Ji Zihuan feigned ignorance. "You mean the goat - milk wine? That was prepared by the officials of Xingzhou. It has nothing to do with me."
Meeting Ji Lingchuan's gaze, Ji Zihuan conceded. "Fine, fine, I'll tell you. Before the banquet started, someone came to tell me that someone had tampered with the drink at a certain seat in the Ding'an Marquis Mansion. So I had the wine secretly replaced."
"I just wanted to give you, cousin, a push. It's a pity that I heard you summoned your wife to your bedside last night. It took me so much effort to create this opportunity for you, and it was just wasted like that." Ji Zihuan sighed.
"Have you found out who's been pulling the strings behind this?" Ji Lingchuan asked seriously. "Who is so bold as to ignore Your Majesty and try to cause trouble at the banquet?"
Ji Zihuan tapped his palm with his fan and smiled enigmatically. "To avoid tipping them off, I didn't touch that person. But I'm sure you, cousin, have an idea about the mastermind."
He did have an inkling, but he still couldn't believe it. However, thinking about Song Yihuan's situation in the Ding'an Marquis Mansion, what else was there not to understand?
"The choice of what to do lies in your hands, cousin." Ji Zihuan said.
"Your Majesty, rest assured. I have my own plans." Ji Lingchuan replied.
After a pause, he looked up at Ji Zihuan.
"Your Majesty, the autumn hunt is about to begin. I have an impertinent request."
"Just say it, cousin." Ji Zihuan said.
After hearing Ji Lingchuan's words, Ji Zihuan stood there stunned for a long time. But seeing Ji Lingchuan's resolute expression and no sign of regret, he smiled helplessly. "Cousin, cousin, what can I say about you? Does she know how you feel about her?"
Ji Lingchuan said, "She doesn't need to know. This is what I owe her."
Standing up, Ji Lingchuan said, "If there's nothing else, I'll go and prepare for the sacrifice ceremony to heaven later."
Watching Ji Lingchuan's retreating back, Ji Zihuan sat there silently for a long time, a flicker of loneliness passing through his eyes.
...
Song Yihuan disguised herself as Song Nanxin. She didn't dare to stay in the tent for long. After having half a bowl of cherry pudding, she planned to leave. When she walked out of the tent, she found that it was already bright outside. A red sun was rising slowly in the east, and with the rolling mountains in the distance, it was truly a beautiful sight.
The autumn - hunt ceremony would be officially held today. People were starting to move around the tents, and there were also soldiers in armor patrolling the area.
When Song Yihuan returned to her own tent and was about to enter, she bumped into someone coming out.
Fu Ling was startled for a moment when she saw Song Yihuan outside. Then she bent down and saluted. "Greetings, Princess of the Heir Apparent."
It was just a passing glance, but Song Yihuan didn't miss Fu Ling's pale face.
She glanced into the tent and asked, "Is she up?"
Fu Ling shook her head, looked up at her, and seemed to have something to say but hesitated. However, a troop of black - armored soldiers walked by, and Fu Ling closed her mouth and quickly walked away from Song Yihuan.
Song Yihuan found it strange, but there was no chance for her to stop Fu Ling and ask more. She lifted the curtain and walked in.
After returning to the tent, Song Yihuan removed the disguise on her face and changed out of the clothes that belonged to Song Nanxin.
She opened her trunk, intending to find a dress to change into. What came into view was the dress embroidered with a cluster of apricot blossoms.
She ran her fingers over the apricot blossoms she had embroidered stitch by stitch and put on the dress again.
Song Nanxin was woken up by her movements. She yawned and sat up from the bed.
Seeing that Song Yihuan had only returned at dawn, she snorted and asked, "How was the Heir Apparent last night? Was he dead drunk? Did he ask you to do anything?"
Song Yihuan subconsciously concealed what the man had done to her last night. "No, he didn't. I wiped his face, and then he went to sleep."
Song Nanxin felt a bit more at ease and said to her, "Come here and remove this thing on my face."
Song Yihuan obediently stepped forward to remove the disguise on Song Nanxin's face, and the two sisters resumed their true identities.
Song Nanxin sat in front of the mirror to do her makeup and said to Song Yihuan behind her indifferently, "Yihuan, now that you've been praised and rewarded by His Majesty, you're not the same as before. After we go back, I don't know how many people will come to propose marriage. Will you still help me maintain my status as the Princess of the Heir Apparent of the Prince of Ning?"
Song Yihuan was startled. She calmly tied her belt and said to Song Nanxin, "Yihuan knows her place. If it weren't for you, sister, giving me this opportunity, I wouldn't have been able to come to Xingzhou with you all for the autumn hunt, and naturally, I wouldn't have received His Majesty's reward."
Walking to Song Nanxin's side and holding up her long hair, Song Yihuan said, "Sister, we're sisters. We share the same glory and the same disgrace. Only when you sit firmly in the position of the Princess of the Heir Apparent of the Prince of Ning can Yihuan rely on your influence to live a better life. Yihuan understands this truth."
Song Nanxin laughed and held Song Yihuan's hand and patted it. "You're truly my good sister. You're right. Only when I'm well can you be well. If we sisters stand united, we can make everyone look up to us."
Song Yihuan lowered her eyelashes and asked, "Sister, if I give birth to a child one day, will you treat him well?"
"What are you talking about?" Song Nanxin said. "That's my 'child'. Of course, I won't treat him badly."
Turning around, Song Nanxin looked on the verge of tears. "Yihuan, you'll have many children in the future, but I'll never have such a chance again. Whenever I think about this, my heart aches."
Song Nanxin didn't know that Song Yihuan had already secretly learned the secret of her infertility from elsewhere.
Watching her elder sister act so hypocritically, Song Yihuan felt like vomiting, but she held back her disgust and continued to play along. "The sky has unpredictable winds and clouds. Sister, don't be too sad. Maybe a miracle will happen."
When the two sisters finished their makeup, there came the sound of drums outside. This was a signal that the autumn hunt was about to start and everyone was summoned to the hunting ground.
Out of curiosity about the hunt, Song Yihuan thought for a while and opened the trunk to take out the jade - green curved bow she had received last night.
Song Nanxin had been very curious about this bow last night, but now she had lost interest. Seeing Song Yihuan holding the bow in her hand, she sneered slightly and then walked out.
Anyway, this little girl was about to die. Once she was dead, the things would naturally be hers.
Song Yihuan didn't know what Song Nanxin was thinking. She followed her out of the tent and saw that the Princess of the Prince of Ning had already brought Song Yixuan and was waiting there. Only Ji Lingchuan was missing. Presumably, he had other tasks.
After everyone gathered, they walked towards the hunting ground under the protection of the black - armored soldiers.