Chapter 223 High-profile display of love
After knowing that Jang Geum and Meng Tian had such a connection, Zhao Yuanxi looked at Meng Tian with eyes that were no longer as kind as before.
"Empress Dowager!" Meng Tian reminded with gritted teeth that it was time to distribute rewards to the Cuju teams.
Haha - she is not blind and does not need him to remind her!
Zhao Yuanxi stood up with a cold face, and only put on a warm smile when he walked in front of everyone, and gave rewards to the Cuju teams one by one according to the previous decision.
The top three men in Team A were rewarded with a sheep and two gold ingots for each member, Team C was given a sheep and five strings of cash for each member, and Team E was given a sheep and two strings of cash for each member.
As for the other three teams, each person was rewarded with two hundred coins.
The heroine's Cuju team had only a few participants and it was difficult to tell who was the winner, so each person was rewarded with a sheep and two hundred coins, and the winning team was given a gold ingot.
After learning about the prizes of this competition, those who came to watch the game couldn't help but beat their chests and stamp their feet.
The price of a sheep is equivalent to the money they earn from a month's hard work, not to mention that cattle and sheep are not easy to buy. If they had known that the rewards were so generous, they would have let the children at home come and compete. It would be great if they could take a sheep home!
And as for the bonus money, they might not be able to save that much even if they save for half a year.
Those who sent their children to participate in the competition were secretly happy at this moment, while those who did not get any awards could only hope that their children would be able to participate in the next competition.
All the members of the Cuju team stood in the stands, accepting Zhao Yuanxi's congratulations, and they also thanked Queen Mother Zhao.
With the sound of drums, the competition came to an end.
The sun had already set in the sky, and the clouds spread out like a scroll. Several bonfires were lit in the center of Jucheng, and men and women were playing around them. The air was filled with the smell of barbecue, and it was extremely lively.
Zhao Yuanxi also wanted to go down and play, but when he saw Meng Tian next to him, he snorted coldly, "Jang Geum, let's go eat barbecue."
Sensing the Queen Mother's defensiveness, Meng Tian frowned, "General Li, have I offended the Queen Mother?"
Could it be that the Queen Mother disliked him because he ate too many snacks?
Li Mu looked at Meng Tian with amusement, "What do you think of Jang Geum's maid?"
"Jang Geum is a woman of both civil and military talents. She is truly a remarkable woman of our time. I admire her greatly."
Li Mu looked him up and down, wondering, "Is that all?"
"What else can I do?"
"Hahaha!" Li Mu laughed, "Have you married yet?"
Meng Tian's mind went blank for a moment, and he explained in a panic, "I definitely don't have the intention of disrespecting Jang Geum's maid!"
"So that's it." Li Mu understood. The relationship between the two was that the husband had no feelings for Jang Geum, and the concubine had no interest in him either. At most, it could be considered as a state of mutual appreciation. Perhaps it should be said that Meng Tian unilaterally admired Jang Geum.
"Then why do you give clothes to others?"
"Jang Geum's maid trained the Cuju team for me. I saw that her clothes were different from others, so I prepared a set for her..." Meng Tian's voice became weaker and weaker.
Giving silk clothes and sachets as gifts was a token of love, so his behavior was indeed reckless.
He blushed and whispered in defense: "I didn't mean that."
"You have to tell this to the Queen Mother. She thinks you want to take away the people around her! Maybe you even have to apologize to Jang Geum's maid." Li Mu didn't expect that at his age, he would still have to plan for the relationship between young people.
"But I don't think Jang Geum's maid seems to care. I guess she doesn't take it to heart, just like you."
Meng Tian curled his fingers slightly and said with his eyes downcast, "I understand. Thank you, General Li!"
Li Mu waved his hand and said with a smile, "If General Meng doesn't have a wife or concubine at home, then although Jang Geum's maid is of a lower status, she can still be a wife of the Meng family. You can consider it!"
"I……"
Li Mu realized belatedly and said, "You think she's not worthy of you. Indeed! This daughter of a guilty minister is now merely a maidservant to the Queen Mother. It's truly unworthy of a great general like you."
"General Li!" Meng Tian's voice suddenly rose. "The maid Jang Geum is exceptionally talented, skilled in martial arts, and possesses a strong and proud character. Few men in the world can match her. Your Majesty has already cleared General Bai's name, so how can you say she is of low status?"
"Meng Tian is now nothing more than a crude military commander, with little knowledge and no literary experience. Even if I am marrying someone above my station, it is still someone I am marrying above my station!"
…
The surroundings suddenly became quiet and everyone looked at Meng Tian.
Zhao Yuanxi's pupils shrank slightly. She hadn't heard it wrong! This little bastard was really coveting her Jang Geum!
But considering that he said a few human words, she didn't throw him out directly for the time being.
As soon as Meng Tian finished speaking, he felt something was wrong. He noticed the gazes from all around him and wanted to throw his head to the ground. He looked at Jang Geum in panic, "That's not what I meant! No, that's what I meant. No—Don't take it to heart. I didn't mean to offend you."
He explained incoherently, and for a moment he was so anxious that he was at a loss, and his face was so red that it almost bled!
Jang Geum stood there in a daze, staring at him blankly. After a long moment, she finally spoke, "Thank you for the compliment, General. I'm truly humbled and unworthy."
Everyone couldn't help but feel confused. Girl, is this your answer?
Could it be that they just had an illusion? Could it be that they missed something?
"Your Majesty, aren't you going to have barbecue?"
"Ah!" Zhao Yuanxi hadn't recovered from her shock yet. Seeing Jang Geum's calm eyes, she also calmed down suddenly, "Okay!"
Zhao Yuanxi turned to look at Meng Tian and the others, "Don't you want to go get something else to eat? I've sent over some delicious food and wine. You can eat to your heart's content tonight!"
She took Jang Geum into the crowd, leaving them standing there in a daze.
Many people looked at Meng Tian with sympathy. This must have been a rejection!
Especially Meng Tian's subordinates. It was hard for them as the general was already grown old and still had not married. He finally found someone he liked and expressed his love in public, but was rejected so decisively.
If it were them, they would probably have burst into tears. The general was worthy of being a general. Facing such a blow, his expression did not change at all.
Li Mu patted Meng Tian's shoulder and said, "Would you like to go have a drink together?"
Meng Tian turned his head stiffly, looked at Li Mu, and mechanically responded, "Okay."
Meng Tian did not have the idea of marrying her. In fact, before today, he had never thought of being with Miss Jang Geum. He just thought that she was good in every way, and it was not strange that he liked her.
He just didn't expect that he would be rejected so thoroughly, without even the thought of saying a word.
Meng Tian fell into deep self-doubt for a while.
Sometimes I regret my recklessness, and sometimes I feel sad that the little flame of love that had just been ignited was extinguished.
Before he knew it, he had drunk several more glasses of wine, and began to cry while holding the jar of wine. Li Mu came forward to pull him away, but he refused to let go.
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