C288
C288
The two of them played in the empty space outside the barbecue site. Xun Er shared the toys he brought with him with Young County Prince, and not only taught him how to play, he even gave him two toys. Young County Prince was very happy, and hugged onto the toys lovingly, not letting go of his hand no matter what.
Mu Chen was drinking wine with a few officials, including King Jing, and was called over by his son, but he did not refuse. He simply hugged him and played with him for a while.
This was the first time Royal Father had played with him, and Young County Prince was so happy that he almost lost his way. He hugged Yan Chenglee's neck and laughed foolishly because there were still other officials by his side, making it difficult for Yan Chenglee to keep his son company.
Royal Father hugged him for a long time tonight and even allowed him to sit on his shoulder. As expected, only a child who knows how to act spoiled can be doted on by Royal Father. Young County Prince turned his head to look at Xun Er, who was humming a tune happily while walking in front. From time to time, he would turn his head to look at Xun Er, afraid that he would not be able to keep up.
"Big Brother Xun Er, I played very happily tonight." Young County Prince ran over and said happily to Xun Er, and even took out a bell from his body to give it to him. It was given to him by Crown Princess Jing when he was at the age of one, and he heard that the bell was specially made by a craftsman, made of gold and tied with a red rope. When it swayed, there would be a rhythmic sound, and Young County Prince really liked hearing the sound of the bell.
Xun Er did not think too much, when he saw that Young County Prince was giving him something, and it was a very pretty and shiny bell, he accepted it. In the end, remembering that Shen Jingli had said that he would treat them with respect, he took out the little Jade Pig that Mu Chen had given him and gave it to Young County Prince as an exchange gift.
Returning to Crown Princess Jing, the Young County Prince was elated. He poured beans on the ground and talked about what had happened tonight. He even mentioned about Yan Chenglee playing with him.
Hearing him say that Yan Chenglee had played high and mighty with him, Crown Princess Jing was very surprised. When she saw Xun Er climb onto Shen Jingli's lap and act like a spoiled child on his lap, she immediately understood that he must have been affected by Mu Chen.
She raised her eyebrows slightly, and with a smile that was as gentle as water, she told Shen Jingli a few things about the capital city official's wife, dissecting some of the complicated and complicated relationships that Shen Jingli did not understand about, and lastly, bestowed him a few things.
Shen Jingli did not understand why the Crown Princess Jing would suddenly do this. He refused it for a while, but could not reject it.
After parting ways with the Crown Princess Jing, Shen Jingli brought Xun Er back to his tent. Mu Chen still hadn't returned, so after Shen Jingli and Xun Er washed up, Xun Er got into bed, wrapped him around, and told him a story.
In the middle of the night, Shen Jingli was woken up by a noise. He stood up and walked out of the tent while wearing a cloak, while Mu Chen stood outside the tent.
"Why are you up?"
"I heard a noise." He was somewhat worried.
"It's fine, there seems to be wolves howling in the enclosure." Mu Chen said, holding his shoulder, and brought him back to the camp, "The wind is strong outside, don't catch a cold."
Shen Jingli looked at Mu Chen, his eyes shimmering with an obscure light, but he did not ask the question. He only turned his head to look in the distance and felt that there was a flicker of fire, but it was too far away, he could not see it clearly.
"You didn't sleep?" Shen Jingli asked after entering the room.
It was only after he entered the room that he noticed Mu Chen's daytime clothes, thanks to the light of the candle that had just been lit in the room.
"Yes."
Shen Jingli did not understand what Mu Chen meant, but he knew that he was hiding something from him.
Mu Chen frowned and sighed in his heart. He knew that Shen Jingli would definitely be suspicious, so he raised his head and saw that Shen Jingli had taken off his cape and was about to go to bed.
"Jinglee." He whispered his name.
"If you have something to do, then go back to work. I'll go to sleep first."
Mu Chen was startled for a few seconds. After a while, he heard Shen Jingli's voice, "I believe you."
The corner of his mouth raised slightly, he walked over and tucked Shen Jingli in. After thinking for a while, he kissed Shen Jingli on the cheek, "Sleep, everything will be fine."
"Yes." Shen Jingli nodded, turned around and carried Xun Er in his arms. As expected, he immediately fell asleep.
Mu Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry seeing him unguarded. Although he believed in him, he was very happy, but since he was so unguarded, he would worry so much that he wouldn't dare to casually leave home.
After sitting on the bed for a long time, and hearing a very shallow whistle, Mu Chen finally left the camp.
"..."
Shen Jingli walked out of his tent, stretched his body, and sighed comfortably. Following that, he heard a burst of drumbeats, and today, the first round of the hunt was about to begin. This time, the female members of the competition and Gemini were allowed to participate, but in order to ensure safety, they had to bring their guards along.
After hearing this news, many of the noble ladies were very happy. They immediately returned to their tents and changed into their riding clothes, letting their servants bring their horses over. They excitedly mounted their horses and followed the hunting team into the forest.
During breakfast, Shen Jingli led Xun Er to walk around, and while watching the scenery, he observed the surrounding situation. Unexpectedly, like yesterday, all the girls sat on the stage, watching the situation in the enclosure, excitedly discussing who would be the champion today, as if they didn't know what happened last night at all.
Although he didn't know exactly what had happened last night, he definitely didn't believe that it was just a problem with the wild wolves. Something big must have happened. Wait a minute, it was the end of spring, an accident. Thinking about it, it was hard to say that this wasn't the Emperor's plan.
Shen Jingli thought about it, and the more he thought, the more likely it seemed.
While he was thinking, he unknowingly arrived at the entrance of the paddock. There were a few soldiers guarding the entrance to prevent any weak female disciples from accidentally entering, which was snatched away by wild beasts. Seeing Shen Jingli standing at the entrance in a daze, they couldn't stop him, and they couldn't chase him away.
"Lord County Prince, if we go any further, we will enter the encirclement. For your safety, please return to the stands." Shen Jingli was standing two meters away from them, and just by looking at his dazed expression, it was really impossible to guess what he was thinking. If he had just come to take a look, to see when General Mu would return, they might not be able to say anything, but they were afraid that others would follow suit.
"I thought I heard a bugle call last night." Shen Jingli probed.
The guards looked at each other, confused as they looked at him, "County Prince is joking, this is not a battlefield, where did the horn come from? County Prince might have heard wrongly. "
No?
Shen Jingli saw that their expressions were normal and did not make any small movements, and did not look like they were lying. Shen Jingli became even more confused, they should be keeping watch at night, could it be that they did not see anything? Or perhaps, he really was overthinking things.
"That might be the case." Shen Jingli said as he followed behind them. After greeting them, he turned and left with Xun Er.
This time, the hunt went smoothly without any accidents. Everyone returned with a great harvest, and even a few noble girls who came to join in the fun had brought back quite a few prey.
This time, it was won by a general surnamed Yuan, a fourth rank General An Yuan, 23 years old, originally matched with the death of the Liang family two years ago, leaving behind only a four-year-old son. He was young, his achievements were illustrious, and his momentum was flourishing, and he was also one of the targets to be chosen by noble women, but because General Yuan came from a commoner family and was married off to another, the first daughter of the Gao family would definitely not consider him.
"General Yuan is a young man, he's really a young man."
In other words, I heard that he made a great contribution in the battle of Great Qi and earned a title for his mother. He is both capable and filial. He is truly a promising junior. Sigh, what a pity …
She hadn't finished speaking, but the other madams present all understood what she meant. After all, if her words were too clear, if word were to spread out, it would ruin the reputation of their daughter.
Shen Jingli sat in his own seat, and heard that there was a lady talking about General Yuan, and she seemed to be very satisfied with him.
Shen Jingli laughed, and felt that this was really like a huge blind date, all the young talents tried their best to show off their skills in front of the emperor, while the female servants that came along looked at the other young geniuses, and considered the other party's family background and abilities, and chose the most suitable marriage.
After the first round of the hunt ended, the emperor ordered some people to prepare a feast, so that everyone could drink and dance. After that, a few County Prince s expressed their interest in competing and shooting, and the emperor agreed.
A few children around the age of five or six were invited to the center of the arena. They were given suitable bows and arrows, and only after shifting the distance between the target and the person did they allow them to begin.
It was a rare opportunity for the Emperor to show his face. The mothers of the children were both happy and worried, repeatedly telling them to perform well in order to let them pass.
The children performed well, and the emperor, with a great deal of joy, rewarded them and ordered the banquet to continue.