After He Jingru dealt with her family, she returned to her boudoir.
Sitting on the edge of the window sill, looking at the blooming flowers outside the window, she was still a little dizzy.
——"Are you willing to be my queen?"
This sentence echoed in her ears back and forth.
She shook her head to expel the sound. She sat in front of the dressing table and took off the jewelry on her head. These were the things she kept at the bottom of the box. She only wore them on her head because she was going to the palace, and she couldn't bear to take them out.
Opening the jewelry box, she immediately saw a plain silver hairpin, which was a token of love given to her by her previous fiancé.
The two of them knew each other since childhood, and everything fell into place when they grew up, and they got married.
But just a few days before the wedding, her mother contracted a serious illness and passed away... She was the daughter who grew up in her mother's hands, and she could not get married during the period of filial piety.
Moreover, her mother is gone, her eldest brother has not yet gotten married, and there is no one in the family to take charge of general affairs. She wants to stay at home for a few years and wait until her younger siblings are older before getting married.
She went to discuss it with her fiancé, but was ruthlessly rejected, and the marriage was lost.
She couldn't say how much she had feelings for her fiancé, but she was still sad for a while when their marriage suddenly ended.
It was just for a while.
After my mother left, I had too many things to deal with, and I had no time to think about the love between my children.
This night, He Jingru didn't sleep.
The next morning, I once again received an invitation from the palace.
"Sister, it's a post about the palace's autumn hunt!"
"Oh my God, generally only first- and second-grade ministers are eligible to go, but my eldest sister was actually invited."
"Is it what the eldest princess means? Does the eldest sister win the eldest princess's favor?"
He Jingru's mood became much calmer.
Nowadays, all the ministers in the court are asking the emperor to fill the harem. The emperor's words yesterday were probably to go against the ministers.
She just happened to be chosen by the emperor.
In a blink of an eye, the day of the hunt arrived.
He Jingru was wearing a riding outfit, a suit of clothes that was made at the last moment, and rode on horseback to join the large army.
With a low status, she followed the team at the end, heading all the way to the hunting ground in Xishan.
The team quickly arrived at their destination.
Chu Hongyu got off the carriage and looked at the crowd.
There were so many people that he had no idea where He Jingru was.
At the same time, some wealthy ladies also gathered around.
Now that the emperor is of marriageable age and the harem is empty, the women present know that they must seize this opportunity to get along with the emperor.
However, as soon as the group of women gathered around them, they were separated by Lin Dongdong: "The emperor dislikes the smell of rouge and gouache the most, so stay away and go as far away as possible."
Chen San scolded angrily: "Lin Dongdong, you idiot, there are no women in the emperor's harem, and you are definitely responsible for it."
Lin Dongdong looked innocent: "I follow the emperor's orders, what does it have to do with me."
"Your Majesty!" Chen San quietly pointed to a woman in the crowd and said, "That one is the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Civil Affairs. She is such a talented and beautiful woman when she is with the Emperor..."
Chu Hongyu frowned.
This legitimate daughter of the Minister of Civil Affairs seemed to be mentioned in his ears all the time, but it was nothing more than that.
He said coldly: "Chen San, if you like it, how about I marry you?"
Chen San was stunned: "Ah, no, no, no, please take back your life!"
After he finished speaking, he looked up and saw Chu Changsheng walking over.
He hurriedly walked over with his waist hunched over, and said attentively: "The eldest princess looks really good today. Why don't you let me accompany Her Highness the Princess?"
Chu Changsheng said calmly: "Chen San, you have a cousin who is here today. Please invite Miss He to come and accompany me."
Chen Sanpidianpidian immediately went to find his cousin.
Soon, He Jingru was brought over.
The second time she met the eldest princess and the emperor, her face was no longer so troubled, and she lowered her head and saluted respectfully.
"Miss He, please accompany me today." Chu Changsheng said with a smile, "Let's watch the emperor's brother hunt together."
As she said this, she glanced at Chu Hongyu and couldn't help but smile to herself.
My brother is usually not serious. He only behaves like an emperor in front of others. Now his back is straightened and his face is tense. He is obviously nervous.
This team, headed by Chu Hongyu and Chu Changsheng, with eight former companions as followers, and an out-of-place Miss He family, rode their horses deep into the woods together.
"Your Majesty, there is a sika deer ahead!" Lin Dongdong shouted excitedly, "Quick, quick, quick, don't let the sika deer escape."
Chu Hongyu tried his best to show off in front of the woman he admired. He drew his bow and shot three arrows at the same time. One hit the sika deer's eye, and the other two hit the abdomen. The deer fell to the ground and died.
"Your Majesty is so awesome!" Lin Dongdong was particularly appreciative. He dismounted and picked up the sika deer. "It's a young deer. The meat is very tender. It will be particularly delicious when grilled."
Chen San licked his tongue: "Your Majesty, what about that? Otherwise we can roast the sika deer here and eat it."
Chu Changsheng paused.
Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for the daughters of emperors and ministers to dine together.
She has to create more opportunities.
She smiled and said: "The scenery here is very beautiful. Let's build a fire here and try it. Brother Huang, just ask someone to get seasonings and the like."
"Yes, yes, as long as there are seasonings, I can bake delicious food!" Lin Dongdong's mouth almost watered down. "How can I just eat venison? I have to bring some wine. Yes, I will go catch fish again." , the grilled fish is also particularly delicious.”
Chen San rolled up his sleeves: "Then I'll hunt two more rabbits."
"I'll go collect firewood."
"I'll find two rocks."
Each of the eight attendants went about their own business.
Only the brother and sister and He Jingru were left.
No matter how calm He Jingru pretended to be, she was just a girl who had never seen a big scene. With the two people in front of her, an emperor and a princess, she didn't know how much strength she needed to use to stabilize her expression.
She slowly exhaled and said, "I just saw wild vegetables in the mountains. I'm going to pick some to relieve my tiredness."
"How can a woman do this kind of work?" Chu Changsheng pulled He Jingru to sit on the grass on the ground and said, "Brother, go dig wild vegetables."
Chu Hongyu was worried that he wouldn't have a chance to show off, so he immediately nodded: "Okay."
He stepped away.
He Jingru was petrified on the spot.
The current emperor digs wild vegetables?
And she, the daughter of a sixth-rank official, is sitting here and watching?
If this kind of thing were told, no one would believe it, not even her.
She was on pins and needles and stood up immediately.
"Sister He, just sit down, it's okay."
Chu Changsheng had quietly changed his title, from Miss He to Sister He.
He Jingru also reacted belatedly.
She suppressed all the emotions in her heart and said sternly: "The people in the court sent a petition to the emperor to fill up the harem. I think the emperor should not randomly find someone to be the queen just to silence everyone. This is a disservice to the courtiers and the great Jin Dynasty. , and disrespect for the emperor himself."
Chu Changsheng couldn't believe it: "Sister He, do you think my brother wants you to be the queen just to go against the courtiers?"
