Qin Zhao quickly waved her hand, "I didn't mean that, I meant let you follow me... Follow me to walk around Chunfeng Building and the like!"
Cong Han: This one is even heavier!
Huo Jun sighed and said, "Your Highness can call me to do anything you want to do."
Huo Chengjin glanced at his own sister, wondering in his heart: What is she so disappointed about?!
"Cough cough!" Huo Chengjin couldn't stand to see any more of their "deep" eye contact, "Your Highness, it's getting late, let this minister send you back to the residence."
Qin Zhao said, "No need, with Huo Jun sending me it's fine."
Before Huo Chengjin could react, Qin Zhao pulled Huo Jun and ran away together.
The others also gradually dispersed.
Cao Keyao had her servants take her stinky brother away too.
Only Huo Chengjin was left in the field, he clenched his fist and said, "Your Highness, when I marry you, I will definitely teach you how to be a good wife!"
On Qin Zhao's side, she parted ways with Huo Jun at the gate of Zhaoyang Princess Residence, and went back to her own yard.
She wanted to bathe first.
She asked Xue Yan to prepare clean clothes and hot water, then she entered the Hot Springs Hall.
Qin Zhao took off her clothes and lay in the bath.
The fatigue in her body was gradually washed away by the water flow.
She closed her eyes and took a nap. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard the door open.
Qin Zhao usually bathed without anyone waiting on her.
Except for that person, she knew no one else would dare to open the door and come in without her consent.
As the footsteps approached, Qin Zhao said, "You're back."
Qi Yan Su Luo sat down by the edge of the bath and asked, "How did you know it was me?"
"I can tell it's you from your footsteps."
"Why didn't you come looking for me?"
"I knew you were safe. On the night of the Longevity Festival, an assassin had briefly laid eyes on you.
Who would dare to risk their life trying to assassinate the emperor, and recognize you, I wonder who that could be?"
Qi Yan Su Luo touched the dagger at her waist, but then heard Qin Zhao say, "If I wanted to find you, it would be easy.
I didn't go looking for you because I was sure you would come back.
Because to you, I still have value."
Qi Yan Su Luo moved her hand away, and asked again, "So you're willing to be used by me?"
"Yes."
"I don't believe it."
Qin Zhao opened her eyes, "Whether you believe it or not, you have to believe it.
I know your secret, and I have the ability to provide you sanctuary.
If you want to live until the time comes for you to avenge, you must trust me!"
Qi Yan Su Luo was silent for a while, then said, "I went to see my brother. He escaped by faking his death when Huo Chengjin massacred the city.
It took him two years with the remaining confidants to finally make his way to the capital of Yue Kingdom."
"What did your brother tell you?
What's his purpose in letting you come back?"
"He said he would launch another assassination attempt during the hunting, and let me cooperate with him from the inside."
"You're quite frank."
Qi Yan Su Luo took off her thin clothes and entered the bath, sitting next to Qin Zhao.
Qin Zhao couldn't stand the sensitive touch of skin contact, so she moved away a little.
Qi Yan Su Luo got close again, even tighter than before!
Qin Zhao's breathing became hurried, "Are you seducing me again?"
Qi Yan Su Luo gently shook her head and said, "I just want to relieve the desires of the body simply."
Qin Zhao relaxed and stopped enduring.
She hugged Qi Yan Su Luo's waist and said in her ear, "Please be rougher."
...
Time flew by, and it was the day to set off for Long'an Commandery.
Qin Zhao took Qi Yan Su Luo, Cong Han and Shen Xue with her.
Ling Long sent them to the door with tears streaming down her face, "Your Highness, please take me with you!
I want to go take care of your daily life."
Qin Zhao grabbed Ling Long's face with both hands and pulled it to both sides, as if pulling a pancake, and said, "Stop crying, I can take care of myself."
Ling Long held back her tears and sobbed, "Okay, I will take good care of Zhaoyang Princess Residence and wait for Your Highness to return triumphantly."
"Return triumphantly? I'm not going to war.
Alright, go back."
"Mm."
Qin Zhao stepped onto the carriage. The carriage was spacious enough for the four of them to sit in without feeling cramped.
After Zhaoyang Princess' carriage left the city, it joined the stream of other carriages traveling with the Emperor directly.
There were elite soldiers escorting front and back, marching mightily all the way, at least three miles long.
I don't know how big the hunting ground is that it can accommodate so many people.
The original ten-day journey only took eight days because the horses and carriages only stopped briefly at the stations and spent the rest of the time hurrying down the road.
They arrived at Fengming Mountain Hunting Ground in Long'an Commandery!
This hunting ground directly surrounded Fengming Mountain and the surrounding rivers and forests.
It had more than enough space to accommodate the 20,000 plus people the Emperor brought.
There was a large flat ground at the foot of Fengming Mountain, just right for setting up camp.
The Emperor ordered that in just two hours, the guards built two thousand tents.
Some were used to house imperial family members, officials, and their families, while the rest were for the soldiers themselves.
The Emperor's tent was in the center, the most conspicuous and the largest.
Qin Zhao was allocated a tent that could accommodate six people, but she only let Qi Yan Su Luo stay with her.
Cong Han and Shen Xue stayed in another tent next door.
After everyone was settled, it was already night time.
The Emperor did not make any special arrangements, so everyone had their dinner and went back to the tents to sleep.
Qin Zhao and Qi Yan Su Luo lay together. Qin Zhao asked, "When is your brother coming? Can we sleep peacefully tonight?"
Qi Yan Su Luo said, "I don't know the specific day either. My brother said he would adjust the timing of the operation according to the situation."
"Alright, good night."
"Good night."
Perhaps because of the fatigue from traveling, everyone got up relatively late.
After getting up, Cong Han and Shen Xue had prepared lunch.
The four had lunch together, then a messenger came and bowed to Qin Zhao, "Your Highness, His Majesty invites everyone to the square in front."
"Okay, I know."
The others also received the summons and walked towards the square together.
When Qin Zhao and the others arrived, the square was already full of people.
The Emperor sat on a high platform with Zhou Quande massaging his legs.
Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, he muttered a few words to Zhou Quande.
Zhou Quande nodded and fawned over him.
Then he stood up, took a box from another eunuch's hand, and opened it.
A night pearl the size of a fist came into everyone's view!
Someone couldn't help but exclaim, then quickly covered their mouth.
The people around Qin Zhao also expressed varying degrees of surprise.
Some whispered, "This is the biggest night pearl I've ever seen!"
"Night pearls are rare and precious to begin with. That one must be worth at least 100,000 taels of gold!"
"That expensive? Even if someone sells it, no one can afford it!"
"The kind of person who can own such high quality night pearls must not lack money, like His Majesty..."
Zhou Quande announced loudly, "Conveying His Majesty's edict, starting today, the person who hunts the fiercest prey within three days can get this night pearl!"
Everyone knelt and thanked the Emperor's grace, all extremely excited.
After the Emperor finished speaking, Qin Zhao rode the horse Cong Han brought over.
Sitting on the horse's back, she reached out to Qi Yan Su Luo, "Come on, let's go together."
Qi Yan Su Luo put her hand on hers and pulled herself onto the horse.
Qin Zhao: "..."
"Qi Yan Su Luo, did you get it backwards?
You should be sitting in front of me!"
Qi Yan Su Luo hugged Qin Zhao and said, "This is the correct position for you and me."
Qin Zhao didn't bother to argue, whipped the reins to spur the horse forward.
Qin Cong watched Qin Zhao and Qi Yan Su Luo's receding figures, signaled to the guard next to him, then followed them...
