022

"Hey, ma'am, why is your face red?"

Song Jin touched his hot cheeks and said guiltily, "It's hot, hot."

Qing Wu didn't suspect anything, so he put the hot water in and went out.

Song Jin soaked himself in the water, with only his eyes exposed above the water.

The hot steam rising up couldn't hide the restlessness on her face.

[Little fox slave, I hope you can tease me in bed in the future.]

Speaking explicit words in a teasing tone.

The voice she heard this time was more explicit and direct than the one she heard in the Xinu Garden.

Did Cui Huaiji really have such feelings for her?

When did it start?

Does she...have that kind of feeling towards him?

It is unknown today in Song Dynasty.

*

It has been over a month since the Crown Prince got married, and the Crown Princess has never appeared in public.

Now, he suddenly held a lake cruise banquet and invited important officials and noble ladies from the court. The purpose was self-evident.

When Song Jin received the invitation letter, he was not interested in making friends with the Crown Princess. He heard that Lord Sikong's legitimate daughter would also go.

Now that Sikong Tailing has assumed the important responsibility of being the emperor, his daughter will inevitably become the object of everyone's flattery.

She needs to find a way to become friends with him without causing him to dislike her.

The lake cruise was scheduled for 3:15 pm, and the destination for the first half was set in the wilderness outside the city.

When Song Jin's driver arrived at the destination, he saw from a distance the young lady surrounded by a group of noble ladies.

She had seen the portrait of Sikong Tailing's daughter in advance.

That is Tai Mianmian.

Tai Mianmian is seventeen years old. He is Tailing’s late-born son and is still unmarried.

It is said that Tailing looked down on the man who proposed marriage to him.

Tai Mianmian is beautiful with a plump and lovely face, no wonder Lord Sikong is reluctant to marry her off.

Song Jin looked at her from a distance, nodded with a smile, and walked towards his seat.

Just as everyone was seated, the Crown Princess and the Concubine came in adulterously.

Song Jin noticed that Tai Mianmian's seat was very close to the main seat.

It seems that the Crown Princess also has the idea of ​​pulling Taimianmian.

"I'm hosting a banquet today because I want to get to know you all. Please don't be shy."

Chang Yuchong winked at someone on the side, and then smiled and said, "It's not time yet. I don't like to engage in literary activities, and I know you are tired of these things. It just so happens that the martial arts field is open today, why don't we stretch our muscles together?"

The Yu Dynasty did not advocate martial arts, and there was no explicit rule prohibiting women from learning martial arts. Women from official families would learn some martial arts to exercise their bodies.

Since the Crown Princess has spoken, they must agree.

Chang Yue cleared the martial arts field early in the morning and picked out a few easier ways to play.

The maid presented her with a pair of emerald glass bracelets. She stroked her temples and said with a smile, "This pair of emerald glass bracelets are of high quality and have a glittering luster. Let's use them as a lucky draw today."

Everyone secretly marveled, as expected of a Crown Princess, she was so magnanimous in her actions.

There were two competitions, one for archery and one for horse racing.

Everyone was glad that the general's daughter did not come to the banquet.

The daughter of General Dingguo is good at riding and shooting, and she can kill them in seconds. She usually doesn't like to attend various banquets, and thinks that the elegant banquets are extremely boring. Unfortunately, the banquet held by the Crown Princess today is exactly the opposite of the past.

Yang Chaoxue raised her hand and called the palace maid over, "Since you have offered a prize, I cannot come empty-handed. This pair of gilded fox earrings will also be used as a prize."

There were quiet inhalations from all around.

The pair of gilded fox-ear pendants were a tribute from a foreign country the year before. The Empress Dowager was particularly fond of them and even wanted to give them to the Marquis of Quling, but the Crown Prince snatched them away first.

This pair of hairpins is plated with gold all over and is made with exquisite craftsmanship. They shine colorfully under the sunlight and are very beautiful.

The holy messengers from the Gentiles were beetles, so it is not surprising that the tribute items would have the image of beetles.

Given Marquis Quling's hobby of loving cats, it's no wonder that the Empress Dowager wanted to give one to him.

Chang Yue was outshined by a concubine, and her face turned slightly cold, obviously knowing the origin of the pair of hairpins.

Yang Chaoxue was clearly showing off the prince's favor towards her.

"Let's get started."

Song Jin looked at the two people sitting in silence thoughtfully. It seemed that the situation in the East Palace was not very good.

Shaking the bow and arrow in her hand, she couldn't help but reveal a hint of nostalgia.

She still remembered that her father had told her that her mother was one of the best archers in Qingzhou, and she had once been unrivaled in the wild. Unfortunately, she never saw her mother's style, as her father had also taught her how to ride and shoot.

"Miss Song."

Song Jin raised his eyes, "Miss Tai."

Tai Mianmian's eyes were bright, and he was trying to suppress his excitement. "How about riding a horse, Miss Song?"

She hadn't taken the initiative to approach him yet, but this person took the initiative to approach her.

Song Jin thought for a moment, "Not bad, I've studied for a while."

Tai Mianmian looked around, ignoring the group of people staring at them, "Miss Song, do you have any idea about the prize? I'll use it to make friends with you, okay?"

Song Jin was stunned, almost suspecting that he had heard it wrongly, "What?"

Tai Mianmian played with the bow and arrow, and said frankly: "Let me put it this way, I came here today just for you. I may not be as good as the general's daughter in riding, but no one on this field can match me."

"I thought it would be a bit abrupt for you to suddenly tell you that we were friends, so I used the prize given by the Crown Princess as an excuse."

"Miss Song, are you willing to be my friend?"

It seems that she is not the only one rushing towards the other party.

Song Jin couldn't help laughing, and his almond-shaped eyes burst into a bright smile, like a lotus in full bloom.

Tai Mianmian’s eyes widened as he watched.

"good."

*

As Tai Mianmian said, no noble lady on the field could defeat her.

When she first rode and shot, she was targeting the general's daughter, so her attitude towards learning martial arts was naturally different from theirs.

But she forgot Song Jin.

Looking at the arrow hitting the target right in the distance, Tai Mianmian was dumbfounded, especially when she saw that the following arrows hit the same position, she began to regret what she had just said.

"Is this what you call acceptable???"

Song Jin didn't take it seriously and asked her, "Is it difficult to hit the bull's eye?"

It seemed that my father had the same expression as her before.

She was nine years old at the time, and after a few tries she was able to hit the bull's eye reliably.

Tai Mianmian stopped looking at the target, closed his eyes, and silently encouraged himself.

"It's not difficult... not difficult at all... hehe."

Song Jin distractedly looked over at the seat of honor. They didn't care about the competition here at all. They talked and smiled to each other, but there was an indescribable undercurrent.

Yang Chaoxue's plan to become the Crown Princess was ruined. She had thought that she would spend more energy fighting her, but she didn't expect that she would be trapped in the East Palace and have no time to take care of her.

But she didn't know that it was Cui Huaiji who taught Yang Chaoxue a lesson in the assassination in the palace.

Song Jin lowered her eyes silently. She was not interested in the first prize.

She intentionally shot the next few arrows away, giving them to Tai Mianmian.

The archery results are out.

Chang Yue was not surprised at all, as the banquet was originally held for Tai Mianmian, so it was completely expected that she would take first place.

However...

"Song Jin?"

She recalled briefly and recognized that she was Xu Nanheng's fiancée.

"I didn't expect Miss Song to be so good at archery. It's really surprising. Sister, do you think so?"

Yang Chaoxue looked at the two of them with a fake smile: "Sister is right, but in terms of riding skills, Miss Song may not be able to compare with Miss Tai."

"Really?" Chang Yue smiled with an ambiguous tone, "Then I'll wait and see who has better riding skills."

Song Jin had become the vortex of their secret struggle for no reason and could only curse himself.

*

Chang Yue set up a flag somewhere on the field. Whoever rode a horse to get the flag back would win the first prize of the day.

Tai Mianmian pulled the black horse over, dismounted lightly, turned around to look at Song Jin behind him, raised his chin and said, "Miss Song, I'll go first!"

"Drive!"

The dark horse is like a flying swallow on the sea, crouching and sprinting through layers of huge waves.

The other noble ladies followed him.

Song Jin touched the mane under his palm, and a long-lost sense of familiarity rose in his heart.

How long has it been since she last experienced the exhilaration of riding a horse?

She couldn't remember. So many things had happened in her past and present lives that she had almost forgotten the days when she and her father rode horses in the suburbs of Qingzhou.

The hand holding the horse rope tightened, and the figure rushed away like an arrow!

The breeze blows on my cheeks, and the feeling of freedom spreads to my limbs, making me feel extremely free.

"Little lady Tai!"

Song Jin caught up with her, looked into her shocked eyes, and said slyly, "Didn't you say you would give me the first prize? Miss Tai won't get the first prize like this."

"You..." Tai Mianmian choked, finding it hard to accept that she surpassed him so easily.

She was greatly stimulated and groaned softly as she sped up her horse, trying to leave her behind.

On the other hand, Song Jin and Bo Lan followed her calmly, keeping a distance between them.

As he approached the flag marking point, Song Jin slowed down and observed the movements around him.

The next moment, she saw Tai Mianmian step into the trigger range of the mechanism, and long bamboo sticks suddenly appeared on both sides. If someone who didn't know martial arts approached, he would definitely be knocked down.

They only know how to ride, but they may not be able to dodge.

Song Jin saw clearly that Chang Yue had not intended to let others benefit from the banquet.

Whether it is archery or horsemanship, they were all carefully prepared for Tai Mianmian.

Tai Mianmian idolizes General Dingguo and sets him as his goal in learning martial arts. However, in the eyes of others, he is just learning for fun and only knows the basics.

Song Jin reined in his horse and watched her run to where the flags were.

*

Both jackpot prizes fell into Tai Mianmian's hands.

Chang Yue pulled her aside and praised her a lot, hinting to her openly and covertly that she was trying to seize opportunities for the prince.

She was not stupid, and could figure out everything that happened today. So she played it safe, laughing and playing a trick on the other party.

Chang Yue saw through her trick but did not point it out. He hit her from the side, and seeing the frozen smile on her face, he leaned over and whispered a few words in her ear.

She used her status as the Crown Princess to put pressure on Tai Mianmian. Tai Mianmian didn't want to get into trouble for no reason, so she gave her a chance to be introduced, but she couldn't make any more promises.

Chang Yue was satisfied and let go of the people: "It's getting late, the lake cruise banquet is about to begin, everyone please follow me."

Tai Mianmian took the opportunity to avoid her hand and stood silently beside Song Jin.

Song Jin glanced at her sideways and it seemed that Chang Yue had succeeded.

When they reached the lake, they unexpectedly met the prince and his entourage.

Chang Yue smiled brightly and took his arm. "Your Highness, I am having a banquet with my sisters. Are you done with your work?"

A month after the prince's wedding, people on the street were saying that the prince and his wife were in love and in harmony, and that the talented man and beautiful woman were a match made in heaven.

Xu Guanlin noticed the gazes from the people around him and said with a warm expression: "Is everything done?"

Chang Yue nodded, blocking Yang Chaoxue's gaze without making a sound: "Well, it's done."

Prince?

Song Jin was just about to take a peek at what was going on over there when he suddenly saw Cui Huaiji.

[Lord Hou? Why is he here too? ]