Chapter 360: The Little Scholar in Disguise as a Man and the Emperor 18
Yelu Zongzheng prepared for her all the necessary hunting equipment, including riding clothes, arm guards, saddles, quivers, etc.
Even items as small as water bags were not left out.
The young eunuch was very clever and said, "Your Majesty personally went to the storehouse to select these. It took him several days to select them!"
Cha Jiu didn't expect that Yelu Zongzhen was so busy, but he could still take time out to do such a small thing personally, which made him feel heartened.
She picked up one of the most exquisite and eye-catching golden peach skin bows and played with it in amazement.
The bow is light and made of strong wood. It does not feel heavy in the hand, yet it has the power to penetrate an arrow from a hundred steps away. It must have been specially made for people who have just started to practice archery or have insufficient arm strength.
Moreover, the golden peach bark wrapped around the bow is extremely rare, with exquisite patterns, and can only be used by the royal family.
But...
Cha Jiu touched the rough carved patterns on the bow in confusion. Which craftsman had such poor skills to carve such an ugly bird pattern on such a precious bow?
When we arrived at the hunting camp, the question finally had an answer.
The autumn hunting team was setting up camp. Yelu Zongzheng saw Cha Jiu's figure from a distance and his eyes lit up slightly.
Then when his eyes fell on the golden peach skin bow that she was holding tightly in her hand, his expression became even gentler.
"Your Majesty." Cha Jiu walked over to salute, but was immediately helped up by Yelu Zongzheng.
He looked down at the bow in Cha Jiu's hand and smiled, "You like this bow. When I was seven years old and just started hunting, I used this bow that I made myself. It's light and compact, but its power is not inferior to those ten-stone bows."
Cha Jiu suddenly realized: "So this bow was made by your Majesty. No wonder the bird totem carved on it is so lifelike."
Yelu Zongzheng was slightly stunned. "The engraving on the bow is... a hunting falcon."
“…”
Cha Jiu was also stunned, then she bit her lower lip, and the blush of embarrassment crawled up along her snow-white neck.
Awkward.
The flattery hit the horse's leg!
But Yelu Zongzheng was not angry.
On the contrary, in his eyes, Cha Jiu's look of wanting to find a crack in the ground to crawl into was very cute.
In short, all of Cha Jiu's expressions and actions seemed vivid and moving to him, worthy of being memorized in his mind and savored carefully when he was alone and depressed.
The Queen Mother, who was resting not far away, watched the interaction between the two silently and shook her head.
His Majesty also vowed to keep this affection secret.
But when he looked at He Yanyang, his eyes were filled with tenderness. Anyone with a keen eye could have discovered the clue with just a little guess!
I still can't keep my cool. I guess I have to find a good opportunity to remind him.
On the other side, Lin Qinglan, who followed Grand Master Lin to the enclosure, was also observing Yelu Zongzheng and Cha Jiu with mixed feelings.
She didn't see anything though.
But for some reason, he felt hostile towards Cha Jiu.
She knew that this was wrong. After all, the man was a man, and a court official. Even if he was favored, could he still compete with her for the position of queen?
But after the political discussion at the gathering, she was really afraid that she would be overwhelmed by "him" again in this hunt and steal all of Yelu Zongzheng's attention.
Seeing his daughter was worried, Grand Tutor Lin came over to comfort her, "Qing'er, you are the best in the capital in terms of literary talent, and you are not inferior to those grassland girls in terms of riding and shooting. Don't worry too much, His Majesty will have eyes for you sooner or later."
Lin Qinglan was proud and arrogant, thinking that she was different from other noble ladies. She disdained to discuss rouge, powder and embroidery styles all day long, and instead practiced horse riding and archery with her brothers in the clan.
Therefore, her riding and archery skills are also quite impressive.
She came along for the autumn hunt this time because she wanted to use this opportunity to win Yelu Zongzhen's heart.
"Thank you for your comfort, father. I hope so." Lin Qinglan suppressed the uneasiness deep in his heart.
Suddenly, Master Lin looked towards where the Queen Mother was, stroking his long beard, with a gleam in his eyes.
"Perhaps you should work harder on the Queen Mother than on His Majesty. His Majesty has a deep relationship with the Queen Mother and often listens to her opinions even on political affairs. If you can please the Queen Mother and make sure that you are the best choice for the Queen, His Majesty will not object."
Lin Qinglan followed his father's gaze and turned to the Queen Mother, seeming to be thinking about something.
…
The Queen Mother was still worrying about her two children when she suddenly heard a beautiful and melodious female voice.
"Your humble servant Lin Qinglan pays respects to the Queen Mother. I wish the Queen Mother good health."
Lin Qinglan saluted with dignity, and there was nothing wrong with his every move.
The Queen Mother turned her head to look at her. Although she had no enthusiasm for this girl who was destined not to be her daughter-in-law, she still maintained a gentle smile on the surface: "Miss Lin, you are thoughtful. Please stand up and take a seat."
The maid brought in a cushioned chair.
Lin Qinglan then stood up and sat down next to the Queen Mother.
"The Queen Mother has been studying Buddhism recently."
Lin Qinglan saw the Queen Mother twirling the Buddhist beads in her hands, so she bravely asked.
The Queen Mother smiled peacefully and said, "Buddhism contains great wisdom that can help people break through confusion and attachment and save sentient beings from the sea of suffering. That is why I have come to believe in it."
Lin Qinglan happened to have some knowledge of Buddhism, so he began to delve into the topic and talk about it at length.
The Queen Mother seemed to be enjoying the talk at first, listening with a smile.
But later, when she heard Lin Qinglan praising Buddhism and severely criticizing other teachings, the smile on her face disappeared.
Lin Qinglan didn't notice and continued talking non-stop.
At this time, Chajiu happened to pass by.
She was holding a newly acquired golden peach bark bow in her hand and was about to go to the shooting range to practice.
The Queen Mother sent someone to invite her over.
Cha Jiu was a little surprised, but still came over to pay his respects.
In comparison, the Queen Mother was much more enthusiastic towards Cha Jiu. Not only did she ask the nanny to bring a chair, she also served him hot tea.
Lin Qinglan, who was dry-mouthed from talking, paused for a moment, turned his head to look at his empty hands, and his face became ugly for a moment.
But she soon regained her gentle and dignified appearance.
But who is the Queen Mother?
As the heroine of the grassland and the leader of the Iron Knights at that time, she naturally had eyes as sharp as a hawk and could see all of Lin Qinglan's emotions.
The maid was a smart person. She quickly served Lin Qinglan some hot tea and said with a smile, "The tent was not set up yet, so the hot water was boiled a little late. Miss Lin was late for tea."
Lin Qinglan smiled and acted calmly: "It is my fault for disturbing the Queen Mother. I am honored to have a cup of hot tea. How can I say that I have delayed you?"
If the Queen Mother had not just caught her sudden change of expression, she might have really been fooled by her.
No wonder His Majesty felt that this Central Plains woman was hypocritical after meeting her.
Thinking of this, the Queen Mother's attitude towards Lin Qinglan became even colder. She lowered her eyelids, rubbed her Buddhist beads, and said nonchalantly: "Just now you said that Buddhism corrects the mind and guides people to be good, and its status should be above other teachings."
Lin Qinglan was slightly startled.
She could sense that something was wrong with the Queen Mother's expression.
But she broke down what she had just said, reviewing it word by word, and found no problem.
So she could only bite the bullet and reply, "Yes, Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother turned to look at Cha Jiu who was observing silently and asked, "Master He, what do you think?"
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