The Xishan Autumn Hunting is a hunting activity held by the royal family once a year. It is grand and takes a month from start to finish. It is not only expensive, but also requires the mobilization of more than half of the princes, ministers and their sons in the capital. Even the princes of the royal family who are enfeoffed in various places have to take their sons with them.
Marquis Dingyuan and General Wu'an are the emperor's right-hand men. Every year, one of them guards the capital while the other accompanies the king. This year it is Marquis Dingyuan's turn to look after the house, so his two sons will accompany the king to the Xishan enclosure.
However, Zhao Jingping was weak and could not even ride a horse steadily, let alone hunting. Qin was reluctant to let him go out into the open and would find various excuses to shirk his duties every year.
This year was no exception. The day before departure, Qin asked Zhao Jingping to pretend to be sick, saying that the matter of Aunt Hong reminded him of his deceased wife, and he felt a pain in his heart and was sick with longing.
Marquis Dingyuan usually couldn't stand Qin's doting on her children, but for some reason, he never blamed Qin for the Qiuwei incident. When Qin said that Zhao Jingping should not go, he agreed with her and did not let Zhao Jingping go.
The Autumn Encirclement was a good opportunity to show off his achievements in front of the emperor. At first, Xie Nanjia couldn't understand why Marquis Dingyuan would let Zhao Jingping miss such a good opportunity. Later, after learning about the emperor's methods, he understood Marquis Dingyuan's painstaking efforts.
It is enough for the Zhao family to have one Marquis Dingyuan who is feared throughout the nine provinces. There is no need for a second or third one.
This is also the reason why the emperor is so tolerant of the uneducated Zhao Jingyu.
A month is neither long nor short. Xie Nanjia was worried about her son, so before leaving, she took Hualou to the lotus pond to meet Lvliu, hoping that the two of them could take care of each other and take good care of the little master while she was away.
Hualou is honest and loyal, while Lvliu is smart and bold. Only if the two of them join forces can she leave with peace of mind.
Hualou didn't know at first that Xie Nanjia was going to take her to see Lvliu. When they arrived at the lotus pond and found Lvliu there, she turned around and left angrily, blaming Xie Nanjia for lying to her.
Lvliu ran over and grabbed her: "I have proved my innocence and avenged the young lady, why are you still ignoring me?"
Hualou shook her off and said angrily, "Why should I care about you? I feel sick to death when I think of you climbing into the prince's bed. Even if you didn't kill the young lady, are you doing this to her?"
"You think I'm dirty, don't you?" Lvliu's eyes suddenly turned red. "If that's the case, then go ahead. I'm going to make this clear today. Not only do I want to climb into the prince's bed, I also want to be his wife, the mother of the young master, and the future marquis' wife. Just wait and kowtow to me!"
Hualou was so angry that he was shaking and couldn't speak properly. He pointed at Lvliu's nose and cursed: "You, you are shameless, you have no shame..."
Hualou's behavior was completely beyond Xie Nanjia's expectations. She originally thought that Hualou knew that he had wronged Lvliu and would hug Lvliu and cry after they met. However, she never expected that as soon as the two met, they started quarreling before they could even finish three sentences.
She was counting on the two of them to take good care of the children when she was away, so how could she allow them to quarrel like this
So she pulled the two apart and tried to reconcile them.
However, Hualou was stubborn and didn't listen to her advice at all. He said resolutely: "You don't have to defend her. I won't listen. All I can do is not kill her. If you want me to forgive her, no way!"
Lvliu was angry and sad, she turned around and jumped into the lotus pond: "I know, you just want me to die, I will die now to show you, you will be happy when I die..."
With that he jumped in with a plop.
Hualou was terrified. He was stunned for a moment, then rushed to the pool crying, and lay on the ground to reach her with his hands: "Why are you crazy? When did I say I wanted you to die? If I really wanted to kill you, I would have done it long ago. Why wait until now? The young lady is gone, and I only have you. How can I live if you die?"
Green Willow choked up and said, "Then you still look down on me and say that you feel sick to death when you see me."
Hua Lou cried and said, "I don't want you to serve that bastard anymore. I would rather you come back and be a maid with me than sacrifice your lifelong happiness to protect the young master."
As Xie Nanjia listened to their conversation, she found herself in tears.
She thanked God for having two such loyal girls, and was relieved that the two girls had finally reconciled. At the same time, she was sad that she could not reveal her identity and recognize them, and even more sad that she would never be able to hear her son call her mother in this life.
She was alive, but everyone thought she was dead.
"Xiu'er, come and help save people!" Hualou called her anxiously.
"Why save her? She can swim." Xie Nanjia said while wiping her tears.
Hualou was stunned for a moment, then he realized that he had been tricked by Lvliu. He stood up and left angrily.
Lvliu hurriedly climbed out of the water, caught up with her dripping wet, and hugged her in her arms: "Hao Hualou, I was wrong, I was wrong, I shouldn't have teased you, considering that I'm about to freeze to death, please calm down, A-choo, A-choo..."
"Get out of the way! Don't get my clothes wet!" Hualou didn't want to forgive her, but when he heard her sneeze several times, he couldn't help but soften his heart. He shouted at her to get out of the way, but his arms held her tightly to keep her warm.
Luliu had been trying not to cry just now, but now she finally couldn't hold it in anymore and tears started falling down her cheeks.
In order to avoid being seen and making random guesses, the three of them returned to the young master's courtyard together. Hualou found two sets of clean clothes for himself and Lvliu to change into, and personally used a towel to wipe Lvliu's hair.
Xie Nanjia poured a cup of hot tea for Lvliu and asked her to drink it to warm herself up.
Lvliu took the tea and took a sip, then held it in her hand and asked Xie Nanjia: "How do you know I can drink water?"
Xie Nanjia was startled, then explained with a smile: "Because I came from Hongou Manor, there are ponds everywhere there, and everyone knows how to swim. I can tell from your movements in the water that you know how to swim."
"No wonder!" Green Willow also laughed, "It seems that we can only appease fools."
"Who are you calling a fool?" Hualou was unhappy. He held her head and gently caressed it, making Lvliu scream.
Xie Nanjia watched them playing and suddenly recalled the carefree days before she got married. However, they could never go back to those beautiful times.
After the two of them finished their fight, Xie Nanjia discussed with Hualou and asked Hualou to be responsible for making midnight snacks for Ding Yuanhou while she was away.
Hualou refused her without a second thought: "I won't do it. I won't serve anyone except the young master."
Xie Nanjia said, "I know you are good to the young master, but I asked you to serve the Marquis for the young master's good. We can better fight for the interests of the young master if we have a say in front of the Marquis. In addition, the Marquis is very busy and it is easy for him to overlook some things. We should often mention the young master in front of him and remind him to love and care for the young master. The young master has lost his mother, his father is not in tune, and his grandmother is also a selfish person. The only one he can rely on is the Marquis."
"Xiu'er is right." Lvliu agreed, "Such a good opportunity to get close to the Marquis, others would fight to get it. You learned cooking from the young lady in the past, and you have learned a lot from her. Now it can be put to good use. Don't give this opportunity away for nothing."
Hualou rolled her eyes at her and said, "Don't you know how to do it? Why don't you go?"
Lvliu said, "I would like to go, but unfortunately my current status does not allow it. Is it appropriate for a daughter-in-law to serve her father-in-law midnight snack?"
Hualou immediately frowned again: "Don't mention this to me, it makes me annoyed."
"It's no use getting upset." Lu Liu said, "I've told Xiu'er before that no matter who Zhao Jingping marries as the Crown Prince's wife, it will do more harm than good to the young master. Only if I take this position can the young master be safe for the rest of his life. I didn't protect the young lady well at the beginning, and she was killed by someone. Now I will protect the young master at the cost of my life. You can choose not to support me, but no one can stop me. I will definitely be the Crown Prince's wife!"
“…” Hualou opened his mouth but said nothing in the end. He turned around and wiped his tears.
The death of the young lady is a lifelong pain for them, a hurdle that they will never be able to overcome in their entire lives. Lvliu, like her, wants to make up for her mistakes, but she chose a different method from her. And she has to admit that Lvliu's method is more direct and effective.
But when she thought about Lvliu wasting her whole life on Zhao Jingping, she felt so unwilling.
"You don't have to feel sad for me." Luliu hugged her gently, "I'm just a girl. Even if the young lady doesn't die, the best ending is to marry the housekeeper of the mansion and spend the rest of my life with her in this deep mansion. If I can really become the wife of the prince, wouldn't it be a thousand times more glorious than being the housekeeper's wife? As for men, aren't they all the same? The prince is romantic, but the housekeeper is not? Can we really expect any love that lasts until death?"
Hualou had never been able to win an argument with her and could only cry silently in her arms.
The two hugged each other and cried. Xie Nanjia stood aside, like a forgotten irrelevant person, with mixed feelings in her heart.
She admitted that Lvliu was right. All men in the world are the same. It doesn't matter who you marry. Between an incompetent steward and an incompetent prince, it is of course more glorious to marry the latter. Even if there is no love, you will still have wealth and glory, and it is better to be served by others than to serve others.
Besides, Lvliu had already taken the sterilization soup. Even if she married a commoner, she would not be able to give birth to children for him and would eventually be despised. It would be better for her to stay in the marquis's mansion, at least she could depend on the young master for life.
Thinking of this, she decided to start planning this matter for Lvliu as soon as she returned from Xishan, striving to have Lvliu become the Crown Prince's wife as soon as possible, so that Qin's aunt and nephew would give up this idea as soon as possible.
That night, she went to deliver midnight snack to Marquis Dingyuan and introduced Hualou to him, saying that Hualou had learned cooking skills from the Crown Prince's wife and that during the month she was away, Hualou would temporarily take her place to prepare midnight snacks for the Marquis.
Marquis Dingyuan was used to eating meals cooked by Xie Nanjia and had originally wanted to stop having midnight snacks this month. However, when he heard that Hualou's cooking skills were taught by the Crown Prince's wife, he somehow touched a chord in his heart and nodded in agreement. He told Xie Nanjia not to worry about him and to take good care of the Second Young Master when they arrived at Xishan and not to make any mistakes.
Because he was worried about Zhao Jingyu's stubbornness, he gave his tiger-patterned waist pendant to Xie Nanjia, saying that the jade pendant was equivalent to himself. If Zhao Jingyu did not listen to his advice, he would take out the jade pendant and order him around, and use force to suppress him if necessary.
Xie Nanjia laughed: "My Lord, that's easy for me to say. I don't have any martial power. If I anger the Second Young Master, I'm afraid I won't be able to come back to see you alive."
Dingyuan Hou said: "Don't worry about this. I will tell the accompanying guards to listen to your command. Of course, you can't give orders blindly at ordinary times. You only need to control the second young master when he wants to act wild."
Xie Nanjia didn't hesitate to take the jade pendant and put it on her body, thinking that if the lecher Zhao Jingyu wanted to do something bad to her, this jade pendant would be a good amulet.
But that dandy boy even dared to hit the emperor's only son, so would he take his father's jade pendant seriously
Thinking of this, Xie Nanjia became a little uncertain again. To be on the safe side, she decided to prepare a few more things for self-defense.
Facts have proved that Zhao Jingyu was indeed unruly to the point of lawlessness. At five o'clock the next morning, all the princes, ministers, clan members and their followers gathered on the Imperial Street on horseback, ready to go. However, Zhao Jingyu arrived late in his luxurious carriage.
He told the emperor that he did not sleep well last night and was afraid that he would get sleepy and fall off the horse during the journey, and if he fell, he would not be able to accompany the emperor.
Such a ridiculous reason would be a capital crime punishable by beheading if given by anyone else, but when Zhao Jingyu spoke it seriously, the emperor burst into laughter. Without further ado, he granted his request and allowed his carriage to follow behind his own.
This is an honor that even the crown prince does not have, and it also represents the emperor's respect and praise for Marquis Dingyuan.
Reward him for his loyalty and law-abidingness.
Everyone knows this very well, and no one envies Zhao Jingyu. In their opinion, Zhao Jingyu's freedom is just dancing in a cage, there is nothing to envy.
Xishan Paddock is a day's journey from the capital. If you set out in the early morning, you can arrive after dark. The team responsible for setting up the camp and cooking will set out first at three o'clock in the morning to ensure that the main force can eat and rest in time after arriving.
Zhao Jingyu was afraid of disappointing his stomach, so before leaving, he had his carriage filled with food and also prepared a lot of ingredients, intending to have Xie Nanjia cook for him after arriving at the paddock.
After spending so much time together, Xie Nanjia was no longer surprised by his eccentric behavior. Especially after meeting Mr. Hu, she felt that Zhao Jingyu was simply using the guise of a playboy to cover up his evil ambitions.
His dissolute life and unruly behavior were all tricks he used to numb outsiders, to reassure his father and the emperor. As for what kind of person he was inside, only he knew.
The wheels of the car rumbled out of the capital, and the hustle and bustle gradually faded away. Xie Nanjia leaned against the right side of the carriage, slightly lifted the curtain and looked out, wanting to see where his father and brother were.
Wei Jun and Huangfu were riding horses outside. They noticed the slight movement of the curtain and looked at Xie Nanjia at the same time.
"What's the matter?" Wei Jun asked.
"It's okay, I just want to take a breath." Xie Nanjia said, his eyes falling on Huangfu.
Just last night, she went to say goodbye to Feng Lun, and Feng Lun told her that the person who had spied on her and Lvliu at Yaoyueju that day was Huangfu.
Feng Lun said, "Huangfu is the Second Young Master's man, so he must have asked him to follow you. I don't know what the dispute is between you and the Second Young Master, but he must have known everything you did. The purpose of his taking you out this time is still unclear, so you must be careful and stay alert at all times."
Although Xie Nanjia had long guessed that it was Zhao Jingyu who sent someone to follow her, she still felt very uneasy when she heard it confirmed by Feng Lun.
When she returned to her residence and packed her luggage, she took out the shoes that Xiu'er's mother had asked Song Ce to bring last time, and put them on to try the size. She accidentally found a note stuffed inside the shoes. When she took them out, she found that it was written by Xiu'er's mother. The note said that someone had come to the farm some time ago to inquire about the origins of her and her daughter, and she didn't know what their intention was, so she asked her to be careful at home.
As a result, her sense of crisis became stronger. She didn't know how many secrets Zhao Jingyu had found out about her, nor did she know what Zhao Jingyu's purpose was in finding out these secrets. Whenever she thought about being stared at by a pair of eyes all the time, she felt creepy.
Fortunately, she recently discovered Zhao Jingyu's secret by accident, and perhaps she could use this secret to negotiate a deal with Zhao Jingyu.
She was lost in thought while Zhao Jingyu was sitting opposite her, peeping at her with half-closed eyes.
In order to move more easily, she dressed herself up as a servant. Although she wore gray clothes and had her hair combed like a man, her bright eyes, white teeth and pretty face could not be concealed.
She kept lifting the curtain. Zhao Jingyu thought she was looking at Wei Jun. He kicked her knee with his toes in white socks and said unhappily, "Put down the curtain. The sunlight is hurting my eyes."
"..." Xie Nanjia lowered the curtain, but couldn't help but retort, "The sun hasn't come out yet, where does the sunshine come from?"
"Even daylight is not allowed." Zhao Jingyu was unreasonable.
"..." Xie Nanjia thought to herself, are you a bat? You can't stand the light of day, no wonder you like to spy on others in secret.
Seeing that she didn't respond, Zhao Jingyu was still unhappy and waved, "Come and sit over here!"
"What are you doing?" Xie Nanjia looked at him warily.
"You're just a servant, and you're talking so much nonsense. Just come here when I tell you to." Zhao Jingyu said dissatisfiedly.
Xie Nanjia had no choice but to sit over there.
As soon as she sat down, Zhao Jingyu lay down and rested his head on her legs, complaining, "This broken road makes me dizzy."
Xie Nanjia was startled and subconsciously tried to push him away.
Zhao Jingyu's handsome face darkened and he uttered a long "hmm" to remind her to be aware of her identity.
Xie Nanjia swallowed his anger and withdrew his hand.
Zhao Jingyu raised his eyebrows proudly, put the weight of his head on her thighs, adjusted his posture, crossed his legs, closed his eyes and said with great enjoyment: "Feed me a grape."
Xie Nanjia: “…”
She had never been so close to a man before, not Zhao Jingping, not even her brother Xie Nanfeng when he was a child. But now, she was being rested on the pillow by Zhao Jingyu unscrupulously, his long black silk-like hair scattered on her clothes, his head swaying on her legs to the rhythm of the wheels, the rich scent of ambergris filled the air around her, making her flustered and her heart beating faster.
She was so panicked that she didn't know where to put her hands, but this shameless man still wanted her to feed him grapes.
She thought of the jade pendant given to her by Marquis Dingyuan, and wondered if taking it out now would make Zhao Jingyu let her go.
"Hurry up!" Zhao Jingyu waited with her mouth open for a long time, but the grapes were not fed in yet, so she urged her impatiently.
Xie Nanjia had no choice but to pick up a grape from the fruit plate on the table and feed it to him.
Zhao Jingyu was satisfied then. He ate the grapes and pursed his lips to signal her to take away the grape skins.
Xie Nanjia was finally enraged. She stood up suddenly, but she forgot the height of the car and her head hit the roof hard, causing her to see stars.
Zhao Jingyu also rolled off her seat because of her sudden movement. She was about to get angry, but when she saw that she was in tears, her anger instantly dissipated. She got up to help her and said kindly, "Does it hurt? Sit down quickly and I'll be gentle with you."
Xie Nanjia had never been so embarrassed before. She was so angry that her face turned red. She pushed him away and said angrily, "Don't touch me. I don't want you to care."
Zhao Jingyu chuckled, pushed her down, pulled her hair aside to check her injuries, and said, "You wicked slave, how dare you lose your temper with your master."
Seeing that her scalp was covered in a large red area, he blew on the wound with heartache, just like a considerate husband caring for his delicate wife, with utmost tenderness and care.
Xie Nanjia's tears fell uncontrollably, and she didn't know whether it was because of pain or embarrassment.
Zhao Jingyu blew on it for a while, then covered it with his palm and gently coaxed her, "I will pass on all the true energy I have cultivated for thousands of years to you, and you will be invulnerable from now on."
Xie Nanjia couldn't help but burst into laughter: "What kind of true energy is this? It's more like demonic energy!"
The tearful smile was like a flower bud after rain, and the delicate and resentful look in her eyes made Zhao Jingyu's heart beat fast, and he wanted to hug her in his arms and love her on the spot.
"Xiu'er..." He called her softly, his eyes obsessed.
Xie Nanjia realized that the atmosphere was not right, and hurriedly said with a serious face: "Second Master, my name is Xiao Luzi now."
When she was about to get on the car, Zhao Jingyu saw that she was dressed like a servant, so he simply gave her the name Xiao Luzi temporarily and told his entourage to call her that as well.
Zhao Jingyu came back to his senses after his confusion was broken. He felt embarrassed, so he leaned back in the car and closed his eyes to rest.
Xie Nanjia was more than happy to do so, so he sat quietly, thinking about his own thoughts.
Wei Jun and Huangfu listened to the noise inside changing from intense to calm, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.
Just now they were afraid that the second young master would lose control and do something shameful in the car. The emperor's carriage was right in front of them, and it would be terrible if he found out.
Although the emperor did not explicitly forbid princes and ministers from bringing maids, he privately did not particularly approve of the practice of bringing maids. Therefore, most people only brought three or two close followers and did not dare to bring maids easily.
The second young master was the only exception. He not only brought eight guards with him, but also hid a beautiful woman in his carriage. His carriage was even more grand than that of the crown prince.
At this time, Crown Prince Song Jingxing, dressed in military uniform and a bright yellow cloak, rode a snow-white horse, and walked majestically in front of the imperial carriage, clearing the way for his father and protecting him.
Because of his father's indulgence of Zhao Jingyu, Song Jingxing felt extremely depressed along the way.
That year he was beaten by Zhao Jingyu, but his father not only did not seek justice for him, but instead advised him to be tolerant and magnanimous and not to be petty with his subjects.
It's not that he doesn't understand the game between his father, Marquis Dingyuan and General Wuan, but he is the crown prince after all, the only heir to the royal family of the Great Zhou. Zhao Jingyu trampled on his face in public, and he could not swallow this humiliation no matter what.
Today, Zhao Jingyu, relying on his father's indulgence, openly rode in a carriage with his father. As the crown prince, I have to escort him. This is outrageous!
The more Song Jingxing thought about it, the angrier he became. He secretly planned that when he arrived at the Xishan enclosure, he would make sure that Zhao Jingyu would die in Xishan and never come back.
(End of this chapter)