The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 527 - 494: Showing Off (2 Updates)

Song Yuanbao tilted his head, and the wind lifted the carriage curtain on that side, revealing half of Ye Ling’s fair and delicate face. The little girl was holding something in her hand to eat, and that hand was exceptionally white, like beautiful jade, making Song Yuanbao momentarily lost in thought.

"Hey, hey, hey, talking to you here, where are you looking?" Ye Rong shouted loudly.

Song Yuanbao pulled back his thoughts, suddenly changing his previous demeanor, and smiled, "Alright, I can call you that, but you have to give me a new title."

"Hey, you’re quite on the ball, change it I will. How about Little Yuanbao? Such a nickname makes people want to protect you. With that, wherever you go, someone will cover you. If that doesn’t work, just say I’m your older brother, who would dare to bully you then?"

If it came to putting on airs, bluffing, and being shameless, Song Yuanbao considered himself capable of crushing everyone present. However, he could crush anyone except his future brother-in-law before him. Today, with his brother-in-law acknowledging the second place, he couldn’t take the first, he had to admit inferiority.

Song Yuanbao could bend and stretch, and he said boldly, "Brother Xiao Ye."

Ye Rong was called this way, and goosebumps fell all over his body, becoming irritable, so much so that even the horse under him started pawing the ground with its hooves.

At this moment, Xue Yan rode over, "Third Brother, aren’t we going hunting? Let’s not delay any longer, let’s go."

Ye Rong snorted and glared at Song Yuanbao, "You young brat, you’re deliberately trying to annoy me, aren’t you? Just wait and see how I deal with you later!"

Song Yuanbao looked tender and helplessly at Zhao Xi, "Your Highness, whether I can successfully overcome this tribulation depends on your performance later."

Zhao Xi replied courteously, "Sorry, today is an individual competition."

"Then I forfeit!" Song Yuanbao was tactful, knowing his own capability, competing in riding and archery with this group was just sending himself to be embarrassed.

"As you wish."

After Zhao Xi finished speaking, he rode forward a few steps and spoke to Yun Huai, "A few kids being playful, I hope Yun Liulang doesn’t take offense."

Yun Huai was taken aback, a bit surprised that fifteen-year-old Zhao Xi would speak in such a tone. He chuckled, shook his head, and said, "We’ve all been young, I understand."

"Then let’s go."

Zhao Xi waved the whip in his hand, and the noble sons moved aside to make way for the prince.

Seeing Yun Huai keeping pace with Zhao Xi, someone, not understanding, asked, "Who’s the one in white?"

"I heard it’s Yun Six Lang."

"Could it be the Suzhou Yun Family?"

"Aside from their Six Lang, who else could catch the prince’s eye?"

"Damn it, today is a big deal. With these two gods holding down the fort, aren’t we just asking for trouble if we follow?"

Ye Rong didn’t like hearing these people talk, because it boosted others’ pride while diminishing their own spirit. He shouted, "Stop dawdling, those two have already run out of sight. If we can’t keep up, we’ll really lose face!"

The crowd complained, "Brother Ye, that’s not fair, you didn’t tell us earlier that Yun Six Lang would be here. Our skills aren’t even enough to fill his teeth, I say today’s hunting rules should change."

"How should it change?" Ye Rong looked at him.

"Individual matches are no fun. We already know we shrimp soldiers and crab generals will definitely lose. How about this, they form a team, and the rest of us form a team, and evaluate the number and value of prey at the end of the hour, how’s that?"

Ye Rong sneered, "Look at your ambition."

"We can’t do anything about it, Brother Ye. Yun Six Lang’s fame has reached the Capital, can we really compete with that? It’s just about having fun, how we win doesn’t matter, what matters is winning. We can’t win one-on-one, but a group can surely come up with something."

"You guys have been idle, not learning or making progress, just eating and waiting to die. When pushed to the brink, you can’t even clutch a Buddha’s feet." Ye Rong ridiculed them and then said seemingly helplessly, "If you all want to team up, then do it. I’ll go ahead to inform them."

"Brother Ye, you’re the best. We’ll treat you to drinks if we win."

After discussing, the group spurred their horses and galloped off.

The originally quiet official road was suddenly filled with the sound of clattering hooves.

The laughter of the young men was incessant.

One of the youngsters turned back, seeing Song Yuanbao leisurely following the carriage, and called out loudly, "Little Yuanbao, what are you doing?"

Song Yuanbao calmly replied, "I didn’t bring a guard when leaving the city today, so I’m responsible for protecting the two young ladies."

Only then did the two inside the carriage know that Song Yuanbao had been following behind all along.

Ye Ling lifted the curtain, stuck out half her head, and said, "Young Master Yuanbao, the competition is important, you should go with them. We only lack apparent guards, but there are people protecting us in secret."

Yuanbao looked into her eyes, smiled, and walked forward to ride alongside the carriage, "In a while, we’re going hunting. What do you want?"

Ye Ling thought of the two rabbits Xue Yan gave to Sister Huan and said without hesitation, "Rabbits, alive."

"Alright, I’ll surely catch two for you."

Ye Ling realized it was inappropriate as soon as she spoke. Her brother was here too, so why did she ask Young Master Yuanbao for rabbits?

Just as she was thinking of taking back her words, she noticed Yuanbao had already ridden off, leaving a trail of dust behind.

Ye Ling retracted her head and saw Xue Yinhuan looking at her with a smile. Blushing, she explained, "He insisted on catching them himself."

Xue Yinhuan nodded cooperatively, "Yes, I heard it—he wanted to catch the rabbits for you himself."

Why did this sound so awkward?

Ye Ling’s face grew even hotter, so she leaned back and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep.

Xue Yinhuan chuckled quietly but didn’t tease her further.

...

Ye Rong caught up with Zhao Xi and Yun Huai as the two had already reached the hunting ground. He was sweating profusely and, while catching his breath, said, "The brothers in the back all said, if there’s a competition today, it has to be fair and just. If you two want to have a personal match, we don’t mind watching, but if you want to involve us, then it’s bullying the weak."

Yun Huai didn’t have any particular thoughts on it, "It’s rare for us to come to the Capital, and we’re just out to relax. It doesn’t matter how we play, as long as it’s fun. Let’s do it this way: you set the rules, and I’ll abide by them."

Ye Rong cleared his throat, "The brothers unanimously agree that either you two compete alone, or you two form a team, and everyone else forms one team; the two teams will compete."

Zhao Xi looked at him, "I didn’t expect Third Young Master Ye to be so fair, ten against two."

Ye Rong climbed along the pole, "If Your Highness thinks that’s too many, I wouldn’t mind having my uncle join our team."

"Alright, let’s do it that way." Zhao Xi glanced back at the others, who were gradually catching up, but they seemed worn out, "Let everyone rest and have some water to replenish energy before starting when the hour comes."

Ye Rong diligently inserted a stick of incense into the ground to keep time.

Hunting usually takes place in spring, autumn, and winter, when the weather isn’t too hot and people are energetic. Now, in the sweltering summer, they were already exhausted before the competition even started.

Looking at the group of idle noble sons sprawled lazily on the lawn, Ye Rong thought their ten or so people might not even match two.

At this crucial moment before the match, he had no choice but to encourage them, "Brothers, get your spirits up! If we win, His Highness will treat us at Banquet Guest House; order whatever you want to eat or drink."

Banquet Guest House, the largest and most expensive restaurant in the Capital.

Though these noble sons aren’t short on money, the opportunity to dine with the Eldest Prince isn’t something one gets easily.

As soon as Ye Rong finished speaking, everyone was instantly roused with enthusiasm, warming up or testing their bows, each determined to win.

Yun Huai said to Zhao Xi, "This Third Young Master Ye is qualified to be a General."

Zhao Xi nodded.

A competent General must possess extraordinary abilities and learn to boost morale.

Though Ye Rong seemed somewhat carefree and unreliable, the prestige he had built up in the military was considerable. In the future, he might even follow in his father’s footsteps and become a renowned battlefield commander.

Xue Yinhuan and Ye Ling arrived last.

Their task for today was simple: gather some firewood in the forest to roast the game later.

After the incense burned out and the rest was over, everyone got up, slung their quivers over their backs, mounted their horses, and galloped away in search of the forest’s depths.

Due to the large number of people, there was occasional movement in the forest.

Xue Yinhuan and Ye Ling sat for a while and then picked a forest where no one else went to gather firewood.

Yuanbao didn’t follow the crowd. He dismounted as soon as he entered the forest and went deep into the underbrush, intending to show off his childhood skill of catching live rabbits to Ye Ling.

After searching for a long time, he finally spotted a gray rabbit coming out to forage. Seizing the moment, Yuanbao leaped forward.

Just then, an arrow whizzed from afar.