Farm Girl's Manor

This statement was exceedingly clever. Without a single word of overt flattery, yet each sentence subtly implied a relationship of paternal affection and filial piety between Emperor Huian and Chu Heng.

Sure enough, Emperor Huian’s Dragon Face lit up with great joy, and his gaze toward Chu Heng became even more tender, "Since it is good for Hengheng’s health, your father will drink this cup, and the rest you should keep for yourself to drink!"

Chu Heng smiled, saying nothing.

Looking at his son’s gaunt cheeks, almost devoid of any flesh, Emperor Huian sighed heavily in his heart, his gaze filled with affection tinged with a touch of guilt. Unable to refuse his son’s filial intent, he picked up the cup and took a sip.

As soon as the wine entered his mouth, the taste was not particularly exceptional, but the moment the liquid passed his throat, the subtlety of the wine became apparent, causing Emperor Huian’s eyes to brighten, and he unreservedly praised, "Not bad, indeed this is a rare and exceptional wine!"

Among those present, there were no few wine connoisseurs, all of whom were already curious about the uniquely colored grape wine. Now, with the monarch praising it effusively, it stirred up even greater desire in their bellies to taste it. Moreover, the wine was beneficial for one’s health; not being able to taste it personally would be a great regret in life.

However, there were only two small jars of this wine in the Crown Prince’s hands, and with Emperor Huian’s words, none of them dared to ask Chu Heng for a drink. But then, wasn’t the wine a gift from Young Master Yan to the Crown Prince? They thought to themselves that they could privately ask Young Master Yan later, surely there would be a chance to taste this exquisite wine!

Listening to those whispers, Chu Heng, having achieved his goal, left the grape wine on the Imperial Case and returned to his own table. He poured himself a cup of grape wine and leisurely savored it, the fragrance of the wine making the royals and wine-loving ministers swallow hard with envy.

After Emperor Huian finished tasting the wine and eating the venison, he designated a few royals and ministers, along with the Princes who could ride and hunt, to accompany him into the woods for a hunting trip. Those who didn’t get to join, yet loved riding and hunting, made plans to go to other mountains, eager to perform well and possibly catch Emperor Huian’s eye. Who knew, they might get to accompany him next time since the autumn hunt lasted half a month!

The rest who had little interest in hunting were salivating over the grape wine and began to inquire with Yan Junyu.

Yan Junyu was not secretive, not mentioning his intentions to open a vineyard, only saying grapes were rare to begin with, and grape wine was even harder to find, and he couldn’t guarantee he could procure it.

Grapes were indeed a rarity, and no one doubted this reason, which made the wine enthusiasts even more anxious to taste it. It wasn’t just about satisfying their curiosity; it was also a matter of prestige. Wouldn’t it be an honor to be the first to taste the wine praised by a sovereign in front of colleagues and friends? They shamelessly implored Yan Junyu to obtain some for them at any cost, insisting that silver was no issue!

Yan Junyu feigned difficulty but readily agreed, his heart already blooming with joy.

"Haha, only I had the foresight, it hasn’t been in vain that I invested most of my fortune in that vineyard. In the future, I will just lay at home and count the silver, just thinking about it feels delightful!" In a side hall of the temporary palace, Yan Junyu animatedly bragged before Xiao Ruiyuan, Chu Heng, and the others.

Chu Heng indulgently smiled, but Xiao Ruiyuan threw cold water on his excitement, "From the vineyard’s construction to the production of grape wine, it won’t be until next winter at the earliest. Over a year later, do you think anyone will remember this wine?"

Yan Junyu choked at first, then immediately sneered with a disingenuous smile, "The winery can’t produce any wine for now, but Yanyan has quite a stash of her own brew. Such a delightful opportunity, Yanyan wouldn’t fail to bring it out! Hmm, just thinking about being able to see Yanyan again, to taste the delicacies she’s personally made, I really can’t wait to return to the capital now, unlike someone, who longs to see but can’t, and can only stand on the rooftop every night feeding the mosquitoes. Alas, just the thought of it makes me feel so bitterly sad and pitiful!"

Chu Heng, listening to his cousin’s affected tones and picturing him standing expectantly on the roof, not meeting his beauty but instead fattening up the mosquitoes, couldn’t help but burst out laughing in a most unbecoming manner.

Originally, only Xiao Eleven knew that Xiao Ruiyuan stood atop the roof every night like a stone pining for his wife, feeding mosquitoes. Others were unaware until they saw the several red welts on his face from mosquito bites, prompting a casual question from Chu Heng, which Xiao Eleven inadvertently revealed.

Xiao Eleven wasn’t being dense or deliberately pointing out his master’s shortcomings; he was simply worried about his master tirelessly working all day and refusing to rest properly at night. When Chu Heng inquired, he revealed the reason without a second thought, not anticipating that Yan Junyu would overhear and use it as ammunition to tease Xiao Ruiyuan incessantly!

Hearing his cousin’s laughter, Xiao Ruiyuan, whose complexion was already not great, saw his face turn instantly grim as he moved in front of a clearly mocking Yan Junyu and dragged him outside to a side hall.

A moment later, when the two returned, Yan Junyu’s face had lost its earlier frivolous air, and he had become much more subdued.

Chu Heng simply assumed that Yan Junyu had been admonished by Xiao Ruiyuan, and that was the cause of his sour mood, which gave him quite the headache.

In the eyes of others, the relationship between these two was very poor. If not for Chu Heng’s intervention, they would likely descend into fighting upon every encounter. They had brawled countless times since childhood, often drawing blood, and it wasn’t until they had grown older and learned restraint that the fights had lessened.

Although he knew their actual relationship was not bad, it didn’t prevent them from coming to blows. Already having a cousin cold as ice, Chu Heng had no desire to watch the two of them standing before him, portraying similar morose expressions, so he devised a bet for them: a hunting competition to see who could capture the most game by nightfall, with the winner receiving the prize.

Worried that his cousin might notice and desperately needing to vent, Xiao Ruiyuan didn’t speak, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Yan Junyu had been wanting to challenge him for a while, and the matter he had just heard was somewhat hard to accept. Also not wanting Chu Heng to suspect anything, he promptly agreed to the competition.

The two returned to their respective tents, retrieved their bows and arrows, led their beloved horses out of the stables, and rode off at a gallop in opposite directions.

Phoenix Mountain’s expanse was wide, and though not as toweringly magnificent as Yuhua Mountain, it was home to many large birds of prey and ferocious beasts. To prevent accidents, the guards would drive these predators deep into the mountain before the autumn hunt and set up barriers to keep them from harming people.

Of course, there were always those eager to demonstrate their prowess by targeting these fierce creatures during the autumn hunt. The guards would usually define a specific area and herd some predators into it; those wishing to hunt them could simply enter this range.

Everything had been well-planned, and accidents were nearly impossible; however, nobody anticipated that some of the birds of prey, which had been driven into the depths of the mountain, would break through the barriers and run out, leading to a major disaster...