I Am This Type of Woman

Led by the guards, the hunting event officially began after Emperor Yunqing bagged his first prey.

“Junjun,” a guard rode over, carrying a bloodied rabbit, Ban Hua’s recent kill.

“The pelt is damaged; it’s only good for eating now,” Ban Hua shook her head regretfully, then patted her horse. “Let’s keep looking. Giddy up!”

“Shh,” Reaching a dense grove, Ban Hua tightened the reins, bringing her horse to a halt. She stroked the horse’s neck and told the guards behind her, “Quiet.”

A white fox’s tail flicked out from the bushes. Ban Hua nocked an arrow, aimed, and let it fly.

Whoosh!

Just as Ban Hua’s arrow pierced the white fox’s hind leg, another arrow shot out, hitting the fox’s other leg. She looked back and saw the Second Prince emerge from behind her with several guards. The second arrow must have been his.

“Cousin,” the Second Prince glanced lazily at Ban Hua, then turned to instruct his guard to retrieve the prey.

“Your Highness,” Ban Hua noted his action. “I shot that white fox first.”

“Oh?” The Second Prince tossed his bow to a guard and nudged his horse closer to Ban Hua. “But the fox also has my arrow mark on its leg.”

“Is that so?” Ban Hua dismounted, snatched the fox from the Second Prince’s guard, pulled out the Second Prince’s arrow, and then handed the fox to her own guard. “Now it doesn’t.”

“You, you, you…” The Second Prince’s hand trembled with anger. He pointed at a guard. “You, go get the fox back!”

Ban Hua glanced at the guard, then covered her face with her hands. “Waaaaah! The Second Prince is bullying a girl! He’s stealing my fox!”

Just then, the sound of hoofbeats approached. Perhaps alerted by the crying, the riders headed in their direction.

Rong Xia and several noble young men were hunting rabbits when a resounding wail reached their ears. The rabbits bolted, but they couldn’t ignore the cry.

Prince Changqing, hearing the cries were nearby, said, “Let’s go see.”

Prince Changqing was the late Emperor’s nephew, thus the current Emperor's cousin. He held the title of Prince, and though young, his seniority commanded respect within the group.

As they drew closer, they saw a young woman in red sitting on the ground, weeping inconsolably. The Second Prince, mounted on his horse, was berating her. It appeared he was bullying the girl. The women attending the hunt were all of high status. Even with his royal standing, the Second Prince shouldn’t be shouting at a young woman like this. It was simply too much.

Rong Xia immediately recognized the girl on the ground as Ban Hua. He frowned, glancing at the still-furious Second Prince.

In his twenty years, the Second Prince had never encountered such an unreasonable woman. He hadn’t even done anything to her, yet her cries were loud enough to echo through the entire forest. Frustrated and angry, he couldn’t help but yell at Ban Hua. Instead of stopping, she only cried harder.

“Ban Hua, stop this at once! Cry again, and I’ll really punish you!”

“Waaaaah!”

“You!”

“Your Highness,” Rong Xia dismounted, walked to the Second Prince’s horse, and bowed. “Junjun Ban is but a woman. With your magnanimity, why lower yourself to her level? Officially, you are a Prince, and she is a Junjun. Personally, you are her cousin. It’s not appropriate to make such a scene.”

“What do you mean by that?” The Second Prince’s brows furrowed in anger. “Am I the kind of man who bullies women for no reason?”

Rong Xia bowed again. “Your Highness, please calm down. This humble official wouldn’t dare suggest such a thing.”

Looking at Rong Xia’s gentle and refined face, the Second Prince felt an inexplicable surge of annoyance. While Rong Xia claimed he wouldn’t dare, his eyes held a hint of indifference. Far from calming down, the Second Prince felt his anger intensify. He pointed at Ban Hua. “Ban Hua, tell me, did I bully you?”

Ban Hua peeked at Rong Xia from between her fingers, rubbed her eyes, and with reddened eyes, hid two steps behind him. With an expression of “I’m wronged, but I must endure,” she shook her head. “N-no.”

“Alo,” Prince Changqing, unable to watch any longer, spoke up. “Stop this nonsense. Hua Hua is your cousin. You shouldn’t bully her.”

The Second Prince felt he was being unjustly accused. “Uncle, why would I bully her?! Who knows why she’s throwing this tantrum, crying and making a fuss?”

Prince Changqing was twenty-three. Because his father was the late Emperor's brother, he was very close to the current Emperor. Despite his young age, his seniority was such that even the Crown Prince showed him respect, let alone the Second Prince.

Ban Hua didn’t care how wronged Jiang Luo felt. Since childhood, he’d bullied her every time she entered the palace. But she’d learned early on that those who cry loudest get what they want, so she’d rarely suffered any real loss. As she grew older and the princes reached adulthood, she saw them less frequently. Apart from formal occasions, she rarely encountered the Second Prince.

Who knew that after four or five years of minimal contact, he would try to steal from her? Hadn't he heard? Everyone in the capital knew her, Ban Hua, as a troublemaker.

Rong Xia, seeing Ban Hua’s silence, assumed she was intimidated by the Second Prince, and turned to look at her.

He was half a head taller than her, and since she was looking down, all he could see was the golden crown on her head. He wondered how it was crafted; the golden leaves were lifelike and thin as cicada wings, trembling gently in the breeze with a dazzling beauty.

At that moment, Ban Hua looked up, her large eyes meeting Rong Xia’s gaze.

Rustle.

The golden leaves on her crown trembled more vigorously. She blinked, offering Rong Xia a grateful smile.

Rong Xia thought, This Junjun Ban is quite charming when she smiles. Her eyes curve like crescent moons.

“Niece,” Prince Changqing, always tolerant of pretty young ladies, smiled at Ban Hua. “Come, join us for the hunt.”

“Thank you, Uncle.” Ban Hua bowed to Prince Changqing, then cast a worried glance at the Second Prince, her expression slightly exaggerated.

“Don’t be afraid. Your cousin is just a bit blunt, he means no harm,” Prince Changqing glared at the Second Prince, signaling him not to speak and frighten Ban Hua. “What did you hunt just now?”

“Just a fox,” Ban Hua touched the whip at her waist. “His Majesty gifted me this whip, so I thought I'd hunt something beautiful to present to him.” At this, her beautiful eyes turned to the Second Prince, filling with feigned grievance.

The noble young men with Prince Changqing exchanged knowing glances at the Second Prince. Stealing a young lady’s prey? This Second Prince was truly unique.

Although this Junjun Ban might be somewhat impetuous, she was still the granddaughter of the Grand Princess. If it weren’t for the Grand Princess’s protection, it was debatable whether the current Emperor would even be on the throne. The Grand Princess was still alive, and here the Second Prince was, bullying her only granddaughter.

Truly dishonorable.

The Second Prince had never felt so stifled. This shameless and unreasonable woman! He didn't know how Marquis Jingting raised her. She had royal blood, yet she acted so improperly.

And the way those other nobles looked at him… Although they hadn’t uttered a word, he felt their disdain.

So infuriating!

That shameless little wretch, Ban Hua!

“While other young ladies are admiring the scenery and composing poems, you’re out here hunting. Swords and arrows have no eyes; what if you get hurt?” Prince Changqing glanced at the prey on Ban Hua’s guard’s horse. “Oh, you’ve bagged quite a bit.”

“I don’t enjoy composing poems. I won’t join their merrymaking.”

As she spoke, Ban Hua drew her bow and shot a bird.

Prince Changqing shook his head. No wonder, with such a beautiful face, she still hadn't found a suitable husband. Most men preferred gentle women. Someone like Hua Hua… it would be difficult.

Men of high status were unwilling to marry her, while those of lower status were beneath her. Caught in between, it was truly a headache.

If only she were more reserved, she could even marry into the royal family. But with her fiery temperament, she probably wouldn't fit in.

Her aunt… likely wouldn’t be willing to part with her either.

Looking at the retrieved prey, its belly fur stained with blood, he sighed. Most young ladies couldn’t bear to harm cute animals. But when Hua Hua saw a fox, she thought of its pelt; a pheasant, its tail feathers; a rabbit, roasted rabbit meat.

The Jingting Marquis Household truly didn't know how to raise a child. Such a beautiful girl, raised into… this.

Whoosh!

An arrow suddenly flew out, piercing the neck of a white deer.

Ban Hua abruptly turned and saw Marquis Cheng’an’s bow, not yet lowered.

“Excellent marksmanship!”

She hadn’t expected such an elegant gentleman like Marquis Cheng’an to enjoy hunting, considering the bloodshed involved.

“You flatter me, Junjun,” Rong Xia handed his bow to a guard, smiling faintly. “It was just luck.”

“Ah!” Ban Hua suddenly clapped her hands. “Quickly have someone collect the deer blood. Don’t waste it. It’s highly nourishing.”

Rong Xia chuckled and instructed the guard behind him, “What are you waiting for? Do as the Junjun says.”

“Yes.” The guard immediately dismounted and retrieved a silver flask to collect the deer blood.

It was always pleasant when others heeded her good advice, so Ban Hua gave Rong Xia a wide smile.

The smile made several of the young noblemen momentarily dazed, their hearts skipping a beat.

“It’s almost noon.” Xie Wanyu stood on tiptoe, gazing towards the forest. The hunting party should be returning soon.

Just as she thought this, a group emerged from the trees, led by Prince Changqing, accompanied by a man and a woman. Xie Wanyu immediately recognized the elegant and noble man as Marquis Cheng’an. The woman…

Ban Hua?

The woman riding alongside Marquis Cheng’an was Ban Hua?!

Author’s Note:

Second Prince: So angry! Don’t want to smile!

ʕ◉ᴥ◉ʔ

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