Favored concubine deposed empress? I'll seize your throne and marry you to a powerful minister.

Wei Rong smiled gently: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The emperor and empress had a very pleasant conversation, while the court officials were completely baffled.

The emperor wasn't as heartless as rumored towards the empress. Could it really just be a marital conflict?

Because of this, when Wei Rong settled down in the camp for a short rest, several ladies came to pay their respects.

Despite their long journey, the ladies looked radiant.

They also brought Wei Rong some sweets and pastries, implying that they wanted to hold an afternoon tea party in her tent.

"Your Majesty looks stunning today. Your riding attire at the New Year's banquet was so popular that everyone in Yunjing was trying to imitate it."

"Yes, yes, no wonder His Majesty couldn't take his eyes off her."

Wei Rong sat on the soft couch, one hand supporting herself on the low table, listlessly flipping through the pages of the people outside the screen who were deliberately flattering her.

"The official hunt begins tomorrow, and the men will have competitions. I wonder who will win this year."

Hunting competitions are not only about who hunts the most, but also about the rarity of the prey.

The fiercer the prey, the more it demonstrates the hunter's ability.

"Last autumn, there were many reports of black bears appearing in Yunshan. These creatures are known for being extremely ferocious. It's said that one once tore a villager at the foot of the mountain in half, and when it was found, its brain had been eaten!"

"What?! That's terrible! I'll have to tell my master to just hunt some pheasants. He's not good at riding or archery, what if he runs into a black bear?"

"Alright, don't frighten Her Majesty. We're accompanied by guards and imperial soldiers on this trip; how could we allow a black bear to get close?"

Black bears are indeed ferocious. The terrain of Qiuyun Mountain is rugged, with many hiding places. If there is a black bear den, it would be quite dangerous.

Wei Rong gave an order to the outside.

Her camp was under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Guards. Now that Yun Sheng has risen to power, she must have come to the hunting grounds to await orders.

A member of the Imperial Guard entered to receive the order: "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"

"Search the mountain more carefully. If you find any traces of black bears or their hideouts, remember to mark and report them. Do not leave any potential dangers."

"yes!"

The imperial guards left, and the ladies breathed a sigh of relief, praising Wei Rong for her thoughtful consideration.

The ladies, who generally didn't go out often, could chat endlessly.

Wei Rong flipped through the book, feeling a little sleepy.

Just then, there was a noise from the windowsill. The little black phoenix, who had been flying around all day without getting tired, came over again, this time with something in its beak.

A small, perfectly ripe cherry.

It jumped into Wei Rong's palm, put the little cherry down, and bounced around, chattering incessantly.

He was probably telling Wei Rong about the origin of the cherry.

It is the perfect time of spring, and the early spring cherries are ripe, translucent, and fresh.

But a phoenix is ​​so small that it's impossible for it to pick a whole cherry with its beak.

Wei Rong held the cherry in her hand; its fruity aroma, sweet and sour, was far more pleasant than the scent of the pastries in the room.

The little black phoenix shook its head, carefully examining the cherries it had brought, and then—stretched its neck and pecked at one.

"..."

Its beak was still covered in cherry juice, indicating that it had already eaten.

"Isn't this for me? You're so greedy." Wei Rong was both amused and exasperated.

The lady outside the screen was chatting and laughing when she suddenly heard Wei Rong's voice and asked curiously, "Is Your Highness speaking to us?"

"Cough." I forgot there were still people around.

Wei Rong took a serious look, held up a cherry to feed Xuan Feng, and said perfunctorily, "There was just a cat that appeared at the window, and I chased it away."

The phoenix was puzzled and focused on pecking at the cherry. Soon, the sweet and sour cherry was reduced to just a pit.

It immediately turned its head towards the window and started chirping, showing no sign of wanting to stay still.

We still need to find cherries.

"There are many wild cats in the mountains at this time of year," said the lady outside. "But why do I hear what sounds like birdsong?"

Wei Rong took a handkerchief and wiped the cherry juice off her fingertips, then beckoned to Xuan Feng with her finger.

Little Xuanfeng thought she still had food in her hand, so she ran over excitedly, only to be caught in Wei Rong's palm.

She rose, emerged from behind the screen, and appeared before the ladies.

"It's so boring in the tent, I'll go out for a stroll. Ladies, shall we talk another day?"

The Empress wanted to go out; how could they possibly stop her?

He quickly rose to take his leave: "Respectfully seeing off Your Highness."

Outside the door, the sun was setting in the west, and the mountains and forests were dyed orange-red. It was a beautiful scene on a spring evening.

The little phoenix was fidgeting restlessly in her palm, but Wei Rong held it down so it wouldn't move.

Since we have no hostages, let's grab a small bird as a temporary hostage.

The smoke from the kitchen was rising into the sky. If the tents were replaced with stone houses, the staggered arrangement of the buildings would resemble a village.

The villagers rest at sunset and return home as the sun begins to set. By nightfall, the aroma of food wafts from their houses.

Even the wind is free.

Yun Sheng was assigning duties for the night. He glanced at the tasks out of the corner of his eye, paused, finished assigning the tasks, and then waved his subordinates away.

He hurried after Wei Rong, bowing respectfully and asking, "Where is Your Highness going?"

Wei Rong only had Qiaoyu with her, without any protection, which was quite dangerous in the mountains.

"It's just a stroll, nothing far, Lord Yun needn't worry." Wei Rong smiled slightly. "Does Lord Yun know where the cherry tree is?"

It's not surprising that this forest can grow anything; various wild fruit trees are lush, and since it's springtime, they've borne many small fruits.

But how did the Queen know there were cherries?

These wild fruits, without being tested by palace servants, were not allowed to be presented to noblemen.

Whether it's poisonous or not is one thing, but the bodies of nobles are delicate. These are not imperial tributes, and if they were to suffer any harm from them, no one could bear the responsibility.

Seemingly sensing his doubts, Wei Rong took the initiative to say, "Just now, a bird brought a cherry into my tent. I saw that it was brightly colored, so I went to check it under the tree. It won't eat it, so please don't worry, my lord."

With that in mind, Yun Sheng was relieved.

Furthermore, he was very familiar with the terrain: "Cherry trees thrive in strong sunlight. There are a few in a dense forest east of Qiuyun Mountain, but there's a cliff there, Your Majesty should be careful. Perhaps I could send two Imperial Guards to accompany them?"

"No need, I'll just take a look and then return."

The little phoenix in my palm seemed about to get angry, but luckily the surroundings were noisy, so it didn't give itself away.

Wei Rong bypassed Yun Sheng and headed east, avoiding people, before releasing Xiao Xuanfeng.

The little guy looked fierce and couldn't stay still, desperately trying to break free from her grasp.

Wei Rong tapped his head: "You've provoked me time and time again. How can I let you go back to the mountains? I'll exchange you for ten cities first."

"Chirp chirp!"

Qiaoyu was extremely curious: "Does Your Majesty know whose little phoenix this is?"

Although she also felt that the little phoenix was intelligent, she never thought that someone was doing it on purpose. She thought it was just a coincidence, that it liked her mistress and that's why it came to play so often.

According to Your Majesty, this little phoenix was not only deliberately sent here, but Your Majesty also knows this person?

Could it be that Your Majesty's purpose in coming here isn't something else entirely, but rather to see the person behind her?

Before Qiaoyu could get a response, she suddenly heard a sneer from above.

In the dense forest, branches grow wildly, and people can even hide in the tree branches overhead.

Qiaoyu looked up and saw a long, white robe with auspicious cloud patterns and the pendant at the man's waist. She was shocked.