activa-t Chapter 236 Horse Farm
Chapter 236 Horse Farm
"Oh, he's a guard." The Queen's voice held a hint of surprise.
"There's plenty of time in the future. Your Majesty the Empress, Lin Ziping isn't going anywhere. We'll have many more opportunities to meet and ask him questions," the Emperor interjected. "The noble ladies are about to take the stage. You'd better keep an eye on Sixth Prince and Chaofeng."
"His Majesty can keep an eye on things," the Empress said.
The overwhelming, sour smell of Mary Sue made Lin Ziping squint.
To be fair, good-looking people are attractive even when they blink or speak.
Before Lin Ziping could continue admiring the scene, the emperor waved his hand, and Lin Ziping had no choice but to get up and step aside.
Turn your gaze to the horse farm not far away.
A group of women rode in on horseback, whipping their horses and galloping along.
Her jade-like hands hung with golden bridles, her slender waist swayed in her emerald skirt. A fine steed galloped like lightning, and beauties gathered like clouds. [1]
Leading the way was the woman in the red riding outfit from last night. She held a whip in one hand and reined in her horse with the other, carrying a bow on her back and arrows on the horse's saddle.
Following closely behind was a woman in green, her hands gripping the reins tightly, her face flushed from exercise, her expression calm and her eyes resolute.
The girl behind,
Well, Lin Ziping doesn't recognize any of them.
His gaze swept across the crowd, finally settling on the last person.
That's Li Qiongying.
Li Qiongying was riding a black horse, holding the reins in one hand and a whip in the other. Compared to the other women, she appeared calm and composed.
Suddenly, a sika deer appeared at the edge of the horse farm. Li Qiongying took the bow from the horse's back, nocked an arrow, and shot it.
The sika deer collapsed with a thud, and cheers erupted from the crowd.
Then a eunuch quickly ran towards where the sika deer had fallen.
Soon after, someone brought over a fine piece of brocade.
Dongshan accepted it and presented it to the emperor with both hands.
After the emperor opened it and read it, he handed it to the empress and said, "The horsemanship and archery skills of the pampered noble ladies in the capital are truly no match for those of the women on the frontier."
The Empress did not move, but covered her mouth and chuckled: "Your Majesty, why are you so sentimental? Different places nurture different people. Women in the capital and on the border are both raised in a pampered manner, but each has its own strengths and weaknesses."
"Haha—" the emperor laughed loudly, "The empress is eloquent, and I cannot argue with her, but this competition must have a winner and a loser, otherwise what is the point?"
"In my opinion, this competition is unnecessary. The girls aren't monkeys for everyone to judge," the Queen said. "Let the sixth prince and Chaofeng be."
The emperor opened the brocade cloth, pointed to the contents, and changed the subject: "This Miss Qin and... wait, which family's young lady is Dongshan? I've never heard of her before?"
The Empress took the brocade cloth and said, "Your Majesty, please announce the results quickly. The noble ladies are still waiting."
The emperor nodded to Dongshan.
Dongshan stepped to the front and announced loudly, "The one who shot the deer is Miss Qin Jiafangyu and Miss Jiang Jianingzhi."
姜？
Lin Ziping frowned slightly; this surname was not very common.
The Empress's voice came at this moment: "Jiang Ningzhi is a distant cousin of the Prime Minister's family. He has attended several palace banquets and is a clever child."
The Emperor nodded slightly: "To be able to hit the target alongside Miss Qin, that must be quite impressive. But Miss Li didn't hit it?"
"Unlike Qionghua, Qiongying has never liked these things. Qionghua used to be the most enthusiastic about the autumn hunt, so why haven't we seen her this time?" the Empress asked in confusion.
Wanrong, a woman in palace attire behind her, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that Miss Qionghua is not feeling well."
The Empress looked up and asked, "Could it be that you are pregnant?"
Wanrong shook her head to indicate that she did not know.
"After returning to the palace, send someone to check on her. I haven't seen Madam Li for a long time; I wonder how she is doing," the Empress sighed and gave the order.
"Your Majesty, do not worry. After returning to the palace, I will have Lin Ziping visit Qiankun and Changping at the Zhou family, and also visit the Li family," the Emperor said. "Young people are full of vigor."
"Your Majesty speaks as if no family has no offspring, young man," the Empress looked Lin Ziping up and down, and after a long while said, "Not bad."
"It's good that you agree." The Emperor patted the Empress's hand. "I remember that back then, the Empress was also dressed in red and riding a black horse. Whether it was yesterday or today, the beauty of this young lady cannot compare to the Empress's."
"Is that so?" The Empress looked at the Emperor and said, "I think Consort Cui is better."
"Haha—" The emperor laughed, his expression thoughtful, and said calmly, "Each has its own charm."
The empress glanced at the emperor sideways, then looked away and said nothing more.
Lin Ziping was oblivious to the undercurrents between the Emperor and Empress, but he was more interested in the weapon in Li Qiongying's hand.
When she shot that arrow, the weapon she took out looked like a bow and a crossbow at the same time.
I recognized it immediately; it was a style I'd never seen before.
Just as Lin Ziping's eyes were following the weapon on Li Qiongying's horse, the Empress's voice suddenly came: "Lin Ziping."
"Your humble servant is here." Lin Ziping withdrew his gaze, quickly stepped forward, and clasped his hands in a salute about 3 meters away from the Empress.
The Empress smiled and said, "No need for formalities. I'd like to ask you, which of these girls do you think is the best?"
This……
What a death trap question!
Is this a topic I can participate in?
Lin Ziping clasped his hands but did not answer immediately. After a long while, he stammered, "This humble servant is not familiar with any of you ladies and dares not make any comments."
The emperor said, "Just speak your mind. Look at the ladies sitting behind you, they are all looking for matches for their own sons and nephews. You and Gao Chi are about the same age, so your thoughts should be similar."
Looking at each other?
For some reason, Lin Ziping recalled a time when he was selecting items in a supermarket.
The most important thing is that it suits your taste; if it catches your eye, that's just icing on the cake.
Lin Ziping lowered his head and said, "How could the Sixth Prince's preferences be the same as mine? The young ladies each have their own unique charm, and I am very pleased with them all. I like them all."
"Haha..." The Emperor and Empress laughed heartily.
Lin Ziping held his breath, his face flushed, and he pretended to be shy.
"Empress, look at this young man. He's probably still quite young and doesn't know anything about romance yet." The Emperor's expression relaxed. "When I was your age... when I was your age..."
The Empress glanced at the Emperor: "At this age, he's already preparing to settle down and start his own household, clamoring that he won't marry anyone but you."
Lin Ziping was drenched in cold sweat.
Is this something I can hear?
The events of the past two days have been too fantastical; Lin Ziping feels as if he's walking on clouds, an unrealistic dream.
"Alright, don't frighten the young man. Lin Ziping, you may leave." The Empress spoke, and Lin Ziping, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, quickly took his leave.
The race on the track continued, but Lin Ziping was no longer in the mood to start; everything before him seemed monotonous and boring.
Lin Ziping felt that the eyes around him were like those of wolves and tigers, as if they were eyeing a group of exquisite goods. The girls galloping on the horse farm now looked like a product display, which made him even less interested.