They kept saying that they came to Da Qi for the sake of peace between the two countries, and that Emperor Hao wanted to learn from Da Qi's imperial examination system. But in fact, they had not done anything serious in the past three months, had not put forward any suggestions or contracts regarding the relations between the two countries, and had not gone to the Ministry of Rites to consult on matters related to the imperial examination.

The brother and sister would wander around the capital from time to time, looking very relaxed.

Gu Jue stood up and walked towards Shen Qianchen, picked her up by the waist, and walked towards the bedroom with her in his arms, chatting casually: "It has been a year since Wuhedu Luo ascended the throne, but Hao State is still not stable. The two southern states, Jiaozhou and Haozhou, have never submitted to Wuhedu Luo. These two vassal kings are really tough."

"Uhaduluo wanted to lead his troops south to pacify Jiao and Hao states, but he was afraid of wolves in front and tigers behind."

The "tiger" that Gu Jue mentioned refers to Da Qi.

For Wuhaduluo, it was not difficult for him to pacify Jiao and Hao states with his military strength. What he was afraid of was that if there was civil strife in Hao state, if Da Qi seized the opportunity and sent troops south, Wuhaduluo would face a dangerous situation of being attacked from both sides.

If the marriage between Qi and Hao had been successful, and the late emperor Gu Lang was still alive, Uhaduluo would have certainly boldly sent troops to Jiao and Hao states. Then, considering that Uhaduluo's "life and death are unknown", the two vassal kings would have also submitted to Uhaduluo after weighing the pros and cons.

But Gu Jue took action. He rescued Wuhejialou, destroyed the marriage between the two countries, and changed the situation in Nanhao.

Wuhagalou has personally gone to Jiaozhou and Haozhou to lobby the two vassal kings. However, given his current isolated and helpless situation, it is not easy to convince them to support him.

Wuhejialou understood this point, and Gu Jue understood it as well.

To put it bluntly, the main goal of Uhagalou in the first phase is to stop the two princes, let them wait and see, and prevent them from turning to Uhaduro's side for the time being.

Because Gu Jue never deliberately concealed anything from Shen Qianchen, Shen Qianchen also knew something about Gu Jue and Wuhagaluo's plan. She thought about it and understood it. She raised her eyebrows and asked, "Is Wuhagaluo anxious?"

While speaking, Shen Qianchen lifted the door curtain in front of him, and Gu Jue walked in with her in his arms easily, with perfect understanding.

"He will definitely be anxious." Gu Jue carried her to the couch and took off her shoes.

Wuhejialou has always been the popular choice in Nanhao. After all, Wuheduluo killed his brother and usurped the throne, so his position was not legitimate. In addition, in the year after Wuheduluo ascended the throne, he did not take any measures to benefit the country and the people. Instead, he levied heavy taxes and levied heavy taxes. In this year alone, he issued conscription edicts three times, which made the people of Nanhao more inclined towards the previous Emperor Hao and Wuhejialou. In addition, Jiao and Hao states were slow to submit to Wuheduluo.

So, Uhadhara became anxious.

Shen Qianchen was not actually sleepy, but she couldn't help but make Gu Jue think that she was sleepy, so she returned the favor by patting the seat beside her, motioning Gu Jue to come up and rest for a while.

What he meant was that if he asked her to lie down, he wouldn't be able to go to work secretly.

Gu Jue was very cooperative and lay down beside Shen Qianchen with his clothes on. The two of them faced each other and continued to talk while lying on their sides.

"He urgently needs the support of Da Qi?" Shen Qianchen guessed.

Gu Jue stretched out his finger to lift a strand of black hair from her ear, played with it nonchalantly, and nodded.

"Then why has Wu Helangnan been silent?" Shen Qianchen yawned lazily. She was not sleepy before, but after lying down, she became sleepy.

As she was sleepy, her mind became groggy, and some of the words she said were actually spoken subconsciously. Wu Helangnan hadn't taken action for so long, and after all, there were only a few reasons, such as he hadn't received instructions from Wu Hedu Luo, and the time was not right.

Gu Jue remained noncommittal.

It was rare for the two of them to go out together, and he was too lazy to talk about other people's affairs, so he changed the subject: "I'll take you to the hunting ground tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay!" Shen Qianchen showed an unusually bright smile and was happy.

She likes staying with Gu Jue.

Looking at the little girl's bright smile, Gu Jue's heart softened into water.

He knew that his little girl was a cat, an eagle, and a hunter. She liked to live a free life, but he had no way to take her back to the north and let her live a free life.

"Then get some sleep." As he spoke, he hooked the strand of hair at his fingertips to his lips, then lowered his head slightly and gently kissed her hair in front of her.

So gentle, so pious.

He told himself in his heart that there would be a chance.

In the future, when he abdicates earlier, he can take her to travel around the world, and they will have a long time to spend together.

The two of them were now lying on the same pillow, their faces only two inches apart. From Shen Qianchen's perspective, she could clearly see his slightly drooped eyelids and count his long eyelashes... She seemed to be able to feel the warmth of his lips through his hair.

Shen Qianchen's heart trembled, and he felt that he was becoming more and more seductive.

She simply moved her body, buried her head in his chest, put one arm around his waist, and closed her eyes obediently.

For Shen Qianchen, Gu Jue was more effective than any sleeping-aiding incense. She fell asleep in a short while and did not even attend the palace banquet that night.

She slept soundly until the next morning, feeling full of energy.

Today is the first day of the autumn hunt.

Everyone gathered in the square in front of the hunting palace, it was packed with people.

Gu Jue has always been casual and hates red tape, so he simply skipped the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the sky at the beginning of the autumn hunt. He only verbally boosted the morale of everyone and let everyone go hunting on their own.

Most of the men were eager to try and had been looking forward to showing their faces in front of the new emperor. In less than a cup of tea, most of the hunting palace square was empty, and people and horses were rushing away.

Gu Jue planned to take Shen Qianchen to the hunting ground for fun. Since it was fun, there was no need to rush. They simply waited until there were fewer people before setting off leisurely. The two of them dismissed Jiang Yuan, Jingfeng and others, and only took their mounts, Jueying and Fenglu, and rode into the hunting ground in a carefree manner.

Of course, Gu Jue led the way today, and Shen Qianchen followed obediently beside him, like a shadow.

Shen Qianchen originally thought that Gu Jue would take her hunting, but unexpectedly he took her over a mountain and came to a place with birds singing, flowers blooming, and beautiful mountains and rivers.

The scenery in the mountains is very beautiful. In the distance, the mountain mist lingers in the mountains, and nearby, colorful flowers are in full bloom, springs are gurgling, and various birds are flying, singing and playing in the woods from time to time.

Just being here can make people relax.

Shen Qianchen glanced around and saw the clue. His eyes were bright and he turned to ask Gu Jue: "How do you know this place?"

Others might not be able to see it, but Shen Qianchen is a doctor and he can tell at a glance that there are a lot of medicinal herbs here, and many of them are rare.

It was obvious why Gu Jue asked her to come here. He was trying to please her.

Gu Jue rode his horse to her side, stretched out his hand to tuck her flying hair behind her ears, and said with a smile: "I've been here before."

Shen Qianchen was stunned, and thought about it, this was her first time to come to Wanlinyuan Hunting Ground, but Gu Jue must have been to this area with his father when he was young.

Gu Jue looked around and said, "The last time I came here, I was thirteen years old."

Thirteen years old is younger than she is now. Shen Qianchen couldn't help but imagine in his mind what Gu Jue looked like when he was thirteen years old.

"I still remember that at the palace banquet that night, my father asked us to paint, and this is what I painted." Gu Jue picked a pink wild flower and held it between his slender fingers.

Painting?! Shen Qianchen came back to her senses at this moment, and looked at a bamboo tube tied to Jueying's side. When she woke up in the morning, she seemed to have seen Gu Jue put a painting in it.

"Is it that picture?" Shen Qianchen stretched out his hand to Gu Jue eagerly, "I want to see it!"

Hearing that she wanted to see it, Gu Jue took the scroll out of the painting tube and handed it to her.

Shen Qianchen happily unfolded the painting.

What I saw was a familiar scene. After so many years, this place was of course different from the one in the painting. The mountains in the distance still looked the same, but the flowers, plants and trees nearby had changed to varying degrees. The trees had become more robust and luxuriant; the colorful flowers were not as gorgeous as before; in the corner of the painting there was a white horse drinking water by the stream...

Seeing Shen Qianchen's eyes fall on the white horse, Gu Jue explained in a gentle voice: "This is my former mount." The horse died on the battlefield in the north.

Shen Qianchen had roughly guessed the fate of the white horse, so she didn't ask. She just reached out and held Gu Jue's left hand, tightly clasping his five fingers, and said in a tender voice: "Jiu Xia, when we go back, can you draw another one?"

She wanted Gu Jue to paint another one. This time, he had to paint two horses by the stream, in pairs.

Gu Jue's mind moved, his eyes sparkled, and he nodded in agreement: "Okay!"

Not only does he want to paint this one, but he also wants to paint and record other places they have visited together. Ten years, twenty years, thirty years later... they will look back on these paintings and revisit the places they visited. They will probably find them very interesting.

"You're so nice!" Shen Qianchen was even happier, and she leaned over to kiss him while sitting on the horse, but with her height, she could only kiss his chin.

It was just a light kiss, and before Gu Jue could react, Shen Qianchen had already retreated.

She put the painting back into the tube and dismounted.

"Let's go pick some herbs." She directed Gu Jue.

Although he said so, in the end Shen Qianchen picked more flowers and only picked one basket of medicinal herbs.

"As for medicinal materials, quality is more important than quantity."

This is what she told Gu Jue on the way back, with great confidence.

"That's right." Gu Jue nodded in agreement, his beautiful eyes filled with smiles. As long as she was happy, it was fine.

"Jiuxia?" Shen Qianchen keenly noticed that Gu Jue's expression was different.

Before Gu Jue could speak, Shen Qianchen saw a rustling sound in the jungle, and something was approaching them.

Soon, a gray wild wolf appeared at the exit of the forest. The wolf bared its teeth, had a ferocious face, and fierce eyes. The fangs between its long mouth seemed to flash with a cold light, which made people shudder.

Gu Jue and Shen Qianchen both looked frightened.

The hunting ground for the autumn hunt had been cleaned up in advance by the Three Thousand Battalions. All the ferocious beasts had been driven out of the hunting grounds and driven into the deep mountains. The place where they were was not supposed to be a place where wild wolves would roam.

Wolves are social animals, and unless there is a lost lone wolf, the pack will go out together and work together when hunting.

really--

The next moment, three or four more wolves appeared behind the first gray wolf, and there were rustling sounds coming from behind.

"Awooo!" The wolf in the front raised its head and let out a loud and long howl, which was filled with wildness and bloodthirsty tension. Then it rushed towards the two of them, with its fangs and claws bared, charging forward recklessly.

Gu Jue's reaction was even faster. As soon as the leader wolf appeared, he had already drawn his bow and arrow, aiming the tip of the arrow at the leader wolf.

“Whoosh!”

He released the arrow decisively.

The feathered arrow flew out from the bow, cutting through the air like lightning, and the tip of the arrow accurately shot into the wolf's long, drooling mouth, and exited from the back of the neck, piercing the throat.

Its body twitched and then it fell to the ground. Blood gushed out of its gaping mouth, soaking the grass below...

The death of the leader wolf angered the seven or eight wolves behind it. They all let out angry and crazy roars, bared their teeth, and rushed towards Gu Jue and Shen Qianchen with great momentum.

“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!”

Gu Jue put three arrows on the bow, and three arrows shot out in rapid succession, making bursts of sounds of breaking through the air. Each arrow hit the vital point of a wolf, and every arrow hit its target.

At the same time, three secret guards hiding in the dark also appeared. They did not carry bows, but used long swords and throwing knives.

Kill one with one blow, quick and clean.

Wolves are ferocious beasts, but they are no match for these highly skilled secret guards.

In just a cup of tea, the seven wolf bodies fell to the ground in a twisted state. The remaining wolves were frightened and fled in shame.

The wolf corpses left behind were all covered in blood, and the strong smell of blood filled the air.

Occasionally, a few fallen leaves and petals were blown by the wind and hit Shen Qianchen's cheeks.

She brushed it off casually, not worrying about Gu Jue's safety at all.

There are only a few wolves. Even if there were twice as many, they wouldn't be a big deal. She wouldn't even have a chance to attack.

After a secret guard counted the wolf corpses, he immediately came to report to Gu Jue: "Master Jiu, there are seven wolves here, all of them are dead. Three wolves have escaped, and Zhu Yong has caught up with them..."

"I'll go check out the wolf's corpse." Shen Qianchen said to Gu Jue, got off the horse, and walked towards the wolf that was closest to them.

The dead wolf's eyes were wide open, as if it died with its eyes open. The tip of the arrow sticking out of the back of its neck was bloody.

When Shen Qianchen's fingers touched the wolf's fur, its body was still warm.

She looked into the wolf's eyes, checked its belly, and then dipped her finger in some of the wolf's bright red blood and smelled it.

In addition to the familiar smell of blood, there is also a faint fragrance, like the scent of mint, or something spicy.

Shen Qianchen narrowed his eyes, his eyes flickered, and his cherry lips formed a thoughtful arc.

She continued walking forward, and after checking two or three wolf corpses, she returned the same way and came to Gu Jue's side.

"The leader wolf was drugged with a drug called Xiyue grass, which is why it becomes extremely aggressive when it is full. The other wolves should be following the leader wolf's lead." Shen Qianchen said affirmatively.

There is no Xiyue grass in Da Qi, so there is no possibility that the leader wolf accidentally ate Xiyue grass.

Gu Jue nodded, ordered a few secret guards to take the wolf corpse, and continued on the return journey with Shen Qianchen.

After returning to the Hunting Palace, Gu Jue immediately summoned Luo Xinze, the commander of the Three Thousand Battalions, and a group of other generals.

During this autumn hunt, the Three Thousand Battalion was not only responsible for clearing the hunting ground before the arrival of the imperial carriage, but also for guarding the hunting ground area. Today, a pack of wolves appeared outside the hunting ground, which was a great dereliction of duty.

Faced with Gu Jue's questioning and scolding, Luo Xin couldn't answer a single word. He could only admit his mistake and ask for punishment.

As a result, something unexpected happened on the first day of the autumn hunt. All the 3,000-camp commander Luo Xinze and the guerrilla generals below were punished. Those who should be dismissed were dismissed, and those who should be demoted were demoted.

The protection of the hunting ground is still the responsibility of the Three Thousand Battalion. In addition, Gu Jue ordered the flag bearer guards to patrol the hunting ground together and instructed the Jinyiwei to thoroughly investigate the case.

Although some changes occurred during the journey, at dusk on the first day, Gu Jue still rewarded the generals, nobles and others who performed outstandingly in the hunting. The generous rewards made others envious.

Everyone was talking about it, especially the high-spirited youngsters, who were all even more excited, clapping and cheering passionately, and some even vowed to hunt wild animals the next day or the day after tomorrow.

In addition, many people were talking about the incident when Gu Jue encountered a wolf in the hunting ground at noon. They praised the new emperor for his excellent archery skills and denounced the three thousand troops as useless. They also speculated who had done something to the wolf.

Shen Zhi also heard the discussions, so when today's awards ceremony was over, she immediately ran to find Shen Qianchen and asked worriedly, "Sister Chen, are you hurt?"

She held Shen Qianchen's hand and looked her up and down, fearing that her daughter would get hurt.

Shen Qianchen smiled carelessly and said, "Mom, don't worry, Jiuxia is here."

Her face was full of trust, as if to say, with Gu Jue here, what could possibly go wrong? ! "That's good." Shen Zhi finally felt at ease, feeling somewhat fortunate that she had not allowed Shen Yunmu to enter the hunting grounds, but only allowed him to compete in horseback riding and archery with a group of half-grown boys at the racecourse.

"Mom, please don't worry." Chu Qianhuang said with a smile. She has changed her last name to "Shen Qianhuang".

While speaking, she winked at Shen Qianchen.

Shen Qianchen understood immediately, took Shen Zhi's hand and walked towards the hunting palace, saying coquettishly: "Mom, I'm hungry after playing all day. Let's go to your place to have some snacks to fill our stomachs."

Shen Zhi hurriedly said to Nanny Chen, "I remember the imperial kitchen sent some snacks over at noon. They tasted good. Let's have someone go back and heat them up."

Nanny Chen smiled and replied, "However, the lotus root powder cake should be eaten cold. I will have someone heat up the other dishes and make some fruit juice or sour plum soup."

The master and servant talked about snacks, while Shen Qianchen quietly fell behind with Shen Qianhuang, and the two sisters huddled together and whispered in each other's ears intimately.

Shen Zhi hoped that her two daughters could be closer and would be happy to see it happen.

Shen Qianhuang whispered two words into Shen Qianchen's ear: "There's hope."

She was talking about Shen Zhi and Pei Linye.

"I plan to talk to my grandmother and ask her to help investigate Uncle Pei," Shen Qianhuang also followed Shen Qianchen's example and changed the way she addressed Pei Linye. "If you have the chance, please ask the emperor to help."

"My mother's life has gone astray for more than ten years. The road ahead must be smooth and stable."

Although Shen Qianhuang had a good impression of Pei Linye, she felt that human nature was too complicated. Her mother had made a mistake once and must not make the same mistake a second time.

She hoped that her mother would marry someone who would cherish and love her, so they had to carefully examine Pei Linye's character. Anyway, her mother was not in a hurry to get married.

Shen Qianchen took Shen Qianhuang's arm with a smile on his face, agreeing deeply with her. He thought in his heart that it would be best to let Gu Jue investigate all the major events of Pei Linye in the past thirty years.

It’s not that easy to marry her mother!

Her mother is so nice, she won’t have trouble finding a husband!

When Shen Zhi looked back next time, she saw her two daughters looking at her with burning eyes and unusually bright smiles.

The two girls are twins, but they don't look much alike. From their appearance to their figure to their temperament, they are all very different. But at this moment, when they smile together, they seem 30% similar.

"..." Shen Zhi couldn't help but stare in a daze.

"mother!"

The two sisters took two steps forward in tacit understanding, took Shen Zhi's arms on the left and right, and walked forward while talking and laughing.

The crisp laughter floats in the evening breeze.

(End of this chapter)