usatvline Chapter 295 What reward do you want?
Chapter 295 What reward do you want?
Chapter 295 What reward do you want?
Chunyu Jing had never seen his mother look at him like that before. He was stunned for a moment, and just as he was about to look again, Consort Min was looking at him with a worried expression.
Did he see it wrong?
Chunyu Jing sat down with Ye Yingrou, still puzzled.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, the emperor announced the start of the family banquet. The palace maids lined up to bring out the dishes, which were very plentiful, including many delicacies from land and sea. However, because of Chunyu Jing's actions earlier, the atmosphere at the banquet was somewhat sluggish, and no one had much of an appetite to enjoy the food.
Jingxuan had already returned to Chunyu Yang's side. He sat between Chunyu Yang and Chunyu Shan, picking at the meat in his bowl, looking very tired.
Chunyu Shan was afraid that this would leave a shadow in his heart, so he tried every means to coax him into talking.
"It's been a while since I've seen Xuan'er. I feel like you've grown a lot taller. Come, tell me, what have you been doing lately? How come you've grown so fast?"
Jingxuan put down his chopsticks and replied sullenly, "Xuan'er is practicing martial arts with... with Father."
Chunyu Shan clapped his hands and said with a smile, "No wonder Uncle Liu thinks Xuan'er looks much more energetic. Practicing martial arts is hard work, you should eat more meat." After saying that, he put more pork belly on Jingxuan's plate.
Jingxuan shifted his little bottom closer to Chunyu Shan and whispered, "Sixth Uncle, how can you still laugh? Aren't you afraid?"
Chunyu Shan laughed and said, "What's there to be afraid of? Your father has been fighting on the battlefield for many years. The battlefield is full of swords and bloodshed. A slight mistake could cost you your life. It's much more cruel than this."
Jingxuan was taken aback and turned to look at Chunyu Yang, only to see that he remained calm and composed, completely unaffected. In contrast, the others present were all restless and looked uneasy, and Jingxuan felt a surge of emotion.
"It's normal for you to feel afraid now. No one is unafraid of death, so you must especially remember this fear. In order to avoid having your head chopped off and used as a reward in the future, you must work even harder to learn martial arts from your father so that no one can harm you."
Chunyu Shan offered advice.
After hearing this, Jingxuan's heart was still pounding, but his emotions had calmed down.
His father gave him his mother's Cold Scale Sword, placing such high hopes on him; he could not let his father and mother down.
Chunyu Yang had excellent hearing and heard the conversation between the uncle and nephew clearly. Seeing that Jingxuan had calmed down and was no longer trembling with fear, he felt quite relieved.
As expected of those two children, with such understanding, he is bound to achieve great things in the future.
The emperor ate the family banquet with great displeasure. Although Chunyu Jing had dampened his spirits considerably, he hadn't forgotten the purpose of hosting it. After several rounds of drinks, he put down his cup and asked Chunyu Shan:
"Zize, I have asked you to begin preparations for the autumn hunt. How are those preparations going?"
Chunyu Shan stood up and replied, "Reporting to Father Emperor, everything is ready and we can set off smoothly in five days."
The emperor nodded in satisfaction and smiled, "I knew it. Although you are usually a bit lazy, you can get serious and plan things out properly when it comes to important matters."
Upon hearing this, Consort Shu was overjoyed and looked at her son with admiration.
Chunyu Shan opened the fan in his hand and said with a cynical smile, "Father, you flatter me too much. I know nothing about politics. It is thanks to the assistance of the Left Prime Minister and other officials that things have progressed smoothly."
The Emperor said, "The autumn hunt is an important means for the Chunyu clan to continue its lineage. If this autumn hunt goes smoothly, I will reward them handsomely."
Upon hearing this, Chunyu Jing's eyes flickered, and a smile, unnoticed by anyone, appeared on his lips.
If Prince Yue hadn't approached him beforehand seeking cooperation, he would probably be just like everyone else at the table, completely unaware of the situation and convinced that the autumn hunt would go smoothly. What a pity, what a pity, he's likely to disappoint them.
As if they had reached a mutual understanding, Ye Yingrou smiled sweetly and gently nestled against Chunyu Jing.
After praising Chunyu Shan, the emperor veered off to other topics before finally revealing the purpose of the banquet.
"Last night I felt unwell, unable to eat, and restless. I summoned the imperial physician, but to no avail. I was very anxious until I lit the calming incense that Consort Xian sent. I broke out in a light sweat, and my body felt much better. My spirits were also greatly lifted, as if I had returned to my prime. Consort Xian, what kind of medicinal materials are used to make this calming incense? How could it be so effective?"
Consort Min gave Consort Zhuang a meaningful look. After the other woman noticed and looked over, Consort Min smiled slightly and looked away.
Consort Zhuang suppressed her doubts, rose and bowed, replying, "Your Majesty, this calming incense was not made by me. It was sent to me by the Third Prince a few days ago, and I took it upon myself to present it to him."
The emperor became interested: "Oh? Third brother, where did you get this thing from? Do you have any left?"
In recent years, due to health reasons, the emperor has become quite obsessed with the path to immortality. As soon as he said this, all eyes at the table turned to Chunyu Yang.
Chunyu Yang noticed that most of those gazes were not friendly, and in order to protect Ye Pianran, he said:
"Your subject found it by chance in the market. The shopkeeper said that this incense came from Ye Chu, and the incense maker has passed away, so this is a one-of-a-kind in the world."
Hearing that the incense maker had died, the emperor lamented for a while and said to Chunyu Yang:
"If we're talking about it, you are the most filial of all my sons. Since you were the one who found that calming incense, both you and your mother deserve credit. Tell me, what reward do you two want?"
Upon hearing this, Consort Yu's smile remained unchanged, but her hands, hidden in her sleeves, unconsciously clenched tightly.
Consort Zhuang smiled at the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty's recovery is a blessing. What I did was insignificant. As long as Your Majesty is healthy, what do I need those rewards for? They are just material possessions."
Look how eloquent she is! She truly lives up to her reputation as a "virtuous and wise" person.
Consort Min lowered her eyes and fiddled with her nails, a barely perceptible cold smile playing on her lips.
The emperor was naturally pleased to hear this, and felt even more that Consort Zhuang was virtuous. Recalling the scenes of their past companionship, the smile on his face softened.
"When I say I'm rewarding you, it's because I care about you. You mustn't refuse, or you'll be letting me down."
Consort Zhuang hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly:
"Your Majesty, for the past two years, I have felt extremely weak and tired, and I would be out of breath after walking just a few steps. I have seen many imperial physicians, but there has been no improvement. However, since I started using the calming incense given to me by the Third Prince, I feel that my health has gradually improved, and now I have the strength to go out and walk around. Looking back on these past two years, because of my poor health, I have not been able to spend much time with Your Majesty. If I were to ask for any reward, I would only wish to spend more time by Your Majesty's side."
After speaking, she looked at the emperor with hopeful eyes and asked:
"Your Majesty, may I come along on this autumn hunt? I would like to serve by Your Majesty's side and witness Your Majesty's heroic bearing during the hunt."
The emperor raised an eyebrow slightly and immediately replied:
"Is it permissible? The autumn hunt in Xingzhou is the most solemn event of the royal family. As one of the four consorts, you are naturally qualified to go. I grant your permission." After saying this, the emperor looked at Chunyu Yang and asked:
"Third brother, what about you? What reward do you want?"