Marrying a concubine and swallowing her dowry? The mistress turns around and marries a high-ranking

Chapter 696

He was too embarrassed to tell Shen Lingjun, afraid she would tease him. Compared to her, he really didn't act like a man at all!

Qi Xuan immediately said, "Let's go talk to the Crown Princess together! She will definitely help us!"

Sheng Qiongluo panicked and grabbed him, saying, "Don't go! If we go to see the Crown Princess together and outsiders see us, won't they guess what we're here for? If word gets out, everyone will know, and what will happen to my reputation?"

Qi Xuan then realized this and felt quite ashamed: "I didn't think it through. I was so happy when I heard about you that I didn't think much about it..."

Sheng Qiongluo glared at him reproachfully, then said gently, "Just ask the Crown Princess to come over, but don't say that I invited her. I will ask her on my own. We can talk here without anyone overhearing us. Heaven and earth will know. Even if things don't work out, I won't lose face."

Then he warned, "You're not allowed to come. You're not allowed to eavesdrop on my conversation with the Crown Princess, or I'll never be able to face you again."

Qi Xuan knew that she was shy, and that she had already gone to great lengths to have the courage to discuss her marriage with the Crown Princess, so she was naturally embarrassed to let others hear it.

He naturally had no choice but to obey, and readily agreed: "I promise I won't come along. I'll go and invite the Crown Princess right now; she should be free."

Sheng Qiongluo blushed and responded, looking very nervous.

"Then I will wait here for the Crown Princess."

Qi Xuan then hurriedly went to the imperial palace.

Shen Lingjun had finished presiding over the women's hunting competition and was indeed free at this time. He was in the palace instructing his servants to prepare a barbecue feast for the evening.

Mo Chonggui has gone to preside over the hunting competition for the royal family members and is not at the palace.

Qi Xuan came in and said to Shen Lingjun somewhat apologetically, "Your Highness, could you please go to the pine forest north of the hunting grounds? It's the one by the river."

Shen Lingjun glanced at him, then asked with interest, "What is it?"

Seeing that there were still servants around, Qi Xuan remembered Sheng Qiongluo's instructions and didn't say it directly, only saying, "You'll know what it is when you get there."

Seeing his mysterious demeanor and the barely concealed smile in his eyes, Shen Lingjun assumed he had some surprise for her and didn't ask any further questions.

He laughed and said, "When did you learn to be so mysterious?"

With that, he handed over the preparations for the banquet to Dou Niang, and left the palace, heading towards the pine forest that Qi Xuan had mentioned.

Qi Xuan didn't follow. When Shen Lingjun walked into the woods, she found the surroundings completely silent, without a single person in sight, and wondered what Qi Xuan wanted her to see.

She walked a little further into the woods, but still didn't see anything unusual. All she saw was a dense forest with tall grass. Because it was inconvenient to ride horses, hunting parties usually didn't go through this forest, so it was rarely visited by people.

Just as Shen Lingjun was about to turn around and ask Qi Xuan what was going on, suddenly, a rustling sound came from the bushes not far from her.

As soon as Shen Lingjun turned around, she heard a deafening roar, and a huge black shadow emerged from the bushes, rushing straight towards her!

It was a huge brown bear, standing upright, nearly as tall as two people, towering like a giant wall, its gaping maw spewing out a thick, pungent stench.

Even the bravest and most experienced hunters would never dare to face such a large bear alone; they would usually hunt it in a group with several mastiffs to have any chance of bringing it down.