Chapter 46 'A Chance Encounter' with Si Jinye [11]

The carriage swayed and rattled out of the city.

After walking for about half an hour, they finally arrived at Si Jinxuan's manor in the suburbs.

Behind this village is a large open grassland, to the east is a river, and to the west is a forest.

When Achu and Shen Jingya arrived, Si Jinxuan had already arrived as well.

When Si Jinxuan saw that A Chu was also traveling with him, he was clearly taken aback.

Shen Jingya ran up to him, her smile bright, her eyes full of sweet love: "Brother Xuan!"

When Si Jinxuan saw her, his originally cold and unsmiling expression softened.

"Ya'er".

Shen Jingya pointed to A Chu behind her and said to Si Jinxuan:

"My sixth sister rarely goes out, so I want to take her out more often. Brother Xuan, please don't be angry with her for my sake!"

Upon hearing this, Si Jinxuan first looked up and glanced at A Chu.

A Chu still had that gentle and delicate appearance. When she saw Si Jinxuan looking over, she lowered her eyes and bowed.

"This humble woman greets the Fifth Prince." Her voice was soft and gentle, with a touch of melodiousness.

Si Jinxuan said calmly, "No need for formalities."

He looked at Shen Jingya again and said, "Since she is your sister, I naturally won't be angry."

"Does Miss Shen know how to ride a horse?" he asked.

Before Achu could answer, Shen Jingya spoke up first: "Sixth Sister can't ride a horse, she's just about to learn!"

Upon hearing this, Si Jinxuan immediately arranged for a very docile pony to be given to A Chu.

The miniature horse was really short; standing next to Shen Jingya's snow-white Akhal-Teke horse, it looked like an adult and a child.

Riding a horse like this, you don't have to worry about getting hurt if you fall off.

Moreover, this miniature horse is light brown all over, with slightly curly mane, and looks very cute.

Shen Jingya took a liking to this little pony the moment she saw it!

"Wow! It's so cute!" Shen Jingya looked at the miniature horse with sparkling eyes.

She was just about to ask Si Jinxuan for the pony when she heard him say, "This horse is for Miss Shen Liu."

Ah Chu also really likes this little pony; probably no girl can resist its fluffy texture.

Hearing Si Jinxuan's words, she was somewhat flattered: "Give it to me? This...this is too precious..."

This horse is clearly not an ordinary breed.

Si Jinxuan looked at A Chu and nodded: "It's nothing expensive or not, just accept it."

"This horse is small and gentle. You can ride it first to get used to it."

Achu glanced at Si Jinxuan, then at the little pony, and finally nodded and accepted it: "Then thank you very much, Fifth Prince!"

Her voice sounded much lighter.

Si Jinxuan smiled at A Chu politely but distantly.

In his view, it was just a horse that was considered quite valuable.

It was given to Achu, firstly because she was Shen Jingya's younger sister, and secondly because she was the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyi.

He needs the support of the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness, so he should naturally treat the Shen family better.

However, he had no other intentions, but Shen Jingya did not think so.

The smile on her face vanished when she heard Si Jinxuan say he would give the miniature horse to A Chu.

Seeing Si Jinxuan smile at A Chu again made her even more unhappy.

Shen Jingya was naturally arrogant, but she had only slightly restrained herself due to her status recently.

She was too angry to care about anything else right now.

Shen Jingya snorted with a dark face, "Brother Xuan, why don't you teach Sixth Sister to ride a horse yourself again! I won't bother you two any longer!"

After saying that, she immediately mounted her horse and exclaimed, "Giddy up!"

The horse started running.

Si Jinxuan was stunned for a moment: "Ya'er?"

Seeing that Shen Jingya was running faster and faster, Si Jinxuan had no choice but to instruct the maid who could ride a horse to take good care of A Chu, while he rode off to catch up.

As Chu watched the two figures running away, one in front of the other, she felt somewhat lost.

It was the maidservant who had been instructed to ask Ah Chu if she wanted to try riding a horse.

Ah Chu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

With the help of her maid, she mounted the horse.

It's a little difficult for someone who knows how to ride a horse to act like someone who doesn't.

Ah Chu rode his horse slowly around a few times, then said to the maid, "I think I've got it."

The maid smiled and praised, "Miss Shen is very talented."

Achu smiled shyly.

"It's getting a bit hot, sister, you don't need to come with me. Let's find a shady place to rest for a while."

The maidservant followed beside Achu, and it was indeed quite hot; her forehead was covered in sweat.

"Can Miss Shen manage on her own?" the maid asked hesitantly.

Achu smiled and nodded: "I can do it. I'll just walk around here and won't go far."

The maid nodded.

At first, Achu was indeed just walking around the neighborhood.

When the maid wasn't paying attention, she walked towards the woods on the other side.

With the system providing navigation, Achu seemed rather inept at controlling the horse, slowly approaching Si Jinye's location.

As they ventured deeper into the woods, Achu looked somewhat bewildered and lost.

She pulled on the reins and called to the horse beneath her, "Juanjuan, where have you taken me?"

"This place seems a bit scary, shall we go back?"

Curly was the name she gave the miniature horse because its hair was curly.

However, the little pony clearly couldn't understand what Achu was saying.

Suddenly, a dark, unidentifiable creature darted out of the bushes, startling the miniature horse.

It let out a neigh, raised its two front hooves, and twisted its body.

Achu was terrified and cried out as she was thrown to the ground.

The startled little pony, Dada, ran away on its own.

"Ouch...it hurts so much..."

Achu fell to the ground, and because he instinctively used his hand to brace himself, his right palm was pricked by a thorn from some kind of plant.

She looked down at her palms, her brows furrowed tightly.

Suddenly I felt a shadow fall over my head.

Achu raised her head, her face filled with fear and panic.

Then she saw a handsome man sitting high on a black horse.

He was wearing a crimson brocade robe, and his long hair was not tied up high, but loosely tied.

He was also holding a black bow in his hand.

Looking up, my gaze traveled through the branches and leaves of the trees, landing on that handsome face that was almost otherworldly.

Ah Chu recognized him as the young master who had hosted the spring banquet at the waterside pavilion, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Young Master..."

Si Jinye also recognized A Chu; after all, even if he wasn't a sucker for good looks, he could still remember that face.

"You've startled my prey."

The man's voice was the same as last time, low, hoarse, and full of impatience.

Achu opened her mouth, somewhat at a loss: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Si Jinye looked down at her pale face: "Aren't you getting up? Want to sleep here?"

Achu took a moment to react before quickly standing up.

While tidying up the clothes, I touched her right palm, and she hissed in pain again.

Si Jinye glanced at her palm and scoffed: "So delicate."

The clatter of horses' hooves approached.

The little pony that ran away came running back on its own.

When Achu saw it, his eyes lit up.

"Roll!"

Si Jinye looked at the little pony with some disdain.

With legs that short, can you run two miles a day?

Despite the pain in his palms, Achu carefully climbed onto the horse and sat down.

She was about to leave, but after looking around, she couldn't tell which way to go.

Achu went to see Si Jinye again, seemingly hesitant about whether to ask him for directions.