Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Jinjiang First Release
Chapter 32
Su Li escaped and finally found the anxious Cui Shunying outside the tent.
When Cui Shunying saw Su Li coming from afar, she immediately came back to her senses, suddenly grabbed her arm, and looked her up and down in the light of the campfire on the side.
"Sister Su, are you okay? The princess is arrogant and domineering, but she didn't hit you, did she? Don't be afraid. If you get bullied, be sure to tell me!"
Cui Shunying examined her carefully for a long moment. Seeing that Su Li was unharmed, her makeup unstained by her tears, she must be fine. However, there were many punishments in the palace, some of which could cause internal injuries. Who knew if Su Li had been tortured?
Su Li chuckled, opened her arms, and hugged the little girl. "Don't be afraid, I'm fine. Was it Fourth Lady who called the Young Master to save me?"
Cui Shunying nodded repeatedly: "I was afraid that the princess would attack you, so I hurried to find my brother. Fortunately, I arrived in time!"
"Thank you so much, Aying. You are truly a chivalrous lady who values loyalty and loyalty!"
Cui Shunying pursed her lips and smiled: "Oh, of course! I don't want Sister Su to be bullied."
Fortunately, it was just a false alarm.
The two girls chatted and laughed as they walked towards the hunting party in the distance where there were many people.
There was a banquet in heaven, the table was filled with delicious food, and the guests were all present.
On the table for sharing the food were some side dishes, such as white meat and lamb ribs cut with a knife. There was also a ruby dagger on the high-legged sunflower plate for cutting meat and drinking.
If there were officials and their female relatives who could not drink alcohol, there were also delicious snacks such as date cakes, honey cakes, and silk soup to fill their stomachs.
A state banquet is not a family banquet, and the rules are strict. It is not allowed to bring servants to serve the meal. However, there are many people at the dinner, and Emperor Xuanning is not in person. The person sitting on the throne is Crown Prince Li Fuyun. The court officials passed cups around, and the banquet was still very enjoyable.
Perhaps because no one was watching Su Li eat, she had been hungry all day and finally had an appetite. She not only ate a bowl of mutton soup, but also picked up two more pieces of sweet bean pastry with her chopsticks.
Su Li was in a hurry to eat and was blinded by the wind and sand, and accidentally choked. She hurriedly got some water and drank half a pot of tea in a row.
After finishing the meal, Su Li's belly was full and she wanted to go to the bathroom. She whispered to Cui Shunying, "Fourth Lady, I'm going to the bathroom and will be back in a while."
Cui Shunying was a heavy drinker, and tonight she was drunk, her cheeks flushed. She nodded to Su Li, burped, and stammered, "A-Sister, don't go too far, wait for me to go back to the tent together."
"Okay." Su Li knew that the banquet was attended by nobles from aristocratic families, so she would not walk away without permission. Moreover, Cui Shunying was drunk, and she was not at ease leaving the young lady alone at the banquet, even though no one dared to offend Cui's daughter.
Su Li followed the eunuch to the tent to relieve herself. When she came back from the hunting feast, she ran into a thin man on the way.
The night fog was so thick that even with torches to light the way, it was impossible to see people's faces.
The person who came smelled strongly of alcohol, accompanied by a faint scent of powder, which was nauseating.
Su Li almost bumped into him and stepped back repeatedly, saying, "I'm sorry, it was dark and I couldn't see you, sir."
Su Li remembered that there was no prostitute at the hunting banquet, so how could this man have the scent of a woman?
Su Li looked up subconsciously, but saw a face that frightened her.
The person who came was actually the shameless Prince Jing Li Zhang!
Su Li looked at him warily, then looked around. She knew that the banquet was not far away, with noisy voices and eunuchs and maids holding lanterns coming and going. She felt a little relieved... Prince Jing would not do anything to her in public, so Su Li could rest assured.
Her guess was indeed correct. Even if Li Zhang had lustful intentions, he would not dare to leave the impression of a drunkard and womanizer in front of the court officials. If he ruined today's hunting feast, the prince would definitely eat him alive!
But when Li Zhang was teasing his concubines at the hunting banquet, he saw Su Li in the crowd at a glance.
Even though the banquet was filled with beauties, and everywhere was filled with elegant clothes and beautiful women, Li Zhang still felt that Su Li was the most beautiful among them.
Now seeing her drinking the wine, her cheeks were rosy, her ears were round, and her black hair looked shiny in the firelight. She was truly a beauty that could captivate the whole city.
Li Zhang was itching to have sex with her, but he knew that she was stubborn and would not be willing to become a concubine.
Li Zhang had never longed for a woman so much before. He was even willing to play the role of a gentleman for Su Li.
"Madam Su, I was drunk last time and acted recklessly. I scared you. I'm really sorry."
Li Zhang apologized for his previous flirtation with Su Li, but Su Li had seen his despicable behavior before, so how could she easily forgive him? However, she knew that Prince Jing was the emperor's second son, a noble she couldn't afford to offend, so Su Li wouldn't confront Li Zhang head-on and fight him to the death.
Su Li bowed gracefully and said, "It's all in the past, Your Highness, don't worry about it. Cui Si Niang is still waiting for me to come over and talk to her, so I'll go ahead. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Su Li knew that the royal family was afraid of the Cui family, so she didn't dare to use Cui Jue as a scapegoat. She could only use Cui Shunying to warn Prince Jing not to make any mistakes at the hunting banquet and offend the aristocratic family.
However, Prince Jing finally got a chance to talk to Su Li, so how could he let it go?
But Prince Jing was worried about Cui Shi and didn't dare to go up and pull Su Li away. He could only hurriedly shout, "Wait!"
Su Li stopped walking. She didn't want to appear too panicked, lest Prince Jing rush forward to grab her regardless of the consequences, causing the situation to become too ugly and irreversible.
Su Li took a deep breath and smiled: "What else does Your Highness want?"
Li Zhang looked at her submissive appearance and suddenly felt dry in the mouth.
The man paused and said, "To be honest, I still admire Madam Su... Last time, I used the position of concubine to coax Madam Su into joining the palace. It was indeed reckless of me. If I offer the position of concubine to Madam Su, what do you think?"
When these words were spoken, even Su Li was a little surprised and she couldn't help but be stunned.
After a moment, a low voice suddenly came from behind Su Li: "Madam Su."
The mountain breeze brought with it a scent of grass and woods mixed with the aroma of wine, as clear and crisp as orchids in a valley, with a sweet fragrance that filled the nose.
Su Li woke up as if from a dream.
She turned around and saw Cui Jue's tall figure walking slowly towards her.
A bright full moon hung low over the plains, casting a shadow behind Cui Jue. The man approached with the moon, his eyes cold and imposing, his broad robe billowing in the wind, his long, black hair swaying in the breeze, giving him a rather ghostly, eerie air.
Su Li didn't understand why Cui Jue came. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, her head was a little confused, and she hadn't fully woken up yet.
She murmured, "Young Master..."
Cui Jue glanced at her, then looked at Li Zhang who was slightly drunk in front of him.
"Could it be that Madam Su... is really persuaded by Prince Jing's promise to accept the position of concubine in the palace?"
He pursed his thin lips, his dark eyes deep and silent, and said meaningfully, "Even if it's a pie in the sky, Madam Su should think it over carefully. You must know that the title of imperial consort must be approved by the emperor. When discussing the marriage, the six courts must also investigate your ancestors' household registration, hometown, and family background, and finally record your name in the imperial book..."
Cui Jue said it lightly, but Su Li felt horrified.
She understood. Cui Jue was reminding her. As the widow of the second wife, Su Li must not do anything that would bring shame upon the family. If the royal family ever considered hiring a concubine, they would undoubtedly send judicial officials to investigate Su Li's background. Wouldn't that expose her as a widow and the granddaughter-in-law of the Cui family's second wife?
Cui Jueding couldn't tolerate the Cui family's widow having an affair...
Besides, Su Li is not Su Youli. Her true identity is actually a peasant girl from the countryside. If this secret is exposed, not only will the royal family be fooled and embarrassed, but even Cui Jue will not let her go if she wants her life...
By then, Su Licai would definitely be dead!
Su Li only wanted to live with her grandmother, and she didn't want to move into the palace's backyard.
She didn't care about the position of principal wife or concubine. She was stunned just now because Prince Jing's words were too shocking and Su Li couldn't react for a while.
Now Su Li came to her senses, she bowed to Li Zhang from a distance and said, "I appreciate Prince Jing's kindness, but I am from a humble background and cannot marry into the royal family. I hope Prince Jing will forget this matter and not mention such jokes again in the future."
After saying this, she seemed to be afraid of Prince Jing's clinging to her, so she walked cautiously towards Cui Jue, seeking his protection.
This time, Cui Jue showed mercy. He gently pushed Su Li's shoulder bone, led the way, and took her to the hunting banquet.
Su Li walked forward tremblingly, and only looked back when she was a little further away. Fortunately, Li Zhang was finally concerned about Cui Jue's power and did not dare to chase her.
Su Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that these royal relatives were really difficult to deal with.
I was lucky tonight, I actually ran into Cui Jue, who was in a good mood and was willing to help someone who was in trouble...
Su Li was still thinking about how to thank Cui Jue, but the handsome man suddenly stopped.
He stood in front of Su Li like a dark wall.
Cui Jue's tall figure stood still, blocking out all the moonlight.
For a moment, dark clouds gathered overhead and Su Li was forced to stop.
Su Li didn't understand what was going on. She looked up at Cui Jue in confusion.
"Young Master?"
Hearing this, Cui Jue was silent for a moment and turned around slowly.
The man lowered his eyelashes and looked at her quietly, not knowing what he was thinking.
But the sweet orchid scent is getting stronger and stronger...
It was dark and Su Li couldn't see Cui Jue's expression, but she could still sense his innate sense of oppression from his slightly heavy breathing.
The thunder is raging, but it is hidden and does not explode, making people feel terrified.
Su Li could clearly sense that... Cui Jue seemed a little unhappy.
A cool breeze rushed across Su Li's neck, and a chill penetrated from her tailbone into her shoulders. She couldn't help but shiver and took a half step back.
"Young Master, what's wrong with you?"
Finally, at the moment she raised her eyes warily, Cui Jue spoke: "If I hadn't interrupted you today, wouldn't Madam Su be moving into the palace soon?"
Su Li was baffled by what she heard. She blinked and whispered, "Young Master, you're worrying too much. I know my status is humble, so how could I dare to have such wishful thinking?"
"That's good. Madam Su really shouldn't have second thoughts. Since you're seeking an heir and entering the main chamber, you should concentrate on serving your elders."
Su Li didn't understand why, but she still responded obediently: "Yes."
Perhaps her reaction was too dull, Cui Jue looked down at her and remained silent for a long time.
A quarter of an hour later, Cui Jue pursed his lips again and gave a slow warning.
"Su Li, I don't like others...touching my things."
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