Chapter 102.1 – Just Like A Woman
Lu Qipei and Qi Yang rode on horses outside for half the afternoon. From the Emperor’s carriage riding at the forefront of the procession, to the carriages of the kings and princesses behind it, and finally to the carriages and horses of the accompanying officials at the back, the two of them strolled around without exception.
When the Emperor heard Zhang Jian mention it, he especially took a look outside the carriage’s window, then turned his head to smile at Zhang Jian, saying, “The prince consort that Qi Yang chose herself looks pretty good now. They’re still so affectionate after all these years, lasting much longer than the other couples I bestowed marriage on.”
After saying this, he sighed and said, “It’s just that these two, how could it be a good thing if they don’t have any children?”
Zhang Jian quickly said a few words to comfort the Emperor, saying that the matter of children is up to fate, so he shouldn’t worry about it.
The Crown Prince’s carriage was following behind the Emperor’s carriage. He wasn’t just resting inside, holding something in his hand and occasionally taking a look at it. When he glanced up at the window sometimes, he could see the two people riding on horseback while chatting and laughing, and couldn’t help but sigh and look away.
King Wei didn’t have much of a response when he saw Qi Yang and her prince consort, but the princesses behind looked a little jealous when they say the two’s intimacy. When they looked back at their own prince consorts who treated them respectfully like they would a guest, their jealousy became even stronger.
They could only turn their head and ask their prince consorts to perform well in the Autumn Hunt to beat those two in something else.
Those prince consorts were rather pitiful, all completely bewildered facing their princesses’ sudden cold expressions.
Lu Qipei and Qi Yang didn’t care about the impact of their stroll on everyone. They rode on horses outside to enjoy the scenery, which was much more enjoyable than riding in a carriage. It wasn’t until the middle of the afternoon when they were both a bit tired that they returned inside the carriage.
Back inside the carriage, the two of them had a cup of tea first, then Qi Yang suddenly asked, “Ah Pei, have you seen the horse that King Wei brought?”
Of course Lu Qipei saw it. During this Autumn Hunt, every Mansion brought their own horses, and among those the one that King Wei brought was the most outstanding. It was a burgundy-colored steed – tall and strong, with long and powerful limbs. It looked smooth polished, and stood out amongst the other horses. It had already won a lot of praise along the way, and King Wei was very proud of it.
However, both Lu Qipei and Qi Yang recognized that it was an exotic breed from the grasslands. It was most likely the same as the two white horses that they were raising in their mansion, gifts from the Rong envoy before.
Qi Yang and Lu Qipei did not dare ride them casually, but King Wei was more careless about it and even intentionally came riding them on this Autumn Hunt.
Lu Qipei held her tea cup and thought for a moment, then said, “Everyone has seen it, and the Crown Prince should also know about it. He is currently guarding against the Rong State and Xie Yuan, and King Wei probably won’t be able to ride this horse.”
When she heard this, Qi Yang stopped worrying about this matter and put it out of her mind.
The procession went straight until evening and finally made it to Jiuyang Mountain before dark. It had been the royal hunting ground since the country’s founding, but surprisingly, even though the Circular Mound Hill had a palace, Jiuyang Mountain did not.
“Our Great Liang wants to inherit the martial arts tradition of our ancestors, and must not waste our time in comfort and depravity. So, there’s no palace in Jiuyang Mountain. From the Emperor to the officials and royal family members, everyone would stay in military tents, which can be considered as experiencing the hardships of the army.” There were elders of the royal family who were solemnly teaching their juniors who came to Jiuyang Mountain for the first time, which included the Emperor’s grandsons.
That said, how could the hardships of the army be experienced just by staying in a tent for a few days? Especially for these princes and royal grandsons – with their piles of luggage and swarm of servants, even a simple tent could be arranged like a palace. Living in a tent was just a novel experience.
Those little royal grandsons looked eager to try it, and the Crown Prince who happened to pass by couldn’t help shaking his head.
Anyways, getting the people settled was very fast, and there was no need for these superiors to do it themselves. Each Mansion had their own guards and servants to set up and arrange the tents, and after going out for a stroll, everything would have been arranged when they came back.
After getting off the carriage, Lu Qipei and Qi Yang went to a nearby area to take a look, and by the time they returned, the tent was almost all set up. Bookcases, desks, chairs, beds, screens, wardrobes, make up tables – everything was perfect.
Moving things like this was actually more troublesome than living in a palace, and staying like this wouldn’t count as experiencing hardships either. But the rules were like this, so it could only cause everyone trouble.
Zhi Ting stood inside the tent, directing the attendants to make the final adjustments, and she went to greet the two when she saw them return.
Qi Yang then smiled and said, “Alright, this is good. This is the first day, and we’re still a bit busy with all kinds of miscellaneous tasks. Zhi Ting, you don’t have to stand guard all day. You can go out and play when you’re free later. Bring the princess’s mansion waist token with you, so the royal guards won’t catch you as an assassin by mistake.”
Zhi Ting couldn’t help but laugh when she heard this, but she certainly wouldn’t refuse Her Royal Highness The Princess’s kindness. She happily agreed, and seeing that they had no other orders for her, she quickly stepped back.
Lu Qipei had been sitting in the tent for a while, then said to Qi Yang. “Living in a tent is not nice. It’s not soundproof at all, it’s very noisy.”
Qi Yang casually replied, “It’s fine, it’ll calm down later.”
