60 Hug
◎The soft and delicate touch comes back to my heart◎
After waking up, Gu Ningxi thought it was just an ordinary, peaceful morning.
The familiar bed, the familiar furnishings in the room, and the rising sun casting a golden light on the center of the desk.
Gu Ningxi habitually reached out for the clothes beside the couch, but found nothing.
Could it be that the maid took it to clean last night?
Gu Ningxi thought so, got off the bed, put on her shoes, and went to the closet to get a new set of clothes.
Outer garments, brocade belts, and chest bindings were unnecessary. Yesterday, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao had unexpectedly visited, sharing the same courtyard. She had deliberately left her chest binding on, fearing something might happen that night.
—Wait, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao?!
Gu Ningxi paused as she held onto the clothes. His Royal Highness Prince Zhao stayed at...
She quickly patted her cheeks, trying to distinguish between dreams and reality.
With a glimmer of hope, Gu Ningxi pushed open another wardrobe door.
In the inner room there was a set of clothes that obviously did not belong to her. The gold and silver embroidery on them was luxurious and elegant.
Gu Ningxi took a half step back and leaned against the closet door, trying to calm herself down.
Everywhere she looked were the furniture and ornaments she saw day and night. This was her bedroom.
So... Gu Ningxi fell into deep thought, why was she here?
Where did His Royal Highness Prince Zhao go?
Gu Ningxi quickly put on her clothes and walked to the door.
She took a deep breath, opened a small gap, and explored the scene in the courtyard.
Then, she met the eyes of the people who were drinking tea in the yard.
Gu Ningxi: “…”
The gap in the door that was pushed open gradually became smaller.
She heard His Royal Highness Prince Zhao say, "Come here when you wake up."
Lu Jing ordered someone to prepare breakfast. Gu Ningxi composed himself, walked to the courtyard with a guilty conscience, and sat down on the stone bench opposite His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
She stroked her robe nervously, trying to find a topic to talk about: "Your Highness, why are you drinking tea so early in the morning?"
Lu Jing didn't answer. He asked someone to pour hot water for Gu Ningxi and drank the remaining cold tea in the cup.
Gu Ningxi stared down at the stone tabletop, remembering that tea can refresh the mind.
She tried hard to piece together her memories of last night. She clearly slept in the west wing at first.
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. She had to ask him about it anyway, so Gu Ningxi chose to face it first.
"Your Highness," Lu Jing looked at the person opposite him and raised a flattering smile, "Your Highness, did you sleep well last night?"
The courtyard was silent for ten breaths.
“…What do you think?”
Gu Ningxi laughed dryly twice: "I think I went to the wrong place in the middle of the night."
His Royal Highness Prince Zhao had no interest in men, so you can imagine how horrified he was when a man suddenly climbed onto his bed in the middle of the night.
Gu Ningxi realized it later: "Fortunately, I was not mistaken for an assassin."
Lu Jing then poured himself a cup of tea. The secret guards all recognized Yuan Le, so they would not stop him easily.
"Your Highness, why don't you light a lamp to wake me up?"
"Wake you up? You were sleeping so soundly that you didn't even know there were multiple people next to you."
Gu Ningxi breathed a sigh of relief, as it was good that he didn't light the lamp.
Yuan Le had a good night's sleep. Lu Jing thought of what happened in the middle of the night and drank half a cup of cold tea.
The bed was so narrow that Yuan Le was almost pressed against his side, his warm breath caressing his neck.
How could he sleep well on the same bed with her tonight?!
Either he carried Yuan Le back to the west wing; or he went to the west wing himself.
Lu Jing decisively chose the latter.
When he lay down on the messy bed in the west wing, he remembered that this was Yuan Le's usual bedding, and the air was filled with Yuan Le's scent.
It was even more of a restless night.
Although still in an awkward situation, Gu Ningxi felt relieved a little.
His Royal Highness Prince Zhao had never suspected her of anything, and his expression only showed concern about sharing a bed with a man.
It's okay.
However, Gu Ningxi was still worried when he heard His Royal Highness Prince Zhao ask again, "What did you dream about last night?"
"What?"
Lu Jing was puzzled. Last night, he had only held Yuan Le's cheek, wanting to use the pillow as a cushion. Unexpectedly, Yuan Le rubbed his palm, then moved away, mumbling, "No, no."
At that moment he thought Yuan Le was half awake and didn't want a pillow.
But thinking back now, Yuan Le's tone was quite dissatisfied with him.
"Your Majesty..." Gu Ningxi was struck by lightning, and all the inappropriate dreams rushed towards her.
She forced herself to remain calm: "How could I possibly remember anything in my dream?"
Just then, breakfast was served: a plate of eggs, a plate of fried buns, glutinous rice cakes and two bowls of porridge.
Gu Ningxi blocked her mouth with a fried bun, fearing that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao would ask more questions.
The two of them ate breakfast, each preoccupied with their own thoughts. Gu Ningxi drank two spoonfuls of porridge. She didn't want to answer Prince Zhao's question, but she still wanted to ask more.
Picking up a fried bun and putting it down again, Gu Ningxi asked casually, "Did I talk in my sleep last night?"
She looked calm on the surface, but her heart was beating like a drum as she anxiously waited for the answer.
Lu Jing said, "There's another sentence I didn't hear clearly."
In order to avoid him, Yuan Le leaned to the outside and almost fell off the edge of the bed.
He could only take action to rescue Yuan Le.
The soft and delicate touch came back to his mind, and Lu Jing forced himself to stop thinking about it.
He couldn't recall much. After settling Yuan Le down and covering him with a quilt, he almost ran away from the room.
He really...didn't reject Yuan Le's contact. He couldn't read those secret pictures, but he could accept Yuan Le.
Lu Jing smiled bitterly, not knowing whether to be happy or sad.
The horses are ready outside the palace, and His Royal Highness Prince Zhao will return shortly after breakfast.
Gu Ningxi hesitated, feeling somewhat apologetic. "Your Highness didn't sleep well last night. Why don't you rest a little longer?"
There was sincerity in her eyes, and Lu Jing was speechless.
It’s not that I didn’t sleep well, it’s that I didn’t sleep at all all night.
He said, "Marching is a common thing, it's nothing serious."
He couldn't stay in this small courtyard any longer.
The guards were all ready to set off, and Gu Ningxi and Minister Li saw off His Royal Highness Prince Zhao together.
The sound of horse hooves faded away, and Gu Ningxi looked at the empty official road, which was as peaceful as when he came down from Prince Zhao's palace.
She felt as if the meeting that day and night was just a dream.
…
March is the peak of spring. The war in Hebei is temporarily suspended, and the spring hunting that has been prepared for more than a month is put on the agenda.
The hunting procession that set out from Kyoto stretched for miles and was extremely majestic.
The emperor's carriage was guarded by the imperial guards in the center, and the princes, nobles, civil and military officials followed behind, forming a situation where the stars surrounded the moon.
Even though they had been traveling for more than two days, the team was still in good order and as majestic as when they set out.
It was a bright and beautiful spring day, and Gu Ningxi rode his horse beside the carriage of the marquis's mansion.
Since that night, Gu Ningxi took great pains to calm down before meeting His Royal Highness Prince Zhao again.
For this spring hunt, the Xuanping Marquis Mansion sent many young men from the clan to come, and they were taken care of by Gu Ningxi's second uncle.
After two months of hard work at Renzhi Palace and with everything going smoothly, Gu Ningxi thought it was only natural for her to come out and relax for a while.
She picked a spring flower and admired it. Someone beside her greeted her, saying, "Master Gu seems to be in good spirits."
Gu Ningxi looked over and saw the person coming, Duke Qin Yu of Qi. He had officially inherited the title in early March, making him the first among his peers from aristocratic families to do so.
Gu Ningxi and he were classmates when they were young, and because of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, they had some friendship.
Gu Ningxi smiled and nodded: "Yes, the spring scenery is just right."
She was indeed in a good mood, especially since Gu Ningzheng was not with the hunting party. He was confined at home studying, preparing for the second half of the year's imperial examinations. Without him around to chatter, the scenery along the way was even more pleasant.
And then there was her elder sister, who would be marrying into the Ningguo Mansion in two years. Taking advantage of the free time before her wedding, Madam Shen had allowed her to travel far and wide, enjoying the last free moments of her life as a girl in her boudoir.
The bright spring light shone into the carriage. Gu Ningwan raised the window and waited for Gu Ningxi to approach. She asked with a smile, "How long until we get to the camp?"
Gu Ningxi was about to send someone to inquire, but Qin Yu took over the conversation: "According to the current route, we will reach the foot of Jiuyun Mountain by dusk."
Gu Ningwan thanked him politely, and Gu Ningxi smiled and said, "Brother Yanming is definitely familiar with the route."
The spring breeze blows the green grass and the flowers bloom.
At the front of the team, Lu Jing withdrew his gaze for the second time.
I don’t know what Yuan Le and Yan Ming were talking about, but they could chat for so long.
Actually... he could also go and talk to Yuan Le openly.
It was broad daylight, and even if others noticed them, no one would suspect them of anything.
Lu Jing held the reins, thought again and again, and finally decided not to turn back.
He only ordered someone to invite the Duke of Qi over.
…
Jiuyun Mountain is the royal hunting ground, and there are people specially assigned to patrol and manage the mountain on weekdays.
There is a camp at the foot of the mountain, and it becomes very lively during the spring and autumn hunting seasons.
As Qin Yu said, the team arrived at the camp at dusk.
After a day's journey, Gu Ningxi had no time to examine the surrounding camp arrangements. She led her men to the tents assigned to the Xuanping Marquis's residence, simply set down their belongings, and settled in. Her sister's tent was fenced off to the inside, so Gu Ningxi ordered her men to fetch water.
The whole camp was enveloped in moonlight and gradually fell into sleep.
There were strict sentries all around, and teams of imperial guards were patrolling in an orderly manner and guarding the tents.
The early morning sun dispersed the mist. After packing up the tent in the morning, Gu Ningxi went to look for his cousin.
The tents of each mansion were allocated by the Ministry of Rites, and the dozens of adjacent tents were mostly occupied by noble families who were familiar with the Xuanping Marquis Mansion.
The camp was built beside the river. As Gu Ningxi walked along, he saw that many tents were still being tidied up, making it inconvenient to find people.
Gu Ningxi thought about it and decided to explore the terrain on his own first and then meet his cousin later.
She walked downstream along the river. As far as she could remember, if she continued walking in this direction, she would reach an open area, and further west was the jungle.
Gu Ningxi had visited the hunting grounds of Jiuyun Mountain several times over the years. The scenery was similar across the mountains, and finding the place he had dreamed of in such a vast expanse was no easy task.
The gurgling stream reflects the lush green trees and flowers. If you have no worries, simply enjoying the scenery will be a special pleasure.
This place is some distance away from the camp, and the imperial guards' outposts can be seen every hundred steps.
"Master Gu!"
A clear voice was heard, Gu Ningxi turned around and saw Luo Yun with a bright smile.
Seeing her holding the longbow, Gu Ningxi smiled and said, "Miss Luo, are you also going to participate in the hunting in three days?"
"Of course!" Luo Yun was in high spirits. She was the champion of the willow-shooting competition during the Wanshou Festival. Even though she participated as a woman, no young man from aristocratic family dared to criticize her.
Behind her was the representative of the Nan'an Marquisate. As there were still two days left, Luo Yun practiced diligently in his free time in order to win a place for the Marquisate in the hunting ground.
Gu Ningxi smiled and praised her, "A tiger father will naturally have a dog daughter."
If anyone says that there is no successor to the Nan'an Marquisate, just look at the eldest daughter of the Luo family.
Gu Ningxi saw that the two attendants following Luo Yun were holding prey, all of which she had caught in the morning.
Luo Yun said modestly, "These are easy to hunt, nothing special." She smiled and said, "If Sir Gu has any prey he likes, please tell me. I will hunt it for you in the next two days if I have the chance."
As he spoke, Luo Yun's attention was attracted by a bird circling low in the sky.
She quickly put the arrow on the bow, but was in no hurry to shoot.
She explained to Gu Ningxi in a low voice, "This is a swallow harrier, known for its agility."
Luo Yun is a very patient hunter. She aims her arrow at the target and waits for the opportunity.
The kite circled back and forth several times and landed on a banyan tree thirty steps away.
At the same time, Luo Yun released the bowstring and the arrow flew out.
Gu Ningxi held his breath unconsciously. The arrow tip was slightly off the target in the banyan tree and only cut off a bunch of branches and leaves.
Luo Yun was not discouraged and bent the bow again.
The targeted kite was frightened and flapped its wings, flying higher and higher, and was reluctant to perch.
Hitting the target became increasingly difficult, and Luo Yun shot two arrows in vain. Seeing that the Yan Yao was out of her range, Luo Yun was about to give up when a stray arrow suddenly broke through the air.
It seemed as if it had predicted the movements of the swallow harrier, and with the sound of the wind, it accurately shot down the nimble bird.
"What wonderful archery!"
Luo Yun was amazed and looked at the place where the Yan Yao landed for a long time, still thinking about the arrow he had just shot.
Under the clear blue sky, Gu Ningxi looked curiously in the direction the arrow came from.
She saw His Royal Highness Prince Zhao put away the longbow in his hand.
【Author’s words】
Xiao Lu bravely enters the female competition track!
I'm on a business trip, sorry for the late update.
Leave a comment and send everyone a small red envelope, muah!
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