She led the whole village to prosperity by raising koi fish.

Chapter 32 Autumn Mountain Climbing

In the golden autumn season, when fruits are plentiful and osmanthus blossoms are fragrant, hiking is a wonderful choice. Princess Wan'er had only been walking for a short while when she was already intoxicated by the fragrance of osmanthus.

"This place is like a paradise on earth! The osmanthus smells so wonderful!" Princess Wan'er exclaimed as she sat under the osmanthus tree, closing her eyes to rest.

"Of course! There are so many osmanthus trees on the mountain, including golden, silver, and ever-blooming varieties. Their fragrance is incredibly rich. Every year after the Mid-Autumn Festival, the osmanthus blossoms on the mountain bloom as promised. Princess Wan'er can come here for an autumn outing and picnic sometime. I know a brother and sister who are exceptionally skilled hunters. I'll have them hunt some wild rabbits for Princess Wan'er to barbecue later," Su Yuning replied with a smile.

“That’s wonderful! If your friend has time, we can have a picnic tomorrow!” Princess Wan’er replied happily.

Su Yuning suddenly remembered that Zhou Xi had gone to meet Yang Yuxuan's parents, and a bad feeling crept into her heart. She could only respond to her with an awkward expression.

“I just remembered that Zhou Xi isn’t home. How about we postpone the picnic and barbecue another day?”

Before Princess Wan'er could reply, Zhou Muyang and Ye Beichen took the initiative to suggest...

"Leave the hunting to us! We're experts at it!"

Princess Wan'er and Su Yuning exchanged a glance, then readily agreed.

Afterwards, Su Yuning and Princess Wan'er gathered wild fruits and mushrooms together, while Su Muyang and Ye Beichen went hunting together.

Princess Wan'er was walking along when she spotted some blue wild berries. Just as she was about to pick them, she pricked her hand on a thorny vine.

"Ouch, that hurts!"

At this moment, Su Yuning hurriedly went over to check her wound. "It's just a minor injury, nothing serious. Don't panic. I'll go find some herbs to apply to the wound."

Princess Wan'er nodded hurriedly, then watched Su Yuning go to gather herbs in the distance.

After a while, Su Yuning returned with the herbs, gently pinched one with her fingernail, applied the juice to Princess Wan'er's hand, and then softly comforted her.

"Your Highness, don't be afraid. The wound will be healed the next day after applying the medicine."

Princess Wan'er nodded, then asked curiously, "Can these little blue fruits be eaten? What kind of plant are they from?"

Su Yuning patiently answered, "This plant is called *Polygonum aviculare*. Its vines have many sharp thorns, and its fruit is green at first, turning blue when ripe. The fruit is edible and tastes slightly sweet, but you need to be careful when harvesting it."

"After listening to your explanation, I really want to eat blue berries," Princess Wan'er replied, swallowing hard.

Su Yuning smiled faintly, then walked to the vines of the wild jujube tree and carefully picked some wild fruits. She used her water bottle to wash the fruits and then handed them to Princess Wan'er. Princess Wan'er took the fruits and put them directly into her mouth to taste. The unique sweetness made Princess Wan'er happy, and she clapped her hands and exclaimed in praise.

"It's so delicious!"

Su Yuning instructed her, "Even if it's delicious, don't overeat, because we need to save room for barbecue."

"Alright then," Princess Wan'er readily agreed.

In the city, Zhao Shouyi went to the palace alone to deliver snacks and wine to his father and mother.

The emperor questioned him with considerable displeasure, "Why are you only arriving now? Where were you on the Mid-Autumn Festival? Your sister and brother-in-law both came to celebrate the festival with us, but you were nowhere to be seen all day."

Zhao Shouyi hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, it took me several days to travel to and from my father-in-law's house. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, Nangong Xue'er had another accident. I took her to see a doctor, and in the end, Nangong Xue'er took some medicine and was able to save the baby. But it was already late, so I didn't come to see you and Mother."

Now, the emperor couldn't make things difficult for him, and asked in a kind tone,

"Has your father-in-law agreed to your marriage? Also, is Miss Nangong alright?"

Zhao Shouyi told him everything, "Although my father-in-law didn't agree to us being together, his clansmen persuaded him, and in the end, he agreed. Nangong Xue'er just had a miscarriage scare; she's fine. Thank you for your concern."

At this moment, the Empress, accompanied by a group of palace maids, approached and sat down next to the Emperor, gently inquiring about his whereabouts.

"Sixth Prince, why hasn't the Imperial Concubine come?"

Zhao Shouyi bowed and replied, "Greetings, Your Majesty! Xue'er is resting at home and will come to see you later. She also asked me to give you her regards."

"No need for formalities," the Empress replied. "Has your marriage to Nangong Xue'er been arranged? She's quite far along in her pregnancy, and I'm afraid her pregnancy will be too obvious in her wedding dress. The wedding should be arranged as soon as possible."

Zhao Shouyi replied with a troubled expression, "Thank you for your concern, Mother. Nangong Xue'er and I have already discussed it. We will hold the wedding ceremony after she gives birth, so that she can be more relaxed. Moreover, my mother-in-law has agreed to our decision."

The Empress responded with a hint of jealousy, "You child, you've forgotten your own mother now that you have a mother-in-law. You only came to inform me after the marriage was already decided. I've really failed as your imperial mother."

"Mother, you are overthinking it. Xue'er and I originally planned to hold our wedding on the Double Ninth Festival, but she had an accident and had to stay in bed, so our wedding had to be postponed," Zhao Shouyi replied with a bow.

At this moment, the Empress and the Emperor exchanged a glance, and then the Empress spoke up,

"Your Majesty, the wedding venue has been set up. Instead of leaving it there, why don't we let Princess Wan'er and her husband hold their wedding first?"

The emperor responded somewhat awkwardly, "But... if the elder brother hasn't even held his wedding yet, and the younger sister gets married first, won't the officials laugh at us? Besides, there's no precedent for this."

The Empress was quite open-minded. She responded with a smile, "If there's no precedent, then let's make one. Princess Wan'er and her husband are truly in love, and they've been together for a long time. It's time we gave them an answer."

“That’s right, that’s right. As long as my sister and brother-in-law are happy, I, as their elder brother, have no objection. Nangong Xue’er also suggested this to me. Father, let them get married first.” Zhao Shouyi echoed.

"Very well, it's settled then." The emperor finally nodded in agreement to the proposal.

Surprisingly, there were persimmons on the mountain in autumn, and they were already bright yellow. Su Yuning and Princess Wan'er stood on tiptoe to pick persimmons, and in no time they had picked a whole bundle full.

"Princess Wan'er, did you know that persimmons are originally greenish-blue and as hard as stones? If a green persimmon falls, it can hit your head!" Su Yuning told Princess Wan'er some interesting stories about persimmons, and Princess Wan'er listened attentively.

"So that's why you can't eat green persimmons. I guess eating green persimmons will break your teeth."

“Yes, only ripe persimmons are edible. Also, leftover persimmons can be made into dried persimmons, which are also very delicious and perfect for carrying around as provisions,” Su Yuning replied with a smile.

"Do you know how to make dried persimmons? Why don't you make some and let us try them?" Princess Wan'er suggested.

"I can't make persimmon cakes, I can only eat them." Su Yuning waved her hand, then smiled sweetly and explained, "But my mother is a food expert, she can make persimmon cakes. We can give her the persimmons we can't finish, and once she's made the persimmon cakes, I'll send them to the city for you and my second brother to try."

Princess Wan'er nodded, "Sure."

“It’s the season for hawthorns too, let’s go pick some fruit from the hawthorn trees!” Su Yuning suggested. Princess Wan’er immediately nodded in agreement, and then they walked towards the hawthorn grove one after the other.

As I walked through the hawthorn grove, the autumn wind blew, and the hawthorn leaves and fruits swayed gracefully, as if laughing and welcoming the arrival of autumn.

Princess Wan'er asked curiously, "Sister Yu Ning, are candied hawthorns made from hawthorn berries?"

Su Yuning nodded, "Yes, hawthorn is an essential ingredient for candied hawthorn. Besides that, you can also make candied hawthorn with yam beans, oranges, apples, cherry tomatoes, grapes, kiwis and other fruits. But, hawthorn makes me more appetizing and makes me eat better, so I still prefer candied hawthorn."

Princess Wan'er smiled and nodded, "Yes, yes, I also think candied hawthorn is the best."

On a golden autumn afternoon, sunlight streamed into a hawthorn grove, making the trees laden with red berries even more tempting. The ripe hawthorns, like sparkling rubies, hung heavily on the branches.

Following Zhou Xi's example, Su Yuning nimbly climbed the tree, then vigorously shook the trunk, causing hawthorns to fall to the ground with a clatter. Princess Wan'er squatted down under the tree to pick up the fruit, and in no time, she had filled a cloth bag with hawthorns.

On the other side, Ye Beichen shot two rabbits with darts, and Su Muyang was also very skilled. He used his homemade slingshot to hit a pheasant and a rabbit.

"Is there enough food for the rest of us? Shall we head back?" Su Muyang asked, carrying the prey.

However, Ye Beichen did not reply. Instead, he made a shushing gesture at him. Then, several darts flew out and Ye Beichen actually hit a wild boar.

"Wow! You're amazing!" Su Muyang couldn't help but give a thumbs up in praise, completely unaware that danger was quietly approaching.

Behind him, a wolf was staring menacingly at him.

Ye Beichen didn't know how to remind him, so he could only use the vines to swing him up the tree. At this moment, Su Muyang realized that there was a ferocious wolf under the tree. The wolf was not afraid of them and brazenly devoured the wild boar right in front of them.

At this moment, Ye Beichen was furious. He threw darts down from the tree, but missed the wolf several times. And the real danger was only just beginning.

A pack of wolves, drawn by the scent of their prey, arrived at the location. In no time, they devoured the wild boar in a whirlwind. They also discovered the two people in the tree, so instead of leaving, they circled the tree in circles.

At this moment, Su Muyang was already drenched in cold sweat. Ye Beichen was helpless. Although he was skilled, he couldn't fight against four legs, especially since they were facing a pack of wolves. They could only remain calm in the tree.

"Awooo!" The wolf pack howled, and Su Yuning and Princess Wan'er, who were not far away, heard it. Although they were scared, they thought that their companions might be in trouble, so they quickly held hands and went down the mountain to ask for help.

When Old Su learned that his son and future son-in-law had encountered a pack of wolves, he didn't dare to delay for a moment. He quickly called the village chief and the young men in the village, and together they took bows and arrows and went up the mountain.

Soon, they located the two men by listening to the howls of the wolves. Then, the villagers hid in the bushes, and with a gesture from the village chief, they immediately drew their bows and shot arrows, swiftly eliminating the wolves.

Only after seeing that the entire pack of wolves had fallen did the two young men dare to climb down from the tree.

Upon learning that it was the village chief who had led the rescue team, Su Muyang and Ye Beichen repeatedly expressed their gratitude.

At this moment, Old Su suggested, "Future son-in-law, why don't you and Mu Yang go to a restaurant in town and buy a table full of food and drinks to treat everyone properly!"

“Okay.” Ye Beichen readily accepted his suggestion, and then he and Su Muyang took the wolf pelt and drove to town.

There was a fur shop in town. The two men went to the shop first to exchange the wolf pelts for money, and then went to buy wine, vegetables and snacks. Finally, they happily returned home with their purchases.

In the courtyard of Old Master Su's house, the villagers were drinking and chatting happily.

"I really didn't expect this. We haven't seen a pack of wolves in so long, but we actually encountered one today," exclaimed Villager A.