Chapter 170: Cheng Zhao, You Smell Nice

They had already reached the meadow beside the hunting grounds.

The entire hunting ground was made up of woods, low hills, a small river, and grasslands, covering over a thousand mu. And closest to the temporary imperial residence was a large stretch of pasture.

At the edge of the pasture lay the forest.

Zhou Yuanshen let out a whistle.

Cheng Zhao looked at him, puzzled.

Then she saw, among the trees not far off, a glow rising—flickering, drifting up and down, dotting the shadows of the woods.

Cheng Zhao froze for a moment. "Fireflies?"

"Mingyu told me that you wanted to catch fireflies on this trip to the hunting grounds," Zhou Yuanshen said.

Cheng Zhao: "I only mentioned it in passing."

"I sent someone ahead to arrange it. The villagers nearby had caught quite a few, and I bought them," he said.

Cheng Zhao watched the fireflies filling the woods, and for a moment, she was transported back to their days in Fengzhou.

Those days had their share of pain, but most of the time, they were happy and joyful.

She and Fourth Brother had been by their parents' side.

Her mother was no longer the mistress of the Cheng household—she was simply a mother, a wife. When night fell, they would dine together, and her mother would speak at length with her father.

They even discussed music manuscripts.

Back at the grand Cheng residence, her mother was always surrounded by stewards and senior maids helping her manage the household; she had little time to converse with her father, and even less to spend quietly with her children.

The matriarch of a clan always had to make sacrifices, unable to enjoy stillness and leisure.

Cheng Zhao's heart was full of confidence and drive, because the memories of Fengzhou had nourished her. She had received so much.

Her parents had built her a high foundation, and so she was willing to climb even greater peaks.

These were pleasant memories.

Cheng Zhao couldn't help but smile. "Thank you. That was thoughtful of you."

"I'm glad you like it," Zhou Yuanshen said.

Cheng Zhao reached out a hand to him.

She said nothing, but Zhou Yuanshen understood. He urged his horse closer to hers.

The two horses drew level.

He leaned over slightly, one arm wrapping around her waist. Cheng Zhao used his strength, looped her arms around his neck, and swung onto his saddle.

Zhou Yuanshen gathered her into his arms.

Cheng Zhao turned her head to look at him. "The fireflies are beautiful. Thank you, Lord Duke."

Zhou Yuanshen tightened his arms, pulling her closer to his chest. "I'm not good at pleasing women. As long as you like it, it wasn't for nothing."

Cheng Zhao said she liked it very much.

Zhou Yuanshen held the reins with one hand and cupped her face with the other, kissing her.

The kiss grew longer, more entangled, and his breathing turned heavy.

The pasture was vast. His deputy general and the others, along with Qiubai, had stopped by the main road and hadn't followed them. Zhou Yuanshen tapped his horse's flank, and the animal trotted along the edge of the woods.

"Cheng Zhao... sit in my lap," he said in a low voice.

His breath was too tight, his scorching heat enough to melt Cheng Zhao.

Cheng Zhao's body went soft.

She was about to say that it really wasn't convenient, when his hands gripped her waist and helped her turn around.

The horse moved at a slow pace.

The night wind blew gently past her ears, stirring her clothes.

Zhou Yuanshen loosened her hairpin.

Her hair tumbled down like a waterfall, then was tossed by the wind, tangling around him.

Beneath the pale starlight, his sleeves had ridden up slightly, revealing veins like wandering dragons winding between his sleeves and the backs of his hands.

Cheng Zhao was startled—she hadn't known he was so strong.

A pair of hands, bearing nearly all of his strength, and yet so fierce.

As she lay against his shoulder, breathing in short, soft gasps, the horse had already circled around to the stream, with nowhere further to go.

He gently circled her waist with one arm and stroked her hair with the other. "Cheng Zhao, you smell wonderful."

The night breeze carried the scent of grass and flowers, but neither could compare to the perfume she gave off—a fragrance warmed by her body, intoxicating.

Cheng Zhao was blank for a long moment.

She leaned into him, soft and spent.

When he kissed her, she kissed him back, letting him take whatever he wished.

Zhou Yuanshen helped her dismount, then straightened her clothes for her.

Cheng Zhao belatedly realized what they had done—something quite scandalous—right there on horseback.

And she, having savored the taste, had not resisted in the slightest.

Zhou Yuanshen looked better than he had in recent days, with a hint of a smile on his face. "Tired? Let's sit and rest a while."

"It rained not long ago; the grass is probably damp," Cheng Zhao said.

Zhou Yuanshen: "This spot should be fine."

He took off his outer robe and laid it on the ground. Cheng Zhao reached out and touched it—it wasn't too damp, so she sat down beside him.

He had her rest her head on his lap and lie back slightly.

"Zhou Yuanshen, I think I just saw a pair of yellow-green eyes," Cheng Zhao suddenly said. "Is it a ghost?"

"Are you afraid of ghosts?" Zhou Yuanshen asked.

Cheng Zhao: "I am. Being haunted is rather unpleasant, and besides, the Ghost Festival is coming up soon."

"Probably just fireflies," Zhou Yuanshen said.

As he finished speaking, he whipped his head around.

There, among the trees, a pair of yellow-green, glowing eyes was staring straight at him, unblinking.

He stared back.

The eyes vanished in an instant.

That was a wild beast—if not a wolf, then a boar, or a bear.

Either way, a fierce predator.

The hunt hadn't begun yet; the stock for hunting hadn't been released into the woods, and the woods were maintained daily. There shouldn't be any large beasts.

Zhou Yuanshen looked again.

The eyes were gone.

He gently stroked Cheng Zhao's cheek. "Let's go back? It is a bit damp after all."

Cheng Zhao said yes.

She said, "My hair has come loose."

Zhou Yuanshen helped her mount the horse first. Once she was in the saddle, he handed her the reins, then used both hands to coil up her hair and pin it back with her golden hairpin.

The horse suddenly quickened its pace, breaking into a run. Zhou Yuanshen, caught off guard, nearly lost his seat, and Cheng Zhao tumbled back against him.

"Did you kick the horse's flank?" she asked.

Zhou Yuanshen knew the horse had sensed a threat and bolted on its own.

He didn't turn back, but he had a guess in his mind. Not wanting to alarm Cheng Zhao, he nodded. "Time to head back."

By the time they returned to the imperial residence, it was well past midnight.

Second Madam had already gone to sleep.

Cheng Zhao asked Suyue, "Is there still hot water?"

"Yes, there is."

"I want to bathe and wash my hair," Cheng Zhao said.

She had worked up a sweat on horseback.

Suyue: "So late?"

"Tomorrow we're not going hunting. After seeing off Your Majesty, we can come back and catch up on sleep. A little later won't matter," Cheng Zhao said.

Suyue acknowledged this and hurried off to prepare.

Cheng Zhao's bath and hair washing were both hasty that night, and she finished quickly.

She waited for her hair to dry, chatting with Suyue and Qiubai.

She mentioned the fireflies.

Qiubai suddenly said, "Young Madam, the miniature crossbow that Lord Duke gave you—I brought it along."

Cheng Zhao: "Why did you bring that?"

"It's compact and handy. You can use it to defend yourself," Qiubai said.

Cheng Zhao: "..."

As for Zhou Yuanshen, after seeing Cheng Zhao off, he returned to the meadow once more.

He paced along the edge of the woods, inspecting for half an hour.

There was nothing unusual.

But he knew something was off—there was a stray beast in these woods, a cunning one, hiding where no one could find it.

If it hurt someone tomorrow, the consequences would be severe.

After returning, Zhou Yuanshen sent guards to search the area, ordering them to carry crossbows and torches and comb the hills through the night.

He went back and managed a quick nap.

By dawn, his deputy general came to report that from midnight to daybreak, sixty guards had been split into twenty teams of three, sweeping every corner from front to back.

No fierce beasts had been found.

"Still, we must be cautious everywhere during today's hunt," Zhou Yuanshen said.

That morning, the Emperor changed into his riding gear, performed a simple ceremony of worship to heaven and earth, and led the party out to hunt.

It was a grand and imposing spectacle.

Some of the ladies also went along.

The Empress did not go, and Cheng Zhao and Second Madam stayed by her side.

“Brownnoser,” Miss Liu whispered to the person next to her.

She did not name anyone.

But those around them glanced at Cheng Zhao.

Except for a few titled wives of advanced age, everyone else had gone hunting, yet Cheng Zhao remained beside the Empress—a display of sheer sycophancy.