Chapter 523 Bringing Lu Ge'er with you is the right decision
Gu Junze's figure disappeared behind the thick curtain of the imperial tent. Chu Ruohan withdrew her gaze and turned her attention back to the children.
Mrs. Ying had already made a few polite remarks and then said goodbye and left.
Chu Ruohan took Xuan Ge'er's hand and walked to the side to sit on the cushion. She took Xiao Qingchen and wiped her dirty little hands...
Lu Ge'er stood not far away, staring calmly at the bright yellow imperial tent that represented the supreme power in the world, wondering what he was thinking.
Inside the imperial tent, the scent of sandalwood wafted through the air.
Zhao Yunci was wearing a bright yellow casual suit and was not wearing a dragon crown, appearing much more casual.
He was sitting in the main seat, listening to reports from several trusted ministers.
When Gu Junze came in, he raised his eyes and pointed to the empty seat below.
"Jun Ze is here, sit down."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Gu Junze bowed and took a seat.
The meeting did not last long, as it consisted mostly of routine adjustments to border military affairs.
After the matter was explained, the emperor waved his hand and asked the other ministers to leave, leaving only the emperor and his ministers in the tent.
The atmosphere relaxed instantly.
"I heard that your nephew, the boy named Gu Lu, is the youngest scholar in this dynasty?" Zhao Yunci suddenly spoke, with a hint of casual conversation in his tone.
Gu Junze's heart was slightly moved, but his face remained calm: "Your Majesty, it is true. Lu Ge'er is intelligent and willing to work hard."
"He's more than just smart." Zhao Yunci chuckled, his eyes full of insight. "I also heard that he is your disciple?"
"I just gave him some guidance on his studies." Gu Junze answered modestly.
Zhao Yunci put down the teacup, leaned forward slightly, and her eyes showed more interest.
"I'm very interested in a young man who is both talented in literature and martial arts. Tomorrow, when the autumn hunt begins, bring him here so I can take a good look at him."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Gu Junze responded respectfully.
The next day, the sound of a horn broke the early morning tranquility of the paddock.
The autumn hunt officially begins.
The emperor was dressed in a neat riding and archery outfit. He drew his precious bow and shot the first arrow at a sika deer that had been released in the distance.
The arrow flew through the air and hit the deer's neck, drawing thunderous cheers.
"My dear ministers, today the emperor and his subjects are having fun together, so there is no need to be restrained!
"Zhao Yunci laughed loudly and rode out on his horse, followed by a group of princes and nobles.
For a moment, the sounds of horse hooves, dog barking, and shouting resounded throughout the mountains and forests.
Gu Junze was not in a hurry to chase the prey. He rode on his horse, searching the crowd with his eyes, and soon saw Lu Ge'er who was following Master Gu San.
Lu Ge'er also changed into a green riding and archery uniform. He had an upright figure. Although he was not as strong as those sons of generals who had practiced martial arts for many years, he had a calm and steady demeanor.
"Gu Aiqing!" Zhao Yunci reined in her horse, turned around, and her gaze fell precisely on Lu Ge'er. "That must be your disciple, Lu Ge'er from the Gu family, right?"
Master Gu San's heart tightened and his palms began to sweat with excitement.
"Come forward and let me take a look."
Under the gaze of the crowd, Lu Ge'er urged his horse forward with neither servility nor arrogance, dismounted, and knelt on one knee: "I, Gu Lu, pay my respects to Your Majesty."
"Stand up."
Zhao Yunci looked at him and saw that he had a handsome face and a steady gaze, without any trace of youthful timidity, so she couldn't help but nod secretly.
He casually pointed to a poplar tree not far away, on the top of which hung a red ball used as a target.
"Boy, let me see what you can do."
Immediately, a eunuch brought a fine horse and presented a bow and arrow.
Lu Ge'er took the bow and climbed onto the horse with skillful movements.
He did not draw the bow immediately, but trotted for a while, feeling the horse's habits and the wind direction.
Then he reined in his horse, turned around, drew the bow, put the arrow on it, and took aim on horseback. The whole action was done in one go without any delay.
“Whoosh!”
The arrow left the bowstring with a sound of breaking through the wind and accurately hit the colorful ball swaying in the wind.
With a light "pop" sound, the colorful ball broke and the red ribbon fell down.
There was silence all around, and then there was a burst of enthusiastic cheers.
This arrow is not only accurate, but also steady.
"Excellent!" Zhao Yunci clapped his hands and laughed, his eyes full of admiration. "He can write well and shoot well! What a talented young man!"
He turned to look at Master Gu San, his approval evident in his words: "Lord Gu, your grandson is quite good."
"Your Majesty, your compliments are great." Master Gu San suppressed his ecstasy and bowed in response, a humble smile on his face. "It's all thanks to the Duke's good teachings."
His words were both a courtesy and an attempt to firmly link Lu Ge'er's glory with the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and his third wife.
Gu Junze said calmly, "Your Majesty, I didn't teach Lu'er martial arts to you. I learned it from Ying Qing."
Shadow Green?
The emperor was slightly startled, then seemed to remember something, and a smile of understanding appeared in his eyes.
"Ying Qing," he sighed, "I remember that his kung fu was personally trained by the Imperial Aunt. A good teacher produces a good student, so how could his student be bad?"
When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.
Everyone's gaze towards Lu Ge'er changed in an instant.
This young man is not only a disciple of the Duke of Zhenguo, but his martial arts master can be traced back to Princess Anyang!
Master Gu San still had a decent smile on his face, but he was already beaming with joy in his heart.
He gripped the reins tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the exertion.
It was a good decision to bring Lu Ge'er here!
Having left such a deep impression in front of the emperor, wouldn't the future of this child, no, the future of their third house, be bright?
He seemed to have seen the road to success unfolding before his feet, and the glory and power of his family were just around the corner.
On the other side of the hunting ground, the women's camp seemed much quieter.
The ladies gathered in groups of three or five, chatting and laughing in low voices, their eyes occasionally cast towards the dusty mountains and forests in the distance, and their words expressed their expectations for their husbands or nephews.
Queen Su Wan's tent was undoubtedly the most luxurious and elegant one among them.
She did not sit with the other women, but sat alone on a soft couch covered with thick white fox fur, gazing into the distance through the opened curtains.
The noisy horns and horse hooves turned into a soft sigh in her ears.
"Go and invite the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo to come over and sit down." Su Wan instructed the female official beside him.
"Yes, my lady."
Soon, Chu Ruohan was led in.
"Your humble servant pays homage to Her Majesty the Queen." Chu Ruohan bowed.
"Sister Ruohan is here, please sit down."
Su Wan showed a genuine smile on her face. She stood up, took Chu Ruohan's hand, and asked her to sit next to her.
"I've already said that privately, you and I are sisters. There's no need to be so polite."
Chu Ruohan sat down and said with a smile, "Etiquette cannot be abolished."
Su Wan no longer insisted, but just turned her gaze outside the tent again, with a hint of envy in her beautiful eyes.
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