Chapter 66.1

After receiving confirmation from Shen Fengyue, the matter of the Spring Hunt was settled. Due to the danger previously encountered at the original location, the Spring Hunt was relocated to a new hunting ground.

All the royal and noble families, as well as important officials of the court, had prepared everything in advance upon receiving the orders and were only waiting for the day to arrive to bring their wives and children along.

Shen Fengyue had psychological trauma from the Spring Hunt and felt uneasy upon seeing this green meadow, but fortunately, as he was now the Empress Dowager and Chu Xi was afraid of making any more mistakes, he had something to rely on. Throughout the journey, Shen Fengyue sat steadily in his carriage, receiving compliments from a group of noblewomen around him.

Among them, there were also many women who had ulterior motives and came to investigate the truth.

“Empress Dowager, thanks to your blessings, I am fortunate enough to come out and see the scenery of the Spring Hunt,” said the wife of the Minister of Rites who was sitting next to him. She was in her thirties, looked gentle and kind, with fair skin, and seemed like a soft white bun. She smiled warmly and leaned close to Shen Fengyue. “It’s been a long time since I last came out. Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, the children below have also grown up one by one, all with youthful energy.”

Shen Fengyue held a cup of tea in his hand, fiddled with the lid on the edge of the cup, and didn’t drink it, just playing with it.

“Empress Dowager, your blessings are profound, and you look so young…” another woman interjected.

Shen Fengyue paused his tea-fiddling motion and looked at the woman who spoke. He couldn’t help but feel speechless. He, as the Empress Dowager, was not yet thirty years old. How could he possibly look old?

The woman was the wife of the Minister from the Li family, she had a habit of speaking without any restraint. She realized she had messed up the flattery and had gone too far, so she lightly slapped her own mouth, feeling remorseful. “I misspoke,” she said.

She intentionally or unintentionally turned her gaze towards another direction, and her words were very suggestive, “Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, our children are growing up little by little. As mothers, we inevitably worry about their future marriage affairs…”

“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, don’t you also think so?”

Who is Shen Fengyue? He is the champion of the previous palace struggle, who emerged victorious from a thousand battles and stood out among the three thousand beauties in the harem, enjoying the love and favor of the emperor. In the end, he even used poison to kill the former ruthless emperor. He was very clear about the hidden intentions in people’s words.

Now the new emperor is still young and the succession to the throne is uncertain. No one can predict which family will become the golden phoenix that flies out.

He looked in the direction pointed out by Lady Li, where a group of young and beautiful ladies was sitting, each with a different posture and demeanor. At a glance, he had a general idea of their character and personality.

Lady Li was relieved to see his reaction, knowing that Empress Dowager had the same intention.

She has heard said that although the current emperor is not Empress Dowager’s biological son, he is exceptionally filial to her, and her words always carry great weight.

Shen Fengyue then turned his gaze to Chu Xi, who was wearing a bright yellow robe today. He was extremely eye-catching in the crowd, but his imperial aura distinguished him from others.

Shen Fengyue looked at him, but his attention was soon drawn away by another person. His gaze roamed through the crowd, past Chu Xi, and ultimately landed on a black figure.

Lord Shen, who usually acted extremely arrogantly in front of the Empress Dowager, was now composed and well-behaved in front of others.

He rode a tall horse, loosely holding the reins in his hands, and straddled the horse’s belly with his long legs, firmly controlling it and making it obedient to his commands.

Lord Shen rode his horse around the field, the horse under him was tense with all his strength fully exerted, its four hooves crossing over each other at lightning speed. The horse’s owner leaned his body low, almost lying on the horse’s back, and together with the horse, they galloped freely in this vast field. His excellent horse-riding skills elicited applause and admiration from the crowd.

He firmly captured the gazes of the group of young ladies. Their eyes sparkled with radiance, their faces blushing. If not for the constraints of etiquette and years of family upbringing, they would have loved to stand up and applaud him.

After running a few laps with his precious horse, Lord Shen slowed down and pulled on the reins, letting the horse slowly walk on the grass. The intense exercise caused him to sweat, but he casually wiped it away without much thought. Suddenly, he seemed to sense something, moving his gaze away from wiping his sweat and staring in a certain direction.

His eyes were like a clear arrow, aiming straight at his beloved without stopping for any obstacles, piercing through the crowd.

As expected, his show of skills successfully caught the attention of his beloved. At this moment, his beloved was looking at him with a sidelong glance.

Lord Shen was dressed in a calm and unpretentious black outfit today, but when he caught the attention of his beloved, he unconsciously lifted his chin, revealing a very showy smile.

In an instant, Shen Fengyue was dazzled by this smile and quickly turned his head away from him.

“…”

Although his beloved ignored him, Lord Shen didn’t mind and comforted himself that the beloved was just shy. As he comforted himself, he began to believe it and sincerely thought that the Empress Dowager was indeed shy.

So the smile on his face not only became brighter, but he also cast a coquettish wink over. He was truly charming.