"In that case, thank you for your help."
Xiao Nanhui was stunned for a moment.
She hadn't seen Xiao Zhun smile in a long time. Everything that had happened in the past year had a destructive power that had made her think that many things no longer existed.
But just now, on an ordinary late spring morning, the long-standing silence and alienation were easily broken, and the warmth and closeness that had accompanied us for many years gradually gained strength and showed heat.
Xiao Nanhui understood that Xiao Jun would be a very important person in her life, not just because she once liked him.
How many decades can a person have? Yet, they pass so quickly, and in the blink of an eye, they are the time of old age and death. And the first decade of her life was spent with the man before her. They were master and apprentice from the same school, relatives with different surnames, and friends who supported and helped each other through the years of sorrow.
Yes, Xiao Zhun is Xiao Nanhui's friend, a friend who led her out of the desert and gave her a new life.
He didn't actually owe her anything.
They just started from the same path and reached the point where they needed to go their separate ways.
Xiao Nanhui took a deep breath.
She wanted to apologize for her previous estrangement and also wanted to tell the secret that she had been holding in her heart for a while.
"Godfather, there is something I..."
Just as she was hesitating whether to talk about her and the emperor first, or about Zong Hao and the ribbon first, the voice of the ceremonial official Si Zhou interrupted everything.
"Greetings, Lord Qinghuai. So you're here, sir. It was so easy to find you." Si Zhou was panting, having come all the way here at a rapid pace. "The Spring Hunt is about to begin. All participating generals must prepare half an hour in advance. Su Bei is second in line, so I'm afraid we can't delay any longer."
Xiao Zhun nodded and glanced at Xiao Nanhui. She immediately understood.
"In that case, godfather, please go quickly."
Si Zhou seemed to have just seen her and gave her a neutral greeting.
"Meet Mr. Xiao."
When he raised his head, his gaze was fixed on Xiao Nanhui's strange and messy hair. His face was stunned for a moment, then turned into panic, and then from panic to confusion.
Xiao Nanhui picked up two strands of his hair and threw them behind his shoulders without changing his expression.
"I practiced a little late last night and didn't have time to clean up this morning. Sorry for the inconvenience."
Si Zhou was silent for a moment, then cast an anxious look at Xiao Zhun, implying that he should leave this place as soon as possible.
Xiao Zhun looked at Xiao Nanhui.
"What were you about to say...?"
She caught a glimpse of Si Zhou's anxious face, scratching his head, and smiled and waved her hand.
"Nothing. I'll tell my adoptive father after the spring hunt is over."
Xiao Zhun nodded, and before leaving, he pointed his finger, indicating that she must take care of her hair before leaving the yard, and then he followed Si Zhou away.
The yard became quiet again.
The good thing about being a minor official is that no matter how big the incident is, it won't affect her. Even if it's a big event like the Spring Hunt, her presence or absence won't cause any big trouble.
She lowered her head and rummaged through the bundle for a while, and as expected, she found four or five hairpins and two spare sets of shoes and boots.
The one who knows her is the cuckoo.
After quickly tying her hair into a simple bun, she changed her shoes and socks, and after thinking for a while, she put on the armor over the black clothes.
When she finished counting and was about to leave, she suddenly had a strange idea. That was to ride on the auspicious horse and rush out the door to tell Xiao Zhun what she had not finished saying just now.
After a pause, she felt that this impulse was groundless and unnecessary.
She closed the door neatly, took Jixiang with her, and headed towards the Emperor's Hunting Ground.
Just don't say it.
This is a long story, and she can take this opportunity to think carefully about where to start.
******************
The natural spring and autumn hunts were once held together with the spring and autumn sacrifices.
The Spring Festival, also known as the Qingyang Festival, was originally celebrated in the late Ming Dynasty and later spread to the general public, becoming a favorite ritual among merchants and the underworld. The Autumn Festival, also known as the Baizang Festival, has been passed down from ancient times. Its secret rituals are now obscured, and even the imperial court only knew one aspect. Eventually, it was discontinued altogether. The two hunts, spring and autumn, were streamlined into one, held around the time of Grain Rain each year. The primary focus was on training soldiers and horses, supplemented by offering sacrifices to heaven, earth, and mountains.
Even so, every time a victory was achieved in a war, Tiancheng's spring hunt was always particularly grand. Even the ceremony of opening the hunting ground and entering the mountains took a full hour. During this period, the Tiancheng ceremonial officials, the chief priest and the chief fortune teller, presided over the process, assisted by the Yulin Bieyuan commander, and various departments had to arrange the execution. It was said that the beast-subduing platform for performing the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the sky and counting the spoils of hunting were all built overnight half a month in advance according to the content of the ceremony.
Of course, Xiao Nanhui didn't take any of this seriously.
The Tiancheng army lined up strictly according to the rank and military order of the soldiers in each battalion. Those below the battalion level who had no military merits were not even qualified to participate in the hunt.
For Xiao Nanhui, she should be standing at the forefront of the march at this moment, admiring the magnificent scenery of the distant mountains while quietly watching the legendary Spring Hunting Festival.
The premise is that she has not been dismissed from the post of Right General.
Although she held the Second Battalion's badge, she was only a cavalryman. If she hadn't made such a great contribution in the previous battle of Bijiang, she wouldn't even be qualified to fight.
She was squeezed in behind many generals, cavalrymen, captains and lieutenants. Not to mention the figures of the witches and priests, even the beast-subduing platform was as small as a fingernail. The chanting during the ceremony seemed like a distant sound from the sky, making people drowsy.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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