Chapter 629: Stinky Tofu (1)

Chapter 629: Stinky Tofu (1)

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Although Chu Lian felt her cheeks burning, she simply disregarded the fiery looks of envy and jealousy shot her way.

For this year’s spring hunt, all the military officials residing in the capital, regardless of rank, were in attendance.

Included amongst these were Sima Hui, Captain Guo, Zhang Mai, Xiao Hongyu, and the rest.

He Changdi took Chu Lian out with him to greet their old comrades from the northern border army.

Xiao Hongyu was a troublemaking little fellow, so he had already skipped over to welcome Chu Lian before they had even reached the group.

“Good afternoon, Sister-in-Law!”

Chu Lian smiled at him in reply. Sima Hui was also on her way over to meet them.

Today, Sima Hui was dressed in a white riding outfit. She had a tall figure and a handsome flair to her looks, unlike most of the ladies in the capital, so she looked very eye-catching.

Sima Hui nodded courteously to He Changdi. When her eyes fell upon Chu Lian, they lit up.

“Lian’er, this riding outfit suits you very well,” Sima Hui praised generously.

Chu Lian’s silver-and-red riding outfit was indeed very complementary with her looks. The sleeves of the top were decorated with many butterfly bows, giving her a mischievous yet cute appearance.

Chu Lian beamed, her eyes curving into smiles of their own. She bobbed in front of Sima Hui and said, “Thank you for your compliment, Sister Hui.”

Sima Hui bent her head down and whispered into Chu Lian’s ear, “Let’s go together later.”

Of course Chu Lian wasn’t going to reject her offer. She had spent quite some time with Sima Hui in the north. They were close friends now.

Before Chu Lian could reply, she was pulled back one step by He Changdi. He Sanlang stared at Sima Hui with a frostier expression than usual. He said, “No, Lian’er is going to be by my side.”

Sima Hui looked up at He Changdi. A smile sprang to her lips. “Marquis Anyuan, you’ll have to accompany His Majesty later.”

He Changdi’s expression grew even more thunderous at her words. She was right. As the administrator of the Department of Appointments, as well as the newly titled Marquis Anyuan, he would definitely have to spend most of his time by the emperor’s side during the spring hunt. He didn’t have the time to take care of Chu Lian in the meanwhile.

Chu Lian tugged at He Changdi’s sleeve, smiling as she said, “Relax. Nothing will happen to me if I’m with Sister Hui.”

The crease between He Changdi’s brows had by now grown so prominent that it could kill a fly. He sucked in a breath and held it. When he looked at his wife’s sparkly eyes, he found that he couldn’t bear to tell her his true thoughts- that he was worried precisely because she would be with Sima Hui...

In the end, he had no choice but to leave Chu Lian in Sima Hui’s care. Since the emperor had arrived, he had to lead his men to welcome His Majesty.

Not too far away was the living area marked out for the princes and princesses.

The crown prince was standing to the left of Prince Jin, while the fifteen-year-old Sixth Prince was to his right. The eleven-year-old Imperial Princess Leyao stood right behind the azure-eyed prince.

Behind Princess Leyao was Feudal Princess Anmin.

Right now, Imperial Princess Leyao was expressing her contempt. “Hmph! A poor Honoured Lady and a tomboy who can’t find someone to marry her! As they say, birds of a feather flock together! Cousin Anmin, we’ll have to show them what we can do later on.”

Feudal Princess Anmin’s reply was so light that even Prince Jin couldn’t hear what she said.

He turned his head, catching sight of Sima Hui’s tall figure from the corner of his eyes. His gaze rested there for a moment before he shifted it away.

When the Chengping Emperor arrived, dressed in a dark navy riding habit, everyone respectfully bowed or bobbed in welcome.

Due to their status, Chu Lian and Sima Hui were positioned in the outer rings of the entourage.

The emperor was surrounded by so many of his courtiers and nobles that Chu Lian could only see the top of his head from where she was standing.

While the two of them were bent at the waist, Sima Hui asked in a strange tone, “Lian’er, why does it feel like His Majesty is looking our way?”

Chu Lian didn’t believe her and rolled her eyes in amusement.

“There are so many people around, why would His Majesty look at us? I wasn’t even expecting to be invited. I’m not really related to the imperial family after all, and my title is the lowest-ranked Honoured Lady.”

Chu Lian’s words made Sima Hui frown. “Lian’er, make sure you don’t leave my side later.”

This was indeed a little out of the ordinary. Chu Lian didn’t have any more knowledge of what was to come. It would be best to be careful in everything she did.

Once the officials from the Ministry of Rites finished the opening ceremony for the spring hunt, the emperor led all the participating members off in a grand procession.

Chu Lian and Sima Hui were riding near the middle of the large group, together with many of the other noble ladies.

Although Royal Princess Duanjia wanted to ride with the two of them, she had no choice but to ride up front with Princess Wei, Imperial Princess Leyao, and the rest of the imperial family members due to her special identity.

At the back of the group were the carriages holding their luggage and servants.

The imperial hunting grounds were located in the outskirts of the capital, so it wasn’t too far away. They would likely arrive before 2pm.

He Changdi, Xiao Bojian, Heir Zheng, along with the various princes, nobles, and young noble sons all followed by the emperor’s side.

Their proximity to the emperor was normally arranged by seniority and rank, but for some reason, the emperor had specially picked He Changdi to be by his side today.

Since the emperor had named him personally, He Sanlang had no choice but to accept. He controlled his mount and stayed at least half a horse’s length behind the emperor. The emperor didn’t speak at first, he simply remained silent with a cool and stony expression on his handsome face.

“He Sanlang!”

“Your Majesty, this humble official is here.”

The edges of the emperor’s lips curved upwards. “It’s rare for us to have this chance to talk. Tell us of the sights and scenes of the northern border in Liangzhou.”

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