Chapter 95 Save Me Xiangyue released her, squatted down, and picked up the jade pendant...

Xiangyue released her, squatted down and picked up the jade pendant: "It's alright, Miss. This jade pendant is nothing special. It's just that it has been with me for a long time."

She looked up, her tears turning into a smile: "The ones Miss usually gives me are of much better quality than this."

Hearing this, Jiang Zhuoying felt relieved and pointed to the dressing table: "You two can choose any of my jewelry you like. I won't be stingy today."

"Really? You're so kind, Miss!"

Xiangyue pulled Xiangxing closer to the dressing table and began to carefully choose...

*

Three days had passed in the hunting grounds in the blink of an eye. During these three days, it was drizzling outside. Apart from the ceremony where the emperor raised his whip to order the start of the hunt, Jiang Zhuoying did not leave her tent at all.

In the days leading up to the start of the winter hunt, Qi Fan was naturally extremely busy, leaving early and returning late every day.

Even with such a busy schedule, Jiang Zhuoying's exhaustion at night was not diminished in the slightest. In fact, the nightgown that she had specially asked Xiangyue to hide that day was somehow found by that scoundrel.

By now, it was already torn to shreds, rolled up into a ball, and the man took it away, no one knows where he took it.

When she got up that day, it was almost noon. Xiangyue and Xiangxing helped her slowly wash up.

After washing her face, she glanced outside the tent and realized that the sun was out today.

Unlike the Crown Prince's residence, the tent was not heated by an underfloor heating system. As the weather grew colder day by day, she was bundled up in thick clothes, making it somewhat inconvenient for her to move around.

"The sun is shining brightly today." She gazed at the sunlight she hadn't seen in a long time.

“Indeed, Miss has been sleeping more and more lately. Would you like to go for a walk today? There’s plenty of space outside! The weather is nice today, and the ground outside is dry, so your shoes and socks won’t get dirty.”

Jiang Zhuoying thought about it and adopted Xiangyue's suggestion.

She stepped out of the tent and was greeted by a vast grassland, at the edge of which lay a forest.

When she first arrived at the hunting grounds two days ago, she had already marveled at the grandeur of Changlin Hunting Grounds, but the feeling was different then compared to now under the warm sun.

The sunlight felt bright and warm on my skin, but the wind still brought a chill.

Jiang Zhuoying was in a good mood. After looking around for a while, she saw a group of foals by the fence and suddenly had a whim to learn how to ride a horse.

She used to ride with Xiangyue on the same horse, and now that she had a suitable opportunity and was free, she decided to kill some time.

Today, Pei Yun is on duty at the tent. Although Qi Fan has been leaving early and returning late these past two days, he has left Chu Yixin or Pei Yun here to serve her.

Upon learning that Jiang Zhuoying wanted to learn to ride a horse, Pei Yun hesitated to agree immediately.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and take me to choose a fine horse!"

Pei Yun stood frozen in place, looking somewhat troubled. He frowned, cupped his hands, and carefully chose his words: "The Crown Princess is of noble status, and there are no personnel in the hunting grounds specifically assigned to teach her."

"Why not? My personal maid, Xiangyue, can do it."

"She...does not have the qualifications."

Jiang Zhuoying choked: "If I say she has it, then she has it!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a round-faced maid carrying a bucket of dregs walked out of the tent; it was Xiangyue.

The swill bucket contained scraps, fruit peels, and other things that had been thrown away in the tent over the past two days. She carried the bucket, intending to pour the contents into a larger filth bucket outside the tent.

There wasn't much in the wooden bucket, which made the jade pendant, broken into two pieces, particularly conspicuous.

Jiang Zhuoying glanced at Xiangyue a few times before looking away.

Originally, she wanted to wear Pei Yun down a bit more, but she saw that his face had turned pale and he was staring straight in the direction of Xiangyue without moving.

She opened her eyes slightly and tentatively called out, "Guard Pei?"

There was no response.

"Guard Pei?!" She raised her voice, not only waking Pei Yun from his reverie but also attracting Xiang Yue's attention.

Pei Yun lowered his head, his tone even more respectful than before.

"Your Majesty, please do not make things difficult for your subordinate."

Jiang Zhuoying: "..."

Suddenly, she wasn't so keen on riding a horse anymore; something else was clearly more interesting to her.

“Guard Pei, Xiangyue is a well-bred girl from a respectable family, and one of the people I value most.”

"Since you've already rejected this marriage proposal, why are you staring at her like that?"

"With me here, do you really think you can play games with people like this?!"

She emphasized the last sentence slightly.

She was indeed quite upset. Xiangyue had told her that she had originally thought Pei Yun also had feelings for her.

Xiangyue is quite clever; it must have been Pei Yun's behavior that caused her to misunderstand, whether intentionally or unintentionally, that made Xiangyue misunderstand and feel sad for so many days.

Jiang Zhuoying harbored some displeasure towards Pei Yun.

"This is my fault, Your Majesty, and I am willing to accept your punishment."

Without thinking, Pei Yun knelt down on one knee, straightening his back.

Jiang Zhuoying glanced in the direction of the tent. Just now, Xiangyue saw Pei Yun here and had already hidden in the tent again. Now she was nowhere to be seen.

She then looked at Pei Yun and said rather bluntly, "Stay away from Xiangyue in the future."

"..."

Jiang Zhuoying turned around, not noticing that Pei Yun did not respond to her directly, and then led Xiangxing towards the tent.

Even if you can't ride a horse, it's still good to go out for a stroll.

After Xiangyue arrived, the three of them stood frozen at the doorway when they stepped out of the tent.

Not far away, Pei Yun stood beside the latrine, his hands rummaging through it...

Jiang Zhuoying glanced at Xiangyue subconsciously and saw that she was also staring in Pei Yun's direction.

"Xiangyue?"

Xiangyue immediately turned around: "...Miss."

"Okay, let's go."

The longer you look at it, the more you'll think about it.

...

Jiang Zhuoying didn't expect to run into Consort Ling after only a few steps. Logically, she should have gone hunting herself.

"What's so special about this? The grasslands of Li Kingdom are truly vast; I have no interest in the prey here."

Jiang Zhuoying: "..."

It seems that after confiding in her last time, Consort Ling is even more outspoken.

"Why doesn't the Crown Princess accompany the Crown Prince into the mountains for a look?"

Jiang Zhuoying glanced at the distant mountains and forests, and subconsciously shook her head: "I don't know how to ride a horse."

"What?"

Consort Ling exclaimed in surprise and immediately took on the task of teaching Jiang Zhuoying to ride a horse.

"We people of Li Kingdom have been riding horses since we were young. Your Highness, rest assured, once today is over, you will definitely be the most skilled horse-riding noble lady in Luoyang!"

Ling Guiren was in high spirits and spoke with great conviction, which aroused considerable ambition in Jiang Zhuoying as well.

Originally, she just wanted to pass the time, but after hearing these words, she couldn't help but start imagining herself riding a horse alone.

Who knows, it might even make that guy look at us in a new light.

Aside from when he was coaxing her in bed, she had never heard Qi Fan praise her.

If you want to ride a horse, the first step is of course to choose a suitable horse.

Consort Ling generously displayed her stables.

"These are all horses that came with me from the Kingdom of Li. They are all of pure and noble blood. I originally intended to let them roam freely during the winter hunt. Your Highness, you may choose any of them."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhuoying's eyes lit up even more.

This is much better than the horse that she had Pei Yun choose earlier.

But these... they do look like each one is standing tall and majestic, but they are all too big for her size.

The tallest horse was so large that Jiang Zhuoying wasn't even as tall as its back.

"Ahem." Consort Ling noticed this as well, her eyes sweeping around before she pointed to one. "How about that one? It's on the smaller side, and this breed is also docile."

Jiang Zhuoying stared at it for a while. Compared to the black and maroon colors, the snow-white that shone in the sunlight was clearly to her liking.

Moreover, this horse has strong limbs and a soft, flowing mane.

And so, the horse was chosen.

Jiang Zhuoying named her favorite pony "Jiaojiao".

Jiaojiao did not disappoint her. Just as Consort Ling had said, it was docile, and Jiang Zhuoying quickly became familiar with it.

In addition, it wasn't that she had never ridden a horse before. Although Xiangyue had guided her in the past, she was already familiar with the feeling of riding a horse.

...

Half a day passed in this way, and soon it was evening, with the sky ablaze with magnificent and beautiful sunset glow.

For Jiang Zhuoying, this was a rare and beautiful sight.

She stroked the soft, smooth mane and asked her first question in days: "Has the Crown Prince returned?"

Xiangyue, who had been following her side, paused upon hearing this and said, "Why don't I go back and have Xiangxing inquire about it?"

After waiting a few breaths without hearing a response, Xiangyue knew that her young mistress had tacitly agreed.

This was the first time he had ever heard his daughter mention His Highness the Crown Prince in such a tone.

"Then Miss, please don't go anywhere else. Just stay here and wait for me to come back."

"Or perhaps you would like to return with me, Miss?"

Xiangyue glanced back at the direction of the distant tents, which were already quite far away.

She was worried about leaving the young lady alone here.

Jiang Zhuoying glanced at the distant mountains and forests and shook her head: "It's alright, I'll stay here and won't go far. You can go back in peace."

Once she gave the order, Xiangyue dared not disobey.

After Xiangyue left, Jiang Zhuoying once again looked towards the distant horizon.

The moment when the golden light covered the ground had passed; the light gold gradually deepened, turning into crimson, and then purplish-red, as if it had used all its strength to bloom in the most distant and profound instant.

In that instant, the glow faded rapidly, leaving the girl's excited and swollen heart feeling somewhat empty.

Just before the afterglow faded, a black dot appeared in my field of vision, growing rapidly.

Jiang Zhuoying's pupils gradually widened as the black dot approached. The person in the distance was only the size of a grain of rice, but it was growing larger at an alarming rate.

His tall and steady figure gradually became apparent...

Jiang Zhuoying's heart, which had been somewhat disappointed just moments before, quickly began to beat faster again.

It was clearly unlike the horse racing she had seen that day; it lacked those elaborate and complex moves.

He was dignified and his figure remained as steady as a rock. She was no longer as lighthearted and joyful as she had been that day, but rather felt a warmth that was gradually filling her heart.

It was a feeling of fullness, a joy without any emptiness.

"Why……"

Suddenly, Jiaojiao, who was under her buttocks, shot off like an arrow. Fortunately, she hadn't let go of the reins, otherwise she would definitely have fallen off the horse by now.

But Jiang Zhuoying soon realized that it would have been better to fall off the horse in the first place.

Jiaojiao's speed was far beyond her expectations, a speed she had never experienced before.

"Help me! Qi Fan, Qi Fan, help me!"

She was being tossed about on the horse, screaming, but she gripped the reins tighter and tighter.

In her panic, she could only vaguely see a dark figure rapidly approaching.

"Stay calm."

His deep, resonant voice instantly suppressed the agitation in Jiang Zhuoying's heart.

"Grip the reins firmly, sit firmly on the ground, and keep your feet firmly in the stirrups. Do not squeeze the horse's flanks..."

The command that came through the gust of wind was steady and unhurried.