After the beginning of autumn, there was a grand royal hunting. What surprised Zhao Pei was that she was also invited. Wasn't she married yet? How could there be an invitation for her? The Xiao family was really not shy about strangers. She was even more surprised by the message her brother brought. Xiao Yi wasn't going, so why was she going alone
I couldn't figure it out after thinking about it, but I had no choice but to go to the appointment.
Just after four o'clock in the morning, Zhao Pei was pulled out of bed by Qingqing and Ruhua. Half asleep and half awake, she was taken to the dressing mirror and started to work on her. Zhao Pei looked at the cold blue sky outside the window and felt a thousand and ten thousand unwillingness in her heart, but she had no choice but to let them ravage her.
An hour later, she was pushed into the hall again. There were already people waiting in the hall. The old lady pulled her up and looked her up and down. The woman in front of her had a simple braid, tied with a black hairband and wrapped around the back of her head, which made her look quite capable. The scarlet Hu clothing also made her look light and neat, and the whole person looked refreshed, but it was a pity that Zhao Pei was like sleepwalking now. She smiled with satisfaction and said, "Pei'er's riding clothes are really nice. You must behave yourself and don't run around when you go there today. The hunting ground is very large, and you can't find it if you get lost." Then she pulled her and talked a lot to her.
Zhao Pei's eyes were blurry, her mind was full of the warm and soft bed, she didn't care about the wild beasts in the hunting ground. Zhao Li stood aside in a dark simple skirt, advising her in a teasing way: "Mom, please say less. Look at my sister, she is not listening at all. Don't annoy my sister, she is the future princess." Zhao Pei felt vaguely that the words were shady and weird. It was not that she was sensitive, but it seemed that Zhao Li had been arguing with her these days, and always spoke with hidden intentions.
The old lady looked a little embarrassed, and said no more, but urged: "It's getting late, hurry up and leave. Don't waste time."
Zhao Pei nodded, and they walked to the gate of the mansion. The cold wind made them feel much clearer. "Zi Ye, come with me." She looked back at the girl hiding behind the door and said lightly.
》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》
After the carriage stopped, the servants came forward and opened the curtain. A girl in red climbed the edge of the carriage and looked around before jumping off. A girl in green followed behind her. Although she was also a little curious, she did not look around like Zhao Pei.
"Hey! Sister Zhao Pei!" A gentle call came from afar. Zhao Pei looked up, and when she saw who it was, she was stunned for a moment, and finally she no longer felt sleepy.
The yellow-haired lady walked slowly towards him with a smile on her face. She had long eyebrows, white teeth, and a face like a peach. She was wearing a yellow riding suit, which did not give her the delicate feeling she had before, but a strong air. Zhao Pei smiled and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Crown Princess." Zi Ye also bowed behind her.
Yao Yunshang waved her hands and said with some anger: "We are all family, why are you being so formal?" Then she smiled and took her hand and walked towards the tent. "Come on, the ceremony will start soon, let's go sit down first."
Zhao Pei had no choice but to obey and follow.
Yao Yunshang looked her up and down and smiled softly, "The sun is cloudy today, and I feel a little uneasy. Sister, you are wearing red, which makes people feel more comfortable when they see you." Zhao Pei smiled awkwardly, but had nothing to say.
Yao Yunshang continued, "After a while, you will have to call me sister-in-law. But at that time, I thought you and Sixth Brother were just like that, but I didn't expect it to be like this today. Alas... Poor Sixth Brother."
Her meaningful sigh made Zhao Pei feel somewhat uncomfortable, wondering what she was trying to say. But she smiled softly, "Sister, please stop talking about this. Zhao Pei is going to be the wife of the seventh brother. Those things were just jokes when we were young. How can we take them seriously?" As she spoke, she lowered her eyes shyly. But she rolled her eyes several times, and was glad that she had not eaten anything in the morning, otherwise she would have vomited it out first.
Yao Yunshang laughed for no apparent reason, as if she was very relieved. "Okay, okay. It's my fault for making my sister angry."
As they were talking, they suddenly heard someone at the door shouting "Long live the queen". Zhao Pei stood up with Yao Yunshang and bowed her head. The man smiled and asked them to sit back down. After everyone was seated, Zhao Pei looked up at the queen. She was dignified and very kind. She was only in her forties, but she was well maintained and still had the charm of her youth, with curved eyebrows, plump cheeks, and skin as white as cream.
She stared at Zhao Pei for a while, then asked with a faint smile, "Are you Xu Zhao Pei?"
Zhao Pei didn't know her identity yet, and didn't dare to be rude, so she replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, I am Xu Zhao Pei."
She said with some amusement: "She looks cute and clever, but she is very stupid when it comes to talking." Zhao Pei was startled, not knowing how she had offended her. Then she heard her say: "From now on you will be the Seventh Princess. You can still call me Your Majesty." There was some resentment in her words, but no annoyance.
Yao Yunshang introduced Zhao Pei: "Silly sister, this is Empress Ruan, the mother of the Seventh Prince. What do you want to call her?"
Zhao Pei suddenly realized and felt a little embarrassed for a moment. Empress Ruan laughed and said, "Okay, I won't embarrass this girl. In the future, if you yell at me, I, an old woman, will be anxious."
She looked at Yao Yunshang and asked, "Yunshang, how is Zhao'er these days? I haven't seen him for a while and I miss him so much. When can you bring him over so I can take a good look at him?"
Yao Yunshang smiled and replied, "Of course. In a few days, when it's Zhu'er's birthday, I'll ask the Queen for good luck."
Madam Ruan clapped her hands and said, "Of course, time flies. Xu'er is almost one year old. This child looks exactly like his father. His eyebrows and eyes look like they were carved from the same mold."
Yao Yunshang glanced at Zhao Pei and said with satisfaction, "Isn't it? The prince also said so."
Ruan Niang thought of something and suddenly became a little sad: "Qi Fu was looking forward to this hunting, but he can't come today. This child is really pitiful." She sighed deeply, full of emotion.
Yao Yunshang looked at Zhao Pei and said comfortingly, "Your Majesty, didn't I invite Sister Zhao Pei here? Having her accompany you is like having your seventh brother by your side." As she spoke, she winked at Zhao Pei.
Only then did Zhao Pei realize that the Crown Princess was the culprit who had disturbed her sleep.
"Madam, Zhao Pei is here to accompany you." Zhao Pei smiled and leaned forward. Seeing that Madam Ruan was thinking of something sad, she felt guilty again. She rolled her eyes and suddenly laughed: "Madam, Zhao Pei thought of a funny story. How about telling it to you?"
Seeing that Ruan Niangniang did not refuse, she cleared her throat and began to talk: "In a village, there was an eight-year-old boy. His father was a scholar and named him 'Yizhi'. Later, his father died, and his mother wanted to take him to remarry and marry into a family in the west of the village. But Yizhi cried and made a fuss and refused to go. Why?"
Yao Yunshang tilted her head and thought for a moment: "Maybe he doesn't want his mother to remarry?"
Zhao Pei shook her head.
Lady Ruan thought for a moment and said with a smile, "But you are not satisfied with his new father?"
Zhao Pei smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, you are half right. The reason is... this family's surname is Zhu." She slowly said the answer.
Ruan Niangniang was stunned for a moment, then she chuckled and clapped her hands, saying, "What a 'pig'." Yao Yunshang also smiled and said, "No wonder."
Zhao Pei laughed along, but actually, if you think about it carefully, there is nothing funny. Empress Ruan couldn't help but look at Zhao Pei again and sighed, "She is a smart child. She won't be lonely in the future."
Zhao Pei smiled and thought to herself: I won't be lonely.
At this moment, a horn sounded, and Empress Ruan smiled and said, "It's finally started." After that, she waved her hand, and several maids pulled up the curtains. Zhao Pei then discovered that both sides of the tent were open. From here, she could actually see the main tent not far away clearly.
"We women can only sit here and join in the fun." Lady Ruan said, stretching her neck slightly to look over. Zhao Pei also looked over and saw quite a few people.
The emperor sat on the highest seat, smiling and talking to the people around him. Zhao Pei couldn't help but feel short of breath when she saw him, and asked Yao Yunshang beside her: "Sister, who is the old man next to the emperor?"
Yao Yunshang looked at her and tapped her head with amusement: "Don't talk nonsense, that's Sixth Uncle. Sixth Uncle is very good at horseback archery, and he always returns with a full load."
Xiao Hong? Zhao Pei tilted her head. It was said that this man was not a good person and had collected a lot of treasures. His reputation... was not very good. She looked at him carefully. He looked about 60% like the emperor, but his eyebrows were not as detached as the emperor's. Instead, he looked a little sinister, like an eagle, searching for prey everywhere. She didn't dare to look at him too deeply.
"Who is next to him?" Zhao Pei asked again. Next to Xiao Hong was a young man who was concentrating on himself. He was handsome but obviously aloof. Why were there only people she didn't know
"That's my second brother, Xiao Zong." Yao Yunshang's words were a little contemptuous, as if she was disdainful of mentioning him. She only explained this much, and Zhao Pei didn't ask any more questions.
She nodded and continued to look over. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat, and then turned into a dull pain.
He was dressed in white clothes, smiling as he sat on the side, listening to the conversation between the emperor and Xiao Hong. He stood very straight, like a jade zhi in the wind. Every time Zhao Pei saw his graceful appearance, she always felt a sense of comfort and ease as if bathed in the spring breeze, but at the same time, she also felt a continuous bitterness.
She couldn't help but think of what Xiao Lun had said to her. She had an urge to ask for clarification, but she was afraid of hearing a denial. She hesitated and hesitated. Zhao Pei was secretly annoyed. Why did so many things arise in her mind every time she saw him? What an enemy.
Yao Yunshang saw that she suddenly stopped talking, followed her line of sight, smiled bitterly, and asked, "Sister, the hunt is about to begin. Shall we join in the fun?" (To be continued)