Chapter 462 Extra Story: Each Finds Joy 5
After dealing with her family, He Jingru returned to her boudoir.
Sitting by the windowsill and gazing at the blooming flowers outside, she still felt somewhat dazed.
—"Are you willing to become my Empress?"
These words kept echoing in her ears.
She shook her head, driving the voice away. She sat before the dressing table and removed the hair ornaments from her head. These were her most treasured possessions, worn only for entering the palace, usually kept carefully stored away.
Opening the jewelry box, her eyes immediately fell upon a plain silver hairpin—a token of love from her former fiancé.
They had known each other since childhood, and as they grew up, everything fell naturally into place, leading to their engagement.
But just days before the wedding, her mother fell gravely ill and passed away... She was the daughter her mother had cherished and raised with utmost care. She couldn't bring herself to marry during the intense mourning period.
Moreover, with her mother gone and her eldest brother yet to marry, there was no one to manage the household affairs. She wanted to stay at home for a few years, waiting until her younger siblings were older before marrying.
She went to discuss this with her fiancé, but was coldly rejected. Just like that, the marriage was called off.
She hadn't felt an overwhelmingly deep affection for her fiancé, but the sudden cancellation of the wedding still saddened her for a while.
But only for a while.
After her mother's passing, there were far too many matters to handle, leaving no room for thoughts of romance.
That night, He Jingru couldn't sleep.
The next morning, however, she received another invitation from the palace.
"Elder sister, it's an invitation to the imperial autumn hunt!"
"Heavens, usually only first and second-rank officials are qualified to attend. Elder sister has actually been invited!"
"Is it on Princess Chang's orders? Has elder sister won Princess Chang's favor?"
He Jingru's heart felt considerably calmer.
Currently, court officials were petitioning the Emperor to fill the imperial harem. The Emperor's words yesterday were likely meant to oppose the ministers' demands.
She was merely the one the Emperor happened to choose.
In the blink of an eye, the day of the hunt arrived.
He Jingru wore a riding outfit—hastily tailored for the occasion—and rode her horse to join the main procession.
Given her low status, she followed at the very end of the procession as they made their way to the hunting grounds at Mount Xi.
The procession soon reached its destination.
Chu Hongyu stepped down from the carriage and scanned the crowd.
There were far too many people; he had no idea where He Jingru was.
At the same time, a group of young noblewomen gathered around.
The Emperor was now of marriageable age, and the imperial harem was empty. The women present knew they had to seize this opportunity to interact with the Emperor.
However, as soon as the group of women approached, Lin Dongdong blocked them: "The Emperor dislikes the scent of cosmetics the most. All of you, step back, move farther away."
Chen San scolded irritably: "Lin Dongdong, you blockhead! If the Emperor's harem remains empty, you're definitely partly to blame."
Lin Dongdong looked innocent: "I'm only following the Emperor's orders. What does it have to do with me?"
"Your Majesty!" Chen San quietly pointed to a woman in the crowd. "That is the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Personnel. You two would make a perfect match, with your talent and her beauty..."
Chu Hongyu frowned.
It seemed this legitimate daughter of the Minister of Personnel was frequently mentioned to him, but she appeared rather ordinary.
He said coldly: "Chen San, if you like her, shall I arrange a marriage between you two?"Chen San stared in disbelief: "Ah, no, no, no! Please, Your Majesty, reconsider your command!"
As his words fell, he looked up and saw Chu Changsheng approaching.
He immediately hunched over and scurried toward her, fawningly saying, "Your Highness, your attire today is truly exquisite. Perhaps I should attend to you personally."
Chu Changsheng spoke indifferently, "Chen San, your cousin is here today, isn't she? Please invite Miss He to accompany me."
Chen San eagerly scurried off to find his cousin.
Soon, He Jingru was brought over.
Meeting the Princess and the Emperor for the second time, her expression showed less turmoil. She bowed her head respectfully.
"Miss He, please stay with me today," Chu Changsheng said with a smile. "Let's watch my brother hunt together."
As she spoke, she glanced at Chu Hongyu and couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
Her brother was usually quite informal, only putting on his imperial demeanor in front of others. Now, with his back straight and face tense, he was clearly nervous.
The procession, led by Chu Hongyu and Chu Changsheng, included their eight former study companions as attendants, along with the somewhat out-of-place eldest daughter of the He family. They all rode horses deep into the forest.
"Your Majesty, there's a spotted deer ahead!" Lin Dongdong shouted excitedly. "Quick, quick, don't let it get away!"
Chu Hongyu, eager to impress the woman he admired, drew his bow and shot three arrows simultaneously. One hit the deer's eye while the other two struck its abdomen. The deer fell dead.
"Your Majesty is incredible!" Lin Dongdong cheered enthusiastically, dismounting to lift the deer. "It's a young one—the meat will be tender. Roasted, it'll be absolutely delicious."
Chen San licked his lips. "Your Majesty, how about we roast the deer right here?"
Chu Changsheng paused.
Under normal circumstances, it would be improper for the Emperor and the daughter of an official to dine together.
She needed to create more opportunities.
She smiled and said, "The scenery here is lovely. Let's build a fire and try it. Brother, have someone fetch seasonings and such."
"Yes, yes! With seasonings, I can roast a masterpiece!" Lin Dongdong was practically drooling. "Just venison isn't enough—we need wine too. Right, I'll catch some fish; grilled fish is also delicious."
Chen San rolled up his sleeves. "Then I'll hunt a couple of rabbits."
"I'll gather firewood."
"I'll find some stones."
One by one, the eight study companions scattered to their tasks.
Only the siblings and He Jingru remained.
No matter how much He Jingru tried to appear composed, she was still a young woman unaccustomed to such grand occasions. Faced with the Emperor and the Princess, she didn't know how much effort it took to maintain her calm expression.
She exhaled slowly and said, "I noticed some wild vegetables in the mountains earlier. I'll pick some to balance the richness."
"How could we let a woman do such work?" Chu Changsheng pulled He Jingru down to sit on the grass. "Brother, you go dig up the vegetables."
Chu Hongyu, who had been worrying about how to show off, immediately nodded. "Alright."
He strode off.
He Jingru froze in place.
The Emperor... digging for wild vegetables?
And she, the daughter of a sixth-rank official, sitting here watching?
If anyone were to hear of this, who would believe it? She hardly believed it herself.
She felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles and stood up at once.
"Sister He, please sit. It's fine."Chu Changsheng had subtly changed her form of address, from "Miss He" to "Sister He."
He Jingru also belatedly caught on.
Suppressing the myriad emotions in her heart, she said solemnly, "Officials at court have petitioned the Emperor to fill the imperial harem. I believe His Majesty should not hastily appoint an Empress merely to silence public opinion, as this would show disrespect toward the court officials, the Great Jin Empire, and the Emperor himself."
Chu Changsheng was incredulous: "Sister He, do you think my elder brother wants you to become Empress just to oppose the court officials?"
OpenNovel