From cute to empress

Chapter 307 Royal Power

The wind whistled and rustled in my ears, and my eyes were fixed on the gray-brown shadow in front of me. My heart leaped with the galloping horse, and it was a long-lost sense of freedom and joy.

With a "whoosh", the arrow flew off the string and accurately hit the hare's hind leg. It let out a wail and fell to the ground.

"Your Majesty is mighty!" Cheers rang out from all around. I pulled the reins, dismounted, walked calmly to the prey, drew the dagger from my waist, and ended its suffering cleanly and neatly.

"Your Majesty is truly as capable as any man!" Prince A's voice came from behind, with a hint of false compliment.

I smiled faintly and didn't respond, but just lowered my head and carefully examined the prey.

"Yes, think about it, Emperor Taizu also established the country by relying on military force. Your Majesty's heroic appearance today is quite similar to that of your ancestor!" Marquis B also came over, his words full of flattery.

I handed the dagger in my hand to the guard beside me and glanced at them. They all had hypocritical smiles on their faces, but their eyes were flashing with jealousy and calculation.

I sneered in my heart. Over the years, I have long been accustomed to the faces of people like them.

"Let's go and continue hunting." I jumped on the horse, my tone indifferent, but revealing an unquestionable majesty.

The sunlight shines through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows. Zhen Youcai and I ride side by side at the front of the team.

"A Meng, you are awesome today!" Zhen Youcai turned his head and looked at me, his eyes full of admiration and love.

"Of course, don't you see who I am!" I raised my chin proudly, pretending to be proud.

Zhen Youcai smiled and shook his head, stretched out his hand to ruffle my hair, and said lovingly: "You are still so childish!"

I made a face at him, but a warm feeling welled up in my heart.

"Your Majesty, a deer was spotted ahead!" A hunter suddenly ran over to report.

I was cheered up. It was a rare and precious prey in the royal hunting ground. If I could hunt it, it would be a great achievement.

"Let's go and take a look!" I squeezed my legs against the horse's belly and ran in the direction the hunter pointed...

"Your Majesty, be careful!" Zhen Youcai's voice sounded behind me, with a hint of worry, but I had already ridden away, leaving him with only a confident back.

He knew that I would be fine because I was no longer the little girl who needed his protection everywhere.

I am the empress of the Dacheng Dynasty and the ruler of this land!

As the sun sets and the hunt ends, I slowly return to the palace with my bountiful trophies.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! Your Majesty was extremely majestic during the hunting today. You can be said to be the best in the history of our dynasty!" Prince A and Marquis B followed my horse on the left and right, speaking flattering words with fawning faces.

I sneered in my heart, but remained expressionless on the surface. I just said lightly: "Let's go back to the palace."

As night fell and the lights came on, a murmur surged within the palace... Returning to my chambers and removing my finery, I rubbed my temples wearily. The thrill of the hunt had faded, replaced by a deep weariness and a lingering suspicion. The hypocritical faces of Prince A and Marquis B lingered like flies, buzzing and disturbing.

"What are they planning?" I muttered to myself.

"What is Your Majesty saying?" Zhen Youcai's voice came from behind. He had just returned from outside and had not had time to change out of his military uniform.

I turned to look at him, wanting to say something but stopping myself. There were some things I wasn't sure about, and I didn't want to worry him.

"Nothing," I forced a smile, "Just a little tired."

Zhen Youcai walked over to me and gently held me in his arms. "If you're tired, take a good rest. You don't have to worry about anything with me here."

His embrace was warm and strong. I buried my head in his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and the uneasiness in my heart subsided a little.

"Well," I replied softly, "you should go and rest too."

After Zhen Youcai left, I couldn't fall asleep. The scenes from today's hunt kept replaying in my mind, especially that cave hidden deep in the forest...

It was a chance discovery. I was chasing a white fox and strayed into the dense forest. The fox cunningly escaped into a cave, and on a whim, I followed suit. The cave was much deeper than I'd imagined, and the deeper I went, the colder and damper it became. Just as I was about to give up, I found a stone tablet deep in the cave.

There were strange symbols engraved on the stone tablet. Although I didn't recognize them, I had a vague feeling that it was an ancient and mysterious text, as if it hid some important secret. I was about to take a closer look when the guards suddenly appeared behind me and hurried me away.

"What secrets are hidden there?" I pondered over and over, my unease growing stronger. My intuition told me that the cave was far from simple; perhaps it was closely linked to the fate of the Great Cheng Dynasty.

I sat up abruptly, a glint of determination flashing in my eyes. I had to go again and uncover the secret myself!

The next morning, I used the excuse of feeling unwell to cancel all state affairs, and went to the royal hunting ground again with only a few trusted guards.

After arriving at the dense forest, I dismissed all the guards and headed alone in the direction of my memory...

The woods were silent, with only the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves in the wind. I carefully parted the branches in front of me, and suddenly the view opened up. The familiar cave entrance suddenly appeared before my eyes...

I took a deep breath, gripped the dagger at my waist, and stepped into the cave... It was even colder and damper than my last visit. I lit a tinder, but the faint light only illuminated a small area, adding to the eerie atmosphere. The sound of water dripping on rock echoed in my ears, like a whisper from deep underground, filling me with an inexplicable unease.

I gripped my dagger tightly and cautiously groped forward. The deeper I went, the more symbols appeared on the stone walls, and the more complex and difficult to understand. I had a vague feeling that these symbols might be related to the founding of the Dacheng Dynasty, or even conceal some unknown secret.

Just as I was about to examine one of the symbols more closely, I heard a slight noise behind me. I spun around, dagger across my chest, and shouted, "Who's there?!"

In the darkness, a figure slowly walked out. With the faint light of the fire, I recognized him as Hunter C who led me to the hunting ground yesterday.

"It's you? Why are you here?" I asked vigilantly, full of doubts in my heart.

Hunter C didn't answer my question. Instead, he smiled grimly and said in a stern tone, "Your Majesty, someone doesn't want you to leave here alive."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly pulled out a dagger from his waist and rushed towards me. I was prepared and dodged his attack by moving to the side.

"You are not a hunter, who are you?" I asked harshly while resisting his attack.

"The one who wants to kill you!" He no longer pretended, and his moves were ruthless. It was obvious that he was a well-trained assassin.

Inside the narrow cave, we engaged in a fierce battle, the flickering firelight illuminating the two entangled figures. My martial arts skills were not weak, but the assassin's moves were deadly, and I gradually began to feel the wear and tear.

Just when I was about to give up, a roar suddenly came from the cave entrance: "Stop!"

A figure rushed in like lightning, separating me from the assassin. It was Zhen Youcai! How could he be here?

Before he could think about it, Zhen Youcai was already locked in a fight with the assassin Ding. He was agile and his moves were fierce, making the fight between him and the assassin difficult to resolve.

I took the opportunity to step aside and anxiously observe the battle. The cave was cramped, and my vision was spotty, sometimes good, sometimes bad, and I was filled with worry.

"Mengmeng, are you okay?" Zhen Youcai took the time to look at me, his eyes full of concern.

"I'm fine, be careful!" I responded loudly.

Hearing my voice, Zhen Youcai seemed to be reassured and his attack became more fierce. Finally, he hit the assassin's chest with a palm. The assassin groaned and fell to the ground, unconscious.

Zhen Youcai walked quickly to my side, looked me up and down, and after confirming that I was not injured, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, you are okay, otherwise I..."

He didn't say anything else, but I knew what he wanted to say. My heart warmed, and I held his hand and whispered, "I'm fine, let's go."

Zhen Youcai nodded, looked around vigilantly, then took my hand and walked towards the depths of the cave.

"Wait," I pulled him back and pointed at the symbols on the stone wall. "These symbols are very strange. I think..."

Before I could finish my words, Zhen Youcai's expression suddenly changed and he pulled me back quickly.

"What's wrong?" Before I could react, he pushed me away.

"Rumble..."

There was a loud noise behind me, and the whole cave shook violently, and rocks above my head kept falling...

"Hurry up! This place is going to collapse!" Zhen Youcai shouted and pulled me towards the cave entrance.

Behind us are the collapsing caves and the secrets that are too far to uncover...