Chapter 12 "Give Me Your Hand" The dense forest is before us, and we all walk to the highest point...
The dense forest was right in front of them. Everyone reached the high ground. The trumpets sounded heavy and solemn. Following the emperor's order, the sound of horse hooves thundered and raised a cloud of dust.
Xue Yu was also wearing riding clothes, with a leather belt around his waist, looking neat and capable. At first glance, he had lost his usual calmness, and his eyes were filled with the sharpness unique to young talents.
He always followed closely behind Crown Prince Li Yi, controlling his horse at a steady pace. Even when the Crown Prince repeatedly changed positions in the struggle with the eldest prince Li Hong, he was always able to follow closely behind him.
Yun Yang looked at the receding backs of Xue Yu and the others, and suddenly realized that although his brother-in-law was a civil official, he was not weak.
This is good. Good health is important.
Yun Yang secretly gave Xue Yu an extra ten points in his heart.
Although the hunting process does not distinguish between men and women, the women actually hunt on their own.
Yun Yang rode a horse and followed a group of people into the dense forest. Some women had already dismounted to pick wild flowers, while others were plotting to "get lost" in front of a certain prince.
Yun Yang had been training her mind these days and knew that someone of her status should not stand out at such a grand event, so she rode her horse leisurely on the grass. The hunting ground was cloudless and the grass was lush. Before they knew it, they had gone deep into the dense forest.
Along the way, we met many small animals.
Most of the animals in the royal hunting grounds were deliberately raised and bred for hunting by the powerful and wealthy. Most of them were docile breeds with no aggressiveness. Yun Yang was just thinking about whether he could catch a wild rabbit to raise when he heard a shrill neighing of a horse behind him.
She suddenly looked back and saw that the black horse Princess An Ning was riding seemed to be frightened and was running wildly. The princess was thrown to the ground and her face was pale, while Xue Jin was shouting anxiously behind her.
The guards all went to protect the emperor and the prince to prevent wild beasts from approaching, so the princess and the others were naturally left alone.
Yun Yang became alert, whipped his horse, and instinctively rode towards Princess An Ning.
The black horse that the princess rode was extremely fast. Even though Yun Yang was an excellent rider, he had to chase it for two miles before he could catch up. It was impossible to stop the horse. At the critical moment, Yun Yang stepped on the saddle and jumped onto the princess's horse.
An Ning didn't know how she stopped. The rapidly retreating grass and trees finally stopped. The fishy fragrance of green grass and soil filled her nostrils. She slowly raised her head and what caught her eye was the impatient face of the woman named Yun Yang.
"You can let go now, Princess." Yun Yang said.
The mad black horse suddenly slowed down when it was about to hit the tree stump. Yun Yang took the opportunity to grab the princess and jumped off the horse.
An Ning was stunned for a moment and wanted to get up, but she felt a piercing pain in her ankle.
"Are you hurt?" Yun Yang asked.
She hadn't learned the court etiquette yet, and didn't know what to call the princess. An Ning didn't blame her, "Yeah, I fell. It hurts."
This woman is not as annoying as Xue Jin said. She is obviously a chivalrous person!
Suddenly it started to rain, and within a few moments the rain got heavier.
Yun Yang and the princess were both wearing thin clothes. The rain in the mountains came and went quickly. Yun Yang had wanted to take shelter there, but the weather had changed and it had gotten even colder. Seeing the princess shivering and her face pale from the cold, she said helplessly, "Princess, why don't we run back? The sky has changed, and it won't be easy to tell the direction after dark."
"The horse has run away and my foot is injured. How can I get back?" An Ning asked.
As she spoke, she looked up at Yun Yang. Her long hair was spread out. The rain was heavy, and her clothes were soaked and stuck to her slender figure. Although she was obviously a delicate girl like her, An Ning vaguely felt a strange sense of security.
Yun Yang stood up straight and sighed, "Go up on that rock, I'll carry you back."
An Ning looked at her doubtfully, "Carry me? You, you're about the same weight as me, right? Can you carry me?"
"I'll carry you as far as I can," Yun Yang said briefly. "Come on up."
The two of them walked on the rainy grass. The princess raised her sleeves to shield Yun Yang from the rain and exclaimed in surprise, "You have so much strength."
In An Ning's impression, most women of this age are gentle and delicate. Some of them who love beauty even don't eat enough at every meal in order to maintain a slim figure. They can't carry anything on their shoulders or hands, let alone carry her who is almost as heavy as themselves.
"I take after my father." Yun Yang breathed in unison, "My brothers in the clan wouldn't necessarily be able to beat me in an arm wrestling match."
Indeed, she had been healthy since childhood and was as strong as boys. However, after she came of age, her mother not only did not allow her to arm wrestle with her brothers, but also locked her up and did not allow her to go out in the summer. This is how her wheat-colored skin turned white again.
Yun Yang paused, then said in a serious tone, "Princess, I saved you, but you have to promise me one thing. Don't tell anyone that I carried you on my back today."
Princess An Ning leaned on Yun Yang's back and blinked, "Why?"
"Isn't it because you women in the capital consider slenderness and grace to be beautiful?" Yun Yang said. "I'm so strong. I rode a horse, rescued you, and even carried you back. What will others say about me? I don't want to embarrass my brother-in-law."
An Ning agreed readily, wrung out the handkerchief, and wiped the rain off Yun Yang's face.
"But Princess, you've eaten too well, you're really a bit heavy..." Yun Yang muttered.
An Ning blushed immediately, lowering her eyes to look at Yun Yang, but her heart was pounding. "Then I, then I will eat less in the future..."
By the time Yun Yang carried Princess An Ning near the camp, the princess had completely put aside her prejudice against Yun Yang. She had never expected that the woman who Xue Jin described as vain, petty, and pretending to be innocent would carry her on her back for two miles in the heavy rain.
"Okay, come down now. We can see people now. If we go any further, people will see me carrying you on my back." Yun Yang said, and then put An Ning on the grass.
An Ning came down as she was told, and walked slowly with her support, taking one deep step and one shallow step.
The rain stopped, and the air was filled with the moist fragrance after the rain. An Ning glanced at Yun Yang. She had a unique cleanness after being washed by the rain, and her cheeks were flushed. When she found that she was looking at her, she smiled at her.
An Ning sighed. Yun Yangsheng was so beautiful. She wore a neat and tight-fitting outfit with a belt around her waist. Her figure was graceful and as slender and beautiful as any woman in Beijing. It was impossible to imagine that he could carry her so far...
"Hey, there's someone over there!" Yun Yang exclaimed in surprise, then ran forward a few steps, jumped up and waved, "Hurry, help! The princess is injured!"
Then he felt something was wrong, so he pulled out a handkerchief from somewhere, stood on tiptoe, and waved it subtly at a group of people not far away.
Xue Yu and the prince and his entourage galloped over on horseback.
"Your Highness greets Princess An Ning." Xue Yu frowned slightly, looked at the two people who were soaking wet, and jumped off his horse. "What's going on?"
"My horse went crazy and threw me off. Luckily, I landed in the grass, and I almost died." An Ning said briefly, looking at Crown Prince Li Yi on his tall horse and bowing, "Greetings, Crown Prince."
When Yun Yang heard the word "Crown Prince", she couldn't help but look up at the young man beside her brother-in-law. It was this young man who had just signaled to the guards beside him and took out two dry robes to put on her and the princess.
Unexpectedly, the prince's eyes were also on her.
The boy was about seventeen or eighteen years old. When he saw her looking at him, he smiled at her, as graceful as a jade tree or a white flower.
Is this the crown prince? The heir apparent of a country, and the emperor in the future?
Does that mean she's also "encountered the Holy Saint"?! She'll have a feast to show off to her friends when she returns to Youzhou!
Yun Yang was lively by nature, but she also became inexplicably nervous. The prince smiled at her, and she subconsciously smiled back at him.
Xue Yu frowned slightly, "Your Highness, this is my wife's sister Yun Yang. She is still young. Please forgive me if I have offended you."
Yun Yang finally woke up from her dream and saluted the Crown Prince like An Ning did, but the way common women and royal family saluted was different...
"That's all right." Crown Prince Li Yi's smile was gentle and understanding. "It seems that it was Master Xue's sister-in-law who saved An Ning. Hurry up and mount your horses, and let's head back."
Yun Yang nodded subconsciously, afraid of revealing the fact that she had been trying to hide her immense strength, and quickly waved her hand, "I just happened to be passing by, and I came back with the support of His Highness."
An Ning blinked at her and said, "It just happened to happen that we met."
The prince said, "I see. It's getting late, let's go back."
But there were five people and only three horses.
Yun Yang's attention was attracted by the guard behind the prince.
Rather than calling him a guard, he is more like a fierce general. He is so strong and sturdy.
Yun Yang had loved wielding swords and clubs since she was little, and she'd seen strong and muscular men before, but she was still shocked by the guard's imposing presence. His palm alone was as big as her head! She couldn't help but exclaim, "How could anyone be so tall and so strong!"
Xue Yu's eyes were serious, and his thin lips curled up in a playful arc.
No wonder he was said to be thin, it turns out he admired strong men.
The girl's sweet voice reached the ears of the guard who was as strong as a bear. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw a petite girl with picturesque features looking at him with a pair of big, round eyes. There was surprise clearly written in her eyes!
Guard Xiong's dark face flushed instantly, and he straightened his chest. "Then the girl, please ride on the same horse with me!"
Yun Yang glanced at the horse and felt that the horse was getting nervous.
She waved her hands, "Forget it, forget it, this, this is not appropriate..."
He is already so strong, and if she rides on him, even if she agrees, the horse will not agree.
"Then I'll ride with Xue and Lord Xue." An Ning said with a slight blush on her face.
I finally have the chance to get close to Xue Yu, how can I let it go!
The prince lowered his eyes, pretending not to hear his sister's shameless words, and said calmly, "An Ning, come here."
Of course, brothers and sisters should ride together.
I helped Master Xue out of trouble. I wonder if he should remember my kindness?
Princess An Ning still wanted to fight for it, but when she saw her brother's cold eyes glancing at her, she had to limp away dejectedly.
Yun Yang took a few steps, looked up at Xue Yu, who was motionless on the horse's back, and whispered shyly, "Brother-in-law, I can't get on."
The noble ladies who came to the capital were weak and frail, how could they mount a horse by themselves?
"Can't get on?" Xue Yu's eyes fell on her slightly red cheeks, a cool smile spread across the corners of his eyes. He slowly adjusted the reins, "You mean... can't get on the horse?"
Who went to Yuquan Mountain alone in the middle of the night to intercept him?
Who was it that rushed all the way from Youzhou Posthouse to Shangjing without caring whether he could keep up because he was blind at the time?
How could someone who fears nothing be so gentle and tender in front of the prince?
"I just can't get on. I, I..." Yun Yang stamped his feet, feeling guilty, and muttered with his head down, "I had to be helped up by the eunuchs when I got on the horse just now."
"I'll do it!" Guard Xiong's heart was pounding, his dark face flushed red. He looked at Yun Yang's slender waist and stammered, "I'll help the young lady onto the horse."
When Guard Xiong's tall figure enveloped Yun Yang, his pair of cold, jade-white hands silently hovered in mid-air, with the jade ring emitting a warm glow.
Xue Yu lowered his eyes and said, "Give me your hand."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com