Qin Su dismounted and walked through them, immediately spotting a man in a long black robe standing in front of her.
She took a few steps over and gently tugged at his sleeve.
Emperor Mingyang glanced at her and teased, "Your princess consort really can't be without someone by her side."
Qin Su: "..." What did she say? She was just here to watch the fun, thank you!
Yu Shuo stared into her eyes and roughly guessed what was going on.
She didn't ask to come to the hunting grounds yesterday, but she insisted on coming today. It doesn't seem like she came to hunt. It's been an hour, and she hasn't seen a single rabbit.
They must have known that something like this would happen today, which is why they came to watch.
However, even if Yu Shuo knew, he wouldn't expose her. He put his arm around Qin Su's waist and said to Emperor Mingyang, "The princess is clingy, my brother doesn't understand."
Emperor Mingyang: "..." How come I don't understand?
Qin Su changed the subject, "I saw His Majesty's procession from afar and thought Your Highness was here, so I came to see what was going on. Has something happened?"
Emperor Mingyang shook his head. "It's nothing serious. You've arrived just in time. Let Ziyu accompany you to see that person."
He looked up and gestured towards the Imperial Guards.
Qin Su really wanted to meet this future favored concubine, and upon hearing Emperor Mingyang say this, she immediately wanted to go and see her.
Yu Shuo gripped her waist, frowning as he said, "That person's origins are unknown. What if he harms the Princess..."
Emperor Mingyang raised an eyebrow. "Didn't I tell you to come along?"
Don't you know how skilled your princess is? There's practically no one in the entire Da'an who can compare to her. Who could possibly harm her?
"I want to go and see," Qin Su said softly to Yu Shuo.
Seeing her like this, how could Yu Shuo bear to refuse? He had no choice but to take her there.
When the Imperial Guards saw them coming, they immediately made way for them.
She was a girl in a white dress. Judging from the fabric of her clothes, she was not from a wealthy family. Her hair was only held in place with a hairband and a wooden hairpin. Even just her back view was enough to make men's hearts soften.
She had a basket on her back, as if she had come out to collect herbs or cut grass.
Perhaps sensing that someone was watching her, she turned around and met Qin Su's eyes. Qin Su finally saw the appearance of the Mingyang Emperor's favorite concubine in her previous life without makeup.
In her memory, this person always appeared dressed in full regalia, adorned with dazzling jewels and extremely luxurious.
"I... I really just came to gather herbs and wandered into this place by mistake." She nervously gripped the straps of her basket, glanced at Qin Su, then at Yu Shuo, and quickly looked away, lowering her head.
"I have no intention of offending you esteemed guests. Please allow me to leave."
Her voice was extremely beautiful, yet very unique. It was beautiful without being overly weak, and it also carried a hint of indescribable nobility.
Qin Su said to Yu Shuo, "She's a real beauty!"
Yu Shuo: "..."
"Not as good as the Queen," he said.
Qin Su: That's not what I meant.
Qin Su believed that she and her future favorite concubine were different types, but if the other party dressed up in full regalia, they might actually be able to be compared.
Wait, she didn't have that idea!
"Miss, this is the royal hunting grounds. How did you manage to break through the defenses and get in?" Qin Su only knew the result; she was unaware of the details.
"By the way, I still don't know how to address you. My name is Qin Su."
"My name is Tao Rong." Tao Rong seemed to carefully sized up Qin Su a few times, making sure she meant no harm before explaining.
“Miss Tao, very well, Miss Tao, you must explain this properly, otherwise I’m afraid you won’t be able to leave.”
Tao Rong stood up, her white dress stained with dust. She patted it off with a hint of heartache, then pointed in the direction behind Qin Su, "There's a hole over there; that's where I came up."
She lowered her head, clutching the hem of her clothes, and explained, "I have a nephew at home who is sick and needs medicine, but... we really don't have any money, so I came to the mountain to collect herbs."
"I...I really didn't mean to trespass into the hunting grounds. Could you please let me leave?"
Qin Su gestured for Lian Tao to go and take a look.
Lian Tao returned and said, "There is indeed a hole, but it's not very big, and it's difficult for an ordinary person to pass through."
After hearing Lian Tao's words, Qin Su looked at Tao Rong again.
Tao Rong's hair was disheveled, and her sleeves had several tears.
Perhaps they really did come in from there.
However, she couldn't just let him go like that.
"Let His Majesty investigate."
Tao Rong stared in astonishment, "Your Majesty?" Her legs trembled, and she almost fell to the ground.
Qin Su was puzzled, "Don't you know that person is His Majesty? That shouldn't be the case."
The servants would definitely address her as Emperor Mingyang; how could she not know that at this point?
Tao Rong shrank back and shook her head, "I...no, I...I didn't notice just now."
She immediately knelt down, pleading, "My lord, please beg for my life! I truly did not mean it."
She was already beautiful, and any normal person would feel pity for her kneeling down and begging.
How can anyone be so heartless?
"Don't worry, His Majesty is a benevolent ruler and won't make a fuss without distinguishing right from wrong," Qin Su reassured her, while secretly observing her from a place Tao Rong couldn't see.
Her hands had thin calluses, and her skin wasn't exactly delicate, just very white.
The clothes were made of the worst fabric and were patched several times, which showed that the family was not well-off.
Tao Rong was also sizing up Qin Su. Xishan was quite a distance from the capital, and news from the capital was difficult to obtain here, so she didn't know Qin Su's identity. She couldn't tell anything from her clothing alone; it was very simple, the kind of clothes anyone with a little money could wear.
The man beside her, however, looked very noble and must be of high status.
The man just said "not as good as the Princess Consort," and now only Prince Chen is married. From this, we can guess her identity: the Princess Consort of Prince Chen.
What kind of person is Princess Consort Chen?
Tao Rong had never heard of it, but she dared not put her life and fortune in someone else's hands.
So she pitifully said to Qin Su, "May I request an audience with Your Majesty? I wish to explain this to Your Majesty in person."
“Okay, come with me.” Qin Su readily agreed, then said to Yu Shuo, “She doesn’t know martial arts, she’s just an ordinary girl.”
Yu Shuo could naturally tell that Tao Rong didn't know martial arts, but her sudden appearance here, and the fact that Su Su came to see her in person, suggested that she was probably no ordinary person.
However, Yu Shuo believed that Qin Su would not disregard His Majesty's safety, so he allowed and indulged her behavior.
Qin Su told Emperor Mingyang what she had learned and said that she did not know martial arts and had probably really wandered into this place by mistake.
"In that case, send someone to take her back, and give her some more silver." Emperor Mingyang waved his hand, seemingly not intending to pursue the matter any further.
After a member of the Imperial Guard escorted Tao Rong away, Emperor Mingyang said to Chief Steward Deng beside him, "Go and investigate secretly to see if what she said is true."
Deng Quan agreed and turned to handle the matter.
Emperor Mingyang then turned his gaze to Qin Su, his voice tinged with reproach, "You're pregnant, why aren't you staying in the other palace? Ziyu, send her back."
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