Applause and cheers erupted from the viewing platform; the final gong had sounded, and the outcome was decided.

Li Shiyue sat back on her horse, tightened the reins, and a look of joy appeared on her face. This joy was so glaring in Princess Chunhui's eyes, but then she heard the Prince of Yan beside her sigh, "This little girl plays polo quite well. Not to mention Xu Lize, I like her very much too."

Princess Chunhui's eyes were brimming with anger. The Prince of Yan gave her a meaningful look, dismounted, and prepared to make his graceful exit.

Xu Yunyao had already dismounted and was walking towards her. Li Shiyue was about to dismount when she suddenly heard a horse neighing beside her. She stopped dismounting and saw Princess Chunhui riding towards her, swinging her polo mallet and striking the horse beneath her.

Almost instantly, Li Shiyue heard shouts from all sides. Her horse was startled. She was still sitting on the horse's back when her waist suddenly lurched backward. Before she could react, the horse had already raised its front hooves, and she was about to fall off due to gravity.

"Yan Yan!"

"Jiaojiao!"

"cousin!"

The shouts around her didn't even give her time to look at their worried faces, but she saw Princess Chunhui's smug and sinister smile.

She braced herself for the pain of falling, closed her eyes and felt the weightlessness of her body as she was separated from the horse's back. Suddenly, she was surrounded by a warm and strong chest, and the blue sky in her eyes was replaced by Xu Yunci's furrowed brows.

The moment she landed on the riding field, she heard Xu Yunci groan beneath her. Before she could call for help, she frowned, her arm throbbing as she fell.

She tried to endure it, but the pain didn't seem to want to disappear. Instead, waves of pain came, each more intense than the last, and she couldn't help but let out a soft cry.

Xu Yunci helped her up and saw that she was covering her right arm. He remembered that he hadn't had time to protect her limbs, and her right side had landed with him.

Without a second thought, Xu Yunci scooped Li Shiyue up in his arms and carried her out.

"Brother Lizhe!" Princess Chunhui exclaimed involuntarily, her eyes filled with shock.

However, he was met with Xu Yunci's stopped back and a cold gaze as he turned his head. Without uttering a single word, he hurriedly walked out, carrying Li Shiyue in his arms.

Princess Chunhui's lips trembled as she was about to chase after him, but the Crown Prince, who had come a step behind, stopped her, his voice icy: "Qin Yi!"

Princess Chunhui snapped out of her daze and looked at the Crown Prince, whose face was serious and terrifying. She couldn't help but glance around. The officials' wives on the viewing platform were staring at her and whispering among themselves. Yang, who was by the Crown Princess's side, and the other members of the Xu family had already gone to chase after Xu Yunci and Li Shiyue.

Princess Chunhui was already trembling with fear. Only after the Crown Prince released her did she realize what she had done, and she collapsed onto the grass of the horse farm.

Seeing that the Crown Prince was about to leave, she disregarded all etiquette and grabbed his robe, crying out in fear, "Brother, brother, brother, save me! I, I didn't mean to!"

"You can't kill someone just because it wasn't intentional! Do you know that if the horse hadn't arrived in time, Miss Li, who is powerless, would have been a dead woman under your horse!" The Crown Prince almost shouted these words, his eyes no longer showing the usual doting affection for his younger sister, but instead filled with icy coldness.

The polo match was naturally impossible to hold, and the news of the many officials' wives on the viewing platform would spread in just half a day.

The prince's chest heaved as he reached out and pulled Princess Chunhui up, walking out without caring whether she struggled or was willing.

The imperial garden was located in the suburbs of the capital. If they returned to the capital, Li Shiyue would probably not be able to resist. Xu Yunci carried her to a quiet room and put her down. The accompanying imperial physician and Yang Shi and others then came in.

Li Shiyue's eyes reddened, and two lines of clear tears fell, as if she was in unbearable pain. She bit her lower lip tightly to stop herself from crying out. Her brows were furrowed, and only when she was put down did she open her eyes a crack, almost subconsciously grabbing Xu Yunci's sleeve.

"pain......"

How could it not hurt? Horses that are startled can suffer broken bones or even death.

Xu Yunci looked at his sleeve, which was already wrinkled from being gripped tightly by Li Shiyue. He squatted down and held Li Shiyue's wrist through his robe: "Don't be afraid, let the imperial physician take a look at you first."

The imperial physician appeared to be a venerable old man with a goatee. He stepped forward and bowed. Then, he placed one hand on Li Shiyue's right arm and pressed down gently, causing Li Shiyue to cry out in pain.

He frowned and raised his hand to take her pulse: "If there is any pain, please call out, young lady."

After saying that, he started with both hands from Li Shiyue's right shoulder, seemingly looking for acupoints. He only pressed lightly on a few places, but Li Shiyue's right forearm was in excruciating pain.

"Your forearm must have hit the ground directly when you fell off your horse, causing the bones to become dislocated. They need to be realigned. Please bear with it, it will hurt a lot."

Tears streamed down Li Shiyue's face. Hearing this, she felt fear, which intensified the pain in her forearm.

Xu Yunci raised his hand and pressed down on her shoulders, then looked at Xu Yunyao, who stepped forward. The two of them, separated by the blanket, one pressed down on his shoulders and the other on his legs.

The imperial physician seized the opportunity, seeing that Li Shiyue hadn't reacted yet, and pressed down hard on Li Shiyue's right arm with both hands. It was indeed very quick, just for a moment, and Li Shiyue was overwhelmed by pain, no longer able to hold back her tears, and cried out loud.

Xu Yunci sighed, looking at his robes, which were already wrinkled and stained with tears from his little cousin's hands. But seeing his little cousin crying so pitifully, he couldn't get angry at all.

Yang then stepped forward, embraced Li Shiyue, and comforted her tenderly, "Jiaojiao, don't be afraid, we'll go home in a little while."

"This matter cannot be left unresolved. What about the princess? She has gone too far!"

Lady Yang was always good-tempered. She had seen Princess Chunhui swing her polo mallet, startling the horse, which was clearly an attempt to kill her!

Xu Yunci's face was extremely ugly, and the coldness in his eyes gradually revealed itself. Hearing footsteps in the corridor, he saw that it was Eunuch Gao, who served the official, walking in.

"Imperial Edict—"

With a high-pitched voice and a solemn expression, Eunuch Gao held up the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand. Seeing everyone kneeling down, he smiled obsequiously and said, "His Majesty said that Miss Li does not need to get up."

"Miss Li, you are gentle and dignified, well-versed in etiquette and propriety. You possess both beauty and grace, and are from a distinguished family in Zhongxiang. Today, I hereby bestow upon you the title of County Princess, with the name 'Yichang,' in accordance with the precedent of a County Princess receiving a Princess."

Eunuch Gao carefully put away the imperial edict, took two steps forward, and walked up to Xu Yunci: "His Majesty knows that it is not advisable for the Princess of Yichang to depart. Please ask the Heir Apparent to receive the edict on her behalf."

"This imperial decree is from His Majesty, who feels guilty and wants to make amends to the county princess. Place it in the Pixiang Palace, and His Majesty will handle it himself, ensuring that the Xu family will not suffer any injustice."