Fu Ertai, whom Fu Erkang had been talking about, was currently in the military camp, looking at the uninvited guest in the main tent with a sullen face.
"What are you doing here so early in the morning?" Fu Ertai asked with a displeased expression. He had been sleeping soundly when Fu Kang'an, like a monkey, jumped onto his bed, waking him up instantly.
Anyone who is sleeping soundly and is suddenly woken up will probably be in a bad mood and have a bad temper.
Fu Kang'an had originally intended to tell him that Princess Yong'an was coming this way, but seeing his current state, he decided to tease him. "It's not like I've finally returned to the capital, and Father is unusually ignoring me. It's also unusual for me to think of you, so I came to see you, but I didn't expect you to still be asleep."
Fortaire's expression darkened, and he retorted directly, "Is this some kind of honor for me?"
Fu Kang'an's eyes lit up, and he nodded at him, as if to say, "You didn't disappoint me; you guessed it."
Voltaire was speechless, but considering his personality, it seemed perfectly normal. Since he couldn't sleep anyway, Voltaire started washing up.
Fu Kang'an coughed lightly, and Ertai merely raised his eyes and glared at him without saying a word.
Fu Kang'an jumped directly next to Ertai. "Alright, I was just joking with you. I'm waking you up now because Princess Yong'an is heading towards the camp." After saying that, Fu Kang'an stood by and prepared to watch Ertai's next move.
As expected, Fu Ertai's changing expressions were quite remarkable.
Upon hearing that the princess had arrived, Fu'ertai hurriedly began to wash and dress, disregarding Fu Kang'an, and quickly picked out his clothes from his bundle, preparing to greet the princess in his best and newest state.
Watching Fu Ertai go from composure to flustered confusion, Fu Kang'an once again marveled at the impact the word "princess" had on Fu Ertai. Then, remembering his father's instructions from the previous night, he couldn't help but chuckle. He had also gone through a similar phase of pursuing love, and naturally understood the restlessness in Ertai's heart.
Voltaire picked out a light blue dress, smiled, and thought, if he remembered correctly, the princess seemed to like light colors the most, so this was the one.
Just as he was about to change his clothes, Fu Ertai suddenly remembered that there was still someone in the tent. "Why are you still here?"
Fu Kang'an was almost amused by Fu Ertai's use-and-discard attitude. "Brother, I'm the one who told you the princess was coming. Instead of thanking me, you're trying to chase me away?"
"If you ever need anything in the future, I, Fu Ertai, will do my utmost to help you," Fu Ertai said sincerely, his expression quite serious.
Fu Kang'an was just teasing him and didn't intend for him to owe him any favors. He quickly waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, don't talk about needing or not needing anything. Hurry up and pack your things now. If you really want to thank me, just treat me to a drink sometime." After saying that, Fu Kang'an started walking out, nudging him on the shoulder as he passed by.
Seeing that no one was inside the tent, Fu'ertai felt relieved and quickly changed his clothes. He then looked at himself in the bronze mirror, and only when he was satisfied with his appearance did he leave the tent.
Standing outside watching the soldiers drill, Ertai felt that these days were fulfilling and solid, making him feel very happy and satisfied.
Looking up at the clear blue sky, Ertai couldn't help but think, "What a beautiful day!"
Just then, a young man dressed in blue approached – Ji Chu. The young man was also noticeably dressed up today, looking exceptionally sunny and refreshing.
Although the two fought together, they didn't really have any friendship. Besides, Ji Chu was a man of few words, and they couldn't have a conversation unless someone spoke first.
But why has he come here at this time? Ertai cut to the chase, "I wonder what brings General Ji here?"
Ji Chu felt a little uncomfortable upon hearing this, but when he thought of the person in his heart, he could only suppress his discomfort and said softly, "Is Princess Yong'an coming later?" Generally, wherever Princess Yong'an is, Princess Qing will also be there.
Upon hearing Ji Chu's words, and noticing Ji Chu's slightly reddened ear tips, Fu Ertai's radar went off like crazy, like a cat with its fur standing on end.
"What do you mean? You like princesses?" Ertai has recently taken to being direct, saying whatever comes to mind. Keeping things bottled up isn't good for his mental and physical health.
Upon hearing this, Ji Chu knew that Fu Ertai had misunderstood and immediately explained, "No, although I admire the princess, I would not say I like her." Indeed, who wouldn't admire and respect Princess Yong'an? He was merely a fan of the princess, and had never considered spending his life with her.
Fu Ertai was somewhat skeptical of Ji Chu's words. He believed her because he had no reason to like the princess. Moreover, at the victory banquet last night, although he was looking at the head of the table, his gaze never lingered on the princess.
"Then why are you inquiring about the princess's whereabouts?" Voltaire asked warily. If he posed a threat to the princess, Voltaire would have to subdue him now and nip the danger in the bud.
Ji Chu saw the wary look in Fu Ertai's eyes and sighed helplessly. With no other choice, he said frankly, "I admire Princess Qing. Everyone knows that. Wherever there is a princess, there is bound to be Princess Qing."
The rest was self-evident to Ji Chu. Looking at the man before him, a blush crept across his cheeks. Knowing full well his feelings, he simply patted the man's shoulder without saying a word.
Just then, Fu Kang'an led Princess Yong'an and Qing Gege over. Upon seeing the princess, Ertai ran over happily, like a dog seeing a bone, completely forgetting about Ji Chu.
“Princess,” Ertai murmured, gazing intently at Anke. Then, noticing Fu Kang’an’s teasing look, he gradually came to his senses and hurriedly bowed, “Your subject, Fu Ertai, greets Princess Yong’an. May the princess live a thousand years.”
"Get up," An Ke glanced at the boy whose eyes were only on her. Seeing his absent-minded look just now, An Ke couldn't help but laugh. "The weather is very nice today. Princess Qing and I are here to ride horses. Go and bring Yingfeng and Taxue here."
Yes, Yingfeng and Taxue accidentally wandered into this place and decided to stay. They wouldn't leave no matter who tried to take them away. With no other option, Anke had to leave the two horses here and instructed the stablemen to take good care of them.
Fu Kang'an glanced left at Fu Ertai and right at Ji Chu, sensing a similar atmosphere between the two. How could Fu Kang'an let such a chance to gossip pass him by? He immediately suggested, "I think it would be better if we went horseback riding together to relax since we have nothing else to do today. Otherwise, if something happens to just the two ladies riding alone, it won't be easy to explain to the Emperor."
Fu Kang'an wasn't just making things up; anyone could see the Emperor's affection for the princess. Moreover, Princess Qing was a favorite of the Empress Dowager, and if either of them were injured, they would both be in serious trouble.
Anke immediately adopted the suggestion, because even if she herself was fine, it was hard to guarantee Qing'er's safety. Someone still needed to be there to watch over and protect her.
An Ke didn't say anything, so Qing'er naturally wouldn't either. The suggestion passed unanimously and was adopted by everyone.
The guards brought out several horses from the stables. They were in excellent condition, gleaming in the wind and snow, their coats glossy and smooth. It was clear that they had been carefully tended to.
Yingfeng hadn't seen Anke for a while, and upon seeing her, he snorted excitedly. The guards beside him were almost losing control of the reins, but Anke, seeing this, quickly freed them.
Anke patted Yingfeng's head, and Yingfeng obediently stopped moving. It even rubbed its head against Anke's palm in a charming way.
“There’s a huge grassland right here, let’s go there and ride horses.” Fu Kang’an liked to wander around when he had nothing to do, and this morning he discovered the grassland while he was wandering near the army.
The suggestion was once again adopted by everyone, and they all set off. Fu Kang'an led the way. In the middle were An Ke and Fu Ertai, and behind them were Qing'er and Ji Chu.
Fu Kang'an knew he was just a third wheel, so he consciously kept his distance from them, but not too far, just enough so they could still see him.
Fu Ertai hadn't spoken to the princess yesterday, but today when she came to see him, his eyes practically turned into stars. He stared intently at An Ke without blinking, as if he were afraid this was all a dream, and that the princess would disappear when he woke up.
"Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something dirty on my face?" An Ke was still looking at the scenery around her, but she felt an intense gaze from behind that she couldn't ignore. Helpless, An Ke could only turn around and ask.
Realizing his lapse in composure, Ertai quickly stammered, "No...no." Under Anke's gaze, Ertai's words became somewhat halting.
An Ke smiled as she looked at the innocent and adorable Ertai before her. She then turned to look at Qing'er, just in time to see Ji Chu gazing at her with affectionate eyes. An Ke was familiar with this look; Ertai had just looked at her with the same gaze.
“Ertai,” Anke called softly, “what kind of person do you think Ji Chu is? What is he like? Is he reliable? How many people are in his family?” Anke didn’t know anything about this person. Although she knew who this year’s top scholar in both civil and military examinations was, she had never looked into it.
If he hadn't been keeping an eye on Qing'er, An Ke wouldn't have wanted to spend all her attention on someone else.
Ertai was initially happy that the princess had called him, but when he heard her asking about Ji Chu's situation, he suddenly felt a little wronged.
“I don’t know him very well either. Although we marched and fought together, Ji Chu is a man of few words. We basically didn’t have any real conversations except when we were fighting.” Ertai felt a little sad. He had finally had some time alone with the princess, but the princess was talking about another man’s name.
"Then you need to find out more about him for me. I can't take my eyes off Qing'er. I need to know his character and background." Since it concerned Qing'er, An Ke was unwilling to take it lightly.
Upon hearing the princess's words, Ertai's eyes immediately lit up. So the princess was worried about Ji Chu's feelings for Qing Gege. "Princess, rest assured, I will definitely understand Ji Chu thoroughly within ten days."
An Ke immediately felt relieved, and the two began to chat, with Ertai doing most of the talking while An Ke listened quietly, occasionally chiming in. The atmosphere between them was very harmonious.
Qing'er was a little uncomfortable at first, after all, she had never met the man in front of her before, and she was a little reserved for a moment.
Ji Chu had finally met the girl he admired, and he suppressed his restless heart. He helped Qing Gege as she mounted her horse and supported her when she was about to be thrown off.
Qing'er gradually relaxed and chatted with Ji Chu about their experiences in Jungar. Although this person was very cold-faced in the army and didn't even speak to his peers like Ertai and Fu Kang'an, he was quite witty and humorous in front of Qing'er.
Qing'er gradually changed her initial impression of Ji Chu. At first, she thought Ji Chu was a cold and taciturn military general, but after spending time with him, she discovered that he was a very gentlemanly and humorous person. No matter what Qing'er said, Ji Chu could always chime in, and the two got along quite well.
Fu Kang'an arrived at the grassland first, then picked up a blade of grass and waited on his horse for the other two groups to arrive.
Upon seeing the figures, Fu Kang'an noticed the unusual atmosphere between the two groups. He remarked that he had stumbled upon some juicy gossip, as he hadn't expected Ji Chu to be so secretive and actually have a crush on Qing Gege.
After everyone had arrived, An Ke began to look at the grassland. The more she looked, the more familiar it seemed. Wasn't this the secret base that Fu Er Kang had mentioned—the Xin Kuang Grassland?
Anke's lips twitched, but the scenery was simply too beautiful to resist, so the five of them started running a horse. Running a horse is mainly about relaxing, and Anke felt much more relaxed.
In the afternoon, Anke and his friends also hunted a few rabbits and built a small fire on the rocky beach beside the grassland. They roasted a few rabbits, and although there were no seasonings, the original flavor of the rabbits was still quite good.
Watching the sun set behind the western mountains, the sky ablaze with red clouds, and birds flying by in flocks, Anke lay quietly on the grass. At that moment, she felt utterly peaceful and serene.
Freed from the constraints of rules and regulations, and free from the scheming within the palace, An Ke felt that she was truly herself at this moment.
Then, feeling that it was about time, they extinguished the fire and boarded the carriage with Qing'er to return to the palace. After all, they had promised the Empress Dowager that they would be back in the palace before the gates were locked, and they had to keep their word.
On the way back to the military camp, Fu Kang'an kept staring at the two of them. Ertai couldn't stand it anymore and asked bluntly, "Are you trying to stare at us until we're sick of it?"
Fu Kang'an chuckled and said, "Well, maybe it really is."
He then ignored the two men and rode back to the military camp.
*
Several more days passed
Rumors are swirling in the palace—the Hui people are coming!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com