Ning Chen and Ye Jun were gone for an hour, and when they came back, the hunters had also returned.
Ye Zhe was holding a wicker basket covered with a piece of cloth in his hand and was walking quickly towards this side.
"I pay my respects to the Emperor and to the Concubine Ming. I was hunting today and accidentally caught a litter of baby rabbits. I am sending them to the Concubine Ming to raise and play with. I wonder if the Concubine Ming likes them."
"A rabbit? Brother, open it and let me see." Ye Jun was obviously interested. Most girls have no resistance to soft and cute little things.
Ye Zhe smiled and lifted the cloth. There was hay inside. Three gray rabbits huddled together, looking timid.
"It's not white." Ye Jun was a little disappointed, but still reached out and touched it. It was soft.
"The rabbits on the grassland are all gray and brown. Jieyu wants a white rabbit, but I'm afraid there are none here." Ye Zhe said truthfully.
Ye Jun nodded and said thoughtfully, "Let's keep this thing for now. It's still so small, and there won't be much meat even if you roast it."
As soon as these words came out, everyone present looked over with shocked eyes.
Not to mention Ning Chen, even Ye Zhe, his biological brother, didn't expect this.
"Your Majesty and brother, why are you looking at me? Rabbits are so cute. They will taste better if you sprinkle more seasoning on them." Ye Jun blinked, looking very innocent.
Ning Chen was speechless. "Why are your thoughts different from others? Aren't you afraid that I will think you are cruel?"
Ye Jun rolled her eyes when she heard this. "Food is the first necessity of the people. If this is cruel, then it is cruel. We might as well become monks. I have to eat meat anyway. As for those who pretend to be so, unless they really want to eat nothing to fill their stomachs, I will call them hypocrites."
That little tone, that little expression, was so arrogant that Ning Chen wanted to laugh.
"You are always right. I told you to say you are hungry, so let's prepare the feast."
Yuan Jiu listened behind and quickly went to prepare.
Ye Zhe felt it was not appropriate to stay here, so he took his leave.
After walking a few steps away, he looked back and saw his sister talking to the emperor with a smile on her face. She seemed very relaxed and at ease, which made him feel relieved.
Serving the king is like serving a tiger. He only has this one sister, so he can't help but worry about her.
At the banquet, Yao Xiang suddenly came over to talk to him.
"Ming Jieyu seems to be in a good mood. I guess the place where the emperor took Jieyu to is really beautiful."
"The scenery doesn't matter. As long as I see it with the emperor, any place is good. Don't you think so, Lady Fang?" Ye Jun said deliberately.
Yao Xiang narrowed her eyes and chuckled, "I am not so lucky as the Concubine who is favored by the Emperor, so I can only go by myself. I walked a long way yesterday and saw a river. I wonder if it is where the Concubine went."
"Even if we are on the same river, I'm afraid that Concubine Fang can't see the same charm as Concubine Ming. I don't know what she is trying to compare herself with. Isn't it embarrassing?"
Lady Yi sneered and interrupted with an unfriendly look in her eyes.
"What the beauty said is true. I am just like you. I am not lucky enough to enjoy the beautiful scenery with the emperor. I am just envious in my heart." Yao Xiang said lightly.
"Hmph, you are just a talented person, and you are worthy of being like me?" Lady Yi glared at her.
Yao Xiang stopped talking and sat back quietly.
Watching the swordplay between the two, Ye Jun felt relieved. It seemed that what she did last time was of some use.
Come to think of it, there really hasn't been anyone bothering her to cause trouble recently.
What Ye Jun didn't expect was that Lady Yi acted faster than she thought.
Not long after the banquet started, Fang Cairen suddenly started to dry heave, attracting everyone's attention.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Ning Chen frowned.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I... ou-ou-"
Yao Xiang stood up, but before he could finish his words, he felt nauseous and bent down, raising his sleeves to cover his face.
But even so, he vomited out everything he had eaten this morning.
In front of her was a porcelain bowl of mutton soup, but now it was full of filth, and some of it flowed to the side and onto her clothes.
We have been eating almost exclusively meat these past two days, and you can imagine how it tastes.
Chen Wanrong and Yang Baolin, who were sitting next to her, immediately moved aside.
Yao Xiang didn't care about being embarrassed. He still wanted to vomit. Before he could apologize, he vomited again.
"Someone, help Concubine Fang down to see the imperial physician!" Concubine Jing ordered hurriedly.
Zizhu and Qiwen were so panicked that they immediately helped the man down.
Someone will come up to clean up the mess immediately.
Ao Qi stood up with a dark face, "Your Majesty, there is absolutely no problem with the meal I arranged. I don't know why Concubine Fang suddenly vomited. If Your Majesty has any doubts, you can send someone to investigate!"
He was the one who hosted the banquet, so if something went wrong, he naturally wanted to quickly distance himself from the responsibility.
"If there was a problem, why did Fang Cairen's meal have to be tampered with? I guess it's because she is not feeling well." Ning Chen said.
It makes sense to say this. Anyone who eats it will be fine, but Yao Xiang vomited. Moreover, Yao Xiang was not favored and had the burden of the Imperial Concubine Tai. She had always been well-behaved and had no enemies with anyone. Who would plot against her
Moreover, Zasak is not an ordinary place. Ning Chen doesn't want to have any conflicts with them. Even if he has doubts in his heart, it is not easy to point them out directly.
"This matter could be big or small. If someone is really doing something secretly, and the emperor is here, wouldn't it be dangerous? Who knows what the person behind the scenes is up to? I think we should investigate."
Zhuo Ligetu spoke at the right time, his eyes fixed on Aoqi, and he was just about to say that it was Aoqi who did something.
But this matter really has nothing to do with Aoqi.
"As long as the emperor checks, I dare not hide anything!" Ao Qi hated Zhuo Ligetu in his heart, but he remained calm on the surface.
"Since the two princes are worried about my safety, let's ask someone to investigate." Ning Chen said.
The imperial physician arrived soon and checked the meals of everyone present one by one. He even checked the purses worn by the women and the scent of incense on their bodies, and found nothing amiss.
Ao Qi then breathed a sigh of relief and secretly looked at Zhuo Ligetu's expression. Seeing that he was just a little disappointed and did not take the next step, he guessed that it was not Zhuo Ligetu's doing.
"Nothing is wrong. I think Fang Cairen just has an upset stomach. Don't worry about it. Let's continue eating. Yuan Jiu, send someone to check on Fang Cairen and tell her to have a good rest. She doesn't need to come out today."
Ning Chen ordered.
No matter what, Yao Xiang's behavior was quite embarrassing for the royal family, and it was impossible for Ning Chen not to mind at all.
On the other hand, Yao Xiang saw the imperial physician, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. In the end, he could only say that she had a spleen and stomach problem and prescribed some medicine.
But Yao Xiang herself knew that nothing was wrong with her, and she suddenly vomited. Someone must have been plotting against her.
Today's event was so similar to last year's Double Ninth Festival Palace Banquet.
Could it be that Ye knew about what she had done back then and her ambitions came true
But she naturally did it secretly and would not reveal her tracks. If it was that Lady Yi discovered something and came to take revenge, she thought that would be even less likely.
No matter what, she had to swallow this loss today.