Chapter 525. Inferior Horse, Divine Steed (1/2)
”Don't speak nonsense! Which eye of yours saw Ning Donglan's favorable impression toward me? He's gentle toward everyone, alright? You're the emperor, don't be like a gossiping woman, it's really painful to look at!” Yu Xiaocao didn't want to continue on this subject. If Zhu Junyang heard this and became overwhelmingly jealous, it wouldn't be fun!
Since rebirth, it was the first time he heard such impolite words directed towards him. Zhu Junfan poked her and huffed, ”You dare say I'm a gossiping woman and that it hurts to look at? Lass, do you know how to write the word 'death'?”
”I don't know. I'm illiterate in this life as I didn't go to school!” Yu Xiaocao saw that the other party didn't have any signs of anger, so she stuck out her tongue and made a face at him.
”Do you want me to teach you?” Zhu Junfan revealed a sinister expression.
Yu Xiaocao blinked her large eyes innocently and smiled flatteringly at him, ”Your Imperial Majesty, you deal with a myriad of important matters every day, so I won't bother you. Besides, this word is too unlucky. It's better to learn more auspicious words like 'Imperial Gift', 'Reward', and 'Promotion’ ah!”
”Dream on!” Zhu Junfan gave her a sidelong glare and continued on the previous topic, ”You've seen so many transmigration romance stories, so aren't you curious about the Mulan Autumn Hunting Grounds of this world?”
”So you made this hunting ground to satisfy your curiosity?” Yu Xiaocao refused to admit that she was also interested in the Autumn Hunts from the Qing Dynasty.
Zhu Junfan showed a pleased expression and said, ”In the past, I was concerned about the hardship of the people and the empty treasury. Aren’t the lives of the people better and the country is becoming more prosperous with peaceful people because I discovered your talents? What’s wrong with having an Autumn Hunt that the subject and the emperor can enjoy together to celebrate? Oh, by the way, having such an event can also frighten and pacify the foreign tribes outside the borders. So what’s wrong with having this happen?”
All of sudden, Xiaocao pointed toward the people on horseback coming towards them from afar and asked uncertainly, ”Your Imperial Majesty, there's people racing horses on your imperial hunting ground and no one is taking charge of it? Isn't the management too bad?”
Zhu Junfan's eyes were quite keen. He saw the white-haired elderly man in the center clearly and with a wry smile said, ”No matter how brave the management is, they wouldn't dare try to manage him. Even if it was me, I wouldn’t dare to stop him from using the imperial hunting grounds as a horse racetrack!”
Yu Xiaocao also saw who was taking the lead and asked in surprise, ”Eh? The emperor emeritus? When did he come? How come we didn't see him on the road?”
”He thought the carriages were going too slow, so he took a few bodyguards and came ahead on horseback...” As he said this, the emperor emeritus and his group approached them swiftly. Xhu Junfan hurriedly expressed his concerns, ”Grandfather, you should slow down. Age isn't merciful, so you should take it easy!”
”Haha... I've practiced for several decades with the army here in the northeast. I'm quite fond of this piece of grassland, so I still think of it! Unfortunately, in later times, the air in this place is no longer as fresh and the sky is also not as clear!” The over sixty year old emperor emeritus agilely jumped off of his horse's back and onto the ground. The skill he showed was very robust as if he had gone back to his twenties and thirties when he was still fighting on horseback.
This was also thanks to Xiaocao's medicinal food, which helped nurture his body. Three or four years ago, he would need help getting on and off the horse! At that time, he often exclaimed, ”A hero's old age is the setting sun!” Unexpectedly, the medicinal food he impatiently ate was actually quite effective.
In the past, it was the old head steward begging him and watching him eat it. Now, he would ask for a bowl on his own. On one hand, it was because he learned about the effects of medicinal food, but on the other hand, it was because the taste of the food wasn't too shabby.
Su Ran's eyes flashed. From the emperor emeritus's tone, he could tell that the emperor emeritus came from the same place as the emperor and Yu Xiaocao. Earlier when the emperor used the phrase 'past life', Xiaocao, that lass, secretly looked at him. Could it be...that they all reincarnated with the memories of their previous lives? The emperor emeritus should have been a senior general who had been in the army for decades. The emperor's past life...he should have been a shipbuilder? This explained why, when he was young, he was able to supervise the design and building of a fleet of ocean-worthy ships. In Miss Yu's past life, she was good at farming, cooking, and preserving good health? By pure accident, Chief Steward Su had actually felt his way to the doorway of truth!
The old head steward wasn't surprised by the 'crazy words' of the emperor emeritus anymore and his bodyguards also knew what could and what couldn't be said. The old head steward glanced at Su Ran, and the two of them exchanged a look that had a tacit understanding.
”Greetings towards Your Imperial Majesty” Yu Xiaocao took advantage of the gap between the two people talking to give a salute to the old yet strong emperor emeritus.
The emperor emeritus saw her and his eyes narrowed into a smile, ”Lass Xiaocao is here too! Looks like the meal for tonight will be quite good!”
Yu Xiaocao's eyelids twitched a bit and she had the feeling that she was being used as a cook. ‘The emperor is out on a tour accompanied by his imperial chefs. Could you guys quit thinking of me?’