Shocking Mountain Moon

Chapter 110 Crisis
Concubine Yu looked at the guards who bowed their heads and asked calmly, "I remember that you were the second place winner on the first day of hunting. What was your name?"

The young guard bowed and said, "Lin Chengfeng, the head of the Imperial Guards' Cavalry Division, greets the Imperial Concubine."

"Lin Chengfeng." Concubine Yu whispered the name with a playful look on her face.

Qiu Heng glanced at Lady Qiu without leaving a trace.

Lady Qiu lowered her head, her eyes trembling slightly, but she did not look in Lin Chengfeng's direction.

Concubine Yu's lazy voice sounded: "Captain Lin, raise your head and let me take a look."

Lin Chengfeng was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then slowly looked up.

Concubine Yu looked him over and nodded slightly: "He has a handsome appearance and is an excellent rider and archer. I think he has a way with imperial horses."

Lin Chengfeng lowered his head and bowed respectfully: "Your Highness, thank you for your praise."

"Haha, you all love to compliment me." Concubine Yu glanced at Qiu Heng and Lady Qiu, and curled her lips. "I have a favorite horse named Liehuo, which has a fierce temper and is not easy to serve. I was having a headache with it when I met Lin Dutou. I guess it's fate."

Lin Chengfeng felt something was not right when he heard this and his expression became tense.

Concubine Yu ignored Lin Chengfeng's reaction and said with a smile, "How about asking Lin Dutou to raise horses for me?"

When these words were spoken, the guards who had their heads lowered were all startled and glanced at Lin Chengfeng out of the corner of their eyes.

Qiu Heng heard a barely audible inhalation sound, which came from the beautiful Qiu who was standing next to her.

After a moment of shock, Lin Chengfeng immediately knelt down and said, "Chengfeng doesn't know how to raise horses. Please ask the Imperial Concubine to take back your order."

Concubine Yu raised her eyelids and asked: "Captain Lin, are you unwilling?"

Everyone who heard this sighed secretly.

Who would be willing to let the son of a general, a young captain with a promising future in the imperial army, raise horses?

But she is the most favored imperial concubine in the harem, and she must not be offended.

Lin Chengfeng is in trouble now.

"Chengfeng is indeed not good at raising horses. Your Majesty's beloved horse is delicate and it would be bad if something went wrong. Please take back your order."

"Not good at raising horses? You, the Imperial Guards, have to deal with horses all the time, so how can you not be good at it?" Imperial Concubine Yu sneered, "Captain Lin, are you rejecting me?"

"Chengfeng is mainly responsible for cavalry training in the Horse Army Department, and he really doesn't know anything else—"

"Haha." Concubine Yu laughed, her face as cold as snow. "I understand. It turns out that you are reluctant to give up your job as the Imperial Guards' Horse Army Commander. Why do you think raising horses for me is unfair to you?"

Lin Chengfeng bowed his head and clasped his hands, suppressing his anger and panic: "I beg the Imperial Concubine to take back your order."

"What if I don't accept it?"

Lin Chengfeng put his forehead to the ground and said, "I beg you, Your Majesty."

"If you don't accept my toast, you'll have to drink a forfeit!" Imperial Concubine Yu raised her eyebrows, "Come here, peel off this layer of skin for me!"

Immediately, several guards surrounded Lin Chengfeng.

Lady Qiu clasped her hands together and bit her lips tightly.

Lin Chengfeng raised his hand to press the scabbard, trying his best to endure. But the guards who surrounded him showed no mercy, four of them firmly restrained him, and the other two tried to strip him of his armor.

"Why does the Imperial Concubine humiliate me like this?" Lin Chengfeng struggled unbearably but couldn't break free.

"Behave yourself! You dare to resist the order of the imperial concubine? Are you trying to rebel?" a guard who pressed his shoulder shouted.

Lin Chengfeng's struggle became more intense: "Let me go, let me go!"

As the outer armor was torn off, something suddenly fell to the ground with a loud noise.

Lin Chengfeng's expression froze, and then he frantically tried to grab the object that had fallen to the ground. "What is this?" A guard bent down and picked up the object, then uncovered the towel that was wrapped around it to reveal its true appearance.

Concubine Yu said coldly: "Show it to me and see what treasure Lin Dutou keeps so preciously on his body."

Lin Chengfeng was pinned to the ground, staring in despair at the guards who were running towards Concubine Yu. He looked deathly silent, as if his soul had been taken away from him.

"My Lady, it's a wooden doll."

"bring here."

The palace maid beside Concubine Yu walked over and presented the wooden doll to Concubine Yu.

"Oh, it's a girl." Concubine Yu used a handkerchief to support her hand, picked up the wooden doll and examined it carefully. Suddenly her expression changed, "Why does this girl look familiar to me?"

A palace maid nearby took a look and exclaimed, "It looks like Lady Qiu!"

"Lady Qiu?" Imperial Concubine Yu suddenly turned her head and looked at Lady Qiu, who looked as if struck by lightning. Her eyebrows raised high, "It really is a resemblance. Lady Qiu, can you tell me what's going on?"

“I—” Lady Qiu staggered back a step and knelt down, “I don’t know…”

"Don't know? A wooden doll that looks just like you is hidden by a guard, and you say you know nothing?" Concubine Yu's face darkened. "Come here, shut up this adulterous couple and make them explain themselves before the emperor!"

Concubine Yu walked forward, followed by a group of people.

Emperor Jingping in the pavilion saw Concubine Yu and smiled subconsciously, but seeing Concubine Yu's expression was stern, the smile faded slightly: "My beloved concubine, what's wrong?"

"Bring them here!" Concubine Yu gave an order, and Lin Chengfeng and Concubine Qiu, with their mouths blocked, were pushed in front of Emperor Jingping.

Emperor Jingping's expression changed slightly: "This is——"

There were still some officials in the pavilion, and when they saw this scene, they wanted to cover their faces and run away.

You are careless. There is such a risk when accompanying someone for a ride!
Concubine Yu held the wooden doll in front of Emperor Jingping and said, "I met this Lin Dutou and remembered that he was the runner-up on the first day of hunting. I admired his talent and wanted him to work for me. But he was so ignorant and dared to disobey my orders. When the guards were trying to subdue him, something fell from his arms. It turned out to be a wooden doll that looked very similar to Lady Qiu."

Emperor Jingping stared at the wooden doll, then looked at Concubine Qiu who was kneeling on the ground.

"Raise your head." He said word by word.

Although he had shown some favor to Concubine Qiu these days, Emperor Jingping was so angry at this moment that he could not even remember what Concubine Qiu looked like.

In other words, it was not that he could not remember, but that he did not want to believe from the bottom of his heart that he was overshadowed by a mere concubine.

Concubine Qiu lay motionless, with her face lifted up by a palace servant who pinched her chin.

Emperor Jingping stared at Lady Qiu's face and slammed the table hard: "How dare you, a lowly maid, do such a shameful thing!"

"Wuwu——" Lin Chengfeng, with his mouth blocked, struggled hard.

He couldn't break free of the restraints, like a trapped beast at the end of its rope, with bloodshot eyes.

Emperor Jingping looked coldly at the young man whom he had admired not long ago, and said in a deep voice: "Take the thing out of his mouth, I want to hear what he has to say!"

A guard immediately came over and took away the cloth that was stuffing Lin Chengfeng's mouth.

Having gained the freedom to speak, Lin Chengfeng took a quick breath and shouted in a sad voice: "Your Majesty, this matter has nothing to do with Lady Qiu. It is the guilty minister——"

"It's me." A female voice sounded, clear and calm.

Countless eyes turned to where the sound came from.

Xue Han, who was standing next to Xue Quan, couldn't help but change his expression.

Ah Heng!

(End of this chapter)