Chapter 45 It was originally he who was unworthy
While the others on the field remained frozen in place, Li Yuanzhao had already turned his gaze away and said to Lin Xuean, "Alright, they won't bully you anymore. Get up."
As she spoke, she leaned forward slightly and extended her hand to Lin Xuean.
Lin Xuean knelt on the ground, looking at the pile of corpses. Her face was ashen, and her stomach was churning. She bit her lip tightly, not daring to utter a single dry heave.
The image of blood splattering earlier kept replaying in his mind, making him weak with fear.
Only when he caught a glimpse of Li Yuanzhao's impatience nearly fading did he snap back to reality and tremble as he grasped Li Yuanzhao's hand.
Li Yuanzhao slightly tightened his fingers and gently pulled him up from the ground.
Lin Xuean lost her balance and staggered, almost falling over. She instinctively grabbed Li Yuanzhao's sleeve.
Li Yuanzhao was very patient at this moment. "Can you still ride a horse? Get on, I'll take you back."
Lin Xuean was stunned for a moment, her cheeks instantly turning bright red.
He had never been so close to a woman, let alone a princess of such high status.
"Thank you... thank you, Your Highness..."
His voice was so low it was almost inaudible. He awkwardly took her hand and, with Li Yuanzhao's gentle pull, clumsily mounted the horse and carefully sat behind her.
No sooner had he settled down than Li Yuanzhao reached out and gently grasped his wrist, then led his hand to wrap around his waist.
Lin Xuean's face flushed even redder, as if it were on fire.
Through the thin riding suit, he could clearly feel the body temperature coming from in front of him, as well as that seemingly thin but straight back.
Although he lacked the magnanimity of a man, he gave off a sense of stability and strength that made people feel inexplicably at ease.
His fingers curled slightly, hesitant to exert force, only resting them loosely, but his heart pounded like a drum.
The faint scent of ambergris lingered around her, strangely dispelling the fear brought on by the previous stench of blood.
Deep down, a secret sense of pleasure welled up within me.
Li Yuanzhao turned his horse around, ignoring the mess on the ground and the frozen Su Qingci and Chen Yanqing, and slowly rode away.
Chen Yanqing stood there, watching the two figures gradually disappear into the distance. The fear he had felt because of the killing instantly turned into a surge of anger.
He was absolutely furious.
In all this time, he had never seen Li Yuanzhao so gentle and considerate.
They even killed so many people without blinking an eye just because of a single sentence from this man surnamed Lin.
It turns out that she was never lacking in patience and gentleness; she just had never given them to him.
It was because he was unworthy.
Su Qingci was stunned to see Ru Mo turn around and follow, ignoring the corpses on the ground and not even bothering to clean them up.
"Are you sure we shouldn't worry about it?" she asked in a low voice, her tone tinged with concern. "What if the patrolling guards or someone else sees us? Wouldn't that cause trouble?"
Ru Mo turned to look at her and explained, "Your Highness has his own arrangements."
Seeing this, Su Qingci didn't say anything more and quickly quickened his pace to catch up with Li Yuanzhao's back.
After taking a couple of steps, she caught a glimpse of Chen Yanqing still standing there, staring blankly at His Highness's figure. She couldn't help but say irritably, "Aren't you leaving? Even if you keep staring, His Highness won't come back for you."
Chen Yanqing snapped out of her daze, looked at Su Qingci, and said with obvious impatience, "What's it to you?"
Su Qingci sneered, ignored him, and turned to leave.
Someone like him, yet he dreams of becoming His Highness's intimate companion? That's utterly delusional.
He's not as good-looking as Lin Xue'an, not as talented as Pei Huaijin, not as temperamental as Du Cong, and not as capable as Ru Mo...
Su Qingci found it increasingly amusing. Who gave him the courage to think he could catch His Highness's eye?
When Li Yuanzhao led his entourage back to the viewing platform, the main force that had gone hunting had almost all returned.
The hunting grounds were already bustling with activity, the campfires crackling, and groups of officials and nobles everywhere were discussing the day's hunt with great enthusiasm, all wondering who would be the champion.
"I heard that Pei Huaijin hunted a white deer today!"
"That's still not as good as the big gray wolf that General Shen shot down..."
"You probably don't know, do you? In less than half an incense stick's time since the hunt began, the Princess has already hunted a black bear?"
"Oh my god?!"
Li Yuanzhao's figure on horseback came into view as the sun set, and sitting closely behind her was Lin Xue'an.
The young master Lin was disheveled, his face still flushed, and his hands were still tightly wrapped around the princess's waist.
Upon witnessing this scene, the once noisy hunting ground instantly fell silent.
"The eldest princess has returned."
Someone called out softly, and everyone seemed to wake from a dream, bowing respectfully.
"Greetings, Princess."
Li Yuanzhao kept his eyes straight ahead and drove straight past the crowd with Lin Xue'an.
All eyes were on the two of them, some with surprise, some with curiosity, and some with veiled speculation.
Li Yuanshu, who was sitting in the most important concubine's tent, saw the two of them almost immediately.
Seeing this, a smug sneer curled at the corner of her lips.
This Li Yuanzhao is truly shameless to this extent, actually riding with a man in public. Is she afraid that others will not know about her absurdity?
On the other side, Li Yuanyou was being pulled along by the Imperial Concubine's arm as she murmured, "That boy Shen Churong not only comes from a good family and has a high reputation in the Imperial Guard, but more importantly, he is deeply loved by your father, the Emperor. You should spend more time with him and befriend him; it will surely benefit you in the future..."
“Him?” Li Yuanyou interrupted her impatiently. “He’s not worthy! He’s just a defeated opponent of my elder sister, and he dares to talk big?”
The Imperial Concubine gave him a reproachful look, "It's precisely because he doesn't get along with your elder sister that you need to cultivate a better relationship with him. Your elder sister's power is growing daily..."
Li Yuanyou was so tired of hearing all those endless admonitions.
Just as he was about to find an excuse to slip away, he suddenly heard a series of greetings coming from outside.
Li Yuanyou quickly stood up. "Your Majesty is back?"
His gaze swept across the room, landing on Lin Xue'an. "Huh? Isn't that Minister Lin's youngest son? Why is he following behind my elder sister?"
After saying that, he rushed out without waiting for the imperial concubine to react.
Seeing this, Li Yuanshu quickly said, "Mother, I'll go take a look too."
Sitting behind Li Yuanzhao, Lin Xuean keenly noticed the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd.
He felt even more embarrassed and quickly withdrew his hand from Li Yuanzhao's waist.
"Your Highness, we've arrived, I..."
Li Yuanzhao said calmly, "Go, go change your clothes."
Lin Xuean felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and quickly dismounted and returned to the Lin family's tent.
As soon as he left, everyone started talking about it.
"Did you see that? The Princess actually let him ride with her!" someone whispered, their tone full of mischief. "Could it be that she's really taken a liking to him?"
Another person scoffed, "With a face like his, what's so surprising about the princess taking a liking to him?"
Du Cong frowned. "It's nothing more than using one's looks to please others. How long can that last?"
The person next to him nudged him, their tone tinged with a hint of mockery, "Brother Du, why do you sound a little jealous? Could it be... that you also want to be favored by the Princess?"
Du Cong's face darkened, and he fell silent, but his eyes remained fixed on the two men on horseback.
Pei Huaijin watched this scene, his eyebrows furrowing almost imperceptibly before he looked away.
Reminded by someone in the distance, Minister Lin looked up and saw his son dismounting from the Princess's horse. His face immediately turned ashen.
"That unfilial son, all he does is embarrass himself all day long!"
Who doesn't know that the Eldest Princess is licentious and dissolute? His son from the Lin family is shamelessly clinging to her like this; others might think that he, as her father, is selling his son for personal gain!
Minister Cui chuckled and said, "Minister Lin, that's not how it works. Love between men and women is only natural, especially since the other party is the Princess. How can it be considered shameful? Don't you agree?"
Minister Lin suddenly came to his senses and instantly realized his slip of the tongue.
He lost his temper and acted rashly just now. If these words reach the ears of the Princess, she will not let him off easily, given her temperament.
He quickly chuckled twice, cupped his hands, and said, "Prime Minister Cui is right. I was confused. It is my son's good fortune to have won His Highness's favor."
Cui Xiang suddenly frowned. "Speaking of which, why hasn't my Ninth Prince returned yet?"
Although he had many sons, Cui Jiulang was his most beloved youngest son. He had accompanied the emperor on the hunt today and should have returned long ago.
He turned to the guards behind him and ordered, "Go find them quickly! The banquet is about to begin, and they're still out there playing around. How unruly!"
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