The Gao siblings also shared the same attitude. They grew up near the Yunzhou Misty Forest, where there were many wild animals. They lived in harmony with those animals, and no one had ever thought of keeping these animals in captivity and then forcing them to do these meaningless movements.
Now the white tiger is jumping through a fire ring. Although animals are naturally afraid of fire, the trainer still forces it to jump. He whips the white tiger once and twice, and the white tiger has no choice but to jump over, which immediately wins cheers from the audience.
Several people were sitting there on pins and needles, unable to bear watching at all.
After the first performance, the emperor seemed to notice their unusual behavior and said to the Gao brothers and sisters, "I heard that there are many rare birds and beasts in the mist forest of Yunzhou. Is that true?"
"Your Majesty, it is true." Gao Siyuan replied.
The emperor understood and said, "No wonder I saw you were not interested at all. It turns out you have seen too much."
"No, Your Majesty. I just can't bear to see these ferocious beasts that originally lived in the jungle being imprisoned in small iron cages. It is too cruel to them." Gao Siqi sighed.
When the others heard Gao Siqi say this, they couldn't help but think that she was really outspoken and didn't consider the occasion. His Majesty had kindly invited everyone to watch the beast show, but not only did she not thank him, she even called it cruel. She was simply ungrateful. Now they were afraid that the emperor would be angry, and they were all sweating for Gao Siqi.
But the emperor showed no displeasure on his face. He actually affirmed Gao Siqi: "General Gao has a kind heart, but as Zhuangzi said, 'You cannot know the joy of a fish if you are not one of them.' How do you know they don't want to stay here? After all, they have plenty of food and drink here, and they just put on an occasional show."
Gao Siqi wanted to refute, but Shi Mingyue pulled her sleeve and stopped her, and she stopped talking.
The emperor seemed to recall something and said, "The matsutake mushrooms and other things you sent this time are very good. I last went to Yunzhou five years ago, and I heard a lot of strange rumors about the Wulin at that time."
Speaking of the mist forest, it's truly a wonderful place, densely populated with trees, lush grass, and home to rare birds and animals. A minister in the audience interrupted, "Your Majesty, I've heard that there's a kind of Ganoderma lucidum growing in the mist forest of Yunzhou. It grows in the valley, sprouting beneath the green grass. After breaking through the ground, it undergoes a remarkable color change, from red to black. It's incredibly rare. It's said that eating one will extend your life by ten years, and eating ten will grant you immortality. It's said this Ganoderma lucidum is called 'Green Valley Red Cloud'."
Gao Siqi and Gao Siyuan's faces flickered with emotion as soon as these words were spoken. The others, however, expressed their doubts. How could there be something in the world that could grant immortality? If it truly existed, wouldn't someone have achieved it long ago? How come they had never even heard of it?
The emperor looked at the Gao siblings and asked, "Is there any such rumor in Yunzhou?"
Gao Siyuan said, "Your Majesty, there are indeed rumors about the Green Valley Red Cloud, but I have lived in Yunzhou since I was a child, and I have never heard of anyone actually picking it and claiming it can prolong life or even achieve immortality."
Gao Siqi also said: "Yes, Your Majesty, this is just a rumor, there is no real example."
A trace of disappointment flashed in the emperor's eyes. Immortality simply doesn't exist.
Unexpectedly, the Second Prince, Fu Baiheng, suddenly took the initiative and said, "Since there are such rumors, it means that Green Valley Chi Youxia is not groundless. Father, I am willing to go to the Misty Forest of Yunzhou, find this treasure, and present it to you."
Everyone else looked at the Second Prince, wondering if he'd been so upset by losing his crown prince position that he'd actually taken the initiative to find the immortality-boosting Ganoderma lucidum for the Emperor. Regardless of whether the Ganoderma lucidum story was true or not, even if it was truly found, why would the Emperor, who could achieve immortality, have a crown prince?
The emperor smiled and said, "Heng'er is kind, but immortality is illusory. I don't want to follow the example of the Qin Emperor and the Han Emperor, who destroyed the country and the people in pursuit of immortality. However, you and Li'er have probably never been to Yunzhou. How about this? After the imperial examinations are over in the spring, you and Li'er will go to Yunzhou together to conduct an on-site investigation and understand the people's sentiments."
Fu Baiheng and Fu Yueli said in unison: "Yes."
After the performance at the Zoo, Shi Mingyue, Fu Yueli, and her cousins went to Shi's house, where the whole family had a meal together.
Gao Siqi hadn't seen Shi Mingyue for a long time, and often stuck to her, talking about this and that. Most of the time, he talked about her military life, how she competed with so many people, and how she won.
The table was full and lively. The Gao siblings were closer to Shi Mingyue than to Shi Mingji. This was because the Gao siblings had spent a year at the Shi family home as children. Both loved to wield spears and sticks. Shi Mingyue, young and free from school, played with them every day. Meanwhile, Shi Mingji, who was already in school and preferred quietness to activity, couldn't play with the Gao siblings.
Later, when the Gao siblings were to be taken back to Yunzhou by their parents, Shi Mingyue was reluctant to let them go and insisted on going with them. Her aunt and uncle persuaded her parents to take her with them to Yunzhou for six months. As a result, Shi Mingyue and the Gao siblings became particularly close.
This was the first time Fu Yueli saw Shi Mingji since they parted ways on bad terms that day. He still looked listless, and she didn't know whether he had resolved the issue or not.
Everyone was immersed in the joy of reunion, except Shi Mingji, who kept a stern face at home for a long time and didn't say anything no matter what the two elders asked, so they got used to it.
When Gao Siqi went out for some fresh air, he asked Shi Mingyue, "What's wrong with your brother? Why does he look so unhappy?"
Shi Mingyue thought that she and Gao Siyuan didn't know about Shi Mingji yet, so she told her.
"That's it? He didn't kill his fiancée, so why should he feel guilty?" Gao Siqi and Shi Mingji didn't have much contact. Firstly, Shi Mingji didn't like warriors, and secondly, there was a difference between men and women.
Shi Mingyue didn't know how to explain this to Gao Siqi. Anyway, her brother was the kind of person who was very sensitive, and Gao Siqi, who was careless, wouldn't understand. However, it was not a solution for Shi Mingji to continue like this, so Shi Mingyue decided to find an opportunity to have a good talk with him.
In the afternoon, the Gao siblings came to visit Prince Ling's Mansion and met the Lu siblings. Lu Lingyan was a talkative and extroverted person, and he quickly became close friends with the siblings.
Shi Mingyue deliberately released Pipi and Lele, but Gao Siqi's eyes lit up when he saw Lele. He walked over and lifted it up by the neck, saying, "What a big fat duck! It will be delicious when roasted!"
"No!" Shi Mingyue hurriedly rescued Lele from her hands, "This is my baby!" Lele huddled in Shi Mingyue's arms after being rescued, still looking terrified.
Gao Siqi's eyes widened and he said with amusement, "It's ok for you to raise a parrot, but why don't you raise a duck as a pet?"
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