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Chapter 138
Translator: NovelMultiverse | Editor: NovelMultiverse
It seemed that she would not expect Yu Linglong to refuse . The female officer was a little stunned, with a hesitant expression on her face: “Princess—”
Yu Linglong picked up the teacup and drank it by herself, not looking at her at all .
The female officer hesitated for a moment, and had to bow and retreat, and went to reply to the princess .
Feeling the surprised look from the princess, Yu Linglong didn’t acknowledge it, but just sat quietly in her place, immersed in her tea, and her cold face didn’t seem to be concerned with her at all .
Her expectations were correct . Seeing that she refused to come over, the princess did not force her . After a few glances, she turned her head and chatted with the others .
It’s not that Yu Linglong was pretending to be reserved, but from the first time she saw the princess, she vaguely felt from the att.i.tude of the Lord Xu that the princess was by no means as gentle and amiable as she appeared on the surface . When Xu w.a.n.g specifically reminded her yesterday, it also made her aware of what was going to happen today .
Even though the princess did not have any malicious intentions, she simply invited her to sit at the table . She did not want to expose herself out in the open, and there were so many people present . Although they were all female relatives, it was difficult to tell who were the enemies . Under the circ.u.mstances, it was safer to let herself stay in the dark .
The banquet hadn’t started yet, only tea, fruit, cold dishes, and other things were placed on the table, and there were people who were not familiar with each other . Sometimes someone approached Yu Linglong and left after exchanging a few words .
The sun rose to the center of the sky, and there was a sound of horseshoes coming from a distance . Someone couldn’t hide their excitement and said: “They came back, they came back!”
In a blink of an eye, the hunters came in front of the crowd . She saw that there were about thirty or forty of them, each with attendants . All of them were brightly dressed and energetic, and white steam sprayed from the noses of the horses that had been running for a long time . Leather pouches on both sides of them were hanging full of game, and they were obviously extremely tired .
The attendants immediately unloaded their prey and presented them in front of the emperor . After a while, all kinds of prey were piled up into hills .
Looking at so much prey, the emperor was overjoyed . He twisted his beard and smiled: “Alright, very good . As expected, you are all my good sons!”
Even among so many princes and grandchildren, Yu Linglong still saw Lord Xu at first glance . He wore a white brocade robe, and the bright silver phoenix wings on his head shone with scorching brilliance in the sun . Among the men who were dripping with sweat, he didn’t look like he was even touched by dust . Even if he was sitting on a horse, he had a nice and leisurely appearance, as if he had just returned from a walk .
Yu Linglong smiled slightly . It seemed that this kid was avoiding the hard work . Everyone was so eager to stand out before the emperor, but Lord Xu was standing aloof from worldly affairs .
With her eyes down, she suddenly wanted to know what he was afraid of . He was so painstakingly concealing his ident.i.ty, but who was he hiding his true intentions from?
Looking up at the princes standing on the ground, Yu Linglong guessed that the person Lord Xu wanted to hide from must be among these people .
At this moment, she saw a man in royal blue robes step forward and say to the emperor: “Father, I caught a bear and dedicated it to the emperor . I wish the emperor a long life and good fortune . ”
As he spoke, he beckoned back and motioned to his entourage to lift the bear up .
Someone at the banquet exclaimed in a low voice: “Lord Ding actually hunted a bear? Incredible!”
“I heard that bears are very fierce . The courage of Lord Ding is really extraordinary!”
Hearing everyone’s discussion, Lord Ding stood on the ground, his face unable to conceal his triumph .
Looking at the big bear that could only be carried by five or six people, Yu Linglong felt a little strange .
At this time, spring was not yet here . The bear should still be in hibernation, how could it be wandering around, and happen to run into Lord Ding?
It must be that someone prepared it in advance and deliberately helped the lord display his merits before the emperor, right?
This was not difficult to think of, but no one would ruin the emperor’s joy or offend the lord at this moment, and they all pretended to be confused .
Seeing the big bear, the emperor was really happy and praised him . He even ordered the people to get his royal cup and specially rewarded the king with a gla.s.s of wine .
Seeing that Lord Ding had been so honored, the other princes were not to be outdone, and stepped forward to ask for credit: “Gather, I have hunted a bobcat . ”
“I have two wild boars here!”
“This is the black fox that I caught…”
Seeing such a dazzling array of prey, the emperor couldn’t help but smile . He was obviously in a good mood .
Seventh prince Lord Zhou looked at Lord Xu, who was always smiling and silent, and couldn’t help but exclaim: “Nine brother, what did you catch? Why don’t you show it to Father?”
Sixth Prince Lord Qi also smiled and agreed: “Yes, Ninth Brother grew up in Mongolian territory . His riding and shooting skills must be excellent, and it will definitely surprise us!”
The two brothers echoed each other . On the surface, they looked like a group of brothers, but Yu Linglong could hear the insidiousness and ridicule .
Seeing that the emperor turned his gaze to him, Lord Xu threw the horsewhip in his hand to his entourage and wiped off the dust that did not exist on his silk brocade robe . Then he smiled disapprovingly: “Father, I have caught one hare . ”
“Hahaha—” Laughter and ridicule burst out suddenly, and the one who laughed the most was Lord Ding .
He pointed to the lonely little rabbit next to Lord Xu’s saddle, and he almost couldn’t breathe with a smile: “Ninth Brother, you, you caught a rabbit after a long time hunting?”
Ignoring the ridiculous laughter of Lord Ding, Lord Xu patted the mount with a pampering look: “This is a rare stallion . The road is uneven . If I run fast, I’m afraid it will break a hoof . ”
After speaking, he called an attendant and ordered: “Take it back and freshen it up . Remember to check the horse’s hooves . If there are any small stones, they must be picked out . Don’t hurt its hooves . ”
Seeing that he was so precious to this horse, the faces of other people showed disdain . Some of the female family members sneered in a low voice: “After all, he came from a poor place . Even a horse is so precious . ”
Yu Linglong pursed her pink lips, and her stern gaze swept over to her . The speaker was stunned by her gaze, and she lowered her head subconsciously .
At this time, a soft voice suddenly sounded beside the emperor: “I wonder what the prince will be rewarded with?”
With this sound, everyone’s eyes immediately rushed to the apricot figure in the crowd, and Yu Linglong was no exception .
This was the first time she saw the crown prince .
The prince was in his early thirties . He was wearing an apricot-yellow brocade robe embroidered with a four-p.r.o.nged golden dragon on the chest, and he was wearing a purple and gold-plated dragon crown . He was tall with a face like white jade . Although his brows and eyes were very gentle, it was still hard to cover the dignity in his entire body .
It was Concubine Wu Zhao who had just spoken . At this moment, she seemed to see the tiny pile of pheasants and hares in front of the prince . She could not help but pretend to cover up her mouth with a smile, and said: “His Royal Highness is indeed extraordinary, and it’s not a bad hunt . ”
Having said that, the contempt in her words was self-evident .
Lord Ding on the side glanced at the prey in front of the prince, curled his lips contemptuously, and said, “Could it be that the prince reads too much during the day, so he has no time to practice riding and shooting?”
The prince smiled faintly, as if he didn’t care, and said gently: “This hunt, the second brother won first place . ”
A triumphant smile appeared on Lord Ding’s face, and he refused to even deny it . He raised his hands, obviously quite self-righteous .
Suddenly a calm voice came from the side: “Father, please say a few words to me . ”
Behind, it was the Third Prince Lord Lu, dressed in a black brocade robe .
The Emperor raised his eyebrows and said, “What do you have to say?”
Lord Lu said loudly: “For today’s hunt, I have been with the crown prince . The prince is not as skilled as others, but he has benevolence in his heart . Every time he sees a mother beast with a small beast, he orders his subordinates not to shoot arrows, so as not to wound it accidentally . There was a doe that was easy to hunt, but he found out that it was pregnant . He ordered someone to pull out the arrows from the doe, wrap the wounds, and put it back into the mountains and forests . It was delayed for more than a long time…”
The prince frowned slightly and said, “Third Brother!”
Lord Lu turned to him and said: “Brother, you haven’t hunted a lot, but you are so benevolent and compa.s.sionate that you can’t even bear to hurt a doe, but you are willing to be despised for it . How can I watch everyone misunderstand you? Brother, how come you don’t explain yourself?”
Lord Lu’s words were fierce and sincere, and everyone couldn’t help but nod their heads and whisper about the prince’s benevolence .
A minister stood up from the table and said loudly: “Congratulations, emperor, the crown prince is compa.s.sionate, benevolent, and filial, and he is a blessing to the emperor, and a blessing to the thousands of people in Eastern Chu!”
For a time, the ministers came out one after another, hailing the emperor, and chanting in unison: “Congratulations to the emperor, congratulations to the emperor!”
The emperor smiled and nodded slowly: “The prince is so kind, this is really rare . Come, I’ll reward you!”
The crown prince bowed his head and said: “It’s just a trivial matter, and I’m really ashamed of it . ”
The crowd did not allow him to speak . They stepped forward, and the voices of praise were endless, all praising the prince for his benevolent deeds and for being unwilling to take credit .
Lord Ding, who was still in the limelight just now, was instantly forgotten in the corner .
After a while, they were all seated again, and the prey that had just piled up like a mountain had been moved to get cleaned up . Many delicious dishes were quickly cooked and brought out like flowing water, and the banquet officially began .
Yu Linglong was very uncomfortable eating this meal . It was really not a very comfortable thing to eat the food that was served hot in the cold wind that became cold in a blink of an eye .
She did not feel good at this kind of occasion, but she had to beware of the surrounding movements . Eating this banquet, it was simply a torture .
In the late afternoon, the banquet finally ended .
Yu Linglong raised her eyes and looked at the woman’s banquet for a while, but she could not find Shi Huiru’s figure . It seemed that she had left the banquet early .
She got up and left with everyone, then turned around from behind the screen, and saw Lord Xu .
Lord Xu wore a white robe and smiled gently . He turned a blind eye to the surprised gazes around him and walked straight towards her .
“Linglong, I’ll meet you . ”
Among the female family members who were dressed in lavish clothes, his figure stood out, so conspicuous and so abrupt .
The brilliant light fell on her eyes . Yu Linglong almost couldn’t open her eyes, and her cold body had fallen into a solid embrace .
In her ear, he whispered in a low voice, with a calmness that disregarded the others there: “Are you cold?”
Yu Linglong smiled faintly . Her face seemed to be blooming, and she shook her head gently .
Lord Xu squeezed her hand and said, “Your hand is so cold, but you’re not cold . ”
In front of everyone, the two of them only saw each other, as if everyone around them didn’t exist .
At this moment, a mean voice suddenly rang, breaking the harmonious scene .
“How offensive!”
Yu Linglong glanced at the speaking woman and saw that she was tall, with heavy make-up, and a pair of upturned eyes with sharp rays of light, as if she wanted to pierce the two people in front of her .
Gently shaking Yu Linglong’s hand, Lord Xu’s face was adorned with a smile, and he said: “Princess Qi, were you talking about me just now?”
Princess Qi curled up her thin mouth, obviously disdainful: “Ninth Brother, you are also a prince after all . How can you hold someone public, what a scandal! Humph, I have forgotten that Ninth Brother was never with the emperor and grew up with the mother and grandmother . There is no teaching, no wonder you are so ignorant of etiquette!”
After finishing speaking, she didn’t forget to glance at Yu Linglong contemptuously, and she said, “Which family taught this lady, she is too unladylike!”
Yu Linglong pursed her lips slightly . Her heart was already furious . This Princess Qi did not have any positive communication with herself during the dinner . She did not mind saying cynical remarks several times during the banquet . Unexpectedly, at this moment, Princess Qi would dare to ridicule Lord Xu in public and she also talked about the principles of their elders, which was really unbeatable .
As if perceiving Yu Linglong’s anger, Lord Xu secretly squeezed her hand, motioning her to be calm, but her face was always smiling as if she hadn’t heard the bitterness in Princess Qi’s words at all .
He smiled slightly and said: “It’s very cold here . Princess Qi shouldn’t stand in the wind . Go back and maybe there will be unexpected surprises . ”
After speaking, he turned and left with Yu Linglong, but before leaving, he casually remarked: “Yes, Brother Six has already returned to the tent in advance . I heard Brother Six say that he brought a few beautiful concubines when he came out this time to enjoy this rare leisure time . ”
When Yu Linglong heard this, she almost laughed internally, but she still pretended to be very dignified, and it was almost like suffocating internal injuries .
Without looking back, she could also imagine that Princess Qi’s face would be blue with anger at this moment .
This guy that was smiling on the surface was actually a black-bellied wolf .
Yu Linglong couldn’t help laughing when she was far away with her brows bent, and she said, “You are so petty . ”
After only saying a few words to him, he immediately came back at her . He was such a big man, but he was so petty .
She smiled at him, but his handsome face was full of coldness as if his laughter just now was from a different person .
With a big hand stretched out, it seemed that he couldn’t help holding her in his arms, and Lord Xu’s low voice echoed over the open snow, with a cold chill .
“This is nothing, who would let her dare to bully you!?”