Chapter 279: 279 victory
Chapter 279 Chapter 279 Victory
Jingle took two sips of tea, then put down the pastel enamel Three Gentlemen tea cup in her hand, raised her eyes and met Chu Qianchen's black and white eyes again.
"Sister-in-law of the Nine Emperors, you have to be careful."
She reminded in a low voice, her voice was soft, and she looked graceful and obedient, as gentle as water, but her eyebrows seemed to be frowned but not frowned.
There are some words that the Queen did not say directly just now. Jingle and others present could also understand, but they just saw through but did not say anything.
The queen clearly wanted to give Yuan Zhitong to Gu Jue. Considering Yuan Zhitong's background and her relationship with the Queen Mother Yin, it was conceivable that if she really entered the palace, she would at least be a concubine.
Even if she fails this time, the Queen will not give up easily.
The Queen is this person...
Jingle thought of something, and a complex and tangled emotion flashed through her eyes.
She pursed her lower lip hesitantly, gritted her teeth, and finally said: "Sister-in-law of the Nine Emperors, do you know Mrs. Prince Ben Guo?"
Chu Qianchen nodded.
Prince Enguo was the queen's half-brother, and his wife, Prince Enguo's wife, Li, often visited the palace. Chu Qianchen also met Li once or twice, but never spoke to her.
Jingle seldom talked about such gossip with others, and it was a bit difficult to say it. After thinking about her words, she continued: "The current crown prince's wife, Mrs. Li, is actually the step-in-law."
Seeing that Jingle was in trouble, her nanny simply said for her: "The prince Enguo has a first wife named Wang before him. This marriage was arranged by the queen's grandmother when she was alive. The Wang family fell, and the queen's wife I have always disliked the Wang family, so I used the excuse that the Wang family had nothing to do for three years, so I said that I would give a common wife to the prince of Enguo. "
"As a result, the Wang family committed suicide within a few days."
"Back then, when she was still in the period of mourning, the current Mrs. Li was carried into the Duke of Enguo's mansion in eight sedans."
There was a hint of sarcasm in Auntie's tone.
There are actually many rumors about this matter in Beijing. Some people say that Wang hanged herself because she was unwilling to be humiliated. Some say it was because the queen sent Wang a white silk ribbon. Some say that Mrs. Enguo forced Wang to Suicide... There are different opinions.
Regardless of what is right or wrong, the nanny really despises the things the queen does. In recent years, the queen has given many beauties to people. For example, there are several beauties and children in the East Palace who were given by the queen. .
Jingle took another sip of tea, glanced in the direction of the queen, and reminded: "You must be careful."
The Queen has been used to smooth sailing over the years, and there is nothing she can't do that she wants to do. Who knows what tricks the Queen will use next.
Chu Qianchen smiled slightly, nodded and said, "I remember."
Her smile at this moment was completely different from when she faced the Queen before. It was no longer as unreachable as the bright moon in the night sky. It was delicate, bright and radiant.
Jingle suddenly felt unable to look directly at her.
Sister-in-law of the Nine Emperors is so kind, I wish I could live like her.
Jingle's face turned red, and she stood up in a panic, murmuring: "Sister-in-law of the Nine Emperors, I have something else to do, so I'll excuse you now."
She left in a hurry, as if someone was chasing her, leaving only the tea cup on the table that she hadn't taken a few sips from, still emitting wisps of white steam...
Chu Qianchen: "..."
Chu Qianchen looked at Jingle's almost deserted back, and recalled her graceful look while making tea just now, and couldn't help but smile.
"Princess Jingle is quite interesting." Chu Qianchen turned to Hu Hue and said.
Amber nodded, thinking about the rumors about Jingle and the Consort, as well as the ferocious whip wounds on her wrists, feeling a little bit of sympathy for her in her heart.
The eldest princess was the emperor's concubine after all, and she was bullied to death by the consort. The queen didn't even come out to support her, but she kept thinking about these evil ways.
"Hu Bo, give her a box of Shiquan ointment later." Chu Qianchen ordered and continued to drink tea.
Since Jingle showed kindness to her, Chu Qianchen naturally had to return the favor.
Amber responded.
Chu Qianchen continued to drink tea.
Naturally, such good tea cannot be wasted.
After drinking the cup of tea, Chu Qianchen slowly led her horse back to her bamboo shed.
While Jiang Yuan served Chu Qianchen tea, he whispered something to her.
Chu Qianchen raised his eyebrows and looked towards the bamboo shed where the emperor was.
Andaman was standing in front of the emperor. Prince Gu Nanjin and several princes had been sent away.
From Chu Qianchen's distance, I couldn't hear what the emperor and Andaman were saying, but I could see that both of them had smiles on their faces. At first glance, they seemed to be having a happy conversation.
Chu Qianchen's eyes moved to Eunuch Ni who was next to the emperor. Eunuch Ni was standing aside with a silver whisk and his eyebrows lowered.
Chu Qianchen counted silently in her heart. She just counted from "one" to "eight". Eunuch Ni had already raised his eyes to look at the emperor at least three times, and he turned the whisk handle in his hand several times...
good.
Chu Qianchen curled his lips, a meaningful smile appeared on his lips, blinked, and his eyes were bright.
She quickly withdrew her gaze lazily, and then turned to look at the dark mountain forest in front of her. The mountainous hunting grounds were like the cloudy sky before a storm, exuding an eerie and dull atmosphere.
There was still silence in the mountain forest. There was no sound of horse hooves or the roar of wild animals.
There is no news, which is often good news. At least tonight, no one is setting off signal fireworks, which means that no one is in danger of life-threatening danger.
I don’t know if the prince is obedient...
Chu Qianchen frowned slightly while eating a slice of orange.
Amber thought that the fruit was too cold, so she silently took away the kettle on the small red clay stove, replaced it with a small steamer, and put several plates of cakes into the steamer to steam.
Chu Qianchen ate and drank, and Jiang Yuan accompanied her to play backgammon to relieve her boredom. The time actually passed very quickly.
As the night got darker and darker, most of the people who had been walking and playing returned to their bamboo sheds to sit down, drink, punch, and play with flying flowers and so on.
The Hunting Palace Square was bustling with excitement and the smell of alcohol filled the air. Many men had a hint of drunkenness on their faces.
Around the second watch, the faint sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the direction of the mountain forest, gradually approaching.
I don’t know who shouted: “There is the sound of horse hooves, is the night hunter back?”
Like a stone dropped into a lake, ripples appeared on the water.
Most of the people in the square looked curiously in the direction of the hunting ground.
At the same time, the sound of "Dede" horseshoes became louder and louder...
There was still an hour before the night hunting ended. The visitor who came out of the hunting ground at this time had either given up on the night hunting midway, or had hunted a beast, so there was no need to waste time.
Everyone in the square began to discuss among themselves, and some even shouted excitedly to start a gambling game:
"I put down five hundred taels. It's only been an hour now, and it's late at night. There's no time to go deep into the forest, and it's impossible to hunt any wild beasts. Someone must have given up."
"You said it's only been an hour. Even if you want to give up, there's no need to do it so early. Let me tell you, I must have hunted some tiger, leopard, bear or something like that. I'll bet a thousand taels."
"I support Brother Huang and pledge three hundred taels."
“…”
Those dandy boys became more and more lively as they talked. No one could convince the other, they just wanted to put all their wealth on the line.
In this noisy atmosphere, a girl in her late teens and early 20s suddenly exclaimed: "Princess Chen!"
"Princess Chen ran over. Could it be that King Chen is back?" Another girl in yellow asked.
More and more eyes were turned towards Chu Qianchen, and some people began to bet on whether the leader of tonight's hunt would be King Chen.
Chu Qianchen couldn't hear the voices of others at all, and happily ran to the exit of the hunting ground to greet people.
She could tell that one of the hoofbeats must belong to Jueying.
The return of Jueying means that the prince is back.
really-
Soon, a black horse with four white hooves galloped out of the forest carrying a young man in a black cloak.
The black cloak flew up in the wind, raising a chic and elegant arc, revealing the purple riding clothes under the cloak. Under the moonlight, the riding clothes with silver threads shimmered like gems.
This person looks forward to the horse with a spirit and a heroic appearance.
The young man on horseback bowed his head to meet Chu Qianchen's eyes and smiled lightly, just like the spring breeze in March blowing over the willow branches and the lake.
"Prince!" Chu Qianchen also smiled.
She knew that the prince must be back.
Jueying ran towards Chu Qianchen with a clear goal, her posture strong and vigorous.
Behind, Su Mubai also came out of the forest on a white horse. It was obvious that he came back with Gu Jue.
Everyone in the square was looking at Gu Jue and Su Mubai, wanting to see their harvest, but they saw that Gu Jue had empty hands and nothing on his horse; while Su Mubai returned with a full load, and the basket on his horse was full. caught a heavy prey.
Everyone looked at each other in shock and confusion.
Chu Qianchen was completely unaware of the commotion around him and watched without blinking as Jueying stopped in front of him, his ponytail swaying as if he still had unfinished thoughts.
The next moment, Gu Jue flew off the horse.
Before he could stand still, he felt his left wrist being pinched by a small white hand.
Chu Qianchen used the cover of his cloak to feel Gu Jue's pulse, and finally smiled with satisfaction.
Well, the prince is very obedient!
Chu Qianchen looked Gu Jue up and down, making sure that there was no blood on him, and smiled even more happily.
"Are you satisfied?" Gu Jue looked at her with a smile.
Before the night hunt, this little girl had given numerous instructions not to take action during the night hunt, and told him to be obedient.
He is no longer the competitive fifteen-year-old boy he once was, and there is no need to fight for the first place.
As long as the little girl is happy.
"Satisfied!" Chu Qianchen nodded seriously.
In Gu Jue's condition, it was best to move as little as possible. Every time he was injured, it would take three times as long to repair it.
With each passing day of this winter, Chu Qianchen felt a little worried.
Gu Jue held Chu Qianchen's hand with his left hand and walked side by side towards the bamboo shed, forgetting all about Su Mubai.
Su Mubai from behind smiled slightly.
Probably only the princess can control the prince.
Even if he was given another chance, he would still choose to facilitate this marriage at all costs.
There were a few drops of blood on his smooth chin, which made his originally elegant face look more dangerous and evil.
Jiang Yuan glanced at Su Mubai expressionlessly.
Su Mubai seemed to be aware of Jiang Yuan's gaze. He raised his hand and wiped his chin. He saw some blood on his fingertips and explained: "It's not my blood."
Jiang Yuan twitched the corner of his mouth coldly, turned around and followed Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen.
She didn't even think that the blood belonged to this dead fox!
"Your Majesty, is it very cold in the hunting ground?" Chu Qianchen gave Gu Jue his sleeve stove, "Warm your hands quickly." "I made ginseng tea for you, which added Poria cocos, gorgon seeds, dried glutinous rice, Chenpi...drinking it can relieve cold."
Chu Qianchen was glad that he had prepared ginseng tea in advance. As soon as he sat down, he served Gu Jue a cup of ginseng tea.
Ginseng tea exudes a unique fragrance of ginseng.
Gu Jue drank the ginseng tea slowly.
The hot ginseng tea entered from the throat into the abdomen, and the whole body warmed up all of a sudden.
Ginseng tea is not bitter, but has a hint of sweetness, which is just right.
After swallowing, the bottom of the tongue is filled with saliva, the aftertaste is long, and the mouth is filled with a refreshing fragrance.
"Did you cook it?" Gu Jue thought about the sweetness in his mouth, using a questioning tone, but his expression was very sure.
Probably only the things she made would suit his taste so well, both in terms of heat and taste.
If it is increased by one point, it is too much; if it is reduced by one point, it is too short.
"Yeah!" Chu Qianchen's eyes suddenly lit up and he smiled brightly.
The prince is still so attentive.
He will always see what others do for him, and then remember it carefully in his heart...
Chu Qianchen suddenly had a thought in his mind.
Yes, if it was the former prince, even if he found out, he would not say anything. The prince would just do it silently.
Therefore, in her previous life, when she first met the prince, she was afraid of him.
After a long time, she gradually understood his good intentions.
But the current prince is a little different from his previous life and the first time he met in March. Some subtle changes have taken place in him...
By the way, the prince has become more frank, unlike before, like a boring gourd.
Chu Qianchen pursed his lips and smiled, tilting his face as he looked at Gu Jue's handsome face.
Under the illumination of several lanterns above, Gu Jue's cold facial features were softer than usual.
He was drinking ginseng tea, so he lowered his eyes slightly. It appeared that his eyelashes were thick, dense and curled, and a beautiful arc was outlined along the corners of his eyes that were curved inwards and outwards.
His forehead is smooth and full, his nose is high and straight, his thin lips are slightly raised, and his facial features are delicate and elegant.
This is the face engraved in her memory, this is the person engraved in her heart.
But when did the prince start to change?
Chu Qianchen recalled silently, and suddenly he was so distracted that he didn't even notice when the teacup was empty.
Amber on the side watched helplessly as the prince took her job and smoothly changed the tea for the princess, but the princess didn't realize it and didn't know what she was thinking.
Amber wisely took a few steps back and obediently showed the stove to his masters.
The cold wind blew, and the mountain forest became even colder late at night.
Not far away, a whimpering horn sounded, thick and long, spreading to the distant mountains and forests with the cold wind...
The sound of the horn is a signal to those still in the hunting grounds that the night hunt is almost over.
After a while, there was a messy sound of horse hooves coming from the direction of the mountain forest, coming this way.
The military generals and distinguished disciples who participated in the night hunting returned one after another on horseback.
Their relatives and friends came forward to greet them one after another, asking them about the harvest of the night hunting. The square became even more noisy, and at the same time a strong smell of blood filled the air.
After a cup of tea, all the returned young people gathered on the hunting platform to salute the emperor, and the chamberlains began to count the prey.
Everyone couldn't help but look at a wild boar in the northeast corner of the hunting platform.
This wild boar is as big and heavy as two strong men. It is covered with needle-like gray bristles. A pair of white fangs are exposed between its long and fluffy mouth, which makes people shudder when looking at it...
Its long beak was shot through by an arrow, and two arrows hit its eyes. Other than that, there were no other wounds on its body.
It is not the only wild boar on the hunting platform, but the largest of the other wild boars is only half the size of this king wild boar.
This wild boar king is undoubtedly the most ferocious prey in tonight's night hunt.
Eunuch Ni was also looking at the wild boar king. He looked expressionless on the outside, but in fact there was a cold sweat on his neck.
He knew that the emperor just liked the result.
This wild boar king was the prey brought back by Su Mubai.
The emperor's face was so ugly that he was about to drip with ink, but the third princess Anle didn't know what to say, so she asked innocently and curiously: "Uncle Nine Emperors, did you hunt this wild boar king?"
"No." Gu Jue shook his head calmly, "This is Commander Su's prey."
"..." The emperor's thin lips pursed into a straight line, and his face became increasingly gloomy.
For the emperor, instead of letting Su Mubai take the limelight, it would be better for Gu Jue to take the lead in the night hunt. Anyway, Gu Jue and Daxie are the leaders, so everyone is used to it.
Now that Su Mubai has become the leader of the night hunt, doesn't this encourage Gu Jue's arrogance?
Everyone knows that Su Mubai is Gu Jue's man. This is tantamount to telling others that even if Gu Jue despises the leader, the leader is still in the pocket of Prince Chen's house!
The emperor put on an unnatural smile, chatted with Gu Jue seemingly casually, and asked, "Nine Emperor Brother, why didn't you gain anything tonight?"
As early as the moment Gu Jue left the hunting ground, someone went to report to the emperor, saying that Gu Jue returned empty-handed tonight.
Gu Jue made a fist with his right hand, put it to his lips, coughed twice, and said calmly: "My body is not feeling well."
The other people on and off the hunting platform were startled at first, then calmed down, and felt a sense of sadness.
"..." The corner of the emperor's mouth twitched without any worries.
Last night at the palace banquet in Hanyuan Hall, Gu Jue said the same thing, making it hard to tell whether it was true or not.
If Gu Jue was really not in good health, he shouldn't participate in the night hunt tonight.
The emperor suddenly remembered that before tonight's night hunt, Gu Jue told the generals that he would not compete with those boys.
Could it be because of this reason that Gu Jue went to the hunting ground for a while?
The emperor tightened his grip on the armrests of the seat, unable to grasp how Gu Jue's body was feeling now.
In just a blink of an eye, the emperor's mind had already changed several times.
Anle didn't know what the emperor was thinking. He looked at Gu Jue and said, "Uncle Nine Emperors, if you feel unwell, you should rest more and drink more water."
emperor:"…"
The more the emperor listened, the more headache he got.
If the person who said this was the prince or several princes, the emperor would have had an attack, but he was happy.
All kinds of thoughts in the emperor's mind were mixed together, making his chest feel tight, painful and stuffy.
He just wanted to end this "farce" quickly, so he called: "Su Mubai!"
Su Mubai took a few steps forward and walked to the center of the hunting platform. He cupped his fists at the emperor and said, "The general is here."
This is only the first day of winter hunting, and the people from Prince Chen's Mansion have already captured two leaders.
Everyone had different expressions. Apart from being happy, everyone could probably guess that the emperor was not happy.
The emperor was not only unhappy, but also felt extremely embarrassed. He didn't know how to reward Su Mubai.
"Su Mubai, you are the leader of today's night hunt," the emperor looked at Su Mubai solemnly and said in a calm voice, "I will reward you with a **** horse, a sword, and ten thousand silver..."
Su Mubai maintained his clasped fist posture. Before he could thank him, Gu Jue's casual voice sounded first: "I remember that the emperor promised that the leader of the Night Hunters could be promoted to a higher rank and join the Forbidden Army?"
As soon as Gu Jue said these words, the hunting platform suddenly fell into a dead silence.
Everyone held their breath, probably only King Chen dared to openly challenge the emperor.
According to the usual practice, in addition to receiving these regular rewards, the leader of the night hunt can also be promoted to one level, join the Forbidden Army, and have a bright future.
It is precisely because of this that so many young people are rushing to participate in dangerous night hunting, just to try their luck at their future.
But the leader of the night hunt tonight turned out to be Su Mubai. It was impossible for the emperor to reuse Su Mubai.
Su Mubai is now promoted from the second rank. If he is promoted to the first rank, he will be a full second rank. This rank is enough to lead a single guard in the Forbidden Army.
There is no way the emperor would hand over a guard from the imperial army to Prince Chen's palace.
Everyone knows this.
"..." The emperor glared at Gu Jue fiercely, frowning so hard that he could kill a mosquito. He felt that Gu Jue had clearly been coveting the Forbidden Army for a long time, and wanted to get Su Mubai into the Forbidden Army first, and then devour him step by step.
Last time, Gu Jue had already placed a deputy commander in the Jinyi Guards. This time, no one from Prince Chen's Palace could be allowed to enter the Forbidden Army.
Su Mubai should stay well in the Five Cities Military and Horse Division.
The emperor narrowed his eyes and said with a smile: "Nine Emperor Brother, Su Mubai has only been in the Military and Horse Department of the Five Cities for a few months. He has done well in his errands. Now he is suddenly transferred to the Forbidden Army. How can it be so?" It’s not about wasting all your efforts.”
"Your Majesty, the second rank of the Forbidden Army can command a guard of 5,000 people. The five-city military and horse divisions have 500 people. The five-city divisions combined only have 2,500 people." Gu Jue said with a half-smile but not a smile, "Your Majesty, this is It would be unfair to give a reward.”
When the emperor heard this, his face darkened again.
It is true that the establishment of the Five Cities Military and Horse Division only has 2,500 people, but in fact each division has its own assistants, and the number of assistants is much more than this number.
etc! The emperor thought about it and had an idea, and said in a deep voice: "Brother Nine Emperors, please pay attention to your words."
"I haven't finished speaking yet. I have long felt that the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division does not have enough people, and it is time to expand the manpower."
As long as the helpers from the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division are added to the establishment, the number of people will be almost there. The emperor made a rough calculation in his mind and curled his lower lip proudly, secretly feeling proud of this idea.
Everyone else was silent, watching the back-and-forth between the emperor and Gu Jue in a sparkling game, thinking that King Chen might not give up so easily.
really-
"So, the emperor thinks that the Forbidden Army can be compared with the Five Cities Military and Horse Division?" Gu Jue asked calmly.
Everyone knows that the Five Cities Military and Horse Division is just a place to hang out, but the Imperial Army is the emperor's personal guard. Of course, the two cannot be compared.
The emperor's gaze was fixed on Gu Jue's face, his eyes deep and sure.
Sure enough, Gu Jue asked Su Mubai to make the leader of the night hunt just for the Forbidden Army!
Even though the emperor tried hard to control his emotions, the sinister aura still vaguely emanated.
The emperor said grandly: "Whether it is the Forbidden Army or the Five Cities Military and Horse Division, they are all responsible for guarding the capital. How can they be superior to each other?"
"If the Ninth Emperor Brother is worried, Su Mubai will be responsible for the recruitment himself. Then the Ninth Emperor Brother should be relieved, right?"
The people in the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division are all idlers, and no one with ability will enter the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division. Su Mubai can't make any waves there.
When the emperor said this, several military officials present felt relieved. They also did not want to join in the struggle between the emperor and King Chen.
Su Mubai finally spoke up and accepted the order with clasped fists: "I will obey the order!"
An unusually bright light flashed across his eyes.
It’s February, so let’s ask for a guaranteed monthly pass~~~
(End of chapter)