It was a cloudless day. Xing Muzheng had again brought Xing Pingchun and Qian Jiaoniang to learn horseback riding. Xing Pingchun was more than eager. He tied the firefly ball his mother had given him to a bamboo stick, dangling it in front of the small black horse to coax it forward. But the little black horse got smacked in the face a few times, lost its temper, and nearly threw Xing Pingchun off. Xing Muzheng gave him a sharp glare, and only then did Xing Pingchun behave, taking down the stick and riding properly.
Qian Jiaoniang was a hundred, even a thousand, times unwilling. But not wanting to be forcibly lifted onto the horse in front of everyone again, she simply mounted on her own. However, Lightning was much too tall—after two failed attempts, she finally felt a push from behind and barely managed to get into the saddle. She didn’t look to see who had helped her up, instead stroking Lightning’s neck to grow close to it.
Maybe it was because she’d fed it yesterday, but Lightning was very good to her today. It carried her smoothly and even jogged a bit. Qian Jiaoniang bounced in the saddle, the feeling completely different from when she had ridden with Xing Muzheng—her heart felt as if it would leap out of her chest.
A little scared, but also a little thrilled.
Xing Muzheng didn’t rein in the horse. Holding the reins loosely, he jogged alongside. Soon, a fine layer of sweat formed on his forehead. Qian Jiaoniang pulled back on the reins slightly and looked down at him from above. “You don’t have to follow me.”
Xing Muzheng replied, “If I don’t follow, you’ll fall to your death.”
Lightning was a warhorse trained by Xing Muzheng himself. It followed commands extremely well—if told to jog, it wouldn’t dare gallop. Still, Xing Muzheng couldn’t help but worry. Lightning wasn’t like the pony given to Xing Pingchun. If Jiaoniang fell from this one, she would definitely be hurt. He needed to ensure her complete safety.
At noon, Wang Yong suggested letting Qian Jiaoniang practice on his own horse instead. Xing Muzheng shook his head.
Only Lightning was worthy of Jiaoniang. When they returned, he would personally train a fine horse to give her.
In the afternoon, the bold Qian Jiaoniang asked Lightning to go faster. Xing Muzheng mounted Wang Yong’s horse and used a whistle to direct Lightning. The horse obeyed its master and ran at half its usual speed. If it had gone all out, few horses could keep up.
Qian Jiaoniang was overjoyed. She had never known that horseback riding could be so fun. Galloping in the wind, with the wide sky and open land—it was pure freedom, pure comfort!
She truly loved riding. What a wild woman. Xing Muzheng stared at her glowing face and the corners of her lips that couldn’t help but lift—and his own mouth curled up too.
“Hyah!” Qian Jiaoniang cracked the whip, her laughter ringing in the wind.
She’s laughing again at last. He’d send a message by carrier pigeon to find her the best horse right away. If none were available, he’d just give her Lightning… although it was a bit too tall and inconvenient for her.
“Mom! Mom! You look so cool! Let’s swap horses!” Greedy as always, Xing Pingchun chased after her on his little Ant, wanting to ride Lightning too, despite his short stature.
Qian Jiaoniang wasn’t about to give it up. Laughing, she said, “Sure! If you can outrun me, I’ll swap with you!”
“Mom, that’s not fair—”
“Hyah!”
With a playful shout, Qian Jiaoniang spurred Lightning forward again. Xing Pingchun tried to chase after her but was shouted down by Xing Muzheng: “Focus on your own horse training. Did I say you could ride Lightning?”
Xing Pingchun looked deeply aggrieved—turns out Father would only let Mother ride his horse.
Xing Muzheng followed, giving a sharp whistle. Lightning slowed down. Caught off guard, Qian Jiaoniang swayed in the saddle, and suddenly a strong hand steadied her from behind. She turned her head to see him, joy still lingering on her face.
If she could smile at him like that every day, he’d pluck the stars from the sky for her.
But the moment Qian Jiaoniang saw clearly who it was, the smile vanished. She straightened in the saddle, gently nudged Lightning’s belly, and the horse walked forward two steps.
Xing Muzheng’s passionate heart was doused in cold water again. He suddenly remembered the day he brought Jiaoniang back to the marquis manor—she had smiled and told him something, but he hadn’t paid attention, and the smile had faded just like now.
He truly was suffering the consequences of his own actions.
Xing Muzheng gave a bitter smile and shook his head. What used to be easily seen and taken for granted—he hadn’t cherished. Now, it had become a luxury. The scattered fragments of memory were now vivid. Ever since Jiaoniang learned he intended to take a formal wife, she hadn’t truly smiled at him again.
But before that—had she felt anything for him?
Xing Muzheng didn’t know. He only knew that after that day, Qian Jiaoniang never showed joy while riding a horse again.
If he hadn’t bothered her, maybe she could’ve been a little happier. Xing Muzheng now truly understood just how unwelcome he had become.
***
The group arrived in Gui County before curfew fell with night.
Xing Muzheng entered without informing any officials, simply passing through the city gates as any commoner would. Tian Linwen had expected to accompany him to a banquet at the county magistrate’s residence that evening, but was caught off guard to find there wasn’t even a welcoming party. He could only inwardly sigh that Xing Muzheng didn’t know how to be an official.
But Tian Linwen didn’t realize that it was he who lacked vision. Xing Muzheng had once been a Grand General and was now a titled marquis overseeing a region—how were county officials any different from ordinary commoners in his eyes? Why would he stoop to notifying them in advance and let them scramble to curry favor?
The group returned to the Xing family’s old residence in Gui County. It was a modest courtyard with two sections front and back, one main hall, and a few rooms in the rear. The last time Xing Muzheng had come to this house, he had picked up Qian Jiaoniang and Xing Pingchun here. That gave him the mistaken impression that they had always lived here. Before leaving last time, he had left one of his hometown subordinates, Li Qing, and his wife in the residence—essentially gifting it to them.
Li Qing had known for days that Xing Muzheng was coming. Since the previous day, he and his wife had cleaned every corner of the house. The courtyard had been sprinkled with water to keep the dust down. Li Qing, who had lost a leg in battle, was now quite agile with a crutch—even his kneeling was quick and fluid.
Xing Muzheng reached out and pulled him up firmly. Li Qing’s wife, Qian Xiao’e, quickly handed the crutch over to her husband.
“Commander, madam, please come in! Dinner’s ready—we bought a wild boar from a hunter, and my father-in-law stewed and boiled it. My wife also made several small dishes—her cooking is really something, better than even my father-in-law’s!”
Li Qing’s in-laws stood behind him and bowed with simple smiles. Qian Xiao’e blushed furiously hearing her husband praise her so much in front of the great general, and she ducked behind him, not daring to lift her head. Their son, Li Ding, hid behind his mother in turn.
Xing Muzheng nodded. Ah Da laughed and said, “Well done, Li Qing—buying wild boar, you must be living the good life now!”
Li Qing scratched his head and chuckled, “All thanks to the commander’s favor.”
Xing Muzheng had never mistreated the soldiers who had risked their lives for him. Besides the pensions he had secured from the court, he had also personally added to them. Li Qing’s father-in-law had been a cook, so Li Qing opened a small restaurant and ran a family business. The venture was doing fairly well.
Xing Muzheng ordered someone to lead Liu Ying’s family to rest first. Qian Jiaoniang said, “Is my mother’s room still empty? That room is bright—perfect for Uncle and Aunt to stay in.”
The couple from the Tian family stiffened at her words. Li Qing quickly responded, “My wife and I were staying in the old madam’s room, but we changed out the bedding first thing this morning. And the room the commander and madam used to stay in—we’ve kept it spotless and never let anyone use it. My wife laid fresh bedding in there this morning too!”
Now Qian Jiaoniang was the one to stiffen.
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