Ye An was delighted to wake up to great weather the next day. As they were nearing the summer's end, the characteristic warm breeze of summer had turned brisk. Leaves on the old trees that stood in the courtyard she shared with Xi Chen were slowly turning into various shades of gold and rust as they danced with the movements of the air. Small animals that used to laze around the palace compounds were now busy scurrying across the grounds in search of fallen twigs and leaves to furnish their hidden spots for the coming hibernation season.

With her hunting outfit sashed, Ye An pulled her boots up her feet. Like the rest of her clothing, the black felt boots were also embroidered with dragon motifs in golden threads. Once dressed, she stepped out to the servants who were dutifully waiting for her in the courtyard. Since Ye An would be transported out of the Imperial Palace, a horse-drawn chariot would be used to transport her instead of the usual man-born palanquin. The chariot coachman was tending to one of the four horses that would be pulling the chariot when he saw Ye An. This was the first time that Ye An was traveling out of the Imperial Palace on official business so it was also the first time she laid eyes on the royal chariot up close.

The royal chariot was modified from the war chariots that were widely used during the Thirty Year War. But where the war chariot resembled more of a small open cart with a large parasol over it; the royal chariot was separated into the open coachmen seat and a spacious enclosed coach behind the seat. The coach walls that was topped with a large parasol-like roof were made from bamboo pieces that were split into strips and arranged neatly on a wooden base which was attached to large wooden wheels. The exterior walls were painted with dragons in bright colors to symbolize that the chariot was for the emperor's use only. A small window was cut out from both sides of the coach and covered with sheer curtains from the inside; while the entrance door was carved out of the back of the coach.

The grand eunuch immediately took the wooden steps that was hung from the side of the coachman's seat and placed them behind the chariot where the door to the enclosed coach was. Ye An looked around the courtyard and realized that it was full of royal guards on horsebacks but Xi Chen was nowhere to be found.

Sensing that she was looking for the lieutenant, the grand eunuch informed. "Your Imperial Majesty, Lieutenant Yun had already left to the event site early this morning to prepare for the Dragon Boat competition. He informed me that he will be meeting Your Imperial Majesty there and had instructed for the royal guards to escort you."

"Alright. Let's not waste any more time then." Ye An nodded as she walked up the steps and into the coach. On the inside, the structure was simple with only benches lining the three walls adjacent to the door that Ye An had just entered from.

Once Ye An was settled in the coach, the coachman quickly climbed up to his seat with the grand eunuch seated beside him. The royal guards that would accompany the royal chariot split themselves into four groups. One group leading from the front, two escorting from either side, and one ushering from the back.

Even though the event site was only twenty minutes away, much less with a horse-drawn chariot, Ye An was excited to be out of the Imperial Palace without the need to constantly watch her back or worry if news of her sneaking out would reach the Empress Mother.

As they rolled into the event site for the opening ceremony of the Annual Hunt, the fleet was greeted by whooping cheers. The public approval of the new emperor had improved tremendously since the announcement of the war abolishment was released. In a short span of time, songs were written of the wise Emperor Ye An and children fought to act as the emperor during play pretend sessions.

The royal chariot came to a halt beside a viewing platform with a calfskin roof draped over it and sheets of golden chiffon cascading from the sides which was specifically built for Ye An. As Ye An stepped out from the coach, the cheers increased. People's expectations were high as they reminisced about the late Emperor Lee Hwi. As she passed by the ministers who were seated by the platform, Ye An caught excerpts of their conversation.

"This would be His Imperial Majesty's first hunt, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's been such a long time since an emperor joined the Annual Hunt."

"If he was anything like the late Emperor Lee Hwi, he would end up having the most kills. The late emperor was as fierce as they get during hunts."

"Yes, his shots were always true."

"The late Emperor Lee Hwi's demeanor in these hunts was such a contrast to the soft and gentle side of him during court meetings, wasn't it?"

"Yes. It was like seeing two different persons."

As Ye An sat on her designated seat, a gong was sounded, marking the start of the ceremony. The participants of the Dragon Boat competition who were on standby quickly got into their positions and prepared their boats. For security reasons, the royal seat was situated at the far back of the audience, behind the lower platform where the ministers were seated. It was a bit too far for Ye An's liking and with the sheer material covering the front of the platform, Ye An could barely discern the men at the riverside.

"Your Imperial Majesty." General Shao greeted.

"General Shao, I'm surprised to see you here. But I don't see the Empress Mother anywhere."

"Her Majesty is at the palace. I'm here to guard Your Imperial Majesty today while Lieutenant Yun competes. Only then, I'll head back to the Imperial Palace."

"Well, I guess I need to thank you in advance." Ye An silently cursed at the lieutenant for not giving her a heads up on this matter.

"It's no problem, Your Imperial Majesty." General Shao replied.

For some reason, Ye An felt uncomfortable. He's being too nice. Their last conversation was not a pleasant one and the general didn't strike Ye An as the courteous sort. Before she could contemplate further, there was a commotion in the audience.

"He's so handsome!"

"The way he carries himself is so charismatic."

"I can't believe I'm seeing the White Tiger in real life!"

"What did he do anyway? Why is he so famous?"

"He's the youngest lieutenant general in history! And the military doesn't just appoint someone randomly to be the lieutenant general."

"And it doesn't hurt that he looks exactly like the main character of that famous love story that's told by storytellers all over the country."

"Oh!! I know! Is it that tragic story about a painter and his apprentice? The one where they keep reincarnating and meeting each other?"

"Yes!"

"Anyway, who is his friend on the other boat? He's not bad looking either."

"You're right! Such an eye candy."

Even though there were almost a hundred men at the starting point of the race, everyone's, especially the ladies' eyes were locked on Lieutenant Yun. Following their gaze, Ye An saw that the lieutenant was laughing as he joshed around with Ah Lin in a carefree manner that she had never witnessed before. She didn't know how long she was staring at the lieutenant until General Shao spoke again, breaking her reverie.

"Who do you think will win the race?"

Ye An looked at the general. She really didn't want to have any form of conversation with him so she flatly replied, "Don't know."

The general opened his mouth again to continue the conversation but before he could utter a single word, the gong sounded again signifying that the race would be starting in a few minutes. Ye An was grateful to whoever sounded the gong at that exact moment and looked at the boats parked at the starting point. Each boat had twelve rowers, six on each side. The men held their oars, standing by for the race. The boats themselves were long simple canoes with carvings of a dragon head at their bows.

In comparison to their earlier banter, Ye An could see the focus in Xi Chen's and even the usually playful Ah Lin's eyes despite the long distance between her and them. Both men were the captains of their own boats, a piece of red cloth sashed over their left biceps as they sat at the forefront, getting ready to lead their respective teams to victory.

The race starter held a flag high up in the air which sparked static in the anticipating crowd. As the flag came slashing through the air, the man beside the race starter hit the copper cymbal in his hands, sending a high-pitched clang to start the race. Immediately, the rowers flexed their muscles as they tunneled towards the finishing line.

"One! Two! One! Two!" Each team had their own method of pacing their rowing movements as they yelled over each other. Soon, those voices were drowned by the cheers of the audience and the loud drumbeats of the drummers who were stationed on the riverbank.

The river was slightly choppy that day, which made it harder for the participants to maneuver their boats. However, it was still a pretty easy feat for the fit soldiers. Nearing the finishing line, the river would gradually become narrower until it could only accommodate one boat. This meant that all of the participants would try their best to overtake their competitors before it was impossible to do so.

Xi Chen's team fiercely veered to cut in front of another boat, narrowly missing the bow of the other team. On the other side, Ah Lin's boat had also just passed by another boat. Both boats were now neck and neck as they raced for the finishing line. Xi Chen and Ah Lin caught each other's eyes and flashed a smile at each other in a friendly challenge.

At Xi Chen's instructions, his team gave out one last spurt as they entered the last stretch of the race, successfully overtaking Ah Lin's boat before entering the area of the river that was the narrowest, effectively ending the race in the first place. The crowd burst into jubilant cheers.

Ah Lin gave Xi Chen a good-natured hug to congratulate him on his win as they both disembarked from their boats.

"Congratulations, brother! I have to admit that's not bad for an old man!"

Xi Chen could only shake his head. "What are you talking about? We are of the same age."

"Yes, but you're always such a prude." Ah Lin teased.

Xi Chen laughed before saying "This prude needs to get back to work. It was nice to race with you again, Ah Lin. Hope that we could meet each other again soon." Xi Chen decided to bid Ah Lin farewell while he had the chance since Ah Lin wouldn't be participating in the Annual Hunt and things may get hectic afterward that he wouldn't be able to see him before he left with the Northerners tonight.

"Alright. I hope things go well with you." Ah Lin said. "If you need any help, I'm just a letter away. Don't forget that you have a brother to share your burden with."

"Thank you." Xi Chen smiled at Ah Lin gratefully.

*******

"Congratulations, Lieutenant Yun!" Ye An stood up to congratulate the lieutenant as he stepped into the royal platform, already dressed in the light armor that he would be wearing during the hunting event. The audience was slowly dissipating as the ensuing hunting event was not open for public spectators.

"Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty." Xi Chen replied before turning to General Shao. "General Shao, thank you for substituting my spot. I will take over from here."

The general eyed both of them before answering. "Alright. Please excuse me, Your Imperial Majesty."

General Shao bowed at Ye An who nodded in acknowledgment as he left.

When it was just the two of them on the royal platform, Ye An turned to Xi Chen. "Why didn't you give me a warning regarding General Shao?" She asked accusingly.

"I had no idea he would be here. I originally arranged for one of the royal guards to temporarily take my place but General Shao was already here when I arrived early this morning."

"Wait, how early were you?"

"I reached just after dawn."

What was the general doing here so early? To Ye An, it felt like he might be scheming something with the Empress Mother and it made her feel uneasy.

Sensing the emperor's unease, Xi Chen asked, "Your Imperial Majesty, are you alright?"

Before Ye An could answer, a couple of maidens passed by the royal platform, obviously slowing their pace as they peered through the sheer cloth covering the emperor and the lieutenant.

"They're so striking when they stand together!"

"Yes, yes! Two contrasting male beauty! One tanned and athletic, the other pale and ethereal!"

"His Imperial Majesty's skin looks so smooth!"

Xi Chen strode across the platform in long strides and pulled the chiffon curtain aside. "Please proceed without stopping. Thank you."

"O-Oh. Please forgive us." One of them stuttered while the rest looked absolutely star-struck as they hastened their footsteps.

After watching them leave, Xi Chen turned back to the emperor. "Your Imperial Majesty?"

"Let's talk later. We need to get ready for the hunt."

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