The Bai family army quietly dispersed in the woods, leaving only ten people to guard General Bai, and continued to move forward with Prince Ding and his two men.

Before leaving, General Bai warned: "You two gentlemen better walk faster, the paths in the deep mountains and old forests are complicated. If you fall behind, I don't know where to find you."

Xiaoqing and Xiaobai nodded and were quiet for a while.

Not long after the team moved forward, the natural wonders around them once again attracted the attention of the two young men.

"Look, my lord! What a towering tree that is! It reaches the sky and is so majestic!"

"My Lord, what a beautiful pond! Let's go fishing!"

The two young masters became interested again.

"They" were not slowing down, but were running around, playing the game of "Guess what this is" with Prince Ding. They were singing and laughing all the way, fearing that the Bai family army could not hear them.

When General Bai looked over, Xiaoqing stared at him innocently, holding a handful of weeds picked from the roadside in her hand.

"General, are we not left behind?"

Facing General Bai's warning gaze, Xiaoqing blinked in confusion.

He clenched the weeds in his hand tightly and shook his head frantically, "General, are you interested in this bundle of herbs? That won't do."

"This is something I prepared specially for you. I will make some medicine for you when I get back."

Upon hearing this, Prince Ding was slightly shocked.

He turned around in horror, "...Really? Do you really want to make the medicine?"

Wouldn't his stomach get perforated if he drank this?

"Really? Doctors always say that most of the rare herbs in the world are hidden in deep mountains and valleys."

Xiao Qing nodded seriously, "Your Highness, this must be a tonic. Don't worry, when I return, I will simmer it over low heat for three hours to ensure that the medicinal power is fully exerted and your body becomes strong and powerful again."

"...How can I bear to let you worry and trouble yourself?"

Prince Ding silently took the weeds from Xiaoqing's hand and said, "Don't pick them. The weeds in the mountains are wild and hard to tame. If they prick your hand, I'll be sad."

Xiaoqing's eyes were slightly red, and with tears flashing in her eyes, "he" deliberately wiped all the herbal juice on his fingertips onto Prince Ding's hand, "Your Highness, I am so touched. But this herb is good for your body, even if my hand gets a little injured, it is worth it."

Under Xiaoqing's tearful attack, Prince Ding was defeated and sighed with his hands covering his face.

General Bai felt a chill and tried hard to block out their voices.

Little did they know that after he turned around, Wu Qing and the others immediately put away their expressions.

They exchanged a knowing look. While General Bai was not paying attention, they covered up the traces of Bai's army with weeds and dust.

As the altitude gradually increased, the marchers' pace slowed down.

General Bai stopped and determined his position based on the position of the sun.

The emperor once led troops into battle when he was young, and he also had some experience in deploying troops.

Given the emperor's temperament, where would he hide himself... General Bai was thinking in his heart.

Xiaoqing also asked this question. He turned his head and asked Prince Ding: "Your Highness, how long will it take? Why haven't you seen the emperor yet?"

"Don't worry. With General Bai's wisdom and courage, he will lead us to where the emperor is." Prince Ding said.

Xiao Qing said, "If you ask me, it would be better to go to a higher place. If the emperor is really hiding in a high place, he can enjoy the rare beauty in the world."

General Bai scoffed at this.

This is about escaping, not climbing a mountain on the Double Ninth Festival.

If the emperor really hid on the top of the mountain, wouldn't he be cutting off his own way to survival and becoming a trapped beast in a cage, waiting to be captured by hunters?

"Huh? What is that?"

Xiaoqing suddenly pointed at the trees above her head in surprise.

Looking in the direction where Xiaoqing pointed, General Bai's expression changed slightly.

Between the layers of emerald green sky woven by pine and cypress, there was actually a green handkerchief hanging.

"Go get it and have a look." General Bai's expression was slightly serious.

"Yes, General!"

The Bai family army quickly took off the handkerchief.

Prince Ding took the handkerchief and examined it carefully. The embroidery on the handkerchief was exquisite and he was sure that it was the style commonly used by the ladies in the palace.

"Xiaoqing may have a point. They really are up there." Prince Ding said softly.

General Bai had a complicated expression. Unexpectedly, this guy was right.

"...Let's go up." He said after a moment.

…

After going through untold hardships, the Bai family army finally reached the top of the mountain.

Just a hundred meters away, an irregular natural platform suddenly appeared, which was particularly eye-catching among the surrounding rugged rocks.

At the edge of the platform, the imperial guards were like an iron wall, ready for battle.

General Bai raised his hand and signaled all the Bai family soldiers to stop and keep quiet.

He looked around and didn't see Fang Rong'an, so he frowned.

Through a few huge rocks that blocked the view, the laughter of the concubines reached the ears first.

"Sister Shangpin's cooking skills are truly amazing. This pastry melts in your mouth, is sweet but not greasy, and has a unique flavor. It is completely different from what I tasted in the past." Someone said in surprise.

Wu Qing listened from afar, and it sounded like Jiu's voice agreeing.

Shangpin responded generously and intimately: "Sister, do you like it? No problem, I will have someone carefully copy the recipe and send it to your palace."

On the other side, laughter suddenly broke out.

"Hahahaha, sister's story is really interesting. I will tell Sheng'er again when I go back."

It seemed that Concubine Shu told some funny stories, which made a group of concubines laugh heartily.

The laughter echoed in the mountains, making General Bai and others look confused.

——How can they be so carefree and laugh so happily?

Judging from the concubines' behavior, they seemed to be completely unaware that they were taking refuge, and showed no sadness about being in such a difficult situation.

Moreover, the emperor's harem...has always been a vortex of power struggles. How can there be such a harmonious coexistence of people, with intrigues and life-and-death struggles?

General Bai pondered for a while, then suddenly stepped into the sight of the imperial guards.

"Royal forbidden area, no outsiders are allowed to enter without permission!"

"Who trespassed into the hunting ground?!"

The noisy shouts of the imperial guards disturbed the originally harmonious atmosphere.

The middle-aged man in the middle of the platform was also disturbed by the noise and turned back.

When he saw the person coming, his displeasure disappeared and he showed a bit of joy instead.

"Look who this is? General Bai!"

The emperor, who was wearing casual clothes, laughed heartily, his cheeks flushed with a light red.

He patted the empty seat next to him and asked cheerfully, "Why are you here, my dear? Come quickly, and drink with me!"

General Bai was stunned for a moment, and stood there in a daze. He didn't know whether to advance or retreat.

The scene before my eyes was too fantastic.

Dozens of round cushions were placed on the huge platform.

The emperor sat in the middle, with the imperial concubine and the queen sitting closest to him.

The rest of the concubines ignored their positions and backgrounds, and sat together in groups of three or four to drink and chat.

——It seems that they are not here to seek refuge, but to have a picnic instead.

General Bai felt that the development of things was beyond his expectations.

"...Why is the emperor here?" General Bai asked loudly in the distance.

His hands were on his waist, ready to draw a knife at any time.

"Over the years, the process of winter hunting has never changed. I gradually became tired of it, and my concubines also found it boring, so I changed the way of playing."

The mountain breeze blew gently, bringing with it the unique freshness and coolness of the forest. The emperor squinted his eyes comfortably.

He slowly stood up and waved his sleeves as if pointing to the mountains and rivers, leading General Bai's gaze to that distant place.

"If you don't climb to the top, how can you see all the other mountains? This time, I climbed up not only to hunt, but also to find the scenery that is hard to find in the world. General, you are here for the beautiful scenery, right?"

When the emperor stood up, his steps were a little unsteady, and it was the queen who helped him up.

General Bai stared at the emperor in front of him, who seemed to be drunk but not drunk, and made some calculations in his mind.

Regardless of whether the emperor was pretending to be drunk or not, the Bai family army had already surrounded the forest.

When the army goes up the mountain, what can these one hundred imperial guards do to him?

In this case, why not accompany the emperor to perform one last time? When the Bai family army finds this place, the emperor will be unable to escape.

"The emperor has not returned yet, and I am extremely worried. I am afraid that something unexpected will happen in the forest and disturb the emperor, so I am leading my men to the mountain without hesitation."

General Bai clasped his fists before the emperor and explained his purpose. "I was anxious for a moment and disturbed the emperor's leisure. I am truly guilty. I beg the emperor to forgive me."

The emperor smiled indifferently and said, "It's all my fault for having an impulsive decision. That caused the general to go up the mountain in vain. Not guilty, not guilty."

After saying this, the emperor shifted his gaze and noticed Prince Ding who was pretending to be dead on the side.

The emperor pointed at him like a drunkard and asked in confusion, "I remember... didn't you say you were not feeling well and didn't want to come to the hunting ground? How come you followed General Bai up the mountain in the blink of an eye?"

"And the two people beside you look very unfamiliar. Let me take a closer look..."

When the emperor saw Zhu Hanfei, he paused slightly, as if stunned for a moment.

When he saw Wu Qing, the emperor almost knocked over the wine in his hand.

——Ms. Ji? ? ?!

When did she wake up? And why did she appear here?

What's with this outfit?! Why are she and Doctor Zhu wearing men's clothing?