Chapter 10: The Intuitive Expression of Talent

The next day

Morning

Quyuanjie

Xu Minghua rose early and came to the courtyard where the stables were located.

In the courtyard, the crippled groom was tending to the horses.

His gaze upon the horses was gentle, as if looking at his own children.

Hearing someone approach, he did not move his posture, still focused on caring for the horses.

“Master.”

His voice was coarse and hoarse, as if squeezed from deep in his throat, like the final breath before death—no wonder he rarely spoke; the sound alone was terrifying.

Xu Minghua looked at the man before him; no one could recognize his true face in this state.

“The Regional Military Commissioner has acquired another horse pasture in the Hetao region and needs an experienced horse steward.”

“Master, there is an Ai family in Zhending Prefecture whose members’ skill in judging and raising horses is no lesser than mine—just don’t mention me when you hire them.”

“Over the past year, under the pretense of seeking fine steeds, I’ve inquired. A military inspector from Xuzhou once saw an extraordinary dragon steed, said to be a gift the Eastern Chang Marquis planned to present to His Majesty.”

Upon hearing Xu Minghua’s words, the groom paused his actions; something unknown stirred in his single eye.

“All I know is it’s a dragon steed—I never learned its color.”

“Thank you, Master, for worrying about my affairs. Back then, I was ambushed in Haizhou and lost my divine steed. Though I had prepared for it—wearing a servant’s clothes and feigning death—I’ve finally gotten this sliver of news after all these years.”

“Your actions back then were meticulous and admirable—I never imagined you’d suffer such a fate.”

“Hah, now I think of it, I was merely a clown on stage, laughed at by all.”

Xu Minghua opened his mouth to speak but held back—he had tried to console him more than once—then paused and said:

“The north has been restless lately; all armies are preparing for war. I’ll rely on you to keep a close watch from now on.”

“Fine! But the Yongyi Marquisate was earned through battlefield merit—how is it that not a single experienced horse steward remains? If not for me, you couldn’t even get a decent horse without buying one.”

“The only daughter of the former Yongyi Marquis married into the Sheng family; she loved playing polo since childhood and took along her skilled horse steward as part of her dowry—she left no one behind at home.”

The groom gave a wry smile.

He rasped, “You really are a cheap Yongyi Marquis.”

Xu Minghua said nothing more.

After breakfast, Xu Minghua went out and didn’t return until evening; he dined with everyone, then went to bed early.

The next morning, Xu Minghua left Jingcheng.

Before leaving, he spoke with his chief wife; Xu Zaijing woke up and overheard part of it—he was instructing Sun Shi that if a major matter arose and she couldn’t decide, besides consulting her parents-in-law, she could also seek the opinion of the groom in their stable.

Sun Shi herself came from a military family, and the groom had once helped her select a fine steed; she knew he was capable, so she naturally followed her husband’s words.

Xu Zaijing also knew that a highly respected master, trusted even by his father, lived in their stable.

So whenever he had free time, Xu Zaijing would take the small bow his father gave him and practice near the chicken coop beside the stable.

He didn’t mind the foul smell inside the stable.

The arrows had no metal tips, yet still carried some lethality.

Chickens and ducks were occasionally “accidentally” struck by Xu Zaijing’s arrows.

One day, as Xu Zaijing practiced archery near the stable, a foal just days old was struck in the nose by one of his arrows.

“Wu-xu-xu!”

The foal’s nose stung; being young, it had never been whipped or tamed. Seeing the source of its pain, it charged straight at Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing was only four years old; he was knocked down—but as long as he didn’t hit his head or other vital spots, he’d be fine.

The groom saw the ground behind Xu Zaijing was flat and soft, with no stones or hard objects, so he wasn’t overly concerned.

But the maids attending Xu Zaijing were terrified—they were pampered, more delicate than even the eldest daughters of minor households, and had no reaction at all.

What stunned the groom’s single eye and shook him deeply was that Xu Zaijing had single-handedly grabbed the foal by the neck and toppled it.

This display of fearless courage and sheer strength left him astonished.

Xu Zaijing had long known his own strength; he held the foal’s neck with one hand, pressing it down so it couldn’t rise.

Only when it stopped struggling did he release his grip.

Once freed, the foal no longer galloped wildly—it nuzzled affectionately against Xu Zaijing’s sleeve.

“Oh my! Third Young Master, you mustn’t come here again—go back to your chief wife’s quarters at once!”

Saying this, the maids picked up Xu Zaijing and carried him away, leaving the foal standing alone in the yard, watching the terrifying little human child being taken off.

“Chief wife, chief wife, please forgive me.”

Sun Shi was embroidering with her daughters when she heard the maid’s cry and looked up.

The eldest daughter, Xu Pingmei, saw Xu Zaijing covered in dirt.

“Little brother, did you roll on the ground again?”

Xu Anmei also looked curious.

The maid set Xu Zaijing down and quickly knelt on the ground.

“Chief wife, forgive me—I failed to guard him properly; he nearly got trampled by the horse.”

Sun Shi’s face changed instantly; she stood up. “What?!?!?”

“You all!!!” She rushed over, holding Xu Zaijing and checking him all over.

“Mother, it was the new foal—it charged me, and I held it down with one hand.”

Sun Shi exhaled in relief, then asked the maid:

“A foal?”

“Yes.”

“Next time, be clearer.”

The maid bowed her head.

“Yes, Chief Wife.”

“Did Zaijing really topple a foal with one hand?”

“Yes, Chief Wife—the foal charged Third Young Master, and he toppled it with one hand,” the maid added, also looking astonished.

Sun Shi stared at her son in disbelief.

“Father said our Sun family had ancestors with divine strength—could it have passed down to you?”

Xu Pingmei asked curiously:

“Mother, is little brother really that strong? Let me wrestle him.”

She set down the embroidered handkerchief and walked toward Xu Zaijing.

Sun Shi also wanted to test her son’s strength.

The brother and sister placed their arms on a low table.

Xu Pingmei, unwilling to lose, used both hands—but Xu Zaijing didn’t even frown.

Xu Anmei didn’t believe it; she took her turn and strained with all her might—Xu Zaijing even yawned.

Seeing the smile in his mother’s eyes, Xu Zaijing hugged her leg and said:

“Mother, does this mean I’ve tamed that foal? Can I ride it?”

“You’re too young—if you fall off a horse, you’ll break yourself! No!”

“Mother, look how strong I am—can you have the servants make me a saddle? For my birthday, I don’t want anything else—please, Mother~”

As he spoke, Xu Zaijing tugged at his mother’s leg.

If any passage feels awkward or contains typos, dear readers, please point them out promptly.

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(End of Chapter)