Another month passed in the blink of an eye, and Zhang Yun had now completely adapted to this decadent and backward feudal aristocratic life.
Qin Zheng now practices martial arts with Zhao Xu in the morning, listens to the teacher's lectures with him in the afternoon, and does his homework for him in the evening. He has become the son with the heaviest burden in the prince's courtyard.
Although Qin Zheng became a trusted follower of Zhang Yun, perhaps due to his inherent tendency to cause trouble, there were still people who disliked him and caused him trouble.
However, the people causing him trouble have changed from the lowly servants in the stables to the servants in his own courtyard.
The methods of this struggle are no longer the straightforward insults, spitting, and sacks of the past, but have been infused with a certain amount of scheming, such as deliberately making Qin Zheng look bad in front of them, or deliberately making him trigger events that the AI prince used to hate, etc.
After Zhang Yun dealt with it a few times, he told him that if he had any grievances, he should not keep them to himself and should come to him for help.
But Qin Zheng remained silent, enduring it all himself, thus depriving him of many opportunities to shine.
That afternoon, Zhang Yun prepared to go horseback riding in the suburbs.
Since arriving here, Zhang Yun has been busy adapting to his new life and new environment. Half a year has passed, and he has not yet left the palace.
Qin Zheng has been in a low mood these past two days and keeps avoiding her. When asked why, he won't say, acting like a girlfriend throwing a tantrum for no reason, leaving Zhang Yun completely confused.
He guessed that Qin Zheng was probably exhausted from practicing martial arts, studying, and doing homework every day, so he wanted to take him out of the mansion for a walk, to see the vast grasslands outside, to combine work and rest, and to improve his mood.
"Today I'm going to ride Little Star. Who's going to lead the horse?" Zhang Yun said with a smile to the attendants who were following him closely.
"It's A-Zheng, he's closest to Wu Xing Ta Yue..."
"It would be best if Ah Zheng went to fetch him!"
A group of followers who usually rushed to help in times of trouble suddenly chickened out and pushed Qin Zheng, who was lagging behind, to the front.
"Ah Zheng, go fetch the horse. I'll wait for you at the west gate. I'm going to have a good ride today!" Zhang Yun said.
Qin Zheng responded and left.
A short while later, Qin Zheng led Wu Xing Ta Yue to the west gate of the Prince's Mansion.
Zhang Yun and his group were already waiting there.
"Why did it take so long?" Zhang Yun asked.
However, Zhang Yun was just asking casually and didn't intend to listen to his answer. He simply mounted his horse.
All the attendants mounted their horses, but when it was time to set off, Zhang Yun realized something was wrong: "Where are your horses?"
"I don't have a horse, so you go first. I'll follow on foot; it's the same."
Qin Zheng realized in an instant that he had been tricked by those "colleagues" again.
"Are you kidding me? Do you think you can catch up with Little Star on foot?" Zhang Yun said.
"Sir, why don't we let Ah Zheng stay here and guard the gate?" a servant said gloatingly from the side.
Zhang Yun glanced at him sideways, "What's your name?"
"Your Highness, this is your subordinate, Wu Wei," the man replied hastily.
"Wu Wei, right? You don't need to follow me anymore. Just stay here and guard the gate," Zhang Yun said calmly.
Wu Wei's face turned pale, and he said, "Sir, your subordinate..."
"I told you to get down and guard the door, are you deaf?" Zhang Yun glared at him.
Wu Wei quickly rolled off his horse, knelt down and kowtowed, "I deserve to die, I'll go guard the gate right now!"
Zhang Yun gestured to Qin Zheng with his chin, indicating, "Mount up."
After saying that, he didn't look at him again and rode away on his horse.
Qin Zheng stared blankly at his departing figure for a few seconds before snapping out of his daze amidst Wu Wei's muttered curses.
He glanced at Wu Wei with a cold look, and Wu Wei, who was cursing, suddenly felt a suffocating chill and lost his voice.
By the time Wu Wei came to his senses, Qin Zheng had already mounted the horse he had given up and ridden away.
"You treacherous, despicable bastard! You actually caused me to be driven away by the prince! I will never let you get away with this!" Wu Wei cursed fiercely in the direction Qin Zheng had left.
Zhang Yun's horsemanship was only average, but his mount, Wuxing Tayue, was exceptionally good. Even though Zhang Yun's riding skills were not very good, it could still carry him very fast.
This caused great hardship for the group of people following behind, who tried their best to catch up, but they were still far behind Zhang Yun.
Fearing something might happen to Zhang Yun, they chased after him at breakneck speed.
Soon, Qin Zheng overtook Zhang Yun's followers and steadily followed behind him.
The Northwest has the largest and best horse farm in the world. The horse Qin Zheng rode was not an exceptional breed like Wuxing Tayue, but it was still a very rare and good horse.
The fact that he could ride such a horse so closely following the top-class steed Wuxing Tayue demonstrates just how amazing his riding skills are.
He had been enslaved for many years in the tribes of the Hu people, sleeping in stables and sheepfolds. In order to escape, he had long since developed amazing horsemanship skills.
Zhang Yun galloped along the road and stopped atop a towering hillside, looking down at the beautiful grassland below.
It was already evening, and the setting sun cast its rays, gilding the distant sky with a reddish-gold hue.
The green grassland ripples with waves of green as the wind blows, revealing white specks—the shepherd's lambs grazing.
"This place is so beautiful!" Zhang Yun murmured, stunned by the beautiful scenery.
In his previous life, he visited many scenic spots for filming, but those places ultimately had too many traces of human intervention, losing their natural charm.
Qin Zheng stopped beside him, half a horse's length behind, looking at the scenery in front of him, but felt nothing.
He had seen such scenes too many times on the grasslands, and he didn't find anything beautiful about them.
The man, who had struggled to survive since childhood, could not understand the strange ideas of these nobles.
He turned his head to look at the "important person" in front of him.
He wore a close-fitting riding coat in apricot yellow embroidered with a qilin, which outlined the body of a young man who was just beginning to grow. His calves, wrapped in long boots, were close to the horse's body. He wore a blue gemstone headband on his forehead and a sword hanging at his waist, exuding an air of nobility.
With skin as white as a porcelain doll, delicate and beautiful features, a slight smile on her lips, and a vibrant energy emanating from her whole being.
He was beautiful; he was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.
Suddenly, the picture books he had been forced to look at by human traffickers flashed into his mind.
While Qin Zheng was lost in thought, Zhang Yun had already ridden his horse downhill. Qin Zheng quickly followed, and the two galloped towards the distant grassland...
An hour later, Zhang Yun looked at the identical scenery around him and felt like crying.
They originally just wanted to go somewhere a bit further away, but they ended up getting lost.
The most frustrating thing is that, apart from Qin Zheng, none of the other guys followed.
Qin Zheng was sold to the Northwest Prince's Mansion. He has never left the mansion since he entered, so it is impossible for him to remember the way back.
"Master, it's getting dark. The nights on the grassland are cold, and wild animals are likely to appear. Let's find a place to shelter from the wind," Qin Zheng suggested.
"Where is there any shelter from the wind?" Zhang Yun asked dejectedly.
There were no shelters on the grassland, and the wind was blowing so hard that Zhang Yun's cloak was fluttering wildly behind him, and he was already feeling cold.
"There was a ditch where we just passed; it should have provided some shelter from the wind," Qin Zheng said.
Zhang Yun said, "Where is it? Take me there quickly!"
So Qin Zheng rode ahead and led the way.
It was a crack in the ground, slightly wider in the middle and narrower at both ends, just big enough for one person to fit in.
After Zhang Yun went inside, he immediately felt that the wind had subsided considerably and it was indeed a bit warmer.
"My lord, I've covered the crack in the floor with a thick cloth I carry with me. I apologize for the inconvenience of you resting inside. The people from the manor should be here soon."
As Qin Zheng spoke, he took the thick cloth he had brought with him to lay on the ground to rest, covered the crack in the ground, and then weighed it down with a few stones.
With this, the wind stopped coming in from above, and the crack in the ground immediately became much warmer.
"Hey, what about you?" Zhang Yun asked from inside.
"I'll keep watch outside. If anyone comes looking for us, I can call them here..."
Qin Zheng's voice trembled slightly. He was only wearing two thin layers of clothing, even less than Zhang Yun. If Zhang Yun felt cold, how could he not be cold?
"Get down!" Zhang Yun said, looking up.
"What are your orders, Master? Your subordinate... will just follow orders from above," Qin Zheng said.
"Stop talking nonsense and get down! It's uncomfortable for me to talk to you with my head tilted back!" Zhang Yun said.
Qin Zheng hesitated for a moment, then lifted a bit of the windproof cloth, slid into the crack in the ground, and didn't forget to reach out from inside to place the stones that weighed down the cloth to prevent air from leaking out.
With one more person, the narrow gap suddenly became crowded. Qin Zheng tried his best to keep his body close to the edge of the crack in the ground, afraid of squeezing Zhang Yun.
"Come and lie down," Zhang Yun gestured to the spot next to him.
"...This subordinate dares not," Qin Zheng said after a moment's hesitation.
Zhang Yun said, "This is an order!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Zheng slowly moved over and lay down next to Zhang Yun.
They were lying on layers of dried grass that had accumulated over the years, so it didn't feel hard at all.
After watching him carefully lie down beside her, Zhang Yun suddenly rolled over, lay on top of him, and hugged him.
Qin Zheng was stunned for a moment. The person in his arms was like a little sun, radiating intense heat that dispelled the coldness from his body.
"...Master?" After a long while, Qin Zheng came back to his senses in a flustered manner and found that his heart was beating very fast. He looked down at Zhang Yun in his arms.
Zhang Yun smiled and lifted her head slightly in his arms: "It's so warm to be hugged like this. If the people from the Prince's Mansion come looking for us, there will definitely be a commotion. We can go out when we hear them."
After riding horses for half a day, Zhang Yun was indeed tired. He yawned while holding Qin Zheng and fell asleep contentedly.
He can fall asleep even under such harsh conditions; it seems the Crown Prince isn't as arrogant as rumored.
After he fell asleep, Qin Zheng lowered his head to look at the sleeping face of the person in his arms.
After a long, long time, he stretched out his arms, which had been frozen at his sides, and wrapped them around the person in front of him, pulling him into his arms.
A constant stream of warmth emanated from the person in his arms, and Qin Zheng felt his face burning red from the heat.
Zhang Yun unconsciously rubbed against him and started snoring softly.
This is so cute!
Qin Zheng smelled blood coming from his nostrils. He quickly tilted his head back, raised his hand to touch it, and found that he was bleeding from his nose.
Qin Zheng stared in disbelief at the bright red bloodstains on his hands.
I don't know when it started, but I've become strange. Even though I see the prince every day, when I don't see him, I still think about his face.
Hearing him praise himself makes him happy; seeing him frown makes him want to help him solve his problems…
The scariest thing is that lately he keeps dreaming about the pictures in those picture books he used to read, and the two people in those scenes always turn into him and the prince...
I am worse than an animal! How could I possibly covet the prince who has been so kind to me!
Because of this, Qin Zheng had been avoiding Zhang Yun as much as possible these past few days, but he never expected that they would get lost together and end up sleeping in this pit, snuggling so close together.
This is absolutely terrible!
Holding the boy's warm and soft body in his arms, enveloped and filled with the unique scent of pine resin emanating from him, Qin Zheng felt a heat rising to his face, and his body became uncontrollable...
"Slap—" Qin Zheng suddenly slapped himself hard.
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