Chapter 536. Good Wine (2/2)

'Forget it, let's just have a drink to calm down—Huh? Where's the wine? There's not even a drop left?' Imperial Prince Sa had the urge to look up at the sky and wail.

The last glass of wine had been personally poured into the empress's glass by the emperor himself. Zhu Junfan knew that, with the mystic stone in Xiaocao’s possession, the wine she made must be extraordinary. The empress had not been feeling well lately, so drinking more of this wine would only benefit her.

Imperial Prince Sa couldn't snatch his niece-in-law’s wine now, could he? Not to mention that she was the mother of the nation! He only had one glass of wine out of a whole two jars! Imperial Prince Sa wanted to pound his chest and stomp his feet! He turned his sorrow and anger to his appetite, and ate a whole bear paw on the table, along with half a jar of ‘Buddha jumps over the wall’. A moment’s carelessness caused him more tragedy—unable to move because he had stuffed himself full. He was then placed in a situation where he was forced to be carried back home by his guards.

The next day, the emperor, who had been relaxing outside for nearly a month, announced that he was heading back to the palace. Not only was he able to enjoy the unique grassland scenery on this trip, but he also witnessed the thrill of the hunt. As the emperor, although Zhu Junfan could not freely participate in the hunt, he went down to the Imperial Hunting Grounds and personally shot quite a few game. He had also met with the chieftains of the nearby tribes, taking the opportunity to show them the prowess of his people, especially Royal Prince Yang’s bow, which had struck fear in many of those who had claimed to be strong and brave men.

The return journey was smooth and uneventful. Shortly after returning to the capital, Yu Xiaocao heard word that a certain favorite concubine in the palace had been placed into the cold palace and soon hanged herself, killing herself and the child in her womb. Her family, the Count Mingzhen's Household, was also confiscated of their assets and executed. Yu Xiaocao then understood that the conspiracy at the Imperial Hunting Grounds had come to an end, and those who should be punished had already paid the price.

When Yu Xiaocao delivered the grape wine to the Imperial Palace, the empress held her hands and sighed, ”Concubine Yun was actually a good person. She was only implicated by her brainless brother. Ay, this Concubine Yun. Even though she was demoted and moved to a more remote palace, living a hard life is still better than a good death! Not to mention that she still had hope of a fresh start with the child in her womb. If she had been able to look past it, there was still a possibility that her rank as an imperial concubine would be restored once she gave birth to an imperial child in a few months and the emperor's anger subsided. What a pity! Her character had preordained that she wouldn't last long in the palace...”

Yu Xiaocao deliberately made a clueless expression, thinking in her heart, 'Your Majesty, is it really appropriate to tell me, a young, teenage girl, the secret matters of the Imperial Palace? I'm really still a child and don't understand anything that you said!'

The empress looked at her childlike expression and laughed, ”Silly me, why did I tell you all this! By the way, if you have nothing to do today, dine with me in the palace! Wen'er has been missing you for the past few days. If you still didn't enter the palace, he would've asked his imperial father for permission to leave the palace to visit you! Speaking of which, you've saved his life twice...”

“This official doesn’t dare…” Yu Xiaocao expressed her fear.

The empress took her little hand and chided lightheartedly, ”You, when did you learn to pretend? Rarely can I find someone that I can talk to—you can't turn into those women who always follow the opinions of others! It’s so tiring to talk to them!”

Yu Xiaocao laughed drily. Fortunately, only she and the empress were in this palace, otherwise, if word spread, she would be hated by those ladies!

”Xiazi, go see if the eldest prince has finished his homework. Tell him that Miss Yu has come, and tell him to come over to my Kunning Palace as soon as he finishes his lessons!” The empress instructed her personal maidservant, then turned back to Xiaocao and boasted, ”Ever since we returned from the Imperial Hunting Grounds, Wen’er seems like he’s matured a lot. Not only is he more sensible, he's also more attentive to his homework. He especially worked hard to improve his skills at mounted archery, so much so that even the mounted archery teacher kept praising him, saying that he's improved very quickly!”

”His Highness did really well at the Imperial Hunting Grounds, hunting hazel grouse and hares with only a toy-like little bow. He definitely would’ve gotten more game if he wasn't so small and weak!” Yu Xiaocao agreed.

The empress's loving smile continued to beam as she said with obvious pride, ”Right now, Wen’er is building his strength every day, saying that he’ll definitely be able to draw the lightest bow next year. He's not even ten years old, yet he lifts rocks that weigh more than ten kilograms fifty times a day! I'm really afraid that he'll hurt himself.”

”Oh my, His Highness is really striving to be better. Don't his arms ache from practicing like that every day?” Yu Xiaocao let out a genuine exclamation.

The empress was slightly distressed as she said, ”How could it not ache? He could barely hold his chopsticks while eating. His hands shook so much that he couldn't pick up the food. The next day, he couldn't even lift his hands, yet he still clenched his teeth, determined to practice! I can't bear to look at him…”

[1] Maotai - a brand of baijiu, a distilled Chinese liquo