Chapter 47 : The Princess of the Xuan Dynasty Extends Her Hand

After changing locations, she really did feel a little unsettled while trying to sleep.

Xue Qingyin, unusually awake early, had finished washing up and changed into her clothes before heading outside.

The area was surrounded by trees, and she took in a deep breath, savoring the fresh, grassy scent. Just as she felt comfortable, she stepped out and accidentally kicked something.

Xue Qingyin was startled. Upon closer inspection, she found a large figure curled up near the door, still fast asleep.

It was Zhao Xufeng!

Why were there people outside? How did they end up here?

But she didn’t have time to dwell on this; worried he might catch a chill, she bent down and called, “A Feng!”

Zhao Xufeng woke with a start, grabbing Xue Qingyin’s sleeve, stuttering, “Mother, mother!”

His face was filled with terror.

Xue Qingyin softened her tone, “Did you have a nightmare?”

Zhao Xufeng shook his head repeatedly, so hard that his head knocked against the doorframe.

The servants outside heard the commotion and hurried in, only to freeze upon seeing the situation.

“Miss, this… this isn’t the young master, why…”

Xue Qingyin raised her hand to silence the maid, then lowered her head to ask Zhao Xufeng, “Are you scared?”

“Scared, scared…” Zhao Xufeng clutched her sleeve more tightly.

The maid raised an eyebrow, yet couldn’t argue, especially considering the young master’s high status.

“What are you afraid of?” Xue Qingyin asked.

“Afraid… afraid…” Zhao Xufeng struggled to think, finally managing to say a name: “He, He Junting.”

The maid wondered, “Who is that?”

“He…” The royal family’s surname!

Xue Qingyin quickly realized—wasn’t that the Duke of Xuan?

In the original text, his name was indeed He Junting.

While the King Wei was He Wen’an.

“I’m going to eat now. Do you want to come?”

“No, no. I don’t want to see He Junting.”

He’s that scared?

Weren’t they fine when they met yesterday?

No wonder he didn’t want to stay in the Duke of Xuan’s mansion, sneaking off to this place.

Xue Qingyin thought for a moment and said, “What are you afraid of? I’ll protect you.”

The maid’s face twitched, thinking, with Zhao Xuguo’s little master’s large frame, he might protect the young miss, but how could she protect him?

To her surprise, this worked on Zhao Xufeng.

The terror faded from his face, replaced by a silly grin. He nodded eagerly and climbed to his feet, “Mhm, mhm, mother will protect me. Mother is the best.”

The maid, lowering her voice, asked, “Miss, will you let him call you that? What if others hear…”

Xue Qingyin was unafraid, “If others hear, they’ll call me ‘Grandmother,’ such high rank, isn’t it a little displeasing?”

The maid fell silent.

Hearing this, Zhao Xufeng suddenly seemed to recall something and awkwardly changed his address, “A Yin, A Yin.”

Xue Qingyin was a bit surprised but responded.

How long did it take the steward to correct Zhao Xufeng’s way of speaking?

“Let’s go,” she said.

“Mm, A Yin go, go.” Zhao Xufeng followed.

In the main hall, Steward Zhao was pacing anxiously.

When Xue Qingyin entered, she immediately saw him.

Steward Zhao saw Zhao Xufeng behind her and let out a long sigh of relief.

“Steward Zhao, you were scared, weren’t you?” Xue Qingyin approached.

“I was quite frightened, but thankfully the Xuanwu army is guarding around, so it should be nothing serious,” Steward Zhao said with a complicated expression.

The Zhao family army and the Xuanwu army didn’t get along. The Xuanwu army was ruthless, making Steward Zhao instinctively want to avoid them.

But now, he was thankful for the Xuanwu army’s presence.

The main hall had already been set with an Eight Immortals table, with tea and snacks laid out.

A servant approached and softly asked, “Miss, would you like breakfast?”

Xue Qingyin nodded, “Yes, bring it all up.”

Then, she asked Steward Zhao, “Why didn’t you come to ask me here?”

Steward Zhao chuckled, “I was afraid of disturbing your rest.”

Xue Qingyin thought to herself, the people at the Duke of Zhao’s house were quite considerate.

As they were talking, a voice interrupted.

“He Qingyin.”

The main hall also had He Songning present.

Since entering, Xue Qingyin hadn’t even glanced at him.

She turned around, feigning surprise, “Ah! Brother, you’re still here?”

He Songning gritted his teeth, clearly wanting to pull Xue Qingyin over…

Steward Zhao chimed in, “Master Xue should be preparing for the spring exams. You should be busy with your studies.”

He Songning smiled slightly, “No need to worry about me, Steward Zhao. This place is peaceful, perfect for reading.”

Xue Qingyin couldn’t believe her ears.

But He Songning quickly added, “I’ve already had my books and materials brought here.”

Xue Qingyin was stunned.

What an earth-shattering piece of news!

He Songning finished speaking, then purposely looked at Xue Qingyin’s expression.

But to his surprise, she seemed distracted.

At breakfast, Xue Qingyin didn’t enjoy the food.

Afterward, she asked a maid to fetch a kite.

When the maid left alone, she returned with four people, all holding the large snake-shaped kite He Songning had bought for her last time.

Seeing the kite, He Songning felt a sharp pain in his arm.

He bit his lip, preparing to say he didn’t have time to fly the kite with her, when Xue Qingyin turned to Zhao Xufeng, “Let’s fly the kite today.”

“Fly! Fly!” Zhao Xufeng clapped his hands.

He Songning: “…”

It seemed he wouldn’t even get to be the tool today.

Only Steward Zhao was happy, seeing the little master finally escape his dull, food-filled existence.

Xue Qingyin led Zhao Xufeng to fly the kite, and He Songning returned to his courtyard to study.

Though he was usually focused on his studies, today was different.

Xue Qingyin handed the kite to Zhao Xufeng, briefly showing him how to fly it, then sat aside to watch.

She didn’t have the strength to play, just enjoying the sight.

Zhao Xufeng, tall and strong, had an advantage with his long reach and obedient nature. He was easy to manage, and soon the kite soared into the sky.

It was much easier than managing He Songning.

Steward Zhao stood nearby, watching with mixed feelings.

At first, seeing Zhao Xufeng’s face turn red from running, he felt a pang of sympathy but forced himself to hold it in.

“You’re so smart!”

“You did great!”

“Higher, higher!”

Xue Qingyin’s voice rang out, clear and cheerful.

Steward Zhao nearly shed tears of joy. This was the first time anyone had ever praised the little master’s intelligence.

Meanwhile, He Songning, who couldn’t hear her laughter, saw the kite climbing higher, entering his field of view.

He sat at the window, his gaze fixed on the kite, which was now twisting in the air, no longer resembling a snake, but more like a galloping dragon.

It was so eye-catching.

He suddenly realized that for someone like Xue Qingyin at this age, perhaps he was no longer the irreplaceable figure in her life…

As a child, Xue Qingyin had once wished for a different older brother.

Now that she had grown, it seemed more likely that her wish would come true.

He Songning, for the first time, found himself distracted from his studies.

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Zhao Xufeng continued to run in the wind for an unknown amount of time. Xue Qingyin, worried he might faint from too much exertion, called out to him.

The kite slowly descended and got caught in a tree.

No more playing.

Xue Qingyin pouted.

Zhao Xufeng stood there, holding the string, sweating heavily, his collar soaked.

But when Steward Zhao looked at him, he saw his bright eyes.

The little master was happy.

He hadn’t been this happy in a long, long time.

“We’re done with this. Let’s go horseback riding,” Xue Qingyin said, turning to leave.

Zhao Xufeng didn’t quite understand what horseback riding was, but he followed her anyway.

Xue Qingyin took a carriage to the mountain horse racing field.

There, amidst the excited crowds, she spotted King Xuan.

He was riding a fine steed.

The horse was magnificent, its neck long and powerful, far superior to the horses at the Xue family’s stables.

King Xuan was also born tall, and when he rode on the horse’s back, he immediately suppressed the momentum of the others around him.

The horse raised its hooves and galloped.

King Xuan was as imposing as a rainbow.

The mountain wind was fierce, and the hem of his clothes fluttered.

Although there was still a distance between them, Xue Qingyin felt as if she could hear the sound of rustling.

The soldiers around cried out in surprise. Others could not catch up and could only watch as His Royal Highness Prince Xuan took the lead with the momentum of flattening mountains and rivers… He crossed the fence? He went

straight forward.

Finally, he stopped in front of Xue Qingyin.

Zhao Xufeng screamed in fear and fell to the ground.

Xue Qingyin narrowed her eyes and looked up at Prince Xuan.

Prince Xuan was wearing a light robe and loose belt today, looking more like a graceful young man sitting high on the steps, drinking wine.

He lowered his head and stretched out his hand to Xue Qingyin: “Want to ride a horse?”

Fang Chengzhong turned around and dispersed the rest of the soldiers.

The soldiers were very confused.