Li Xian smiled noncommittally at Li Zhu's words, took out a silk handkerchief from her bosom, and gently wiped the fine beads of sweat from Li Zhu's forehead.
Li Zhu, who lost her mother when she was young and is now only nine years old, was very helpful to her sister's gentle movements. She squinted her eyes and raised her head slightly with a loving expression.
After Li Xian wiped the sweat off Li Zhu, she put away the silk handkerchief and opened a delicate food box. Inside was a plate of Yulu Linglong Cake and Mandarin Duck and Mung Bean Cake.
"After walking for a long time, Pearl is hungry too? Eat."
As Li Xian spoke softly, she turned over the tea cup on the table and filled Li Zhu with water herself.
"Thank you sister."
Li Zhu's eyes lit up, he straightened up from the cushion, picked up a piece of cake and put it in his mouth, never mentioning the matter of going to Li Zhao to complain.
Li Xian sat quietly beside Li Zhu, with a smile that was about to overflow in her eyes, watching Li Zhu feast on her.
Li Zhu spent three dollars in one go, and then drank all the water Li Xian had poured for him in one go. Li Xian raised her hand and refilled Li Zhu's cup before she opened her mouth and asked casually, "Pearl, new master. What do you teach you every day?"
"Well... In addition to teaching Pearl to read and practice calligraphy, the new master also taught Pearl the way of the emperor."
"Oh? Then Pearl, tell me, what do you think is the way of the emperor?"
"The master said that the people are the foundation of the country and the cornerstone of the dynasty. We must govern the world with benevolence and righteousness. If the people are safe, the country will be prosperous, and if the people are prosperous, the country will be strong."
Li Xian nodded, and Li Zhu continued: "The Grand Master also said that in troubled times, we should use the heavy code, and the ruler should not be too generous and benevolent, so as not to be deceived and fooled by the subordinates."
"Oh? What did Pearl learn from the teachings of the master?"
"Pearl feels that the so-called way of an emperor requires you to learn how to combine hardness with softness, and master the measure of softness and hardness in order to become a good emperor."
After listening to Li Zhu's words, Li Xian's eyes were full of satisfaction, and she lightly patted Li Zhu Shang's immature shoulder and said, "Pearl is right, but does Pearl know that this is just part of the way of being a king? Common people? Of course it is important, but many institutions of the imperial court also need a lot of talents?"
After listening to Li Xian's words, Li Zhu rolled her eyes and kicked forward with her legs hanging in the air. She pouted and said in a low voice, "Pearl knows what elder sister is going to say, but Pearl just doesn't like it..."
Li Zhu's words were not finished in the end. At the last moment, Li Xian stretched out her slender jade and pointed to Li Zhu's lips. The latter also suddenly realized that she stopped talking.
Li Xian saw that Li Zhu understood, her eyes were filled with relief, and the two siblings looked at each other and smiled tacitly in the airtight carriage.
Li Xian said to Li Zhu, "Pearl, the royal father has ordered all the boys to ride to the hunting ground. My sister knows that you are working hard, but you have to persevere to the end, you know?"
"Sister, don't worry, Pearl just came to see her while she was resting and left."
"Yeah." Li Xian helped Li Zhu straighten his clothes before watching him leave the carriage.
After Li Zhu left, Li Xian couldn't help but pushed open the window of the carriage and watched Li Zhu's small figure walk away, not only thinking of her own mother Li Qingcheng.
A trace of soreness slipped through my heart: Mother, Pearl has grown up, have you seen it in the sky? Don't worry, I will do my best to protect the well-being of Pearl I...
Half an hour later, Li Zhao gave an order, and the convoy started on the road again. After a while, Li Zhong got into Li Xian's carriage again.
Li Xian looked at Li Zhong and said, "Pearl is still young. If there are any inadequacies in the etiquette, please forgive me."
Li Zhong came to sit next to Li Xian, looked at Li Xian affectionately, and said softly, "Princess is serious, Yu Gong is His Highness the Crown Prince, the prince of a country, and I am the heir of the minister; Yu Si, Your Majesty has already suggested marriage, He is my brother-in-law, how could I care about such a trivial matter."
After listening to Li Zhong's words, Li Xian smiled lightly at Li Zhong and did not speak.
The Autumn Hunting team marched for three days in a mighty way, and finally arrived at the Shigeoka Royal Hunting Ground.
It is the season when the fallen leaves are colorful, and it is also the season when the animals in this hunting ground eat the fattest, which is very suitable for hunting.
King Li Zhen of Qi, King Li Xuan of Chu, and King Li Xuan of Yong had already changed into their Hu clothes and waited for a long time in the Chonggang hunting ground. The carriage stopped in front of them, and the three immediately knelt on the ground in a disciplined manner: "Erchen welcomes the royal father!"
Li Zhao got out of the carriage, got off the carriage with the help of the eunuch in charge, and waved to the three of them: "Get up!"
"Thank you, Father."
Li Zhu and Li Xian came to Li Zhao's back. The three vassal kings immediately greeted Li Zhu as a monarch and minister, while Li Zhu returned a brother's salute to the three.
"Mother, please slow down!" An abrupt voice sounded. Li Xian looked back. Seeing that the prince Li Huan was helping Concubine De out of the carriage, Li Xian smiled faintly and turned her head.
Then came the royal family and the princes of various clans and three vassal kings to greet each other, not to mention so far.
Since it was already dusk when they arrived at the Shigeoka Hunting Ground, Li Zhao ordered everyone to rest for a day, and the hunting will officially start tomorrow...
On the second day, the sky was clear and the autumn air was crisp.
Li Zhao and Concubine De stood on the high platform in front of the hunting ground. Behind him stood Li Xian, who was still wearing a palace attire, and Li Yan, who had changed into a Hu robe. Below the platform were men all riding tall horses. His regular clothes changed into Hu clothes, with a bow on his back and a few barrels of arrows hanging from the horse's back, he raised his head slightly and looked at the high platform, waiting for Li Zhao to speak.
"The sons and gentlemen in the audience, the great ancestor of my country, the great ancestor of the country, laid down the rivers and mountains for thousands of miles on horseback. Although it is a peaceful and prosperous age now, the skill of bowing horses cannot be abandoned. All the people in this game are from my country. Young talents, the pillars of the country, in the next days, the few people want you to show your true skills, and the winners will be rewarded!"
When Li Zhao finished speaking, the people riding on the horses all showed excited expressions, and the warhorse that stepped off seemed to have a heart-to-heart connection with its owner, sniffing its nose and kicking its front hooves, looking eager to try.
"Go, sons!" With the wave of Li Zhao's sleeves, the neighing of the war horses could be heard incessantly.
All of them galloped forward with all their strength.
King Yong Li Jin, who has always been good at fighting in martial arts, attacking, riding and archery, is even more in the lead. The first echelon formed by him is a full horse distance ahead of the second echelon. King Yong rode excitedly on horseback, enjoying At the same time, he did not forget to turn his head to look at the people behind him, seeing the figure of King Li Xuan of Chu in the second echelon, King Li Xuan of Yong also shouted loudly: "Come on! Look at the hunting ground today, who is in the world!"
After he finished speaking, he whipped his whip fiercely, and the white-hoofed black-hoofed black under his seat neighed and accelerated again, and King Yong Li Min quickly disappeared into the forest of the Chonggang Hunting Ground...
Li Yan, who had already changed into her Hu clothes, saw that the crowd had disappeared from sight, so she moved quickly to Li Zhao's side, and said coquettishly, "Father~Father~Daughter is going too, you just let your daughter go. Well!"
Li Zhao turned to look at his little daughter, with kindness flashing in his eyes, but he pretended to be serious and said: "Naughty, what are you going to do? Stay with your royal sister, the girl's family, what are you doing in here? You can't even draw a bow. open."
"Hee hee, look at the emperor, I asked Xiao Luo to make this for me~" Li Yan took out a small crossbow from behind, but half arm length.
Li Zhao took Li Yan's small crossbow and threw an arrow forward, with a range of about ten meters, and the arrow head did not sink into the ground.
"Well, it's not bad. Although the range is not far, it is light and light, and it is suitable for girls' home use."
Li Yan took the small crossbow back from Li Zhao's hand, raised her chin proudly, and continued: "Father, my daughter will never go into the woods, just go outside and hunt hares, etc. Father, let them also Look, your daughter is not allowed to be a man!"
"Hahahaha, you, you. Okay!"
"Thank you, Father!"
"Well, but you can't go like this. I'll send two people to accompany you."
The four guards came out in response. Someone had already led Li Yan's little red horse. Li Yan walked off the high platform with great enthusiasm, and stepped on the horse's back under the service of the internal officials. The four guards were already ready. With a small crossbow and four Li Zhao's bodyguards, they ran towards the woods...
Li Xian stood quietly on the high platform, looking in the direction of the woods from a distance, a worry surged in her heart. Although she had already asked the two best shadows to disguise themselves as Li Zhu's personal guards to protect them, but Pearl After all, he is only nine years old, and his horse's back is not tall. The other princes only started to participate in the autumn hunting when they were twelve years old.
Li Xian has always been feeling a little uneasy lately, although the information from the intelligence networks around the world, the palaces and palaces, as well as the information handed over from the palaces of important princes, all showed calm news.
But Li Xian always felt that since she returned to the palace, there was an unspeakable strangeness everywhere. She had a very bad feeling, but even though Li Xian used almost all the strength in her hands to investigate, she did not find any strange...
Helpless, Li Xian had no choice but to wait and see what happened.
A few days ago, Li Xian heard that the prince Li Huan had "flowered the iron tree" in the court. Not only did it subvert everyone's previous evaluation of him, but it also made her father emperor think that Concubine De was good at teaching his son. Less grace, even this hunt only brought the German concubine alone.
Li Xian still believed in Concubine De's character. She was a smart person and the most indisputable person in the entire Li Guo harem, but Li Huan...
Li Xian hesitated, things had come to this point, she absolutely couldn't skip her suspicion of Li Huan because of Concubine De's dignified conduct.
After Li Huan's "Iron Tree Blossoms", Li Xian immediately activated the hidden pile buried in the Palace of De Concubine, but the news that came back said: Li Huan is still the same, and she lives in a secluded place and does not have personal relationships with anyone, except the prince Pei. , without even communicating with others.
But just yesterday, Li Huan personally helped Concubine De get off the carriage. This scene "happened" to be watched by his father. When everyone was busy greeting the three vassals, Li Huan's behavior It's a bit dazzling...
Concubine De is Li Huan's biological mother, so it is understandable to do so, but...
Li Huan didn't come with his fellow brother Li Pei, which was a bit intriguing in Li Xian's view.
Li Xian narrowed her eyes and looked at the blue sky, where a group of geese were flying south.