Chapter 47 [47] Crazy, he is crazy.
【47】/First release
Yun Ran was startled and his body swayed unsteadily.
A warm hand grasped her waist immediately. The man behind her leaned over and whispered in her ear, his deep voice devoid of emotion: "I'm here, why are you panicking?"
Yun Ran: "I'm not panicked, I'm just surprised."
She looked towards the gate and saw Emperor Wenxuan and Empress Zheng coming hand in hand.
The sky is bright today, and the golden sunlight shines on the emperor and empress's well-tailored riding clothes, making them look neat and dashing.
"Your Majesty and the Queen are coming to ride horses too?" Yun Ran asked.
"Whatever they do, we'll ride ours."
"Even so, we still have to go down and pay our respects."
Yun Ran turned around and tugged at Sima Jing's sleeve: "Your Highness?"
Sima Jing pursed his lips, loosened his arms, got off the horse, and then held Yun Ran's waist again, carrying her down steadily.
It was at this time that Yun Ran realized the benefits of having a tall man.
It is very convenient to carry her on and off the horse, and there is no need to worry about her falling.
The eunuchs in the enclosure had not expected that the emperor and empress would come today, so they hurried forward to greet them.
Emperor Wenxuan was dressed in a moon-white riding suit today, looking as handsome as a jade and as bright as the moon. He raised his hand to signal everyone to excuse themselves, and also saw Prince Jing and his wife coming side by side.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
Looking at the young couple bowing together, Emperor Wenxuan smiled warmly: "No need to be so polite."
After the two men stood up, Emperor Wenxuan first glanced at Sima Jing's handsome and cold face, and saw that his thin eyelids were half-closed and he never looked at him directly. The smile on the corner of his mouth faded slightly, and he quickly looked away and looked at Yun Ran's face, which always had a bright smile.
"Yesterday the Queen told me that you and your wife were going to ride horses today, but I didn't quite believe it."
Emperor Wenxuan smiled and said to Yun Ran, "Just now I saw that your sister-in-law was riding well. Have you ridden before at home?"
Yun Ran didn't expect Emperor Wenxuan to speak directly to her. She glanced at Sima Jing, who was standing beside her with a stern face, and she suddenly realized -
Given his temper, Your Majesty will probably be indifferent when you talk to him.
"Your Majesty, thank you for your praise. This is my first time riding a horse. Thanks to your Majesty's good teaching, I was able to ride for a while."
Yun Ran said this and looked at the Emperor and Empress again: "Your Majesty and cousin are coming to ride horses too?"
Today, Queen Zheng was wearing a dark blue satin riding dress, with her black hair tied up high, giving her a sense of freedom that was not usually seen on her.
But when she heard Yun Ran's question, a hint of apology flashed across her eyes, and her smile was a little forced: "Yes, His Majesty saw that the weather was good today, and heard that you and Brother Jing were also here, so he became interested."
Yun Ran nodded: "I see."
Emperor Wenxuan raised his eyes to Sima Jing, who remained silent, and said, "Ah Jing, you won't blame me and the Queen for disturbing you and the Princess, right?"
Seeing Sima Jing turning a deaf ear to her, Yun Ran felt a tightness in his heart and quietly tugged at his sleeve.
My dear ancestor, His Majesty is talking to you!
Sima Jing was pulled twice before finally raising his eyelids: "Your Majesty, you're joking. The enclosure is so big, it shouldn't be so big that it can't even accommodate four people."
Emperor Wenxuan's eyebrows moved slightly, and then he pursed his lips: "That's right."
After a pause, he glanced at the white horse behind and said, "Is that the horse that Jing chose?"
Sima Jing remained silent, so Yun Ran quickly chimed in, "Yes, that's the horse His Highness chose for me. It's called Snow Plum, and it's very docile."
Emperor Wenxuan hummed softly, and turned his gaze back to Sima Jing: "We two brothers have been separated for many years. I don't even know when Jing learned to ride a horse."
"The Rongdi people make their living on horses. If they can walk, they can ride."
Sima Jing said indifferently: "How could I not know it during those ten years?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the air around them seemed to suddenly become colder.
Yun Ran and Queen Zheng looked at each other, neither daring to speak.
Emperor Wenxuan sighed, "I have no intention of mentioning your sorrow. It's just that learning that you can ride a horse reminds me of the late emperor."
Sima Jing's eyes darkened as Emperor Wenxuan continued, "Do you remember when you were little? Your father promised to bring you to the Lishan Palace and teach you how to ride? Unfortunately, before that happened, that incident… Later, it became a source of worry for your father. He even mentioned you to me before he passed away."
"My father was already ill and unconscious at that time, but he still held my hand and asked, 'I wonder if Jing has learned to ride a horse yet.'"
"I don't know how to respond to him, so I let my father go with this regret. If my father is still alive, knowing that you have learned it, I think he will be able to rest in peace."
Emperor Wenxuan spoke slowly and steadily. Seeing Sima Jing's increasingly gloomy expression, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, but he quickly suppressed it. "Speaking of which, you've returned many years ago, but you've yet to pay your respects at your father's tomb. Your father loved you so much when he was alive. Whether as a son or a subject, you owe it to him to go."
Sima Jing said nothing, but looked at Emperor Wenxuan with his dark eyes.
Yun Ran didn't know what was going on, but he noticed that the atmosphere was becoming increasingly strange, especially Sima Jing's expression, which was as gloomy and depressing as a rainstorm.
Her instinct for danger drove her to quickly hug Sima Jing's arm: "Your Highness."
Her tone was soft, but she held his arm tightly: "It's getting late, you should teach me how to ride quickly."
As she spoke, she looked back at Emperor Wenxuan and forced a smile. "Please don't blame me, Your Majesty. I'm truly clueless, and I can only make up for my shortcomings with diligence and practice. Only then will I learn quickly. As for what you just said... offering sacrifices to the late emperor, yes, this is indeed the etiquette that we, the younger generation, should perform. Don't worry, I will discuss this with Your Majesty and choose a suitable day to offer sacrifices."
"Cousin, you haven't chosen your horse yet, have you? Come with His Majesty."
Yun Ran glanced at the horizon seriously and said, "The sun is rising very high. If I don't run a few laps soon, it will be time for lunch."
Empress Zheng understood and nodded, saying, "That's right, sister."
She looked at Emperor Wenxuan and said, "Your Majesty, Brother Jing still needs to teach Ranran how to ride a horse, so let them practice first."
Emperor Wenxuan glanced at Empress Zheng and Yun Ran, then gave Sima Jing a meaningful look before saying with a smile, "Since that's the case, I won't delay you two any longer."
Yun Ran let out a long sigh: "Then we will take our leave first, you guys have fun."
She couldn't wait to drag Sima Jing away.
"Your Majesty, why are you doing this?"
Watching the two figures walking away, Empress Zheng frowned, "Originally, I could have ridden horses with Brother Jing and the others, and gotten closer to them. But now..."
The smile on Emperor Wenxuan's face faded. He stared at the departing dark figure and pondered for a long time before saying, "He's still brooding over it and harboring resentment."
"I am his elder brother and his father, but look at his attitude just now."
“…”
Queen Zheng was speechless. She knew that what His Majesty needed was an obedient and respectful brother. As long as King Jing could submit and lower his head, they could get along harmoniously and become friendly brothers.
But King Jing is like a stubborn donkey. It would be easier to just chop off his head than to ask him to bow his head.
One is waiting to surrender, the other is unwilling to surrender, there is really no solution.
"Let's go, Your Majesty."
Empress Zheng took Emperor Wenxuan's hand and said, "I will accompany you in horse racing."
On the other side, Yun Ran had just been carried back onto the horse by Sima Jing, and the man also lifted his robe and mounted the horse.
"Hold on tight."
He said in a deep voice, hooked his hand around her waist, and squeezed the horse's belly hard: "Gee—"
In an instant, the snow-capped plum blossoms flew out like a gust of wind.
Yun Ran screamed "Ah" and grabbed the man's arm in panic.
Even after the horses ran into the dense forest and their figures disappeared, the eunuchs in the paddock could still hear Princess Jing's screams of fear.
The forest was dense and the cold wind was biting and piercing.
Even though he had been running wildly for a while, Yun Ran was still so frightened that he wished he could curl up in Sima Jing's arms.
Crazy, he's crazy.
It’s so scary, she doesn’t want to ride anymore, she wants to get off!
"Your Highness... Ugh... Your Highness, Ugh—"
"Sima... Sima Jing..."
"Wow, wow, I can't take it anymore. I really can't take it anymore."
Even though his riding skills were superb and he could always dodge the oncoming trees in time, Yun Ran still couldn't stand the overly strong stimulation.
"Put me down, Sima Jing, you bastard! I'm going to vomit!"
At first, Yun Ran was just patting his arm lightly, but now he felt his stomach churning, so he couldn't help but increase the strength of his hands, patting them with a loud clapping sound.
It wasn't until his hands were sore from clapping that the man behind him finally woke up from his dream and pulled the reins: "Whoa!"
The horse's speed gradually slowed down and finally stopped completely. Yun Ran's vomiting feeling that made his internal organs dislocated finally eased a lot.
"Are you... okay?"
Sima Jing looked down at the young lady in his arms with disheveled hair and a pale face, and a hint of self-blame flashed in his eyes.
"How dare you say that! Ugh—"
Yun Ran raised his hand and covered his mouth tightly, trying hard to suppress the feeling of nausea.
After a long pause, until her heartbeat had calmed down, she raised her tear-filled eyes and glared at him angrily, "If you want to murder me, just say so. Why torture me like this? I was so scared just now!"
It is difficult to describe the horrible feeling of excitement. In short, the strong turbulence seemed to shake her brain and her internal organs were in a mess. Her body was running in front and her soul was chasing behind.
Faced with his princess's indignant condemnation, Sima Jing was silent for two breaths and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Yun Ran was slightly startled, then seeing the gloomy expression on his face, she guessed that he was in a bad mood at the moment.
Is it because of Your Majesty?
Or is it because Your Majesty mentioned the late emperor?
Forget it, considering that he apologized and didn't really throw her off the horse, I won't bother with him this time.
"Don't do that again next time!"
Yun Ran still glared fiercely: "Even if you really don't want to race, just put me down and run by yourself!"
Sima Jing: “…”
Leave her behind and run away?
Suddenly, an indescribable absurdity arose in his heart. He twitched his thin lips lightly, but did not say a word. He just looked around, then turned over and got off the horse, and carried her down with him.
As soon as Yun Ran landed, his legs felt a little weak.
Fortunately, Sima Jing was quick-witted and supported her waist in time.
But once again, Yun Ran gave him a resentful look - "It's all your fault!"
Sima Jing knew he was in the wrong, so he just supported her silently until they sat down on a big rock before turning back to tie the horse.
Yun Ran sat on a rock, looking around.
I didn't expect that the scenery in this dense forest where I ran randomly was so pleasant.
The snow had not yet melted, and the fine white snow covered the tall, dense trees, gleaming like broken silver in the midday light. To the right was a small, unfrozen stream, its flowing water gurgling over pebbles, steam rising from it and forming glistening ice flowers on the bank.
Next to the scattered stones by the stream, there are not only a few stubborn little flowers blooming, but also many wild vegetables.
Yun Ran took a quick glance and saw prickly ash, dandelions and shepherd's purse.
These wild vegetables were her old friends. She had picked them countless times when she was at the Taoist temple. It was no exaggeration to say that she had picked all the wild vegetables in the entire back mountain by herself.
Sima Jing had tied the snow-dotted plum blossom and was walking slowly towards them.
Seeing this, Yun Ran moved to the side to make room for him.
Sima Jing sat down silently.
The snow forest was already empty and quiet, and since neither of them spoke, it became even quieter, with only the sound of the brook flowing.
Yun Ran pondered for a while, then turned away and spoke softly, "Your Highness, what's wrong with you?"
Sima Jing's eyebrows moved slightly, but he remained silent.
Yun Ran couldn't stand his sullen nature any more, so she stood up, walked over to him, and mustered up her courage, cupping his face with both hands. "Your Highness, didn't I just tell you not long ago that if you have something to say, just say it. Don't bottle it up. If you hold it in like this, not only will it be painful for you, it'll be painful for me too!"
Sima Jing had never thought she would be so bold. He frowned slightly and met her eyes, which were clearer than a winter stream. "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Yun Ran: "That's right! If you don't say anything, I'm going to suffocate to death!"
Sima Jing: “…”
After two breaths of silence, he took away Yun Ran's hand that was holding her face and pulled her to sit beside him again.
Seeing this, Yun Ran felt a little discouraged. She wondered how she could be so unlucky to have such a mute husband.
If he was really mute, that would be fine, but he has a mouth but uses it as decoration. How hateful!
Just as he was complaining in his heart, a clear and sharp voice suddenly rang out beside him: "I was just thinking of my father."
The mute spoke?
Yun Ran was stunned and turned away to look at him.
The angular face remained calm, but the black eyes reflected a faint amber color under the sunlight.
"What happened to the late emperor?" Yun Ran asked.
Sima Jing pursed his lips and said, "He did promise to teach me how to ride."
Yun Ran: "And then?"
"Then……"
Sima Jing looked at her sideways: "I was caught."
Yun Ran: “…”
Damn it, why are you bringing up things that are not relevant to the topic?
After thinking it over again and again, Yun Ran really didn't know how to comfort him, so he said awkwardly, "Your Highness, if you are sad, you can lean on my shoulder."
As he said this, he straightened his "not at all generous" shoulders.
Sima Jing: “…”
He actually no longer feels sad.
but--
"come over."
He looked at her and opened his arms: "Hold."
Yun Ran: “…”
All right, holding it is better than sitting there like a mute.
She moved her buttocks and sat over, burying her whole body in the man's strong arms.
At first, the clothes were a little cold, but after hugging for a while, their body temperatures blended and gradually became warm.
Yun Ran leaned lazily, feeling the man's face buried in her chest, and she tilted her head in cooperation.
The man's nose bridge was very high, and it felt a little itchy when it was buried in her nose, giving Yun Ran the illusion that he was going to bite her neck at any time.
"Your Highness, the next life cannot be waited for, and the past life cannot be pursued."
Yun Ran patted Sima Jing on the back and whispered, "I think you're already very capable. Although the late emperor didn't teach you, didn't you learn it on your own? And you ride so well. Just now, you were running so fast, but you didn't hit any trees or fall... You don't know, several times when we passed through the forest, my heart was in my throat, afraid that we would become the stupid rabbits waiting for the rabbit and knock ourselves unconscious. You said that in this deep mountain and dense forest, if no one finds us, won't we be easy prey for tigers and leopards?"
She kept praising his riding skills, but Sima Jing thought of the first time he rode a horse.
That was the second year after being captured by Rongdi, and it happened to be the Horse Racing Festival.
He was put into a cage and taken to the horse racing festival.
Originally, the princes and nobles of Rongdi were racing horses, but the thirteenth princess, the most beloved by the Rongdi king, started a commotion and asked him to participate as well.
He didn't know how to ride a horse, and the horse they brought was a tall and fierce wild horse.
He knew that Princess Rongdi was taking revenge on him. Not long ago, she sneaked into the prisoner camp, took a bone and threw it into the cage, asking him to bark like a dog.
He shouted and was given a bone.
The other captives from the tribe who were imprisoned with him rushed to shout: "Princess, the slave can bark! Woof woof woof!"
But the spoiled princess just stared at him as if she was watching a good show: "Prince of Dajin, you shout."
He said through the cage, "The barbarians are lowly creatures, jackals, wolves, and thieves."
The Thirteenth Princess was furious and ordered someone to whip him ten times.
Unfortunately, the ten whips didn't kill him, so at the horse racing festival, she wanted to throw him to death.
But for a person who is not afraid of death, there is no difference between being whipped to death and being thrown to death from horseback.
He borrowed a dagger from the Rongdi Khan and climbed onto the wild horse.
The horse was extremely fierce and threw him off several times, but it was finally defeated by his stubbornness and the dagger.
It was in the process of survival that he learned to ride a horse.
He still remembers the scene of rolling off the horse covered in blood.
The blood was hot, wet, and fishy, thickly enveloping him. His hand holding the dagger trembled uncontrollably.
It wasn't fear, but a strange excitement.
He thought, daggers are really good things. It would be great if I could kill these Rongdi people like I kill horses.
…
"Don't worry, Your Highness. With such a powerful master like you, I will definitely learn well and will never embarrass you!"
The girl's clear voice was heard, like a refreshing breeze blowing away the fishy and bloody memories. Sima Jing came back to his senses and couldn't help but close his arms, hugging the fragrant and soft body in his arms tighter.
"good."
He responded softly, closed his eyes again, and greedily and restrainedly sniffed the rich fragrance on her neck.
Yun Ran didn't know what the man was thinking, she only knew that his breath on her neck was extremely hot.
The molten, scorching breath threatened to melt her, causing her heart to pound. "Your Highness, are you feeling better? If you are, please let me go. I want to pick some wild vegetables."
Sima Jing: “……?”
He frowned and watched the person in his arms twist his waist slightly and break free from his embrace.
Maybe because he had been hugging her for too long, Yun Ran's cheeks were flushed and her black hair was a little messy, like a sloppy rabbit: "You stumbled upon a good place by accident. Look, there are so many wild vegetables!"
"Since we're here, we might as well dig some. Look how well this shepherd's purse is growing. Let's take some back home. It's so delicious whether you scramble it with eggs or stir-fry it with rice cakes. And there's dandelion, which you can make into tea to clear away heat and detoxify. The young leaves can be mixed with mustard, chili peppers, onions, and garlic and served cold. I could eat a whole plate by myself..."
While she was introducing the vegetables, her hands were not idle either. She bent down and started picking wild vegetables.
Sima Jing frowned even more tightly at her deft movements. "If you want to eat them, just ask the palace maids to pick them for you."
Yun Ran sighed, "It's just a coincidence. We don't need to pick too many anyway. Just enough to stir-fry for two meals. Just try some."
Sima Jing: “…”
After two breaths of silence, he stood up, lifted the hem of his robe, and bent down to take it off.
Yun Ran was shocked: "Your Highness, please sit down. I'm very quick and can pick it myself."
Sima Jing didn't even raise his head: "If you have the time, pick them quickly."
Yun Ran: “…”
After a moment, she couldn't help but speak: "Your Highness."
Sima Jing still didn't look up: "No need to persuade me anymore."
Yun Ran: "...No, what you picked are just grass, they are inedible."
Sima Jing paused in picking the vegetables, then looked up and saw Yun Ran holding up the wild vegetables in her hand: "These are the ones you can eat."
After a moment of silence, Sima Jing pursed his lips and said, "Teach me."
…
Thanks to having a capable helper, Yun Ran had a bumper harvest of wild vegetables.
When the two men returned to the enclosure with their cloaks full of wild vegetables, Emperor Wenxuan and Empress Zheng had just returned on horseback.
Seeing the young couple who had been unable to escape before, now exuding an atmosphere of satisfaction and joy like farmers with a good harvest, Emperor Wenxuan narrowed his eyes.
Yun Ran asked Queen Zheng enthusiastically, "Cousin, do you want some wild vegetables? Your Highness and I have picked a lot. They are very fresh."
Looking at her cousin's clear eyes, Queen Zheng couldn't bear to refuse this kindness: "Thank you very much."
Yun Ran generously filled a basket for her and even explained in detail how to make it delicious.
While the two sisters were talking, Emperor Wenxuan was looking at Sima Jing's hands, which were dirty from picking wild vegetables.
It is really hard to imagine that he, who has always been reserved, would agree to pick these worthless wild vegetables with the princess?
Sima Jing also felt the emperor's gaze. He glanced at him calmly, then turned his head to look at his princess's bright and beautiful smile.
That evening, in addition to Feiluan Palace and the Queen's Palace, the dining tables of Zheng and Yun Shang, as well as Queen Mother Zhao's Wanshou Palace, all had three more wild vegetables: scrambled eggs with shepherd's purse, boiled prickly ash sprouts, and cold-mixed motherwort.
When Queen Mother Zhao saw the three wild vegetables, she raised her eyebrows slightly and asked, "Where did these come from?"
"Her Majesty, these are the wild vegetables that Prince Jing and Princess Jing picked in the woods during the day. They said they were fresh and tender, so they specially asked the kitchen to prepare them and send them to you for a taste."
The young eunuch from the palace's kitchen answered cautiously while stealing glances at the empress dowager who was sitting on the throne.
Queen Mother Zhao's eyes fell on the three dishes filled with exquisite wild vegetables. The emerald green leaves of the vegetables looked more wild than the wild delicacies in the imperial kitchen.
Suddenly, she thought of the time when she fled to Shu and had to eat wild vegetables a few times out of embarrassment...
The past was like a dream. She was in a trance for a while, chuckled and nodded: "They are thoughtful."
Although she knew that sending wild vegetables was probably the daughter-in-law's idea, when she learned that her youngest son had also picked wild vegetables, Queen Mother Zhao was very supportive and ate all three wild vegetables.
After dinner, Queen Mother Zhao sat by the couch, rinsed her mouth with fragrant tea, and called out, "Zhang Dehai, has everything I instructed you to do the other day been completed?"
The candle flame crackled, and the eunuch Zhang Dehai, standing in the corner of the hall, bowed hurriedly: "Your Majesty, everything is ready, just waiting for nightfall."
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The author has something to say: See you tomorrow, my dears~
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