After letting Luo Cuizhen return to her residence with the palace attendants, Luo Cuiwei walked side by side with Yun Lie on the elm forest path outside the Lansheng Hall.
Although the two Luo sisters were kept behind for less than half a cup of tea's time to talk, Yun Lie was clearly still somewhat uneasy.
"He didn't ask anything, His Majesty just said he was curious." Luo Cuiwei turned her head and glanced at him with a strange expression.
Her half-smile made Yun Lie's brow twitch. "What are you curious about?"
Luo Cuiwei stopped and turned to face him. "If I remember correctly, you... are the fifth in your family?"
Yun Lie didn't know what she meant by asking that question, and alarm bells went off in his mind, so he just gave a vague reply.
Luo Cuiwei spoke softly and gently, relaying Emperor Xianlong's words verbatim, but Yun Lie was so shocked that it felt like a thunderbolt had struck him.
He was also thinking of going to find the "insiders" later to give them a heads-up, so that Luo Cuiwei wouldn't find out who the guy was who deserved to be "scolded until he was covered in welts".
Unexpectedly, before he could even begin to "defend," he was stabbed in the back by his own father, the emperor!
"I was just thinking..." Yun Lie suppressed the urge to cover his head in panic, opened his mouth to defend himself, but didn't know what to say, so he turned his head to the side in despair, "Fine, scold me if you want."
****
Luo Cuiwei was taken aback, then realized that he must have overheard her whispering with her sister yesterday.
Yesterday, she complained to Luo Cuizhen in the carriage, saying things like, "If I find out who put the Luo family on the merchant list, I will definitely give them a good scolding." This was simply because she was thinking about how her father was implicated and could not rest in peace. At that moment, she was only focused on being angry, and those angry words just slipped out.
In truth, she understood perfectly well that although being designated to accompany the emperor caused a brief disruption to the Luo family's affairs and forced Luo Huai to assist Luo Fengming with business matters despite his injuries, the "accompanying the emperor" arrangement was clearly more beneficial than harmful to the Luo family.
Because the Luo family encountered setbacks in Songyuan one after another, they have been losing money for nearly three years on the northern trade route, which was originally the most profitable. Last year, the southern region suffered from drought and poor harvests, and tenant farmers refused to pay their rent and caused trouble. This led to rumors that the Luo family's cash flow was about to dry up, and people flocked to the Luo family's money shop to withdraw their cash. It was truly a case of misfortunes never coming singly.
However, once the news of accompanying the emperor on the spring hunt came out, it was seen by outsiders as if His Majesty the Emperor had personally endorsed the Luo family, which greatly benefited the Luo family's prestige.
At least, the run on Luo Family Bank will be temporarily quelled, which is a great thing for the Luo family.
Yun Lie's assistance to the Luo family this time is truly beyond words of gratitude.
"I won't scold you. I know you're trying to help me." Seeing him turn his head away, Luo Cuiwei was afraid he wouldn't see her sincere gratitude, so she reached out and tugged at his sleeve.
When he turned back to look at her with a puzzled expression, she withdrew her hand, looked up to meet his surprised gaze, and smiled.
He was so tall that Luo Cuiwei had to look up to meet his eyes when they were close together.
"I am deeply grateful and cannot express my thanks." Luo Cuiwei solemnly curtsied in gratitude.
Since her father was injured, she has been the one to take the lead in the family business, and she hasn't had this kind of experience of being protected under someone's wings without even realizing it for a long time.
****
In early spring, the new leaves on the elm branches are a vibrant green, growing lush and verdant. The thin, translucent rays of the setting sun, like fine golden gauze, filter through the gaps between the leaves, layer upon layer, gently and gracefully enveloping the two people standing facing each other.
Her beautifully made-up face tilted slightly upwards, and she smiled without reservation, her radiance as dazzling as a rouge flower under the midday sun.
Yun Lie felt as if a dull, heavy string in his heart had been suddenly and heavily plucked, and a deep yet pleasant ringing sound immediately reverberated in his chest.
Yun Lie coughed twice, slightly raised his chin, not wanting her to notice the sudden blush on his face, and chuckled lightly, "Since it's such a great favor, why shouldn't I thank you?"
If it had a tail, it would probably be wagging its tail in the air by now.
Yesterday, when she whispered to her younger sister, she gritted her teeth and said she would "curse the person who replaced the Luo family on the list" until she was "covered in grievances." The resentment and anger that came from the bottom of her heart was not fake.
But after she learned today that he was the "instigator," she not only didn't "curse him to death," but also smiled sweetly and thanked him.
Not only did she not want to scold him, she also took the opportunity to flirt with him again.
It's clearly for him... right?
Luo Cuiwei, unaware of the complex thoughts swirling in his mind, simply smiled at him and said softly, "If I were to reward you handsomely, I fear it might implicate you and lead to your impeachment by the censors. Otherwise, tell me, what kind of reward do you desire?"
"I'll owe you for now, and I'll tell you when I've thought it through." Yun Lie couldn't hold back any longer; he forced a smile, his face burning even hotter.
See? See? She never forgets to think of him, no matter what.
****
The next day was the Spring Equinox, a beautiful and pleasant time.
At dawn, under the leadership of Emperor Xianlong, the group performed the usual ceremonies before the spring hunt, and then respectfully invited Emperor Xianlong to personally draw the first bow, which officially marked the start of this year's spring hunt.
Many mountain animals give birth in early spring, so spring is not a good time for hunting.
Fortunately, the real purpose of the imperial spring hunt was never the prey. The arrows issued to everyone were made of wood and had no arrowheads. To put it bluntly, it was just a way to take advantage of the warmer weather to go out for a spring outing, ride horses, and stretch one's muscles.
The Quanshan hunting grounds were vast, and the young people, who had been cooped up in the capital all winter without a chance to stretch their legs, were overjoyed. Like birds returning to the forest, like fish in water, they galloped off on horseback in no time.
Luo Cuiwei was not an active person to begin with, and she was not particularly skilled in riding and archery. After riding around for a while and getting a feel for it, she slipped away to the resting tent, took out the storybook she had brought with her, and sat on the felt blanket in front of the tent, brewing tea and reading the book while basking in the sun.
After about half an hour of this, Luo Cuizhen ran back, beaming with excitement: "Sister, someone invited us to play polo, let's go join in the fun!"
Since the Quanshan Hunting Ground was originally a place for royal recreation, a polo field was also readily available.
Xiong Xiaoyi spotted the two Luo sisters from afar. His dark face was adorned with a smile, which made his bright white teeth shine. He waved to them.
"General Xiong is laughing so excitedly, is he going to go down and show off his skills?" Luo Cuiwei teased him with a smile as she walked up to him.
Xiong Xiaoyi led the two of them to the brocade tent where they were to watch the battle, nodding and chuckling: "You'll see soon enough. When it comes to horsemanship, any one of the Linchuan Camp soldiers can make them lose so badly they'll have to take their pants off!"
The royal family and nobles of Dajin loved polo, and often there were prizes to be won.
"Brother Xiong, could you please revise your words a little? I'm still a child! You..." Luo Cuizhen laughed and darted into the brocade tent, but then quickly stopped herself, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Zhao."