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Chu Lian was the one who made the dishes!

She gritted her teeth, instantly dissatisfied with Chu Lian.

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Lightly patting her daughter's back, Consort Wei asked Princess Leyao worriedly, "Are you feeling better?"

Princess Leyao's face was pale from vomiting. She took the teacup from a palace maid and took a sip. Only then did she feel better.

"Imperial Mother, do you think Imperial Father doesn't like me anymore?"

After catching her breath, Princess Leyao's eyes reddened and tears rolled down her cheeks.

There weren't many princesses in Emperor Chengping's harem, and Princess Leyao was the youngest. She had always been the most loved in the palace, and Emperor Chengping had never said anything harsh to her. Now, he was suddenly angry at her, and it was all because of a disgusting dish!

How could the strong-willed Princess Leyao accept this?

Consort Wei saw that her daughter's eyes were as red as a rabbit's and hurriedly patted her head to comfort her. "How can Yao 'er think like that? Your Imperial Father has always liked you the most. He was just in a bad mood today and implicated you."

Princess Leyao sniffled and buried her head in Consort Wei's soft embrace.

Consort Wei caressed her daughter's silky hair, but her heart was still in her throat.

It seemed that she had underestimated Ye Xun's position in His Majesty's heart. She was just a wastrel who crawled out of Consort Wei's womb. She was already married, but His Majesty still valued her so much.

Although Consort Wei loved her daughter, she couldn't keep her company all the time. There was still hunting in the afternoon.

At that time, His Majesty would bring the military and military officials to the forest to hunt, and she would be in charge of the remaining women.

After a while, Consort Wei left in a hurry.

She bumped into County Princess An Min at the entrance of the tent.

"An Min, keep Leyao company. She's not in a good mood today," Consort Wei instructed before leaving.

County Princess An Min hurriedly responded respectfully.

After Consort Wei left, she indeed entered the tent to comfort Princess Leyao.

Inside the tent, Princess Leyao suddenly screamed. Her eyes widened in disbelief and anger. "Cousin, what did you say?

Imperial Father's dishes were made by Chu Lian? "

County Princess An Min, who was two years older than Leyao, nodded with a serious expression.

"Not bad."

Princess Leyao gritted her teeth, wanting nothing more than to kill Chu Lian right there and then.

She had become a saint in the palace and was used to being arrogant and despotic. The two times she was scolded by Emperor Chengping was all because of Chu Lian. In addition, she had hidden thoughts about He Changdi. Now, she really hated Chu Lian.

Fortunately, she did not know the true relationship between Emperor Chengping and Chu Lian. Otherwise, she would have gone mad with anger.

"Ah!

Why is this Chu Lian so despicable?! "Princess Leyao was furious.

County Princess An Min snorted and rolled her eyes, "Cousin, what's the use of being angry here?

Since you don't like her, then you should personally make things difficult for her. You and I are both daughters of the Imperial Family, so why should we be afraid of her?

Don't forget where this Chu Lian came from. To put it nicely, she's the wife of the Marquis of Anyuan. To put it bluntly, she's just an impoverished family. "

When Princess Leyao heard An Min's words, her eyes lit up. "Cousin, do you have any way to help me vent my anger?"

In the afternoon, everyone gathered at the square in front of the enclosure after their lunch break.

The square, which was covered with flat grass, was surrounded by banners and flags. The officials in charge of the enclosure had already sent people to decorate it.

There were open-air stables, exquisite observation sheds, professional shooting ranges, and a newly renovated polo field.

Emperor Chengping walked at the head of the group and personally called out the names of the people who would follow him into the forest to hunt.

Most of them were military generals. He Changdi, the Young Prince Lu Tai, the Young Prince of Duke Zheng, and the Young Prince of Duke Zheng were all present.

Among them was Sima Hui, a woman who was not inferior to any man!

Prince Jin, who had been standing behind Emperor Chengping, suddenly glanced in Sima Hui's direction. It was a discreet glance, but it carried an undetectable gentleness and smile.

Sima Hui had been raised as a man from a young age. When she heard this, she only smiled and bowed in obedience. Her actions were natural and unrestrained, without the shyness and embarrassment of an ordinary woman.

Her dashing actions immediately won the admiring gazes of several young generals around her.

Emperor Chengping's party moved quickly. After all, it was getting late and they had to return before nightfall.

Thus, everyone mounted their horses and galloped into the forest.

Just as Emperor Chengping's party left, Princess Leyao disregarded the objections of her attendants and guards and mounted her hunting horse. With a shake of the reins, she followed closely into the forest.

County Lord An Min watched from afar. A trace of disdain flashed through her eyes, but then the corners of her lips curled up.

She turned to the unfamiliar palace maid behind her. "See that? Tell Sixth Brother that it's done."

He Changdi, He Lin, and Lieutenant Guo were specifically asked to stay by Emperor Chengping's side.

At this time, both He Lin and He Changdi had already hunted down a few wild animals, especially He Sanlang. His archery skills were excellent, and he almost never missed his target. At this time, he had already shot out five arrows from his quiver, and not a single one was empty.

Because of this, Emperor Chengping's attitude towards him improved slightly.

Suddenly, an agile doe flashed through the dense forest ahead. Emperor Chengping raised his longbow and was about to shoot in that direction when the guard beside him suddenly called out.

"Your Majesty, bad news!"

Emperor Chengping was distracted and the doe in front of him disappeared in a flash.

Emperor Chengping growled in a low voice, "What is it?"

The guard shuddered, but he still resolutely reported, "Your Majesty, Princess Leyao followed us. She's right behind us."

"What?!

What nonsense! "Emperor Chengping's face instantly turned from sunny to gloomy.

Princess Leyao was doted on by Emperor Chengping when she was young. Emperor Chengping loved to ride horses and would often go to the palace's stud farm to relax when he wasn't busy with political affairs. Princess Leyao was not like the other royal families. She knew how to ride horses from a young age, and under Emperor Chengping's special training, her riding skills were actually quite good. Chu Lian, who was a dabbler, could not compare.

However, no matter how good her riding skills were, it could not hide the fact that she was still a child.

The horses she rode were usually tamed and docile fillies, while the horses used for hunting were wild and unruly stallions. She was still young, and no matter how good her riding skills were, she did not have the strength to control the wild stallions. How could Emperor Chengping not be worried?

Emperor Chengping's brows instantly furrowed. "Yuan Zhou, take two men to the back and watch over Leyao. Send her to Imperial Consort Wei and ground her!"

Yuan Zhou was the name of the guard who reported the situation. After he received the order, he was just about to turn around when Princess Leyao's voice rang out from behind him.

"Go!"

Emperor Chengping raised his hand to stop the guard from leaving. His expression was even uglier than before. He led the crowd to wait for Princess Leyao.

Not long after, Princess Leyao arrived.

She was riding on a tall stallion, which made everyone break out in cold sweat for her.

Princess Leyao clearly saw them as well. She smiled and raised her hand to greet Emperor Chengping. "Imperial Father!"

Emperor Chengping felt a headache coming on.

Before Princess Leyao could reach his side, he shouted angrily, "How dare you! Who allowed you to come here? Behave like a girl!"

Princess Leyao seemed to have expected Emperor Chengping to say that. She raised her chin and looked in Sima Hui's direction. "Imperial Father, General Sima is also a woman. She is here as well. Women are not inferior to men!"

Emperor Chengping did not expect Princess Leyao to refute him with such words. The anger in his chest intensified.

Just as Princess Leyao was nearing Emperor Chengping's side, her stallion suddenly raised its front hooves and neighed. Then, it began to move about crazily …

Emperor Chengping's eyes widened. "Protect the princess!"

He Changdi and Young Prince Lu Tai were the closest to Princess Leyao's side.

For some reason, Princess Leyao's stallion seemed to have lost control.

Princess Leyao screamed in fright at this sudden turn of events.

In the past, she had always ridden on docile fillies. She had never encountered such an uncontrollable situation. She was still young, so her face turned pale and she screamed subconsciously.

Even He Changdi, who had experienced his previous life, did not have the time to consider whether he should save her or not.

At such a critical moment, there was no time to consider the pros and cons.

He Changdi and Lu Tai spurred their stallions toward Princess Leyao.

Everyone nervously looked at the thrilling scene not far away, their hearts in their throats.

Emperor Chengping's eyes widened and he held his breath.

Unfortunately … He Changdi, Lu Tai, and the guards were too slow …

After all, they were too far away. Distant water could not put out a nearby fire.

Before He Changdi and Lu Tai arrived, Princess Leyao was thrown off her stallion.

That stallion was tall and strong, and Princess Leyao was only an eleven-year-old child. Even if she could survive a fall from such a stallion, she would probably be crippled …

The stallion neighed and fell to the ground, stirring up a small cloud of dust.

He Changdi had killed the stallion with a single slash of his sword. The stallion had already gone mad. If it was not killed in time, it might trample Princess Leyao who had fallen to the ground.

Everyone hurriedly rushed over.

Lu Tai carefully carried Princess Leyao. He did not dare to move recklessly for fear of touching the injured parts of Princess Leyao's body.

Emperor Chengping came to Lu Tai's side in shock. "Yao 'er!"

Even though Princess Leyao's temperament was becoming more and more unpleasant, she was still the emperor's most beloved daughter. How could he not be sad that his youngest daughter was injured in front of him?

Hearing Emperor Chengping's shout, Princess Leyao seemed to regain her senses from the shock of falling off her horse. She looked in Emperor Chengping's direction and immediately burst into tears. "Imperial Father, Imperial Father, Yao 'er is afraid of pain!"

Emperor Chengping's heart clenched. He was at a loss as to what to do when faced with his youngest daughter's cries for help.

He could only clumsily comfort her. "Yao 'er, don't be afraid. Imperial Father is by your side!"

Emperor Chengping then shouted at the imperial physician.

They had actually brought the imperial physician along for the spring hunt because there would always be some minor injuries and pains. However, the imperial physician was not with them and was still in the hunting grounds.

He Lin saw Emperor Chengping's dark expression and quickly stepped forward. "Your Majesty, the imperial physician is not here. This humble subject is well-versed in medicine. Let this humble subject take a look at the princess!"

Emperor Chengping glanced at He Lin and He Lin immediately went to Princess Leyao's side to take her pulse.

Princess Leyao moaned and He Lin moved quickly.

After a while, He Lin turned around with a deep frown on his face.

"How is it?!"

Emperor Chengping knew the commander of the royal guards very well. The moment he saw the expression on He Lin's face, he knew that it was not good.

Just as He Lin was about to speak, Emperor Chengping raised a hand to stop him. He took a few steps to the side and gestured for He Lin to speak in a low voice.

He Lin took a moment to organize his words, his expression turning even more solemn.

"Your Majesty, forgive this humble subject for being so bold. I'm afraid that Princess Leyao's left leg cannot be saved … Even if we get a skilled physician, the best case scenario would be to save her left leg. However, she will definitely have problems walking in the future."

Emperor Chengping sucked in a breath of cold air.

What?

His daughter's leg could not be saved?

He Lin was an extremely conservative person. He had a sense of propriety in his words and actions. If he was uncertain of something, he would never say it aloud. Since he said that Princess Leyao's leg could not be saved, the situation could only be worse than what he said.

Emperor Chengping closed his eyes and quickly calmed himself down.

He walked back to Princess Leyao's side. By this time, he had regained his rationality. The person standing before everyone was not only a father, but also a high and mighty emperor who could not be questioned.

"Yuan Zhou, bring some men to send the princess back first. Once we reach the camp, immediately call Imperial Physician Zhou to treat Yao 'er."

Yuan Zhou immediately obeyed the order.

Although Emperor Chengping and He Lin had purposely moved away from each other to speak, He Changdi's acute senses had still heard their conversation.

He was slightly taken aback. He did not expect that Princess Leyao's leg could not be treated … In his previous life, such a thing had never happened. Even when he was on the brink of death, he knew that Princess Leyao was still alive and well.

Yuan Zhou was just about to take Princess Leyao from Young Prince Lu Tai's hands.

Unexpectedly, Princess Leyao, who was crying her heart out, suddenly pointed at He Changdi and cried out with tears in her eyes, "Imperial Father, I want Big Brother Changdi to send me back, sob sob …"

Emperor Chengping was taken aback. His deep eyes swept over He Changdi. He was still holding the sword that he had used to kill the fierce horse. The tip of the sword was still dripping with blood, and it gave off a murderous aura.

In truth, Princess Leyao's request was very abrupt and unreasonable.

Although it was a little exaggerated for men and women to be separated at the age of seven in the Great Wu Dynasty, it did not mean that the Great Wu Dynasty did not have such a rule.

He Changdi was a married man, and Princess Leyao was already eleven years old. In the Great Wu Dynasty, women could marry once they reached the marriageable age. At the age of twelve, there would be families who would arrange marriages for their daughters. At Princess Leyao's age, she already had to pay attention to the distance between men and women.

Moreover, Princess Leyao had matured early. Perhaps it was because of the good environment she grew up in, but she looked more mature than her peers. In reality, she was only eleven years old, but she did not look much different from a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl.

As soon as Princess Leyao said this, many pairs of eyes immediately fell on He Changdi.

Some were probing, some were jealous, some were looking down on him, and some even harbored malicious intentions …

He Changdi did not expect Princess Leyao to make such an outrageous request.

Speaking of his interaction with Princess Leyao, could it be that in order to attract Emperor Chengping's attention as quickly as possible, he used the memories of his previous life to save her? Afterwards, Princess Leyao found opportunities to meet him a few times. At that time, Princess Leyao was only ten years old, so He Changdi did not think much of it.

After that, he went to the northern border to fight for his military merits. He only returned after the victory in the northern border after the new year. The next time he met Princess Leyao was at a few banquets in the palace, and he only nodded at her.

Although He Changdi disliked Princess Leyao's actions from the bottom of his heart, he did not think too much about it. In his eyes, Princess Leyao was really just a little girl who had not grown up.

He stood there motionlessly. He still had that cold and handsome face and that elegant temperament.

Emperor Chengping was obviously not aware of his daughter's true intentions. He remembered that He Changdi had saved his daughter last year, and now he wanted He Changdi to send her back to the camp. It was probably because of his daughter's reliance on her savior.

He Changdi had saved her before and could give her a sense of security.

He looked at He Sanlang and said, "Marquis Anyuan, send the princess back."

Emperor Chengping had personally spoken, so He Changdi could only obey. He took a step forward and took Princess Leyao from the young prince's hands. Then, he led Yuan Zhou and the other guards back to the camp.

Princess Leyao's leg injury could not be delayed.

Emperor Chengping watched as He Changdi left with Princess Leyao. He paused for a moment, thinking about something. Then, he mounted his horse and led his officials into the depths of the forest.

With his daughter injured, he was no longer in the mood for the spring hunt.

However, it was not a good idea to bring so many officials and nobles with him, so he could only brace himself and take a look around.

Chu Lian and the other women were sitting under the pergola, drinking tea and enjoying the scenery. This time, she sat beside Princess Wei and Princess Duanjia.

Of course, Noble Consort Wei sat at the head of the table, followed by the princes' wives and the women of the imperial family.

At a glance, there were quite a number of people, and all three pergola were filled.

Royal Princess Duanjia threw a beautifully peeled walnut into her mouth and rolled her eyes in the direction of Royal Princess An Min.

Princess Wei glared at her. "Duanjia, don't be rude."

Chu Lian, who was sitting next to Princess Duanjia, also glanced at Princess An Min when she heard this.

At this time, Princess An Min was chatting with the other princesses.

In this dynasty, the princesses, county lords, and other women of the imperial family did not have fiefdoms. It was not like the Tang Dynasty, where women could have fiefdoms. They might be given some land, but the treatment they received was worlds apart from men.

Even the golden daughters of the imperial family did not have much status without the care of those in power.

Princess An Min's mother, Princess Ande, was such a person.

Princess Ande was ranked eighth. Her mother was of low status. She was a low-level palace maid who the former emperor had sex with after he was drunk. Later, she died soon after giving birth to Princess Ande.

It was rumored in the palace that Princess Ande was a curse to her mother, so no palace concubine was willing to raise her.

When she was young, she lived with the palace maids in the palace and sometimes didn't even have enough to eat. Later, when Emperor Chengping ascended the throne, Princess Ande was given a title.

However, because she wasted time in the palace, Princess Ande was already past her flowering period when she got married. She only got Princess An Min's daughter when she was almost thirty. Because Princess Ande was weak, the son-in-law took in two concubines, and the two concubines each gave birth to a bastard son.

Because of the bastard son, Princess An Min's family was not harmonious.

Chu Lian withdrew her gaze and asked Princess Duanjia softly, "What's wrong?"

Princess Duanjia sneered, "I just don't like her. Chu Liu, remember to stay away from this person."

Chu Lian recalled the previous events in the original book. This Princess An Min was only briefly described in the book, and nothing else was introduced.

Before Princess Duanjia could explain in detail to Chu Lian why Princess An Min was not good, there was a commotion at the opposite table where Princess An Min was sitting.

Then, there was a burst of laughter from a young woman.

Everyone heard a delicate voice like that of an oriole giggling, "Imperial Concubine, look at how boring it is for us to just sit in this tent. His Majesty and the others have gone to the hunting grounds and will only be back in the evening!"

"The one speaking is Princess Nanzhang," Princess Duanjia whispered in Chu Lian's ear.

Princess Nanzhang was the youngest daughter of Prince Le. Although they were related, her status was ordinary. Prince Le was the second son of the former emperor's brother, Prince Zhao. By Princess Nanzhang's generation, the bloodline had actually started to drift apart.

However, this Princess Nanzhang was very eloquent and often appeared at upper-class banquets. She left a deep impression on many of the noblewomen in the capital. Even Guifei Wei liked her glib tongue.

The title of Princess Nanzhang came from her mouth. Thinking about it this way, she was truly a talent.

This Princess Nanzhang's status was like a social butterfly in the upper-class society. In the eyes of those who truly held great power, she was not worth mentioning.

Guifei Wei sat at the seat of honor and smiled elegantly. "You're so clever. It's only been a while and you can't sit still anymore?

What's wrong? Did you think of some fun method? Tell me about it. "

"Guifei is truly wise. My little tricks were seen through by Guifei with just a glance.

Since Guifei doesn't mind me and has spoken, then I'll be so bold as to make a suggestion. "

As she spoke, Princess Nanzhang's slightly raised phoenix eyes swept around the large viewing booth. There was a smile on her face, making people feel that she was easy to get close to.

"Although we are women, we are not completely powerless. Although we can't reach the heights of General Sima, when it comes to horseback riding, I'm sure there's no one here who doesn't know!

How about we have a game of polo? "

Both polo and cuju were very popular in the Great Wu Dynasty.

Because horses were expensive, cuju was more popular among the people. Sometimes, on the streets of Shengjing, youths could be seen playing cuju.

Polo was mostly an activity of the nobility.

Noble women also basically knew how to play.

Women's polo was gentler than men's. The long clubs and balls used were different, and there were fewer people than men. The horses used to play polo were the most docile fillies that were carefully selected.

Generally speaking, there was basically no risk.

This activity was also one of the few events where women could display their athletic talents.

Guifei Wei was clearly moved by Princess Nanzhang's words. She smiled. "Nanzhang's suggestion is good. Since we've all come out, we should also relax. Today, everyone is wearing riding clothes. If we don't show off our feminine charm, wouldn't it be a waste to wear these riding clothes?"

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