Qin Yining and Pang Xiao walked next to each other, looking around and taking in the sights. Wildflowers poked up here and there in the vast grassland, the mountains overlapping each other in the far distance. Not too far from the pair was a moderately sized creek reflecting a turquoise sky. Water babbled to itself, calling out greetings to the gray-white rabbits that occasionally hopped happily by. White butterflies cavorted over nameless flowers as they swapped dancing partners.
The unique fragrance of grass in the springtime filled their noses whenever they took a breath in. A few horses were grazing on the grass nearby, making Qin Yining feel for a moment that she’d returned to the difficult, but carefree life of the mountains.
“What do you think? Do you like it?” Pang Xiao asked her with his hands behind his back and a careful look in his eyes, like a child who hoped he’d be praised.
Qin Yining chuckled and nodded. “I like it a lot, how did you find this place?”
Noting the departure of her usually stern expression, Pang Xiao was also delighted that the girl next to him wasn’t strictly toeing the line and overly concerned about manners like she usually was.
“I’m used to coming and going and like to go on rides. I found this place by accident one day and wanted to bring you here as well.”
He grabbed her hand as they spoke and walked over to where the horses were tied up.
Qin Yining’s face flamed furiously and she struggled a bit, but that only made his hand hold hers even tighter. She was only slightly more comfortable when she looked around and saw that Pang Xiao’s men were looking down with nothing in particular on their faces.
The prince pointed at a big, tall white horse not too far away. “That’s Whitecloud. It’s for you. Do you like it?”
The Qin fourth miss was mesmerized by the extremely handsome horse with a single glance. Its fur rippled silvery-white beneath the sun, not a single blemish to be seen. It actually seemed more like a silver-white ribbon with the sun’s sheen radiating off of it. Its big eyes were watery and gentle, and the horse struggled free of the groom when it saw Qin Yining draw near. It trotted happily over to the girl and lowered its head to nuzzle her cheek and neck. They seemed more like they’d grown up together than strangers.
Qin Yining laughed with delight and reached out to hug its neck. “You’re called Whitecloud? Do you like me?”
The horse answered with more nuzzles.
“You’re so beautiful, I like you so much!” Qin Yining didn’t relax her hug.
In his memories, Pang Xiao had never seen Qin Yining so happy, nor heard such delighted laughter come out from her. He’d never heard these soft and coaxing tones before either. The Qin fourth miss in his mind was always a cautious, reserved, intelligent, and decisive being. She was rational and strong, more like an experienced adult than a girl who’d yet to marry.
Only in moments like these did she come alive and exhibit joy, acting more like her fifteen years of age.
Her voice was like a little fuzzy brush, poking gently at Pang Xiao’s heart. He wished she too would hug his neck and say, “You’re so beautiful, I like you so much”.
Qin Yining turned back, still hugging Whitecloud. “Is Your Highness really gifting it to me?” Her radiant smile was still blooming, highlighting how adorable her dimples were.
Pang Xiao’s gaze was as soft as it could be. “Naturally. Whitecloud is a Ferghana horse [1] and Thundercloud’s distant relative. Whitecloud can count as his younger brother. If you miss me in the future, go on a ride with it.”
Pang Xiao took the reins that Huzi handed to him and patted the battle horse with shining black hair.
Qin Yining nodded. “Thundercloud, Whitecloud. They sound like relatives alright.” She took the reins and adroitly flipped onto the horse, her skirts swaying gently as they drew out a graceful arc over the horse’s back.
When Pang Xiao saw how dashingly she mounted the horse and her straight posture on horse back, his heart pounded furiously with emotion. He spent much time in the battlefields charging to and fro on horseback and tramping through obstacles. He naturally didn’t like weak, fragile girls or ones that had pretty faces but only knew to put on a delicate act. He was attracted to Qin Yining because of her looks, but even more because of her personality and way she handled matters.
But today, her fluid motion onto the horse’s back truly clobbered his heart. He could hear fireworks exploding in the air. She was meant for him! She knew both civil and martial subjects, could be soft and stern…
How would Qin Yining have any moment to spare for the lovestruck loon behind her? She shook the reins and sent Whitecloud excitedly galloping down the plain. She kept her body down, her long hair streaming behind her, and her skirts flapping in the gale. Wind howled by her ear and gusted into her face, clearing away all of the frustration and dejection in her heart with a refreshing breeze of grass scents intermixed with flowery fragrances.
Huzi and some other Valiant Tigers tore off in hot pursuit when they saw Qin Yining gallop away as soon as she got on horseback. Please! Their prince would swallow them whole if something happened to Miss Qin on their watch!
However, Whitecloud had already left them in the dust after a few breaths. Although their horses were fast, they were no match for Whitecloud’s speed at all. Thankfully, they could tell that Qin Yining had superb riding skills when they took a closer look.
Huzi turned his horse around and rode back to his master, only to see that the prince was still holding onto Thundercloud’s reins and staring blankly, deep in thought.
“Master, the fourth miss is already a long ways away. Aren’t you going to go after her?” The guard was a tad worried.
This nudged Pang Xiao back to his senses and he too jumped onto his horse after steadying his emotions. Qin Yining’s figure was already a small dot in the distance. He laughed.
“With Whitecloud’s speed, no one’s going to be able to catch up to them. Don’t worry, she’ll come back in a short while.”
“To think that the fourth miss has such riding skills!” Huzi reflected. “And Whitecloud is usually such a proud and arrogant horse, he doesn’t even let me touch him! But he sidled over as soon as he saw the fourth miss, throwing away all of his pride as a Ferghana horse! Do horses also like beauties now?”
A frosty chill grazed his back as soon as Huzi finished speaking. He turned back to meet Pang Xiao’s unfathomable look. The guard’s brain spun at high speed and he carefully reviewed what he’d just said. He instantly started sweating profusely. I swear to the heavens that I had no intention of making fun of my prince!
“Heh. Eh, master, I’m going to look in on Miss Potato Spud.” Huzi hauled his reins around and fled, making for the safe harbor that was Bingtang on a chestnut horse.
Pang Xiao found this mildly amusing, but his heart turned over a certain question as he rode towards Qin Yining. Did he make a mistake when he gifted Qin Yining a stallion?
He should’ve picked a mare!
The prince actually became a bit depressed when he thought of how Qin Yining kept hugging the horse and complimenting its beauty, even saying how much she liked it. She’d never done that to him!
He was less than a horse!
……
It’d been a long while since Qin Yining had felt so happy-go-lucky. Her life in the manor was one of treading on thin ice. She had to devote every fiber of her being to plotting how to live on. She’d experienced the fall of her maternal relations, forced into joining the peace talks, her mother almost executed, and then she herself almost kidnapped by her maternal grandmother…
When all was said and done, she’d had to use her brains more in the half year she’d returned home, than compared to her fourteen years in the wild. Her self-regulation and restraint had also reached a boiling point. Now that she could run wild and carefree, it was as if her troubles were being left in the dust as well.
Whitecloud started slowing down. A man seated upright on a large horse, wearing
a robe with a python pattern, came into view. He was tall and handsome, his steed of shining black fur equally good looking. His back and waist were ramrod straight, honed with the unique masculinity and bearing of a soldier. They were paired with his slender brows, phoenix-shaped eyes, tall nose, and thin lips. A dashing air interwove with his charm, and tinges of happiness and innocence were present in his smile.
Qin Yining lost track of her thoughts for a moment. Unbidden, scenes of everything that had happened since their meeting appeared in her mind. An uncontrollable blush colored her cheeks and she forced her eyes away, afraid that his noble air and edge would burn her.
Pang Xiao steered his horse close and both pulled back on the reins. Whitecloud and Thundercloud sneezed at each other and walked close, their necks touching as they nuzzled each other’s faces.
Pang Xiao smiled at the girl. “How do you feel? Better after a run?”
Qin Yining nodded firmly with her cheeks still red. “It’s been a long while since I’ve run so freely around. Thank you for giving Whitecloud to me.”
“Are your thanks only words?”
* * *
These horses originated from the mountains in Central Asia and were bred for durability and stability.
Chapter 163: A Rest Stop
Chapter 163: A Rest Stop
Pang Xiao shook his reins and had his horse walk alongside Qin Yining’s. The white and black horses clip-clopped slowly to the road.
Qin Yining smiled. “Are you that miserly, Your Highness? Alright, how would you like to me thank you?”
“With the rest of your life. What do you say?” Pang Xiao chuckled.
Qin Yining’s face exploded with red and she glared at him. “Why do you always make jokes like these, Your Highness? You’re not a lecher, but you always mouth off like these. People will make fun of you if they hear.”
“Who would dare?” Pang Xiao drew close to Qin Yining and looked at her seriously. “Besides, I’m not joking.”
Qin Yining pursed her lips and blinked, not saying a word. She allowed Pang Xiao to keep holding her reins so that the two horses walked together.
From the prince’s angle, he could see her scarlet ears and neck, as well as the nervous fluttering of her long lashes. He was delighted when she didn’t say anything back.
She wasn’t rejecting him, which meant she didn’t dislike him. Maybe she even liked him too?
No rush, no rush. There’s hope as long as she doesn’t dislike me.
Pang Xiao chuckled and suddenly urged the horses into a gallop to the road.
Qin Yining was taken off guard by the sudden movement and groped for the reins. “Why did we suddenly speed up? That scared me!”
The wind carried her sweet admonishment to Pang Xiao’s ears. They were soft and gentle, starting an itch from the bottom of his heart. The sky was blue and the trees green, the heavens were great and the earth vast. He was riding his beloved horse with his beloved girl at his side. Pang Xiao felt contentment in this moment as he never had before. A heroic feeling flourished in his heart and he threw back his head in hearty laughter.
The laughter traveled on the air, infecting Huzi and two Valiant Tigers behind him with similar untroubled and dashing feelings. They laughed as well.
An army fight song popped up in Huzi’s mind and he belted it out at the top of his lungs. “Wearing iron, bearing armor, wielding blades! I roam the battlefields with you, a long road staring ahead.” [1]
Huzi’s voice rang out clearly with youth. Such stirring music suddenly appearing beneath the sweeping skies summoned similar emotion in Qin Yining. Just as she wanted to turn back and look, Pang Xiao’s low, resonant voice sang on as well.
“We sweep foes together and brave life and death! My heart falters not as I battle with you by my side.”
The two Valiant Tigers also joined in loudly. “Conquering the south and expelling the north, our song fears nothing with comrades by my side!”
The men’s rich voices were without sophisticated technique, but brimmed with intrepid daring. They had their comrades by their side and hot blood thrumming in their veins. Beneath the great expanse, they roared out their battle song with striking passion. It gave one the feeling of a momentum that would shatter mountains and evoke tidal waves, trembling Qin Yining’s heart. She too had the urge to let her horse speed free and wild over the plains.
These were true men who lived and died on the backs of their horses. Despite their differences in nationality, they too would rather suffer themselves so that they could bring peace to their people in these troubled times.
But how did that compare to the opulence and corruption in the Great Yan capital? The trash emperor and trampress sought merrymaking from day to night and committed utterly ludicrous acts. They had plenty of courage to set up loyal subjects, but didn’t have the charisma to fire a bow on the field or ride against their enemies. Sorrow spread in Qin Yining’s heart.
Pang Xiao slowed down after a while. The Qin fourth miss focused her eyes ahead to see an enormous group of people not too far ahead. She immediately noticed that the official in the lead wearing bright red robes was Qin Huaiyuan. The other people were wearing various court robes. She couldn’t see their faces clearly and didn’t know them, but could tell that there were Great Yan officials and Great Zhou soldiers intermingled in the crowd.
Her heart skipped and beat and she looked questioningly at Pang Xiao. The prince had already let go of her reins and was riding to the front with Huzi and the two Valiant Tigers.
Qin Yining naturally slowed her horse down and came to a halt with Bingtang.
“Miss, are they…” Bingtang was a bit taken aback and asked in a quiet voice.
“Probably here for a sendoff. Today is probably when the prince is leaving.” Qin Yining was hard pressed to conceal her complicated look and gave a long sigh, an inexplicable feeling of loss in her heart.
He probably set all of this up just so he could see me one more time. They’d just spent a few happy and easy moments together, but farewell was suddenly staring at them in the face. Unexplainable sadness welled up in her, and she discovered with shock that tears were actually forming in her eyes.
This is bad.
What kind of relationship did she have with him? Why was she sad?
When Qin Huaiyuan saw that his daughter was following behind the prince, and that her and Bingtang’s horses were particularly handsome and tall, he knew that the prince had gifted the horses to them. Their presence was also likely because of the prince. He felt rather resigned.
There were many officials present from the Ministry of Rites today. Rumors about Pang Xiao and Qin Yining were already thick and fast. The prince had declared his affections in front of everyone and then gifted her a residence. And now, his daughter was present on an occasion in which no women were usually present. Wasn’t this further verifying their relationship?
The officials from the Ministry of Rites started up their pleasantries with Pang Xiao while the escorting and send-off parties moved forward neatly. Making use of the prince being at the head of the group, Qin Huaiyuan quickly walked up to his daughter. “You and Miss Tang can go back first.”
Qin Yining nodded, but who knew that Pang Xiao actually caught wind of these words, despite his great distance away?
“We’re already quite far from the capital, it wouldn’t be safe for Miss Qin to travel back alone. Why not have her join the retinue and go back together later, Grand Preceptor Qin?”
The officials next to him looked at each other with expressions of great understanding. Meanwhile, Lian Shengjie was lost in thought as he stared at Qin Yining on her white horse, his eyes visually drooling over the girl.
With no other recourse available, Qin Huaiyuan sighed and climbed onto his horse. “Come with me then. We’ll go back together later.”
Qin Yining nodded again and levied a fierce glare at Pang Xiao, even though he was far away. Even though she knew that it was probably that he couldn�
�t bear to part just yet and wanted to spend some more time with her, it still irked her that he’d made all these plans and hadn’t told her about them.
However, her glare had the exact opposite effect. Pang Xiao burst out laughing and suavely continued chit-chatting with the officials. It was Qin Yining who flushed hotly with anger.
This mode continued for roughly an hour before the officials readied to turn back. The remaining journey would be under the purview of Great Yan soldiers and Pang Xiao’s elite Valiant Tigers. The group slowly ground to a halt and Pang Xiao turned to Lian Shengjie.
“This prince is being summoned back to the capital, leaving the matter of war reparations in Sir Lian’s hands. This prince hopes that Sir Lian won’t lose sight of proper business and disappoint His Majesty.”
The corner of Lian Shengjie’s mouth twitched. He’d had fear beaten into him and wanted to hide whenever he saw the prince. Even though Pang Xiao was using lofty, lecturing tones, all the minister wanted was for the prince to hurry up and get out of here.
And so, he raised an exceedingly polite cupped hand salute. “Don’t worry, Your Highness.”
Pang Xiao arched a brow with a smile. At this interaction, those in the retinue who suspected that the prince had lost favor with the Great Zhou emperor reconsidered their speculations.
The Faithful Prince of the First Rank was the Great Zhou emperor’s sworn brother after all. If he really had lost favor, would someone as proud as Lian Shengjie be so meek when upbraided? It looks like the rumors have to be taken with a grain of salt.
Pang Xiao steered his horse towards Qin Yining. Thundercloud’s glossy, black mane intersected with Whitecloud’s shimmering silvery-white one as the two precious horses bid each other farewell. The prince looked at Qin Yining with a faint smile, the look in his eyes making her want to jump off Whitecloud and run away. She was deathly worried that he’d pop out with some other astounding declaration.
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