Chapter 35, first published on Jinjiang Literature City, Part 35 (two chapters combined)
The night wind was cold, and Ruan Yu felt a chill on her forehead. Then, that chill, along with the burning heat on her body, rushed up to the top of her head. Next, Ruan Yu felt her feet become unsteady.
Held in Chaolu's arms, his eyes squinted slightly. He tripped over himself several times, but luckily Chaolu caught him and prevented him from falling to the ground.
Chao Lu was very surprised and asked, "Have you been drinking?"
He leaned closer and smelled it; there was a faint fruity scent in his breath.
Ruan Yu shook her head; she hadn't drunk any alcohol... not even a drop of goat milk wine.
"Fool, that's still wine, fruit wine, its potency is no less than that of goat milk wine, it collapses at the first sign of trouble."
Chao Lu was a little helpless. He hadn't been watching her for long when she seemed to find the taste good and drank several cups on her own.
"Ah..." Ruan Yu's eyes widened. She had drunk fruit wine in Chang'an before, wasn't that grape-flavored...? The one she drank today had no alcohol taste at all; she thought it would be a sweet drink...
Are you dizzy?
Ruan Yu slowly shook her head: "I'm just sleepy..."
"Hang in there, we'll be there soon."
The tent arranged for Chaolu by the Geer tribe was a bit far, but it was quiet. Chaolu helped her walk for a while, and when no one was around, he simply picked her up. Now that they had reached the tent entrance, Chaolu instructed his servants: "Prepare water and bring a bowl of hangover soup."
Afu and Xuanniang immediately agreed.
Chao Lu placed the person on the couch and turned to take off his own outer garment, but unexpectedly, the person on the couch disappeared as soon as he turned around.
"Hey!"
Ruan Yu stood up and walked towards the bathroom on her own. Chao Lu was startled and quickly followed her, asking, "What are you doing...?"
Before she could finish speaking, Ruan Yu lost her footing and bumped into a piece of wood, groaning, "Ouch!"
Chao Lu rushed over in one stride and grabbed the person.
"Why are you running around like that!"
Ruan Yu covered her forehead, not crying, but a little confused.
Chao Lu removed her hand: "Let me see, where did you bump yourself? Does it hurt?"
Ruan Yu had a red mark on her forehead from being bumped, and she clicked her tongue at Lu: "What are you doing?"
Ruan Yu stammered, "I need to wash my hands..."
Chao Lu: "...I'll take you there."
He pulled Ruan Yu along, and at this moment Ruan Yu's head was turning very slowly, but her movements became lively, swaying here and there, and Chao Lu couldn't hold her back.
Chaolu also found it quite amusing; it was the first time he had ever seen her drunk, and he hadn't expected her to be like this.
Where are you going next?
Ruan Yu spun around in place: "Why has this changed... it's different now..."
Chaolu: "This is the Ge'er tribe, of course it's different."
"Gor... Oh, I don't like it here."
Chao Lu curled his lips into a smile: "So, where do you like it?"
"I like it..."
Ruan Yu seemed to be thinking about this question very seriously.
"I love the place where my mother is!" Suddenly, she found her answer and smiled brightly.
Chao Lu was taken aback and lowered his eyes.
"I like Chang'an."
Ruan Yu shook her head: "No, I hate that, I hate the Marquis's mansion... but I love my mother's little courtyard..."
After saying that, taking advantage of Chaolu's inattention, she ran a few more steps, "My mother's yard has a swing! It's so much fun! Swinging on the swing, swinging..."
Before she could finish speaking, Chao Lu caught up with her and hugged her around the waist.
"Stop swinging! These are pillars, you'll really hit your head and get stupid." After saying that, Chao Lu hoisted the person onto his shoulder and strode towards the bathhouse.
Ruan Yu only regained some consciousness when he put her in the bathroom, and then her face turned red.
"Shouldn't we wash our hands?"
Ruan Yu: "...Get out."
“You’re sober now.” Chao Lu smiled. “I thought drunkards weren’t aware of anything.”
"Get out, get out!" Ruan Yu blushed and punched him twice, then tilted her head back to avoid being scratched by his nails. "I'm just afraid you'll fall. I'm right here, what's there to be ashamed of? People relieve themselves anywhere on the grasslands, I won't laugh at you."
Ruan Yu puffed up her cheeks, trying to push him out, unable to bear his words, and even tried to cover Chao Lu's mouth.
"Ugh—" Chaolu's chin was unexpectedly scratched by a fingernail, and he hissed.
"Alright, alright, I'll go out and call Xuanniang in."
Seeing that Ruan Yu was feeling uncomfortable, he finally gave in, and Ruan Yu released him, shaking her head helplessly at Lu.
Xuan Niang quickly entered and was somewhat surprised to hear that the Khatun was quite drunk: "Your Highness, please rest assured that I will take care of the Khatun."
Chaolu nodded and walked outside the tent.
Strangely enough, even though it was the same grassland, Chaolu didn't like it. He always felt that the air here had a disgusting, murky smell.
Yang Chong suddenly walked over from a short distance away: "Your Highness."
"What is it?"
"The lady just relayed a message that the Khan said he would grant His Highness two days' leave when he arrives in Liangzhou, so that he can take the Khatun to the prefectural city for a two-day trip. The Khatun must be... missing home very much."
Chao Lu remained silent for a moment.
"Okay, I understand."
Yang Chong: "Then I shall take my leave."
Thinking of what Ruan Yu had said earlier, Chao Lu knew in his heart that the reason he insisted on coming to the autumn hunt was not for fun, but just to go to Liangzhou.
After a while, Chao Lu returned to his tent, and Xuan Niang came over and said, "Your Highness, the Khatun has fallen asleep."
Chao Lu nodded. "You all should go and rest too."
"yes."
Chao Lu walked to the bedside. Ruan Yu liked to sleep curled up in a ball, no matter where she was. She was deeply buried in the bedding, like a silkworm cocoon.
He quickly washed up and then lay down next to the person.
At this moment, Ruan Yu was already dreaming.
In her dream, she truly returned to the small courtyard where her mother lived. Everything was wonderful then; there were no fake heiresses, no scheming or backstabbing...
"Mother, the swing..."
Chao Lu was lying on the outside when he suddenly heard her mutter something.
So he opened his eyes and turned his head to look.
"I'll build you a swing when we get back," Chaolu suddenly said.
He couldn't conjure up her mother, but making a swing wasn't too difficult.
"Brother, little brother..."
Chao Lu: "..."
He had no choice but to remain silent.
Ruan Yu muttered a couple of times, and when there was no response, she fell silent. After a while, when Chao Lu closed his eyes again, he heard a voice say, "Chao Lu..."
In an instant, the man's narrow eyes snapped open, a sharp glint in them.
"what would you like?"
Ruan Yu was still deep in her dream and didn't hear the man's words at all. She only uttered the name once and then stopped calling it, but Chao Lu heard it.
He suddenly smiled and reached out to pull the person into his arms.
"I'm here."
That's great. Dreams are so far away; he's not a god who can conjure them up for her.
After Ruan Yu was held in his arms, she snuggled against him. Chao Lu laughed even more happily, lifted her waist slightly, and Ruan Yu ended up lying on his chest.
Ruan Yu seemed to be waking up after being manipulated by him for a while. She frowned and immediately let go of Lu. The next moment, Ruan Yu found a comfortable position and leaned against his shoulder and neck, and continued to sleep soundly.
She still prefers to sleep curled up, so when Chao Lu reaches out, he can easily hold her toes in his hand.
It was a little cold, but soft and fluffy.
Chao Lu had actually drunk quite a bit of wine today, and now he was feeling sleepy and no longer forced himself to stay awake.
...
The tents in the mansion gradually quieted down, but a faint light was still on in Da Hadun's tent.
Yimin and Saren had been talking for almost an hour, while Una had already gone back to her room.
Saren: "As you can see today, Chaolu is not what it used to be. I have to make plans in advance."
Yimin sighed, "I understand what you're thinking, sister. Chaolu's bride is indeed not someone to be trifled with, but sister, is it really come to the point where we have to take such a risk?"
Saren pursed his lips: "How much longer? If possible, he should have done it that year..."
Saren thought of the scene from back then and clenched her palms: "The Khan exiled Chaolu for three years to lower my guard, but now it seems that I didn't understand his plans at all, and I didn't understand my husband at all... What can I rely on?"
Yimin fell silent: "I also thought that the Khan had long since stopped caring about that woman, but I didn't expect that this year... Sister, I understand now, Damu is my son-in-law, I will help you."
Saren's expression relaxed. "Did you receive the things Una gave you?"
“Hmm.” Yimin narrowed her eyes. “I’ve already decided who to have handle this.”
Saren smiled slightly: "I understand what you mean. There's one more thing. Turing... why didn't I see him today?"
Emin smiled, a bright smile: "Turing... he's such a good boy, he listens to me very well. Don't worry, for the past three years, he's been in Karl, he's had whatever he wanted. I truly love him like my own child."
Saren patted her hand: "Sister, I really don't know what I would do without you."
Yimin smiled slightly: "I only have one daughter, Una. We're family, no need to be so polite."
...
The next morning, Ruan Yu groggily opened her eyes. As soon as she moved, she heard Chao Lu beneath her gasp.
She paused for a moment before realizing that she had instinctively kicked something.
Chao Lu also opened his narrow eyes: "Murder your husband?"
Ruan Yu was stunned for a while before realizing that she was lying on top of Chao Lu, in a position that resembled a frog...
She immediately sat up and looked at the other person in astonishment.
Chao Lu stretched his limbs and sat up straight: "Are you sober now?"
"I...I was drunk last night...I didn't do anything stupid, did I..."
Chao Lu stared at the person: "What do you think?"
Ruan Yu's mind went completely blank. Could it be that she had drunk too much and just pounced on someone? Impossible...
Chao Lu moved his arm again, deliberately tilting his head to reveal the fingernail mark on his chin. Ruan Yu's eyes widened: "This, this is what I scratched?!"
Chao Lu smiled enigmatically, "Your drunken state... truly impresses me."
Ruan Yu: "..."
This is incredibly embarrassing.
"Your Highness, I was wrong..." Ruan Yu admitted her mistake immediately.
"I didn't know that the wine had such a strong aftereffect. If I had known, I definitely wouldn't have drunk it..."
Chao Lu looked at her for a while, then suddenly reached out to her. Ruan Yu was puzzled, but slowly took his hand.
Then, she was pulled into Chaolu's arms again.
Chao Lu reached behind her and stroked her long hair around her waist.
"Remember this: on the grasslands, no celebration is complete without alcohol, and aside from milk tea, there's hardly any sweet drink, understand? It's fine as long as I'm here with you, but what if you encounter someone with ulterior motives next time? Have you learned your lesson?"
Ruan Yu stared at the person and nodded blankly.
"Get up. We'll stay in Karl for another day today, then set off this evening. We'll arrive in Liangzhou early the day after tomorrow. My mother said she's given me two days off, so I can spend two days with you in Liangzhou."
Ruan Yu's eyes widened, and Chao Lu could clearly see his reflection in her eyes...
"Thank you, Your Highness!" She suddenly laughed and pounced on him, burying her head in his neck. A fragrance wafted over, and her lips seemed to brush against his earlobe, like a dragonfly skimming the water, fleeting but abrupt, making Chao Lu freeze.
After Ruan Yu hugged him, she quickly got up and happily got off the bed. Chao Lu was stunned for a while before slowly getting up as well.
...
Today in the Kar tribe, the men go hunting.
The bonfire in the center of the tribe was lit again, creating a lively atmosphere. Gelu meant that the princes and Taijis of the Kar tribe should also have a friendly archery competition. The women didn't have anything special to do, but if anyone wanted to ride horses, they could try it out at the Kar tribe's horse farm.
The horses of the Karakoram are famous.
The Xiangwu of Chaolu came from here.
Ruan Yu and Haila went to the horse farm together, where Una and Yuzhu were already eager to try their luck.
Ruan Yu looked at Hela: "Sister, you can ride horses too, right? Do you want to go?"
Hela smiled and said, "I'm not going. I promised Chaolu I would stay with you today, and I really don't want to go."
Ruan Yu smiled and said, "Thank you, sister." With Hela around, she felt much more at ease.
As for Chaolu, he was taken away by Bayar this morning. He went hunting today; I wonder how well he did.
Urgan suddenly walked towards them: "Siqdun, Dabieji."
Ruan Yu and Haila turned around.
"His Royal Highness."
"Why are you two standing in the wind? Why don't you go and take a look? A new batch of horses has arrived at the horse farm, which are very suitable for women. If either of you takes a liking to any of them, Karl can give them to Khatun and Begi."
Ruan Yu and Haila exchanged a glance, and Ruan Yu smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I can't ride a horse."
Hela also said, "My riding skills are only so-so. It would be a waste for such a fine steed to have it. Let's leave it for someone more suitable."
Urgan gave a slightly regretful "hmm": "Alright, then please come up to the viewing platform. There will be an archery competition later when Chaolu returns."
Ruan Yu nodded and walked up the steps with Haila.
At this very moment, in the hunting grounds, Chao Lu was eyeing a fawn.
The deer cautiously peeked out from the jungle, unaware that it had already been targeted by a seasoned hunter.
Chao Lu nocked an arrow and aimed—
"call out!"
With a sharp sound like an arrow slicing through the air, Chao Lu was startled. He hadn't let go yet; an arrow flying from another direction had locked onto his target first. Has was furious and turned around, shouting, "Who! Don't you know the rules!"
Chao Lu squinted and looked in the direction from which the arrow had come, only to hear a young man's arrogant voice—
"Fourth Brother! Since you didn't spot me, this deer is mine!"
Chao Lu was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes lit up.
"Turing, come out!"
The boy leaped down from the tree, stood in front of Chaolu, and looked up at him with a smug smile.
Chaolu's heart beat faster. The boy in front of him was not as tall as him, but he could vaguely see what the boy would look like in the future. His braid was casually swaying in front of his chest, and the wisps of hair on his forehead made him look arrogant and unruly.
Chaolu immediately dismounted and strode to his younger brother. Both brothers had excited looks in their eyes.
"You've grown quite a bit taller." Chao Lu patted his shoulder, and Turing laughed heartily, "Not as tall as Fourth Brother!"
"You brat, when did you start following me?"
Turing followed him all the way, and he really didn't notice. Chaolu was very pleased.
"From the moment we entered the hunting grounds, Fourth Brother was hard to keep up with. Riding a horse was definitely out of the question, but luckily I'm good at climbing trees!"
Has stepped forward, exclaiming in surprise, "So you were in the tree just now! No wonder, a good view is essential to getting the first shot!"
Turing retorted, "Hasgo didn't spot me either. I didn't succeed because of my good eyesight!"
Chao Lu laughed heartily: "Good, you've really gotten to it. You can have the deer first, it's yours!"
Turing grinned: "Thanks, Fourth Brother!"
"Where's your horse! Get on it! Let's go chase some more game with Fourth Brother!"
Turing stretched out his hand and whistled. A moment later, a white horse galloped towards its master from the woods.
The young man mounted his horse: "Let's go, Fourth Brother!"
Chao Lu immediately rode his Xiangwu and gave chase.
Ruan Yu and Haila sat on the viewing platform for a while, then Lady Qiu and the Khan arrived together. Everyone stood up to pay their respects, but Hurile raised his hand to indicate that everyone was exempt from the formalities.
He pulled Madam Qiu to sit down with him. Ruan Yu saw it, and Sa Ren saw it too, but quickly looked away. Today, the ceremony on the viewing platform wasn't so formal, so Hurile blatantly let Madam Qiu sit next to him.
Ruan Yu smiled and looked towards the archery range.
"The Taijis are back!"
Someone shouted, and the rumbling of horses' hooves grew louder in the distance. Hurile smiled and leaned over to look: "Hmm, it seems that Chaolu and Damu have both had quite a haul."
Everyone looked over with smiles.
The people at the very front were indeed Chaolu and Damu, and their speeds were neck and neck. However, some sharp-eyed people noticed the people behind Chaolu: "Is that Liutaiji?! He's so fast! He seems pretty good too!"
Upon hearing this, Hurile sat up almost instantly, squinting at the figure of the young man.
Soon, the spirited horse stopped in the middle, and the men all dismounted.
Several servants immediately stepped forward to count the prey.
"The Grand Taiji hunted two elk and a pair of geese, while the Fourth Taiji obtained one antelope, three hares, and one great bustard!"
Hurile laughed loudly: "Very good, very good! Damuchaolu is evenly matched, but he wins first place!"
Taren smiled and gave his son-in-law an appreciative look.
Then, Hurile's gaze settled on the boy behind Chaolu.
"The six Taijis obtained one elk and two wild rabbits!"
"Well done, Turing!" cheers erupted from the crowd. The sixth Taiji was only fifteen, yet his hunting skills were comparable to the second Taiji's. Hurile called out, "Turing, come forward!"
Bayar patted his younger brother on the shoulder: "Go, Turing."
Turing pursed his lips and took a few steps forward.
"I have met Father Khan."
Hurile's breathing became noticeably rapid. Lady Qiu, who was standing nearby, saw this clearly. She smiled slightly and whispered, "Great Khan, Turing has grown taller."
As a father, Hurile was inevitably a little excited at this moment. He stood up and walked towards the center of the hunting ground. Turing was still kneeling on one knee. Hurile slowly approached, reached out and helped his youngest son up.
Turing looked up and gazed at his father, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
Hurile patted his shoulder: "Well done, child."
Taren also stood up and said with a smile, "Great Khan, Turing has been a well-behaved and sensible child for the past three years. This time, I am actually a little reluctant to let him go back with you."
Turing glanced at Taren, and Hurile laughed heartily: "But this is my son, Taren, you have quite a few sons too."
Taren laughed and said, "There are not many who are truly capable; they can't compare to the Taijis."
Hurile patted Turing on the shoulder: "Come on, let's go to the banquet with Father Khan."
Turing suddenly said, "Father, I want to have an archery contest with my brothers. I'll join you later."
Hurile was somewhat surprised: "Oh? That's fine too."
Char laughed and said, "Father Khan, your son will not compete."
He was at the bottom of the class in archery and hunting, and had no interest in such things.
Hurile nodded indifferently, and Char returned to the viewing platform and sat down next to Yuzhu.
Yu Zhu pursed her lips: "What are you doing? Retreat if you don't fight?"
Charles smiled faintly: "You know I'm not good at these things, why force myself?"
Yuzhu looked away and remained silent.
The archery competition has begun.
Una suddenly whispered to Emin, "Brother hunted quite a few prey just now. In archery, who is better, him or Turing?"
Yi Min smiled slightly: "You'll see."
Urgan and Chaolu were the first to go up. Urgan shook his head: "I had bad luck with the draw. I ran into the Fourth Prince right away. How unfortunate."
Chao Lu said, "You are not necessarily worse than me, why belittle yourself?" After saying that, he shot an arrow straight out.
The servant standing beside the target shouted, "Heart!"
Urgan also refocused his attention and exerted all his strength.
Ultimately, he lost to Chao Lu by a mere two arrows. The two men clasped their fists together and said, "We'll have another chance to compete with Your Highness next time!"
Chao Lu smiled and agreed.
Next up were Turing and Bayar.
Bayar also doted on his younger brother: "Turing, let your second brother see your strength. It's okay, your second brother isn't afraid of losing face."
Turing smiled and fired the first arrow!
"Six Taiji, Hearts!"
Bayar gasped.
It's a lie to say she's not afraid of losing face; Qiqige is watching.
That brat...
In an instant, arrows flew out of their bows.
The match ended in a draw, and Bayar laughed heartily.
Turing laughed too: "Second brother, dead targets are no fun, let's have some live targets."
Bayar asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
Turing looked at the servant beside him, who immediately ran down to prepare. Before long, several people suddenly appeared on the archery range and began to run around, each with a pottery pot on their head.
"Second Brother! Whoever hits the pottery jar wins. Do you dare to compete?"
Bayar was taken aback.
The people on the viewing platform were also somewhat astonished; this was…
Turing drew his arrow and shot it without hesitation. The first shot missed, but the second one was accompanied by the sound of a pottery jar shattering.
"Run faster! You bunch of useless trash!"
Turing shouted, and the person carrying the pottery pot trembled, but dared not disobey. On the viewing platform, Yimin quietly curled his lips, and Hurile's expression gradually became serious.
Chao Lu was also somewhat surprised. Seeing that Turing's third arrow had already been aimed at someone, he suddenly realized something was wrong: "Turing, stop!"
Unfortunately, before anyone could react, Turing's arrow had already been shot—
"ah!"
The man carrying the pottery jar was clearly frightened and suddenly dodged, but his plan backfired, and he was hit in the shoulder by the arrow.
He collapsed to the ground.
An uproar erupted on the viewing platform, and Taren and Emin immediately stood up.
Chaolu immediately ran over and reached out to stop his younger brother.
His brow furrowed deeply: "Turing, what are you doing!"
Turing paused for a moment, then suddenly grinned at him: "Fourth Brother, don't you think this is hilarious?"
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