Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Fu Wang?

The 25th day of the first lunar month

The annual Longlin Royal Winter Hunt has arrived as scheduled.

The royal convoy set out from the palace, and the court officials joined in halfway. When it was almost dawn, Jiang Hexue entered the palace.

Shen Qingchen was kept by Emperor Hengshun for two days. Jiang Hexue went to find Empress Dowager Su with a scented comb in her pocket, and then went to find him after the matter was done.

When she was summoned into the palace, musk had not yet been lit in Kunning Palace. Empress Dowager Su sat in front of a bronze mirror and was being groomed by a nanny.

"Daughter-in-law greets mother." Jiang Hexue knelt and bowed.

Empress Dowager Su asked her to stand up and spoke slowly and calmly, "The winter hunt is about to start. Why are you coming to my place?"

"My daughter-in-law thought about not being able to listen to more of my mother's teachings last time, so she asked Your Highness to come without permission. I only hope that I won't disturb my mother's peace." Jiang Hexue smiled and walked to the side of Empress Dowager Su's seat.

"You're quite eloquent." Empress Dowager Su squinted at her. "Why haven't you come to the palace in all these days since we got married?"

She said this with a smile on her face.

"I was thinking of preparing a gift for you, Queen Mother, so I've been delayed. Please forgive me, Queen Mother." Jiang Hexue followed Queen Mother Su's wishes and softly handed her the scented comb. "Take a look, Queen Mother. Do you like it?"

Empress Dowager Su glanced sideways at it before taking it in her palm and examining it carefully.

The four characters "Fu Lu An Kang" are engraved on the top of the brown comb, and small and delicate plum blossoms are carved on both sides. The delicate fragrance of wintersweet penetrates into the nostrils, with just the right intensity, refreshing the heart just right.

Empress Dowager Su took a deep breath and turned away. "I've never seen anything so novel. Is it made from a plum tree?"

"No," Jiang Hexue said with a smile. "It's the winter plum fragrance my daughter-in-law made, mixed with nanmu powder."

"Did Hexue do it?" Empress Dowager Su repeated, turning her whole face to look at her.

"I'm not very good at music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, but I like making incense, so I made some to honor you, mother," Jiang Hexue said tentatively. "Mother, would you like me to try to clear your hair for you?"

Empress Dowager Su nodded, sat up straight, and signaled the nanny to leave.

Jiang Hexue combed her hair silently.

With her long black and white hair in her palm, the sixty-year-old Empress Dowager Su half-closed her eyes. Her peach blossom eyes were very similar to Shen Qingchen's, and there were fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.

"Mother, I have a humble request." Jiang Hexue combed the last strand of hair into a bun and offered. "The other day, I noticed the unique scent of the musk you were fumigating, and I'd like to ask for it..."

"Just take it." Empress Dowager Su didn't care much and immediately called a nanny to put everything on for her.

Jiang Hexue breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "In addition to the comb, your daughter-in-law also made some incense for you using the same recipe. If you like it, you can use this refreshing fragrance in the future."

Empress Dowager Su nodded, and like Shen Qingchen, she was as taciturn as ever, looking at her in the bronze mirror.

The young girl has a bright face and red lips. When she smiles, she reveals two rows of fine, white teeth like porcelain. No matter how you look at her, she does not have the dignity and restraint of a lady from a noble family.

Her eyebrows were as thin and curved as those of a distant mountain, and her pupils were as bright and clear as the finest glass, always with a casual and light smile on her face, but her expression was much more than that.

She used to be unable to understand why the youngest son chose her to be his princess, but now she suddenly felt something was different.

If a lady in the boudoir is a delicate flower held in the palm of someone's hand, she may be the most unrestrained and flourishing one growing in the countryside.

It is indeed special, even she would take a second look at it.

Empress Dowager Su sighed almost imperceptibly.

After all, the youngest son likes her and the couple have a harmonious relationship, so she doesn't want to force it. It will only make Ling'er suffer... I will wait for her to find a good family for her.

Suddenly, a blinding red flashed across my vision.

Queen Mother Su opened her eyes fully and realized that it was a pair of ruby-inlaid gold earrings on her earlobes. They were so luxurious that they completely covered her entire earlobes.

"Zhaohua likes simplicity. If the couple travels together in an overly ostentatious manner, they will seem mismatched," she pointed out.

"The daughter-in-law will follow the teachings of her mother." Jiang Hexue was stunned for a moment and said meekly.

"It's getting late. You should go find Zhaohua and prepare for the winter hunt." Empress Dowager Su lowered her eyes and spoke in a low voice.

Jiang Hexue said yes, took the wooden box containing musk, and left Kunning Palace before he breathed a sigh of relief.

She was always nervous when dealing with Empress Dowager Su.

As soon as he stepped out of the palace gate, he saw a young man wearing a moon-white fox fur coat walking into the courtyard.

"Zhaohua--" Jiang Hexue called out, lifting her skirt and trotting towards him.

Shen Qingchen stretched out his arms and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so tired." Jiang Hexue muttered softly, looking up. "I'm as nervous as when I met the Master when I was little... How did you get hurt?"

After not seeing him for two days, there was a tiny bloodstain on the side of his cheek, which was very eye-catching because of his cold white skin.

"I had some disputes with my royal brother, it's okay." Shen Qingchen said gently. "It's hard."

He didn't want to say more, and Jiang Hexue didn't ask any more questions. She just smiled at him and said, "Where's the reward?"

“Put it on the carriage.” Shen Qingchen let her go and extended a hand to her with five fingers spread out.

Jiang Hexue understood and gave him her hand.

He rubbed his fingertips across her wrist bone, then moved them down the side of her wrist, separated her fingers, and interlocked theirs.

It was clearly not the first time they held hands, and they had done more intimate things before. Jiang Hexue stared at their clasped hands this time, but felt inexplicably shy.

"It's quite different when two people are in love with each other." She said softly to Shen Qingchen. "I haven't seen you for two days. I miss you so much."

Shen Qingchen said softly: “I’ll accompany you during the New Year.”

"Just now, my mother told me not to wear such eye-catching earrings in the future," Jiang Hexue continued. "She said it doesn't match."

"Just follow your own lead." Shen Qingchen disagreed.

"Whether it's eye-catching or not is another matter, but it's really too heavy." Jiang Hexue glanced at him sideways. "Tell me, who's to blame?"

He seemed to be addicted to biting her earlobe. The mark left last time was so deep, so red and ambiguous that it was embarrassing to look at it, so she had to cover it with earrings.

"Sorry." Shen Qingchen reacted, the tips of his ears turned red, and perhaps because he felt that the words were dry, he whispered again. "Be gentler next time."

Jiang Hexue punched him without hesitation.

-

The winter hunting convoy moved forward in a mighty procession.

The carriage that Shen Qingchen and Jiang Hexue were riding in followed behind Emperor Hengshun's carriage. When a corner of the curtain was lifted, several young men on horseback could be seen chasing after them.

Jiang Hexue felt a little itchy, and turned her head to talk to Chen Qingchen about it, but she saw that the food box on the table had been opened, and the round and bright red lychees were neatly arranged in the white jade cup, emitting a sweet fruity aroma.

She swallowed instinctively and raised her eyelashes to look at Shen Qingchen: "Where did it come from?"

"It was sent from the southeast. I asked my brother for some." Shen Qingchen added. "Is this kind of reward acceptable?"

"Okay," Jiang Hexue agreed, then regretted it. "No."

"You feed me, that's more sincere." She snuggled up to him.

A peeled lychee appeared in sight very quickly.

The thin lychee membrane was also peeled cleanly, and the flesh was white and plump.

The fingertips holding the lychee were as white as the lychee, and the nails were neatly trimmed. Looking down, the fingers were slender, and on the ring finger was a white jade ring with a warm texture.

"I can't reach it." Jiang Hexue admired it for a while and spoke slowly.

Shen Qingchen followed his words and brought the litchi closer to her lips.

Jiang Hexue then opened her mouth and bit the lychee, but she didn't use any force. As long as Shen Qingchen let go, the lychee would fall and hit her skirt.

Shen Qingchen had to continue pinching the lychee and looking at her.

The girl Ning Yezi's pupils were as clear as the finest amethyst, with a smile that was deliberately teasing. Her long eyelashes were curled, the ends of her eyes were raised like hooks, and her teardrop mole was seductive.

Shen Qingchen's eyelashes trembled slightly, and his earlobes were even more crimson than the color of the lychee shells beside him.

Jiang Hexue's smile widened. She leaned over, took the lychee between her teeth, and then moved closer to his hand, which he had not yet withdrawn, with a malicious look, and pressed her red lips against his cool fingertips.

nibble.

"Zhaohua," she withdrew immediately, chewed the lychee, and looked at him with a smile. "You are more easily embarrassed."

Shen Qingchen didn't respond, but just tilted her head to look at her chewing the lychee in small bites, her cheeks puffing up, looking particularly easy to pinch.

Now that they are in love, he doesn't have to suppress his feelings anymore.

Shen Qingchen allowed himself to reach out and pinch her cheek, then met her astonished gaze with a smile.

-

The carriage jolted for an hour and Jiang Hexue could no longer sit still.

"I want to ride a horse." She shook Shen Qingchen's hand.

"It's mine," Shen Qingchen said. "The other horses are all kept in the hunting grounds. Can I pick one for you when we get there?"

"Pick one. Ride yours now." Jiang Hexue wanted both.

Shen Qingchen did not refuse. When she arrived at the rest stop, she changed into riding clothes and saw the servants leading a tall and handsome horse with shiny snow-white fur.

Jiang Hexue looked up at his horse and wrinkled his nose.

Shen Qingchen was six or seven inches taller than her, and the horse's shoulder height was taller than hers. She had to look up to see the horse's eyes.

It was as black and shiny as obsidian, and pure white all over, and it didn't look like an unruly horse.

She shook her tied ponytail and boldly stepped forward to touch its mane.

The white horse was silent for a few seconds, then lowered its neck and let its breath spray on her cheek.

Jiang Hexue jumped back in fright.

"Zhuixue, don't be rude to your mother." Shen Qingchen tapped the white horse's forehead with his finger.

Zhuixue let out a muffled cry and turned his head to look at Jiang Hexue obediently.

Jiang Hexue stroked its mane again and glanced at Shen Qingchen: "Let's go together?"

She couldn't help but feel scared when she saw that Zhuixue recognized his master.

Shen Qingchen nodded, pushed himself up with his hands, climbed onto the horse, and extended his hand to her again.

As soon as Jiang Hexue got on it, his body felt lighter.

It was Shen Qingchen who stretched out his other arm and carried her onto the horse.

Her back pressed against his chest, the steady heartbeat pounding against her eardrums. Before Jiang Hexue could react, she heard a teasing laugh beside her: "Oh, the Emperor's uncle is so romantic towards the Emperor's aunt?"

It was Princess Rouyang's consort, Xie Junxiao, who stopped beside the two of them on his black horse and made a circle with the long whip in his hand.

Shen Qingchen raised the corner of his lips very lightly, did not answer, covered Jiang Hexue's hand, and held the reins with her.

Zhuixue walked slowly and steadily.

Jiang Hexue felt something was wrong, so she turned around and gave Xie Junxiao a polite smile.

"Thank you, General. Give me back my whip--" A clear male voice sounded at this time, and a young man in red came riding over with his ponytail tied high.

A sense of familiarity suddenly came over me.

"Fu Wang?" Jiang Hexue murmured.

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