Chapter 37 The Spring Hunt Was All for Waiting for You
Although it was called a spring hunt, the departure time was set for early May. In order to handle various matters in the court properly, the emperor waited until the road was already lush and green when he set off.
Shen Yujiao lowered the curtains, and the carriage was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees that had just entered. She squinted her eyes, leaned back against the pillow, and turned her head to look at Jiang Chen.
Aren't you going to get off and ride a horse?
Today, most of the princes rode on horseback, while the women rode in carriages. Prince Huan rode at the front, followed by Prince Tai and several younger princes. Only the Crown Prince remained in the carriage and did not ride.
Jiang Chen glanced at her sideways, then lowered his head to wipe his sleeve dart. "What would I be doing going out? Do I have something to say to those two? Or do you have something to talk about with Miss Chu?"
During this spring hunt, apart from the King of Thailand who had just gotten married and only brought his queen, the other princes all had their principal wives and one or two concubines. Churu was the only concubine in the Crown Prince's palace, and being of noble birth, she naturally had to accompany him.
Shen Yujiao remained silent upon hearing this. Regardless of whether she had transmigrated before or after, she and Chu Rou had nothing to talk about.
"Here you go," Jiang Chen handed her the cleaned hidden arrow, putting it away as he instructed, "Jiande is not like the capital; carrying this with you can be for self-defense."
The small, golden-glowing hidden arrow was exquisitely crafted and delicate. Shen Yujiao played with it in her hands for a few moments and was immediately captivated by it. She wanted to pat Jiang Chen on the shoulder and praise him, but in the end, she didn't reach out her hand.
Ever since that ridiculous birthday celebration, she and Jiang Chen have tacitly stopped bickering like before, and there's been a greater sense of distance between them. At first, Shen Yujiao often felt uncomfortable, but whenever she realized it, she would force herself to adapt.
She never told anyone that every time she saw him and Chu Rou getting along, she felt a little sour. She would even wonder if it was because she and Jiang Chen were always joking around that Jiang Chen didn't treat her like a girl.
Her gaze swept past Jiang Chen, and Shen Yujiao lowered her head imperceptibly, a faint smile curving her lips. Now, looking at the hidden arrow in her hand, her joy grew even stronger.
The late spring breeze already carried a hint of warmth, occasionally brushing past and lifting the curtains of the carriage. Shen Yujiao inadvertently glanced up and met Huan Wang's eyes outside the window. Almost instinctively, Shen Yujiao quickly closed her eyes and leaned back, as if taking a nap.
Jiang Chen had been paying close attention to the movements around him. When he saw her fall down without warning, he quickly went over and caught her.
With Jiaojiao nestled in his arms, Jiang Chen naturally saw Huan Wang from this position. He glanced at her indifferently, stretched out his arms to wrap her around his chest, and whispered intimately in her ear. Shen Yujiao felt her earlobe tickle from his breath, her cheeks flushed, and she smiled charmingly.
The curtains were drawn, blocking the view between the carriage and the outside. The two people inside sat on opposite sides, their expressions calm and natural, as if it had just been a well-acted scene, and the two partners had worked together seamlessly.
Shen Yu leaned her head against the carriage wall and closed her eyes to rest. Her fluffy hair, reflected in the sunlight, made her look like a lazy cat in spring. You couldn't tell that she was so nervous that she was about to go crazy. Feeling the frantic beating of her chest, the heat on her face grew even hotter.
She just wanted to avoid Prince Huan's gaze, so Jiang Chen didn't need to cooperate with her like this...
The large convoy of carriages traveled non-stop and finally arrived at the Royal Villa before dark. Chu Rou was helped down from the carriage by A Jun. As soon as she got off, she saw the Crown Prince and Crown Princess's carriage stop steadily in front of her. Since she had encountered them, she could not walk away, so she respectfully bowed to them.
A moment later, A-Jun whispered in her ear, "Lady, the Crown Prince has gone inside."
Hearing this, Chu Rou stood up. She hadn't dared to look up, so she hadn't met the Crown Prince and his companion's gaze. But now, looking at their backs, she was glad that she had kept her head down.
As dusk fell, the Crown Prince's tall and straight figure strode confidently toward the courtyard, his arms firmly around the Crown Princess. Though his steps were large, his gait was remarkably steady. He would occasionally glance down to check if the Crown Princess had been awakened. Such tender and precious demeanor was so captivating that Chu Rou would never have believed it was the same Crown Prince who always kept everyone at arm's length if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes.
"Lady, Lady?" Seeing Chu Rou staring blankly in the direction of the Crown Prince, A-Jun called out to her with some concern.
Chu Rou snapped out of her reverie, looked away, and said to her with slightly lowered eyes, "Let's go back too."
When Shen Yujiao woke up, it was already dark. She looked around at the unfamiliar furnishings and felt a little dazed. When she saw Mu Jin bringing in water, she belatedly realized that she had arrived in Jiande.
"Before the Crown Prince left, he instructed us not to wake Your Highness. He should be hosting a banquet for the officials at His Majesty's place now," Mu Jin said, taking the empty cup and helping Shen Yujiao sit up. "Would Your Highness like some dinner?"
"No, thank you," Shen Yujiao guessed that Jiang Chen would definitely drink again tonight and probably wouldn't eat well at the banquet. Thinking that she would wait for him to come back so they could have dinner together, she thought for a moment and then asked, "Has Consort Chu had dinner yet?"
"They haven't ordered their meal yet."
Hearing Mu Jin say this, Shen Yujiao felt a little guilty. She guessed that Consort Chu was probably hesitant to eat because she hadn't eaten yet. She said to Mu Jin, "Have someone send dinner to Consort Chu. Give the order that from now on, if Consort Chu is eating, she doesn't need to wait for the Crown Prince and me."
Seeing that Mulan had agreed and turned around, she added, "Tell the kitchen to make the hangover soup according to our recipe and keep it warm on the stove."
As expected, when Jiang Chen returned late at night, he was indeed reeking of alcohol and looked exhausted. He was slightly surprised to see Shen Yujiao sitting at the table reading a book in casual clothes. "It's so late, why are you sitting here? Although it's almost summer, it's still a bit chilly at night."
"Isn't this because I was waiting for you to come back so we could have dinner together?"
Shen Yujiao casually set the geography book aside, turned around and instructed Mu Jin to serve the meal. Her eyebrows and eyes, which were usually bright and lively, now showed a hazy gentleness under the dim candlelight.
Seeing him standing motionless at the door, Shen Yujiao assumed he was tired and turned to look at him, asking, "You drank some wine tonight, so how about something light to eat? How about some congee and side dishes?"
Jiang Chen, who had never liked reciting classical poems, suddenly had a line in his mind: "With a beautiful forehead and arched eyebrows, a charming smile, and bright, expressive eyes." The moment Chen Yujiao's eyes turned to look at him, Jiang Chen's breath caught in his throat. Although he responded with a sound, he didn't hear what she asked at all.
The two sat together and ate some simple porridge and snacks. Afterwards, Shen Yujiao watched Jiang Chen drink the hangover soup. Seeing that he was in normal condition, she was relieved.
After washing up, the two lay side by side chatting. When the topic turned to the evening banquet, Jiang Chen told Shen Yujiao about tomorrow's arrangements: "The Emperor intends for all the princes to go hunting on their own. I'm afraid I won't be able to accompany you tomorrow. Keep an eye on Princess Huan; I think she's acting strangely."
"oh."
Although she agreed, Shen Yujiao didn't take it seriously. Unlike the Princess Consort of Tai, who came from a military family, the Princess Consort of Huan was a noblewoman from ancient times who lived a secluded life. She would just keep her distance.
"Then be careful tomorrow too." After thinking for a moment, Shen Yujiao was still a little worried. Compared to the women, the princes were in greater danger.
After a long day of travel and drinking a lot of wine in the evening, Jiang Chen was quite exhausted. He tucked the blanket around Shen Yujiao and hummed softly. The two chatted idly in the dim candlelight. After some time, the room was quiet, with only the candlelight flickering in front of the window.
The next day was a rare good day. Shen Yujiao was overjoyed as soon as she woke up. She had lived in the square East Palace for too long and really missed the vast scenery she had seen on horseback with He Zhiju that day. She had been looking forward to the spring hunt for a long time.
"Jiang Chen, Jiang Chen, get up quickly, we're going on a spring hunt today!"
Jiang Chen brushed away her hands that were messing with his face, pulled the blanket up to cover himself, and said in a muffled voice, utterly bewildered, "Shen Jiaojiao, don't you ever feel tired?"
How could Shen Yujiao be tired? She slept for most of the day on the way yesterday and slept for a long time after arriving at the villa. Therefore, although she rested at the same time as Jiang Chen last night, her energy and spirit were several times greater than his.
"You have the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, get up now!"
After saying that, Shen Yujiao walked past him and went straight to the side room. Jiang Chen pulled the quilt down, his eyes were clear. He looked at the plain-colored tent ceiling, but what appeared before his eyes was Shen Yujiao's bright smile just now.
After staring for a while, Jiang Chen raised his hand to cover his face, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.
This year's spring hunt photo shoot had an unusually large number of people compared to previous years. In addition to the royal family and close officials, the female relatives included not only the newly married Crown Princess and Queen Consort, but also several princesses who were allowed to participate in the spring hunt this year.
Originally, Yong'an had no say in this matter, but since the Empress was accompanying the Emperor on his journey, there was no reason to leave her in Kunyi Palace. So when Shen Yujiao arrived at the grassland, she saw a little girl dressed in a pale yellow riding outfit.
"Yong'an greets the Crown Princess!"
After resting in Kunyi Palace for several months, Yong'an is no longer the timid and submissive girl she used to be. Seeing how clever and cute she is, Shen Yujiao's heart melts. She steps forward to greet the Empress first, and then pulls little Yong'an to her side to examine her closely.
“Our Yong’an has grown taller since she was in the palace last month.” Shen Yujiao gently ruffled the top of her head. Unlike the dullness of her hair when they first met, the girl’s hair was now soft and black.
Upon hearing this, Yong'an's eyes crinkled into two crescent moons with laughter. Lately, she had been delighted to hear people say that she had grown taller, so she rubbed her head against Shen Yujiao's palm, and the two sisters-in-law had a great time playing together.
"Hmph!" Princess Yongjia saw this scene as soon as she entered the grassland. Thinking of the three months she had been confined, she was filled with resentment towards the two of them. She was about to step forward and say a few sarcastic words when she was grabbed by the arm by the person behind her.
She turned her head with an unhappy expression: "Sister-in-law, why are you pulling me?"
“I know you’re in a bad mood. During the hunt later, I’ll run a few more laps with you. Father is right ahead, so even if you’re unhappy, don’t let it show now.”
Although Princess Huan was speaking to Yongjia, her eyes never left Shen Yujiao. Princess Yongjia followed her gaze and, though still feeling resentful, knew that what she said made sense, so she had no choice but to swallow her anger.
The Great Xia Dynasty did not have any special ceremonies for hunting. After the emperor encouraged everyone, he took the lead in entering the forest, followed closely by a group of princes and guards on both sides. The large group of people quickly disappeared into the forest.
Seeing that they had already entered the forest, the women were also preparing to mount their horses. As Shen Yujiao was tidying up her bow and arrows, she saw Princess Yongjia riding over from a distance. She sat on her high horse and looked down at her, saying, "Sister-in-law, you've come fully armed today. I suppose you're going to take the lead again?"
Shen Yujiao chuckled lightly, as if she hadn't noticed the sarcasm in her words. "Today's spring hunt was originally brought by Father Emperor for us to improve our health and have fun together. What we hunted was just icing on the cake. Why do you think everything has to be ranked in terms of superiority?"
Princess Yongjia was not annoyed by this, but smiled and said, "Sister-in-law is as eloquent as ever. However, today all the sisters-in-law are representing the face of their brothers. Although Fifth Sister-in-law has no intention of standing out, the face of the Eastern Palace is still cared about by others."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yujiao subconsciously looked around, then her gaze sharpened as she looked at the person on horseback: "Where is Consort Chu?"
"Who knows?" Yongjia shook the riding crop in his hand, laughing even more heartily. "I've heard that a tiger has recently appeared in the forest. Perhaps, Liangdi, you're planning to hunt a tiger for Fifth Brother..."
Shen Yujiao's knuckles turned white as she gripped the short bow. Although she appeared calm on the surface, she was burning with rage inside. Not to mention that if Chu Rou were to have an accident in the forest, it would affect the entire Eastern Palace. Just how could Princess Yongjia, a mere girl, joke about human life?
Thinking of the tiger she had just mentioned, she turned to ask Mu Jin to find a way to send a message to Jiang Chen and He Zhiju. Then she gave Princess Yongjia a deep look, nimbly mounted her horse, raised her whip high, and disappeared into the forest.
Seeing that Princess Yongjia had provoked the people away, Princess Huan rode forward and said with some worry, "Before her marriage, Consort Chu was a noble lady from a respectable family and has never been skilled in riding and archery. I hope she will be alright."
Princess Yongjia glanced sideways at Princess Huan, suppressing her inner grumbling, and spurred her horse forward. Princess Huan lagged behind for a moment, but quickly caught up.
After everyone dispersed, the grassland quickly returned to tranquility, as if the scene had never happened.
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