Transmigrated in Ancient Times as a Hunter - 107

In the quaint and tranquil small courtyard, a pear tree was in full bloom with blossoms, and two cute little sparrows flew over from nowhere, chirping and singing happily on the branches.

On a small table by the window, there lay a slim and tall figure, holding a book in his hand. His light-colored pupils were staring blankly, clearly lost in thought.

“Yulou, come and try on the spring garment Mother had someone make for you. I specially had it made in crow-blue color, so it’ll be perfect to wear to the Xichun Garden in a few days.” Mother Tan entered from outside with the accompanying head maid, looking radiant.

Since they came to the capital, she felt that everything had been going smoothly. Her husband and son had been promoted, and her younger and elder nieces and nephews had been left in their hometown to establish the New Capital City.

Now that spring had arrived, the new emperor held a flower appreciation event in the Xichun Garden outside the city to reward the generals who had fought together with him. In reality, it was to allow the unmarried senior generals to select their favored brides.

This news caused a huge sensation in the capital. Not to mention the generals who were eagerly looking forward to it, even the civil officials urged their wives to tailor new clothes for their daughters and sons, hoping to find a good match for their family.

Compared to civil officials like them who had little relationship with the new emperor, these generals were his close confidants. They had fought alongside the new emperor before he ascended the throne and were considered as his trusted aides.

Before the new emperor ascended the throne, he executed a large number of imperial relatives and corrupt officials, which frightened everyone. Although they managed to keep their lives and continue as officials, no one knew when the new emperor might act again. Therefore, they sought a backer for themselves, hoping that someone would intercede for them in case of any incident.

Due to the need to rebuild the country, the new emperor placed greater emphasis on practical talents. Those aristocrats from the previous dynasty who only knew how to enjoy life and those white-faced scholars who mourned the fleeting seasons were not as popular as they were in the past.

Although their daughters and sons were charming, after experiencing the fear and trembling when the capital was attacked, many people felt that the tall and heroic generals gave a greater sense of security.

Among these generals, the most powerful one was undoubtedly Marquis Xuanwei, Wei Ling. He was the eldest grandson of the Duke of Wei, the nephew of the Duke of Zhenguo, the cousin of the current empress, and the prince’s uncle. With so many identities combined, whoever married into his family would secure a prosperous and wealthy future.

Although Marquis Xuanwei was a bit older, it was said that his backyard was clean, and he had no offspring. Coupled with his handsome and bright appearance, many young ladies and gers secretly wanted to become his consort.

Yes, gers, because the current empress was a ger, and because of the new emperor’s doting, no one dared to openly criticize his ger. Even emulating his example, many aristocratic families began to marry their gers as primary wives.

Marquis Xuanwei had never stated whether he preferred young ladies or gers in public, so whenever he went out, eight out of ten times, he would encounter shy girls throwing handkerchiefs or pretty gers pretending to stumble and fall into his arms…

Tan Yulou was also thinking about this. Wei Ling was the only heir of the Wei family. This flower appreciation event in Xichun Garden, although seemingly organized by the new emperor, was actually a way for the Empress Wei to urge his cousin to marry.

“Mother, you can leave it there. I’ll try it on later.” Tan Yulou came back to his senses and subconsciously declined.

“Ah, my child, do you know how difficult it is to find skilled embroiderers nowadays? If it weren’t for your father’s influence, I wouldn’t even be able to have this garment made for you! Listen to me, come and try it on. Me and Qing Mama will take a look, and if there’s anything that doesn’t fit, we can still make adjustments.”

Tan Yulou had no choice but to get up and try on the clothes. Apart from being stubborn about his identity, his mother was quite reasonable in other aspects, and this robe was made to his liking. The understated crow-blue robe with trimmings, overlaid with the same color embroidered golden gauze, a jade belt, a tiger head jade pendant with a lapis lazuli bead, everything was complete.

After Tan Yulou put on the robe and came out, his mother came forward, tugging at his shoulder and patting his back. “Look, my son looks so majestic in this robe! Yulou, you can’t make excuses this time. With all the young ladies from prominent families in the capital, I refuse to believe that you can’t find a satisfactory one.”

Tan Yulou sighed helplessly and then smiled bitterly in his heart. Even if he had a thousand reasons, now that everything had settled… why not just go along with his mother’s wishes?

But before that, could he be a little selfish and fulfill his own humble little wish?

Qing Mama had watched Tan Yulou grow up, and although she felt sorry for Young Master, she couldn’t persuade Madam, or rather, she didn’t dare to. So, she pretended not to see the gloominess in Young Master’s eyes.

Oh, what a mess…

On the day of the flower appreciation event, because Madam Tan was anxious, the Tan family’s carriage arrived early.

Xichun Garden was divided into the East Garden and the West Garden, but they were not completely separated. There was not only a beautiful lake for lakeside viewing but also a blooming peach blossom forest that provided concealment for both parties to meet.

This time, the male guests were in the East Garden, and the female guests were in the West Garden.

Before parting, Madam Tan instructed Tan Yulou, “Don’t run around. If I find a girl I like, I’ll send someone to find you.”

Tan Yulou didn’t respond. Anyway, none of them were to his liking. If they could win his mother’s favor, that would be enough.

Entering the garden, Tan Yulou saw many familiar colleagues. After exchanging greetings, he sat alone in a corner and sipped tea.

“Yulou, why are you drinking tea alone here?” A clear male voice came, and Tan Yulou looked up along the clean official boots. First, he saw a purple brocade robe embroidered with cloud patterns, golden silk jade pendants, and the waist was cinched with a narrow jade belt, accentuating his broad shoulders and back, which made him look like a jade tree.

Wei Ling noticed Tan Yulou’s gaze and felt somewhat uncomfortable, so he tugged at his waistband. “Is it strange? Yong-ge insisted I wear this, saying that if I don’t, he’ll marry me off.”

Wei Ling was not afraid of Yong-ge. He was just saying it for fun, but he didn’t want to waste Yong-ge’s thoughtfulness, so he still wore it.

Tan Yulou looked at his clean and handsome face, feeling his heart beating a little faster. Although those were the familiar eyes, he didn’t dare to meet his gaze and lowered his eyelids. “No, it looks good.”

From Wei Ling’s perspective, he caught Tan Yulou’s pupils suddenly shrinking and his cute eyelashes fluttering slightly.

Wei Ling’s fingers moved, but he still didn’t dare to reach out. He coughed lightly and said, “Yulou, you’re also wearing a new robe. The crow-blue color suits you well.”

After saying that, he felt a bit sour in his heart. He had never seen Tan Yulou dress up so meticulously for the flower appreciation event before.

Tan Yulou was also feeling the same awkwardness, so he poured a cup of tea for Wei Ling. “Do you want some tea?”

“Sure.” Wei Ling sat down.

“You’ve been in the capital for a few months now, are you getting used to it?” Tan Yulou asked with a hint of amusement.

“You forgot, didn’t we meet every day at the Ministry of War? If I’m getting used to it or not, you should know,” Tan Yulou replied jokingly.

Before this, when he mentioned the North Wind making his face dry, Wei Ling had specially sent him a face oil made specifically for the palace and also the rewards from the Empress. He was also one of the people who received the gifts.

Wei Ling scratched his head awkwardly, “I just took three days off, and you’ve changed so much. It feels like it’s been a long time since we last met…”

Tan Yulou’s eyelids twitched, and his heart rate unconsciously increased. He hadn’t thought about how to respond when some of Wei Ling’s fellow military officers came over to talk to him, “Young General, you’re the protagonist today. What are you doing here?”

“Still calling him Young General, it should be Marquis now.”

“Oh, right, right, Young Marquis, come over here. There’s a beautiful girl playing the zither across the lake. She plays so well!”

Without giving Wei Ling a chance to reply, the group of young officers pulled him away. Wei Ling wanted to turn around and call to Tan Yulou, “Yulou…”

Tan Yulou smiled, “Marquis, go ahead. I’ll join you after finishing this cup of tea.”

Wei Ling: “…That’s not what I meant. I wanted you to help me out. I don’t understand those sweet and cloying tunes they play!”

A group of military officers enjoyed the view by the lake for a while but found it hazy, so someone suggested going to the pavilion above the peach blossom forest. This proposal received a unanimous response.

Wei Ling glanced at Tan Yulou, not intending to go at first, but for some unknown reason, he decided to follow along.

Due to the crowd, Tan Yulou didn’t notice. It was only when the voices around him gradually decreased that he realized many of his colleagues had left. The people who remained were either already engaged or married.

After drinking tea, Tan Yulou felt a bit urgent and asked a servant boy for directions to the restroom. On his way back, he unexpectedly saw the little crown prince with his rosy lips and white teeth. He was looking around, seemingly searching for something.

“Your Highness, what are you doing here?” Tan Yulou was a bit surprised. The crown prince was all alone, so he couldn’t have lost his way, right?

“Looking for you…” The little crown prince, Cheng Jinlin, blurted out, then realized he misspoke and quickly corrected himself, “No, I mean, I lost my jade pendant, so I came out to search for it.”

“This… Why don’t I escort Your Highness back first? It’s not safe for you to be alone here.”

“No, this jade pendant was a gift from my father. It represents my identity. If I lose it, it’ll be troublesome.” The little crown prince said seriously, and with his fair and plump face, he looked especially pinchable.

Seeing that Tan Yulou’s expression was off, the little crown prince asked warily, “Why is General Tan looking at me like that?”

Every time his brother pinched his face, he would look at him with the same expression as this person in front of him. If he didn’t consider his identity as the crown prince, the little guy would have instinctively covered his face.

“It’s nothing.” Tan Yulou clenched his fist and coughed lightly. “If Your Highness agrees, how about I accompany you in the search?”

This suggestion was exactly what the little crown prince had in mind. He immediately agreed and took the lead, saying, “Let’s go over there and look.”

Tan Yulou found it a bit strange. If the crown prince knew that his jade pendant wasn’t here, why did he look for it here just now?

However, he thought that perhaps the nearby area had already been searched, so he didn’t pay much attention to it.

The little crown prince was only a little over five years old. Although he was clever and intelligent for his age, it was understandable for children to do things without much order or logic. Tan Yulou couldn’t apply adult reasoning to him…