Chapter 127: Grand Commander
Seeing the mountain-like, glittering gold, Xingnong stealthily gave Xingqing a thumbs-up, giving her a like!
Then she clenched her fist, encouraging her to keep up the good work.
Xingqing nodded excitedly and then got into the carriage and left.
Shen Ruolan, in her excitement, didn’t recognize Xingnong, who was disguised as a man.
Given her current level of excitement, even if Xingnong was wearing women’s clothing, she probably wouldn’t recognize her.
She couldn’t wait to return to the residence and tell her husband the good news.
After Xingqing left in the carriage, Xingnong couldn’t help but glance back at the palace gate and ask Songbai, “Why hasn’t His Highness the Crown Prince come out yet?”
Songbai was gesturing with his hands. He had noticed Xingnong making three hand gestures today, and he was trying to guess the meaning of the secret code.
Hearing this, he said, “Master usually comes out very quickly. If Master hasn’t come out for a long time, it must be because he hasn’t reaped enough benefits in the palace yet.”
Xingnong: “. . .”
~
What was Chu Tiankuo doing in the palace?
Strike while the iron is hot. Rewards are truly yours only when you have them in your hands!
Imperial decrees need to be drafted by the Hanlin Academy, but material rewards don’t. Of course, it’s better to take them first.
After all, what’s in your hand is truly yours!
What if, after a night, someone whispers in someone’s ear and they change their mind? It’s not like it hasn’t happened before!
So, he went to the Imperial Study first and confirmed with the Emperor the residence that was to be awarded.
He happened to know that there were two residences connected on the same street. They were the residences of a prince with a different surname and a first-rank official during the previous emperor’s reign. Later, both were confiscated due to corruption, and the two residences have been vacant ever since.
Chu Tiankuo unceremoniously claimed them, saying that it would be convenient for the two sisters to live next to each other. Moreover, these were the only two residences in the capital that met the specifications for a marquis’s residence and a princess’s residence. He also said that a three-entry residence was too shabby!
Thus, he forcibly upgraded the three-entry residence that the Emperor had originally intended to award to a five-entry residence, and they were the two largest remaining residences in the capital!
After obtaining the keys and deeds, he went to the Imperial Hospital and took all the precious and rare medicinal herbs, as well as tonics, such as ginseng of various ages, lingzhi of various ages, bird’s nests, fish maw, sea cucumbers, and so on, leaving nothing behind!
Anyway, these good things were all in the palace, benefiting that group of vixens in the harem. It was better to let his little fox benefit from them!
Then he went to the royal stables and picked out the youngest, strongest, and most beautiful white steed.
When Chu Tiankuo came out leading a horse with a white body and golden mane, Xingnong’s eyes lit up: What a handsome horse!
Chu Tiankuo led the horse to Xingnong and said in a low voice, “A reward from the Emperor. Do you like it?”
He looked at her with gentle eyes, and there was an anticipation in his voice that he didn’t even notice himself.
Xingnong’s fox eyes were filled with joy. She nodded. In her previous life, she had several horses, and her favorite was a white one.
The corners of Chu Tiankuo’s mouth turned up slightly. He knew she liked white horses.
Along the way, whenever she saw a white horse, she couldn’t help but glance at it.
Of course, she also couldn’t help but glance at handsome men!
This made him a little unhappy!
But, he couldn’t control it.
“Let’s go! Let’s go horseback riding in the suburbs.” Thinking of the past, Chu Tiankuo still felt a little unhappy, and his tone unconsciously carried a hint of resentment.
Xingnong nodded excitedly, oblivious. Or rather, he always became inexplicably resentful, and she was used to it!
It’s called intermittent mental disorder. Just get used to it!
However, thinking of something, Xingnong shook her head, “I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
Songbai immediately said, “Master is very good at riding horses. Young Master Xingnong can ask Master to teach you!”
Xingnong looked at Chu Tiankuo, “Is it okay? I’m very easy to teach!”
Chu Tiankuo, suddenly unhappy, didn’t say whether it was okay or not, only said, “Let’s go!”
As the two were about to get into the carriage, a man in black armor, exuding an aura of bloodshed, rode up to them.
Chu Yuehou dismounted, holding a golden parrot in his hand, and bowed respectfully, “This humble minister greets His Highness the Crown Prince.”
The golden parrot followed suit, “This humble minister greets His Highness the Crown Prince!”
Chu Tiankuo nodded, “Grand Commander, you may rise. Is this Prince Ding’s parrot? Has Grand Commander been looking for birds for Prince Ding these days?”
✿✿✿
Chu Yuehou replied respectfully, “Replying to Your Highness, this is indeed Prince Ding’s parrot, named Xiaowu. This humble minister has been out looking for this parrot these days.”
Xingnong glanced at the parrot and thought it looked very much like the sun conure that had pooped on her head on the mountain.
Were sun conures so common in this dynasty?
Seeing Xingnong looking at it, the parrot immediately flapped its wings and shouted, “Drop dead! Drop dead! Get lost! Get lost!”
Xingnong: “. . .”
She was sure it was that damned parrot from the mountain!
“Drop dead! Get lost!” Weren’t those the words she had said to this damned little creature? It actually remembered!
Xingnong rolled her eyes at it!
The parrot rolled its eyes back.
Xingnong: “. . .”
Ignore it!
She looked at the Grand Commander.
Grand Commander? The Grand Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?
He’s quite handsome!
The Grand Commander looked to be about fifty years old, with deep features and a dignified appearance. His aquiline nose made him look even more handsome. His sword-like eyebrows slanted into his temples, his eyes held a sharp glint, his chest was broad, and he had the imposing air of a warrior who could face ten thousand enemies.
It was not hard to see that he must have been a handsome man in his youth!
In fact, even though the Grand Commander was nearly fifty, he was still on the list of handsome men in the capital.
Xingnong felt that his nose was somewhat similar to Xinghui’s. Xinghui also had an aquiline nose, but it didn’t look as heroic and imposing as the Grand Commander’s.
A person’s facial features and temperament are related to the trials and tribulations they have experienced over the years. Xinghui was young and hadn’t gone through much, so he gave off a sunny and handsome impression.
The Grand Commander also sized up Xingnong. Was this the woman the Emperor had ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to secretly protect?
Not bad!
As for why “not bad”?
He found her pleasing to the eye and felt an inexplicable fondness for her, so he thought she was “not bad”!
Seeing Xingnong staring at the Grand Commander, Chu Tiankuo thought, is she admiring even old men now?
His face darkened, and he said indifferently, “Get in the carriage!”
Then he got into the carriage himself!
This time, he didn’t help Xingnong into the carriage.
Xingnong hurriedly climbed in herself.
Seeing that Master was angry, Songbai immediately made a sharp turn.
Xingnong had just climbed in and hadn’t even sat down yet!
Caught off guard, her whole body fell into someone’s arms due to the turn.
Chu Tiankuo quickly caught her to prevent her from getting hurt.
Only then did Songbai say, “Master, Young Master Shen is seated!”
Xingnong: “. . .”
Songbai hummed happily, pulling the reins left and right, driving the carriage forward in a quirky way!
Between a couple, fights at the head of the bed are reconciled at the foot of the bed. There’s nothing that can’t be solved by holding each other.
If holding each other can’t solve it, then you’re not holding each other tight enough!
So Songbai drove the carriage, weaving back and forth on the nearly empty street!
The white horse tied behind the carriage followed happily, trotting along in a twisting motion.
The Grand Commander watched the departing carriage: “. . .”
