Chapter 235 Madam, do you want me to take the first place?
After a tiring first day of traveling, it was almost dark by the time everyone settled down in the camp.
In the evening, a bonfire was lit in the open space outside the camp and a low table was set up. The night wind was quite cold and it was difficult to keep the food warm. The accompanying royal chef prepared mutton in a copper pot and some cold dishes.
It was rare to leave the palace, so there were not so many rules. Men and women did not sit separately, but were seated according to their official ranks.
Xiao Qinghe also came, but she did not sit with Wei Lingze. Instead, she sat with Xiao Qingyue and her father and brother.
As soon as Xiao Qinghe appeared, Wei Lingze's eyes were fixed on her, and the others also began to look at them secretly.
Feeling everyone's gaze, Xiao Qinghe remained calm and did not respond to Wei Lingze. Wei Lingze's face suddenly darkened.
Although he had not gone to the Xiao family to cause trouble these days, he thought that after the winter hunt, he would be able to find another opportunity to ask for Xiao Qinghe's forgiveness. He did not expect that the Xiao family would bring Xiao Qinghe with them. Was this simply a disguised announcement to everyone that there was a problem with their relationship?
Is He'er really going to divorce him? Can she give up the friendship they've shared for so many years?
This thought kept flooding into Wei Lingze's mind, and he was so flustered that he found it difficult to think. The people in the envoy group didn't know what Wei Lingze was thinking. As soon as the dinner started, Xuanyuan Lang started to provoke Wei Lingze.
Everyone could see that the hatred of having his arm broken was deeply engraved in his heart, and he couldn't wait to compete with Wei Lingze again.
Wei Lingze's mind was full of Xiao Qinghe, and he didn't hear what Xuanyuan Lang said at all. He didn't respond, so the envoys thought he was afraid and had no reason to be afraid, and they all burst into laughter.
His Majesty's face darkened, and Wei's father quickly called Wei Lingze, and Wei Lingze came back to his senses.
Seeing the envoys laughing so hard, Wei Lingze clutched his wine glass tightly, murderous intent rising in his heart. He looked at Xuanyuan Lang coldly and said, "General Xuanyuan has already been defeated once and lost an arm. Are you so anxious now because your other arm isn't working well enough?"
The laughter of the envoys died abruptly, but Xuanyuan Lang's expression remained unchanged. He shook his empty sleeves and said loudly, "I've already adapted to life with only one arm. I just wonder if General Wei would be able to pull himself together like I have if he also lost an arm."
At the end of his words, Xuanyuan Lang raised his eyebrows and stared at Wei Lingze's right arm like a poisonous snake, as if he had already chopped off Wei Lingze's arm.
Click.
The wine glass in his hand made a slight shattering sound. Wei Lingze suppressed his anger and curled his lips into a sinister smile: "General Xuanyuan, instead of worrying about something that will never happen, you should worry more about yourself."
The tension between the two made everyone look forward to tomorrow's winter hunt even more.
As soon as the dinner was over, Wei Lingze couldn't wait to find Xiao Qinghe. However, before he even reached Xiao Qinghe's tent, Xiao Qingyang stopped him: "That's the women's tent. General Wei, if you go any further, you're breaking the rules."
Wei Lingze softened his tone: "Second brother, I just want to talk to He'er."
"Hasn't General Wei been very patient these days? Can't you wait until the winter hunt is over before saying anything?"
Xiao Qingyang's tone and expression were full of sarcasm. Wei Lingze's heart tightened, and he whispered to explain, "Second brother, there hasn't been a single day these days where I haven't thought about He'er. It's just that you've seen how arrogant Xuanyuan Lang's attitude is, so I have to put more energy into dealing with him. It's not that I mean to ignore He'er. Second brother and I are both officials in the same court, so you should understand my situation."
Of course Xiao Qingyang could understand.
If Xiao Qinghe and Wei Lingze still had the same relationship as before, the Xiao family would have stepped in to help Wei Lingze turn down the competition as soon as they knew that the envoys had made such a request.
He has been paralyzed in bed for three years. Although he has recovered for more than half a year, his skills are far worse than they were three years ago. If he loses, his future will be ruined.
The Xiao family would not watch their son-in-law fall into such a situation.
But He'er has suffered so much injustice in the Wei family, and now the Xiao family is planning to sever ties with the Wei family. What does Wei Lingze's future have to do with the Xiao family?
Xiao Qingyang twitched his lips, his smile not reaching his eyes: "Since you know that business is more important, why are you looking for He'er at this time? What if you are not in good condition tomorrow? Will the Wei family blame He'er for saying something that made you uneasy?"
"Second brother, the Wei family would never treat He'er like this."
Wei Lingze couldn't help but raise his voice, and he became more and more anxious.
Xiao Qingyang didn't indulge him and raised his voice as well: "Why are you yelling? Don't you know how much injustice He'er has suffered in the Wei family these days?"
"Second brother..."
"Don't call me second brother. The winter hunt starts tomorrow. You should go back early to rest and recuperate. If you insist on pestering me, then we should go to the emperor and have it all cleared up."
Xiao Qingyang was firm in his attitude, and Wei Lingze didn't dare to make trouble in front of the emperor. After a moment of stalemate, he could only return to his tent with a lot of anger.
Wei Lingze was unable to meet Xiao Qinghe, but Chunxi and Princess Hengyang stayed in Xiao Qinghe's tent for a long time.
Princess Hengyang also noticed that the Xiao family's attitude towards Wei Lingze was different, but she did not delve into the gossip and only talked about things related to the winter hunt.
Upon learning that Chunxi had been going to the Xiao family recently to take Xiao Qinghe and Xiao Qingyue to practice horseback riding and archery, Princess Hengyang immediately felt jealous: "Why didn't you call me earlier for such an interesting thing? No, Ah Xi must have a serious competition with me tomorrow."
"Okay," Chunxi nodded without hesitation, half-jokingly saying, "I'm quite good at this, and I won't give in to you, Princess."
"What a coincidence! My riding and archery skills are pretty good too. If you don't give it your all to compete with me, I will definitely punish you!"
After agreeing on the competition, Princess Hengyang left in high spirits, and Xiao Qinghe and Xiao Qingyue were also looking forward to it.
Chunxi returned to the tent and immediately told Shen Qingyuan about this. Shen Qingyuan was not surprised and said calmly: "Winning or losing is not important, just be safe and be happy."
Chunxi leaned over and poked his arm. "Today, the princess said that your riding and archery skills are amazing. Are you sure you can take first place in this winter hunt?"
Shen Qingyuan tilted his head and glanced at her: "Madam, do you want me to take first place?"
He said this as if Chunxi could do it if he wanted to.
Chunxi blinked, then smiled after a moment, imitating his tone and saying, "Winning or losing is not important. I just want my husband to be safe and happy."
Shen Qingyuan was amused by Chunxi's serious expression, and he held her head and kissed her.
After a while, Chunxi heard him say, "As confident as you are in winning the princess, I am confident in winning first place."
“…”!!!
On the second day, after a simple sacrifice, the winter hunt began.
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