Chapter 21: Hunting Beauty

  When they arrived, it was still a vast and empty grassland. Now, seven or eight giant white tents with golden tips have appeared. The white tents are surrounded by paintings of hunting scenes, and the knights who have returned from their hunt are proud and triumphant. The tents have extended awnings, under which hang expensive gold-embroidered fabrics that spin like windmills. Dozens of gray round tents are scattered around the large tent, hundreds of golden basins hold burning fires on one side and shine brightly on the other, reflecting the golden tips and embroidery pieces, weaving a golden mist in the air of the campsite.

  Magnificent golden mist spread to the front, with five or six high-wheeled horse-drawn carriages nearby. The carriage was as big as a room, with gold nails inlaid on the wheels and bronze castings with gold-plated carvings on the body. The roof of the carriage was like a house top, with golden bells hanging from it, small green cauldrons suspended from it, and white jade pieces dangling from it, all unique and without repetition. The most exaggerated one had a gilded high carriage with a dry bar structure, a circle of coiled dragon railings, four red pillars, and an eight-sided pointed top raised by golden winged birds.

  Nan Yue Lan's eyes sparkled, and her feet unconsciously moved towards it. A horse carriage had such exquisite architectural structures, she naturally wanted to get closer. However, her elbow was caught by someone.

  "Wrong, not that way." Hyun-ah led her towards the center of the camp.

  Her interest in architectural design was above all else, so Nan Yue Lan didn't dare to be obedient and still went towards the horse carriage. "Your Highness, can I take a look at those carriages? I've grown up like this and haven't seen such beautiful carriages before, it's good to take a closer look." She wasn't afraid to fawn or talk excessively.

  "What's so great about a horse carriage?" Hyun-ah laughed. But despite saying that, she was dragged away by Nam-wol-ran.

  The other carriages were just luxurious, but the one with the octagonal and tapered roof was quite creative. Nan Yue Lan stopped in front of it to examine it carefully, completely forgetting about me and also forgetting about a certain prince who was "escorting" her by her side.

  "This is Third Brother's new carriage, and just for the four golden finches alone, forty kilograms of gold were melted. The walls inside and out are all plated with real gold. The copper pillars have a heating oil pipe in the middle, so even on cold days when admiring the scenery, there's no need to worry —” In the blink of an eye, he saw Nan Yue Lan stretch out her hand to touch the red pillar, and a look of disdain flashed across Ruan Ran's face. "So Miss Lan loves gold more than talking, I should have worn precious gems and pearls."

  "Is this one also gold?" Nan Yue Lan Sheng couldn't hear Xuan Ran's sarcasm, and looked up at the top. From a distance, she thought it was wood, but as she got closer, she couldn't see any wood grain, just a dark, cold glow.

  "Although it's not gold, it uses precious wrought iron. Not only is the top of the helmet made of wrought iron, but there's also a wrought iron net that covers all four sides and has a mask on top, so swords can't get in. I'm no longer afraid of assassins."

  "Ah, Wrought Iron and Gold." No wonder.

  "If you're eager, let San Ge send you on your way. I think he'll be delighted that you asked about his precious car, and who knows, maybe you'll catch his eye." Thinking that Nan Yue Lan was being overly cautious, Xuan Ran grew increasingly impatient, "Let's go, you should be in a hurry."

  Nan Yue Lan heard the cold ridicule in his tone, but didn't think of explaining anything, quietly following behind him until they reached the bustling center.

  That was a very large circular arena, illuminated by the golden fire basin. On one half of the field, there was a group of muscular warriors with broad waists, paired up and engaging in fierce combat, sending dust flying and mud splashing everywhere, shouting continuously. On the other half of the field, there was a group of dancing girls, their silk clothes fluttering, red sleeves rolled up, white skirts wrapped around their legs, fragrant scents swirling around them, their movements full of charm. There were twenty to thirty musicians, playing sheng, blowing suona, beating drums, providing rhythm and melody for the dance. The spectators' seats were arranged in a north-south direction, with twelve rows, almost every row having men dressed in noble attire. Behind each of them stood several blue-clad black-trousered guards, standing straight and still, their expressions stern.

  Suddenly, the dance came to an end, but the dancing girls did not leave the stage. Instead, they sat down beside the men, some pouring wine for them, others serving food, or simply snuggling into their laps, allowing themselves to be fondled and caressed without any sign of shyness on their faces. For a moment, the atmosphere was filled with limitless joy and abandon.

  Nan Yue Lan's brow furrowed as she looked around, feeling tense. She counted and found that there were two empty seats. One probably belonged to Xuan Ran, and the other...

  "Ran's younger brother, you're running wild again. Do you know that you've missed a rare treasure? If you were here, the sixth younger brother might not have been able to get away so easily. What a pity!" The man sitting upright was the oldest, over thirty years old, with a short beard and fair skin, looking dignified. A golden dragon pearl on his crown showed his noble status, but he didn't seem much more serious than others as he fondled the dancing girl in his arms.

  "Oh, Third Brother, tell me, what's going on?" Xuan Ran's voice became playful and irreverent, her figure unintentionally blocking Nan Yue Lan Sheng, so that the man couldn't see her.

  "Let Yuwu hide the North Sea pearl on her body, guess the number, and the person who gets closest will enjoy it." The man's voice was drooping with desire, "Sixth brother has always been good at this kind of game, and you, Ronger, are also. When you two look at a woman, it's as if she's not wearing any clothes."

  Is this a den of demons? A group of perverts! Nan Yue Lan Sheng heard the man speaking without restraint, and the crowd's lewd laughter made her skin crawl.

  Xuan Ran burst out laughing, "Indeed, it's my specialty. Where is Sixth Brother? I'll have another round of guessing with him, or else I won't be convinced."

  Another man laughed and said, "Too late, Sixth Brother has already entered his large tent with the beauty in his arms for a moment."

  The voice changed again, "Fifth brother, it's just a moment, not necessarily. That little beauty has just been exposed to the rain, but with a heart that loves and cherishes her, you can't rush in."

  The laughter rose and fell, the man known as Fifth Brother spat out, "Those who pity beauty are us few, Sixth Brother is nothing, I think that beauty can come out alive should be fortunate."

  Someone shouted, "Sixth brother, sixth brother, Rang Ge said he's not convinced, let you come out! If you haven't swallowed it yet, have another round of comparison, and let us be convinced in our hearts and mouths."

  Nan Yue Lan's body felt numb. A plaything. A little beauty. The fake Taoist nun had waited in vain for so long, and it was all because of these men who treated women as playthings? She didn't sympathize with them, but she thought they were extremely foolish. Beauty might be a good thing given by heaven, but without brains to use it, one would only have a short life.

  Yu Ran walked away, leaving Nan Yue Lan's place in the light, and the voices stopped. It turned out that he wasn't deliberately blocking her, but just not yet.

  The silence lasted only for a moment. The officer stepped forward and loudly announced his mission, "By order of the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince, I have brought the female guest from the tent."

  The Third Master was the one with a small mustache sitting in the main seat, he only took a glance at Nan Yue Lan and then focused on eating the tofu of Hua Li Wu Ji, "If it were an ordinary day, it would be fine, but today I saw an extremely beautiful girl, this girl is particularly unattractive. Old Five, if you like her, you can have her."

  His Highness has a slightly prosperous fortune, and his figure is not tall. His appearance is neither handsome nor ugly, but as a member of the royal family, he has the power to be picky, "Looking at the stiff limbs, a dull face, uninteresting, not as charming as the dancing girl, I don't want it."

  An ordinary appearance is a blessing, Nanyue Lan was born with a sigh of relief.

  "Third brother, fifth brother, this little girl doesn't look interesting but her identity is quite interesting, can't eat but can play together, it's not bad." Xuan Rang sat back among the group of people and opened his mouth to trouble her again.

  Originally, none of these princes had any good intentions; apart from themselves, everyone else was prey.