Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

Lingyan guessed correctly.

Chu Xiyao was indeed tossing and turning, constantly thinking about it.

My mind is completely filled with her.

And he felt that she must be angry with him tonight.

After all, his feelings for her...

He felt uneasy, panicked, and afraid.

He was afraid that she would come to hate him and stay away from him.

He was afraid she would never talk to him again.

But he couldn't press her for answers, nor could he see her every day.

He was driven almost insane by the torment.

Lingyan: That's right, I am a troublesome little devil.

He lay in bed, his mind replaying every moment they shared and every smile she gave him.

It was both sweet and bitter.

He recalled the feeling of lying on top of her, especially her soft, warm fragrance, and the way her two breasts tightly enveloped him, making his blood rush and his heart boil.

He really, really wanted to...

No, I can’t think about it any more.

This feeling is truly unbearable!

………………

The next day, Lingyan got up and found that she had all the detailed information on the eligible women of the imperial clan.

There are fifteen in total.

She was to select three from these fifteen to present to Emperor Jingzhao, and then let Emperor Jingzhao choose one of them.

In fact, she really didn't want to choose, and even less did she want to sacrifice women for marriage alliances.

Why should they let their princess marry into the Northern Desert, which clearly needs their help from the Great Zhao?

She actually understood the reason to some extent.

A marriage alliance is a means to foster good relations between the two sides.

Secondly, the Great Zhao feared the mighty cavalry of the northern desert.

Therefore, they felt that it would be best to avoid war if possible. Sacrificing just one woman could bring peace, which was the best possible outcome.

Lingyan scoffed at these people's words.

The wolves of the northern deserts have never given up their ambitions and treacherous intentions. Even if they send ten or dozens more princesses to marry into the Zhao state, they will never want to befriend the Great Zhao.

They're just waiting for the right moment, and they're hiding their henchmen.

It's laughable that Emperor Jingzhao and his officials couldn't see it clearly.

No, it's not that I can't see clearly.

Even though they saw things clearly, they still chose to do it this way.

They just felt that since there was no fighting in the northern deserts, they didn't need to fight them.

They can retaliate when war breaks out later.

Ling Yan was speechless.

Well, she can't make the decision anyway, so she can only choose the relatives according to the imperial decree.

Since this princess is destined to be cannon fodder, let's choose a few arrogant, ruthless, and murderous individuals.

After reading all the information, she finally chose three.

Princess Huayin was arrogant, willful, impulsive, and easily angered; she had even killed several people.

A princess of Huarong, seemingly innocent and kind, but actually a venomous snake in the heart.

Not only did he have the lives of the maids and servants in the mansion on his hands, but he also killed several ordinary people.

The last one, Princess Hualian, loved pomp and circumstance, and was extravagant and unrestrained.

Once, when she was out on the street, a couple accidentally bumped into her clothes. Because she was disgusted that the lowly people had dirtied her beautiful clothes, she ordered her men to beat the couple to death.

Therefore, Lingyan would applaud whichever of the three went to marry into the royal family.

Emperor Jingzhao originally intended for her to take this time to make a careful selection.

Just submit the list before the hunt.

It was because Emperor Jingzhao believed that she would weigh the pros and cons and consider all aspects.

But the truth is that she made her choice in just one hour.

I spent most of my time looking at documents.

This time, she won't bother with any considerations!

If she's going to choose, she'll choose a few men she thinks deserve to be sent on political marriages.

So after making her selection, she didn't submit it.

Instead, following Emperor Jingzhao's wishes, the list was submitted the day before the autumn hunt.

The rest is none of her business.

Nearly twenty days have passed since she made her selection.

The autumn hunt is about to begin.

This year's autumn hunt has been delayed for a long time.

It was actually postponed until November.

The envoys from various countries had already decided to return, but upon hearing the news of the autumn hunt, they decided to stay temporarily and participate in the hunt before returning.

On the day of the autumn hunt, as dawn broke, Emperor Jingzhao led a large entourage on their journey to the hunting grounds.

Princes, concubines, princesses, and officials followed closely behind.

The long convoy moved slowly in the morning light, like a winding dragon weaving through the fields and forests.

Lingyan sat inside the carriage, savoring the tranquility and freedom that this long-awaited journey brought.

As the carriage drove out of the city gate, she finally couldn't resist lifting the curtain to let the scenery outside into her eyes.

At that moment, she seemed to see the long-lost sky, feel the cool autumn breeze on her face, and an indescribable sense of joy welled up in her heart.

Seeing this, Xiao Muyao chuckled and said, "Haven't left the manor in too long, are you getting restless?"

Ling Yan gently lowered the curtain, turned around, and smiled, saying, "It's alright."

That's right, she hasn't stepped out of Prince Rui's residence for the past twenty days.

One reason is that she had been going out every day for a while, so she no longer wanted to go out and just wanted to lie down.

Another reason is because of Chu Xiyao.

Actually, she didn't do anything; she just deliberately stayed home to make him overthink.

That's right, Chu Xiyao has indeed been overthinking these past few days.

He longed for her to go out every day and inquired about everything related to her.

He wants to see her.

I want to talk to her.

But we haven't received any news of her leaving the house.

So his heart became more and more anxious and uneasy.

My heart moves with her, my feelings arise because of her.

That longing and yearning spread like wildfire, unstoppable.

His feelings for her naturally grew deeper, more intense, and more intense.

At this moment, he knew perfectly well that he couldn't live without her.

He planned to seize the opportunity during this autumn hunt to express his feelings to her.

He also knew that she couldn't live without Prince Rui.

But it doesn't matter, he can stay in Dazhao.

Two hours later, the group arrived at the autumn hunting grounds.

The hunting grounds were built on Shuangfeng Mountain, backed by cliffs and facing Yuanshan Mountain, covering an area of ​​hundreds of miles, with a magnificent presence.

Upon arriving at the hunting grounds, the servants quickly and orderly set up tents, providing a comfortable place for their masters to rest.

The imperial chefs were busy amidst the rising smoke, meticulously preparing a variety of delicacies.

Other aspects were also arranged in a clear and orderly manner.

Lingyan and Xiao Muyao were naturally assigned the largest and best tents besides those of Emperor Jingzhao.

This aroused the jealousy of several princes, some members of the imperial clan, and the imperial concubines.

But there's nothing you can do about jealousy.

Because it was Emperor Jingzhao's order, it was not to be questioned.

It was already dinnertime. The hunting event would officially begin tomorrow, and today was just a day to rest and recuperate.

Lingyan and Xiao Muyao did not go with Emperor Jingzhao to eat the meals prepared by the imperial chefs.

Instead, they left the camp and went into the forest to hunt pheasants, deer, and rabbits, and also caught a few fish.

Then we went back to camp and started grilling meat.

The aroma of the roasted meat was rich and overpowering, almost magical, and quickly attracted everyone's attention.

Some people in the camp put down their tasks and followed the scent.

At this moment, in a corner of the camp, Lingyan and Xiao Muyao sat leisurely.

Beside her, Yunmeng, Yingshuang, and Yingdie were busy cooking in an orderly manner, following Lingyan's meticulous instructions.

The crowd, their mouths watering, unconsciously walked up to them.

All that could be heard was Princess Rui giving instructions incessantly.

"First, sprinkle an appropriate amount of salt on the surface and control the heat."

"The fire should be kept burning brightly so that the meat retains its juices."

"Observe the meat closely. Once it changes color slightly, turn it over immediately to prevent it from burning."

"Pay attention to controlling the heat, keep the charcoal glowing slightly red, and turn it constantly."

"Sprinkle cumin powder, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and chili powder evenly and finely."

"Pause briefly after sprinkling to allow the flavors of the seasonings to fully infuse."

…………

Everyone was stunned.

Seriously? Princess Consort Rui, why are you so professional?

You're a princess, not a cook, right?

At this moment, the roasted meat is almost done. Underneath the golden and crispy skin is tender and juicy meat, with an aroma that is mouthwatering.

Ling Yan finally raised her eyes and scanned the crowd of onlookers.

There were envoys from various countries, several princes, and several scions of noble families.

Of course, there were also a few officials.

Among them were He Jingchuan and Lu Yanqing.

The two of them didn't stand out much in this huge group.

However, there were no other women among the envoys.

Indeed, women in the Great Zhao were generally quite reserved.