Chapter 20 Hunting Attack (1)
The new year has come again.
The ice and snow also began to melt.
The seemingly peaceful and calm palace was actually a little eerie in its silence.
Civil and military officials and guards were coming and going, as well as busy palace maids and eunuchs. Outside the Zhaoren Hall, there were many imperial guards, that is, the personal guards directly under Zhou Cheng. No one dared to approach this place despite the large number of troops. The hall was deserted. A woman stood in a pavilion beside, looking at the fish in the pond. Zhou Cheng, wearing a yellow robe, approached the woman with a cloak in his hand and gently placed the cloak on her shoulders...
"Be careful to catch a cold—"
The woman knew who was coming, but ignored him and turned to sit on a stone bench that had been covered with a fluffy mat. Zhou Cheng was only slightly saddened by the woman's indifference, and soon sat on a stone bench beside him...
The palace maids served exquisite snacks and tea.
"These are tributes just sent from other countries, try them!"
The woman remained silent.
"If you feel bored, you can walk around, or you can ask Xin'er to accompany you, or ask your aunt to come to the palace to accompany you."
Although Zhou Cheng looked calm, his tone was full of concern and care. What was even more surprising was that he did not seem to call himself by the emperor's own title, which showed that he had put aside his status...
"In that case why don't you let me go?"
The woman finally spoke, and it turned out that this woman was Yin Yin...
"…Because for you, this is the safest place!"
"Is it safe? It's unbelievable. I didn't expect this sentence to come out from a person who once wanted to tear me into pieces!"
Yinyin's words made Zhou Cheng's heart tremble. He raised his hand and waved to signal the serving maids and eunuchs to retreat...
"You were the one who said I killed your beloved Jiang Ruting. How can I believe that I will be safe by your side now? Or do you want to put me under house arrest and kill me when the time comes?"
Yinyin was right. She had not yet cleared herself of the crime of killing Jiang Ruting. If Yinyin had not mentioned it deliberately, Zhou Cheng would have almost forgotten it. When he thought about it, even he himself felt that he could not understand his behavior. Yinyin should have killed the woman he once loved, and he also forced Yinyin to fall off a cliff and narrowly escaped death. In the final analysis, Zhou Cheng did not hate Jiang Ruting's death, but he felt extremely guilty for forcing Yinyin to fall off the cliff ...
"I haven't forgotten Ru Ting's death, but I also can't forget your expression that day. Although I can't make up for it now, I feel very ashamed for not believing you and forcing you off the cliff and nearly killing you. Please forgive me. I will make it up to you and do my best to make up for the crime I committed against you that day—"
Zhou Cheng unexpectedly bowed his head first, but Yin Yin was not shaken by this...
"Compensation? I didn't expect to hear these two words from you, but why should you believe me? You were the one who never believed me no matter how I explained. Or have you caught the real murderer who killed her? Do you want to clear my name?"
What Yin Yin said was not true, it was just that Zhou Cheng could not express his thoughts and remained silent!
"If I said I killed him, would you believe it?"
Yinyin's words left Zhou Cheng, who once believed that she was the murderer, helpless. In fact, deep in his heart, he still had some doubts about Yinyin, which meant that for a while he still couldn't put aside the past tragedy and tell Yinyin that he loved her...
"Silence means you still doubt me, right?"
Zhou Cheng’s repeated silence made Yin Yin’s eyes increasingly cold and lifeless.
Since Zhou Cheng always kept silent, Yin Yin had nothing to say. She casually pulled off the cloak that Zhou Cheng had covered her with and threw it aside before leaving...
"Can I say it's because I'm in love with you?"
After Yin Yin left, Zhou Cheng whispered a few words, his voice full of depression and sadness. He hated himself for falling in love with his enemy, and he also hated himself for not being able to express his feelings to Yin Yin. When this kind of love-hate relationship faced him head-on, he really didn't know how to face it. He didn't want to hurt her, but he could only watch her getting farther and farther away from him. How could he express this feeling?
In the distance of the pavilion, Yin Yin could be seen stopping. She was looking at Zhou Cheng in the pavilion with a puzzled look, and the corners of her mouth were slightly raised...
【Imperial Study】.
"According to my subordinates, Prince Jing has completely suppressed the riot and should be back soon—"
"...Oh, it's much faster than I thought!"
"Yes, even I did not expect that the prince could suppress the rebellion so quickly. From the reports of my subordinates, the prince's methods of suppression were very tough and brutal. He adopted massacre and occupation from the beginning, which shook the enemy's morale. In addition, after several massacres, the enemy had already abandoned the city and surrendered before the city was completely captured!"
"…He must have another purpose for wanting to come back so soon!"
Even if Zhou Cheng didn't clearly state Zhou Yan's purpose, Shan Zhen could guess it and just remained silent!
"I thought giving him a mission would help him let go a little, but the result was the exact opposite?"
Thinking about how he had sent Zhou Yan to suppress the riot immediately after settling Yin Yin in the palace, in order to prevent Yin Yin's condition from worsening and to avoid gossip from others, he had to arrange for Yin Yin to live in the Zhaoren Hall. Based on his understanding of Zhou Yan, he might take Yin Yin away, so he arranged for heavy guards to be stationed there.
"Yinyin's condition is now stable and has improved. There's no need to worry too much!"
"Having said that, I'm not sure if Yan's appearance won't affect her!"
"…If this continues, what action will Prince Jing take? He loves Yinyin so much, he will definitely not give up just like this!"
"I know this even if you don't say it. We can only take one step at a time and try to delay as much as possible. As for Yinyin who is recuperating, we can't let them meet now!"
"You are right!"
Zhou Cheng also fell in love with Yin Yin, and Shan Zhen already knew it. Because of this, they did not hide anything from each other during their conversation. Zhou Cheng did not put on airs in front of Shan Zhen, although Shan Zhen was still loyal to his duties...
"By the way, please arrange the hunting for the day after tomorrow. In addition to hunting, prepare a wild game feast. This time, you are allowed to bring the women with you. I want to take Yinyin with me!"
"This, this kind of thing has happened before. What if Yinyin--"
"It's okay. Just don't let her enter the hunting range. If she stays in the palace for a long time, she will definitely feel bored according to her previous personality. Letting her go out for some fresh air may actually help her condition!"
"Yes, I obey your order!"
Recalling that Yinyin almost lost her life in the hunting field, can the hunting competition that has been away for a long time be safe? Is the seemingly calm atmosphere a precursor to the coming storm?
A blink of an eye.
The hunting competition has begun, with unprecedented female companions and a huge team!
The two women who are at the top of the country's female population, the Queen Mother and the Empress, also participated!
The hunting camp was large and bustling.
Because of the special arrangement this time, more people participated in the hunting, and Zhou Cheng also participated. Now that Shan Zhen is a general, he does not need to be accompanied by bodyguards, but is guarding someone in the camp!
The queen, whose status was second only to the empress dowager, should have been the center of everyone's attention. However, many people's eyes were fixed on the woman who was standing away from the crowd and associating with wild beasts!
The huge beast, with its white fur and sharp claws, would make anyone stay away from it, but Yinyin, Mrs. Zhang Renhe, Lei'er and Xinxin were the only ones who kept company with it?
"It's been so long since I last saw you, but it seems like it still misses you—"
"Um!"
【Roar--】.
Yinyin gently stroked the white tiger's head, and the white tiger roared softly in response, and licked the palm of Yinyin's hand. It was hard to tell that under its ferocious appearance, it actually hid its insight into people's hearts...
"During the years when you were not around, Xiaobai slept outside your room every day. It made me feel sad!"
The Prime Minister's wife began to sob as she spoke.
"sorry--"
A soft and slightly sad voice lingered in her ears. The white tiger seemed to understand Yinyin's feelings and licked her ear to comfort her...
——This side——
"I heard that the woman was the daughter of the Prime Minister, right? Didn't I hear that she died three years ago?"
"Who is he to be associated with such a large beast?"
"Besides, I heard that the Emperor—"
That's how it is. With more women, there will naturally be more gossip. Of course, more gossip will reach the ears of the queen. When the queen hears what others say, she doesn't know what it means. After all, what they say is the truth.
"Shuang'er? What's wrong?"
"nothing!"
The Queen Mother saw that the Queen was a little depressed and worried, so she asked out of concern. The Queen, Xia Ningshuang, was naturally beautiful, and her delicate and charming voice moved people's hearts...
"Why do you seem unhappy? Do you dislike occasions like this?"
"No, how could that be? I'm just a little uncomfortable with it, because this is my first time in such an occasion, so -"
"Oh, is that so? Then relax. You are now the queen of our Great Zhou. You need to slowly adapt to many things and situations!"
"Yes, mother—"
Xia Ningshuang was unhappy, how could the Queen Mother not know? From the time that happened on the wedding day, and the topics of the chat just now, after all, there are still many things to adapt to when you first arrive, including patience...
The men went hunting, and those who stayed behind were civil servants or elderly officials and their families. Chatting was one of the ways to relieve boredom. You could chat with me, and it was interesting and not so boring...
