"Thank you, Eighth Master!" Chen Xiuzhu took the white bird, still a little afraid that it would catch her, and hesitated to take it for a moment.
"Ninth Brother, keep this bird with you for now. Once we find a good birdcage, we'll give it to Princess Chen together." Eighth Master said to Ninth Brother when he saw that Chen Xiuzhu hesitated to take it.
"Alright, I'll take some men to unload the game first. Brother Ba, you can accompany Chen Gege for a walk here. Everyone hasn't arrived yet." Although Lao Jiu didn't know what Eighth Master was thinking, he knew that it was best for him not to be a third wheel at this moment.
After Ninth Master and his group sped away, Chen Xiuzhu's heart was pounding like a deer. She couldn't believe that just moments ago she was feeling depressed, but now what she wanted had immediately come to her.
For a moment, the two were at a loss for words. Eighth Master could tell at a glance that this Chen Gege was interested in him; otherwise, her eyes wouldn't light up with a smile every time she saw him. So he decided to try and get some information out of her. This time, Fourth Master had inexplicably brought these three princesses along, and he had a feeling that something was amiss.
Chen Xiuzhu had no idea that Eighth Master was just trying to get information out of Fourth Master and Lanqin about their "plans." She thought that Eighth Master was also interested in her, and her face flushed red.
"Are Consort Chen and the concubine related by marriage?" Eighth Prince couldn't find a suitable topic for the moment, so he started talking about it from this angle.
“Yes, the concubine is the daughter of Aunt Xiuzhu. My mother and the concubine’s mother are sisters, and they have always had a very good relationship.” Chen Xiuzhu said deliberately, subconsciously assuming that the Eighth Prince would be happy to hear this.
"Oh, I've never heard of a concubine having so many sisters before. It's truly surprising. For a moment, I thought you were all the concubine's sisters," the Eighth Prince said with a smile.
“Xinyi is the concubine’s half-sister, and Shuhui is a distant cousin. Since we are all candidates for the imperial concubine selection this year, we asked our cousin to teach us manners. That’s why we came to our cousin’s husband’s place together. We never expected to meet so many distinguished people,” Chen Xiuzhu said earnestly.
"That must be fate. I suppose Princess Chen has already entrusted herself to a concubine." Eighth Prince and Chen Xiuzhu walked along the edge of the forest. Night was gradually falling, and only a little bit of light remained on the horizon.
Without hesitation, Chen Xiuzhu said, "It is a great honor for Xiuzhu to meet all the princes and nobles. I dare not trouble my cousin. Let's just leave it to fate." As she said this, her face turned slightly red, and she lowered her head, unaware that a mocking smile was freezing on the Eighth Prince's face.
"It's getting dark, let's hurry back," said Eighth Master, glancing at the clouds on the horizon.
Chen Xiuzhu felt that it was a rare opportunity to spend time alone with Eighth Master like this, and she was somewhat reluctant to part with him. However, she also knew that this was not something a woman like her could decide, so she could only nod in agreement.
Eighth Master followed Chen Xiuzhu back to the main tent. By then, Third Master and his men had already returned, but Fourth Master and Thirteenth Master had not yet returned.
Seeing that it was getting late, Lanqin instructed the servants to go outside and start a fire, so that the four princes and the thirteenth prince could follow the light of the fire back to the black-clad figures.
Lanqin was slightly surprised to see Eighth Master and Chen Xiuzhu enter together and asked, "Xiuzhu, what are you doing with Eighth Master?"
Seeing that Xin Yi and Shu Hui were also slightly surprised, Chen Xiuzhu felt extremely smug. What was the Seventh Prince? He was just a cripple. The Tenth Prince was also a bald prince. The Eighth Prince was much more powerful. He had already been granted the title of Eighth Prince by the Emperor and was known as the "Eighth Wise Prince".
“I was taking a walk outside when I ran into Eighth Master, so we took a walk together for a while,” Chen Xiuzhu said shyly.
Eighth Master laughed it off but didn't reply. He walked away from Chen Xiuzhu and went to Ninth Master's side, not speaking to her anymore, as if nothing had happened outside.
Lanqin was slightly surprised, but at this moment her mind was only on Fourth Master and Thirteenth Master. Seeing that it was already dark, she began to worry.
"Consort, why don't I take some men to greet Fourth Brother and the others?" Seventh Master said, seeing the worry on Lanqin's face.
"No need, Seventh Master, you shouldn't go. It's already dark. If you go into the forest again and get lost, that wouldn't be good," Lanqin refused.
"Why don't I take some men with me? Fourteenth Prince, why don't you come with me?" Tenth Prince said to Fourteenth Prince, who had been sitting quietly to the side.
Upon hearing Tenth Master's words, Lanqin's resolve softened somewhat. After all, Tenth Master had been too forceful, and Fourteenth Master was Fourth Master's sworn brother; it would be more appropriate to let the two of them go.
"Fourth Brother and Thirteenth Brother aren't children. They're just a little late coming back. Consort, you're worrying too much." Fourteenth Brother seemed reluctant to go. Lanqin glared at him angrily upon hearing this.
"Third brother, aren't you going in the same direction as Fourth Brother and the others? Didn't you see them?" Eighth Master suddenly asked.
"I left the earliest, and although we went in the same direction, I didn't run into them in the woods," Third Master said dismissively. "Fourth and Thirteenth are both shrewd and capable men, and there aren't any big insects in this woods, so there's no need to worry. They'll be back in a little while."
Seeing their reaction, Lanqin had no choice but to give up.
"Alright, let's have the servants gather up the game and roast it over the fire. I'm getting a little hungry," Ninth Master muttered.
Lanqin agreed, but she had no interest in handling these matters. She joined the third and ninth brothers in preparing for the barbecue while she stood outside the tent, looking out at the dark forest.
"Sister, don't worry. Fourth Prince and Thirteenth Prince are both princes, and they brought so many people with them. They should be back soon." Xin Yi's comforting voice rang out from behind.
“Yes, cousin, don’t stand in this windy spot, you’ll catch a cold. Fourth Master is very worried about your health, and he’ll be unhappy if he sees you’re cold when he comes back,” Shuhui added.
"Yes. You're right. I can't make them come back right away just by standing here." Lanqin put away her worry and chuckled, "You two really scared me today. Come on, tell me the truth. Xinyi, are you and Seventh Master settled? And Shuhui, didn't you dislike Tenth Master?"
Both of them blushed, never expecting to decide their future so quickly.
"Sister, Seventh Prince is a prince after all. I'm afraid I'm not qualified to be his principal wife," Xin Yi said with some concern.
"Don't worry. As long as Seventh Master is willing to make you his principal wife, I will go with him to talk to Consort De. Consort Cheng has always been on good terms with Consort De, so it's not impossible for them to speak to the Emperor on her behalf," Lanqin comforted him.
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