In the blink of an eye, it was the twenty-first of the ninth month.
Before dawn had broken, Yun Chu got up to wash and dress, bringing a change of clothes and such, taking Qiutong with her, and rode in a carriage toward the palace gates.
Xie Shi’an didn’t go with her but went to the Imperial Academy to travel with those classmates.
By this time, many people had already arrived at the palace gates—all first and second-rank officials and their female family members accompanying the trip to Yanshan for the hunt.
“Chu Chu.” A voice sounded beside her ear.
Yun Chu looked over—it was Du Ling. A smile appeared on her face: “Ling Ling, that outfit of yours is truly dashing.”
Du Ling smiled: “Last year during the hunt I fell ill. This year I’m determined to make an impressive showing. But you—why are you wearing such a long skirt? I was hoping to compete with you.”
“Please spare me.” Yun Chu raised her hands in surrender. “This whole journey to Yanshan is exhausting. Where would I have the energy to compete with you?”
She was able to come this time because of the Empress’s edict. Presumably the Empress had something to say to her.
The Empress was no simple person. To have protected the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace for over twenty years—even when the Second Prince later gained overwhelming momentum, she still hadn’t let the Crown Prince’s position be shaken. As an empress, how could she lack methods?
She had been thinking all along that if the Empress wanted to win over the Yun family, how should she refuse…
With so many things to deal with weighing on her mind, naturally she had no interest in horseback riding, archery, or hunting.
As the two were talking, they saw the palace gates open. The imperial procession came out in great magnificence—at the very front was His Majesty, followed closely by the Empress and Crown Prince, then four or five consorts and numerous princes. After the imperial family members walked to the foremost position, the various ministers followed one after another according to their status and rank.
The procession rapidly expanded, estimated to include at least two or three thousand people.
As a fifth-rank official’s wife, Yun Chu had the lowest status and naturally followed at the very back of the procession. Du Ling wanted to accompany her, so she took her arm and said: “I’ll ride in your carriage. It’s a three-hour journey—too tiring. We can chat to pass the time.”
Yun Chu nodded. Three hours meant most of the day. Being alone would indeed be too boring.
Du Ling quickly boarded the carriage. Lifting the curtain and about to sit down, she saw two small children sitting obediently inside the carriage. Her face showed complete surprise: “Chu Chu, did the Empress’s edict say you should bring children?”
Yun Chu shook her head: “No.”
Du Ling pressed her hand to her forehead. She just didn’t understand—since the Empress hadn’t given any instructions, why would Chu Chu still bring a concubine-born son and daughter to the hunting grounds?
That scoundrel Xie Jingyu took concubines one after another and had children one after another, yet Chu Chu still promoted the Xie family’s children like this…
However, these concubine-born children were exceptionally adorable, exceeding her usual perception of concubine-born children. She couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch the boy’s face.
“Ah—”
Chu Hongyu cried out unhappily.
But that wasn’t important.
He wanted to know why another person had appeared in Mother’s carriage.
Could that unreliable fellow A Mao have gotten the wrong information?
Standing below the carriage, Yun Chu was puzzled about why Du Ling would ask such a question when she heard a familiar voice.
She quickly boarded the carriage and saw the two children sitting obediently inside.
“Mother… Auntie Yun!”
Chu Hongyu realized an outsider was present and hit the brakes in time to change his address, restraining himself from throwing himself at Yun Chu.
Du Ling was shocked: “Auntie? Chu Chu, they are…?”
Yun Chu pushed Du Ling to sit in the carriage. After the curtain fell, only then did she say: “This is the Young Lord of Prince Pingxi, and this is the young county princess.”
“No wonder they looked so familiar…” Du Ling suddenly understood. She had only seen these two children from afar at a banquet, and children changed every day, so naturally she hadn’t recognized them.
“So it’s the Young Lord and young county princess.” Du Ling said with a smile, “You two should be in the imperial procession. Why did you get into the Xie family’s carriage? Did you board the wrong one?”
“Madam, if you know this is the Xie family’s carriage, then why are you here?” Chu Hongyu tilted his head and asked her.
Du Ling found his manner too endearing and replied with a smile: “Because Madam Xie and I are close friends, and we agreed to ride together.”
“I’m also close friends with Madam Xie.” The little fellow raised his chin. “I even went to Kunning Palace and had the Empress issue an edict to Madam Xie, inviting her to join the hunt.”
Yun Chu was surprised: “Because of something you said, the Empress issued me an edict?”
The little fellow nodded proudly: “I said Madam Xie crushed my cricket to death and I wanted to collect the debt, so the Empress agreed.”
This hunting trip would last a full five days. He and Changsheng could stay with Mother for five days—such an opportunity was too rare. How could he miss it?
Yun Chu: “…”
This little fellow didn’t say so earlier. She had thought the Empress wanted to win over the Yun family and had been pondering this matter constantly…
But now that she understood what was going on, that was good too. She didn’t need to keep thinking about the Empress and could relax and enjoy the scenery at Yanshan.
She reached out and pulled the silent little girl Chu Changsheng into her embrace, saying gently: “This journey is a bit far. Lean on Auntie and sleep for a while.”
The little girl nodded, hugged her neck, and nestled contentedly against her chest.
Chu Hongyu’s eyes turned green with jealousy.
But he knew his sister’s health was weak, and being able to go out at all was because he had worked very hard to persuade Father. He wouldn’t compete with his sister over such a small matter.
Du Ling had a son and daughter of her own. With one look at the little fellow’s expression, she knew what he was thinking. She smiled, picked up the little fellow, and placed him on her lap: “Young Lord, you can lean on me and sleep for a while. When you wake up, we’ll have arrived at our destination.”
“No, I don’t want to!”
As soon as Chu Hongyu touched Du Ling’s thigh, he desperately climbed outward.
He didn’t want to be held by any woman other than Mother.
He leaned against Yun Chu’s arm and said coaxingly: “Auntie Yun, when we arrive, can you hold me for a while too?”
Yun Chu touched his head: “Of course.”
Du Ling said unhappily: “Young Lord, do I have thorns on me or something?”
“Madam, we’re not familiar with each other, so I won’t trouble you.”
Chu Hongyu answered as politely as possible.
Du Ling bumped Yun Chu’s arm: “When did you become so close with these two?”
Yun Chu couldn’t quite say.
When had they become so close?
The first meeting seemed somewhat unpleasant, but later, her heart was inexplicably moved by these two children, unable to let go.
She looked down at the two children and said: “This is my close friend Madam Ji, whose maiden name is Du. You can call her Auntie Du.”
Chu Hongyu immediately called out sweetly: “Auntie Du, my sister can’t speak, so I’ll call out for her too—Auntie Du.”
“Then I’ll accept without ceremony.” Du Ling’s heart was melting. “I didn’t bring anything special, so I’ll give this bracelet to the young county princess and this jade pendant to the Young Lord as meeting gifts.”
Chu Hongyu glanced at Yun Chu. Seeing Yun Chu nod, only then did he reach out to accept them: “Thank you, Auntie Du.”
From a bundle beside her, Yun Chu took out pendants she had personally designed, made from the raw jade Prince Pingxi had sent her before.
Red jade, each inscribed with their names, carved with auspicious clouds and flourishing flowers—all drawn by her personally and engraved by craftsmen she had commissioned.
The two children received the pendants and were overjoyed. Chu Hongyu looked left and right, never tiring of looking at it. Suddenly, his fingers paused. He tilted his head and asked: “Auntie Yun, didn’t you make one for Father as well?”
Yun Chu: “…”