Chapter 587 The Mountain Rain is Coming (5)_1
Seeing that there were only four days left before returning to Jingji, those young men who had yet to hunt any worthy game and gain face in front of Emperor Huian began to grow anxious.
Although their literary studies were not successful, they had some martial prowess to showcase. Fortunately for them, they were born with a much higher starting point than ordinary scholars, and even if they didn’t enter into the ranks of the nobility, they could ride on their fathers’ coattails to secure a minor official post. However, these were idle positions, and aiming for a promotion or a substantial role was harder than reaching the heavens.
Once one settled for such a path, they would be stuck that way for life. Only those truly indifferent, or who could not seize other opportunities, would choose this route. Anyone with a bit of ambition or capability despised such a choice.
Among the dozen or so princes, beside the ill-intentioned Crown Prince, everyone else was vying for Emperor Huian’s favor and eager to earn his praise.
But over the course of ten-odd days, only King Heng had bagged an elk and two roe deer, barely earning Emperor Huian’s commendation. The others either were too young and unskilled in archery or were just unlucky, failing to come across worthy prey. What they hunted daily were mostly insignificant creatures like wild chickens and rabbits, and the better ones had only managed to catch a few extra foxes.
In contrast to the mediocre hunting outcomes of the princes, within just three days, Xiao Ruiyuan and Yan Junyu—who had hunted seven or eight deer and even jointly caught a tiger—stood out considerably, receiving more praises from Emperor Huian than everyone else combined.