Chapter 125 Chapter 125 - It's a secret passage. ...
Chapter 125
The person who came to report was Tang Cong.
——He deliberately made his footsteps louder to remind Jing Yue and Lin Zhiyi in advance.
Jing Yue responded in a female voice: "I understand. Please leave first."
Tang Cong: “Yes!”
He did not let Eunuch Zhang come closer, but chose to come and report himself.
——The princess and her husband’s tent were surrounded by only their personal guards, and palace maids, attendants, and eunuchs were not allowed to approach without permission.
The same is true for Zhu'er, Yao'er, Su Lian, Lin Song and others.
And they are used to it.
Eunuch Zhang was waiting with his head down far away from the tent, with a young eunuch holding a lantern leaning over to light the way for him.
The guards of Princess Liyang's mansion stood in front of them, all tall and strong, looking majestic and murderous.
He is indeed a guard trained by Duke Lin’s Mansion.
Prince Rui's palace also has guards. The personal guards following Prince Rui are also tall and mighty, but they are slightly inferior to the guards in front of him.
Eunuch Zhang was lost in thought, wondering if it was because he admired Duke Lin too much.
These guards really came from Duke Lin's Mansion. Ji Feng stood in the front, his sharp eyes like a falcon, and any little thoughts could not escape his eyes.
He and Tang Cong are now the two chief guards of the princess's mansion, one is responsible for the princess's safety, and the other ensures the safety of the prince consort.
Lin Shuo had received the news long ago. Walking side by side with General Zhou, he casually asked Ji Feng, "Do the princess and her husband need to go out for something?"
Ji Feng clasped his fists and replied, "Yes, Duke."
Eunuch Zhang and the young eunuch also hurriedly saluted: "Old servants pay their respects to the Duke and the General."
Lin Shuo asked, "Is it Eunuch Zhang who is beside His Royal Highness Prince Rui?"
Eunuch Zhang's eyes wrinkled with laughter. "The Duke actually remembered me—it was indeed His Royal Highness Prince Rui who invited the princess and her husband to a banquet together. Also included were His Royal Highness Prince Chu, His Royal Highness Prince Jing, His Royal Highness the Fifth Prince, His Royal Highness the Sixth Prince, and the other princesses and their husbands."
Lin Shuo and General Zhou exchanged a glance and said, understandingly, "I think His Royal Highness Prince Rui wants to get together and chat with his brothers and sisters."
Eunuch Zhang nodded: "That's right..."
Lin Shuo: "Then Brother Zhou, come play chess with Xiuyuan another day."
"Okay, let's go over there and exchange some martial arts skills."
The two of them came at their convenience and left at their leisure.
Another half a minute later, Tang Cong came over and summoned Eunuch Zhang to meet the princess and her husband.
Jingyue restyled her hair. Fortunately, she hadn't taken off her makeup yet, so she didn't need to put it on again.
Lin Zhiyi also changed into a black and red brocade suit, which was very neat and stylish.
After learning about Eunuch Zhang's purpose, Jing Yue smiled sweetly and asked, "Are we the only ones here? Are there any other young masters from aristocratic families? For example, Lord Ye, Young Master Zhou, Xie Erlang, and others..."
Eunuch Zhang replied respectfully, "No, only the princes and princesses are invited, as well as the princes' wives and their consorts."
"I see. Please, Eunuch Zhang, tell my second brother that my husband and I will go to the banquet after we change our clothes."
"Yes." Eunuch Zhang respectfully took his leave.
After making sure that no one was around the tent, Lin Zhiyi whispered, "Why is Prince Rui hosting so many people?"
Jing Yue's face was full of insight: "The Crown Prince didn't come, so of course my second brother wanted to satisfy his desire to be king."
——During this spring hunt, Emperor Longshun left the crown prince alone in the capital to supervise the country and handle state affairs.
The other princes and princesses were brought to the hunting ground.
That's why the Queen had no interest in joining the spring hunt. She wanted to enjoy the feeling of being the 'Queen Mother' in advance.
If he guessed correctly, this spring hunt would be very lively and exciting.
…
Prince Rui really wanted to experience the feeling of being the center of attention. So he used a high-sounding excuse to invite his brothers, sisters-in-law, and sisters-in-law to a banquet. He looked at the people who came to the banquet and greeted them with a smile.
"Second brother, why are you suddenly inviting us to a banquet? We are all tired from the journey and want to rest early." These were the words that Princess Mingyang Jingluo dared to say.
She and Prince Rui were both born to Consort Hui, so their relationship was naturally closer than that of their other siblings.
"It's been a long time since my brothers and sisters have gathered together to chat and discuss things. I've missed it so much. This opportunity just happened to come, so... I invited you all here."
"That's right. When we were little, we went to the academy together, attended classes together, and played together. But when we grew up, we no longer had such opportunities."
"Please sit down. This is probably the last time we can all get together like this. After the Dragon Boat Festival next month, the third and fourth brothers will both leave the capital, and the fifth brother... the fifth brother will soon be getting married and setting up his own residence... Let's have a drink." He expressed regret, "It's a pity... the Crown Prince is busy with state affairs and can't join us."
Princess Duanyang Jinglong, who shared the same mother as the Crown Prince, snorted coldly and said, "How difficult is that? After returning to the capital, I will host another banquet for all of you brothers and sisters. I will then invite the Crown Prince, and he will definitely come."
Prince Rui smiled calmly, "Jinglong is right. But after returning to the capital, everyone is bound by many constraints, not as free and easy as here. Don't you agree?"
King Jing Zhuorui of Chu intervened, saying, "Indeed, Second Brother is thoughtful. Let me offer a toast to you first."
Jing Zhuowu smiled with satisfaction and raised his glass to drink with them.
After Jing Zhuorui toasted, he sat down. Princess Ji Wushuang of Chu beside him served him his favorite roasted deer tendon.
Jing Zhuoyue listened to their conversation, but his mind was on Amina. He brought Amina the roasted lamb leg from the disc and poured her some kumis. "Try it first. If you don't like it, I'll grill it for you later."
Amina smiled and nodded. After taking a bite, she whispered, "It's not as delicious as the one you baked for me, but it's not bad either. I won't bother you today."
"Okay, let's talk about it another day."
Because Jing Zhuoran and Lin Zhishu have not yet married, only Jing Zhuoran came to the banquet.
He sat quietly at his desk and ate in peace.
Compared to before, he is actually more conspicuous now.
Jing Zhuoan drank and ate meat in big gulps, and didn't pay much attention to their hidden meanings and verbal confrontations.
As for Jing Yue and Lin Zhiyi... Jing Yue was very considerate and picked up her favorite food for Lin Zhiyi, which was in sharp contrast to the other princesses.
——The other princesses were all enjoying the service of their princes-in-law.
Jing Zhuowu caught a glimpse of this scene and pointed it out: "Yue'er really dotes on her husband."
Everyone locked their eyes on them.
Jing Yue said softly, "The Prince Consort is also very good to A Yue. Second Brother."
Jing Zhuowu glanced at Lin Zhiyi: "Really?"
Lin Zhiyi said respectfully: "Xiuyuan still needs to work hard..."
Jing Zhuoyue interrupted, "Second brother, you're jealous of the affection we enjoy as a couple because Second Princess-in-law didn't come with you, right?"
Princess Rui Shi Yun'er had just finished her confinement and her body was damaged due to the drugs she had taken to induce labor during childbirth. Therefore, Jing Zhuowu did not bring her here and deliberately let her recuperate in the mansion.
"Fourth Brother, what truth are you talking about!" Jing Zhuorui also teased, "Second Brother loves Second Sister-in-law very much, he is our role model."
Jing Zhuowu had originally used the excuse of brotherly love to invite everyone to the gathering, so he wouldn't spoil the fun too much. He then suggested, "Xiuyuan was injured during the spring hunt last year, so he wasn't able to join us in the hunting, horseback riding, and archery. I've heard Xiuyuan's archery skills are quite impressive, so we should be able to feast our eyes on him this year, right? Would you mind competing with us tomorrow?"
Before Lin Zhiyi could speak, Jing Yue said, "Second brother, the best archer on horseback is Zhou Mingyan. He can hit the target every time now, even without glasses. Call him tomorrow and show him to you, Second brother."
Jing Zhuowu: "What? Is Yue'er afraid that Xiuyuan will be left behind? They say girls are outgoing. It's been less than a year since we got married, and Yue'er's heart has already been biased."
Jing Yue: "Second brother, what are you talking about? If you really want to compete, of course we can, but if you want to compete, you should at least put out a prize, right? Otherwise, what's the point?"
"Okay, Yue'er, what do you like about my brother? Just tell me."
Jing Yue: "Second brother proposed it, so naturally he should be the one to place the bet to show his sincerity." He took the lead and said, "I'm going to offer a prize on behalf of the Prince Consort - there's a hot spring villa in the suburbs of Beijing. Whoever wins first place in the horse and archery competition tomorrow will become the owner of the villa."
Jing Zhuowu: "Since Yue'er is so generous, then I naturally cannot be stingy. I have a villa in the south of the city. Whoever wins will get it."
Jing Zhuorui sighed, "You're all so generous. Well, I don't have anything else to offer, so I'll just give you a peerless sword as a prize. It's something my uncle stumbled upon while traveling, and it's said to have been used by the great hero You Fangchi three hundred years ago. I don't know if it's true, but I guarantee it's truly useful."
Jing Zhuoyue thought for a moment and said, "I don't have anything good, so I'll just bet five hundred taels of silver and join in the fun."
"Only five hundred taels?" Jing Zhuoan said, "I bet one thousand taels!"
Jing Zhuoyue: "I will be leaving for the Western Regions on the Dragon Boat Festival. Most of my money will be used for military expenses and supplies. The expenses along the way are not small. Brothers and sisters, please forgive me."
Everyone said yes, yes.
The princesses also bet on famous musical instruments, famous paintings, white jade chess pieces and other items, and then everyone looked at Jing Zhuoran who was speechless.
After Jing Zhuoran gestured, he wrote on the paper: I admit defeat, and I'll give a prize of one hundred taels.
He is the poorest one.
He was also the worst at riding and shooting.
Jing Yue and Lin Zhiyi looked at each other. They both knew why Jing Zhuoran gave up and refused to participate - after all, he was the person in charge of this spring hunt, so he had to be careful in everything and not indulge in fun.
Jing Zhuowu let him go: "Okay, Laowu, don't worry. No matter which of us wins first place, we will give you an extra 1,000 taels of silver. Do you all agree?"
"agree."
Jing Zhuoran bowed to everyone.
After agreeing on a time, everyone ate, drank and had fun for a while before going their separate ways.
Back in the tent, Jingyue and Lin Zhiyi called Youyi to ask about the safety of the hunting grounds.
——After experiencing the accident last year, they both paid great attention to the safety of the hunting grounds.
As expected, Youyi brought unexpected but manageable news: "Your Highness, Prince Consort, we've discovered... a little-known cave deep in the mountains southwest of the hunting grounds. And inside the cave, there are signs of artificial excavation—a secret passage. Yousan, with his excellent Qinggong skills, has already gone outside the hunting grounds to investigate. We should have news back tomorrow morning!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
