Chapter 224 Has Your Majesty's health changed recently?
After nightfall, almost everyone in the hunting grounds, except for the patrolling imperial guards, had fallen asleep.
Meng Shilan had just coaxed the two playful little girls to sleep.
Chunxing tiptoed in. "Miss, the heir of the Duke of Ying's mansion wants to see you."
She handed the fan to Chunxing, saying, "I'll go take a look."
Zhou Congxian looked up at the sky, where a crescent moon hung on the horizon.
His fingertips trembled slightly.
If it weren't for His Majesty's words, he would have wanted to take Shi Lan to see the mountains covered in red leaves.
"Why aren't you resting so late?"
When Meng Shilan came out, she saw Zhou Congxian's back. For some reason, she felt that his back looked somewhat sad.
"The men of the autumn hunt are all eager to show off their skills in front of His Majesty."
"As the commander of the Imperial Guard, if you cannot win first place, you will not be convincing."
Zhou Congxian turned around and saw a faint smile at the corner of her eyes.
He forced a smile and said, "I can't sleep, let's go for a walk."
Meng Shilan asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhou Congxian walked a long way until he was almost at the grove where he had been talking to His Majesty.
It was as if the words spoken during the day were still striking his heart.
He paused for a moment, then turned to look at Meng Shilan.
His hands slowly clenched.
"Shi Lan, if I give up everything, would you be willing to come with me and our child?"
His gaze was intense, as if it held a burning fire within it.
Meng Shilan frowned slightly; Zhou Congxian's personality wouldn't allow him to say such a thing.
He's acting so strangely.
"Is His Majesty making things difficult for you?"
Seeing that she did not respond to his question, Zhou Congxian grabbed her shoulders somewhat agitatedly.
"Meng Shilan, it's been three years! Haven't I done enough?!"
His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice trembled uncontrollably.
Meng Shilan looked at the pain in his eyes, "Zhou Congxian, all the land under heaven belongs to the king, where are we going?"
"The world is vast, there's nowhere we can't go!"
"We're leaving, and then what?"
Zhou Congxian pulled her into a tight embrace, saying, "Don't worry about anything."
His voice grew increasingly hoarse, "Don't worry about anything."
Meng Shilan paused for a moment before slowly raising her hands to embrace him.
Then she said something unrelated.
"The price of white crystals in the shop has recently gone up."
"White crystal is easy to mine and not expensive, but it is beautiful. When making jewelry, white crystal is often chosen as an accessory."
She said softly, "White crystal is mostly produced in Ule and is one of the important products of trade between the two countries."
"If the border were not unstable, why would prices have risen?"
She leaned her cheek against his chest and asked, "If the country is in danger, will you regret your choice now?"
Meng Shilan let out a soft breath; she had known him since she was sixteen.
What kind of person is he?
He was a born subject, and his heart held the world within him.
She was certain that if the country was about to fall into chaos, he would flee before leaving.
He will regret this decision for the rest of his life.
"The capital city is peaceful, but it's just the calm before the storm."
"I didn't have any particular thoughts at first, but your attitude confirmed my suspicions."
Meng Shilan raised her head slightly and looked at his resolute chin.
"But what did His Majesty say that you found hard to accept?"
"This afternoon, I saw you talking with His Majesty in the woods."
Zhou Congxian opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word several times.
He held her in his arms, the cool moonlight filtering through the branches.
Moonlight shone on the hair ornament in her hair.
The gold hairpin, engraved with golden lotus blossoms, was something he won with an arrow at the Princess's banquet three years ago, but he never gave it away.
When she was unconscious from a leg injury last time, he placed her next to her pillow.
Three years later, she finally put it on her head.
Autumn hunting grounds.
The sound of drums soared into the sky.
The horses neighed, eager to compete!
Standing on the high platform, Eunuch Tian declared, "This autumn hunt will be won by sheer weight."
“One person each from A, B, and C will be selected and appointed as a servant in the Imperial Guard. The person in the first class will be appointed as the Left Commander of the Imperial Guard.”
The young people, who were poised to make their move, were eager to get started.
This is a real position with real power! It's not just a nice-sounding but empty title.
Zhou Congxian rode his horse alongside His Majesty, handing him the bow and arrows.
Everyone gripped the reins tightly, their eyes fixed on the bow and arrow in His Majesty's hand.
His Majesty drew his bow to its fullest extent, aiming it at the red silk on the high platform.
Arrows pierced the air, red silk fell to the ground, ten thousand horses charged forward, startling the birds in the forest.
His Majesty slung the bow and arrows diagonally across his body.
"It's a rare opportunity to go on an autumn hunt, how could I possibly fall behind?"
"drive!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the horse galloped away like an arrow released from a bow!
"Your Majesty!" Eunuch Tian's heart nearly stopped in fright.
"Hurry! Keep up!"
Zhou Congxian led a dozen or so imperial guards and rode after them.
This autumn hunt attracted a large number of participants, with each family and household of the fifth rank or above sending one person to participate.
Most of the people who came were young men.
Especially those scions of prominent families who only received minor official positions through hereditary privilege.
This is also a legitimate opportunity to be promoted to a high-ranking official position, and even become a close advisor to the emperor!
Those who run fast are the first to hunt small creatures such as rabbits and birds.
His Majesty gripped the reins tightly, and did not stop even when he saw the rabbit.
They headed straight for deeper into the area.
The deeper you go into the forest, the fewer people there are.
Zhou Congxian watched His Majesty's horse speed increase.
"Your Majesty, the area ahead is a restricted zone designated by the Imperial Guards!"
Before setting off, he had warned everyone involved in the hunt that the Imperial Guard had designated a restricted area.
The further in you go, the more likely you are to encounter wild beasts. If you enter the restricted area and get too far from the enclosure, and you encounter a wild beast, the Imperial Guards may not be able to rescue you in time, and you may be in grave danger.
His Majesty seemed not to hear, and spurred his horse toward a certain destination.
The paddock returned to silence.
They could see the amazing birds flying in the forest from afar.
The Empress did not see His Majesty return.
Where is His Majesty?
Eunuch Tian said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, Lord Zhou will be guarding His Majesty."
Empress Zhang frowned and finally instructed the lady-in-waiting beside her, "Prepare clean clothes and hot water."
Lady Zhang reassured her, "Your Majesty, don't worry. His Majesty is protected by the true dragon, and besides, Lord Zhou is also there to guard you."
Her daughter is now the Empress, and Madam Zhang hasn't seen her for more than half a year.
For this autumn hunt, she made a point of coming early to pay her respects and keep her daughter company.
Empress Zhang waved her hand, and all the palace maids in the tent withdrew.
"Mother, how is Grandmother's health?"
"It's all good, Your Majesty, please don't worry."
Madam Zhang nodded in agreement. As she spoke, she glanced back at the outside of the tent before leaning towards Empress Zhang.
She lowered her voice and asked, "Has Your Highness's health changed recently?"
Empress Zhang knew that she wasn't talking about anything else, but was asking if she was pregnant.
Her eyes darkened.
His Majesty is preoccupied with state affairs and rarely visits the inner palace, so how could she be pregnant?
But she couldn't get pregnant, so she was still an empress.
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