Chapter 26 He forced himself to say that she was a good match for someone else.
The autumn rain continued all night and into the next day, leaving people soaked and cold.
The final day of the autumn hunt took place in the early morning without any mishaps. At midday, Yao Shuniang came to pick up Hua Lang.
Through the tent curtain, Yao Shuniang asked, "Father-in-law, are you ready?"
Zhan Yunmei woke him up early this morning, fed him some medicine, and told him to take good care of himself so he could go to the banquet at noon.
Are you really going to let him choose the people? How can he possibly make an informed decision?
She had a million ways to humiliate him, but she chose the most hurtful one, which shows how ruthless she was.
Even though she was inwardly complaining about Zhan Yunmei all morning, she still had to get dressed and put her hair up.
"Almost there." He walked listlessly to the small table.
Early in the morning, Zhan Yunmei sent someone to deliver several boxes of cosmetics. The cosmetics made her look haggard, and the rouge made her look radiant. Her intention was very clear: she just didn't want him to embarrass her.
Even if Hua Lang is pretentious, he's not a stupid person who can't tell the situation from the situation. Is she trying to humiliate him again?
He lowered his eyes and opened the box.
I applied a light layer of face powder to conceal the dull complexion caused by the anxiety of the past few days, and then applied a light touch of rouge to my cheeks.
The extremely light makeup didn't look tacky at all; it just brightened her complexion and made her look more vibrant.
Hua Lang put down the powder box and stared at the small bronze mirror.
"One thing is missing."
The mirror reflected the magnificent embroidered patterns of the robes, with gold and silver threads, each detail showcasing the general's power and prestige.
As my eyelids drooped, the image in the mirror disappeared.
Zhan Yunmei stopped beside Hua Lang, picked up the small round box, pried it open with her fingertips, and the rosy ointment shone brightly. She picked up a little bit with her fingertips.
It was gently placed under Hua Lang's lips.
Her fingers were warm, and the lip rouge was slippery. Rubbing them together on my lips felt... strange.
The unusual touch stunned Hua Lang. Zhan Yunmei was slightly surprised by his obedience today. She glanced at him, but he was looking back at her.
Zhan Yunmei looked away and focused on applying lip rouge evenly.
His lips were pale, and when he was ill, they were a weak, pale white. The lip rouge was not dark in color, and when it was applied to his lips, it just helped to restore his complexion.
She took out a handkerchief and wiped the remaining grease off her fingers.
She took Hua Lang's hand and led him into the banquet.
Hua Lang's appearance surprised everyone. Those who recognized him were astonished, while those who didn't were even more amazed upon hearing his identity.
He remained unresponsive, staring at his toes the entire time, before following Zhan Yunmei to her seat.
She seated him on her right, very close to her.
Ignoring the stares of those around her, Zhan Yunmei leaned down and whispered in Hua Lang's ear, "Hua Lang, look up and see who's the prettiest and who can make me the happiest."
Hua Lang frowned upon hearing this and glared at Zhan Yunmei with displeasure, but she didn't even look at him; her eyes were already elsewhere.
"General, are you looking forward to it?" he couldn't help but ask in a sarcastic tone.
Zhan Yunmei thought for a moment and nodded, "Mm."
"Oh, then this servant will have to choose carefully, so as not to pick someone troublesome and cause trouble for the General's Mansion," Hua Lang said through gritted teeth.
"Very well, it's entirely up to Eunuch Hua Lang."
The banquet had no special procedures and had remained largely unchanged across dynasties. In previous dynasties, Hua Lang would accompany the emperor on the annual hunt, and in fact, Hua Lang was more familiar with the autumn hunt procedures than Zhan Yunmei.
He sat quietly without touching his chopsticks. Zhan Yunmei would occasionally put food on his plate, and he would only take a bite then.
He maintained a cold expression, ignoring his surroundings and Zhan Yunmei.
"General, thank you for your hard work in arranging the autumn hunt. Your humble servant respects you!"
People came one after another to toast Zhan Yunmei, and after toasting her, they toasted the emperor.
Whenever someone comes, they can't help but glance at Hua Lang beside her.
I couldn't help but speculate about their relationship, but Zhan Yunmei never intended to hide it. She was whispering to Hua Lang and serving him food. How could I not understand?
There was much discussion at the table.
Even in the latter half of the banquet, people kept offering toasts.
Hua Lang didn't care at all until he heard a familiar voice filled with hostility.
"General, Liang Rong also respects you."
They clinked their wine cups together.
Hua Lang couldn't resist peeking and spying.
Just as he had imagined, it was a young, spirited face, radiating an undeniable charm without the need for makeup.
One is glamorous and beautiful, the other is sickly and dejected; how can they be compared?
As if pierced by an invisible blade, Hua Lang could not bear to look directly at Liang Rong and lowered his eyes in despair.
Zhan Yunmei carefully observed his subtle changes, exchanged a few polite words with Liang Rong, saw Liang Rong off, and then squeezed Hua Lang's palm.
"What? You think he's good?"
Hua Lang gritted his teeth so hard that his ears were ringing, took a deep breath, and said, "Hmm, a good match for the general."
Zhan Yunmei asked in a drawn-out tone, "Is that so?"
"……Um."
She suddenly raised her eyebrows and smiled, saying, "If Father-in-law says so, then it is."
He stood up and left his seat.
Hua Lang reached out his hand, but it was too late to stop him.
.
The emperor's tent was tightly closed, and female officials guarded it closely.
When Zhan Yunmei arrived, she waited for a while before the female official went in to announce her arrival. After a while, He Shijun came out, and the female official invited her inside.
She knelt before the lacquered folding screen and only entered the inner tent after hearing the emperor speak from inside.
The emperor was carefully wiping his hands when he casually asked, "Did anyone mention establishing an empress today?"
"Your Majesty, no."
The emperor wiped his hands clean, gently placed the handkerchief aside, and waved for a seat, saying, "Minister Zhan, I'm sorry to have troubled you."
"What kind of grievance is this? I consider her my wife. If people find out, they might say a few words or make up stories in their hearts. This is not a grievance," Zhan Yunmei said calmly, which was also her true thought.
When you're not interested in dealing with something, the easiest way is to distract yourself. When they discover that a former powerful eunuch is by the side of a founding general and they are very close to him, how can anyone still care about the emperor's affairs?
The matter was already difficult to bring up, and now with another matter weighing on it, who would even think of meddling in the emperor's family affairs?
That's one aspect. On the other hand, Hua Lang's appearance is not something to be proud of, but it's a good thing to deflate Zhan Yunmei's military prestige without harming her fundamentally.
For Zhan Yunmei, although she suffered some damage to her reputation, the fact that she still had a former official from the previous dynasty, with the emperor knowing, was a better way to prove to the outside world her special relationship with the emperor and his favor towards her. For Zhan Yunmei, wasn't this a good thing?
The emperor was pleased, but soon calmed down.
The approach of robbing Peter to pay Paul won't solve the root problem; sooner or later, we'll still have to face the issue of establishing a successor.
"Tsk," the emperor said impatiently, his annoyance growing when he saw the handkerchief beside him. He threw it on the ground. "Minister Zhan, people say that a new emperor brings a new court, but why are there more remnants of the previous dynasty here? Even if you don't want to replace him, at least your ideas should be aligned with mine!"
Zhan Yunmei felt utterly powerless.
The emperor always liked to talk to her, but she didn't dare to discuss court affairs with him. She would just give a few vague words, perfunctory yet cautious.
The emperor couldn't reason with Zhan Yunmei and, feeling it was pointless, raised his hand to dismiss her. But as soon as he did, the female official hurriedly lifted the curtain and entered.
"Your Majesty, General Zhan, there was an assassination attempt at the banquet! Both Lady He and that eunuch were injured!"
The emperor was the first to get angry, slamming his fist on the table. "What are the Imperial Guards doing?"
Before Zhan Yunmei could react, she had already gotten off the high chair, picked up her robe, and walked quickly outside.
Zhan Yunmei hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please leave the tent after I have dealt with the situation."
He walked out and instructed the female official to place a troop of imperial guards outside the emperor's tent.
Chaos erupted at the banquet, with food scattered all over the floor. Zhan Yunmei arrived just in time to witness the assassin's escape and immediately ordered him to be captured alive.
There weren't many assassins, and the situation was quickly brought under control. Zhan Yunmei first summoned the physician to He Shijun's tent to check on his injuries.
The emperor left his tent, handing over the investigation entirely to Zhan Yunmei, and rushed to He Shijun's place.
Zhan Yunmei was not idle either. Under the pretext of investigating a case, she had Yao Shuniang check all the camps.
Soon, the messenger reported: "General, I found your personal seal in Deputy Geng's tent."
The people at the banquet were still in shock, and the scene from just now was still vivid in their minds.
A group of assassins fired arrows. Everyone here was skilled in martial arts. In the end, the arrows only wounded He Shijun, who had just come from the emperor, and Hua Lang, who was at the edge of the crowd.
Zhan Yunmei walked to the center of the banquet hall, pulled out the arrow feathers stuck in the ground; it was an arrow used by the Imperial Guards.
At the hunting grounds, the only things that could mobilize the Imperial Guards were the General's Order and Zhan Yunmei's private seal. Zhan Yunmei had already informed the Emperor yesterday that someone had stolen the private seal, which was still in the Emperor's tent at the time of the incident.
Why would she tamper with the autumn hunt that she was in charge of? Now that there is evidence in Geng Qi's tent, the clues are very clear.
Geng Qi erupted in fury: "Nonsense! Framing! Why would I attempt an assassination at a banquet?"
When Helan Wan looked up, she met Zhan Yunmei's gaze. Zhan Yunmei lowered her eyes and continued to send people to clean up the mess.
Zhan Yunmei pondered for a moment, then raised her hand: "Take down Geng Qi."
"Why? Why do you condemn me with just one sentence!" Geng Qi broke free from the imperial guards, rushed forward, grabbed Zhan Yunmei by the collar, glared at her fiercely, and uttered words filled with barely concealed hatred and anger, "You want to harm me! What else can you women do besides plotting and framing others?!"
Zhan Yunmei raised an eyebrow at the words Geng Qi had used, placed her fingertips on his shoulder, and with a sudden burst of strength, pushed him away. She fanned her face and gave the order again: "Take him down."
She half-raised her arm, revealing the private seal given to her by the emperor, representing the emperor's decree.
"Anyone who disobeys the imperial decree shall be executed."
Princess Rongning stood outside the crowd, watching Geng Qi struggle violently. She clenched her palms, her eyes showing little emotion.
She secretly slipped away and ran to Zhan Yunmei's tent.
Hua Lang was still lying inside, the stench of blood overflowing. She turned and threw the small piece of paper at him, then ran away.
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