Before they had rested for long, the Emperor himself arrived.
Led by the eunuchs, everyone gathered at the venue that the Imperial Household Department had arranged in advance. This was the first time Lin Xihe had seen His Majesty. He was about thirty years old, wearing a dragon robe, and exuded an aura of authority without anger.
Lin Xihe quickly knelt down with the crowd to respectfully welcome them.
It was at this moment that she caught a glimpse of Ji Zhuo out of the corner of her eye; he had come with His Majesty.
Although Lin Xihe already knew that there would be a long and complicated ceremony on the first day, she did not expect that she had been standing in the crowd for more than an hour, and her legs were almost numb, and the sacrificial ceremony had just ended.
Ji Zhuo saw Lin Xihe from afar, his eyes filled with worry. He was concerned that she was pregnant and afraid that the long wait would tire her out.
Lin Xihe noticed Ji Zhuo's gaze. Although her legs were aching and she couldn't stand it, she still tried to raise the corners of her mouth and return a reassuring smile.
But fate loves to play tricks on people. Gu Qinghuai was not far from Ji Zhuo. He was just glancing sideways occasionally when he inadvertently glanced in Lin Xihe's direction and happened to see the tender interaction between the two.
Even from a distance, Lin Xihe could clearly see that Gu Qinghuai's expression instantly darkened, like the gloom before a storm.
She panicked and quickly lowered her head to avoid his burning gaze.
Only when His Majesty mounted his horse, drew his bow with dashing grace, and fired the first arrow of the day's hunt, followed by the deafening sound of horns, did the hunt officially begin.
The hunting party surged up the mountain like a tidal wave, and Ji Zhuo and Gu Qinghuai were quickly swallowed up by them.
After they left, the women were free to do as they pleased.
Lin Xihe was only thinking about returning to her tent as soon as possible to get some rest, but she never expected that as soon as she turned around, she would run into Ji Zhuo's mother, Chu Yunni.
Ji Zhuo had not mentioned that his mother would also be coming, which surprised Lin Xihe.
"Madam Ji".
Lin Xihe hurriedly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Miss Lin, since we've met here, why don't we take a walk together?"
Chu Yunni's tone sounded neither warm nor cold.
"Yes, why didn't you go hunting, Madam?"
Lin Xihe had some doubts. There were many women in the hunting party who loved hunting, and given Chu Yunni's status, she should also be skilled in it.
"I'm too old to compete with those young and vigorous men. The scenery here is quite nice, though, but I'll just enjoy it."
Chu Yunni walked gracefully ahead, her attitude noticeably more distant than during their last conversation.
How could Lin Xihe be so ignorant? There are no such coincidences in this world. Chu Yunni's actions must be a deliberate attempt to find her.
Upon thinking of this, her heart skipped a beat, and she wondered to herself: Could it be that she has discovered that she is pregnant?
Lin Xihe followed Chu Yunni cautiously, remaining silent the whole way, until they arrived at a secluded and quiet place.
The surroundings were quiet, with only the gentle sound of the wind. Chu Yunni slowly turned around, looked directly at Lin Xihe, and asked, "Has Zhuo'er been going to your place often lately?"
"Yes." Lin Xihe nodded slightly, her voice soft yet clear.
Chu Yunni's gaze was calm as she said directly, "Miss Lin, as I told you before, His Majesty has decreed this marriage. Under such circumstances, I really cannot support your relationship with Zhuo'er any longer."
After a brief pause, she continued, "I heard that you went to the Gu residence to care for General Gu before the New Year. I suppose you two spent a lot of time together during that period and became quite familiar with each other. Since you get along so well with General Gu, why continue to drag Zhuo'er into this?"
When the topic of caring for the ailing Gu family at the Lunar New Year came up, Lin Xihe was speechless. A thousand words swirled in her throat, but she couldn't find the right words to explain.
“Madam Ji, General Gu will break off the engagement in the future…” Lin Xihe tried to explain, but her voice unconsciously weakened.
Even knowing now that he will break off the engagement in the future, I still cannot agree to your relationship with Zhuo'er.
Upon hearing this, Lin Xihe looked up at Chu Yunni, her eyes filled with confusion.
"Do you know how many people in the court are impeaching and criticizing Zhuo'er? Just a few days ago, even his mentor, who had taught him for many years and was like a father to him, completely broke with him. Before the New Year, His Majesty even summoned me to the palace and asked me to persuade Zhuo'er. Miss Lin, no one approves of what's going on between you two."
Lin Xihe was completely astonished; she knew nothing about these things.
In the past, when Ji Zhuo came to see her, he never mentioned anything about court affairs. She was always immersed in her own little world, unaware that the situation outside had changed dramatically.
Hearing Chu Yunni's words, she felt as if a huge rock was blocking her chest, making her feel extremely suffocated and unable to utter a single word.
“Miss Lin, I only have one son. Over the years, my son and I have spent very little time together. Just this year, he was sent to another place because of you. Although His Majesty now values him, his dissatisfaction is becoming increasingly apparent. If he loses His Majesty's favor, those people that Zhuo'er offended in the past will certainly not let him off easily.”
Chu Yunni frowned slightly, her eyes filled with helplessness: "I don't want my son to have such a difficult future because of a woman. I hope that Miss Lin will not have any further contact with Zhuo'er. As parents, we only hope that he can live a peaceful and carefree life."
"That's all I have to say. If you truly care about Zhuo'er, you wouldn't just stand by and watch him fall into this predicament because of you."
After finishing her speech, Chu Yunni stopped and looked at Lin Xihe.
Her face was as pale as paper, devoid of any color, and her expression was full of confusion.
Chu Yunni originally thought she would be the kind of open-minded mother who would never interfere in her son's love life. However, she pondered these words repeatedly in her heart. After careful consideration, she couldn't help but finally decide to find Lin Xihe.
Seeing Lin Xihe just standing there blankly, without saying a word, Chu Yunni thought to herself that she would definitely need some time to accept such a sudden remark.
With a soft sigh, she turned and left.
Lin Xihe stared at Chu Yunni's departing figure, as if she had lost her soul.
She originally thought that her pregnancy had been discovered, but she never expected that even if Gu Qinghuai broke off the engagement, the Ji family would never agree to her marrying into the family.
If they knew they were pregnant and the child wasn't Ji Zhuo's, they would find it even more unacceptable.
What troubled her even more was that she had unknowingly caused Ji Zhuo so much trouble...
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