Chapter 274: 274 provocation

Chapter 274: 274 provocation

Chapter 274 Chapter 274 Provocation

emperor:"?"

The emperor suddenly stopped and raised his eyebrows.

The first reaction was, why did this Nanhao man inexplicably go to the house next to Prince Chen's Mansion and set fire to it? !

etc!

The emperor suddenly thought of something. He turned the jade ring on his thumb thoughtfully and met Lu Siji's eyes. Could it be for Wuhejialou.

The emperor also knew that Wuhajialou was assassinated by people sent by Wuhaduluo, and his whereabouts are now unknown.

Wuhaduluo had just ascended the throne, and the throne was not yet stable. He was probably afraid that Nanhao would not be able to secure his position, so he was eager to marry Daqi.

Before, the emperor thought that Andaman was just here to ask for his hand in marriage, but now he thought that the king of Andaman was Uhadura's uncle and the brother of the new queen. Logically speaking, Uhadura's top priority was to quell civil strife and calm the people. A close confidant like Andaman should stay in Nanhao to help him, and the mission of envoy to Daqi can be left to others.

Unless Andaman had other intentions, Uhadura couldn't believe others and could only entrust this important task to Andaman.

The emperor's eyelids twitched suddenly, and he whispered to himself: "Is Gu Jue so bold that he brought Wu He Jia Lou back to the capital?"

The emperor was just guessing at first, but after the words came out, he felt that the possibility was very high.

Gu Jue has always been arrogant and wanton, doing whatever he wants without caring about the consequences. It is really possible for him to do such a thing.

"Passed..." The emperor only said one word and didn't go any further. He also wanted to call Gu Jue over and question him, but in the end he swallowed the rest of his words and endured it.

Even if Gu Jue really did it, he wouldn't admit it.

They may not even come when called upon.

The emperor was silent for a moment, then continued to walk forward in the cold wind, and asked: "Where are the people now?"

Lu Siji followed him like a shadow and replied, "The Hao people are detained in the Five Cities Military and Horse Division."

His voice was low.

Eunuch Ni wisely fell a few steps behind and followed behind.

The emperor stopped again, his face darkened, and he said displeasedly: "Why are you detaining people from the Five Cities Army and Horses Division? Even if they really have to be set on fire, they should be handed over to the Jingzhao Mansion."

How could Lu Siji know? After all, he had just received an urgent secret message from the capital.

He could only say: "I will send someone back to Beijing right now."

The emperor was so angry that there were faint veins on his temples. He gritted his teeth and said bitterly, "I knew it would be bad for Su Mubai to enter the Five Cities Army and Horses Division!"

At this moment, he had completely forgotten that he wanted to play some game of rising and falling secretly, and insisted on getting Su Mubai into the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division.

Lu Siji: "..."

Lu Siji and Eunuch Ni looked at each other.

There was dead silence around them. At this moment, the emperor was silent and no one dared to hum.

The emperor continued to rush forward with high anger, his whole body emitting an aura of keeping strangers away. It was not until he passed through the huge hunting palace square that he calmed down a little.

Something suddenly occurred to him.

Under the backlight, the emperor's pupils were even darker, so black that there seemed to be no light at all.

"Lu Siji." The emperor slowed down his steps again and called in a low voice.

"I'm here," Lu Siji promised respectfully.

The emperor ordered: "Send someone to keep an eye on Prince Chen's Mansion, and then..."

At this time, the setting sun had almost completely set, and piles of bonfires were lit in the Hunting Palace Square behind. Balls of fiery red flames were burning, making a "crackling" sound, intertwined with the howling of the cold wind.

Not far away, the shadowy shadows of trees danced in the wind, like beasts hiding in the darkness with their claws spread out.

Soon, Lu Siji turned around and looked to the other side, while the emperor continued walking towards Chongming Palace.

Eunuch Ni was still following the emperor, carefully watching the words and expressions by the light of the lantern.

Seeing that the emperor's expression softened a little, Eunuch Ni asked for instructions: "Your Majesty, do you want to reward those prey?"

According to the rules, in such large-scale hunting, the prey brought by the emperor and several princes will be handed over to the imperial kitchen, and then distributed according to the emperor's will. Anyone who receives a reward will naturally be the target of the Sacred Heart. It's a great honor.

After getting the emperor's approval, the imperial dining room suddenly became busy, spinning like a top, wishing it could grow three heads and six arms.

Soon, each palace received game meat such as roasted venison, stewed venison with three ginseng, roasted rabbit, and braised roe deer meat from the emperor.

Zichen Palace is no exception.

The weather is cold now, and the area around the hunting ground is even colder than the capital, so most of the royal meals delivered to Zichen Palace are cold.

Those game meats such as roasted venison and braised roe deer need to be hot to taste. Once they are cold, the taste will be much inferior.

Others might be grateful to the emperor, but Prince Chen's Mansion would never wrong him.

Chu Qianchen had been busy for more than half an hour today, cooking in person. How could Gu Jue like the gift from Yu?

The roasted pheasant is roasted just right, with bright color, crispy skin and fragrant aroma. Just looking at the presentation, it can be said that it has all the appearance.

"Try the taste!"

Chu Qianchen looked at Gu Jue expectantly.

Gu Jue picked up a piece of roasted pheasant meat with jade chopsticks. This was meat sliced ​​by Chu Qianchen himself. It was thin and even, just the right amount for each bite.

The skin of the pheasant chicken is roasted to a crispy texture, and the meat of the chicken is tender, juicy, fragrant, tender, chewy, and extremely delicious.

Gu Jue ate slice after slice, showing his appreciation with practical actions.

Chu Qianchen looked at him, the corners of his lips raised happily, the pear dimples on his cheeks seemed to be soaked in honey, and he thought happily: Her roasted pheasant is indeed delicious!

What will she do for him tomorrow?

Before he finished the meal, Chu Qianchen was thinking about it in his heart with great interest, his eyes glued to Gu Jue.

When Gu Jue was eating, his temperament looked much softer and palpable. On weekdays, when he sat there without smiling, his expression always had a detachment that was not stained by the fireworks of the world.

Chu Qianchen's smile gradually deepened, and then she found that her mouth was blocked by the roasted pheasant chicken that Gu Jue held.

She obediently bit into the roasted pheasant meat.

The jade chopsticks in his hand inadvertently grazed her soft lips, and the plump and tender lips were stained with a bit of oil, as if they were smeared with a light layer of lipstick, shining with a lustrous luster.

Gu Jue's eyes froze on her lips for a moment, then he lowered his eyes and picked up a piece of pheasant chicken with jade chopsticks to eat...

Chu Qianchen saw that he only ate the roasted pheasant nearby, so he served him a bowl of chicken soup with ginseng, mushrooms and mushrooms and brought it to him.

As a result, Gu Jue looked at her quietly with a very strange look.

Chu Qianchen: "???"

It was obvious that Gu Jue had a smile on his lips, but for some reason, Chu Qianchen always felt that something was wrong.

Is it her imagination? Chu Qianchen blinked.

Gu Jue put down his jade chopsticks, picked up a white porcelain spoon, took a spoonful of chicken soup, and then brought the spoon to Chu Qianchen's lips.

Chu Qianchen blinked again. She wanted to say that she didn't want him to feed her.

But her lips were slightly opened, and the spoon was already touching her lips.

She drank the chicken soup obediently.

The soup with ginseng mushrooms and chicken is clear, delicious and not greasy at all.

Chu Qianchen pursed his lips happily, smiling with satisfaction and pride.

The pheasant she roasted was delicious, and the chicken soup she cooked was delicious too!

Gu Jue took another spoonful of chicken soup, and this time, it was delivered to his own mouth.

A spoonful for him, a spoonful for her.

The two of them shared the food, and the bowl of chicken soup ran out of water in a short time.

During the meal, the room was quiet, except for the occasional slight clinking of porcelain. Amber and Jiang Yuan had already left.

When he was eighty percent full, Chu Qianchen put down his chopsticks, rinsed his mouth, and asked, "Your Majesty, do you want to go hunting tonight?"

Night hunting is a ritual and symbol of winter hunting.

"Go." Gu Jue nodded and added, "Go watch the fun!"

It’s definitely going to be “lively” at night! Chu Qianchen pursed his lips and smiled, like a cunning little fox.

Since the emperor is always guessing whether the prince's health is good or bad, let him worry a little more, lest he be too idle and comfortable and cause trouble again.

"Your Majesty, let me prepare something for you." Chu Qianchen said enthusiastically.

Since the prince wanted to hunt at night, of course he couldn't go empty-handed.

Chu Qianchen called Hu Huo over and gave detailed instructions, such as night pearls, signal fireworks, fire discounts...

Gu Jue looked at her, his narrow eyes curved with joy, filled with smiles.

He liked to see her taking care of him like this, and he also liked to do something for her, even if it was something trivial.

He guessed that she felt the same way.

The cold wind is howling outside, but it's like spring inside.

By the time Amber had everything ready, it was almost dark, so the two of them went to the hunting platform outside the palace together.

As a rule, night hunting begins when the moon rises above the willow trees.

By this time, the sky had completely darkened, and the night sky was filled with stars, making the moon even brighter and brighter.

There was still half a stick of incense before the night hunting started, but nearly a hundred people had already gathered around the hunting platform, most of them young people who planned to participate in the night hunting.

When Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen appeared hand in hand, everyone's eyes came to them like a tide, with different expressions.

Most people had guessed that since Gu Jue showed up at this time, it meant that he would participate in tonight's night hunt.

Some people are thinking, some are surprised, some are enthusiastic, and some are overjoyed.

"Your Majesty!"

Many military generals dragged their sons to gather around Gu Jue in twos and threes, saluting him one after another, and letting their sons also salute him. Most of them thought "it's good if they recognize each other".

The crowd gathered around Gu Jue like stars over the moon, and the atmosphere was lively. Half of them were watching not far away, obviously wanting to avoid suspicion.

These generals all bowed to Chu Qianchen respectfully: "Princess!"

Facing these powerful generals, Chu Qianchen remained calm and composed. He just nodded slightly in return of the salute, with a somewhat calm and leisurely look on his face.

None of the generals present dared to look down upon this young princess. They looked at her with unabashed respect. After all, she single-handedly made the emperor issue a sinful edict and earned a huge sum for Prince Chen's palace. Benefit. "My lord, are you planning to participate in the night hunt today?" a middle-aged general with scars around his eyes asked bluntly.

"Old Wu, isn't it obvious?" Ming Xiyang patted the other party's shoulder, "The prince has brought his bow, arrows and horse with him. Of course he is going to participate in the night hunt."

Old Wu excitedly pawed his hands and said, "Your Majesty has not participated in night hunting for several years. In the past, if His Majesty went out, he would definitely be the leader!"

Thinking of the situation when the late emperor was here, Old Wu and other generals felt a little nostalgic.

The last time Gu Jue participated in the night hunt, he was only fifteen years old, and he was still the ninth prince of Daqi. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed. Things have changed and people have changed, and this Daqi has also undergone earth-shaking changes.

Thinking of the past, there was a hint of unspeakable sadness in the atmosphere.

Ming Xiyang cleared his throat, smiled and cheered up the atmosphere: "Your Majesty, shouldn't you also give the children a chance?"

There was a hint of ridicule in his words, and the other generals nodded in understanding.

"Of course." Gu Jue said with a smile, "Children should always practice and practice, only then can they understand the dangers of the world."

Ming Xiyang and other generals all laughed, and the atmosphere became more lively.

It was obvious that Gu Jue had completely different temperaments from these powerful generals, but now when they stood together, there was not the slightest bit of incompatibility.

Gu Jue himself was only a young man. Most of the people participating in the night hunting today were teenagers and young people between the ages of fifteen and twenty. They were actually not much younger than Gu Jue, but when Gu Jue said these people When you grow up to be a child, no one will think it's inappropriate.

Because he is Chen Wang Gu Jue.

His record, his prestige, and his dedication have made him what he is now, enough to make everyone present willingly look up to him.

The same goes for Chu Qianchen.

"Ming Nanfeng, you still don't salute the prince!" Ming Xiyang pushed out the young man in blue who was standing behind him on his right, glared at him with disgust, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, this is my second son. The Imperial Academy supervises the martial arts, but it is very incompetent."

"You can't make a weapon without polishing it. Children should have more experience. If they can go to Xuanjia Camp to practice like the princess's brother, they can make some progress."

Ming Xiyang wanted to send Ming Nanfeng to Xuanjia Camp to practice with Chu Yunyi.

"See His Highness King Chen." Ming Nanfeng awkwardly bowed his fist to Gu Jue and said nothing else.

He felt extremely frustrated. He had obviously told his father many times that he wanted to switch to liberal arts, but his father didn't take his words to heart at all.

Ming Nanfeng thought he concealed it well, but he didn't know that his awkwardness was clearly visible to Gu Jue and others.

Ming Xiyang: "..."

Ming Xiyang glared at his stupid son.

His strategy and military skills were average among martial arts students. His qualifications for studying were so average, so where did he get the confidence to think that he could study and pass the imperial examination? !

Ming Xiyang felt that he had completely lost his face today.

The other generals looked at each other and exchanged glances: The boss here is not up to him, he has clearly been tricked by his son!

In fact, they also intended to send their son to Xuanjia Camp for some training, but they were somewhat annoyed that Ming Xiyang got there first. As a result, Ming Nanfeng hindered his father.

Old Wu said with a smile: "Your Majesty, my third son is thick-skinned and rough-toned. If he has a chance to get advice from the Prince, it will be his blessing that he has cultivated for three lifetimes. He can even beat and scold him if he takes care of it."

Old Wu patted his chest to assure himself, and immediately called over a tall young man in Tsing Yi.

The young man in green bowed to Gu Jue in a polite manner: "I have met the prince, please give me some advice!"

The young man in Tsing Yi could not hide his admiration in his expression and words, which made Ming Nanfeng's unnaturalness even more obvious.

Ming Xiyang just wanted to hit his son on the head a few times to see if he could wake up this stupid boy from his daydream.

Ming Nanfeng lowered his head and pretended not to see it.

Chu Qianchen's faint eyes swept over Ming Nanfeng's body, as if water passed by without leaving a trace.

The prince has never been a person who would force others to make things difficult. The path she chose in her previous life and the trials she experienced were all based on her own wishes. The prince just let her know that there were other possibilities in her life. It turned out that She was just a frog in the well when she was in the Chu family.

The generals were chatting and laughing, while Chu Qianchen was a little dissociated, thinking about his past life and the present, his eyes became calmer, like a clear lotus under the moon.

When the emperor arrived with the prince and other princes, he saw Gu Jue chatting happily with a group of military generals, and his face that was still smiling suddenly changed.

The emperor stared at Gu Jue in the center of the crowd with evil eyes, his face as dark as water, and he couldn't help but think that the top three people just selected were all people from Prince Chen's palace.

The emperor's chest began to feel tight again, as if there was a mass blocking his heart, unable to go up or down.

Gu Jue had always been ambitious and controlled the military power of the Northern Army and refused to let go. As long as he was loyal to the emperor, he should avoid suspicion and should not interact with these generals anymore. He simply had evil intentions and coveted the throne.

Thinking of how Nan Hao's new emperor Wuhaduluo usurped the throne, the emperor felt like a light on his back.

The emperor clenched his fists and walked straight in Gu Jue's direction.

When other people around saw the emperor coming, they quickly bowed and saluted: "See you, Your Majesty."

The emperor turned a blind eye to these people and only looked at Gu Jue three or four steps away.

"Nine Emperor Brother, are you planning to go night hunting together?" The emperor forced out an unnatural smile, his tone was gentle, but his eyes were a little sinister, making people shudder.

Gu Jue smiled slightly and said, "Just joining in the fun."

The implication was that he was indeed going for a night hunt.

The emperor clenched his fists on his sides a little more, tugged the corner of his mouth, and advised with "good intentions": "Brother Nine Emperors, you are not in good health. Heed my brother's advice, it's better not to be brave."

The emperor stared at Gu Jue closely, his eyes so sharp that they seemed to want to penetrate him, and they were fixed on Gu Jue's face.

There was silence all around.

The people behind the emperor and Gu Jue all looked at the brothers.

These are the two most noble people in Da Qi, with overwhelming power. Every word and deed between them is enough to stir up a storm in the court, and can even change the structure of the entire court.

Probably the only exception is the second prince Gu Nanzhao.

He didn't look at Gu Jue or the emperor. He stared at Chu Qianchen with burning eyes, as if there were thousands of words hidden in his eyes, and he couldn't hear the voices of the people around him at all.

Cousin Chen seems to be doing well.

Uncle Nine Emperors should be very nice to her...

Gu Nanzhao stared at Chu Qianchen for a long time, and then with great difficulty his eyes moved away from her face and fell on Gu Jue.

"Brother Imperial, you are worrying too much." Gu Jue said calmly, "I just went to Hao Kingdom and got into several battles 'accidentally'. The King of Andaman knows this very well."

"What do you think, Prince?"

Gu Jue's last words were addressed to the King of Andaman who was standing on the emperor's right side.

Andaman: "!"

Andaman and the two Nanhao envoys he brought had gloomy expressions.

From what they heard, Gu Jue's words were directed at them, and he meant something, accusing Hao Emperor Wuhaduluo of chasing Gu Jue all the way.

How could Chen Wang Gu Jue be so vengeful and completely disregard the interests of the overall situation?

No wonder he repeatedly insulted their Hao Kingdom!

Looking at Andaman's face, the surrounding ministers knew that what Gu Jue said was true. Gu Jue had indeed fought with the people of Uhaduluo in Nanhao.

The ministers had different expressions, and they thought to themselves: King Chen has fought several battles with the Nanhao people in Nanhao, and now he is still standing here, so naturally he is in good health!

A few people looked at the emperor with complicated eyes, secretly sighing that the emperor was going crazy because he was afraid of King Chen.

Andaman suddenly laughed loudly, with a generous smile, and complimented: "The name of King Chen is also like thunder in our country. His Royal Highness, King Chen, is so heroic and mighty that he is the star of Wu Qu. No wonder he is invincible on the battlefield, so I Extremely admired!”

Andaman complimented Gu Jue dryly, but avoided answering Gu Jue's questions.

There were some shrewd old foxes among the ministers present. They heard something fishy and exchanged glances in twos and threes.

However, the emperor became confused as soon as he heard Gu Jue's name, and the fire in his heart began to burn again, like a red-hot elixir furnace.

He hated others praising Gu Jue the most.

The emperor's eyes were sinister, and he felt more and more that the Hao people were ignorant. They were clearly looking for horses. He had promised the third princess of the Hao Kingdom to the prince of the Hao Kingdom. The Hao people actually wanted to marry the princess of the Hao Kingdom to Gu. Jue.

The emperor's heart was not only filled with burning pain, but also the indignation of being humiliated and betrayed.

The emperor said sarcastically: "King Andaman, Daqi is a country of etiquette. If the king continues to praise the Nine Emperors Brothers like this, he may not be able to compete with his juniors!"

Today is only the first day of winter hunting. The daytime hunting has already made the people of Prince Chen's Mansion steal the spotlight. If Gu Jue participates in the night hunting, wouldn't it mean that Prince Chen's Mansion will steal the limelight!

The emperor secretly gritted his teeth and couldn't help but think of the past.

Since Gu Jue was ten years old, every time he went hunting with the late emperor, Gu Jue always won. Later, the emperor, who was still the crown prince at the time, simply stayed in the capital to avoid being talked about behind his back that he was not as good as Gu Jue.

In the past, he could only avoid Gu Jue's sharp edges, but now that he is the emperor, the leadership is in his hands.

Andaman looked back and forth between the emperor and Gu Jue, a strange light flashed in his eyes, and he realized that something seemed wrong.

Chen Wang Gu Jue is a general of Da Qi. His presence is enough to intimidate everyone.

If King Chen was really injured, shouldn't the Emperor of Da Qi keep King Chen's injury hidden from the outside world, regardless of whether he was at odds with King Chen? ! But the Emperor of Da Qi bluntly talked about King Chen's illness from the very beginning.

This is obviously unreasonable!

The more Andaman thought about it, the more he realized there was something fishy about it. He narrowed his eyes and said with a smile, "Wouldn't this night hunting be a lot worse without His Highness King Chen?"

Seeing the emperor's face darken again, Prince Gu Nanjin spoke up at the right time: "Father, the auspicious time is coming. I think tonight's night is suitable for night hunting."

In the night sky at this moment, there are few stars in the moon, and the bright and cold moonlight shines softly on the mountains and forests.

As the prince said, this was indeed a night suitable for night hunting.

The emperor then came to his senses, said that he could not delay the auspicious moment, and turned around and climbed up to the high hunting platform.

The generals and princes who were preparing to participate in the night hunt had gathered around, each of them fully armed with horses, big bows, swords, etc.

The emperor's eyes looked down at the eager men below, but he was still in a bad mood, so his tone of voice was also lukewarm: "The men of Daqi are strong-blooded. You should practice martial arts to strengthen yourself and serve the country. Tonight is the time for you to show off your skills. Time. I will give you a big reward for the leader of the night hunt!"

After saying some high-sounding words, the emperor announced that the night hunting had officially begun.

The generals and princes shouted long live together with thunderous shouts.

Immediately afterwards, they mounted their horses one after another, waved their whips, and rode into the hunting ground. Most of the people rushing in the front were those young men who were not as good as the weakest, and they were all dressed in bright clothes and angry horses, scrambling to be the first.

In contrast, Gu Jue seemed calm and relaxed.

When everyone was almost gone, he touched Chu Qianchen's hair and said, "Wait until I come back."

Chu Qianchen nodded obediently and watched Gu Jue's back riding Jueying away.

The red horse Maple Lu next to her made a gentle neighing sound, and seemed to want to catch up.

Chu Qianchen touched Feng Lu's slender neck soothingly, and whispered in a voice that only she and she could hear: "Next time."

She looked at her thin arms and legs with some annoyance, and thought: After returning to the capital, she might as well ask the prince to send her to the Xuanjia Army for training.

(End of chapter)