mesbooks Chapter 220 Going Hunting in the Mountains
Chapter 220 Going Hunting in the Mountains
"Your Majesty, is there anything this old servant needs to do?" Li Desheng asked respectfully as he ascended the imperial carriage.
The Emperor sat in his imperial carriage, gazing thoughtfully into the distance. After a while, he slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on Li Desheng. He then asked, "Li Desheng, tell me, why did the Empress Dowager order Consort Zhuang to guard the imperial tomb for ten years?"
This question stumped Li Desheng. He stood there, opening and closing his mouth several times, but no sound came out. He inwardly groaned: "I'm just a lowly servant; how could I possibly know the reason behind this!"
"Your Majesty, this old servant is unaware," Li Desheng hurriedly lowered his head and replied with trepidation.
Seeing this, the Emperor couldn't help but point at Li Desheng with his finger, laughing as he scolded, "You! You're too blunt. Can't you even give me a casual, perfunctory reply?"
Upon hearing this, Li Desheng was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and kowtowed again, repeatedly saying, "Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty, please calm down! This old servant has been by Your Majesty's side ever since I entered the palace. Your Majesty knows my temperament all too well."
Time flies by like a white horse galloping past a crack in the wall, and in the blink of an eye, the hot summer has arrived.
Not long after the Emperor left, he sent a special envoy to deliver a large amount of silver and various necessities to Su Nuannuan. Not only that, but even the position of the head of the Imperial Household Department was changed.
Now, the matter concerning Consort Qing has finally come to light and the dust has settled.
The key figure in this case was Physician Ruan Zhaoxiang. The Dark Dragon Guards searched everywhere for him but could not find any trace of him. In the end, they found his body at his residence.
Not only that, but an account book was also found in his residence. However, the account book did not record the usual mundane matters such as money transactions, but detailed the specific things that Consort Qing had instructed him to do.
What is particularly shocking is that she pretended to be insane and stupid, and even the connection between him and Ruan Guicai was recorded in detail.
It turns out that these two are cousins! Back then, due to extreme poverty, Ruan Guicai was sent to the palace to be castrated at a young age, thus becoming a eunuch; while Ruan Zhaoxiang, with his talent for medicine, was fortunate enough to be noticed by a traveling physician who took him as a disciple and imparted all his medical knowledge to him.
Faced with such irrefutable and overwhelming evidence, Consort Qing truly descended into madness. Even so, the Emperor showed her no pity and resolutely issued an edict to give her a length of white silk, thus ending her life.
At this moment, shouts came from the courtyard. "Mother, Mother, hurry up!" Canglan Jingcheng was standing in the courtyard, anxiously urging her on.
"Brother, please stop urging Mother!" Canglan Jingyao said reproachfully, her face showing displeasure.
Not long after, Su Nuannuan walked out, dressed in a neat short outfit, looking dashing and spirited.
Upon seeing his mother emerge, Canglan Jingcheng could no longer contain his eagerness and hurried towards the back gate of the estate.
Today, the sun is shining brightly and a gentle breeze is blowing—a perfect day for an outing. Su Nuannuan decided to take everyone up the mountain for a hunting trip, allowing them to fully enjoy the beauty of nature.
However, considering that the children are still young, she did not plan to go deep into the mountains, but only stay on the outskirts, so that she could play happily with the two little ones and also check how well they had learned in their archery lessons recently.
It's important to understand that while practicing shooting at stationary targets is crucial, it doesn't guarantee perfect accuracy against moving targets. After all, real enemies won't stand still and wait to be shot. Therefore, this hunting trip was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for the children to practice their skills in real combat.
The back gate of the manor is closest to the mountains, saving considerable distance and time. The two children's nanny, feeling slightly unwell, did not accompany them up the mountain this time, choosing instead to stay in the manor to rest and recuperate.
Instead, Tingxue and Muge, who had always served the children closely, stayed by their side, taking care of their safety.
Behind Su Nuannuan followed three maids: Jinse, Yaoqin, and Zhixiang. Zhixiang, in particular, was usually busy in the kitchen and rarely had the opportunity to participate in outdoor activities like this. This time, she had also come up the mountain with great enthusiasm, finally able to temporarily set aside her kitchen duties. In addition, Tingfeng and Tingyu were hidden in the shadows, quietly following along and protecting everyone.
Not long after, a group of people carrying bamboo baskets filled with dry food and water set off towards the mountains in a grand procession.
Cang Lan Jingcheng had a clear goal for this trip—to catch those cute and delicious little animals. He rubbed his hands together, secretly vowing to make a good catch today so that everyone could enjoy a sumptuous wild game feast to improve their meals.
Meanwhile, Canglan Jingyao was obediently following beside Mu Ge, intently learning about the medicinal herbs found in the mountains. Whether it was a highly poisonous variety that inspired fear, or a harmless one that could be used as medicine to treat illnesses and save lives, Mu Ge patiently and meticulously explained everything to her.
As for Su Nuannuan, she remained vigilant at all times, carefully observing her surroundings and not missing a single sound or movement.
In the many time-travel novels she had read in her previous life, the female protagonists always managed to discover all sorts of novel and interesting plants in these mysterious and unpredictable mountains, and might even find precious ingredients.
Therefore, Su Nuannuan was full of hope that she could also have such good luck, and maybe she could really discover some unexpected treasures.
By this time, the group had been walking through the mountains and forests for some time. However, Cang Lan Jingcheng looked frustrated and unhappy, because he hadn't even spotted a single small animal.
There stood her son, looking unhappy, his little mouth pouting. Seeing this, Su Nuannuan turned to Tingxue and whispered, "Tingxue, take Cheng'er to the other side to hunt. But remember, don't go too far, and definitely don't venture deep into the mountains, lest you encounter danger."
Tingxue bowed slightly and replied respectfully, "Yes, Your Highness, rest assured, this servant will take good care of the young prince."
Upon hearing that they could go hunting on the other side, Cang Lan Jingcheng, who had been sullen, immediately cheered and shouted excitedly to Su Nuannuan, "Thank you, Mother! Your son will definitely hunt a lot of prey to show you!" After saying that, he eagerly grabbed Tingxue's hand and ran off to the other side.
Watching her son's cheerful departing figure, a gentle smile appeared on Su Nuannuan's face. However, just then, as if she had suddenly thought of something, her gaze quickly turned to the shadows. She raised her right hand and gently gestured in that direction.
The idea is to have one of the two hidden figures, Tingfeng and Tingyu, secretly follow them.