Chapter 46
Lingwu then wiped away her tears, her beautiful eyes wet with tears, and the corners of her eyes were red.
Seeing this, Zhang Delu and Mu Zhi, who were standing guard nearby, were filled with heartache.
The Emperor and Empress breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt an unavoidable pang of heartache.
Lingwu, who had finally gotten her wish to ride a horse with the Second Prince, finally smiled.
Instead of his usual smugness and arrogance, the second prince stood there in a daze.
"Why did Jiaojiao...choose me, her second brother?"
Lingwu fiddled with the reins held by the Second Prince, and didn't look up when she heard this. "Because Second Brother just helped Jiaojiao out of a predicament."
"Is that all?" The Second Prince's handsome face contorted into a grimace.
"Hmm... Big brother is gentler than you, third brother is more capable than you, fourth brother dotes on Jiaojiao the most, sister speaks the nicest, second brother, you..." Lingwu murmured as if pondering his goodness.
The Second Prince suddenly burst out laughing, his arrogant face filled with a doting teasing tone, "So Jiaojiao is willing to cry just to be with her Second Brother? You little heartless thing."
Lingwu wasn't angry and continued, "But Second Brother is the most flamboyant and proud. Jiaojiao thinks that playing with Second Brother today would be the happiest thing."
The second prince coughed lightly, his previous "heartless" attitude instantly transforming into that of a sweetheart. "Then your second brother will show your little darling what true joy, what unrestrained freedom, and what boundless arrogance is..."
He spurred his horse and, amidst everyone's worried gazes, steadily charged into the forest!
The wind whistled past my ears, and the fresh scent of grass and trees filled my nostrils.
Finally, with a considerable amount of prey, the Second Prince and Ling Wu appeared safely before everyone's eyes.
Sheng Yu breathed a sigh of relief, loosened his grip on the armrest, and the darkness in his eyes lessened slightly.
The Empress remained gentle as she rose and took Lingwu from the Second Prince's horse.
Seeing the little girl's eyes brimming with joy and carefree abandon, the Empress's heart skipped a beat.
She went from wanting Sheng Yu to be with her child to now only wanting to indulge in her own pleasures.
If she had acted according to the plan, would her precious future have truly been carefree?
Or perhaps, just like the phoenix hairpin three years ago, in the turbulent future of Dasheng, her beauty will be exchanged for a peaceful and prosperous era.
Thinking of this, a chill ran down her spine for a moment.
Finally, it was Lingwu in her arms who spoke, startling her from her thoughts, "Second brother caught a little fox for Jiaojiao, and Jiaojiao wants to give it to Mother."
When the Empress saw the white fox being held by the guard, her heart softened. She brushed Lingwu's stray hairs behind her ear and said, "Jiaojiao is really amazing."
The second prince's smug face froze. "Mother, I hunted that fox... But Jiao Jiao is indeed amazing, hahaha!"
It was Jiaojiao's first time hunting, and she wasn't afraid at all. In fact, she was the one who found almost all of the prey.
He originally thought that with a "little burden" on them, they would definitely be at the bottom of the rankings, but to his surprise, the prey seemed to be blind and kept running straight in front of them!
Those who didn't know the situation might have thought it was the Emperor deliberately trying to please his daughter, but those who did knew were excitedly shouting, "Your Highness is the lucky star of the Great Sheng!"
The Empress glanced at the Second Prince and, unusually, praised him, saying, "The waiter was quite good today too."
The Crown Prince also dismounted, and when his eyes met those of the Empress, they quickly looked away.
On the evenings of the autumn hunt, bonfires are lit to roast meat.
For some reason, the Second Prince felt uneasy and kept glancing at Ling Wu.
Seemingly sensing something was wrong with him, the Crown Prince asked gently, "What happened in the woods today?"
He followed him the whole way, but he still managed to shake him off; thankfully, nothing happened.
"It's nothing." The Second Prince lowered his eyes, concealing his expression.
The Crown Prince chuckled lightly: "Since nothing happened, why have you been so absent-minded all day since then?"
"Brother, would you be sad if I died?" The Second Prince raised his head and looked directly at the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince's eyes remained gentle. "What nonsense are you thinking? I won't let you die."
He handed the roasted meat to the Second Prince, who silently accepted it.
"I believe my brother, the Emperor!"
One sentence made the prince pause, then he turned his head with a smile, "What did you hear? Or what did you see? Or is someone trying to sow discord between us?"
Ling Wu took a bite of meat, and the Third Prince, with a cold face, still reminded her like an old woman: "Jiao Jiao is still young and should eat less roasted meat, as it is not easy for her to digest."
Ling Wu blinked her big, watery eyes, hoping the Fourth Prince could help her, but this time even the Fourth Prince silently looked away.
He remembered that it had been the same before. He had defied everyone's objections to take Jiao Jiao out for a good meal, but later he had secretly entered Jiao Jiao's palace alone, and watched Ling Wu being rubbed in the stomach by Mu Zhi all night while wiping away his tears.
The little girl was so overwhelmed that her face was pale all night, leaving him with considerable fear.
But at this moment, the little girl blinked her trusting eyes, making him unable to resist softening his heart again: "You should eat less, but later Fourth Brother will go and get Jiao Jiao a bowl of plum juice. It's sweet and sour and easier to digest."
Ling Wu remained silent for a moment before nodding emphatically.
The Third Prince breathed a sigh of relief. He was not good with words, and every time he spoke, it made Jiao Jiao a little unhappy.
However, upon seeing the Fourth Prince, his cold face became even more chilling, causing those around him to quietly move away. Yet, Ling Wu handed him the somewhat haphazardly torn roasted meat.
"I can't eat anymore, Third Brother, please help Jiao Jiao."
The Third Prince knew that Ling Wu was comforting him, and silently thought to himself how well-behaved his younger sister was.
As soon as she received it, the little girl nimbly leaped between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince like a little rabbit.
It broke the silence between the two.
The second prince hesitated, unsure how to bring up the secret letter, but seeing Ling Wu arrive, he could finally drop the matter.
"What provocation?" Ling Wu asked without any hesitation.
The Crown Prince chuckled, “My little darling has such good hearing.”
The second prince beamed with delight, "Indeed, my little darling is as clever as a devil... Oops, wrong, wrong, she's as clever as a fairy! That's enough, brother! You may not love her, but I will!"
The Crown Prince then slowly released his grip on the Second Prince's ear.
Because of this interruption, the mutual suspicion that had just occurred vanished.
Ling Wu covered her lips, her face slightly flushed with laughter.
Amidst the apparent harmony, the Empress, standing not far away, lowered her eyelashes.
She heard a sound behind her, but didn't turn around. "Cancel everything."
"Master, all these years have been for tonight, you..."
"I won't say it a second time."
“...Yes.” The maid behind her bit her lip, seemingly unwilling.
The moon rises above the treetops, and the autumn hunt lasts for three days. We sleep in our tents every night.
"Greetings, Li Yue. The Second Prince injured his arm today and needs medicine. We would be grateful if you could help him." A maid in a pink dress carried a tray, bowed, and then lowered her head, making it impossible to see her face.
The guard hesitated for a moment, then carefully checked her over to make sure she wasn't carrying any sharp weapons before letting her in.
Li Yue lowered her head and lifted the curtain.
There were no candles lit inside, and it was so dark that one could not see any figures.
The second prince was lying on the bed with his back to Li Yue, so she couldn't see him clearly at all.
Li Yue lowered her eyes to look at the medicine on the tray, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.
She remembered that the Second Prince and the Crown Prince had been chatting happily together earlier that day, and he didn't seem to be injured...
Just then, Li Yue noticed the dagger on the back of the person on the bed!
"Thud—" The tray landed with a crisp sound!
The people outside the tent looked at each other in disbelief, then their eyes widened in terror, and they hurriedly went inside!
At the same time, in the main tent not far away, the Empress, who had just coaxed Lingwu to sleep, felt a tremor in her heart.
Could it be...?
She immediately turned her head, her cold gaze fixed on the maid beside her!
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