Chapter 131

Xiao Yin's slap left no room for mercy; if Tuo Ba Yu were an ordinary person, this strike would have been enough to take his life.

Unexpectedly, he managed a beautiful midair somersault, withstanding Xiao Yin's heavy blow, and barely stayed on the horse's back.

Only his outer garment was completely torn apart by Xiao Yin's palm wind, revealing his sturdy waist, a ferocious knife scar running across half his body, and a red scorpion tattoo.

Gu Jiu Ling stared fixedly at the knife scar that ran across Tuo Ba Yu's body, as if recalling something, her brows knitting together.

Having just succeeded in the palm strike, Xiao Yin gripped the polo stick with one hand in a reverse hold and fell toward the horse's back; as his foot touched the stirrup, the horse beneath him suddenly went berserk, throwing him off and raising its hooves to stomp his head.

Ah!

All around rose cries of alarm!

Gu Jiu Ling rushed forward, but Jiu Yue grabbed her from behind; now the scene was in chaos—if her master went in and got hurt, what could be done?

It was obvious the prince's horse had gone mad; something must have gone wrong.

In the blink of an eye, it was clear Xiao Yin could not dodge; having exhausted his strength in the midair palm strike with Tuo Ba Yu, he never expected his mount to fail him so dramatically at that moment.

He pressed his thin lips together, took a desperate gamble, and lunged straight at the horse's hooves, fearing he would not be trampled to death.

Everyone was so frightened they could not speak, wondering if Xiao Yin was trying to kill himself.

Some women covered their eyes, unable to look any further, for a head crushed by horse hooves into a bloody pulp was truly horrifying.

In that instant, Xiao Yin instead did a handstand, hooked a leg around the horse's leg, and flipped himself up, nearly half his body hanging sideways on the horse.

Despite the peril, he kept a tight grip on his polo stick, swung it, and scored!

Seizing the moment, his other hand came down with a knife, stabbing fiercely into the horse's neck; the mad beast collapsed with a thud.

Xiao Yin, splattered with horse blood, slowly raised his polo stick; his naturally handsome, suave appearance was now tinged with a wild, unrestrained aura by the blood on his face.

Who said Prince Rui could no longer wield a polo stick?

Isn't he holding it now?

Xiao Yin's series of movements just now took place in an instant.

Everyone was so stunned they couldn't react in that instant, and then a tsunami of cheers erupted.

"Prince Rui! Prince Rui!!"

"Prince Rui!"

"Prince Rui is mighty! Prince Rui is mighty!!"

It seemed as if they had returned to the past, with Xiao Yin leading his brothers in triumph from the frontier.

It seemed as if he and his brothers had won the polo match again.

It seemed…… that bygone time had never ceased, forever rolling forward.

The Prince Rui who had lain dormant for seven years finally came back to life.

Gu Jiu Ling nearly collapsed to the ground, helped by Jiu Yue to sit in the flower arbor.

"Scared the living daylights out of me!" Gu Jiu Ling patted her chest, feeling as if her heart would leap out of her throat.

Xiao Yin walked up to the ashen-faced Tuoba Heng, took the Du family patriarch's token from the table beside him, and gave the Bei Di people no chance to react.

He coldly stared at Tuoba Heng: "Don't take what isn't yours, or you'll die. Understand?"

"Furthermore..." Xiao Yin coldly glanced at the nearly weeping Princess Yuanqing: "Although I've been weak and sickly these years, I am not a chamber pot, not some disgusting thing—I will accept all of it!"

"What... what are you saying?" Princess Yuanqing's face flushed red and white, her whole body swaying as if about to collapse.

Although he had previously rejected her, after all they shared mutual sympathy, he would not go so far as to humiliate her with such vicious words.

Now does he despise her to the utmost degree?

He would actually go to such lengths for that woman, Gu Jiu Ling?

What exactly does he consider her to be?

Xiao Yin no longer paid attention to the Bei Di people, turned and walked toward Gu Jiu Ling, pausing as he passed Third Prince Xiao Wei, giving him a faint glance.

Xiao Wei forced a smile, but upon seeing the eyes of the Ninth Imperial Uncle, he felt a chill rise from deep within.

He drew a breath, intending to return an expression, but his face only twitched.

This match used only imperial horses; the Imperial Horse Directorate falls under the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which the Guard oversees in part.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard is also something Xiao Wei has at his disposal, a tool for him to eliminate rivals.

Xiao Yin does not know exactly how Xiao Wei tampered with the imperial horses, but today it was him—anyone else substituted would have died on the field.

His dear nephew actually chose such a grand spectacle for his death?

Henceforth he will have to thank this good nephew of his, Xiao Wei, to some extent.

Xiao Yin approached Gu Jiu Ling, his hand stained with blood, yet resting in his broad palm was the Du family patriarch's token.

"Here! Keep it safe! I struggled to seize this; if you lose it again, I will be angry."

Xiao Yin said with a smile; although it was a threat, to Gu Jiu Ling's ears it carried a hint of subtle intimacy.

Gu Jiu Ling, heedless of the blood on him, flung herself into Xiao Yin's arms, clutching his neck tightly.

She could not utter a word, merely holding him tight, feeling that was enough.

Jiu Yue and the other maids hurriedly laughed and stepped aside; Xiao Ting and the others had originally wanted to come over and say a few words to Xiao Yin, after all the polo match had been wonderfully exhilarating.

But seeing the loving couple, they suddenly felt anything they said would be superfluous.

Several people dispersed; Chen Ming nudged the somewhat grim-faced Crown Prince Xiao Ting with his elbow, and though he found the crown prince displeasing, having just fought alongside him as comrades made him feel a bit more familiarly warm.

"Stop staring, Crown Prince, come on, let's go back!"

Xiao Ting glanced at Gu Jiu Ling clinging tightly to Xiao Yin, his brows furrowing sharply, then strode away without heeding Chen Ming's chatter.

Chen Ming instantly flared, lowering his voice to snap: "What's so great about the crown prince? I don't even want to play with you!"

Emperor Longqing slowly rose to his feet and departed with Empress Dowager Ning'an.

Empress Dowager Ning'an's voice carried a hint of solemn chill: "Little Nine... you've come back to life again."

Emperor Longqing's steps froze in place at once, his gaze as cold as ice.

He rode the imperial carriage and had just entered the shadow at the palace gate when he waved at Eunuch Wang.

Eunuch Wang hurried forward and kowtowed.

"Announce the Third Prince's audience!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Eunuch Wang hurriedly bowed and retreated.

At nightfall, the number of covert guards responsible for protection inside and outside the Rui Wang Fu doubled, and Xiao Yin realized that this time he had probably made Emperor Longqing completely resolved to kill him.

However, the borders of Bei Di and Xirong are now unstable; he still has some influence in the army, and Emperor Longqing does not want to go too far.

But he is no longer the foolish boy from seven years ago who thought his imperial older brother was his best older brother, and Empress Dowager Ning'an treated him as kindly as a birth mother.

After seven years of suffering, he will not be deceived again.