Chapter 31: Noble Lady Hui's Nasty Slip Of Tongue

Prince Yu of the First Rank burst out laughing. As Head Eunuch Li left, looking rather embarrassed, he commented, "My dear brother, you're fond of First-Class Female Attendant Wu to a fault. You should've sent your greetings to our grandmother through Head Eunuch Li too."

Xuanye looked rather nonplussed—love wasn't a crime. "It's her fault for being dumb and clumsy. Our grandmother, on the other hand, has always been very careful in her ways."

The brothers chatted amiably about other matters for a while more. Lanqi's soup was excellent, and dinner went very well. After lunch, they rested in their respective tents for a bit before changing into their riding gear and heading to the big tent together.

Hearing that her grandsons were going to start the hunt soon, the Grand Empress Dowager quickly changed her clothes and came down to join the fun. While the men headed into the hunting grounds, she stayed behind to watch the horse-trainers perform tricks with the horses.

Xuanye cast a glance towards his grandmother and the Empress Dowager. The both of them had Lanqi, Noble Lady Hui, First-Class Female Attendant Bu for company. Meanwhile, the other palace ladies had changed into their riding outfits and were preparing to get onto their horses. Consort Zhao came up to Xuanye with a smile on her face, asking if they could ride into the hunting grounds together. Xuanye looked rather annoyed, but the Grand Empress Dowager stepped in and insisted that he accommodate Consort Zhao's request. After all, she declared, girls from the Niohuru clan were well-trained in hunting, and Consort Zhao would be a good riding companion for him.

Presently, the horses took off towards the hunting grounds, sending clouds of yellow dust billowing in the air. Xuanye's horse shot off ahead of the others immediately. In the sea of black riding habits, Xuanye's yellow riding robes made him stand out like a pearl among sand. Lanqi couldn't help but gape after his handsome figure with a foolish look on her face. Seeing this, Aunt Sumala laughed, "Mistress, why don't we sent First-Class Female Attendant Wu into the forest? If she keeps straining her neck like this, she's going to injure herself!"

Lanqi's face flushed red with embarrassment. Noble Lady Hui poured the Grand Empress Dowager a cup of tea and said generously, "She wouldn't be the first one! I remember the first time I accompanied the Emperor and His Highnesses to the hunting ground. My eyes nearly popped out when I saw how handsome His Majesty looked as he drew his bow!" Everyone laughed with amusement. Noble Lady Hui continued, "Nowadays, I'm just praying for the Eldest Prince to grow up quickly so he can go hunting with his father."

Hearing this, the Grand Empress Dowager sighed despondently, wondering aloud if she would even live to see that day. The atmosphere turned rather tense immediately, and Noble Lady Hui hung her head in embarrassment. Lanqi quickly shifted the Grand Empress Dowager's attention away and pointed in the distance. "The horse trainers are coming our way with the horses! Why don't you tell me about it? I've never seen something like that before."

The Grand Empress Dowager hailed from the grasslands of the Khorchin Mongols, and she had been well-trained in horse-riding since she was a girl. Now that she was too old to go on the horses, she had resigned herself to watching these exhibitions. She certainly enjoyed watching them more than she enjoyed watching ice-skating exhibitions.

As expected, the Grand Empress Dowager perked up immediately at Lanqi's words. She started narrating the movements of the horse-trainers to Lanqi, exclaiming in delight whenever one of them pulled off a particularly difficult stunt. Eventually, the atmosphere lightened up again.

Noble Lady Hui excused herself to go and take a breather. Aunt Sumala followed her out and comforted her by saying, "Noble Lady Hui, please don't take my Mistress's words to heart. The Grand Empress Dowager has been in a melancholy mood recently, and nobody knows why. You certainly weren't the one who set her off."

"No, it was my fault too. I should've known my place," Noble Lady Hui sighed, looking rather morose. Appreciatively, she said, "Thank goodness First-Class Female Attendant Wu was there to cheer her up. Otherwise, I might have made the Grand Empress Dowager very angry indeed."

Aunt Sumala smiled. "First-Class Female Attendant Wu might be very young, but she's considerate and knows how to please others. Noble Lady Hui, make sure to help her out in the future."

"Thank you for the advice, Aunt Sumala." Noble Lady Hui understood the hidden meaning behind her words. When she returned back to the Grand Empress Dowager, she heard the older woman saying, "Aside from Consort Zhao, Noble Lady Rong is also a talented rider. Too bad she can't come now because she's pregnant—otherwise, she would've gone with the others into the hunting grounds too."

Noble Lady Hui kept silent. She wondered how Noble Lady Rong was faring by herself in the palace. Consort Zhao's trick wasn't exactly blasphemous, but it sure was malicious and cruel. With her wicked penchant for poking others in their sore spots, it was no wonder that the gods hated Consort Zhao enough to spite her a child of her own.

Back in the palace, a still silence had descended upon the Noble Lady Rong's living quarters. She reclined in her embroidered ottoman, shutting her eyes in rest. Jixin entered the room with a plate of biscuits and said, smiling, "When the other mistresses come and visit, I always complain about having too many things to do at once. But now that there's hardly anyone around in the palace, it feels a little strange!"

Noble Lady Rong's lips curved up slightly. "It's rare that I have some peace and quiet to myself. It's true that the endless stream of visitors annoy me to no end sometimes, but how could I say that in front of the others?"

Just as she was going to pick a biscuit off the plate, a palace maid came running in through the doors. With a rather odd expression on her face, she said, "Mistress, First-Class Female Attendant Dong has arrived."