Prince Chen led a short-legged horse at a pace slower than his usual walk, strolling leisurely around the riding field.
"Your Highness," the manager of the horse farm fawned as he approached, "let this humble servant take the reins for you. Such menial labor is beneath Your Highness."
"Do I need you to tell me what to do?" Prince Chen waved his hand impatiently. "Step aside and don’t bother me."
"Your Highness," Jiuzhu, who was gradually getting used to sitting on horseback, said softly, "it’s fine if someone else leads the horse."
"Would you trust anyone else as much as you trust me?"
Jiuzhu shook her head.
"Then that settles it," Prince Chen replied, patting the neck of the small horse. "These servants wouldn’t be as careful as I am."
This was the first time in his life he had ever led a horse for someone, and this little girl dared to complain?
The manager: "..."
Was this even human language? They wouldn’t dare to be careless even if they had a hundred guts.
Having failed to flatter, the manager wisely retreated to the side.
A colleague whispered sarcastically, "I told you not to meddle, but you wouldn’t listen."
"If I didn’t go, I’d be afraid of displeasing the noble guests," the manager retorted defensively. "If Prince Chen thought we weren’t serving him well, wouldn’t we be the ones to suffer in the end?"
"Do you know who the noble lady on the horse is?" the colleague whispered mysteriously into the manager’s ear. "That’s the Ming family’s young lady, the future Princess Chen."
No wonder he’s been stuck in this horse farm for so many years without a promotion. He really has no sense of discernment.
After leisurely strolling around the field a few times, Prince Chen stopped and extended his hand to Jiuzhu. "Come down."
Jiuzhu: "..."
Riding was quite fun.
"It’s your first time riding. You shouldn’t stay on the horse for too long, or your legs will ache," Prince Chen said as he lifted Jiuzhu off the horse just as he had helped her onto it.
"Oh," Jiuzhu glanced at the small horse and nodded obediently as she stood on the ground.
"I’ll bring you here again next time," Prince Chen said, his mouth moving faster than his brain as he noticed Jiuzhu’s reluctant expression. "For now, let’s go pick out a little white horse for you."
Tsk, young girls are so troublesome. He had to coax her just to keep her from being upset.
The small horses in the riding field were originally raised to entertain royal children. Prince Chen had never been interested in these stubby little horses before, but today, as he walked into the enclosure, his eyes immediately fell on a fluffy, chubby little horse as white as snow.
"Your Highness has an excellent eye. This breed of horse is a short-legged horse from Chizhou, adorable and beloved by noble ladies," the manager, who had failed to flatter earlier, stepped forward to put a halter on the horse. "Your Highness need not worry. We will deliver the horse to your residence shortly."
"No need. Send it to Vice Minister Ming’s residence instead," Prince Chen said, gently tugging a strand of hair by Jiuzhu’s temple. "It’s the little white horse you liked."
"Yes, yes, yes," Jiuzhu nodded repeatedly, her eyes fixed on the little white horse. "Thank you, Your Highness."
Though her mouth said "thank you," her eyes were clearly focused on the horse.
Hmph, women.
He wanted to tug her hair harder but was afraid of making the little girl cry. Prince Chen sighed in resignation. "Let’s go. I’ll take you home."
Otherwise, the Ming family might think he was abducting their daughter.
"Your Highness," before boarding the carriage, Jiuzhu took a small embroidered pouch from her waist and placed it in Prince Chen’s hand. "This talisman has been blessed before the divine statue for many days, infused daily with the Golden Light Mantra. May it protect Your Highness, bringing you peace, good fortune, and shielding you from all evil."
"Is this... your gift to me?" Prince Chen looked at the small pouch, which carried a faint scent of incense.
Jiuzhu smiled, shaking her head and then nodding. This talisman was one she had personally placed before the divine statue when she was eight years old. Every day, she recited the Golden Light Mantra until the day she left for the capital, when she finally took it down from the altar.
The capital was vast, and she had no idea when she might meet her benefactor again. So, she had kept it safe in her room. It wasn’t until she recognized Prince Chen that she began carrying it with her, waiting for the next opportunity to place it in his hands.
Her master had said that in the vastness of existence, the heavens act without intent, and the Dao follows nature. Life and death are determined by oneself, not by the gods. It’s all about sincerity and following one’s heart.
"Then I’ll accept it," Prince Chen said, tucking the pouch into his robe before mounting his horse. "Let’s go. I’ll escort you home."
He wasn’t entirely comfortable letting her ride back alone in the carriage. It wasn’t that he liked meddling—he was just worried that this little girl, with her not-so-sharp mind, might get kidnapped by some villain.
The carriage, befitting a prince, was spacious and luxurious. Jiuzhu leaned against the window, tilting her head to look at Prince Chen riding on his horse.
The first time Prince Chen glanced at her, she was looking at him.
The second time he glanced at her, she was still looking at him.
By the third time, he couldn’t help but ask, "Why are you staring at me? Do you think I’m as handsome as Pan An, with a face like polished jade?"
"Yes," Jiuzhu nodded. "Your Highness is very handsome."
Even an immortal descending to the mortal world wouldn’t compare.
Prince Chen turned his head away, refusing to look at Jiuzhu anymore.
This little girl really has no sense of restraint.
In Bright Moon Palace, Consort Su watched her son, who had come to join them for dinner, and said to Emperor Longfeng beside her, "It seems his future in-laws didn’t invite him to stay for dinner."
Emperor Longfeng chuckled lightly.
"I just happened to escort the young lady home. What’s there to eat?" Prince Chen waved away the maid who was serving him and picked up his chopsticks to serve himself. "As a prince, if I were to dine at a minister’s home, people might think I’m too eager to please their family."
"Oh?" Emperor Longfeng personally ladled some soup for Consort Su. After she fed him a spoonful, he looked up at Prince Chen. "I thought that after spending the afternoon leading the Ming family’s young lady around on horseback and picking out a horse for her, you might have taken a liking to her."
"She’s just a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl who doesn’t understand anything. What’s there to like or dislike?" Prince Chen continued serving himself. "Since she was there, I couldn’t just leave her alone. If I made her cry, I’d have to spend time consoling her. What a hassle."
"I’ve met the Ming family’s young lady. She doesn’t seem like the type to cry easily," Consort Su glanced at her son’s bowl. "Duqing, I thought you disliked this dish?"
Prince Chen only then noticed what he had just served himself. He closed his eyes, shoved the food into his mouth, and said with forced calm, "That was in the past. Men are fickle."
After finishing his meal in a few bites, Prince Chen stood up. "Father, Mother, I’ll take my leave now."
Consort Su sighed. "Duqing’s temperament is truly worrisome."
Emperor Longfeng continued eating without responding. When women complained about their children’s flaws, men only needed to listen quietly or find something to praise. Agreeing would only lead to trouble for themselves.
Given Duqing’s usual personality, when had he ever cared if a girl might cry? Seeing a weeping woman, he wouldn’t bother to console her—he’d probably find it annoying to even look at her.
Indeed, only men truly understand other men.
"Your Majesty, Your Grace," a eunuch hurried in, his face pale.
"What is it?" Emperor Longfeng set down his chopsticks.
The eunuch knelt on the ground, trembling with fear. "The Minister of the Imperial Stud has urgently reported that several newly arrived tribute horses at the royal stables suddenly went mad, attacking and trampling each other. They died an hour ago."
The smile vanished from Emperor Longfeng’s face. "Are you saying this happened at the royal stables where my son visited this afternoon?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the eunuch trembled even more but dared not hide the truth. "These horses were the spirited ones meant for Prince Chen to tame. His Highness had originally planned to go to the stables today to break them in, but he happened to encounter the Ming family’s young lady on the way. He spent the afternoon riding with her and selecting a horse, which delayed the taming."
Prince Chen preferred to tame horses without assistance. If not for this delay, no one dared to imagine what might have happened.
"Investigate," Emperor Longfeng’s expression turned grim, his eyes filled with killing intent. "By my decree, the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice are to thoroughly investigate the incident at the royal stables. No suspicious individual is to be spared!"
"Did anything major happen today?" Sun Caiyao had not slept well all night. She remembered that in her dream, news of Prince Chen’s death had emerged around this time.
"No," the maid, seeing Sun Caiyao’s pale and haggard appearance, asked with concern, "Did you not sleep well last night, Miss?"
"Are you sure nothing happened?!" Sun Caiyao pressed anxiously.
"I... I haven’t heard of anything," the maid was frightened by Sun Caiyao’s demeanor. "Miss, don’t worry. I’ll go and inquire right away."
"No need," Sun Caiyao shook her head, her expression dazed. "No need..."
Was that dream just an illusion?
Would Prince Chen not die, and would Prince Qi not rise above all the other princes?
No, no, no. If the dream is false, why would Ming Jiuzhu appear?
Something must have gone wrong. Yes, there must have been some kind of accident!
"Miss," a maid rushed into the room, "something terrible has happened."
"Speak quickly!" Sun Caiyao accidentally knocked over her rouge box, and the bright red powder spilled onto the floor, looking like splashes of blood.
"A batch of newly presented tribute horses has suddenly died, and His Majesty is furious. He has ordered a thorough investigation," the maid whispered mysteriously. "Rumors say that among these horses, there was one that Prince Chen had taken a liking to, but he was delayed by other matters and never got the chance to ride it. His Majesty's anger is likely because of this."
Sun Caiyao's head buzzed.
So that's how it is, so that's how it is...
With the royal stables in turmoil, all the adult princes except Prince Chen were on edge, afraid of being implicated. Some of the more timid ones didn't even dare to leave their homes.
Even Ming Cunfu, who usually buried himself in scholarly pursuits, had heard about the incident. As he entered the main courtyard of his uncle's house, he saw his cousin leading a large white dog around the yard.
"When did you get a dog, cousin?" Ming Cunfu casually complimented, "Its coat is so shiny, and it looks quite lively."
"Brother, this isn't a dog. It's a little white horse," Jiuzhu said, leading the horse closer to Ming Cunfu so he could see it clearly. "Look, isn't it adorable?"
Ming Cunfu stared at the fluffy, soft creature that looked more like a puppy than a horse and found himself at a loss for words.
What kind of proper horse looks this... pitiful?
"It does look... somewhat cute," he said, forcing himself to praise it. After all, if his cousin liked it, he had to find something nice to say. "Where did you get it?"
"Prince Chen gave it to me," Jiuzhu replied, bending down to hug the little horse's neck and affectionately nuzzling its ears.
It was clear that Jiuzhu adored the horse, so Ming Cunfu reluctantly added, "Prince Chen is truly considerate."
Ugh, the prince rides a prized blood-sweating steed, yet he gives our Jiuzhu a stubby little pony. How stingy can he be!
"Prince Chen is amazing!"
Ming Cunfu fell silent again, taking a long moment to calm himself. "Why did Prince Chen give you a horse?"
After all, his cousin didn't even know how to ride.
"His Highness invited me to the royal stables, and I mentioned that I liked little white horses, so he picked the cutest one for me," Jiuzhu explained, gently stroking the horse's head as it obediently let her pet it.
"The royal stables?" Ming Cunfu's expression changed. "When did you go there with His Highness?"
"Yesterday afternoon," Jiuzhu replied, noticing the concern on her cousin's face. "Why? What's wrong?"
"No wonder His Majesty is so furious..." Ming Cunfu was about to explain when the gatekeeper announced that Liu Zhongbao, the chief eunuch of the imperial household, had arrived bearing gifts on the emperor's orders.
Liu Zhongbao, the emperor's trusted chief eunuch? It had been a long time since such a high-ranking official had been sent on an errand like this.
Ming Cunfu's heart tightened. "Open the main gate to welcome him, and quickly summon Aunt to handle the situation."
Jiuzhu and Ming Cunfu exchanged a glance. She handed the little horse to a servant, straightened her clothes, and went to the gate to greet their guest.
Ming Cunfu followed behind her, filled with worry. With such a major incident at the stables, he couldn't help but fear that his cousin might be implicated.
