Du Yutong went back to her room, changed her clothes, and lay down on the soft couch.
When Jiang Shuyue went to see her, she found that she was not in good spirits. She took her pulse and found that it was irregular, which was caused by being frightened.
Jiang Shuyue couldn't possibly leave her behind to have her meal in the inner palace by herself.
She sent a maid to tell the princess that she would not be going.
"Sister Yue'er, you go ahead, don't worry about me, I'll be fine after lying down for a while." Du Yutong said listlessly.
"Lie down and don't talk. I'll have Qiuju go and get a small stove to cook you a bowl of calming soup."
Jiang Shuyue reached out and touched her forehead; thankfully, she didn't have a fever.
Zhu'er quickly said, "This servant will go find a stove."
"Pearl, wait a minute, let's go together."
Qiuju is quite experienced in decocting medicine and knows which type of earthenware pot is more suitable.
Qiuju and Zhuer brought a stove, and when they returned, they found a packet of herbs already on the table.
Zhu'er and Qiuju assumed that Jiang Shuyue had asked a palace maid for some calming medicine, so they didn't ask any further questions and started preparing the medicine.
...
At this moment, in a temple next to the pine forest, the girls sat together chatting and laughing.
"Did you know? The Emperor led his men to hunt a leopard." Zhan Shuzhen's eyes lit up as she spoke of this.
A girl chimed in, "Not just leopards, but also lots of pheasants."
"No wonder they invited us to have lunch here. We're in for a treat today. I've never had leopard meat before."
Some people were filled with anticipation, thinking that the emperor would appear in this palace.
The aroma of roasted meat wafted from afar.
Wu Shiyin said with a smile, "I've never eaten leopard meat either. No, I've never even seen a leopard."
Not far away, under the corridor, the imperial chef and a group of palace maids and eunuchs were busy at work.
Some were cutting meat, while others were using tongs to hold large pieces of meat and grilling them on an iron rack.
The hot oil sizzled and dripped onto the charcoal fire, causing wisps of blue smoke to rise from the fire.
The roasted meat was quickly moved to a tray to the side, someone grabbed a handful of seasonings and sprinkled them on, then quickly picked up a brush and spread it evenly, the aroma of cumin powder, chili and other spices instantly filled the air.
The young masters gathered together, listening to several men dressed in tight-fitting clothes recount the exciting scenes of the day's hunt.
They were all beaming with pride, their eyes glancing, intentionally or unintentionally, toward the hall where the girls were sitting.
Some of the girls glanced up and secretly observed the handsome young men.
Zhan Shuzhen's gaze never left the barbecue area.
Seeing the roasted meat, after being spread evenly, being chopped on the cutting board, she pursed her lips with longing and secretly swallowed.
"Miss, please put it away." The maid beside her whispered a reminder when she saw the greedy look on her face.
The maid was also helpless. While other young ladies were looking for the Emperor, her own young lady acted as if nothing had happened, calm and collected, as if she had only come here to eat and drink.
Seeing a palace maid bring over roasted meat, Zhan Shuzhen sighed softly, "I wonder where Sister Jiang and Miss Du have gone. They're going to miss this feast today."
When the barbecue arrived, the girls stopped looking across the table and began to eat elegantly.
Seeing that the other young ladies ate with elegance and refinement, Zhan Shuzhen also restrained her hearty eating style and began to chew slowly and carefully.
...
In the inner palace's dining hall, Xiao Jingzhao waited for a while before a palace maid returned to report that Miss Jiang was not coming.
He glanced at the basket in the corner and said to Xiang Song, "Take the things here over there, and also have someone send over the roast meat and food."
“Master, Miss Jiang has no appetite for lunch. It’s clear she was quite frightened. It’s all my fault for failing to protect them.”
Recalling that harrowing scene, Xiang Song still felt lingering fear.
Xiao Jingzhao frowned slightly. "I did make a mistake today. I shouldn't have been greedy when I encountered the leopard. It almost caused a disaster."
Xiang Song accepted the order and went to Bixia Temple, accompanied by Gao Mu.
Jiang Shuyue wasn't surprised at all when she saw the basket being returned.
Du Yutong, on the other hand, felt much better as soon as she smelled the aroma of the barbecue.
Pearl happily helped her young mistress walk to the next room.
"Miss, you look much better. Miss Jiang is truly a miracle doctor; the medicine worked after just one bowl."
Du Yutong was too embarrassed to admit that she was craving barbecue.
She gave a faint "hmm".
Gao Mu put down what he was holding and pulled Qiu Ju to the outer room.
He looked Qiuju up and down, then reached out and squeezed her arm.
"My wife, are you hurt? Were you frightened?"
Qiuju gently pushed his hand away and said shyly, "Stop fooling around, Commander Xiang is still outside."
"I was quite frightened at the time, but I'm fine now. Luckily, the guards arrived in time, so we are safe and sound."
"It was all my carelessness. I heard someone say that you left the palace gate, so I went to the pine forest to look for you, but I couldn't find you there."
"So I went to the hunting grounds and learned that a leopard had broken through. On the way, I happened to meet Xiang Song, who then summoned the Emperor's secret guards to find you."
Gao Mu hugged Qiu Ju with lingering fear and gently patted her back. "It's good that you and Miss are alright, otherwise I wouldn't have lived either."
"Don't talk nonsense. Our young lady is a blessed person. All bad things will stay away from her."
Qiu Ju's words were a way of comforting herself.
Hearing Xiang Song cough in the corridor, Gao Mu released Qiu Ju. "My lady, get some rest tonight. I'll be waiting for you and Miss outside the courtyard tomorrow."
After the group had lunch, a palace maid brought them a calming soup, but Jiang Shuyue and Qiuju did not drink it.
Du Yutong and Zhu'er each drank a bowl.
None of them went out in the afternoon. Princess Yonghe sat in Jiang Shuyue's room for a while, and only left with her maids after confirming that they were all alright.
The next day, the group set off back to the capital.
Jiang Shuyue was still invited into that large carriage.
A faint, cool bamboo scent wafted through the carriage.
As soon as Jiang Shuyue sat down, Xiao Jingzhao looked at her with concern, "Did you sleep well last night? Did you have any nightmares?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. We are all fine."
She's not some pampered rich girl; with her spatial ability, she can't be easily frightened.
The next time she saw Zhang Cai, she had to remind the villagers not to go towards the hunting grounds.
Just a few hills away, if we were to encounter a tiger or leopard, we would be dead.
On the way back, Xiao Jingzhao didn't say much, and the two of them each picked up a book and started reading.
Halfway there, he reported to Song through the curtain.
"Your Majesty, it seems that Magistrate Jiang has left the capital to take up his new post."
Xiao Jingzhao looked up at Jiang Shuyue, "Do you want to go down and say goodbye?"
"Your Majesty, have you forgotten? I have long since severed all ties with him as father and daughter. There's no need for farewell; let him go."
Jiang Shuyue spoke calmly, as if she were talking about someone unrelated.
On the carriage opposite.
Jiang Zhengming heard from the coachman that a large convoy of carriages and horses was approaching, including a luxurious carriage.
He lifted the carriage curtain with trembling hands, tears welling up in his eyes.
He told the driver, "Pull over quickly."
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