Most of the day passed quietly, and Lin Xihe remained hidden in her tent, her mind in turmoil.
It wasn't until Gu Qinghuai returned from his hunting trip that she was pulled back to reality from her dazed thoughts.
Gu Qinghuai stood quietly outside the tent waiting, while Lin Xihe hurriedly instructed Ling Xue, "Quickly, put more rouge on my face."
Ling Xue understood immediately and skillfully applied the ointment, trying to cover up the paleness on her face with the vibrant color.
After everything was ready, Lin Xihe took a deep breath and slowly walked out of the tent.
"Xihe, let me show you the prey I hunted today." Gu Qinghuai's face was full of a smug smile as he naturally reached out to take Lin Xihe's hand.
Although Lin Xihe felt helpless, she thought that as long as she stayed by Gu Qinghuai's side as promised these few days, he would break off the engagement, so it was really hard to refuse.
However, her movements seemed unusually stiff, and she said softly, "There are many people, you can walk in front, you don't need to hold my hand."
Gu Qinghuai was slightly taken aback, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes, but he still silently withdrew his hand and turned to lead the way.
Gu Qinghuai had a very fruitful day, hunting many prey.
The hunting trip wasn't over yet, but he couldn't wait to share his joy with Lin Xihe.
The two walked into the venue. Looking into the distance, Lin Xihe saw many animals lying haphazardly in front of her, and a strange sense of resistance welled up in her heart.
She instinctively stopped in her tracks, unwilling to take another step forward.
Just then, two guards carried a sika deer past.
Two arrows were clearly stuck in the deer's body, and the wound on its neck was shocking, with blood gushing out. Its body was still struggling weakly, twitching every now and then.
Lin Xihe felt a wave of nausea wash over her, as if something was blocking her throat. She couldn't hold it in any longer and immediately ran to the side to dry heave.
Seeing this, Gu Qinghuai was extremely anxious. He rushed forward and gently patted Lin Xihe's back, his tone full of concern: "Were you frightened?"
Lin Xihe gagged a few more times, finally managing to catch her breath before weakly saying, "I don't want to see this..."
As soon as she finished speaking, she experienced another severe spasm in her stomach, making her so uncomfortable that she could barely stand.
Gu Qinghuai stayed close to Lin Xihe, took the handkerchief Ling Shuang handed him, and carefully wiped the corners of Lin Xihe's mouth.
When Lin Xihe finally stopped feeling unwell and slowly straightened up, she felt her legs go weak, as if she had lost all her strength.
Gu Qinghuai reacted quickly, gently embracing Lin Xihe and supporting her steadily.
"I'm sorry, Xihe, it's all my fault," Gu Qinghuai said guiltily.
Lin Xihe hadn't fully recovered from the discomfort she had just experienced when she heard a few teasing voices behind her: "So that's why Qinghuai came back so early, he's here to meet his sweetheart."
Lin Xihe's heart tightened suddenly, and she hurriedly turned her head to look back. What came into view was His Majesty's majestic figure.
Looking again at His Majesty's side, Ji Zhuo stood there, his gaze fixed on him, a barely perceptible look of worry on his face.
The moment she caught a glimpse of Ji Zhuo, his mother's words flooded back into Lin Xihe's mind, making her feel flustered and confused.
Lin Xihe quickly steadied herself and bowed.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Rise. What's wrong, Miss Lin?" His Majesty asked gently.
"Your Majesty is too kind. Xihe is timid and was just frightened by the prey," Gu Qinghuai explained softly.
Gu Qinghuai reached out again and naturally put his arm around Lin Xihe's arm, gently patting her up and down a few times, as if trying to comfort her.
As soon as Lin Xihe dodged, she felt Gu Qinghuai exert some force on her hand, not wanting her to move. In front of His Majesty, Lin Xihe dared not show it too obviously and could only stand obediently.
"Women are naturally a little timid, it's normal. General Gu, you'll have to take good care of her."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will certainly take good care of you," Gu Qinghuai replied respectfully.
His Majesty gave Lin Xihe a deep look, then turned to Ji Zhuo and said slowly, "Changqing, look at Qinghuai, who is about the same age as you. He already has a beautiful woman by his side. What about you? You are not young anymore. It is time to consider settling down and starting a family. Getting married as soon as possible is the right thing to do."
His Majesty spoke these words to Ji Zhuo, whose courtesy name was "Changqing".
Ji Zhuo's face was ashen, but even though he was filled with resentment, he still suppressed his emotions in front of His Majesty and replied respectfully, "I also hope to marry the person I love as soon as possible, and I think... it should be soon."
Despite saying this, his gaze was unabashedly fixed on Lin Xihe.
Seeing this, Lin Xihe was secretly surprised, thinking that this was in front of His Majesty, how could Ji Zhuo be so straightforward and bold, completely disregarding the occasion.
Although her heart was in turmoil, she could only pretend to be calm on the surface, lowering her head even further to try to hide her panic.
Apart from the servants, the only people present were the four of them, and each of them was fully aware of the situation.
How could Your Majesty not see the subtle competition between these two?
He had just seen Gu Qinghuai and Lin Xihe standing together from afar, so he deliberately brought Ji Zhuo here, intending to make Ji Zhuo give up completely.
Who would have thought that Ji Zhuo was like a stubborn, obstinate rock, so obstinate that even though everyone else was already together, he remained unmoved by her love!
His Majesty was utterly helpless, practically rolling his eyes with anger at Ji Zhuo. If they continued to argue like this, the number of people impeaching Ji Zhuo in the court would only increase.
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