Chapter 95 Autumn Girl Pays Attention to Second Place
It is an autumn beauty.
Out of the corner of her eye, Qiu Heng noticed that Qiu Meiren's expression was tense, and her hands were tightly clasped together.
Although his breathing was slightly disordered at that moment, it did not escape Qiu Heng's ears.
Did you see someone?
Qiu Heng looked ahead again.
Xue Han dismounted, handed the prey to the approaching guards, and headed towards the pavilion where Emperor Jingping was located.
Qiu Heng thought for a moment and concluded that it shouldn't be Xue Han who made Qiu Meiren lose her composure.
Following Xue Han was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a smart outfit, with striking eyebrows and bright eyes, and an extraordinary appearance.
Further behind were two men with crew cuts and straight faces. Several more people were riding by in sight, but their faces were not clearly visible.
Including Xue Han and the other three, it seems easy to guess which one caused Qiu Meiren's emotional fluctuations.
Qiu Heng observed Qiu Meiren without making a sound, and saw her staring at the handsome young man with her lips tightly pressed together, until he was almost up close before she hurriedly lowered her head.
Because they were so close, Qiu Heng could even feel Qiu Meiren's trembling, which she was trying hard to suppress.
Who is that young man?
Qiu Heng took a deep look at the handsome young man and memorized his appearance.
"Your subject, Xue Han, Imperial Envoy, pays his respects to Your Majesty."
"Hahaha, as expected of my imperial envoy, you won first place with ease." Emperor Jingping laughed loudly.
Consort Yu looked Xue Han up and down with great interest: "Your Majesty, I remember this Imperial City Envoy is Eunuch Xue's adopted son, isn't he?"
Emperor Jingping nodded: "Not bad."
Xue Quan was right next to Emperor Jingping when Consort Yu smiled at him and said, "Eunuch Xue is so lucky."
Xue Quan hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty flatters me; this boy is quite unruly."
It's one thing to show off later, but why flaunt it in the very first competition!
Xue Quan secretly glared at Xue Han.
Xue Han showed no smugness as he stepped aside and noticed Qiu Heng in the corner.
Why is Miss Qiu here?
Qiu Heng's attention, however, was on the young man.
The man bowed to Emperor Jingping just like Xue Han: "Your subject, Lin Chengfeng, the commander of the Imperial Guard, pays his respects to Your Majesty."
Lin Chengfeng —
Qiu Heng felt the name sounded familiar and stared at Lin Chengfeng, pondering silently.
Xue Han followed Qiu Heng's gaze to Lin Chengfeng, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
Does Qiu Liu like to pay attention to the second place?
Lin Chengfeng—Xue Han also went through this name in his mind.
Among the Imperial Guards, Lin Chengfeng was indeed outstanding, which could be attributed to his family's scholarly tradition.
The young men were unremarkable until the Crown Prince appeared.
The crown prince, wearing a jade crown, was also dressed in a neat hunting outfit, which accentuated his tall and heroic figure.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty."
"Ninth place." Emperor Jingping nodded. "Not bad either."
Xue Quan couldn't help but glare at Xue Han again.
He competed alongside the Crown Prince and made him come in ninth place—that rascal!
Among the veteran officials present were also the fathers of these young men, and they shared the same thought: these young people are terrible...
The Crown Prince smiled sincerely and said, "Thank you for your praise, Father. I also think it's great to have achieved this ranking."
"Take a rest." Emperor Jingping's attitude towards the Crown Prince was quite gentle.
"Thank you, Father Emperor."
Emperor Jingping looked around at the excited group of young people and offered them words of encouragement.
The young men, basking in the emperor's praise, became even more excited, some going to rest, others continuing their hunt.
"It's almost lunchtime, my beloved consort, please accompany me back to the palace."
Consort Yu accompanied Emperor Jingping onto the imperial carriage and comfortably returned to the palace. Consort Qiu walked silently among the large procession, glancing back after walking a dozen paces.
Qiu Heng knew that the gaze he was looking at wasn't directed at her.
She remembered Lin Chengfeng's identity; he was the son of General Lin Shan.
General Lin was an outstanding military commander in the Great Xia Dynasty and was currently stationed on the frontier.
The book doesn't record much, only saying that General Lin lost a talented general because his young son was convicted.
"Because of the cause, he was convicted"—Qiu Heng pondered these four words, quietly observing Lin Chengfeng.
Lin Chengfeng is General Lin's youngest son. What crime did he commit that would implicate his father, who had made outstanding military achievements?
What is the connection between him and Qiu Meiren?
Qiu Heng took in Lin Chengfeng's stunned reaction and pondered it to herself.
Once Emperor Jingping left, the atmosphere relaxed, and people chatted in twos and threes or got up to stretch their legs.
The young men who achieved good results in the first hunt were quietly scolded by their fathers.
"Who told you to beat the Crown Prince!"
The young people felt wronged and indignant: "It was the Crown Prince who said that being courteous is meaningless, and that hunting is only fun if everyone relies on their own abilities."
"young!"
"simple!"
"madness!"
...
Because Xue Quan left with Emperor Jingping, Xue Han escaped being reprimanded and went directly to Qiu Heng.
"Did Miss Qiu Liu come with Beauty Qiu?"
"yes."
"Should we wander around, or go back to Princess Kang's place?"
"We're going back first."
"Then I'll take you there."
Many people had already pricked up their ears when Xue Han came over to talk to Qiu Heng, and now, upon hearing this, their expressions were all complicated.
Are all young kids these days so direct?
"Thank you, Lord Xue," Qiu Heng readily agreed.
Originally, she had no intention of letting anyone think she was close to Xue Han, but times had changed. To save the Crown Prince, she still needed Xue Han's help. In this place where eyes were everywhere, it was better to be open about it than to meet secretly.
Given that Xue Han saved her from spies, it's not surprising that they had a relationship.
As the two walked away, many people shook their heads and sighed: "Outrageous, outrageous!"
On the way back, Xue Han asked, "Why were you with Consort Yu?"
This imperial concubine was someone even his adoptive father treated with utmost respect; keeping a respectful distance was the wise thing to do.
"The Imperial Concubine instructed me to spend more time with my sister. I ran into her today."
As for how they met, I won't go into details with Xue Han.
"Be extremely careful when dealing with the Imperial Concubine."
“I know.” Qiu Heng paused, then asked Lin Chengfeng, “Does Lord Xue know about that young master Lin who came in second place?”
Xue Han slowed his pace, his tone indifferent: "I don't know much about him. Miss Qiu, would you like to know about him?"
"If it's convenient—" For some reason, Qiu Heng felt that the boy beside her was somewhat indifferent.
"There's nothing inconvenient about it. I'll ask my subordinates later."
After walking around in silence for a while, Xue Han finally couldn't help but ask, "Why is Miss Qiu Liu interested in Lin Chengfeng?"
It couldn't possibly be because that person got second place, could it?
Qiu Heng remained silent for a long time before softly asking, "Xue Han, can I trust you?"
She wants to save the Crown Prince through Xue Han, which means she's destined to have a heart-to-heart talk; hiding things from him won't get her anywhere.
She was still wary of Xue Han, but after these days of interaction, she trusted her judgment. She and Xue Han might have different stances, but he was by no means a bad person.
Trust the right people at the right time. This applies to Tao Da and his group, and it also applies to Xue Han.
Qiu Heng's words were like a pebble thrown into the lake of the young man's heart, causing ripples to spread across his mind.
“It is my greatest honor that Miss Qiu is willing to believe me,” he said softly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
