Do you really like it?
Chen Xiuzhu was slightly startled; this was the first time she had heard such words. From a young age, her mother had taught her to find a husband from a high-ranking family, even as a concubine, rather than as the principal wife of a man with little future. Her mother taught her how to please men, how to understand human nature, and how to balance the feelings of all parties. Her mother also taught her to learn by trial and error, ideally by stepping on stones to climb higher. It seemed her mother had never taught her what true love was.
Chen Xiuzhu watched Lanqin and Fourth Master standing there talking to each other, their eyes full of smiles. She noticed that Fourth Master was holding a bird in his hand, and it was truly a very beautiful bird. It had blue feathers and a red crest, and when it flapped its wings, the wings were a mix of white and blue.
Looking at Lanqin's gentle smile, Chen Xiuzhu felt a feeling even more unpleasant than jealousy.
Alas, our Comrade Lanqin had no idea that she had once again become the object of someone else's hatred.
Sometimes, some people always like to stare at others. If they see something that others have but they don't, they will try every means to get it. If they can't get it, they will feel uncomfortable and become insanely jealous.
Lanqin tied the bird with a thin string and handed it to the servants who accompanied her, instructing them to take good care of it and not to damage it. To Lanqin, this was something she appreciated even more than receiving three sets of jewelry.
After their meal, Fourth Master and Thirteenth Master resumed their exhilarating hunting activities. Lanqin, however, was feeling a bit exhausted and wanted to return to her tent early.
Chen Xiuzhu quickly suggested accompanying Lanqin back, but Fourth Master saw that it was indeed inconvenient to bring two women along, as they weren't very interested in hunting. He suggested that they go back and rest early, and then have a bonfire barbecue party when everyone had returned in the evening.
So, the Fourth Prince personally selected a few capable men to escort Lanqin and Chen Xiuzhu back to the main tent. Lanqin gave the Fourth Prince a few more instructions, and also instructed the Thirteenth Prince, to make sure the meeting was finished by Shenshi (3-5 PM).
When Lanqin and her group returned to the main tent, she discovered that she wasn't the only one who had returned early. Seventh Master and Xinyi, as well as Tenth Master and Shuhui, had also returned.
As soon as Chen Xiuzhu entered the tent with Lanqin, she saw Seventh Master sitting with Xinyi, drinking tea, and Tenth Master talking to Shuhui.
But do they all truly like it?
Chen Xiuzhu felt a surge of irritation: it seemed like both of them had already made their marriages settled. Although she hadn't taken a liking to either of the princes, she was now the only one without a single admirer, which was really embarrassing!
"Greetings to Seventh Master and Tenth Master!" Lanqin greeted them.
"Greetings to the concubine!" Seventh Prince and Tenth Prince returned the greeting.
"Greetings, Second Sister." Xin Yi and Shu Hui also stood up to greet her.
Chen Xiuzhu felt as if her good intentions had been ignored, and her face turned bright red. She was at a loss for what to do.
Lanqin saw that Seventh Master and Xinyi had already shown some interest in each other, and then she looked at Tenth Master and Shuhui. The two of them also seemed to have some feelings for each other. Although she was surprised, she understood that Shuhui's infatuation with Thirteenth Master was just a young girl's infatuation. Tenth Master could win the girl's heart with all his heart.
Watching them talk, Chen Xiuzhu looked unhappy, but she couldn't show it, so she stood up, lifted the curtain, and went out. Lanqin, Xinyi, and Shuhui were chatting about their hunting trip and didn't pay much attention to her. Seventh Master and Tenth Master's eyes were on Xinyi and Shuhui, so naturally they didn't notice Chen Xiuzhu either.
She walked out of the tent alone, looked up at the sky, and saw that the last rays of the sun had already set in the west, and night was about to fall. She didn't want to go into the tent to see their smug faces, so she wandered aimlessly across the grass, and before she knew it, she had wandered to the edge of the woods.
Suddenly, a group of people appeared on the horizon. Chen Xiuzhu took a closer look against the evening breeze and realized that they seemed to be the men of Eighth Master and Ninth Master.
That Eighth Master is indeed handsome and dashing! Chen Xiuzhu had actually long harbored feelings for the Eighth Master. She suddenly remembered what the Thirteenth Master had said: true love! Could it be that she liked the Eighth Master? But he had never even given her a proper look.
Sure enough, coming against the wind were Eighth Master and Ninth Master. Behind them, servants carried two goats, a sika deer, as well as foxes, roe deer, and other game, a truly bountiful harvest.
"Isn't that Princess Chen? Why is she here all alone?" Ninth Master asked, seeing Chen Xiuzhu standing on a grassy slope some distance from the main tent.
As they were talking, Eighth Master and Ninth Master's horses had already reached Chen Xiuzhu's side. The two men pulled on their horses, and the two black steeds reared up and neighed for a while before quieting down. Everyone behind them also stopped.
"Greetings, Eighth Master, Ninth Master!" Chen Xiuzhu suppressed her joy and quickly bowed.
"Why is Chen Gege here alone? You're with Fourth Brother, aren't you?" Ninth Master asked.
"Xiuzhu and Consort returned first. It's just that Consort was too tired, so the Fourth Prince had us sent back first," Chen Xiuzhu said with a smile.
"Oh, Fourth Brother and Thirteenth Brother haven't returned yet. So it seems we're the first ones back? Eighth Brother?" Ninth Brother said to Eighth Master.
“No, Seventh Master and Tenth Master have also returned. But judging from the way they were chatting and laughing with the two elder sisters, they probably didn’t hunt much.” Chen Xiuzhu glanced at the servants behind them.
Eighth Master smiled slightly and said, "Ninth Brother, why not give that mountain bird to Princess Chen? Such a beautiful bird is most suitable for a beauty."
When Chen Xiuzhu heard what Eighth Master said, she was overjoyed. Did he finally mean that he also had feelings for her?
Ninth Master glanced at Eighth Master in surprise, then turned to the servants to retrieve the mountain bird he had caught.
"Xiuzhu thanks Eighth Master and Ninth Master for their generous gift, but I have done nothing for you two, so I dare not accept such a precious gift," Chen Xiuzhu declined.
Ninth Master, holding the bird, kicked his horse and walked to Eighth Master's side. In fact, he couldn't understand why Eighth Master would give the bird to Chen Xiuzhu.
“The bird is so beautiful that I couldn’t resist catching it. Princess, you are so intelligent and clever, you are a perfect match for this white bird. Princess, you should accept it.” Eighth Prince took the bird from Ninth Prince’s hand, jumped off his horse, walked to Chen Xiuzhu, and handed it to her personally.
Chen Xiuzhu looked at the handsome Eighth Prince standing right in front of her, about to offer her the pure white bird he held in his hand, and felt a surge of satisfaction. This bird was far more beautiful than the one the Fourth Prince had given to Lanqin.
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