The Fourth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince walked at the front, with Lanqin and Xiuzhu's horses in the middle of the procession, followed by guards and servants, all on horseback.
"No need, you go pick them yourself, you might fall behind." Lanqin looked at the flower path.
Chen Xiuzhu was even more frustrated when she realized that her attempt to flatter him had failed.
Lanqin had noticed her expression long ago, but she didn't pay any attention to it. In fact, this cousin was not suitable to enter the prince's harem. It would be best if she could come out safely and be matched with someone.
Meanwhile, on Seventh Master's side, Xin Yi's horsemanship was quite good. Dressed in pink, she rode her horse like a delicate flower blooming in the woods. Seventh Master, in a light green brocade robe trimmed with white goose feathers, looked incredibly fresh, ethereal, and extraordinary.
Xin Yi naturally understood Lan Qin's meaning; she also knew that the Seventh Prince had a slight leg ailment. Lan Qin had also privately told Xin Yi that the position of the Seventh Prince's primary wife was vacant, and the woman before him was too arrogant. It was a marriage bestowed by Emperor Kangxi, but also a divorce ordered by him. It is said that after being divorced, Lady Nara went directly to the Huigu Nunnery after returning home.
Did she like this Seventh Master? Xin Yi asked herself this question as she rode her horse.
Haha, Niohuru Xinyi, you're really funny. Did your father love your birth mother? Did he love your stepmother? Every man in the world with a bit of power has three wives and four concubines. So, do they actually like them or not?
A little voice in Xin Yi's mind mocked her like this.
But soon, another little person appeared and said, "Xinyi, do you think your birth mother is happy? She was once as beautiful as a flower, and Lingzhu, lusting after her beauty, took her into his household, but didn't he forget about her after a few years?"
Xin Yi shook her head, forcing herself to wake up quickly, and then she met Seventh Master's warm and gentle smile.
"What's wrong with Fifth Princess? She seems to have something on her mind?" Seventh Master deliberately slowed down his horse and asked with a sidelong glance.
"No, nothing. There, there seems to be a wild rabbit over there, Seventh Master!" Xin Yi quickly glanced ahead.
Following the direction Xin Yi pointed, Seventh Master said, "Alright, I'll hunt this rabbit for Fifth Princess." With that, he kicked the horse in the belly and spurred it on to chase after it.
Xin Yi had intended to conceal her inner turmoil, but unexpectedly, Seventh Master actually rode off on his horse. Feeling slightly moved, she quickly patted her horse's belly and followed.
When the rabbit saw the people rushing up behind it, it was so frightened that it ran around in all directions and quickly disappeared from sight.
Seeing that the rabbit had disappeared, Seventh Master was somewhat frustrated and shouted to the people following behind, "Don't move! The noise is too loud and will scare it. I'll go look for it."
Seeing that Seventh Master was going to search alone, Xin Yi immediately became worried and called out, "Seventh Master, it's just a rabbit. If it gets away, it's fine. Just find other prey. It's really dangerous for Seventh Master to be alone in this forest. It's better not to separate."
Seventh Master was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected Xin Yi to say that, and he felt a strange sense of emotion. But then he put on a warm smile and said, "The first prey that Fifth Princess wants, I will definitely hunt for Fifth Princess."
Xin Yi wanted to say more, but she saw him, dressed in a light green brocade robe, already drifting into the woods.
Because Seventh Master had already given the order that they should stand still and not follow, everyone else looked at Xin Yi with blank expressions.
Xin Yi's heart pounded wildly. The smile the Seventh Master had just given her was directed solely at her. But she was just a concubine's daughter; could she truly become the Seventh Master's principal wife?
Half a day later, the forest gradually returned to its original state. But Seventh Master was gone and never returned.
What should we do? What if Seventh Master is in danger? Seventh Master, Seventh Master? Xin Yi started to have wild thoughts. She began to regret letting Seventh Master go alone to chase wild rabbits for her.
"Go find Seventh Master quickly!!" Xin Yi suddenly shouted. The servants standing beside her were surprised that the usually gentle Fifth Princess would suddenly burst out with such a shocking voice.
“But, Princess, Seventh Master instructed us to stay here and wait for him to return,” someone said.
"But he's been gone for so long. If something happened to him, he might not be able to handle it alone. Hurry up and go find him. Don't just stand here waiting like an idiot." Xin Yi's heart was pounding faster and faster. She felt like her chest was on fire, and she was worried sick.
How strange. We've only met twice, and today was the first time we'd ever spoken. Why am I so worried about his safety?
“But what if we move around and Seventh Master comes back and can’t find us?” another person said.
Xin Yi was, after all, just an inexperienced young girl. How could she know that wandering aimlessly in the woods would only lead to further disorientation? The servant's words weren't without merit; if they moved, Seventh Master wouldn't be able to find them once he returned.
"But Seventh Master has been gone for so long, why hasn't he come back yet? Could he have encountered some danger?" Xin Yi asked anxiously, disregarding her status.
But no one could answer her.
"Fifth Princess, let's send some people to find Seventh Master. You and the rest of the group will stay here and not move around unnecessarily," someone said.
"Okay, go ahead and go find it. I only need to leave a few people here. We'll wait here." Xin Yi said quickly, seeing that this method was feasible.
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves gradually approached, and everyone's hearts tightened. A white horse appeared as gracefully as it had disappeared, and it was none other than Seventh Master, who had been gone for a long time.
"Seventh Master!" Xin Yi couldn't help but shout loudly.
Seventh Master held up the rabbit in his hand, looking up at Xin Yi with a smile.
"Seventh Master, why have you been gone for so long? We were all worried, afraid that something had happened to you," Xin Yi couldn't help but say, but looking at the little rabbit in Seventh Master's hand, she couldn't bear to blame him.
"It's to catch this little rascal; I want to give him to Fifth Princess," Seventh Master said candidly.
"Please don't risk your life for me again, sir. It's just a rabbit, there's no need for you to take such a big risk." Xin Yi felt a warmth in her heart. Although she said these words, she felt as if something had struck her.
"Seventh Master, Fifth Princess was so worried just now, she wanted us all to go and look for you," a servant said.
"Stop talking nonsense!" Xin Yi couldn't help but scold, her face already flushed.
"Fifth Princess is worried about Master?" Seventh Master looked at Xin Yi in surprise.
"Master went on this risk for my sake, so it's only natural that I'm worried about you." Xin Yi was too embarrassed to look at Seventh Master anymore. She took the small belly that Seventh Master handed her, held it in her arms, and was immediately filled with a sense of happiness.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
