Chương 669: "If the spring breeze has pity on the flowers, may I be young again?"

Qin Qiong nodded, picked up his wine bowl, and said, "Yes, it's all thanks to His Majesty's wisdom. Come, drink up!"

"Cheers!" A group of military officers raised their bowls, clattered them together, tilted their heads back, and drank them down in one gulp, their heroic spirit soaring to the heavens.

The civil officials sat in another group, some rubbing their legs, others their backs.

Tian Feng rubbed his buttocks and grimaced, saying he would need to lie down for three days when he got back. He said that riding that horse today had broken his bones.

Fang Xuanling smiled and handed him a piece of roasted venison: "Old Tian, this venison is nutritious. Eat a couple more pieces, and the pain will be gone tomorrow."

"What's the point of supplementing? This is an old ailment of mine." Tian Feng took the meat, took a bite, and his eyes lit up.

"Hey? It's quite delicious! The imperial chef's skills are excellent, much better than my family's cook."

"That's because His Majesty specially transferred the imperial chefs here, who specialize in roasting wild game," Du Ruhui said.

Guo Jia sipped his fruit wine and said slowly, "I told you, it's good to get out and about. Sitting in the yamen all day, you'll go crazy."

"You've got it easy, lying on the grassy slope and sleeping all afternoon," Jia Xu teased him.

"We're all tired from walking, but you've managed to get away with hunting wild game while basking in the sun."

"Everyone has their own fun," Guo Jia said with a smile.

Cheng Yu brought over two fish, smiling as he said, "This is an extra dish for dinner. These are carp I caught; they're very fresh. I'll have the kitchen make soup for everyone to try."

"Oh, Lord Cheng has this skill too!" Everyone laughed.

Jia Xu joked with Cheng Yu, "I hope it wasn't the secret-recipe dried meat you made while conducting experiments in Yingzhou Province."

Cheng Yu laughed and said, "How could that be? That was a special measure for a special period. Today's fish is all fresh."

The civil officials' table wasn't as noisy as the military officers' table, but it was still quite lively. After discussing government affairs, they would chat about family matters, their children, and their wives, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.

The table with the second-generation rich kids was the liveliest, noisy and bustling, like a flock of sparrows.

Cheng Chumo, gnawing on a pork knuckle with grease on his face, was still bragging: "That wild boar today, if it weren't for Huai Dao's arrow that held it back, I would have pierced its lungs... Oh right, Huai Dao, did you know your arrow missed by half an inch? If Guan Ping hadn't followed up with the lasso, it could have run two miles with your arrowhead in its wake."

Qin Huaidao retorted, "I saw it when your spear missed its mark. The horse was startled and almost threw you off."

"I did that on purpose! To lure the enemy in! You don't understand!"

"Come on, give me a break!" Zhang Bao mumbled through his chewing meat, "I think I'm just stronger; I pinned that pig's head down in one go!"

"You even got your butt pushed around by a pig!" Zhao Tong teased.

Everyone burst into laughter, and Zhang Bao, his face flushed, scratched his head and chuckled.

The princes also got together and started bickering.

The Third Prince, Liu Yao, raised an eyebrow at the First Prince, Liu Chen, holding up a wine bowl: "Brother, you shot that rabbit pretty well today, but you got snatched the roe deer by eldest sister, hehe, did Father see that?"

The eldest prince, Liu Chen, was slicing a piece of venison with a dagger, not even looking up: "Father saw you fall in the stream too."

"..." Liu Yao choked, then turned to the Fifth Prince Liu Yan, "Fifth Prince, your basket of crabs..."

"River crabs are also a form of hunting." Fifth Prince Liu Yan calmly peeled off a piece of crab roe, stuffed it into his mouth, and said, "Fourth Brother, would you like one? It's very fresh."

Fang Yi'ai nodded in agreement: "Yes, according to 'Aquatic Ecology,' river crabs are fattest in September, which is the perfect time. Moreover, the streams are clean, making the crab meat even sweeter."

"Shut up, Fang Yanjing!" the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince said in unison.

The eldest princess, Liu Ying, chuckled and gave half of her roasted pheasant leg to the fifth princess, Liu Ran, saying, "You two stop joking around, Father is watching."

Liu Ce was indeed watching.

He rested his chin on his hand, placed the wine bowl on the table, and glanced at the faces of the young men, then at the noisy group of generals and civil officials, then at the wives' group, and then at the civil and military officials... The charcoal fire crackled and sparks flew up, making everyone's face feel warm.

He picked up the wine bowl and took a sip.

In the distance, the maple forest turned fiery red in the twilight, blending seamlessly with the sunset glow in the sky.

The air was filled with the aromas of roasted meat, wine, and herbs, along with the laughter of children.

These days are wonderful.

"Father?" The eldest prince, Liu Chen, noticed his gaze and looked up.

"It's nothing." Liu Ce put down his bowl, smiled, and said, "I just feel... it's fine this way."

"What?" The Second Prince Liu Heng also came over.

"Well..." Liu Ce raised his hand and gestured vaguely around... the hunting grounds, the charcoal stove, the roasting meat, the noisy children, the laughter of the concubines in the distance, the chatter of the civil and military officials, and the faint outline of Luoyang City that could be seen behind the slope.

"Family harmony, human relationships, and dynastic relationships... all come together, without pretense or affectation, it's comfortable."

The eleven children looked at each other, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Fifth Princess Liu Ran, biting into a skewer of roasted rabbit meat, mumbled, "Father, you're being poetic again."

"Get lost." Liu Ce laughed and scolded, reaching out to ruffle her hair, which she dodged with a laugh.

"You weren't even born when I was being poetic. You can just be happy about it."

After several rounds of drinks, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, Xu Chu, and Li Jing came over with wine bowls to offer a toast.

A group of people sat around the main table, all with smiles on their faces.

"Brother, that arrow today..." Guan Yu laughed, "I watched as it grazed the deer's neck from a hundred paces away, scaring away the entire herd. I'm ashamed of my own skill in aiming like that."

"Stop shooting." Liu Ce waved his hand and picked up his bowl as well.

"I did it on purpose. If I really wanted to shoot, that deer would have been dead by now. I just didn't want to kill a big guy with the first arrow and scare the rest of the group. Hunting is only fun if there's a process. Look how happy they are. If the first arrow had drawn blood, what would be the point of the rest of the game?"

"Brother, that takes skill too," Zhang Fei chimed in, his loud voice booming.

"Anyone else would have been unable to scare him; they'd have shot right into the deer. Back when I was fighting the Yellow Turbans with you, I was truly impressed by your archery skills."

The crowd laughed.

Liu Ce clinked bowls with them, took a sip of his drink, and looking at the white hair at Guan Yu's temples, suddenly asked:

"Yun Chang, why didn't you hunt much today? I heard you only killed a bear, and didn't shoot many other things."

Guan Yu smiled, stroked his long beard, which was streaked with a few white hairs, and said, "Brother, I'm forty-five. I'm getting old. My eyesight and strength aren't what they used to be. I'll leave the running around to the children. I'll just stay behind and bring up the rear, and enjoy the scenery."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ce remained silent for a few seconds, holding his bowl.

The wind carried the heat from the charcoal fire, along with the aroma of roasting meat.

He looked at the brothers who had fought alongside him to conquer the world. Guan Yu's temples were gray, Zhang Fei's eyes were wrinkled, Zhao Yun was no longer the young general in white robes he once was, and Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin also showed the marks of time.

He sighed softly and muttered two lines: If the spring breeze has pity on the flowers, may I be young again?

Flowers may bloom again, but youth never returns.

As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent.

All the civil and military officials looked at him, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

Yes, more than a decade has passed in the blink of an eye.

Back when you were making great achievements, Your Majesty was young, and so were they. Fighting the Yellow Turbans, destroying the Wuhuan and Goguryeo, defeating the Xianbei, punishing Dong Zhuo, pacifying the princes, and stabilizing the world, it all seems like just yesterday.