Chapter 549: Elation and Melancholy [Thanks! Thanks again! 40k words owed]

At the same time,

in the direction of the stables,

the smoke from the fire and the rising dust obscured the view, making it impossible to see the situation inside.

Suddenly,

another panicked horse, bare-backed without a saddle or blanket, wearing only a bridle and reins, charged out.

Unlike the previous ones, there was a figure clinging to this panicked horse's neck.

By the time everyone could see the person and the horse clearly, the figure beside the panicked horse had already nimbly vaulted onto its back.

The panicked horse galloped and kicked, but even without a saddle, the person who had vaulted onto its back seemed as if they were nailed to the horse's spine.

"Young Master, it's A Lan!"

Brother Qingyun, who was standing in front of Gu Tingye, Qi Heng, and the others to protect them, shouted.

"I see."

After replying to Brother Qingyun, Xu Zaijing shouted: "A Lan! Don't push yourself!"

"Alright!"

A Lan, who was still clinging to the horse's neck, shouted back loudly, and after shouting, continued to speak to soothe the horse beneath her.

At this moment,

"Clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter—"

two panicked horses that had been galloping back and forth in the drill ground circled around and, in their panic, passed right in front of Xu Zaijing, heading toward the veranda.

Seeing this,

Gu Tingye looked at Gu Tingyi under the veranda and, without a word, shoved the limp Rong Xian into the arms of the Rong family's personal guards. He himself then broke into a light run, preparing to mount a horse just like A Lan.

Before he could even reach behind Brother Qingyun,

Xu Zaijing and Brother Qingyun had already run toward the panicked horses one after the other.

However, seeing Xu Zaijing and Brother Qingyun running toward them,

the panicked horses became even more frightened.

The one Xu Zaijing was chasing accelerated its pace significantly, while the other was startled into turning, running toward Rong Feiyan and the little chestnut horse.

Xu Zaijing quickened his pace, and after grabbing the panicked horse's neck, he used the momentum to vault onto its back.

Clamping his legs around the horse's back, Xu Zaijing reached out and snatched the flying bridle reins out of the air!

This panicked horse was not one of the Xu family's horses, and Xu Zaijing was unfamiliar with it; he couldn't soothe it the way A Lan had.

In just this short moment, the panicked horse was even closer to the veranda.

Xu Zaijing saw it clearly:

under the veranda, many noble young ladies were standing up in a panic, preparing to dodge,

while some nannies and maidservants were spreading their arms in fear, shouting in an attempt to scare the panicked horse away.

When some young ladies stood up, they accidentally knocked over embroidered stools and sent teacups crashing to the floor!

Others pushed their own sisters in front of them, hiding behind them with expressions of terror.

There were even those who, unable to stand steadily, grabbed their companions' clothes, tearing them in their stumble.

While some young ladies were in a panic,

naturally, there were those who remained calm.

Gu Tingyi held a hand warmer in one hand and stretched out her arm to shield Zhang Wu Niang and Chai Zhengzheng behind her.

Zhang Wu Niang looked at Xu Zaijing, who was pulling on the reins, and shouted loudly: "Xu Wu Ge Xu, hit it! Hit it! Hit it hard!"

Chai Zhengzheng was also holding a hand warmer in one hand, while her other hand pulled Rulan to her side; at the same time, she still had the leisure to watch Xu Zaijing with great interest.

"If it hurts, it won't dare to go crazy!"

When Zhang Wu Niang shouted this last sentence, her voice cracked.

Before Wu Niang could finish speaking,

"Neigh!"

"Crack!"

Xu Zaijing, riding on the horse's back, gave the reins in his hands a forceful shake.

With his considerable strength, he made the reins whistle through the air before whipping them heavily onto the panicked horse's neck.

As the horse, stung by the pain, violently shook its head, its front hooves suddenly planted into the ground for an emergency stop, and the entire front half of the horse's body suddenly dipped.

The horse's back was slippery without a saddle, and the inertia of the sudden sprint and stop caught Xu Zaijing off guard, shaking him so that he fell forward off the horse's back.

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

"Careful!"

Many young ladies on the veranda let out screams, and Zhang Wu Niang even clawed at Gu Tingyi's arm, wanting to go forward to help.

Before the young ladies could react from their surprise,

Xu Zaijing, falling forward, grabbed the horse's neck with one hand; having found a point of leverage, he was able to adjust his body in mid-air.

"Thud."

As Xu Zaijing's feet touched the ground, he held onto the horse's neck and took the opportunity to lean his body forcefully against the panicked horse.

Since he was a child, Xu Zaijing had grown up playing with horses; before the panicked horse could react, its lowered head caused it to lose its balance, and it collapsed to the ground with a whinny.

After struggling a few times and seeing it couldn't get up, the panicked horse finally calmed down, lying on the ground panting heavily and no longer moving about.

Xu Zaijing pressed down on the panicked horse for a while longer, and seeing it no longer moving, he slowly relaxed his strength and stood up.

"Xu Wu Ge Xu, you are truly too amazing!" Zhang family's Fifth Da Niangzi shouted from behind Gu Tingyi.

Xu Zaijing patted the now-calm horse, turned his head to smile and nod at Chai Zhengzheng, Gu Tingyi, and Zhang Wu Niang, and then led the horse, which had stood up, toward the drill ground.

At this time,

the panicked horses had either crashed into walls and fainted, been knocked down or kicked by the little chestnut horse and couldn't get up, or, like the horse in Xu Zaijing's hands, had been 'soothed,' or had calmed down after running wild for a while.

In short,

the drill ground had unexpectedly become a bit peaceful and stable.

Naturally, this excluded the various families' servants and carriage drivers who were screaming and shouting in the distance while putting out the fire.

Under the veranda,

watching Xu Zaijing lead the horse away,

"Pfft!"

Zhang Wu Niang, who was walking toward Rong Feiyan, suddenly let out a laugh.

"Wu Niang, what are you laughing at?" Gu Tingyi, standing to the side, asked while smoothing her clothes.

Chai Zhengzheng handed her hand warmer to Yun Mu, withdrew her gaze from the little chestnut horse and Rong Feiyan in front, and looked at Wu Niang with confusion.

"Hehe, look, Xu Wu Ge Xu's boots..."

Wu Niang said, her tone full of laughter.

"Boots?"

Gu Tingyi asked, puzzled.

As they spoke, everyone looked down at Xu Zaijing's feet.

Sure enough, Xu Zaijing's walking posture was a bit strange; it seemed as if he was deliberately dragging the soles of his feet against the ground.

"It must be that those few steps Xu Wu Ge Xu took chasing the panicked horse ruined his boots!" Wu Niang said, looking at Xu Zaijing.

The people to the side nodded one after another.

After Chai Zhengzheng and Gu Tingyi exchanged a look, Gu Tingyi said to a maidservant nearby: "Go, ask Qing Cao if she has any spare boots! If not, take the ones my brother prepared for Xu Wu Ge to wear."

"Yes, Da Niangzi!"

The Gu family maidservant bowed and turned to leave.

In the Feng family's backyard,

where the ladies and matrons were located.

"Thud!"

The sound of the stable wall collapsing and hitting the ground could be faintly heard.

This sound caused everyone in the hall to stop their conversation and look outside.

"Hurry and go ask where that sound came from."

The Feng family's eldest daughter-in-law ordered sternly.

"Yes."

However, before the Feng family's steward mama who had answered 'yes' could even walk out the door,

"Clang, clang, clang!"

The urgent sound of metal striking metal came over again.

"Why does this sound like a fire alarm?"

In the hall, Feng Ziyi, who had married into the family of the Marquis of Changxing, stood up and said in surprise.

In the Great Zhou capital of Bianjing, most buildings were made of wood.

This winter was dry and parched,

and once a fire started, a moment of carelessness could lead to a massive, devastating blaze.

Hearing Feng Ziyi's words,

everyone in the hall stood up and walked outside.

"Quick! Quick, go see what exactly happened!"

The Feng family's eldest daughter-in-law said with a very ugly expression.

As she spoke,

some people in the hall had already walked outside, and looking at the direction of the smoke, they couldn't help but shout: "Isn't, isn't that the direction of the drill ground? Our family's children are all playing over there!"

Once these words were out,

the expressions of all the ladies and matrons changed.

Princess Pingning walked quickly to the very front, and after taking a look, she walked toward the drill ground with an anxious expression.

The other ladies and matrons hurried to follow.

The Feng family's eldest daughter-in-law, walking in the crowd, said to her personal mama beside her while walking quickly: "Go, hurry and notify the Old Duke."

In a position slightly behind the crowd,

Wang Ruofu, who had just been talking to Madam Sun and Madam Chai in the hall, was now being supported by Sheng Hualan and following beside Madam Sun, looking anxiously at the place where the smoke was rising.

On the other side,

Madam Chai's eyes were also full of worry; she seemed to be comforting herself, saying to Madam Sun as they walked: "Madam, with your Jing Ge'er there, I am at ease; there shouldn't be any trouble."

Madam Sun smiled and nodded at Madam Chai, glanced not far away at the Bai clan lady who was being supported by Pingmei and Nurse Chang, and said: "I just hope it isn't this bunch of troublemaking brats causing trouble."

After walking for a while,

a Feng family maidservant came to meet them.

"What exactly is going on in that drill ground?" Princess Pingning, walking at the very front, asked urgently.

The Feng family's eldest daughter-in-law behind her followed up: "Speak quickly!"

The Feng family maidservant bowed with an ugly expression and said urgently: "Just now, for some reason, the horses in the stable suddenly panicked, knocked down the wall, and ran into the drill ground!"

"What? Panicked horses? How many? Are the young masters and young ladies injured?" one matron asked.

The Feng family maidservant didn't know how to answer the question and could only shake her head repeatedly.

"Then why is there smoke, and the sound of a fire alarm?"

The wife of the Duke of Ying asked with a stern face.

"When this servant came, I heard people shouting that the stable was on fire!"

The Feng family maidservant said.

The Feng family's eldest daughter-in-law flicked her sleeve and said sternly: "Truly, this is outrageous! How could they be so negligent today? Are any guests injured?"

Hearing this question,

the Feng family maidservant's eyes uncontrollably looked at the wife of the Marquis of Marquis Fu Chang in the crowd.

Everyone also followed the maidservant's gaze and turned their heads to look over.

"Is the Rong family young lady injured?" the Feng family's eldest daughter-in-law asked with an anxious gaze.

"This, when this servant came, there was a panicked horse running toward Da Niangzi Feiyan..." the Feng family maidservant said, lowering her head.

"Ah?!!!" The wife of the Marquis of Marquis Fu Chang's expression changed drastically, her legs went weak, and she was about to collapse to the ground, but fortunately, a matron beside her supported her.

The ladies and matrons who had followed all had their expressions change.

"Go!"

The Feng family's eldest daughter-in-law said, and began walking toward the drill ground.

The crowd walked for a while longer in the vast Duke of Cheng's mansion,

and met several maidservants and nannies coming from the drill ground.

"How is the situation in the courtyard?" the Feng family's eldest daughter-in-law asked, looking at the people coming toward them.

"Replying to Madam, the young masters and young ladies..." a nanny from the Zhang family of the Duke of Ying said.

Before she could finish, the wife of the Marquis of Marquis Fu Chang said urgently: "Then, what about my Yan'er? Is she injured?"

The Zhang family nanny and the maidservant beside her both shook their heads, and the nanny continued:

"Da Niangzi Feiyan just had a fall and dirtied her clothes; there is no serious harm! The young masters and young ladies are all doing very well! Those panicked horses are either fainted or dead, and most have already quieted down."

As she spoke, the Zhang family nanny also glanced at Madam Sun in the crowd.

"Go, let's hurry and take a look."

The Feng family's eldest daughter-in-law continued.

Wang Ruofu, beside Madam Sun, breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the Zhang family nanny's words.

The nannies and maidservants who had come out either followed and gathered beside their respective masters, or seemed to have other business and continued walking toward other places.

The Zhang family nanny was beside the wife of the Duke of Ying, talking about what had just happened as they walked,

and the ladies and matrons only then learned that it was again this kid, the Fifth Young Master of the Xu family, who had made a decisive move and saved someone.

In the crowd,

Madam Chai looked at Madam Sun with a smile and said: "Sister Sun, look, I was right, wasn't I!"

Madam Sun nodded with a smile.

Wang Ruofu didn't interject, but just stared, looking back and forth between her daughter-in-law's mother and Madam Chai; after looking, she also glanced at Sheng Hualan with thoughtful eyes.

Seeing her mother moving about with a gaze full of questions, Sheng Hualan shook her head slightly.

And the Gu family maidservant who had come out also gathered beside the Bai clan lady, saying a few words about Xu Zaijing possibly needing to borrow Gu Tingye's boots.

As they got closer to the drill ground,

noble young ladies and official family members gradually walked out with their maidservants and nannies.

"The hospitality was lacking..."

Meeting the noble young ladies of each family, the Feng family's eldest daughter-in-law walked while bowing slightly, saying apologetically.

"Madam, you speak too solemnly!"

"Madam, no need to take it to heart!"

Many noble young ladies said so.

A large group of ladies and matrons walked into the courtyard,

and only then did they see the situation in the drill ground clearly.

At the far end, a section of the stable wall had collapsed and was still smoking, and the sounds of shouting, directing, and splashing water could be heard.

In the drill ground in the middle, the young men who should have been playing Cuju there had been replaced by the carriages and horses of each family.

Near the veranda and the main room, young ladies and maidservants were chattering away,

and from time to time, someone would stand on tiptoe to look at the stables in the distance.

After all, this scene of panicked horses, fire, and noble youths of the capital fighting the fire was something rarely seen in the inner quarters.

Seeing the group of matrons walking into the courtyard, the young ladies and maidservants stood up one after another,

and after a round of calling people 'Mother,' 'Aunt,' 'Uncle's wife,' 'Aunt,' etc., the young ladies continued to chatter about what had just happened.

The wife of the Marquis of Marquis Fu Chang looked at her daughter, whose clothes were dirty, with a face full of heartache, and said: "Yan'er, you... let Mother take a look!"

Holding Rong Feiyan's soft hand and looking at her clothes, which still had traces of dust despite being patted, the wife of the Marquis of Marquis Fu Chang continued: "You have lived in luxury since you were a child; when have you ever been this disheveled!"

Rong Feiyan, whose hair bun was a bit loose and frizzy, scanned herself from bottom to top and said with a smile: "Mother, Daughter is fine!"

"Nonsense! Panicked horses were charging around, and they say you were almost trampled; how can you be fine?"

Rong Feiyan shook her head with a smile: "Mother, I'm really fine. The mount of the Xu family's Fifth Young Master knocked that panicked horse to the side, and Daughter is completely unharmed."

The wife of the Marquis of Marquis Fu Chang pursed her lips and nodded, tapping Rong Feiyan's forehead with her finger, and said: "You were almost trampled by a panicked horse, and I don't know what you're so happy about!"

As she spoke, the wife of the Marquis of Marquis Fu Chang looked at Xu Zaijing, Gu Tingye, Rong Xian, and the others, who had finished putting out the fire in the distance and were laughing and walking toward this side, and said: "Your brother finally did something proper today."

Rong Feiyan nodded repeatedly and said: "Mother, Daughter has received such a great favor from them; shouldn't our family find an opportunity to thank them?"

The wife of the Marquis of Marquis Fu Chang said 'hmm' and said: "First go into the palace and ask your sister, and then we will choose a good day to go and express our thanks."

"Mm-hmm!"

Rong Feiyan nodded incessantly.

On the other side, watching the happy and elated Rong Feiyan, Chai Zhengzheng sighed with a bit of melancholy.

(End of chapter)