Chapter 133: Secret Letter

Green lawn, sound of walking horses, sudden light dust.

Under the blue sky, dozens of riders crisscrossed, looking at it made one feel free and happy.

Only one rider was a little far from the main group, moving slowly, like a cat's step, out of place with the whole picture.

Wang Yang didn't want to be like this either. Who doesn't want to gallop and be cool? But the problem is that his technique is not enough, and he really doesn't dare to be fast.

Seeing the Prince of Badong and the others riding freely, Wang Yang was very envious, but he didn't have any negative feelings like shame, he just felt that his big yellow horse seemed to feel that it had lost face in front of its kind, and the cat's steps were drooping.

The Prince of Badong pulled the reins violently, and the treasure horse under his crotch raised its two hooves high, full of heroism: "Zhiyan! The Prince has circled more than a dozen times, why have you only walked a few steps? Didn't I tell you how to urge the horse?"

He told him, and urging the horse is not difficult, but I might not be able to sit still after urging the horse! If I fall off a fast horse, it's not a joke. If I'm not careful, I'll have to cancel my account.

Wang Yang smiled bitterly: "I'm really not good at this, the Prince can just enjoy himself, don't worry about me."

"How can I not worry about you? Mr. Kong has arranged a place to rest in front. The Prince is going there now. You follow, don't fall behind!"

"But I..."

"Let your beautiful guard take you! Go!"

The Prince of Badong whipped his whip, the horse's hooves flew, and he ran far away in an instant.

The other riders followed closely, whistling, stepping out rolling smoke and dust.

Wang Yang stopped helplessly in place, looking at the backs of the Prince of Badong's party as they moved away, then looked at Chen Qingshan and began to phrase his words: "Qingshan, uh, how about..."

"Sit back."

"Huh?"

Chen Qingshan did not speak, her cold face devoid of any expression.

Wang Yang came to his senses and hurriedly made room behind him.

Chen Qingshan shook her dark robe, flipped onto her horse, and held the reins. Her slender fingers brushed over the horse's mane, her movements as smooth as flowing clouds, and a hint of joy that even she herself had not noticed appeared at the corners of her lips.

Although Wang Yang could not see Chen Qingshan's face, he felt that the moment she mounted the horse, her entire aura had changed.

"Hold on tight," Chen Qingshan said in a clear voice.

Wang Yang came back to his senses, looking at Chen Qingshan's taut waist, and hesitated: "That..."

Chen Qingshan squeezed the horse's belly, and the big yellow steed was full of spirit, raising its head and neighing long, as if its ambitions had been fulfilled. It immediately spread its four hooves and galloped away like the wind!

Curtains, mats, wine tables, and small snacks were already arranged in an open space in the woods. Kong Zhangyu led the servants to welcome the Prince of Badong.

The Prince of Badong asked in a low voice: "Ready?"

"Ready. Just..."

"Just what?"

"Is this method of the Prince a bit..." Kong Zhangyu wanted to say childish, but didn't dare. Moreover, this method might not be completely useless, maybe it could have unexpected gains, but it could only be said that this path was really... too strange!

The Prince of Badong smiled confidently: "You just watch the show."

Wang Yang took his seat, and the attendants served melons, fruits, tea, wine, and small snacks, all exquisite.

The Prince of Badong ate sweet melon while saying: "Zhiyan, it's not that I'm talking about you, you are a bit stingy. To put it nicely, it's frugality; to put it badly, it's shabby. You must not learn from Wang Rong among the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove! He was so stingy that he didn't look like a person at all! When his nephew got married, he only sent a single garment, and later asked for it back! Selling plums, afraid that others would get good plum seeds, he drilled all the pits hahahahaha!"

The Prince of Badong laughed happily, while Kong Zhangyu winked and cleared his throat. Although Wang Rong was a person of the Jin Dynasty, separated by more than a hundred years, he was a descendant of the Langya Wang clan. Although he was not in the same branch as Wang Yang, speaking of it, he was Wang Yang's clan predecessor. Taking pleasure in this was really impolite.

The Prince of Badong noticed Kong Zhangyu's movement and smiled: "Mr. Kong, what are you doing! The Prince just told a few jokes, Zhiyan won't take it to heart, right Zhiyan?"

Wang Yang smiled: "Of course, what the Prince said is reasonable. To tell you the truth, I am not rich, and I don't know how to ride a horse. If it weren't for the Prince's invitation, I wouldn't even have bought this horse. Actually, this horse, I bought it for my guard. I thought with the Prince's generosity, since you invited me

He stopped there and looked at the Prince of Badong, his eyes shining with anticipation.

The Prince of Badong's smile stiffened, and he excused himself: "Actually, this Prince doesn't have many horses either."

This was the truth.

There were few horses in the Southern Dynasties, and it was rare to be able to assemble a cavalry unit of several hundred people during wartime. Moreover, the horses ridden by the Prince of Badong's subordinates were all fine warhorses; giving one away meant one less. The Prince of Badong was a horse lover and was dedicated to military affairs, so he was truly unwilling to give away horses.

Wang Yang said: "I suddenly remembered a joke about a horse."

The Prince of Badong was just about to move past this topic, but upon hearing it was about a horse, he immediately said: "This Prince loves listening to jokes the most; Zhiyan, tell it."

"A master of a house was stingy, but he raised many chickens and ducks. One day, a distant guest visited, and the master did not want to provide a meal, so he excused himself by saying there was a lack of food in the house and did not keep the guest for a meal. But the guest was very bold and borrowed a knife from the master, intending to kill the horse he was riding to provide a meal for both host and guest. The master immediately blocked him: 'If you kill the horse, how will you get home?' The guest waved his hand and said: 'No matter! You have so many chickens and ducks in your house; just lend me one when the time comes, and I'll ride it back!'"

The Prince of Badong laughed until he was leaning back and forth, even knocking over his wine cup! Kong Zhangyu also covered his face and laughed, his body shaking. Even the usually cold Chen Qingshan was amused to the point of being unable to hold back, her eyebrows smiling.

The Prince of Badong said while laughing: "You, Wang Yang, this Prince only called you stingy, and you made up a joke to prick this Prince."

Wang Yang bowed and said: "In this floating life, I often regret the lack of joy; who would cherish a thousand gold and take a smile lightly? The ancients said a smile is worth a thousand gold; I am merely trying to win a smile from Your Highness."

When Kong Zhangyu heard the first sentence, he immediately gasped.

The Prince of Badong's smile stopped abruptly, and a rare look of depth appeared on his face, murmuring: "In this floating life, I often regret the lack of joy; who would cherish a thousand gold and take a smile lightly? Good line, good line, this is a principle of truth."

He looked at Wang Yang, and his smile reappeared: "Since you said a smile is worth a thousand gold, if this Prince is still reluctant to give a horse, wouldn't I be looked down upon by you? Good! You won a smile from this Prince, and this Prince will give you a horse! Except for this Prince's own mount, you may choose any one you like."

Wang Yang looked around, and Wang Chongtian, who was standing to the side, hurriedly lowered his head.

Wang Yang smiled and pointed at Wang Chongtian: "Then I'll take his horse."

The Prince of Badong said: "Very well!"

Wang Chongtian: (°ˊДˋ°)

Wang Yang got a good horse for Chen Qingshan and was in a pleasant mood. Eating, drinking, and chatting with the Prince of Badong and Kong Zhangyu amidst the green mountains and clear waters, he truly felt a bit of the pleasure of a picnic.

At this time, an attendant brought Wang Yang a plate of northern specialty food—milk crisp, which was a rare item in Jiangnan, also called "Northern Crisp."

Before Wang Yang could even pick up two pieces for Chen Qingshan, the attendant, while bending over, said in an extremely low voice: "The master sends a message, read it quickly."

Wang Yang was stunned; the attendant had already placed an extremely small bamboo tube together with the milk crisp on the table, the bamboo tube hidden under the rim of the plate holding the milk crisp.

In an instant, several conjectures flashed through Wang Yang's mind.

If it were someone with a slightly slower mind, they would probably ponder it carefully before making a decision, or pretend not to know and find an opportunity to open and read the letter later. Especially considering the threats from the two previous groups, receiving a secret letter at this time truly required careful consideration.

But if he really did that, Wang Yang's fate would probably take another fork in the road.

But Wang Yang only thought for a moment before feeling something was wrong.

First, he had only met Wang Tai and that mysterious woman last night. They only asked him to record his conversations with the Prince of Badong and had no other requirements.

Second, even if those two really had temporary orders, they wouldn't let this attendant deliver the message. Because this attendant had set off in advance with Kong Zhangyu and others to set up the venue here, which means this person had left the city even earlier than Wang Yang himself. If there was time to send a message to this attendant, Wang Tai and the mysterious woman could have sent a letter directly to him before he left the city; why borrow the attendant's hand and secretly deliver a message on such an occasion?

Third, if it were really a message from someone related to him, there should have been a hint when delivering it. For example, saying "A message from Ruyi Tower, read quickly" or mentioning "Shoukang Bookstore" or "clan uncle," then Wang Yang would be more likely to believe it. Or if it were someone from Xie Xinghan, saying "A message from the Fourth Young Lady," then he might really have accepted it! Of course, it was unlikely that Xie Xinghan would plant someone in the Prince's mansion.

But you say nothing and just come with "the master"—which master? This is like a scam call; it starts with "old classmate." There are many old classmates; if you call me old classmate, I'll believe you?

Fourth, the only people Wang Yang could think of who could plant spies in the Prince's mansion and send secret letters were Wang Tai and the mysterious woman, but the previous analysis ruled out the possibility of them. But if it wasn't them, then the most likely person would be...

The above thoughts were complex when broken down, but it took Wang Yang less than a few seconds in his heart.

He made a prompt decision and loudly stopped the attendant who was about to leave: "Hey you, come back! What did you just give me? What master? What letter?"

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Note: ① "Shishuo Xinyu, Thrift": "Wang Rong was thrifty and stingy. When his nephew married, he gave him a single unlined garment, and later asked for it back... Wang Rong had good plums and sold them, fearing people would get the seeds, so he always drilled holes in the pits."

② There were few horses in the Southern Dynasties, and the cost of raising cavalry was high, so large cavalry units were hard to see. As mentioned in the "End of Volume Remarks," when the Prince of Guiyang rebelled at the end of the Liu Song dynasty, the momentum was great, but the cavalry was no more than five hundred; when Xiao Yan founded his dynasty, there were only a thousand warhorses. Shen Youzhi of Liu Song and Xiahou Kui of Southern Liang both amassed two thousand horses and were called "the glory of the time," rampant for a while. Horse affairs and horse administration will be detailed after Wang Yang takes command of troops.