Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Palace Maid's Sixty-Seventh Day
The next day, Ji Chen dealt with government affairs and took Shen Qing to go horseback riding and archery as promised.
In order to arouse Shen Qing's interest in riding and shooting, so that he would not be lazy or be frightened by the hard work and fatigue, he first took Shen Qing to the mountains in the summer resort to hunt pheasants.
Ji Chen pulled the bow to its full extent and shot a pheasant that was pecking at food.
Shen Qing, who had remained quiet, cheered in a very respectful manner, ran to pull out the pheasant that had been pierced by an arrow and the arrow that had been shot into the ground, and then brought them to Ji Chen.
Ji Chen said: "Just let me pick it up, why do you have to do it yourself?"
Shen Qing smiled and replied: "You hunt and I pick up the prey. Don't you think this is fun?"
She handed the pheasant to Qian Ji, put the arrow into Ji Chen's quiver, and then clapped her hands: "Your Majesty, can we have roasted pheasant for lunch?"
Ji Chenyi was infected and smiled a little. He didn't want to put on a stern face to control his emotions, at least not in the next few days.
So he smiled and said, "Of course, come here and I'll teach you how to bend the bow and shoot."
Shen Qing took two steps and moved in front of Ji Chen. Following Ji Chen's instructions, he put his left hand on the bow handle, selected an arrow, and put it on.
Ji Chen covered Shen Qing's hands with his hands, and together they aimed at the prey they had set their sights on early in the morning.
Shen Qingping concentrated his mind.
“Swoosh—”
With a sound of breaking through the air, the arrow pierced through the dense grass and hit the prey.
Shen Qing put down her bow and arrow, only then did she realize that there was prey. After all, when she shot the pheasant just now, all the animals around it ran away. She thought Ji Chen was just practicing with her and was aiming casually.
Now it seems that he had a keen eye and had noticed it long ago.
Shen Qing ran out immediately and picked up the prey that was nailed on the arrow. It was a gray rabbit.
She came back with the gray rabbit, grinning from ear to ear with joy: "We shot it together!"
It turns out that archery is not that difficult. She can do it with more practice!
Ji Chen said regretfully: "There are no large wild animals in the forest of the villa, otherwise we could have a good meal by shooting tigers or deer."
The courtyards not far from this forest are inhabited by nobles, and the servants of the villa will certainly not allow wild animals that can hurt people to roam in the forest.
Shen Qing said, "Small prey is fun to hunt. It's not dangerous, easy to prepare, and the meat tastes good. I don't want your majesty to take any risks."
She looked at Ji Chen with a hint of worry and reproach.
Ji Chen held her hand and reflected, "It's really not good. I taught you the bow and arrow to stretch your muscles, not to take risks. Qingqing can't fight against the wild boar directly even if she learns it."
The wild boar was charging forward ferociously, and it was likely that Shen Qing would be in front of it before he could even draw his bow.
He didn't care. He had hunted many tigers, deer and bears, so he didn't need to take wild boars seriously.
Shen Qing was stunned. She didn't understand why Ji Chen blamed her. He was really confusing right and wrong. She would not rush forward knowing that she could not win. It was clearly Ji Chen who started the conversation first.
Shen Qing said in a loud voice: "I won't!"
Ji Chen felt relieved after hearing that, and no longer dared to say anything like tiger or deer to lure people. In fact, he regretted it the moment he said that. Why would he be tempted by Shen Qing? What if she suddenly became bold? Fortunately, Shen Qing gave him a way out, and he gave Shen Qing a lecture.
Fortunately, fortunately.
"I believe you."
Shen Qing felt something was not right when he saw Ji Chen smiling naturally and mysteriously. He looked around but couldn't find any place where he had been tricked, so he couldn't help but wonder.
I could only sigh in my heart that Ji Chen’s mind was so weird.
Afterwards, Ji Chen took Shen Qing to hunt somewhere else and he forgot about it.
They spent the noon roasting their game in a pavilion with four raised corners in the forest. It was cool in the pavilion and they had brought everything they needed.
Not long after we sat down, the aroma of grilled meat wafted out, and sprinkled with specially prepared spices, the aroma of meat was fragrant.
Shen Qing couldn't suppress the smile on his lips and started flipping the barbecue himself.
Seeing this, Ji Chen felt uncomfortable sitting still, so he took a knife to help Shen Qing slice the barbecue. Since Shen Qing couldn't wait, he fed the back of the knife to Shen Qing: "This knife has never seen blood, it's very clean, don't worry about eating it."
Shen Qingcai didn't care about this: "Your Majesty, the slices are thin and delicious!"
Qian Ji was worried that the barbecue would be too greasy, so he asked someone to make some soup.
After eating and drinking their fill, the group came down from the mountain.
The eunuchs that Ji Chen brought with him on this trip were all those who were trained in martial arts by Qian Quanzhong - Qian Ji was even the best among them, as well as several guards, so they all rode horses.
Shen Qing sat on Ji Chen's gallop. She didn't have a horse yet. Firstly, she knew nothing about riding a horse, and secondly, Ji Chen said that he was still selecting a docile horse.
She nestled in Ji Chen's arms. Since there was no need to rush back to the bedroom, Ji Chen slowed down to make Shen Qing more comfortable.
But in this way, it is inevitable to be ostentatious.
Ji Chen didn't care about these things, or rather he wanted people to know how much he valued Shen Qing, so that his position when he returned to the palace would be more legitimate.
Giving others a period of time to adjust and suddenly rewarding them have different impacts. The former will give people a sense of expectation, while the latter is more likely to make people jealous and resentful.
Shen Qing knew that she would attract attention, so she leaned into Ji Chen's arms, but she didn't realize that such intimacy would make her more likely to be hated.
In the afternoon, after a short rest, Shen Qing came to grind ink and add incense for Ji Chen. After a while, he started to look through several books that Ji Chen had placed aside. He fed the cat, enjoyed the scenery, and the afternoon slipped away.
Shen Qing and Ji Chen spent several days like this. In their free time, they went out to learn riding and archery, and went hunting. When they were busy, they did their own things.
Ji Chen knew that Shen Qing had read books when she was young, so he found many books for her to read, and did not restrict her when she went to enjoy the scenery.
All the concubines in the palace are talented and learned. He doesn't want Shen Qing to be laughed at. He hopes that she can read more and have an impression of him. Then, even if she is ridiculed later, she will be able to tell the good from the bad.
I don't ask Shen Qing to learn very deeply.
At first, the concubines only hinted at the news when they paid their respects to the empress. After all, they rode on the same horse and accompanied the emperor for several days, so they would have gotten the news even if their ears were sparse.
Everyone was waiting to see what position the emperor would give to Shen Qing, but no matter how long they waited, there was no sign of the emperor's movement.
I was just rejoicing in my heart that the Emperor might be indulging in pleasure for a moment, but when I realized something was wrong, I realized that the Emperor had been in the Mountain Resort for nearly ten days and had not summoned anyone.
Being a palace maid meant that they did not have to move out of the emperor's bedroom, did not have to pay respects to the empress, did not have to be arranged to live far away from the emperor, and they could not come directly to ask for advice.
What’s even more annoying is that Shen Qing took advantage of the situation to occupy the emperor!
No one has ever been favored for so long.
In the late June, early morning of July, the concubines gathered in Shuifangyanxiu to pay their respects to the empress.
Zhang Cairen looked around at the concubines who were higher in rank than her and saw that their restlessness was hard to conceal beneath their exquisite makeup. She couldn't help but secretly sigh that the Queen had made a good move.
She was not favored much, and it had nothing to do with her whether the emperor picked her or not. She was close to the queen, and no one dared to treat her badly.
Therefore, the more favored Shen Qing is, the more beneficial it is for her.
Concubine Jiang suddenly spoke up: "Empress, I wonder when the emperor's sister will be canonized. It is not appropriate for her to be a palace maid all the time."
Concubine Chu looked at Concubine Jiang in surprise. Isn't it better not to have a title? Being a palace maid is better than having many sisters.
The others were all excited when they heard this and looked at the queen expectantly.
The Queen knew why Concubine Jiang was anxious. Originally, her position was raised by the Queen Mother, so it was reasonable for the Emperor to visit her more often. But Shen Qing appeared and was very competitive. He learned how to intercept the Emperor's favor before he even got a position.
It's not just about stopping the emperor halfway, but about eliminating the possibility of others gaining favor from the root.
The Queen also had complicated feelings. Although she was the one who pushed the person out, she had not expected this situation.
Even when she was crowned queen, she only spent a few dozen days with the emperor.
However, her life as queen was not stable. Concubine De and Concubine Xian were eyeing her covetously. After angering the emperor, she would never mention this matter again to offend the emperor.
Just because Shen Qing has the ability to stay by the emperor's side doesn't mean that others can bring bad luck upon the emperor.
So how could the Queen know? She said indifferently: "The Emperor knows his limits. You just wait for the news."
Concubine Jiang could not hide her disappointment, but then she thought, Shen Qing is the Queen's person, so it is normal for the Queen to be on guard against them.
At the same time, she thought sarcastically in her heart that the Queen was really magnanimous.
Concubine Yan and Concubine Yu looked at each other, and their eyes fell on Concubine Jiang.
The two of them had no hope for the Queen, and the Queen was not stupid, so how could she allow them to instigate and test the Emperor's mind? Moreover, the Queen had the eldest prince, so she would not do anything that the Emperor did not like.
But there is someone more suitable than the queen in the Summer Palace.
-
Shen Qing's birthday will be in a few days.
Before Shen Qing noticed, Ji Chen had already made preparations silently.
It happened that Ji Chen went to meet his ministers that day, so Shen Qing couldn't follow him and just played with the cat in the pavilion.
In just ten days, she became more and more radiant. Perhaps it was the riding and shooting that made her more energetic, or maybe it was what Ji Chen said when he was teasing her: dragon energy nourishes people. In short, her long hair became more black and shiny, her appearance became more outstanding, her lips were naturally red, and her skin was delicate and white.
There is nothing wrong from head to toe.
In addition, she was noble and kind-hearted. She would wear a different hairstyle and hair accessories every day. She would never wear anything a second time after wearing it once. Her clothes were made of the best fabrics and made by the most skilled embroiderers, and she would wear jingling rings around her waist.
It's no wonder that the emperor is so greedy for such a person... Xiang Hui, the nanny beside the queen mother, was distracted for a moment when she saw this scene, and then appeared in front of Shen Qing and said with a stern face: "Miss Shen Qing, the queen mother invites you."
Bai Tao and Bai Ying beside Shen Qing both raised their eyes and looked at Shen Qing again.
They are a pair of twins, both of whom are skilled in martial arts and have calm personalities. They rarely even talk.
The Queen Mother is different from others, so Shen Qing has to make the decision.
Shen Qing nodded: "Okay, I'll go right away."
She handed the cat to the young eunuch beside her and stood up.
It is unrealistic to ask Ji Chen for help in a short period of time. It is better to be obedient so that the empress dowager will have less resentment.
She had thought that the Queen Mother would criticize her, but she did not expect that day to come so early. Fortunately, she was mentally prepared, so she was not very panicked.
Nanny Xianghui's expression looked much better. With Concubine Jiang's exaggeration, she had already prepared herself for the fact that this man was a difficult person and would make a fuss and ask the Emperor to make a decision.
Unexpectedly, he agreed to meet the Empress Dowager in a dignified manner.
Does she know that without the emperor, and with the queen mother being a powerful figure who has accumulated power for a long time, what kind of difficulties will she face?
Even Xianghui, who had always served the Queen Mother and respected her, had to admit that the Queen Mother's temper had become much worse, but she didn't feel it very much without the other people serving her.
Shen Qing followed Nanny Xianghui to Songhezhai.
This distance was nothing for her. She didn't even break a sweat when she reached Songhezhai. She even supported Xianghui who was walking quickly.
Xianghui is the same age as the empress dowager, but because she does the work of serving others, she looks much older than the empress dowager who has given birth to children.
Xiang Hui saw this and reminded her, "Be obedient when you meet the Queen Mother."
The more obedient you are, the more frustrating it will be for the empress dowager when she gets angry. Of course, if you appear to be obedient but are actually dissatisfied, and the empress dowager sees through it, she will be even angrier.
Shen Qing pursed her lips and smiled: "Thank you, Madam."
The tension in my heart dissipated a lot.
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