The Prodigal Son

As it turns out, it's just a dish!

Even if you manage to snag a spot in a fishing spot, you might not catch any fish.

Watching Qin Yu catch two more fish while her own float remained completely still, Zhao Luan finally lost face.

The next moment, Zhao Luan reached out her hand to Qin Yu.

"Your Majesty, what...are you doing?"

Qin Yu looked at her blankly.

What, is she trying to grab my hand and borrow my luck?

Lacking technical skills, they've started believing in superstition?

"Give me your fishing rod!"

Zhao Luan glared at Qin Yu with wide eyes. "There must be something wrong with my fishing rod!"

"..."

Qin Yu's face darkened, and he joked, "Your Majesty, is it possible that you didn't adjust the fishing float properly?"

How else should the fishing float be adjusted?

Zhao Luan, puzzled, asserted, "I always fish like this in the palace; it must be a problem with the fishing rod!"

"have to!"

Qin Yu shook his head and smiled, handing his fishing rod to Zhao Luan, while taking the fishing rod from Zhao Luan himself.

He only glanced at it briefly before confirming that his guess was correct.

It was indeed a problem with the fishing float!

The float is set too high!

How can the fish in this wild river be the same as the fish in the palace pond?

Zhao Luan ignored all of that and started fishing with Qin Yu's fishing rod.

After readjusting his float, Qin Yu also started fishing.

This time, she could clearly see the drifting.

As Zhao Luan lifted the rod, a small crucian carp weighing about three ounces was brought ashore.

"See? I told you it was the fishing rod that was the problem!"

A smile finally appeared on Zhao Luan's face, a smile that was both carefree and charmingly unleashed.

Just as Zhao Luan was laughing happily, Qin Yu used her fishing rod to catch another fish, and looked down at her with a smug expression as he took the fish out: "You're bad, you need to practice more! Don't be a monster who can't poop..."

Qin Yu suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Nima!

You fish and end up forgetting your own name?

The woman in front of him was not his fishing partner; she was the Empress of Da Ning!

Realizing something was wrong, Qin Yu slowly raised his head, only to meet Zhao Luan's unfriendly gaze.

Qin Yu forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Your Majesty, will a thousand taels of silver be enough to avert disaster?"

"I am not that petty."

Zhao Luan averted her gaze, a smile returning to her face. She rose and moved closer to Qin Yu, "Tell me, how did you adjust the float?"

"That's easy..."

Qin Yu looked at her suspiciously, then patiently explained, "In winter, the water is cold, and the fish are biting lightly, so you need to keep the hook touching the bottom instead of lying on it..."

Zhao Luan listened attentively to Qin Yu's explanation, but secretly picked up some snow from the ground and kneaded it in her hand.

Just as Qin Yu was patiently explaining, Zhao Luan suddenly pulled open the back of Qin Yu's clothes and quickly stuffed the snowball in her hand into it.

"Aww..."

Qin Yu jumped up as if he had been electrocuted, bouncing and leaping, wanting nothing more than to shake the snowballs out of the lining.

Seeing Qin Yu jumping around like this, Zhao Luan immediately burst into laughter.

The two generals exchanged a silent glance, a strange light flashing in their eyes at the same time.

As an empress, Zhao Luan has always been quite restrained, and even in front of the two of them, she rarely truly reveals her true nature.

But right now, Zhao Luan is clearly letting her true nature shine through.

Qin Yu shook off the snowballs from his inner lining and looked at Zhao Luan speechlessly. "Your Majesty, this is utterly lacking in martial ethics!"

"What's the point of talking to you about martial ethics?"

Zhao Luan retorted confidently, "You should be grateful I didn't kick you into this river to sober you up!"

As Zhao Luan spoke, a bright smile graced her face.

Just as Qin Yu was about to speak, a eunuch came running over.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Luan immediately suppressed his smile and regained his dignified demeanor.

Gee...

Qin Yu clicked his tongue in amazement.

That female demon changes her tune so fast!

The eunuch approached Zhao Luan and respectfully said, "The Empress Dowager has ordered me to inform His Majesty that the banquet will begin in half an hour."

"knew!"

Zhao Luan nodded slightly and waved for the eunuch to leave.

Only after the eunuch left did Zhao Luan compose herself and sit down to fish again.

I don't know if it's because the resources here are too good, or because of the cold weather and lack of food, but the fish here are thriving.

Before long, Zhao Luan caught three more fish.

Seeing that the harvest was sufficient, Zhao Luan ordered his men to take the fish and head to the nearby camp.

As night fell, copper pots were placed on the table in the middle of the camp tent.

It was only then that Qin Yu realized that this was the copper pot he had "invented".

It was plagiarized!

The key point is that it looks much better than the copper pots we make at home!

Tonight, the two veteran ministers, Gao Yi and Su Yu, were seated at the same table as the Empress Dowager and Zhao Luan.

Qin Yu and the other young people were arranged to sit together.

The atmosphere at their table was extremely strange. Lü Si had a dark face and was acting as if he didn't want to be near him.

With Lü Si on her left and Qin Yu on her right, Shi Lian'er felt extremely uncomfortable, had no appetite, and was too lazy to even pick up her chopsticks.

Yu Jing and Gao Yao didn't know who to talk to, so they could only eat silently, occasionally whispering a few words.

Only Qin Yu, acting as if nothing was wrong, ate heartily, and frequently invited Lü Si and Shi Lian'er to eat, saying, "Eat! Eat! Don't be so polite!"

"You'll stuff yourself to death, you bastard!"

Lu Si muttered something under his breath, completely lacking any appetite.

Shi Lian'er glared at Qin Yu with resentment, then simply buried her head in her hands.

Out of sight, out of mind!

Seeing the two of them like this, Qin Yu couldn't help but shake his head secretly.

These two kids are so resentful!

If you know you can't change something, just accept it!

As the saying goes, couples may quarrel in bed, but they'll make up in bed!

Why bother?

Once Lü Si becomes the son-in-law of the Shi family, I might be able to swindle more money from him.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the Empress Dowager stood up with a smile. "Gentlemen," she said, "let's go outside and enjoy the beautiful scenery!"

Beautiful scenery?

Everyone looked at each other, completely bewildered.

It's pitch black outside, what beautiful scenery can we possibly appreciate?

Despite their confusion, the group still followed them outside.

Once outside, the Empress Dowager gave a wink to one of the eunuchs, who immediately ran away.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared in the distance.

"call out……"

With a sharp whistle, a beam of light shot into the sky.

It was only then that everyone realized what was happening.

The beautiful scenery the Empress Dowager described turned out to be fireworks.

Boom, boom...

Fireworks exploded in the night sky, illuminating the surrounding landscape and highlighting the beautiful snow-covered scenery.

Everyone craned their necks to look at the beautiful night sky, but Qin Yu felt a sense of trepidation.

Damn it!

The mountains around here are covered in snow!

Moreover, many parts of these mountains are completely barren.

If it causes an avalanche, that would be a real disaster.

However, what you fear most is what happens.

Under Qin Yu's tense gaze, a snow curtain suddenly appeared in the night sky illuminated by fireworks.

Faintly, one could also hear the cracking sounds of trees being destroyed.

"Oh no! An avalanche!"

Qin Yu's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly shouted at the surrounding imperial guards, "Quickly, protect His Majesty and the Empress Dowager as they retreat!"