Chapter 294: [Horse Race] (Part 1)

Hu Xiaotian said respectfully, "Your Highness Princess, I happened to follow Eunuch Fan to visit the Red Mountain Horse Ranch. I've been cooped up in the palace for too long, so I wanted to come out for some fresh air. Top Point Novel"

Princess Anping nodded and said, "Qiqi insisted on coming with me to pick a horse. Since she didn't want too much attention, she suggested dressing like this."

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "No matter what you wear, Princess, you are heavenly beautiful."

Princess Anping furrowed her brows slightly, feeling that Hu Xiaotian's words were a bit presumptuous.

Hu Xiaotian hastily apologized, "Your Highness, please don't blame me; I was bold, but everything I said is the truth." Knowing how to please women is his natural talent.

Princess Anping's cheeks flushed slightly as she said, "You don't need to be afraid; I'm not angry with you."

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself, When have I ever been afraid? In your eyes, is my courage really this small? This Princess Anping is not only unparalleled in beauty, but also gentle and lovable. Though I have only interacted with her twice, I hold her in high esteem—this is what gentle as water means, this is what femininity is! Looking at Qiqi, she can also be called a woman, but in fact Qiqi is still underage, just a little girl.

Princess Anping said, "I know some things about you." After a pause, she added, "Qiqi told me."

Hu Xiaotian's heart jolted, "Damn it! Qiqi? That willful princess wouldn't have told her about our conspiracy to kill someone, would she?"

Princess Anping said, "I know you once saved Qiqi, escorting her all the way to Xiezhou. Although she seems to oppose you on the surface, she is actually grateful to you deep down."

Hu Xiaotian merely smiled and said nothing. Gratitude isn't necessary; as long as Qiqi doesn't cause me trouble, that's fine.

Princess Anping suddenly stopped, and Hu Xiaotian stopped with her. She gazed at him with her clear, water-cut eyes and said, "You must have seen my brother in Qingyun!"

Hu Xiaotian then realized Princess Anping lagging behind had her own motive—she wanted news of Prince Long Yefang from me. He nodded and said, "I have seen him; Prince Zhou has been quite kind to me."

Princess Anping bit her cherry lips and asked, "Where was the last time you saw him?"

Hu Xiaotian answered truthfully, "At the Xiezhou Heavenly Prefecture Temporary Palace. I sensed the situation was wrong, so I sneaked out."

Princess Anping's eye sockets reddened.

Seeing her expression, Hu Xiaotian felt uneasy and comforted her, "Although the Li clan has declared independence, they raise the banner of the Loyalist Prince, so they should not mistreat Prince Zhou." At least for now, that prince still has some use.

Princess Anping nodded slowly and said, "I hope my brother is safe." Yet she understood that her brother was under Li clan's control; if one day he lost his usefulness, the Li clan would certainly not hesitate to eliminate him.

In the distance, Qiqi had already mounted the black horse, galloping toward us. She reined in beside us and said, "Auntie, Little Beard, pick a horse too—let's race to see whose mount is faster."

Princess Anping calmed her sorrow and smiled, nodding.

Hu Xiaotian suddenly realized that Princess Anping's situation was also difficult. Although the old emperor is superficially honored as the Retired Emperor, he has actually been stripped of all power, effectively under house arrest. The new emperor, Long Yelin, though her elder brother, clearly does not care about Princess Anping's life or death; her status is no longer comparable to the past. Even knowing her own brother is imprisoned, Princess Anping is powerless; all she can do is worry and sigh.

Princess Anping looked toward the herd of horses. She chose a pure white steed as white as snow. She doesn't know how to judge horses, so she picked based on appearance, loving the horse's pure snow-white coat, which matches her tranquil and gentle nature.

Hu Xiaotian originally didn't want to join the horse race, but Qiqi insisted he pick a horse too. The princess spoke, so he dared not refuse. When it was Hu Xiaotian's turn to choose, however, Qiqi pointed to a gray horse in the herd and said, "I think that one suits you best."

Hu Xiaotian followed her gaze and saw that the gray horse stood out in the herd, grazing alone by the riverbank. Its dull gray coat was utterly unremarkable, yet its ears were much longer than an ordinary horse's. His first thought was, "Have I got it wrong? Is this really a horse and not a mule?" Even more absurd, the gray horse's tail was almost completely bald, as if burned by fire, and its mane had been scorched into patches, making it look extremely ridiculous.

The several eunuchs nearby forced back their laughter, thinking Qiqi was clearly teasing Hu Xiaotian.

Princess Anping also frowned at the sight of that horse and said softly, "Where did this horse come from?" Although she doesn't know how to judge horses, she could tell its quality was terribly poor—it shouldn't appear in the Imperial Horse Ranch.

A nearby eunuch replied, "This horse was born in the Red Mountain Horse Ranch. Because it looks ugly, no one has ever ridden it. Actually, it wasn't that bad before, but two months ago lightning struck the stables, causing a fire. Fortunately it broke through the fence, avoiding greater loss, and still has a small horn-like bump on its head. Eunuch Fan said it had rendered service, so we should treat it kindly and let it roam freely in the ranch."

Hu Xiaotian said, "This one!"

Thus a few eunuchs led the gray horse over. The gray horse's temperament seemed very gentle, obediently letting people put on the bridle and saddle. Although people rely on clothes and horses on saddles, even draped in a splendid saddle, this gray horse still looks mismatched, increasingly ridiculous.

Hu Xiaotian approached the horse; the gray horse actually drooped its long ears. Hu Xiaotian stroked its long ears and thought to himself, "Does this horse have rabbit blood? Or is it simply a mule?"

Qiqi and Princess Anping had already mounted their horses. Qiqi said, "Hey, Little Beard, dare to race?"

Hu Xiaotian climbed onto the gray horse, gently patted its neck. The gray horse lowered its head and kept eating grass, as if indifferent to the extra weight on its back. Hu Xiaotian looked ahead and saw the Third Prince Long Tingzhen riding a reddish-brown Ferghana horse, galloping across the field like a red lightning bolt in a green sea.

Fear not not recognizing goods, but fear goods comparing goods. My gray horse can't compare to anyone's Ferghana horse, let alone the mounts of Qiqi and Princess Anping. Hu Xiaotian also noticed that the gray horse's body seems a bit shorter than a normal horse's, especially after its burned tail, making it even more obvious—in short, it's an ugly horse.

Qiqi pointed to the southern mountain pass and said, "We'll start from here; whoever reaches the pass first wins."

Hu Xiaotian completely held the mindset of accompanying the crown prince in studying—first to pace, second to race. Today's main task is just to be a foil, to run in front of the two princesses, and must take it easy. Moreover, my gray horse is truly inferior, obviously a glutton, still munching on waterweeds to this day.

Qiqi said, "Get ready!" A junior eunuch raised a small yellow flag.

Hu Xiaotian pulled the reins; the gray horse finally lifted its head, finally reaching the same starting line as Qiqi and Princess Anping. The small yellow flag fluttered in the wind and was then swung down hard. Qiqi shot ahead first. Princess Anping refused to be outdone, urging her white steed forward like a silver lightning chasing Qiqi's black horse. The two horses took turns leading, the two princesses on horseback looked heroic and spirited, often letting out bell-like laughter.

Under Hu Xiaotian's urging, the gray horse also started to run, though it was clearly trying its best, its speed was still too slow. Watching it fall farther behind the two horses ahead, Hu Xiaotian looked at the gray horse's drooping ears and its lazy gait. This horse seems to be shirking work. Since Hu Xiaotian had no intention of striving to win, he simply let things be.

The wind blowing in our faces seemed to have grown stronger; in an instant the clear blue sky turned gloomy with sorrowful clouds. Suddenly a twisting lightning bolt, like a golden snake writhing its body, tore through the cloud layer, followed immediately by a series of low rumbles of thunder.

The thunder on the flat ground startled all the horses; the gray horse's pair of long ears suddenly perked up at the sound of thunder. Then it seemed to wake from a dream, flung its four hooves forward and galloped wildly, its speed suddenly increasing several times, nearly throwing Hu Xiaotian from its back.

Hu Xiaotian instinctively gripped the reins; only the wind whistling past his ears could be heard, the scenery on both sides flew backward, and the gray horse sped forward at an astonishing pace.

The two horses ridden by Qiqi and Princess Anping seemed to be stunned by the thunder, slowing down and stopping in place. Princess Anping lifted her gaze to the low-hanging clouds in the sky, sensing an imminent storm, and said softly, "It's going to rain, Qiqi; let's head back."

Qiqi looked back and saw a tiny black dot rapidly enlarging in the distance—it was Hu Xiaotian on that ugly gray horse charging full speed after them. She couldn't help but laugh, "Someone might not easily admit defeat."

Princess Anping said, "Let's stop the race and go back together."

Qiqi hesitated a moment, then another clap of thunder cracked in the sky. She bit her cherry lips, finally agreed, gave the reins a slight tug to turn the black horse around—just then a dazzling lightning bolt ripped through the dark heavens, also stabbing painfully into the black horse's nerves. The black horse neighed in fright, indeed startled, and refused to obey Qiqi's commands, galloping off toward the southwest. Qiqi clung tightly to the reins, her body lowered on the horse's back, fearful of being thrown off.

Princess Anping sensed the sudden change, her face turned pale, and she hurriedly urged her horse to chase after Qiqi.

At this moment Hu Xiaotian came racing up like wind and lightning, drew alongside Princess Anping, eased the horse's pace, and shouted loudly, "Where is the little princess?"

Princess Anping pointed into the distance; the black horse carrying Qiqi ran farther and farther, now a tiny black dot on the horizon.

We are only forty-four monthly tickets away from fourth place. This gap means nothing to us; many hands make the fire burn high. At the critical moment, Zhangyu, how could you not add some fuel? Send the third update, beg for monthly tickets—only one day left, everyone should cash out their tickets, otherwise they'll get moldy. There are still two chapters waiting to go up for fourth place, brothers and sisters, it's time for the Medical Union to show its strength. Whether you support or not, Zhangyu has surged ahead—could you really bear to see me left alone… (To be continued…)