In early March, the spring is bright and the grass grows and warblers fly, which is the traditional spring hunting day.
Emperor Zhengyuan led the civil and military officials and a group of officials to the outer field of the city.
The people of the British government were naturally among them. Even Wu Zhong, who was inconvenient to travel, was persuaded by the Wang family to come over, saying that when the spring came, he should have come out for a walk, which was good for his body.
Gu Yin finally saw Wu Qingyi in the daytime.
In the past two weeks, although he seldom stayed out of the night, every time he came back, it was already midnight.
It was so dark that the two of them couldn't even see whether the other was fat or thin, or black and white. And after a few words, they should take a rest.
Before the spring hunt, he was so busy that his feet could not touch the ground, and his head was devastated. When the spring hunt started and Emperor Zhengyuan and others were settled, he could have some free time instead.
This day was the second time that Gu Ye appeared in front of the ministers after the ceremony that day, and he naturally followed Emperor Zhengyuan.
After Wu Qingyi and Emperor Zhengyuan finished talking, they retreated from the tent, and Gu Ye chased after him, "General stay."
Because it was in front of people, Wu Qingyi held back a smile and cupped his hands: "What's your Highness' order?"
Gu Ye stepped forward slowly with his hands on his back, "I want to ask the general about some matters in the paddock. The general, please come with me."
The two people, one big and one small, went to a place where there was no one, Gu Ye immediately collapsed, and frowned, "Uncle, I didn't say you as a junior, what did I say before, I handed my mother over to you. No matter how busy this official business is, you can’t stay home. Of course, I don’t blame you. It was only after I came here that I realized it was so big. Uncle is responsible for the safety of such a big place. It's not easy for you to run back and forth."
After the two ends were finished, Wu Qingyi couldn't help but laugh and said: "You are right, it's really mine. It's just that I've been busy for a few days, so I can take a few days off, and then I'll be there every day. Stay with your mother at home."
"Who said that in the future," Gu Ye said anxiously, "I'm talking about the three days in front of me. I'm sure I won't be able to get out of my body during these three days. It's rare for my mother to come out to relax, and while my uncle accompanies her well, You must also behave well. Don't let other people compare. Just like today's hunt, you have to participate, and later, you can accompany your mother. "
For the three-day spring hunt, Emperor Zhengyuan would bring his ministers to hunt together, and the best performers would be rewarded generously at that time.
The British government is not short of awards, but the people who come out on top are extremely mighty and beautiful.
It doesn't matter if the British government is inferior to others. Of course, the government of Lu Guo's government cannot take the lead.
Wu Qingyi nodded, "I know all this."
After speaking, he couldn't help but stretch out his hand and snort Gu Ye's little head.
Gu Ye nodded with satisfaction, like a little adult: "Uncle knows everything, don't keep worrying about it."
He couldn't help but laugh when he was done.
Later, Wu Qingyi left from Emperor Zhengyuan and went to his house.
Gu Yin, Wang Shi and others have already settled in their tents.
Their tent was not far from the royal tent, only half an hour's walk left and right.
Song Shiliu brought a few maids to pack their luggage, Wang Shi and Wu An went out for a walk with Wu Zhong, and only Gu Yin was in the tent.
She is fiddling with some of her little things.
The cold iron kitchen knife she used to use, the bottles and jars she carried with her, and some other picnic tools were all on the table at this time.
Wu Qingyi came over and saw that she was the only one there, so he sat beside her and asked what she was doing
Gu Yin said: "When I went back to the polo club last time, I didn't bring those guys with me. You hunted such a good rabbit, you can only borrow the things from the Lu family. Although they are all complete, many utensils are not easy to use, so you can only bake them casually. As soon as it is baked, I have to bring it all this time, and it must be cooked well at that time."
Wu Qingyi couldn't help laughing and curled his lips when he heard it - even a child of Gu Ye's age, during this spring hunt, was thinking about the hunting competition with colorful heads, let alone others. They are definitely trying to make a name for themselves.
There is only Gu Yin, who is no different from going out for a picnic, without the slightest desire to be competitive.
Seeing him laughing, Gu Yin stopped fiddling with the seasoning and asked, "What's wrong? Where did I say something wrong?"
Wu Qingyi shook his head and said softly, "No, you're right. What do you want to eat? I'll hunt for you."
There was no one around, and the warm wind with the fragrance of grass and trees in the spring was gently blowing in from the door.
Gu Yin's soft bangs were messed up by the wind again, and Wu Qingyi stretched out her hand to pull her broken hair behind her ears as she spoke.
"Is this even with an order?" Gu Yin laughed, but when Wu Qingyi's hand rested on her ear, she couldn't say anything else, she just turned her head to avoid his hand, her cheeks flushed, The glinting eyes condemned him.
The conscience of heaven and earth, Wu Qingyi never touched her on purpose this time, this is because the fingertips accidentally scratched her ears.
"Why are your ears so sensitive?"
After hearing this, Gu Yin's face turned red to the point of dripping blood, so she could only stare at him again.
"Okay, I won't tease you anymore." Wu Qingyi held back a smile and said, "I have to participate in the first day of hunting, and I will be able to accompany you in the next two days. Then I will take you on horseback and use bows and arrows..."
The two didn't get along with each other for long, and Wang and the others came back after wandering around the camp.
The two naturally stopped talking about other things and only talked about hunting.
The first day of hunting starts in the afternoon, and the morning is the rest time of each family.
When it was almost time for dinner, Gu Yin went to the stove next to the tent.
After all, it is a royal place. There are not only shared kitchens but also small kitchens in this paddock.
The one with the most complete settings is definitely for the royals, and there is a slightly worse one next to it. Wu Qingyi has already arranged it, thinking that Gu Yin will definitely have to do it himself when she comes out, so let everyone arrange it in advance.
Coupled with the guys that Gu Yin brought, it can be said to be everything.
Wang and the others picked up a basket of wild vegetables when they were walking around, and among them was the tamales that Gu Yin liked very much.
The number of tamales was small that time, and the three boys ate one pot, and Lu Xu took the rest back with him. Except for Gu Yin, no one else had tasted the paella.
The only fly in the ointment is probably that there is no shortage of seasonings in the paddock, but naturally there will be no pre-salted bacon.
Gu Yin replaced it with pork belly that had been salted for half an hour.
After the bacon was marinated, Gu Ye asked Xiaoluzi to send some spring bamboo shoots, and also let Xiaoluzi pass the word, saying that he dug it now, although he can't run around with the emperor's father now, but he doesn't She forgot!
Seeing the tender bamboo shoots, Gu Yin was about to make a braised spring bamboo shoots.
She peeled and washed the spring bamboo shoots, then flattened the bamboo shoots with the back of the knife and cut them into small pieces. Then put cold oil in the pot, add spring bamboo shoots and rock sugar, and stir fry over low heat. Stir fry until the spring bamboo shoots are soft, add the soy sauce, cover the pot and simmer, and finally add the fire to collect the juice, sprinkle with sesame oil, and increase the fragrance.
Later, when the vegetable rice was cooked, Mr. Wang came to help a dish to bring out all the food.
Braised spring bamboo shoots with thick red oil sauce, vegetable rice with both vegetable and meat flavors, and refreshing wild vegetables mixed with sesame oil.
After a simple but delicious lunch, the horn from the outside sounded, and it was time to assemble.
There is a ring of stands around the gathering place, and like the tents, they are also distinguished according to their status.
Emperor Zhengyuan took Gu Ye and Lu Xu to stand in the middle, with civil officials on one side, military generals headed by Wu Qingyi on the other, and the people from the Duke of Lu's mansion were next to the other side of the British mansion.
On the first day of the lucky draw, Emperor Zhengyuan took out a machete.
The scabbard of the machete is also covered with gorgeous gems of various colors, shining in the sun, and it is worth a thousand gold at a glance.
But these are secondary, mainly because the knife is very small, and the woman will not look clumsy when holding it.
And it is said that it is also made of meteorite iron, which is rare in the world. Even the emperors of the previous dynasty are precious. They are only for fun, and have not been used by Kaifeng!
Such a good little machete that has never been used is great for slicing meat!
Because of the proximity, Gu Yin clearly felt that Gu Ye was secretly winking at her.
The mother and son were in the same spirit, and Gu Yin guessed that he helped pick the lucky head.
She immediately returned an "I understand" look, and Gu Ye didn't look at him anymore, and returned to his prudent appearance as a teenager.
Wu Qingyi had already put on light armor and got on the horse, and gathered in the open space in the middle with the others.
The horn sounded again from the back, and Emperor Zhengyuan also put on a strong suit and let Gu Ye sit in front of him. After a command, Emperor Zhengyuan set off first, and the others followed closely.
Because this hunt was from noon to evening, and it was weighed uniformly when it was dark. The one who hunted the heaviest number of prey, even if he came out on top, would get the prize.
It's been a long time, so everyone didn't scramble for the first place, and it was still orderly.
After sending off a large group of men, the entire camp was immediately cleaned up.
Gu Yin originally wanted to accompany Wang to take care of Wu Zhong and Wu An, but Wang did not let her touch her, saying that it was rare for her to come out and scattered, and she had to walk around the family as before and let her take them there. It's fine to ride a horse, look at the scenery, or just take a nap in the tent, in short, let her come as she wants.
Later, the Queen Mother asked Mrs. Wang to come over to speak. Mrs. Wang served Wu Zhong for a nap and brought Wu An over there.
Gu Yin was thinking about how to spend her time when Queen Zhou came to look for her in person.
Gu Yin was quite surprised to see Empress Zhou here, not that Empress Zhou should not come to such a grand event, but according to what Gu Ye said before, Lu Zhao was also brought out.
When Lu Zhao was in the palace, except for Lu Zhao going to Wenhua Hall to take classes, Queen Zhou was inseparable from her youngest son.
Now that she is out of the palace, it stands to reason that Queen Zhou must be taking care of Lu Zhao.
Seeing Gu Yinlue's somewhat surprised reaction, Queen Zhou explained with a smile: "Alie played with his brother for a while before lunch, and A Zhao, who was tired, took a nap after eating. His nurses were all watching over him. , I can also let go.”
Gu Yin nodded and said with a smile, "Then you came just in time, and my mother told me to leave. I'm used to being busy at ordinary times.
When it comes to this Queen Zhou, it is too emotional.
As a peasant woman in the past, Emperor Zhengyuan rebelled outside without telling his family.
Empress Zhou didn't know what he was doing outside, and she lived the same life as before, serving her parents-in-law and taking care of the children, and taking on a little chores to help the family.
Later, she became the righteous princess, and then became the queen of a country, but her mind was not on herself.
Now her relationship with Emperor Zhengyuan has eased a lot. When leaving the palace this time, Emperor Zhengyuan didn't want to bring Lu Zhao out. He said that he wanted Queen Zhou to rest and relax.
But Chunshou was going to be out for three days, and all the masters in the palace came out, so Empress Zhou could not rest assured that Lu Zhao would stay in the palace alone.
In the end, the two of them took a step back. Empress Zhou could bring Lu Zhao out, but she also had to set aside her own time to have fun. She couldn't focus on the children. It would be no different from when she was in the palace.
"Your Majesty also asked me to have some fun, but I really don't know what to do when I'm free." When Empress Zhou mentioned Emperor Zhengyuan, there was a soft smile in her eyes, and she said with some embarrassment: "And I'm not afraid of your jokes. I don't have other acquaintances in Beijing, so I can only come to find you."
Gu Yin thought about it and said, "Then let's go on a horse? I just learned it once, and the pony that Qingyi was looking for also brought me here. The horse is short and small, cute and docile..."
Queen Zhou could not ride a horse either, but after hearing from Gu Yin that she was just learning, she did not refuse.
The two of them went back and took off their hairpins, changed their riding clothes, and met again in a nearby open space.
Not to mention that the two really have similar interests, the riding outfit on Gu Yin's body is still the one worn once at the polo meeting before, which is already simple. Empress Zhou's riding uniform is simpler. Although the material is good, it is not as precious as the satin in the palace, and there is no decoration at all. It can be described as simple.
The riding clothes of the two are made by people according to their own preferences. They met, looked at each other, and burst into laughter.
Even Queen Zhou couldn't help laughing and said, "I really didn't know our preferences were so similar before, and it's really fate."
Gu Yin said that was not the case, and she thought of something, and said, "There is one thing that I have not understood all these years. When His Royal Highness King Lie had a hard time on the pier, many kind-hearted vendors helped him. His Royal Highness They are not close to them, only different to me and others. My mother and they all said that the food I made was delicious, so he was very different to me. "
As they were talking, they came to the side of the pony.
Because she was talking about Gu Ye's past few years, Queen Zhou listened very seriously, Gu Yin stretched out her hand and handed it to her, she subconsciously supported Gu Yin's hand and rode onto the horse.
Gu Yin repeated to Empress Zhou the formula Wu Qingyi had taught her before, and helped her sit down.
"But I learned later that the current shopkeeper Zhou of our restaurant was working in other restaurants at that time, and he also left meals for him... Shopkeeper Zhou's craftsmanship is definitely not inferior to me, especially in the red case, I will learn from him later. A lot of things. His Highness didn't look at him differently at that time, obviously the previous guess is not accurate."
Having said this, Gu Yin smiled again, "Now I have a new idea, probably because His Highness still has some childhood memories, maybe I saw the shadow of the empress on me. If this is the case. Like, then it's not that I have a relationship with His Royal Highness, but it's actually a relationship with the Empress."
Empress Zhou's heart was very soft in what she said.
By the time she reacted, Gu Yin had already helped her lead the horse away for a long time.
She was upset and hurriedly said, "How can you lead the horse for me? Stop it."
Gu Yin didn't care about it herself, she just inadvertently repeated the pattern of Wu Qingyi riding with him last time, she smiled indifferently, "What's the matter? You come to play with me, we don't care about identities. , just having fun together."
"That's it," Prince Zhou beckoned to the palace maid next to him, helped the palace maid's hand to get off the horse, and said, "Then it's your turn to ride now, I'll take it for you."
Don't look at Gu Yin just saying that, asking the queen to lead her horse, she really dare not!
"Don't, don't, you have a valuable status, and you are a few years older than me. I... This makes people don't know what to say about me."
"No," Queen Zhou insisted with a smile: "What you say, the water you pour out, is what you say regardless of your identity."
She pulled Gu Yin onto the horse, but Gu Yin couldn't bear it anymore, so she hurriedly apologized: "I was wrong, I shouldn't have led the horse for you."
Empress Zhou couldn't laugh anymore, and stopped teasing her, she just talked while walking her horse.
Only this time Queen Zhou took over the rope and let her lead the horse.
After all, Gu Yin didn't say anything about letting Gu Yin ride on the horse, she just walked side by side with her.
"There is something I want to say sorry to your family."
Gu Yin tilted her head and saw Empress Zhou lowered her eyes in shame, and said, "The general didn't find A Lie back then, so I blamed him. I gave him a lot of coldness for this. Now that I think about it, I don't know. How did I become such a person... Not to mention that Alie was adopted by your family by chance, even if he really... Then he should not be blamed anyway. It is not convenient for me and the general to meet, so I only Can I ask you to help spread the word."
Gu Yin nodded, "If you care, you will be confused. You were also bitter at that time. Now that you are much happier than before, I am happy for you from the bottom of my heart."
Queen Zhou looked at her quietly, looked at her and laughed to herself.
"You also said that we are destined, so don't say 'you'. How are we sisters?"
Gu Yin naturally should be fine.
The two walked and chatted, and went to the nearby grove. One of them didn't pay attention and met another group of people.
There were dozens of people in the group. In contrast, on the side of Gu Yin and Queen Zhou, Gu Yin only brought Song Shiliu, and Queen Zhou only brought a maid and three or five guards.
The one who was in red was the leader, and Gu Yin immediately recognized that it was Lu Yuanqi, who had already engaged the Feng family.
I can't believe she is here today.
Since they are not to deal with, there is no need to say hello, Gu Yin and Queen Zhou then talk to themselves.
Unexpectedly, Lu Yuanqi came over after seeing her.
She jumped off the horse, saluted, and said, "Madam, this pony, are you really not considering selling it to me?"
Why is this question again, Gu Yin frowned impatiently, but she replied with good upbringing: "Miss Lu, don't ask again, a hundred times, a thousand times will be the same. This horse is the same. Not for sale."
Lu Yuanqi took the horse whip and knocked in his hand, "It's just a horse, why should Madam be so persistent."
"Yeah, it's just a horse, why are you so persistent?" Gu Yin fanned the wind with her hand, "The weather is a little hot in the afternoon, this person is prone to bad temper when he sweats. If the girl is messed up again, I may not be able to speak to you so nicely."
Lu Yuanqi pursed her lips angrily, and then thought of something, her face relaxed, "In a few months, my rank will be higher than that of Madam. When Madam sees me, it is time to greet me. Hope At that time, Madam can still be so arrogant."
Lu Yuanqi is about to marry Feng Yuan and become the new wife of Lu Guogong.
On the British Duke's side, since the position of the Duke was entrusted to Wu Zhong, Gu Yin still came as Wu Qingyi's first-rank general, and she was the wife of the general, slightly lower than the super-ranked lady of the country.
"What are you doing in Hu?!" Song Shiliu was not so good-natured, she immediately stood up when she heard the words: "Our wife is the adoptive mother of His Royal Highness King Lie, according to your bullshit grade, let His Highness King Lie's adoptive mother be the adoptive mother. Greetings to you, what a face you are!"
"Masters, it's your servant girl's turn to intervene?" Lu Yuanqi was embarrassed by Song Shiliu's confrontation, but she still insisted: "What about His Highness's adoptive mother? His Highness has a serious mother, and Madam carried His Highness's adoptive mother. The status is overwhelming, can the Empress agree?"
This is really embarrassing, isn't the empress beside me? !
"Naturally I agree." Queen Zhou has already said, "Not only is she willing, but she is also very grateful to the general's wife, and does not allow any clown jumping on the beam to be so presumptuous in front of the general's wife."
Gu Yin moved slightly in her heart and turned to look at her.
The eyes of the two met, and everything was silent.
Queen Zhou smiled gently at her, and when she turned to look at Lu Yuanqi, the smile on her face faded again.
She is not a cowardly person, and she is better than the Queen Mother in this respect.
In the past, when she focused on her younger son, Concubine Feng had to give her face and did not dare to jump around in front of her.
But Lu Yuanqi didn't know this. She looked at Queen Zhou from head to toe, and almost habitually judged people's origin from their clothes.
But I just suffered such a big loss before, and Lu Yuanqi was not too stupid, so she didn't say anything else, just snorted, and said her goodbye in a hasty way.
After she left, Queen Zhou frowned and said, "This is the new daughter-in-law of the Feng family who is passing the door? Why is she like this?"
"One radish, one pit." Gu Yin bent her lips, "It's pretty good too."
Thinking of the Qin family that the Duke of Lu's mansion is not easy to deal with, Queen Zhou also smiled and said, "It's good."
Although Qin Shi was arrogant, he only dared to jump in front of people of the same rank. Like Concubine Feng, the mother and daughter could still be low-lying in front of those with a higher status than them. In addition, Feng Yuan's past was indeed a great achievement. , Hard work and great achievements, as long as this family does not make any big mistakes, even Emperor Zhengyuan is not good at punishing his family.
Immediately, the Duke of Lu's mansion wants more gun battles like Lu Yuanqi. If you think about it, it will be lively, and you will be able to leak more mistakes.
Thinking of this, Gu Yin is not at all irritable, and only hopes that the wedding date of Lu Yuanqi and Feng Yuan will be closer, and closer!
…
When it was dark, the people who went out hunting came back one after another.
Gu Ye and Lu Xu were both crazy, like two mud monkeys.
Empress Zhou came out to catch the wind with Lu Zhao in her arms, so she couldn't spare her hands, so she looked at Gu Yin.
Gu Yin took the handkerchief and went over to wipe Gu Ye's face, while Lu Xu sweetly called out "Auntie" and rubbed her face to serve.
Gu Ye whispered: "I beat two rabbits, one for my mother and one for my queen. What color would my mother want?"
After speaking, without waiting for Gu Yin to answer, Gu Ye said to himself, "No, I asked the wrong question. Does my mother want to be fatter or thinner?"
The rabbits he hunted, Queen Zhou must keep and raise them.
And Gu Yin, a pragmatist, don't need to think about it. It is impossible to raise rabbits. In the end, it must be sacrificed to everyone's five internal organs.
"Fat rabbits have a lot of oil, and they are fragrant when roasted. Lean rabbits are firm and chewy, and they can be cooked as cold rabbits. They are all good. Let the mother pick them first."
They chatted about rabbits, and the other hunters rushed back and forth, and the prey that came back were sent to the front of the imperial family, piled up like a hill.
Especially Feng Yuan was really ruthless this time, regardless of the number of people he brought out, but the guards he brought this time were not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also began training bow horses day and night a month ago.
He didn't rest all afternoon that day, and he didn't like small things like pheasants and hares. He specialized in hunting medium and large prey like wild deer and wild deer, which were all piled up into hills.
What other people hunted was nothing compared to what he brought back.
If nothing else, the Duke of Lu was the winner on the first day.
But at the last moment, Wu Qingyi came back with his men and horses. The number of prey they immediately brought back was similar to that brought back by Feng Yuan, but when the count was completed, everyone realized that it was unusual—
Ordinary people hunting, they naturally shoot with bows and arrows.
The prey that was hit like that destroyed the entire coat of fur, and if it was shot on any gall, the prey would not be able to eat it.
And the prey brought back by Wu Qingyi didn't even die, they just knocked them out, and they were still alive!
It goes without saying how much work it takes.
For a while, the admiration for Wu Qingyi's superb skills in the camp was endless.
Feng Yuan, who was still complacent just now, thought that the victory was in his hands, and his expression had changed.
"The first day's lucky draw, Angelica British government!"
At the order of Emperor Zhengyuan, the generals applauded.
There were also some indifferent people who were booing next to him, "The general has really put a lot of effort into this trip, just to win the knife for the general's wife! Madam can't express herself?"
Gu Yinzheng took a new handkerchief and handed it to Wu Qingyi to let him wipe his face.
Hearing the cacophony, Wu Qingyi's outstretched hand folded back and fell to his side, only leaning his face forward.
"Then there is Mrs. Lao." Wu Qingyi's dark eyes reflected the bonfire and Gu Yin's figure.