Jiang Ying was too lazy to guess and just cast his eyes towards the platform, listening thoughtfully to the emperor's speech.
Yan Zhuo was helpless and looked down at his son, "Your mother ignored us..."
"Mom." Xiao Yan called out.
Jiang Ying tilted his head subconsciously, "What's wrong?"
The little guy didn't say anything, but just glanced at Yan Zhuo sideways, as if to say, please remove the word "们".
Yan Zhuo, "..."
"You know Qin Shouyi is here, but did you notice that Wei Zhongyuan is here too?" There was no other way. The little woman wouldn't cooperate, so Yan Zhuo had to get straight to the point and bring up the topic that interested her.
Sure enough, this sentence was far more attractive than the previous one. Jiang Ying turned around and looked into the man's eyes.
She didn't say a word, but how could Yan Zhuo not know what she was thinking?
He pulled the corner of his mouth and said, "Yes, Wei Zhongyuan followed secretly. He disguised himself and mixed in with the emperor's guards. He was very inconspicuous.
If I hadn't taken my son for a walk and heard some of the things he said, I wouldn't have been so sure."
The so-called "words heard" are actually Xiao Yanji's inner voice.
Because he knew that although Wei Zhongyuan was just a marginal eunuch in the library, he was actually the only most favored eunuch besides Huang Mingquan.
He was a martial arts expert and loyal to the emperor. He deliberately hid his identity and stayed in the inner palace to protect the emperor.
This autumn hunting trip would last for several days, so the emperor naturally had to consider his own safety.
In case of an assassination attempt, the emperor would feel more at ease with Wei Zhongyuan around.
Of course, according to Xiao Yanjiu's memory, there was no assassination or other unexpected incidents during this autumn hunt, so it was quite peaceful.
At most, he would not go back to the valley to cause trouble and scare a few lost ladies, but this would have little impact on the great harvest of the autumn hunt and the great joy of the dragon.
Hearing this, Jiang Ying felt relieved to a certain extent.
At least nothing goes wrong, which means stability and fewer troubles.
But the next second, thinking of Wei Zhongyuan and Qin Shouyi, his heart was lifted again, "Who do you think is targeting the Jiang family? On the surface, neither of them has any hatred towards the Jiang family."
At this moment, she and Yan Zhuo's eyes were fixed on these two people, because all others were ruled out, and only these two, one mysterious, the other high-ranking, had the means and background to do so many things!
"I feel that Qin Shouyi has greater potential." Yan Zhuo nodded, expressing his opinion clearly.
Jiang Ying thought that the Queen Mother did not come this time, but Qin Shouyi came with her under the pretext of being righteous. Moreover, the Queen Mother had been veiled in her attitude towards the Jiang family many times, which really showed that she had a stronger motive. As for Wei Zhongyuan, her master was the Emperor, and the Jiang family had never been disloyal to the Emperor. The Emperor had helped her to be promoted many times, including during this period of instability in the border areas, when several censors impeached her father Jiang Shang, but the Emperor did not believe everything he heard, and suppressed many of them.
Therefore, the probability that the emperor instructed Wei Zhongyuan to do this is very small. Wei Zhongyuan himself has not yet been found to have any personal grudges with the Jiang family.
In this way, Jiang Ying knows what to do next!
Inspired by the emperor's passion, she and Yan Zhuo looked at each other secretly, with a tacit understanding.
Xiao Yanji pouted, [Let’s just hunt, Uncle Huang, you’re talking a lot of nonsense…]
[The little emperor is still good. He doesn't like to talk. If he is unhappy about something, he will order me to kill people. If killing one doesn't work, kill two. If any dishonest minister is killed a few times in front of him, he will behave himself! ]
Jiang Ying & Yan Zhuo: ...
"Royal brother, the rules are always the same every year. It's so boring." Just as the emperor finished speaking, Princess Xuanning stood up leisurely, twirling her handkerchief and complained.
Her husband Xiao Jingyu was standing beside her and quietly tugged at the corner of her clothes, but Xuan Ning ignored him.
The emperor doted on his sister, even though he and Xuan Ning were not from the same mother.
The emperor was not always raised by the empress dowager. He was raised in the palace of Concubine Taifei Yi from the age of 4 to 8. At that time, the empress dowager Ru꿷 made a mistake and was punished to go to the temple. Later, she was taken back when she was pregnant with Prince Yu꺷.
The most important period for children's emotional growth is between 4 and 8 years old. The Queen Mother missed those four years, and it was very difficult to make up for them in the next 40 years.
This is also the reason why the relationship between mother and son is never very good.
The Queen Mother became closer to King Yu, a young man whom she had personally raised.
Hearing this, the emperor walked back to his high seat and sat down, smiling faintly, "Oh? Xuan Ning still feels bored? Then tell me, do you have any good suggestions?"
On the other side of the mountain, a golden sun rose slowly, covering the tents of each family with a layer of golden color.
Half of Xuan Ning's face was also in golden light, "Since my brother asked me to say it, then I will really say it.
How about hunting together as a couple?
We women come from far away every year, but we can only wait in the tent or just walk around.
We were completely unaware of the man's freedom as he rode his horse and shot his arrows.
It would be better to form a team of men and women, which would allow the women to participate as well and increase the difficulty of hunting for you men.
After all, it's not just about your archery skills, you also have to take care of your female relatives. If you don't take good care of them and they get injured or lost, you will have to deduct a certain amount of prey.
So, who will be the top three? It's exciting to see!"
Xuan Ning's red lips moved in and out, and while she was speaking, she did not forget to glance at Jiang Ying with a beaming expression.
Jiang Ying was completely speechless. Is Xuan Ning sick? Why is he targeting her?
Why should women make things difficult for other women?
But the emperor didn't think so. He leaned on the armrest and pondered for a moment. Suddenly he smiled and said, "Xuan Ning's suggestion is quite interesting. I believe it. What about you, my dear ministers?"
As a young emperor, he is quick to accept new things.
If this happened to the old emperor, Xuan Ning would be scolded immediately.
Therefore, the same was true for the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty. The older generation naturally disagreed, thinking that this was clearly nonsense and disgraceful, but the younger generation, such as Yan Zhuo, Pei Wenting and Jiang Yuanyi, actually found it quite fresh and challenging.
Indeed, what’s the point of seeing a bunch of old men killing each other every year?
Adding female relatives not only makes work less tiring for men and women, but also helps them better prove their abilities.
After all, fighting alone is different from fighting in a small team, especially when your teammate is a helpless female who is basically a drag. So how to properly cooperate is the time to test your ability!
"I agree!" Before anyone else said anything, Yan Shan couldn't help himself.
Because he is currently discussing marriage with Mu Wanbai, but the Mu family seems to be still hesitant for some reason, Princess Qin secretly tells Yan Shan to take advantage of this autumn hunting opportunity to try to capture Mu Wanbai first.
It won’t be so troublesome if we invite Baoshan Xiaomen later!
How many ways can a man use to win over a woman and make her insist on marrying him?
Anyway, when it comes to Yanshan, there is only one kind.
The emperor was a little surprised. He didn't expect that Yan Shan would be the first to stand up and express his opinion. He looked at the Qin Wang beside him and said, "Uncle Wang, your second son is quite active. What do you mean?"
King Qin had thick eyebrows and big eyes. His greed for food made him very fat, but he was still a handsome fat man.
Hearing this, he stroked his chin and smiled deeply like an old fox, "I have two sons. If Your Majesty insists on asking me what I think, I can only say that I am most pleased."
Anyway, it's not the boys' turn to suffer losses in this matter.
What's more, his two sons already have engaged partners, so this is a good opportunity for them to further cultivate their relationship. Why would he object?
When the adopted daughter Su heard this, he was furious and criticized, "King Qin, you are so unkind. Why can't your two sons bear the loss?
Then what do you want us, the adopted daughters, to do?
How can a girl who is still unmarried and follows a man across mountains and ridges to marry him look back and ask for marriage?"
In his heart, Qin Wang scolded Uncle Su for being old-fashioned, but his face was still smiling, "My Lord Uncle Su, you are narrow-minded, aren't you?
No matter whether it’s sons or daughters, it’s all the same!
Since the emperor wanted the girls to exercise as well, why didn't he make good arrangements?
All the Royal Guards and Imperial Guards were dispersed on duty. With so many people in the woods, what kind of accident could happen?
Furthermore, if you really can’t accept it, you can just not sign up, but for those who are already married or engaged, there is no need to avoid these things.”
When the emperor heard this, his eyes lit up and he patted the armrest and said, "Yes, Uncle Wang's suggestion is quite pertinent. I will take the lead. It just so happens that I brought two concubines with me this time. Concubine Ruan and Concubine Qiao, which one of you is willing to sign up with me?"
In fact, the queen also came, but the emperor didn't like her and ignored her.
The queen enjoyed her leisure time. With the sun so bright, she didn't want to follow the emperor, wandering through the woods like a headless fly.
Wouldn't it be nice to lie in the tent and eat iced grapes and watermelon?
Oh, by the way, the fruit called "mango" that the daughter of the Jiang family presented last time tastes very good. I must ask her if she has more of it later.
Concubine Ruan hesitated, "Your Majesty, the Second Prince is here this time too. I am really worried..."
Before she finished speaking, the emperor had already guessed the ending. He felt a little disappointed for some reason and waved his hand, "Forget it. The Second Prince is still young, and you, as his mother, really can't leave."
Then his eyes fell on Concubine Qiao.
There was no choice at the moment. The emperor did not believe that Concubine Qiao would dare to deny his honor in front of all the civil and military officials and their families.
Originally, this matter was against ancestral rules, so it would not be easy for him to make it happen. If his attempt to make a sample failed, who among the people present would agree to it?
Concubine Qiao didn't sleep well last night because she was taking care of the eldest princess. She was sleepy and kept her head down, trying to be invisible.
Being stared at by the emperor at this moment, I felt panicky, but I was definitely not in the right state.
After a while, she raised her head and uttered a few words slowly, but she didn't answer at all. When she was about to displease the emperor, Jiang Ying stood up and said, "I agree. Not only me, but my two brothers also agree with the way of forming teams of men and women.
Madam Qiao, it is rare for us women to have such an opportunity to compete with men, why not give it a try?
The emperor is extraordinary and heroic. Even if Concubine Qiao leaves, she can just walk around a little, look at the scenery and flowers, and reap the benefits. Isn't that wonderful?"
It was because Concubine Qiao was willing to help the eldest princess that Jiang Ying stepped forward to help her.
She didn't want to offend the emperor because she was distracted and didn't understand the situation.
In that case, it would be even more impossible for her to ask the emperor to let the princess go!
It would be better to agree to it readily. After all, no one else did harm the princess. Wasn't it the emperor who ordered her to take the poison?
If he weren't here, who knows whether he would take the poison or not.
Soon, Concubine Qiao also reacted, and her confused expression immediately changed into a bright smile, "Yes, how can I refuse? Let alone hunting, even cooking in the mountains, as long as I can accompany the emperor, I am willing."
After these words were spoken, it was Jiang Ying's turn to be dumbfounded.
Sister, are you just saying these heartless love words?
When will she be able to master the skill of deceiving men without even thinking?
Yan Zhuo: Don’t, I’m scared…