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Yun Chu shook his head, his expression somewhat strained.
The confusion in those two words was too obvious, drawing Yun Chu’s gaze entirely to her.
Li Yunli’s expression remained unchanged, his smile unwavering as he asked, “Are you two brothers?”
Yun Chu let out a breath of relief.
It seemed to be just a coincidence. The two names sounded like “A San” and “A Si,” which must have led to the misunderstanding.
“No, no, no! I—I just met this little brother today because of the recruitment. It’s just a coincidence, just a coincidence. Heh heh heh.”
A San scratched his head and laughed a bit foolishly.
“No matter. You two have done well today, and I will reward you.”
As soon as Li Yunli finished speaking, Wang Quan signaled for someone to bring a tray forward, upon which lay two silver ingots.
A San gleefully accepted them, biting one to test its authenticity and admiring it for a long while, treasuring it greatly.
A Si, on the other hand, simply tucked his share into his pouch.
Li Yunli observed all of this.
Although their process of taming the wild horse had been difficult, it was clear that they were both courageous and skilled—deserving of a reward.
Today’s recruitment was specifically for horse tamers. Since they had completed the task, by the terms of the notice, they should remain in the residence to handle the horses.
However…
Li Yunli glanced at the younger one.
Wang Quan stepped forward, “By Her Highness the Princess’s decree, according to today’s recruitment, you two may stay—”
“Cough, cough!” Li Yunli suddenly interrupted with a cough.
Wang Quan, ever the perceptive lackey, immediately fell silent and did not finish the sentence.
A San and A Si widened their eyes, eagerly listening to Wang Quan, then turned toward Li Yunli in confusion.
Did she have something to say? Or was she going back on her word?
Li Yunli cleared her throat and said, “Although you two tamed the prized horse together, it is wary of strangers. I only wish to keep one person to care for it.”
Of course, she was going back on her word. What a joke.
Li Yunli smiled slightly. Now that she knew who A Si was, how could she allow him into the residence?
No wonder Yun Chu insisted on accompanying her to the horse ranch today—it all made sense now!
Ha.
That was close. If the horse hadn’t suddenly gone wild, forcing her to come here, A Si might have infiltrated her surroundings without her even knowing!
Li Yunli secretly sighed in relief.
But the others weren’t so calm.
A San had an urgent family situation and had been desperate to secure a well-paid position in the Princess’s residence. Upon hearing Li Yunli’s words, his eyes burned with determination. When he looked at A Si now, his trust and camaraderie from earlier had faded.
“Young brother, though you did help, I was the one who tamed the horse! You can keep the silver, but you shouldn’t fight me for this position!”
The other recruits gathered around, realizing the final spot would go to either A San or A Si. They were eager to watch the drama unfold.
“Yes, I saw it too—A San was the one on the horse.”
“A San has experience taming horses. What luck!”
“Who is this other guy? A newcomer? I’ve never seen him before.”
“A San should be the one to stay, right?”
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
A Si kept his lips tightly pressed together, lowering his gaze and remaining silent.
If he didn’t argue, the position would undoubtedly go to A San. All eyes were now on the two of them.
Meanwhile, Li Yunli observed Yun Chu.
His lips parted slightly as if he wanted to say something.
“Does the royal consort find the horse ranch particularly interesting today?”
Seeing he hadn’t spoken, Li Yunli deliberately called him out.
Yun Chu froze.
“So, who do you think should stay?”
This was a difficult question, and it was suddenly thrown at Yun Chu. The crowd, previously focused on the dispute, fell silent and turned to him.
Since when did he get to decide who stayed and who left?
Yun Chu hesitated for a moment, his heart filled with doubt. Did Li Yunli suspect something?
He lowered his head. “This servant does not understand such matters. Please, Your Highness, make the decision.”
“I recall the royal consort saying earlier that you are skilled in taming horses. Do you truly not understand?” Li Yunli’s gaze was amused.
Yun Chu, back when he was a prince of Wei, had loved horses deeply—Li Yunli knew this well.
When the Wei capital fell, Yun Chu had fought fiercely on horseback. It was only because his mount had been shot down by the original owner of Li Yunli’s body that he was captured alive.
By pressing this point, she aimed to gauge whether A Si’s arrival was mere coincidence or if Yun Chu had arranged it behind the scenes.
At this point, Yun Chu should still be a pure-hearted, uncorrupted young man. If he already had the ability to plant A Si in the residence, then she would need to reevaluate him entirely.
Yun Chu lowered his head. “This servant does know a bit about horse taming, but these two have skills beyond mine. I ask Your Highness to decide.”
“In that case,” Li Yunli looked at Yun Chu’s lowered head, taking in his every move, and deliberately raised her voice, “A San seems older, while A Si is still young. Let’s keep A San.”
The moment she finished speaking, the onlookers began chattering again, and those familiar with A San congratulated him.
A Si pursed his lips but did not protest. He simply glanced at Yun Chu, seemingly accepting the outcome.
Li Yunli studied Yun Chu, searching for any hint of a reaction. But his expression remained unbothered, as if the matter did not concern him.
He simply said, “Congratulations, Your Highness.”
His reaction was so calm that Li Yunli began to wonder—had she been overthinking things?
But if that were the case, why had he insisted on coming to the horse ranch today?
She cut straight to the point, asking, “The royal consort seems particularly interested in the horse ranch today. Why?”
Yun Chu’s expression subtly shifted. He sighed lightly, then adopted a melancholy demeanor.
His gaze fell upon the prized Western horse as he murmured wistfully, “Your Highness, this servant… wanted to ask for its name.”
His tone was low and sorrowful, as if he had truly come here just to see this horse.
Li Yunli was caught off guard.
“Its name is…”
She recalled the name from the book.
Yun Chu did not look up, seemingly uninterested in the answer.
After all, he already knew the horse’s name: Tayun, meaning “Stepping on Clouds”—the same “Yun” as in his own name.
Li Yunli glanced at the horse.
Then she hesitated, just as she was about to say “Tayun.”
She thought of how Yun Chu had shielded her earlier when the stable doors flew open, standing just inches away from the horse’s deadly hooves. He had, quite literally, chased after the snowstorm.
A chuckle escaped her lips.
“It’s called Zhu Xue—Chasing Snow.”
Yun Chu’s expression froze.
He lifted his gaze in surprise, but before he could see her face, Li Yunli had already turned away and was walking off with her hands behind her back.
Yun Chu glanced at the horse, confirming that it was indeed the Tayun he remembered. Then he turned to look at Li Yunli’s retreating figure, bathed in the setting sun.
His confusion deepened.
The name… had changed?