“No.”

Shen Tuo lowered his eyes to watch her struggle, his eyes dark.  He tightened his grip, staring intently into her eyes, and asked, “How does it feel to be unable to resist?  Is it fun?”

Yu Ning bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes.  She softly called out to him, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, my husband, my husband, please don’t go…”

“Shut up.”

The man on top of her leaned down and their lips met.

The room was warm and filled with the lingering scent of spring.

Until dawn broke, the room was empty, as if no one had ever been there.

A night passed. The incense pellets in the incense burner had long since burned out, leaving only a faint fragrance in the room.

The morning sun shone through the small window and onto the bed. Yu Ning raised her hand to cover her eyes, turning over in her bedding.

“Hiss.”

Why was her waist so sore?

Could dreams actually have physical consequences? This dream was too real.

Yu Ning slowly got out of bed.  She sat up halfway, then froze.

Her face flushed. After composing herself, she began to suspect that she hadn’t been intimate with a man for a long time, which is why she was so…

“Knock knock knock.” A knock came at the door, and a palace maid asked, “Miss Xie, are you awake?”

“Yes, I’ll manage myself, you don’t need to wait on me.”

Yu Ning slowly got up, her long hair falling onto the back of her hand. She froze again.

Why was her hair damp?

Could she have sweated during the night?

Yu Ning touched her body, her brows furrowed in confusion.

She hadn’t sweated; she felt dry and clean, as if she had bathed.

It was strange. Why was her hair wet?  Could she have accidentally splashed water on it while drinking during the night?

That was the only explanation.

Yu Ning was careless; if she couldn’t figure it out, she wouldn’t think about it. After washing up, she went to see Mrs. Huo.

Mrs. Huo was sleeping with Xiao Bao. When Yu Ning arrived, the grandmother and granddaughter were having breakfast.

“Ning’er, eat more. You’ll be going to the forest on the mountain later. The banquet is at dusk; you won’t be able to eat lunch, so be careful not to get hungry.” Mrs. Huo said, while serving her daughter food.

“Okay.”

Xiao Bao sat opposite Yu Ning. After she finished eating, she sat on the stool waiting, her gaze drifting to Yu Ning. She blinked and asked, “Mother, are there mosquitoes in your room?  You’ve been bitten on the neck.”

“Huh?” Yu Ning couldn’t see any red marks on herself, nor could she feel any itching. She didn’t care, just nodding and saying, “There are many mosquitoes by the pond; it’s normal to be bitten.”

Mrs. Huo stared at the red marks on Yu Ning’s neck for a long time, her expression changing. She remained silent for a long time, then tentatively asked, “Ning’er, if you have someone you like, you must tell your mother. No matter who it is, your mother will do her best to arrange it for you.”

“No, Mother, I don’t have that intention right now. I’ll talk about it later.”

“Is that so…” Mrs. Huo frowned, her gaze lingering on the marks on Yu Ning’s neck.

Yu Ning noticed Mrs. Huo looking at her, stopped her chopsticks, and blinked at Mrs. Huo. “Mother, what’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”

Mrs. Huo immediately looked away, smiling and shaking her head, saying nothing more.

She was getting old, her eyesight wasn’t very good. She must have seen wrong.

Continuing from the Taihe Palace up the mountain, it was only an hour’s journey to the royal hunting grounds.

The guards had already set up the tents, waiting for the main group to arrive.

Rows of sweat-blooded horses were tethered to the railings of the horse paddock, each spirited and strong.

Xiao Bao couldn’t take her eyes off them. She tugged at Yu Ning’s finger, pointing to the paddock and saying, “Mother, I want to ride a horse. Can my uncle take me horse riding?”

Yu Ning replied, “Your uncle is also participating in the hunt today, so he probably won’t have time to take you horse riding. Be good, Xiao Bao. When we get back, Mother will take you to the riding school in the suburbs, okay?”

Xiao Bao immediately drooped, shrugging her shoulders and sighing, “Okay.”

Yu Ning patted Xiao Bao’s shoulder to comfort her. She also wanted Xiao Bao to have fun, but this was the royal hunting ground, not their own backyard. With so many people watching, and so many nobles present, they couldn’t run wild here.

Mrs. Huo heard her daughter and granddaughter’s conversation and smiled, “It’s not difficult for Xiao Bao to ride a horse. Let the people below prepare an extra horse.

When the hunt begins and everyone is busy, you can wander around the edge of the woods. Every year, many ladies and young girls ride horses and compete with these young men. 

Having a couple more won’t matter.”

The people of Daye had an open-minded culture, stemming from the traditions of the previous dynasty, and were very tolerant of women. Later, Daye even produced a female emperor, who established a civil service examination for women. 

Since then, more and more women have left their boudoirs and studied and learned like men.

Therefore, the hunt was not limited to men and women, and many girls participated.

Mrs. Huo knew that her daughter had grown up in the mountains since childhood, had excellent martial arts skills, and was also very good at riding horses, so she made the suggestion.

Xiao Bao clapped her hands excitedly, “Great, great, Mother, you can take me horse riding!”

“Alright then.”

Yu Ning didn’t want to ride a horse, but seeing Xiao Bao so happy, she didn’t want to spoil her fun.

“Ning’er’s horsemanship must be superb. If you’re also familiar with archery, why not compete with your sisters? If you shoot more prey, you can get prizes from His Majesty and the Empress Dowager.”

Mrs. Huo encouraged Yu Ning to try. She wanted to see her daughter shine in public and receive applause.

“No, Mother, I’ll just take Xiao Bao for a walk in the woods; I won’t participate in the hunt.”

“It’s good for women to be skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but if they’re not good at these things, it doesn’t mean we’re inferior.

Being skilled in martial arts and archery is also impressive. Ning’er, if you’re good at these things, don’t deliberately hide your talents.”

Mrs. Huo’s care for Yu Ning exceeded even Yu Ning’s own expectations.