Hibiscus Tent: The Prime Minister’s palm is reborn

Early winter is when the scenery of Beiyuan’s mountains and forests is at its most beautiful.

It was snowing the night before, dyeing the forests blurry. The slightly damp air was filled with the fragrance of grass, trees and soil, which was refreshing.

The mountain scenery was picturesque, but Liang Qian was in no mood to appreciate it.

She rode her tall horse slowly along the quiet forest path, talking softly.

Walking side by side with her was Hulu Qiguang.

"I really don't deserve your kindness, Queen Mother."

After listening to the speech, Hulu Qiangguang sat on his horse and saluted with his fists.

"I eat the salary of the emperor and bear the worries of the emperor. The lord has just ascended the throne and there are many things to be done. I, a humble minister, was entrusted by the late emperor to assist in the administration before his death. How can I resign and return to the countryside at this time?"

Liang Qian silently looked at the person who bowed his head and sighed in her heart. Hulu Qiangguang was more upright than she had expected.

"I am just——"

Liang Qian wanted to say more but was interrupted by Hulu Qiangguang.

"I understand the Queen Mother's intention, but if I abandon my Lord and the Queen Mother at this moment, what kind of person would I be? Besides, I am not the kind of person who is afraid of death."

He raised his head, smiling as usual, and looked very calm.

"I have also heard about what the Queen Mother did on the front line."

Liang Qian was slightly stunned, but she wasn't too surprised.

After all, whether in Tuyang or Lianzhou, she did not deliberately conceal her identity. Besides, so many soldiers in the camp had seen her, so it was normal for Hulu Qiangguang to hear news about her in the barracks.

"Please rest assured, Queen Mother. I will do my best to protect you and my Lord."

His eyebrows moved slightly, hinting: "I heard that the Queen Mother is very good at archery. Why not show her prowess in this winter hunt?"

Liang Qian sighed secretly and nodded slightly: "I only know the basics."

Hulu Qiguang smiled and said, "After all, seeing is believing."

She understood what he meant. He wanted her to scare those coveters a little.

What follows is only about hunting.

During the Beiyuan Winter Hunt, according to custom, everyone must compete.

Normally the emperor was required to take the first arrow, but considering the dangers in the forest, she did not want Gao Yang to take the risk, so she refused on the grounds that the emperor had just recovered from a serious illness and let her, the empress dowager, do the work on his behalf.

Liang Qian knew that she couldn't persuade him in a short time, so she had to put the matter aside for the time being.

They talked for a long time, and now they walked away, one in front and one behind, slowly moving towards the gathering crowd.

Liang Qian glanced unconsciously and suddenly saw that behind a brown tree trunk in front of her right, there seemed to be some living creature moving in the dry grass.

The attendant handed over the arrow.

Liang Qian put the arrow on the bow and slowly pulled the bow apart. Unexpectedly, before she could let go, an arrow was shot out.

A living creature in the bushes fell down after being hit by an arrow, and some followers were busy picking up the prey in the bushes.

Liang Qian looked back and saw someone approaching on horseback.

The horse's hooves were moving steadily, and the person on the horse sat even more steadily. He was well-dressed and extremely handsome.

It was none other than Prince Changguang Gao Hao.

Liang Qian's heart couldn't help but skip a beat. She wondered if he had just arrived or had been following her for a long time, whether he had seen her and Hulu Qiangguang, or heard anything.

She pretended to be surprised: "It's Prince Changguang."

Gao Hao said politely, "Forgive me for my rudeness."

Liang Qian remained calm and looked at him with a smile: "No, it's just that Prince Changguang is good at archery."

As he was speaking, the attendant came forward holding the prey, which was a white-faced raccoon.

Gao Hao didn't respond, but glanced at Baimian Li and said, "Since it is the Queen Mother who has chosen it, I am afraid that I can't present it to you, so how could I take away your favorite?"

Then he sighed in disappointment: "If it weren't for the winter hunt, I would never have had the chance to meet the Queen Mother."

Liang Qian was secretly shocked. Instead of rejecting his advances, she acquiesced again and again, and even kept him in suspense.

But I really didn't expect that he would speak so bluntly about his hypocrisy in front of the eunuchs, attendants and so many other people today.

Liang Qian was about to speak when Gao Hao spoke first, "Just now General Hulu accompanied the Queen Mother on a ride. I wonder if I have the honor to accompany you today?"

Liang Qian's heart skipped a beat and her hair stood on end.

He smiled back, "It's good to have Prince Changguang accompany you."

Upon hearing this, Gao Hao smiled gently and ordered his men to hand the white-faced raccoon to her attendant. Without waiting for her to say anything, he immediately dismissed all the followers and said that he had something to say to the empress dowager in private.

Liang Qian did not refuse. She was mentally prepared when she agreed to the winter hunt. Besides, she also wanted to find out if he had heard anything just now.

Even in such a cold day, my hands holding the reins were still sweaty.

However, he neither approached her nor said any ambiguous words to her, and he was more polite than before when there were many people around.

As Gao Hao rode with her on horseback, he told her where the most prey could be found in the Beiyuan enclosure.

Liang Qian observed secretly. He didn't look at her. It seemed that his mind was really focused on hunting. He looked innocent and bright.

As the conversation went on, Liang Qian's calm gaze gradually showed a layer of surprise and appreciation.

Gao Hao looked at her and his smile became even gentler, his polite behavior revealing a kind of intimacy that he had never had before.

Until she hunted a deer.

Gao Hao turned his gaze and smiled at her: "Your Majesty's riding and archery skills are very superb, but for some reason, I feel that this archery technique is familiar. I wonder where your Majesty learned it from?"

Liang Qian smiled and said, "I don't dare to claim to be an expert, I just learned from the late emperor for a few days."

Gao Hao and Gao Qian are brothers, there is no need for her to lie.

But in this life, she became pregnant after entering the palace and never shot an arrow again...

Liang Qian was thinking about how to get around it, but she heard him chuckle, "So that's it."

Even though it was only a flash, she still caught a glimpse of the jealousy in Gao Hao's eyes, followed by only disdain.

Liang Qian pretended not to know.

Gao Hao sighed heavily: "This royal brother of yours is good in every way, except that he has been a sickly child since childhood."

After a pause, he sighed again: "My brother is so short-lived, it's really a waste of the Queen Mother's beauty. Speaking of which, the Queen Mother is two years younger than me. She should have been the Queen, but she became the Queen Mother..."

He glanced at her, shook his head and smiled bitterly, not quite regretful.

Liang Qian lowered her eyes, no longer excited about having caught her prey, and sighed, "This is my fate."

Her eyes were extremely cold and she felt extremely sick.

Gao Hao turned his gaze towards her face and sighed, "I still remember when I was young, one year when I went to the Caiqing Feast, my royal brother - well, I won't tell you the details, anyway, there was a little girl who stood up for him, and that look inevitably made people laugh at him for being useless, but my royal brother has always been a man of temper, and he had a fight with us, and ended up being put in solitary confinement by our father."

He sighed, "If my brother hadn't ascended the throne and become the emperor, I'm afraid he would still be imprisoned. Of course, he would have died long ago... Maybe this is what the Queen Mother said just now, it's fate."

Liang Qian was surprised: "I didn't know there were such things."

Gao Hao smiled faintly and said, "But I will never leave everything to fate."

Suddenly, he leaned towards her, his cold eyes met hers: "I think, Queen Mother, instead of believing in fate, you might as well try to believe in me. As long as you are willing, Queen Mother can also become Queen..."

The back of her hand felt hot, and a palm covered her hand.