Chapter 13.2

Yao Huang: “Your Highness, don’t worry. I won’t go out every day; maybe four to six or seven times a month.”

Zhao Sui remained silent.

Yao Huang: “When I’m not going out, can I invite others to the royal mansion as guests?”

Zhao Sui: “Yes, but I won’t accompany you to host, including your in-laws.”

Yao Huang: “I definitely won’t trouble you; I won’t make any noise that you can hear.”

Upon returning to the royal mansion, Prince Hui went directly to the Bamboo Courtyard.

Yao Huang took a nap, and after waking up, she called for the steward Guo Shu, who led her to the royal stable.

The stable for the royal horses was surprisingly larger than Yao’s family stable. Two rows of stables were neatly arranged, with each stable housing a single horse, all of which were glossy and majestic, totaling eight horses.

Yao Huang: “Are these all the Prince’s horses? Has the Prince ridden each one?”

Guo Shu: “Yes, all eight were bestowed upon the prince by the Emperor over time. Zhui Feng is the oldest, given to the prince when he was thirteen. He used it for riding lessons and for accompanying the Emperor on hunting trips until he was eighteen.”

“Liuhuo, Yueying, and Jingwu have all been to battle with the prince; they are his favorite mounts.”

Liuhuo was a striking red horse; from a distance, it looked magnificent, but up close, one could see two scars on its neck and belly.

Even the prince’s horse had been injured, which shows how dangerous the battlefield is.

Yueying was pure white and was the prince’s steed for battles and triumphs.

Jingwu had a coat as dark as ink and large black-and-white eyes that looked towards Yao Huang and Guo Shu as if searching for another figure.

Guo Shu’s expression was heavy. The war with Wu Country had lasted for a year and a half. Last year, the prince rode Jingwu into battle; during a critical engagement, General Cen Lianshan was ambushed. The prince led his troops to rescue him, commanding Jingwu to carry the seriously wounded Cen Lianshan out of danger. Afterward, the prince was outnumbered and was driven into a desperate situation, choosing to jump off a cliff rather than surrender.

The enemy searched the bottom of the cliff for three days and only found a corpse dressed in the Prince’s armor. Cen Lianshan returned with a force, killing the enemies, and sent troops to the cliff’s base, where Jingwu found the Prince, who had fainted in a cave. The cave was situated ten feet high, with a narrow opening that could barely conceal a person.

If it hadn’t been for Jingwu repeatedly stomping against the rock wall, the searching soldiers might have missed that spot.

Guo Shu didn’t share this story with the Princess, but Yao Huang could see from his eyes how special Jingwu was to Prince Hui.

Standing outside the fence, she reached out her hand toward Jingwu.

To her surprise, Jingwu really came over and lowered its head to blow warm air into Yao Huang’s palm.

Yao Huang looked at Guo Shu in astonishment.

Guo Shu smiled: “The horse the Prince rode on the wedding day was Jingwu. Jingwu is quite intelligent; it must have recognized the Princess.”

Perhaps it was the Princess’s scent or her footsteps that left an impression on Jingwu.

Yao Huang stroked Jingwu’s neck, recalling the horse’s searching gaze for its master. She felt a pang of sympathy. The once-mighty Prince, now unable to leave his home due to his legs, meant that the divine steed that raced alongside him on the battlefield could only be confined to the stable, like an eagle whose wings had been clipped.

Guo Shu pointed to four other fine horses: “These four have not yet been used by the Prince. Would the Princess like any of them?”

Yao Huang quietly bid farewell to Jingwu and chose a chestnut-colored steed from the other four.

She wanted to go to the back garden to try riding the horse.

Guo Shu reminded her: “I’m just afraid the Prince might hear the hoofbeats…”

Yao Huang didn’t believe it: “If riding a horse would upset the Prince, then Qing Ai and Fei Quan going in and out in front of him every day. Wouldn’t the Prince feel worse seeing their legs?”

The wheelchair was designed so the Prince could move around and not be confined to his bed. Compared to the slow and cumbersome wheelchair that required pushing, a horse that could run would surely make the Prince feel more comfortable in the garden.

At least from her interactions with Prince Hui over the past three days, he didn’t seem that narrow-minded. Otherwise, when she mentioned horse riding in the carriage, he would have been furious and thrown her off.

Yao Huang: “Let’s bring Jingwu along; as the Prince’s steed, it shouldn’t be cooped up in the stable.”

For today, she would just take Jingwu to test the Prince’s attitude. If the Prince truly didn’t mind, next time she went out to ride, she would take all eight horses so they could run freely.

Guo Shu: “…”

Why did this princess, who came from a humble background, have more authority than even the most favored Concubine Du? Concubine Du never interfered with the affairs of the prince’s mansion when visiting the Prince.

Guo Shu sincerely didn’t want the princess to take risks. After all, how deep could the feelings be between a couple who had just been married for three days? If the princess were reprimanded, the royal mansion, which had just begun to be cheerful, would fall into a deeper gloom.

But he also dared not advise against it. Before the marriage, the Prince had instructed that the princess would be the one to make decisions in the mansion.

With no other choice, Guo Shu personally led Jingwu behind the princess.

Upon reaching the back garden, Yao Huang found Guo Shu slow and asked him to let go of Jingwu, allowing it to jog behind her.

Jingwu was very obedient. As they passed the Bamboo Courtyard, it clearly sensed its master’s presence but only turned its head to glance into the depths of the bamboo grove, showing no intention of leaving Yao Huang behind.

Just as Yao Huang felt relieved, Jingwu suddenly raised its head and neighed towards the Bamboo Courtyard. Combined with its intelligent gaze, Yao Huang sensed a longing in that sound, perhaps even more sorrowful than her own as a newlywed who could only see her husband six times a month.

The neigh startled the birds in the bamboo grove and caused Fei Quan, who was lying on the kang in the gatehouse, to jump up in surprise. Qing Ai, sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, almost fell off in shock.

In the study of the western room, Zhao Sui looked towards the window.

By the time Fei Quan rushed to the edge of the bamboo grove, Yao Huang had already taken Jingwu away. Though she believed Prince Hui wouldn’t mind the sound of hooves, Jingwu’s sudden neigh had startled him into running.

Fei Quan looked at Guo Shu, who hurried over: “What happened?”

Guo Shu explained with a headache.

Fei Quan anxiously said: “Why didn’t you stop the Princess?”

Guo Shu was more concerned about the Prince’s attitude and looked towards the Bamboo Courtyard.

Qing Ai shook his head, indicating that the Prince hadn’t called him in to ask.

Guo Shu’s heart stirred, pointing ahead: “I’ll go after the Princess!”

He quickly ran off, and Fei Quan clenched his teeth, wondering whether to report this incident or not.

Because it was the third day of their marriage, Prince Hui still came to Ming’an Hall in the evening.

During meals, Qing Ai and others would retreat outside, leaving only the Prince and the Princess in the main room.

Prince Hui, ever stoic, Yao Huang proactively explained: “Your Highness, I have chosen a horse and even took it to the back garden for a test ride. Did I disturb you?”

Zhao Sui: “No, but why did you bring Jingwu along?”

Yao Huang: “…You heard that?”

Zhao Sui confirmed.

Yao Huang recounted Jingwu’s gaze in the stable: “I thought it just wanted to run outside, but unexpectedly it neighed because it really missed you, which almost made me fall off.”

Zhao Sui: “…Have Eunuch Cao bring a young eunuch for you to ride with, just in case.”

Yao Huang: “Which young eunuch would dare ride in the back garden? I’m afraid if you cough, he might fall off, and I’d have to help him.”

Zhao Sui picked up a dish.

Yao Huang, watching him finish, smiled: “Were you worried about me just now?”

Zhao Sui: “Falling off a horse is no small matter.”

Yao Huang: “Then come ride with me! With you here, neither the people nor the horses in our mansion would be startled. Plus, you can see my horsemanship for yourself.”

Under the eaves, Qing Ai, who was eavesdropping, was almost weak at the knees!

After a pause, he heard the Prince’s voice: “Alright.”