Xu Di said, "When we returned to the capital from Ganzhou, didn't you ride a horse? Your inner thighs were all chafed raw, and it's only been a few days since they healed, and you're already thinking about riding again?"

Zhang Yukang said, "I'm a man, why would I be afraid of such a small injury? My inner thigh is already chafed and calluses have formed from the chafing. Why would I be afraid of continuing to chafe it?"

Xu Di looked at Zhang Yukang, who was full of resentment, and then at Zhang Yuqiao and Zhang Yuhan, who had similar expressions. He said, "How about I take you to the horse farm in the outskirts of Beijing to have some fun? We can go there to ride horses, but if we go there to ride horses, we can't go to the mountains to explore."

Zhang Yukang glanced at his older and younger brothers' expressions and said, "Then let's go horseback riding. Yuyuan, do you also want to go horseback riding?"

Zhang Yuyuan nodded. Xu Di looked at the children's faces and said, "Then let's go horseback riding. Go back and change into your riding clothes, and we'll go now."

For boys, riding a horse is like driving a car in modern times. Once they experience it, they generally don't dislike it. They all like the feeling of speed and excitement that comes with riding a horse or driving a car. The feeling is really important.

Xu Zhi came from the capital with the old lady. These past few days, she has been busy taking care of the old lady with her mother. When the old lady saw that Xu Di was going to take a few boys out to play, she said to Xu Zhi, "Xiao Jiu, why don't you go play with your brother and the others? You've been staying at the estate to watch over me for days. Go out and relax."

Xu Zhi said, "I won't go out to play with them. They're like a bunch of crazy kids when they go out. How can a girl like me play with them? Grandma, if I want to relax, I'll just wander around the farm. Seeing the crops and vegetables makes me feel much more relaxed. Grandma, the rouge rice grown on your farm is really delicious."

The old lady said with a smile, "If you think it's delicious, then we'll eat it every day. Your brother helped make it. He's such a smart kid; he knows everything."

Xu Zhi said with a smile, "After we went to Hexi, my brother went to work in the fields with my father. He also likes to chat with the old farmers who know how to farm. I think my brother is an amazing person."

The old lady said, "Your brother is indeed a very capable person. In the future, you brothers and sisters will still have to rely on your brother's guidance."

Xu Di, along with several of his cousins, took a carriage to a horse farm on the outskirts of Beijing.

This horse farm was managed by the Court of Imperial Stud. The Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud was an apprentice of Chen Wufu. After the great victory in Hexi, the Northern Di Dynasty paid a lot of horses as compensation. In addition to the horse farms in Hexi, a large number of them were transported to horse farms in the suburbs of the capital. It was the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud who personally went to Hexi to transport the horses back. Xu Di got to know the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud because of this. Later, when Xu Di returned, he came here a few times and had a good relationship with the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud.

The horse farm on the outskirts of Beijing has been expanded several times and now covers a vast area. In recent years, the horse farm has bred a large number of horses, which have provided excellent equipment for the army of Daliang.

Zhou Shun, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, was a man in his thirties with a fair complexion and no beard. He appeared gentle and refined, and his voice was slightly shrill. When he saw Xu Di arrive, he was very enthusiastic.

Xu Di smiled and said, "Lord Zhou, these are my younger brothers. I brought them here to relax a bit."

Zhou Shun smiled and said, "It is a great welcome to the young master. We happen to have a few gentle ponies here, which would be perfect for the young masters to ride. This way, please."

Xu Di, along with Zhang Yuqiao and the others, followed Zhou Shun to the stable.

The horse farm only has the racecourse and a row of stables behind it open to the public. The horses raised by the imperial court are all in the horse farm behind it. That horse farm is not open to the public unless you have an imperial edict. And those few horses in the open stables are not free for you to ride; you have to pay to ride them.

You can also ride your own horse at the riding stable. Some people bring their horses to the stable to practice their riding skills, or they come here to test their new horse's strength. Of course, you need to pay a fee.

Zhou Shun personally selected horses for the young men, and then instructed his eunuchs to take good care of them.

Xu Di rode his own horse, watching the younger children trotting around the riding arena on their ponies. Even Zhang Yuyuan, the most reserved of them all, was flushed with excitement as they rode. Xu Di couldn't help but smile. Whether it was riding a horse or driving a car, it had a mysterious appeal to boys.

The horse farm was a popular spot for many young men and women in the capital, and soon several more groups of people arrived.

Xu Di had gone to Hexi long ago and didn't know many of the young men and women in the capital. However, one group of people took good care of a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl in a red riding outfit who had come with them. Because of this, Xu Di took a few more glances at her.

The girl in the red riding outfit was riding a white horse, which she had brought herself. Judging from her riding skills, she must have been practicing for many years. She and her partner were running freely on the horse farm.

Zhang Yuqiao and his friends rode their ponies around a corner of the horse farm, watching others ride horses with great joy. They said to Xu Di, "Cousin, when will we be like those people?"

Xu Di said, "You can do that too once you've mastered your kung fu."

Zhang Yukang said, "You just keep coaxing us like this, making us practice kung fu all day long. I want to practice horseback riding, not kung fu."

Xu Di said, "It's impossible not to practice kung fu. The family has hired a master to teach you kung fu, so you have to practice diligently. Once you've mastered your kung fu, you'll naturally be able to master horsemanship as well."

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!