In the winter months, the grass and trees in the horse farm withered, creating a desolate scene from afar.
Many people, both men and women, had already arrived at the horse ranch; they were all familiar faces from the capital. She greeted them all with a smile.
“You’ve arrived too late. Some of them couldn’t wait and went for a ride first,” said one of the noble ladies.
Qingying spoke first, explaining, "Something unexpected happened before I left, which is why I'm late."
Feng Ruilan glanced at her without any politeness, but didn't say anything in rebuttal.
Liu Shushu smiled and continued to explain, "It's because my carriage had a problem, which caused the delay. I'm sorry."
They didn't mind, and the group went to the stables to choose horses.
Qingying did not follow them, but instead walked towards the pavilion on the other side.
"Little sister, are you really not going to try riding it?" Liu Shushu asked loudly from a distance.
Qingying pursed her lips, thinking to herself: What nonsense are you spouting?
She pretended not to hear and continued walking forward.
Upon arriving at the pavilion and sitting down, we heard the sound of horses' hooves approaching from afar, presumably those who had gone off to explore earlier were returning.
Before she arrived, she had asked Yu Yue to prepare some food in advance, fearing she would be bored while waiting. She was eating while looking in the direction of the sound.
In the distance, between the gray sky and the yellowish-brown horizon, a group of horsemen entered. The young man at the head of the group wore a black and red robe, holding the reins with one hand. The wind blew his long, dark hair, which was tied up high, and a vermilion ribbon fluttered behind his head.
"What a handsome young man..."
After seeing the man's face clearly, she took a big bite of the peach blossom pastry and clicked her tongue, saying, "It's a pity he's Wei Dongchen."
Yu Yue, standing to the side, asked in confusion, "What's wrong with the young master? He's doing fine. He's still the renowned General Zhenbei."
Qingying smiled and said, "Just kidding, he's a very good person."
As they were talking, Wei Dongchen had already arrived nearby, dismounted, and strode towards her, untying the straps on his shoulders as he walked.
"I didn't plan to ride a horse today, but I came because I heard you were coming. I didn't expect to ride around and not see you at all." He said, sitting down opposite her without any politeness.
"We should have arrived half an hour ago, but some people just had to cause trouble." Qingying's tone was quite disdainful, and her face carried a hint of arrogance.
It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. They thought the carriage was too crowded, and they could have arranged it yesterday. They only brought it up right before leaving, which was just to make her wait.
Wei Dongchen knew who she was talking about, and mimicked her tone and expression, saying sarcastically, "Ugly people always cause trouble."
Qingying was amused by him and asked Yuyue to pour him tea, muttering, "Liu Shushu is not ugly."
"Compared to you, I am far inferior."
Qingying never minded others praising her appearance, even though there's a saying: "Beauty is a curse." But she believed that only incompetent people would blame a woman's beauty for their mistakes.
"Only you are not afraid of offending people when you speak."
Wei Dongchen took a sip of tea, shrugged, and said, "After all, I am a well-known playboy in the capital, so it is only normal for me to sometimes lose my tongue."
Qingying remained noncommittal.
He suddenly stared intently at Qingying, and after a while, said, "You can't ride a horse, so you didn't come to the horse farm just to see me, did you?"
You're overthinking it.
"How heartless! I came all this way just for you, and I didn't even have time to change my clothes." He made an exaggerated expression of hurt.
Qingying noticed his wide-sleeved clothes and the shoulder straps lying beside him, and realized that he hadn't come prepared. "It's a pity you made such a wasted trip."
"Hmm... so that I don't come all this way for nothing, why don't you go horseback riding with me?" he suggested, not really expecting Qingying to agree.
Qingying glanced towards the stables. Most of the people there had already left, except for Liu Shushu and Wei Huaixu who were still talking.
She nodded and said, "Can you teach me?"
"Of course, it would be my honor!" Wei Dongchen stood up excitedly. "Let's get going without delay."
"No rush, let me change my clothes first, this one isn't very convenient."
"Okay, I'll wait for you."
Immediately afterwards, Qingying left with Yuyue.
There was a courtyard in the horse farm for people to rest. Qingying walked over and found that there were other people inside, noble ladies she didn't know very well. She just smiled and nodded, and the other party smiled back.
A servant then led them to an empty room.
Upon entering, the master and servant exchanged a glance, opened their personal bags, took out two sets of clothes, and changed at the same time.
Yu Yue changed quickly and efficiently. She was now wearing a pale yellow dress, almost identical to the one Feng Ruilan wore that day, and her face was veiled. Because of her similar build to Feng Ruilan, she was almost unrecognizable at first glance.
She then immediately went to the side and opened the window.
Behind the side room was a thicket of bushes. She peeked out to make sure no one was around, then silently climbed over the stool and went outside.
Qingying had been here before and knew that the distance from the courtyard to the stables was the shortest.
She waited in the room for a short while before Yu Yue returned.
"How are you?" She ran to the bedside and helped Yu Yue, who was panting heavily, into the room.
Yu Yue nodded. "Everything went smoothly."
Qingying breathed a sigh of relief, closed the window, and waited for Yuyue to change her clothes before the two of them left the room.
When they returned to the pavilion, they could see Liu Shushu and Wei Huaixu riding side by side on horseback, like a couple.
Wei Dongchen suddenly stood in front of her, blocking her view, and said with a grin, "Can we set off now?"
"Um."
Wei Dongchen led her to the horse he had just ridden and said, "This is my own horse. It's very docile and its name is Zhaoxue."
This horse was pure white, with thick, well-proportioned legs. Its coat was smooth, as if it had been oiled, and glossy. The hair on its neck hung down in orderly tufts, making it look very majestic.
"Zhaoxue, this name suits it very well."
“That’s right.” Wei Dongchen said proudly, extending his hand to her. “Come on, let me help you up.”
Qingying placed her hand in his palm without hesitation.
Fortunately, this wasn't her first time riding a horse, and she seemed quite comfortable sitting on it. Wei Dongchen held the reins beside her, not daring to go too fast, for fear that she might bump into something.
Qingying didn't urge him, but simply looked up at the scenery in the distance. A breeze caressed her hair, creating a contradictory beauty that was both gentle and flamboyant.
Wei Dongchen looked up at her, and a ray of sunlight shone through the clouds, gilding her profile with a soft golden edge. She was so beautiful that she seemed otherworldly.
He was so engrossed in watching that he couldn't look away for a long time.
It wasn't until Qingying's voice came to warn them: "You're about to crash into a tree."
He barely came to his senses, awkwardly lowered his head, looked ahead, and silently turned the horse around to avoid the big tree in front of him.
His somewhat dim-witted appearance made Qingying chuckle.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com