by. Qi Yu watched for a while, then let the curtain fall and took the unfinished travelogue from inside his robe.

The carriage had been traveling for nearly two hours. The light outside grew brighter, and the air began to smell of earth and grass. Qi Yu lifted the curtain again and saw a flag in the distance: the flag of the Jinghai Marquis Residence, black with a red border and an embroidered qilin.

The West Mountain Hunting Grounds were a vast stretch of woodland enclosing several hilltops. An open space lay at the entrance, where several tents had already been pitched, both military tents and sun shelters. A few tall horses were tethered to posts, their heads lowered over their fodder. Before Qi Yu's carriage had quite stopped, he jumped down.

Xie Ning stood beside a white horse, looking down as he checked the stirrups. Two years older than Qi Yu, he was fifteen this year and had already shot up, standing just under half a head taller than him. He wore a navy riding outfit, its cuffs tightly bound, with a short bow hanging at his waist. Sunlight fell across his face. The boy's features bore some resemblance to his father Xie Ting's, but were softer.

Hearing the sound, he looked up and smiled at Qi Yu. Qi Yu strode over and slapped him on the shoulder. "When did you get here?"

"An hour before Your Highness." Xie Ning handed his reins to the servant beside him and turned to face Qi Yu. "My father insisted we leave before dawn. Once we arrived, he went over there to look at the woods and told me to wait here."

"Marquis Jinghai came too?" Qi Yu paused in surprise.

Xie Ning nodded, looking a little helpless. "Someone suddenly came from the palace last night with a message saying His Majesty wanted Marquis Jinghai here too. After my father received the decree, his face stayed livid for quite a while."

Remembering what his imperial father had said the night before, Qi Yu could not hold back a laugh. As they talked, hoofbeats sounded behind them. Qi Yu turned and saw several horses approaching. At the front rode a boy in a blue brocade robe, about fifteen or sixteen, with a fair, clean-cut face, mounted on a large chestnut horse. Three or four boys of roughly the same age followed him, all finely dressed.

Xie Ning said quietly, "That's the Duke of Min's eldest legitimate son, Wang Yuan. Behind him is his younger brother, Wang Heng, born of a concubine. The others are from collateral branches of the duke's household."

Qi Yu murmured an acknowledgment. He had met Wang Yuan twice, both times at palace banquets. Wang Hengshan, the Duke of Min, was an established noble ennobled by the late emperor, with deep roots at court. But Qi Yu had no particular friendship with him; they merely knew each other.

Wang Yuan dismounted, straightened his clothes and headwear, and approached to bow respectfully to Qi Yu. "This commoner, Wang Yuan, greets the Fourth Prince." The boys behind him also dismounted and bowed.

Qi Yu waved a hand. "There's no need to stand on so much ceremony out here."

Wang Yuan straightened, an appropriate smile on his face. "I heard Your Highness and Second Young Master Xie had arranged to hunt today. My father said such a grand gathering was rare and told me to bring my younger brother to broaden our horizons." Qi Yu glanced at Xie Ning, whose face showed no particular expression as he gave a slight nod.

Several more groups arrived in succession: the third son of the vice minister of revenue, the eldest son of a bureau director in the Ministry of Works, and the young son of the Marquis of Anping's residence. Some came with their older brothers; others had been sent by their elders.

Everyone performed the same sequence after dismounting: straighten their clothes and headwear, bow, and offer a polite greeting. Standing before the tent, Qi Yu watched these boys of roughly his own age come forward one after another to pay their respects. He kept a smile on his face and nodded to each in turn. The slate-blue riding outfit he wore today really was too formal. Standing there, he looked less like someone who had come to hunt than someone receiving court officials in the palace.

A Ping stood half a step behind him and leaned closer to whisper, "Your Highness, almost everyone is here. Would you like to sit in the tent first, or go choose a horse?"

Before Qi Yu could answer, Xie Ning had already come over. He handed Qi Yu the riding whip in his hand. "Your Highness, come and see the horse I picked for you. The white one is mine. The bay beside him is yours."

Qi Yu took the whip and followed Xie Ning toward the tethered horses. Behind them, the young men from the noble families exchanged looks and followed too.

The bay was half a head shorter than the white horse, with a glossy coat and all four hooves dipped in snow. Qi Yu went over and stroked his neck. The horse snorted and nuzzled his palm. Standing beside him, Xie Ning took a piece of malt sugar from his sleeve and offered it.

"His name's Zaofeng. Three years old, gentle-tempered. The horse that bolted on you last time wasn't used to strangers. This one won't."

Qi Yu placed the sugar on his palm and let the horse lick it away. The horse pawed lightly at the grass twice. Qi Yu patted his neck and looked back at Xie Ning. "Have you tried him?"

"Yesterday. Rode him around twice. Steady as can be." Xie Ning untied the reins from the post and handed them to Qi Yu.

Qi Yu was looking down to check the stirrups, tugging at the leather straps to test their tightness. A Ping watched nervously from beside him, murmuring, "Take it slowly, Your Highness." Qi Yu stepped into the stirrup and swung neatly into the saddle. Zaofeng stood firmly where he was, without moving an inch.

Xie Ning mounted his white horse too. The two horses stood side by side as the wind swept over, sending waves through the grass of the hunting grounds. In the distance, the woods shone green in the morning light.

Wang Yuan and the other young noblemen mounted their own horses and spread out behind the pair. Wang Heng rode beside his elder brother, but his eyes remained fixed on the two horses ahead, particularly on Xie Ning's gesture as he handed Qi Yu the whip.

"Your Highness rides well." Wang Yuan urged his horse a few paces forward until he was alongside Qi Yu and spoke with a smile. "I heard your horse bolted last month. It seems there were no serious consequences."

Qi Yu gave a brief acknowledgment and said no more. Beside him, Xie Ning glanced at Wang Yuan without taking up the conversation either.

Marquis Jinghai, Xie Ting, stood on the lookout platform at the entrance to the hunting grounds, watching the boys below from a distance. He was thirty-three that year, tall and lean, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He wore a black riding outfit with a subtle woven pattern and a cowhide belt around his waist.

His face was sharply defined, his brow high and straight, his nose finely shaped, his eyes as dark as ink. Though thirty-three, he looked twenty-seven or twenty-eight.

Two guards stood beside him, both veterans who had served with him in the army. "That's the Duke of Min's eldest son?" Xie Ting lifted his chin toward Wang Yuan.

"Yes. The one in gray behind him is his younger brother, Wang Heng."

Xie Ting said nothing more. His gaze shifted to the white horse and the bay, watching their two riders. He recalled the verbal decree from the palace last night. De'an's man had brought word that His Majesty wanted Marquis Jinghai to go to the West Mountain Hunting Grounds the next day too.

The messenger had added something else at De'an's instruction: A Ping, the eunuch attending the Fourth Prince, had sent word that it would not be just the Fourth Prince and Second Young Master Xie at the hunting grounds tomorrow. Sons from several other families would also be coming.

"Understood."

He had risen before dawn today, personally selected four reliable guards, and sent someone to the stables to check Ning's white horse again. When they set off, he rode beside Xie Ning. Through the whole journey, he said one thing.

"When we reach the hunting grounds, stay close to the Fourth Prince. Don't go deep into the woods."

Xie Ning nodded, and he added, "Your father will be following behind." Xie Ning glanced at him. Xie Ting said no more.

The sun rose a little higher, and the dew on the hunting grounds had dried. Seated on his horse, Qi Yu looked back at the young noblemen behind him, then turned to Xie Ning. "When are we going into the woods?"

Xie Ning looked up at the sun. "A little longer. Once my father has stationed the men around the hunting enclosure. We can't go into the western part of the woods. My father specifically told me that."

Qi Yu recalled that his imperial father had said the same thing last night. He was about to speak when Wang Yuan rode over again, all smiles. "Your Highness, I hear the venison here is excellent. If we get a deer today, why not roast it right here? I brought two jars of fine wine from home."

Xie Ning spoke first. "The Fourth Prince is still young. He shouldn't drink."

Qi Yu looked at Wang Yuan, then at Xie Ning. Xie Ning's face showed no particular expression, but Qi Yu had caught that faint something in his tone. He twirled the whip once in his hand. "No wine. We're here to hunt, so let's hunt."

Wang Yuan's smile faltered, then immediately returned. "Quite right, Your Highness."

Just then, another sound came from the entrance to the hunting grounds. Qi Yu turned and saw a blue-canopied carriage approaching from a distance, with two mounted men beside it. One was Zheng Ping of the imperial guards. The other was a young man in a dark gray riding outfit, his back held very straight.

Xie Ning followed his gaze and suddenly said, "That's my eldest brother."

"Xie Chen?"

"Yes." Xie Ning tightened his hold on the reins. "My father probably called him here too."

Xie Chen was eighteen that year and served as a subordinate official at the Eastern Palace of the Crown Prince. He dismounted and first went over to the carriage, saying something through the curtain. The curtain lifted, and Xie Chen was the first to step down. He turned back and reached out to hold the curtain.

The person who emerged behind him wore a moon-white everyday robe with a black belt at his waist, his figure tall and slender. Sunlight fell from the side, leaving half his face bright and half in shadow.

It was the Crown Prince.

Qi Ling stood beside the carriage and looked toward the hunting grounds. His gaze passed over the young noblemen, over Wang Yuan and his brother, over everyone present, and settled on the slate-blue figure atop the bay.

Qi Yu had already dismounted and hurried over. When he reached him, he was just about to kneel in greeting when Qi Ling reached out and supported his elbow.

"No need out here."

Qi Yu straightened and looked at him with bright eyes. "Brother, what brings you here?" Qi Ling glanced at the young noblemen beside the tents, then at Xie Ning, who had already dismounted and bowed to him from a distance.

"Father sent word that the West Mountain Hunting Grounds would be lively today." Qi Ling withdrew his gaze and looked at Qi Yu. "I came to have a look."