When Pei Yuesheng returned to Prince Zhuang's Mansion, Yu Miaohua took the opportunity to go and see the emperor.
She relayed to the emperor what Pei Yuesheng had told her.
Pei Lingyue never expected that after only spending a few days with Yu Miaohua, Pei Yuesheng would open her heart to her and reveal all her well - kept secrets.
"So that's how it is. No wonder the sea pirates in Zhuangzhou area have never stopped," Pei Lingyue sneered. After the matter of the sea pirates was exposed, in order to show their innocence, the Fu family sold their shipyard to the royal family. However, the sea pirates in Zhuangzhou were still quite active.
Now it seemed that the shipyard the Fu family handed over was just a public front, and the real shipyard was built on an island.
Pei Lingyue silently noted the location of the island and planned to send Jiang Xunxin to lead a team there.
The island was the land of Great Qi, and the shipyard on it also belonged to him.
He didn't believe that the Fu family would dare to claim that the shipyard was theirs. If they admitted it after hiding the shipyard from the court for so many years, it would be tantamount to treason.
"I understand," Pei Lingyue pondered for a moment and said, "Prince Zhao has always wanted a daughter but hasn't got one. I think Pei Yuesheng and Pei Yueli have some father - daughter fate with Prince Zhao."
After the matter was settled, he would adopt Pei Yuesheng and Pei Yueli, this pair of sisters, to Prince Zhao. The daily expenses could be covered by the royal family. Pei Lingyue could afford this little bit of silver. Although Prince Zhao seemed a bit unreliable on the surface, he was actually quite kind - hearted and wouldn't treat the sisters badly.
Yu Miaohua naturally knew that Pei Yueli was the sister that Pei Yuesheng cared about the most, as Pei Yuesheng often mentioned her in her ear.
But even the emperor knew about it...
Associating with the fact that the emperor seemed to know everything about Prince Zhuang's Mansion, as if he had a pair of eyes watching over it.
Yu Miaohua had a sudden thought, "Your Majesty, have you already contacted the eldest princess of Prince Zhuang's Mansion?"
This princess often followed Prince Zhuang around, so it would indeed be easier for her to gather information. Prince Zhuang probably didn't guard against her.
Pei Lingyue was a bit surprised. When did Yu Miaohua become so smart? She reacted so quickly.
"Your Highness the Noble Consort is truly intelligent," he said.
Yu Miaohua showed a smug expression.
[Hehe, I knew the system wouldn't issue a mission related to Pei Yueli for no reason. As long as I can completely win her over, I can get the reward of the Thunder - Shaking Cannon.]
Pei Lingyue knew that before the winter hunting mission, Yu Miaohua had triggered another main mission. But after meeting Yu Miaohua several times, he still hadn't figured out what the mission was. It wasn't until today that he learned about the relevant reward.
The Thunder - Shaking Cannon. Just from the name, one could guess that it should be a very powerful weapon.
Pei Lingyue was delighted. When Yu Miaohua said she wanted to take Pei Yuesheng to the winter hunting, he readily agreed, "Let them all go!"
After getting the emperor's approval, Yu Miaohua planned to ask the palace embroiderers to make several sets of riding clothes for Pei Yuesheng.
The next day, Pei Yuesheng entered the palace again. Yu Miaohua told her about the winter hunting.
Although Pei Yuesheng had often practiced archery and horse - riding with Yu Miaohua recently, she didn't think she could participate in the winter hunting. The number of participants in the winter hunting was limited, and her step - mother would definitely prefer to take Fu Congbai.
She didn't expect that Yu Miaohua had added her name to the list right after.
Yu Miaohua was talking about making riding suits with great enthusiasm. Pei Yuesheng had an idea and said, "My mother always dotes on me. If she knows I can participate, she'll be very happy. There are plenty of riding suits in the prince's mansion. Why make new ones?"
If the imperial concubine asked someone to make riding suits, the expense would surely be borne by the imperial concubine. How could that be allowed? It should be the prince's mansion that paid for it. For the sake of the prince's mansion's reputation, the riding suits should also be made in a luxurious way.
So Pei Yuesheng sent a maid out of the palace to report this news.
Yu Miaohua also privately mentioned to Pei Yuesheng that the emperor planned to adopt their sisters to Prince Zhao after the event, so as to relieve her constant anxiety.
Pei Yuesheng's eyes immediately turned red. Imperial Concubine Hui was essentially finding a way out for their sisters.
Pei Yuesheng originally liked Yu Miaohua, and now she was even more devoted. She decided to protect the imperial concubine's reputation well.
So in the following days, Pei Yuesheng stuck to Yu Miaohua even more.
The four maids who entered the palace with Pei Yuesheng received hints from Princess Consort Zhuang and were very attentive to Yu Miaohua.
One vied to comb her hair, and another vied to serve her meals...
Qingluo and Cuiwei had a lot of their work snatched away. Although the two of them were the senior maids in Guanjugong Palace, they didn't need to do too much work. However, they still preferred to do some of the delicate tasks around Yu Miaohua themselves and didn't like to hand them over to others.
Qingluo was very angry and rolled her eyes. She said sarcastically to Liuwan, the maid who was vying to make Yu Miaohua's bed, "People who don't know might think you're the maid of Guanjugong Palace."
Liuwan was delicate and gentle in appearance. She slightly lowered her head, revealing a section of fair skin on her neck. "This maid is just grateful for the empress's care and wants to repay her a little. We all know Qingluo sister's status in the empress's heart. This maid doesn't dare to compare with Qingluo sister."
As she spoke, her eyes glanced at Yu Miaohua, as if she had something to say but stopped, with a kind of alluring look.
Yu Miaohua felt a bit uncomfortable. It seemed that this person was trying to belittle her Qingluo.
Qingluo and Cuiwei accompanied her into the palace and stayed with her in the cold palace. They had always been very loyal to her, and their relationship had always been very deep. She knew that neither of them was very smart and didn't think things through as carefully, but she didn't mind. If they didn't want to stay in the palace, she would send them out and arrange their rest of their lives properly, being their backer. If they wanted to stay by her side, she would also protect them.
She said indifferently, "You're Yuesheng's maid, and your master is her, not me. If you really want to thank me, then take good care of Yuesheng."
Liuwan obediently agreed.
After Yu Miaohua said this, the other maids behaved more modestly.
When they were about to return to the Princesses' Residence, Pei Yuesheng called the four of them over and deliberately said, "What's wrong with you four? Didn't the princess send you into the palace to help me gather information? If you can't even handle such a small thing well, then I'll have to send you back to the prince's mansion and find other capable maids instead."
Princess Consort Zhuang hadn't told Pei Yuesheng her own hidden thoughts, but only instructed these maids.
Pei Yuesheng still had the dignity of a master when she sank her face. Liuwan and the others looked at each other. Finally, Liuwan took the initiative to say, "The princess asked us to seduce Imperial Concubine Hui with our beauty."
If they didn't tell the truth, the princess might really send them away. Then they would be in even more trouble. They had heard that for those who had lost their usefulness, the princess consort would send them to an island. The men would do hard labor, and the women would be given away like presents to the men on the island.
The several maids immediately decided to tell the truth.
The information in this statement was too much, leaving Pei Yuesheng's mind blank for a moment.
After a while, she said with difficulty, "Are you sure it was to seduce the imperial concubine, not the emperor?"
Previously, seeing that these maids were all very beautiful, she only thought it was to facilitate gathering information. People were always less guarded against delicate and charming beauties.
Who would have thought that the princess consort actually wanted them to seduce the imperial concubine?
Liuwan hesitated for a moment and gritted her teeth, saying, "The princess consort noticed Concubine Hui's affection for the princess, which is why she sent the princess into the palace. We hope that the princess will, out of our full disclosure, not send us back."
Pei Yuesheng only felt a wave of nausea. The imperial concubine was just a kind - hearted and soft - natured person, yet she was so maliciously speculated. The princess consort thought that the imperial concubine helped her because of some improper feelings.
She thought she had entered the palace as an informant, but in the princess consort's mind, the real purpose was to use her to seduce the imperial concubine.
She looked at the nervous Liuwan and the others, and suppressing the anger in her heart, she said, "I understand. Be more discreet in your actions. Otherwise, if you are driven out of the palace, I won't be able to protect you. I'll handle things with the imperial concubine."
She couldn't tell Liuwan and the others the truth, nor could she send them away.
Well, let it be like this for now.
Naturally, Pei Yuesheng wouldn't hide such a thing from Yu Miaohua.
After Yu Miaohua found out, she was completely stunned. No wonder those beautiful maids had always been so attentive to her and had even subtly modified their palace uniforms to accentuate their waists.
Previously, she only thought they were after the emperor, but it turned out they were after her.
[So this is the beauty trap?]
Guys, who can understand this? She actually had a beauty trap set for her! First, there were the handsome men prepared for her by the grassland tribe, and now there were beautiful women sent by the Prince Zhuang's Mansion... What on earth were these people thinking about her?
Did she look like a lesbian?
Yu Miaohua tried to recall. She hadn't done anything that would arouse suspicion.
Well, it must be the problem of the Princess Consort Zhuang herself.
[The host is really amazing! The human way of thinking is really complicated. I still have a lot to learn.]
Their system would never have come up with such an idea.
Yu Miaohua observed that Liuwan and the others behaved quite normally afterwards, so she temporarily put this matter aside.
On December 1st, the list for the winter hunting was announced. Naturally, Yu Miaohua was on the list, and so was Pei Yuesheng.
Among the concubines in the palace, besides the Empress, Concubine Yuan, Consort Li, and Consort Zhang were also on the list. These four all had a good relationship with Yu Miaohua.
Concubine De declined on her own initiative. The Fourth Prince and the Second Princess were still young and not suitable to go on the winter hunting. She was also worried about her children, and since there needed to be a high - ranking concubine to stay in the palace, she decided to stay.
Yu Miaohua asked her to take good care of Noble Lady Sun in the next few days. Noble Lady Sun was due to give birth in January.
Concubine De readily agreed, "Don't worry. I'll take care of it."
If it were the imperial concubine, Yu Miaohua definitely wouldn't be at ease, but Concubine De was more reliable.
Before the departure, Yu Miaohua continued to practice archery. There was still some benefit in cramming at the last minute, and her accuracy had improved a lot.
Three days before the departure, Consort Hua joined the winter hunting team.
Speaking of Consort Hua, this princess of Great Liang was placed under house arrest for several months as soon as she entered the palace. Her presence in the harem had diminished a lot, and she was almost forgotten by everyone. Unexpectedly, she quietly got herself on the list.
Yu Miaohua guessed whether Consort Hua had presented something that the emperor couldn't refuse. Usually, the emperor didn't seem to care much about Consort Hua.
It was only after the Empress told her that Yu Miaohua found out.
"The outermost layer of the purple cloud herb used in the Black Jade Rejuvenating Ointment is poisonous, and only Great Liang knows how to handle it."
Great Qi could grow the purple cloud herb, but didn't know how to process it, so it could only buy it from Great Liang.
"After she learned that Great Qi wanted to purchase a large quantity of purple cloud herb, she told the emperor the processing technique. She said that since she had married into Great Qi, she was a person of Great Qi and had to think for Great Qi."
Yu Miaohua was very surprised. Did she backstab her own country just to gain favor?
Did she not think this deal was a bit of a loss? Yu Miaohua thought the emperor had really made a great bargain. If she were the emperor, she wouldn't have refused either.
"Isn't she afraid that Great Liang will find out about this?"
The Empress said, "She has been out of favor since entering the palace and has frequently caused trouble, bringing disgrace to the royal family of Great Liang. I've heard that Great Liang has the intention of sending another princess here. She should have also heard the relevant rumors and is a bit dissatisfied with Great Liang."
Yu Miaohua was speechless and let out a cold laugh. These people only had such tricks. When faced with problems, they only knew to sacrifice their daughters. She didn't like Chu Yunxia, but she was even more disgusted with the royal family of Great Liang.
The Empress said, "However, I think she's so eager to go on the winter hunt. There must be other plans. When you get to the hunting ground, don't wander off alone."
Although she knew that Yu Miaohua was protected by the gods, it was better to be safe than sorry.
"I know. I won't joke around with my own safety."
The Empress originally wanted her son to take care of Yu Miaohua then, but then she remembered Yu Miaohua's task - the ministers had been trying to help Yu Miaohua cheat recently. So it was better not to let her son go there, lest they be exposed.
Yu Miaohua changed the topic, "Have you tried on those jackets I had someone send to you?"
It was last month when she saw the cotton - padded jackets sent by the Inner Palace Service that she thought of modern down jackets and specifically ordered people to make them.
The Empress couldn't help but smile, "I tried them on. They are really good things, light and warm."
Yu Miaohua smiled and said, "It's just right to wear them for the winter hunt. They're convenient for movement."
It was a pity that with the breeding level of this era, down jackets couldn't be popularized because the price was too high. For ordinary people, cotton - padded jackets were still more cost - effective.
...
In Qionghua Palace, Chu Yunxia was checking the packages she was going to take on the winter hunt, which were mostly riding suits. Worried that it would snow during the winter hunt, she had bought some cotton - padded jackets.
Although she didn't like Yu Miaohua, Chu Yunxia had to admit that cotton was really a good thing. It was warm when worn, but it was a bit heavy and made one look bulky.
"Princess, why do you only ask to go on the winter hunt? Considering the credit you've earned, if you wanted to move into the main palace, the emperor would definitely agree."
Wu asked her.
Chu Yunxia said, "We've made a lot of mistakes from the very beginning, leaving a bad impression on the emperor. If we ask for too much, the emperor will only dislike me even more. Instead, we should make a small request as a strategic retreat. This way, the emperor might even feel indebted to me."
Wu suddenly realized, "So that's how it is."
"I'm just sorry that you still have to stay in the side palace."
Chu Yunxia forced a smile, "If Great Liang really sends Yun Zi here, then I'll have an even harder time."
Wu was rather naive, so it was better not to tell her other things.
Yu Miaohua had contributed a great deal to Great Qi. Currently, Great Qi gave Great Liang a sense of danger.
The Witch God sent a message saying that as long as they could obtain Yu Miaohua's blood and hair, they could cast a spell on her to make her fall into a deep sleep.
For the sake of Great Liang, the Witch God was willing to bear the backlash and sacrifice himself.
Without Yu Miaohua in the way, with her beauty, she would surely gain the emperor's favor one day, give birth to an heir, and have her child rule over the two countries.
Chu Yunxia couldn't reach into Guanjugong Palace, and she didn't dare to act rashly.
But it would be different at the hunting ground.
It was easy to get injured at the hunting ground, and she was sure to successfully obtain something stained with Yu Miaohua's blood (she had already got her hair).
The upcoming winter hunting was going to be a tough battle for her.
Yu Miaohua had almost become a heart - ache for her. As long as this heart - ache remained, she would be unable to eat or sleep in peace.
...
It was a rare fine day on the day of the winter hunting. The sky, which had been overcast for several days, finally cleared up.
Although the temperature didn't rise much, the sunshine made people feel much more comfortable.
Yu Miaohua even chose to ride her horse, Xue Luo, instead of taking the carriage.
The sun shone warmly on her body, and the wind no longer carried the killing coldness of the previous days, making her feel quite at ease.
Yu Miaohua noticed that the official road had been replaced with a cement road. Unlike before, when riding a horse for more than an hour would leave one covered in dust.
The imperial court now had money, so they replaced all the official roads with cement. Cement factories had been opened all over Great Qi, and the emperor planned to reinforce the embankments with cement before spring, especially those sections of the riverbanks that often collapsed and caused floods.
Seeing that this era was gradually getting better because of her, Yu Miaohua was very happy. It was worth all the tasks she had done.
However, her enthusiasm for horse - riding only lasted for an hour, and soon she chose to take the carriage again.
Riding a horse all the time could be tiring.
The winter hunting ground was a bit far away, and they didn't arrive until afternoon.
Since there were limited mansions at the hunting ground and quite a number of people participating in the winter hunting, Yu Miaohua and Yuan Huirou shared the same palace. They had a good relationship and didn't mind this arrangement.
Some ministers and their families lived in the temporarily - built tents.
Compared with the tents, Yu Miaohua thought the mansion was more comfortable. Her mother had also brought her younger sister, Yu Miaoping, and Yu Miaohua arranged for them to stay with her. She didn't bring many people this time, so there was enough space. Yuan Huirou also let her mother stay with them.
Yu Miaohua and Yuan Huirou had a good relationship, and their families often visited each other. They were not strangers to each other and soon started chatting affectionately.
It was the first time for Yu Miaoping to meet Pei Yuesheng. Yu Miaoping had also heard that her elder sister liked the young princess of Prince Zhuang's Mansion very much and had kept her in the palace for some time. She herself never had such treatment.
To be honest, Yu Miaoping was a bit jealous, but in front of others, she would definitely give her sister face.
Her gaze fell on Pei Yuesheng and she said, "You're the little princess of the Prince Zhuang's Mansion? You're cuter than me. No wonder my sister likes you too."
Pei Yuesheng was very good at reading people's expressions. She detected the slight hint of sourness in Yu Miaoping's tone and said, "You're Miaoping, right? The imperial concubine often mentions you to me. She says you're her dearest and favorite sister. Seeing me is like seeing you."
"The imperial concubine also says that you're very strong and have great talent in martial arts. You'll definitely become a great general in the future. You're so amazing, much better than many men. I wish I had just one-tenth of your skills. Then I definitely wouldn't be bullied."
After just a few words, Yu Miaoping couldn't hold back the smile on her lips. She knew she was her sister's darling!
She reflected on herself. How could she be jealous of someone else?
She showed a bright smile and said, "You're great too. You're good-looking and have a nice temper."
Just like that, the two of them started chatting. Pei Yuesheng talked about Yu Miaohua, and Yu Miaoping shared the things she and her sister had done when they were kids.
When Yu Miaohua came out after changing her clothes, she saw this harmonious scene. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It was good that they hadn't quarreled.
She picked up a buffalo - horn bow and handed it to Yu Miaoping. "I specially picked this out for you from the storage room."
Yu Miaoping fondled it lovingly and said confidently, "Sister, wait for me to win first place. Then I'll give the prize to you."
There were always prizes for the top ten in the winter hunt. Of course, for everyone, the most important thing was the honor, and the prizes were just secondary.
"Okay, sister is waiting for you."
One by one, people came to pay their respects to Yu Miaohua. But Yu Miaohua was too lazy to deal with them and used the excuse of needing to rest to avoid them.
The next day, the first day of the winter hunt arrived.
Yu Miaohua was wearing a light - yellow riding outfit and sitting on Xue Luo.
Pei Lingyue said a few inspiring words and then announced the start of the winter hunt. Different prey had different scores, and the rankings would be determined according to each person's total score.
When Yu Miaohua saw the score for the black bear written on the board, her face turned pale. There were bears in this forest?
Although she could communicate with animals through her special ability, she couldn't control them. If she really met a bear, she'd better not try to communicate with it. It was more important to stay safe and just have someone shoot it.
She thought she shouldn't be so unlucky as to meet a bear.
There was a group of people following behind Yu Miaohua. She grabbed the reins and rode into the forest with the large group.
The outer periphery of the forest was safer. If one wanted more prey, they had to go deeper inside.
Pei Lingyue was still concerned about her safety and directly sent Lu Lingyun over.
Yu Miaohua asked, "Doesn't the marquis want to win the prize?"
Lu Lingyun's task this time was to ensure that Yu Miaohua could hunt more prey. He was riding a tall horse and said indifferently, "Once you've won a lot, you don't care about it anymore."
Yu Miaohua: "..."
How pretentious!
[Host, he has the capital to say such things. The Marquis of Wulie has participated in the winter hunt six times. He's always been in the top ten, won first place twice, and third place once.]
[Wow, he's really amazing.]
Lu Lingyun also taught Yu Miaohua how to read the traces left by animals on the ground and how to guess what kind of animal it was based on the traces.
Yu Miaohua was really taking a lesson and listened with great interest.
"Look, there's obviously a herd of antelopes here! Your Highness the Imperial Concubine, let's go in this direction. There must be prey here."
Yu Miaohua decided to follow his advice. Normally, she wouldn't be so enthusiastic, but for the reward, she had to give it a try and show off.
As it turned out, Lu Lingyun was indeed quite capable. After they had run about four li inside, Yu Miaohua saw the herd of antelopes.
Those antelopes seemed to be driven by something and were obviously in a panic.
The guards behind Yu Miaohua surrounded the herd of antelopes.
[Great! A good start!]
Yu Miaohua drew her bow and shot an arrow.
Cough cough. The first arrow missed.
She was too nervous.
It was different when shooting at moving prey. She continued to try.
The second arrow also missed.
Finally, on the sixth shot, Yu Miaohua managed to hit an antelope.
The other guards were responsible for preventing the antelopes from escaping and left them all for Yu Miaohua.
It took two quarters of an hour for Yu Miaohua to shoot all the antelopes. Lu Lingyun and the guards couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Watching Yu Miaohua shoot arrows was more tiring than doing it themselves.
Yu Miaohua felt a bit embarrassed. Damn it! Why wasn't there a "Sharpshooter" skill in the store?
Lu Lingyun praised her, "Your Highness the Imperial Concubine's first - time performance is much better than my eldest son. When my eldest son went on the winter hunt for the first time, he didn't get anything and even fell off his horse. He broke his butt and almost cried."
He directly exposed his son's embarrassing story to ease Yu Miaohua's nervousness.
Yu Miaohua was surprised. Lu Lingyun's son, who was also the Empress's cousin, she had met before. He seemed to be a very quiet and taciturn person. She never expected him to have such a disgraceful past.
Since there were eight antelopes in total, it was inconvenient to take them all and continue moving. Finally, a guard went out to inform someone to come and carry the prey.
After these prey were recorded under Yu Miaohua's name, Yu Miaohua then continued the hunt with peace of mind.
Then she encountered a herd of sika deer, foxes, rabbits, and even a leopard.
Yu Miaohua didn't even have time to use her "Mind - Reading" skill.
She kept repeating the action of drawing the bow and shooting arrows, and her arms ached.
[?? Are we this lucky? Or are there really that many animals in this forest?]
[Maybe it's because they sense the aura on the host and come close on their own initiative.]
[Well, that makes sense.]
[Unexpectedly, what they greeted was the host's cold - blooded arrows.]
[... I don't want to either.]
For the reward, Yu Miaohua had to ignore the affection of the little animals and be a heartbreaker this time.
Seeing the conversation, Lu Lingyun breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the Imperial Concubine Hui didn't think too much.
However, the arranged prey was indeed a bit too much. Did they arrange for antelopes? He remembered that on the first day, they mainly arranged some smaller animals for the Imperial Concubine Hui to practice with.
This was probably a gift from nature. Truly worthy of being the goddess favored by the gods!
...
On the other side.
Fu Congbai led his attendants and continued to penetrate deeper into the forest expressionlessly.
He had been running around for a whole morning but hadn't seen a single herd of antelopes.
Fu Congbai had the idea of making a big splash in this winter hunt. For this purpose, his aunt had specially bribed the officials in the hunting ground to prepare prey for him, such as a herd of antelopes.
But now, not to mention antelopes, he hadn't even seen a single rabbit hair.
Many people had the same experience as Fu Congbai. The prey they had privately prepared for themselves couldn't be found!
Damn it! Who on earth stole their prey?
When they counted the prey in the afternoon...
They watched Consort Hui full of energy and sighed, "There are so many animals in this forest. Don't they need to hibernate?"
In front of her was a mountain of animals, which formed a sharp contrast with the meager prey at their feet.
"My hands are so sore from pulling the bow all day."
Fu Congbai and the others almost spat out blood. So all the animals had gone to Consort Hui! Is this the treatment of the daughter of God?
Meow.
