Chapter 195 The Destined Response

The second day of February this year is Hong Zhao and Xi Chao’s fifth birthday.

It was also the first official birthday banquet for the little prince and princess after the Queen Mother's death.

With the Empress as their mother and the Imperial Consort as their biological mother, the birthday banquets for the little prince and princess would naturally be as grand as possible.

So last year the Queen and Nian Shilan had already agreed to go to the Old Summer Palace to celebrate the two children's birthdays.

When Prince Guo got married last year, the Zoo had already started preparing for performances, and after more than half a year, they had become very proficient.

The emperor nodded, and within two days, all the palaces were packed up and the imperial carriage set off.

After a long period of silence, the whole Old Summer Palace was bustling with lights and decorations, making it even more festive than the Chinese New Year.

The concubines still lived in their original locations. The former residences of Concubine Qi and Concubine Gong, Changchun Xianguan and Siyi Academy, were now occupied by Concubine Xi and Concubine Qi.

"...In a few days, it will be the birthday banquet for the little prince and the little princess. How is the preparation going in the Ministry of Internal Affairs? Have all the procedures been met?"

Since arriving at the Old Summer Palace, the Empress has reviewed matters concerning the birthday banquet with Concubine Jing and Shen Meizhuang almost every day, taking care of every detail personally, fearing that anything might go wrong.

"To reply to the Empress, everything is ready. Your Highness and I have personally gone through the process twice and adjusted the seating arrangements. The changes will be reviewed by Your Highness."

After Concubine Jing finished speaking, she handed the book over, and Shen Meizhuang added:

"It has been a long time since there has been such a major event in the palace. I dare not neglect it and have been keeping an eye on it with Concubine Jing."

"The prince and the concubines will also come by then, so we must not neglect them."

The queen glanced around the palace and asked, "What did the Royal Concubine say?"

Concubine Jing: "In reply to the Empress, the Imperial Concubine said that the prince and princess grew up by the Empress' side, and everything is up to the Empress."

"She hasn't come these past two days..." The Queen thought about how she had been focusing on the birthday banquet these past two days and had neglected her. "And Xi Chao... Xi Chao didn't come either. Could it be that the Royal Concubine and the Princess are both sick?"

Thinking of this, the queen was a little nervous. "The Royal Concubine has always been careless. The weather has been hot and cold these days. She must not have paid attention while taking the princess with her. Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Jianqiu, go and summon Doctor Zhang!"

"Your Highness!" Shen Meizhuang interrupted the Queen, "I went to Yinfeng Palace before I came here. The Royal Concubine took the princess to the Introduction Hall to practice riding and archery these two days."

"How old is the princess?! Isn't she afraid of falling?! She is young and ignorant, but she is acting like a child. It's really ridiculous!"

The Queen couldn't hide her fear on her face, "I knew something bad would happen if I let them stay alone together day and night!"

Concubine Jing hurriedly comforted her, "Don't worry, Her Majesty. The Royal Concubine has specially found a master for the princess, and she said nothing will happen."

"You all know this? And you're hiding it from me?"

The queen took a deep breath and exhaled, "Jianqiu, change my clothes!"

Introduction Building.

"...What do you think?" Nian Shilan, wearing a red dress, stood beside the horse, "Do you dare to compete with me?"

Ye Lanyi, wearing a black pair of armor, a small braid, and a blue scarf on her head, raised her chin slightly, showing no fear at all.

"That depends on who you're comparing yourself to."

"You are so brave! I like you!"

Nian Shilan held the whip in her hand and pressed it on the horse's back. "Who do you want to compete with?"

"The Imperial Concubine, the eldest daughter of the Nian family, the princess's wife, all are fine."

"Since it's all right, why bother asking?"

"If it was the Imperial Consort, the Princess's daughter, or the eldest daughter of the Nian family, I would not show mercy. But if it was Your Majesty herself..."

"Why? If I were to compete with you, you would show mercy?"

Ye Lanyi curled her lips slightly, "I am willing to give it a try."

Is there any difference?

It seems like there is no difference, but it also seems like there is a huge difference.

"I want to see how you try your best. Do you see the tree in front? Whoever gets there first wins. If you lose..."

"I know that Your Majesty is sincerely competing with me, and I will not lose." Ye Lanyi said confidently, "But if I win, Your Majesty will answer one of my questions truthfully, okay?"

"What's the problem?"

"Your Majesty is the daughter of a general, and a royal concubine second only to the emperor. Are you afraid of being stumped by your servant's questions?"

Nian Shilan snorted, "Get on the horse!"

As soon as the words fell, the two of them moved in unison and attacked with one hand.

With a crack of the whip, grass and mud splashed everywhere.

The strong wind blew up the sleeves, and two figures, one red and one black, rushed out like arrows.

"Mother! Mother! Master~There's me and Xi Chao!"

Xi Chao was riding on a jujube-colored pony, and he was so anxious that he slapped the horse's belly with his feet, but the pony had short legs and was so docile that it didn't move.

The guards who were leading the pony held the reins tightly, fearing that the horse would run away with the princess.

"Let me go! This princess can ride a horse!"

The little guard grabbed the reins with his other hand and said calmly, "Don't let go!"

"You, you, you..." Xi Chao was so angry that he pointed the whip at the little guard, "Do you believe me or not, I will tell the Empress Dowager and punish you!"

"Don't let go of that either!"

"The Queen is here——"

Xi Chao turned around when she heard the voice. She raised her whip and waved at the empress, "Empress Madam!"

The queen looked at the grassland and found that she was the only one there. Her heart was pounding. "Where is your mother? Why did she ask you to stay here alone?"

"Good boy, come to the Queen Mother."

The queen took off the armor and put it in Jianqiu's hand, then she lifted Xichao off the horse with both hands.

"My queen, please be careful." Jianqiu supported her with both hands.

"The Empress Dowager." Xi Chao hugged the Empress' neck. "The Empress Dowager said she would take me for a ride, but she and Master left and left me here alone."

The queen listened to the sound of horse hooves and looked at the insignificant person: let her take care of the child, but she left the child behind and lived happily!

She patted Xi Chao on the back and coaxed him, "Don't be afraid, Xi Chao. The Queen Mother is here. Your mother will be back soon."

The mother and daughter went to the pavilion nearby, and Xi Chao leaned in the queen's arms and acted coquettishly.

"Can the Queen ride a horse?"

Jianqiu replied: "Manchu women practice riding and archery since childhood, so of course the Empress can ride a horse too."

"Wow!" Xi Chao's eyes lit up. "The Empress Dowager can also ride a horse. Empress Dowager~ let's go find her and the others together, okay?"

"How...shameful is this?"

Jianqiu saw that the queen had become much more cheerful after living with the imperial concubine for the past few years, so she encouraged her.

"Your Majesty, there is no one else in the introduction hall today, why don't you try riding a horse for a while?"

The queen scolded, "You are also making trouble."

Jian Qiu was fearless and whispered, "Your Highness, just think of it as accompanying the princess."

"Just think of the Queen as accompanying your most beloved little princess~"

Xi Chao immediately slid down the Queen's legs, held her hand, and pulled her out of the pavilion, "Go, go~"

"But I haven't ridden a horse for many years. I learned it back then..."

The empress has the dignity of an empress. She has maintained her dignity since entering the palace and has not mounted a horse for many years.

"The Queen Mother is not afraid. She hasn't ridden a horse for many years. As soon as she got on the horse, whoosh—it was gone."

Xichao gestured as he spoke, and then he pointed at two fingers and said seriously: "Xichao has studied for two days, two whole days! He is amazing!"

She was as confident as her own mother, and assured with a pat on her chest, "With Xi Chao here, Xi Chao can protect the Queen Mother!"

The queen felt that she was really old, and was easily moved by the little girl's words, "Okay, the princess will protect the queen mother, the queen mother is not afraid."

Manchu women practiced riding and archery since childhood. She once practiced with Rouze, but Rouze had little interest in it and gave up after practicing a few times. As a concubine's daughter, she had no chance to practice alone.

But even though she had only ridden it a few times, the free wind on the grassland was still quietly buried in her heart.

The empress sat on the horse. At this moment, she was no longer a concubine's daughter of the Ulanara family, nor was she the empress who ruled the country. She was just herself.

The guard held the reins and walked slowly towards the red dot in the distance.

Xi Chao was a little anxious, "Madam Queen, this is not the way to ride a horse. You have to let him let go, and we will get out in a flash."

The horse was too tall for the queen to ride steadily, so she just rode out with him.

"That is..."

Jianqiu was originally looking at her own queen with great interest, but when she heard the voice, she turned around and immediately put away her smile, turned around and squatted down, "Your servant pays homage to the emperor."

The emperor looked at the empress in the distance and asked, "I didn't know that the empress could ride a horse?"

Jianqiu thought to herself: Of course you don’t know!

Since the queen entered the palace, have you ever taken her affairs to heart?

"It's just a joke to please Her Royal Highness the Princess."

In the distance, Ye Lan was still half a step ahead, "The Queen has lost."

"Ask whatever you want."

Nian Shilan was the type of person who could afford to play around and accept defeat. She dismounted and walked under the shade of a tree.

Ye Lanyi knelt down immediately, not as if she was asking a question, but as if she was begging for grace.

"A few years ago, I had a high fever in the garden. Your Majesty sent someone to ask the imperial physician to treat me and also instructed the steward of Yuanmingyuan to take good care of me, right?"

She raised her head, her eyes sparkling and full of expectation.

There is no nine-family bondage, and the only thing left is to do it.

Ye Lanyi is the destined dragon slayer, the pure love warrior on the bullet screen.

In her previous life, the reason why she was so devoted to the fruit beetle, loved him and loved him back, and went all the way to the end, was because when she was in the dust, that person gave her a drop of kindness and a ray of light.

Nian Shilan wanted revenge but didn't want to implicate the Nian family, so it was impossible for her to leave such a precious sword unused.

So she chose to intercept the cicada.

But at that time, Nian Shilan didn't know who was the enemy and who was hers, and she had to control even her thoughts. She was afraid that if she said one more word, the emperor would kill the young and helpless Ye Lanyi prematurely.

So he instructed Zhou Ninghai to secretly send someone to take care of it, and he completely suppressed the matter in his heart.

Seeing that the Imperial Concubine didn't say anything, Ye Lanyi confirmed, "It's the Queen, for sure. In the entire harem, the Queen is the only one who has a lame eunuch by her side!"

"What if it is or it isn't?"

"I beg you to agree to let me stay by your side."

Originally, Ye Lanyi asked for a meeting, but Nian Shilan didn't want to see her.

After all, intercepting the fruit civet was not an upright act, it was just a piece of cake. Moreover, Nian Shilan only wanted her to be her own knife to kill the emperor from the beginning.

The current situation no longer needs her.

Since it is not needed, there is no need for her to accept this favor, and there is no need for her to stay in the palace.

Nian Shilan also didn't expect that Ye Lanyi was stubborn and was not allowed to see her even after asking for permission, so she tried to find a way to get close to Xi Chao.

"Someone has said that you look good when you smile?" Nian Shilan said.

Ye Lanyi's slightly raised lips curled up again, "My status as a servant is lowly, and Your Majesty is the first one to say this."

Just like Zhen Huan to Chun Yuan, the barrage said that she was the peripheral of the dead Concubine Hua.

But how can true love have so many substitutes?

Nian Shilan, who once loved the emperor deeply, might have been moved by these unpresentable details, but now she felt that the emperor just happened to like this type of woman, who liked everything he could not get or had already lost.

He wants all women, as long as they are pretty, no matter if they are substitutes.

But it is undeniable that Ye Lanyi's temper is somewhat similar to his own.

Therefore, when they met, the high and mighty imperial concubine was willing to show more respect to the most humble horse trainer in the zoo.

"You don't like crowds by nature. The palace is not suitable for you."

The palace walls have already trapped the passionate and outgoing Nian Shilan, so there is no need to trap the rebellious Ye Lanyi as well.

"How did you know, Your Majesty, that I don't like crowds?"

Ye Lanyi's voice was sweet, yet a little anxious.

Nian Shilan rolled her eyes at her. Of course, she said it herself. "If you are willing, I can reward you with a thousand taels of silver and let you leave here at any time."

"I don't ask for a thousand ounces of silver, I just want to stay by your side."

"Isn't it good to be free and easy outside the palace? Why do you have to take the initiative to go to a dark place..." to seek death.

Who said there is no sunlight there?

Wherever the Queen is, there is the sky and the sun.

"My lady, a person is the same wherever he is."

Ye Lanyi lowered her eyebrows and said pitifully, "I am a taciturn servant. I stay by your side all day long, and it doesn't matter whether you are here or not. I will do whatever you say, and I will never cause any trouble for you."

Nian Shilan: “…”

"My dear—look!"

Xi Chao's voice came from far away, "The Queen Mother can also ride a horse!"

Nian Shilan took a look and said, "You should get up first. We can discuss everything after the birthday banquet for the prince and princess."

"Yes, thank you for your grace, Madam."

Nian Shilan: “?” So thank you just because I agreed?

The tall horse stopped beside the two of them. The queen raised her hand, and Nian Shilan naturally reached out to help her get off the horse:

[Have you ever ridden a horse? You dare to bring Xi Chao here. Even at your age, you are not afraid of breaking your old arms and legs. ]

Queen: “…”

With servants around, the empress couldn't lose her temper and just held her hand and went down first.

When Ye Lanyi was paying respect to the Queen, Xi Chao whipped the horse when no one was paying attention.

The horse was more frightened than in pain, and it neighed loudly, then carried the princess away alone.

Everyone was shocked: "Princess Xi Chao!"

At the sound of a whistle, Ye Lanyi's horse came running. Without waiting for the horse to stop, she jumped up and chased after Xi Chao.

The Queen and Nian Shilan were too far away, and the Emperor's eyes were attracted by the fast-moving black.

Ye Lanyi tried to hold the princess' horse from a distance but failed, so she flew directly and sat behind the princess. The horse was frightened again and raised its hooves high. Ye Lanyi hugged the princess with one hand and held the reins with the other.

She sat steadily with the round sun in the sky as her backdrop.

Heroic and valiant, bright and beautiful.

The horse's hooves landed and it continued to move forward at high speed. When it passed by the emperor, the emperor showed some admiration in his eyes and followed her far away with his gaze.

Su Peisheng stepped back and asked the palace attendant beside him, "Who is that woman on the horse?"

"To answer Eunuch Su, that is the horse trainer from Baijun Garden. She has been teaching the princess how to ride a horse these days."

"Horse trainer?" Su Peisheng looked at the emperor, then at Ye Lanyi, and whispered, "She is so lucky."

The Queen and the Imperial Concubine came over soon, and Ye Lanyi stepped forward to confess her crime.

"It is my fault for frightening the princess. I ask the Empress and the Royal Consort to punish me."

The emperor had always been fond of the princess. If the servants disturbed her unintentionally, he would have dragged them away and beaten with a stick. But at this moment, he was magnanimous and didn't care.

"How can I, a princess, be frightened by such a small scene?" Xi Chao raised her head and said, "I am not afraid."

"Is it? Madam?"

Nian Shilan saw that the princess was not hurt at all and praised her with all her eyes, "You are worthy of being my daughter!"

The queen was really frightened. She glared at Nian Shilan fiercely and said softly to the princess, "You should be less courageous."

The emperor laughed heartily, and said that Ye Lanyi's rescue was timely.

Meritorious.

[It is really destined that Ye Danying will meet you. Is this love at first sight? 】

[That's right. Lao Deng was lustful by nature, especially in his later years. Because he was mourning for the Empress Dowager, there were no new people in the palace for several years, which made him very frustrated.]

Yeh agreed?

It turns out that Ye Lanyi was his concubine in the previous life.

Since this is a destined relationship...

The next day, the emperor went to Baijun Garden alone.