Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 181 Victory and Defeat (Part 1)

Pei Yan looked on in astonishment, her eyes wide open, and amidst the laughter of the crowd, she looked at Pei Qinghe: "Cousin Qinghe, is Yang Huai crazy?!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Huai's dark face turned even redder. It was unclear whether he was angry or ashamed.

Pei Qinghe suppressed a laugh and said seriously, "General Yang dared to gamble with his own life, now it's up to you whether you dare to take the bait."

Even the dim-witted Pei Yan began to sense something was amiss: "Wait, I need to think this through. If I lose, I have to pay a thousand shi of grain; if he loses, he'll become my son-in-law... In any case, he's the one who benefits the most from this relationship."

Yang Huai: "..."

Yang Huai took a deep breath to avoid collapsing from anger.

He's a scion of a distinguished military family, a grown man with a bright future ahead of him. He's already humbled himself to be Pei Yan's live-in son-in-law, which is already a great injustice. And yet she's still finding fault and complaining!
Pei Qinghe glared at Pei Yan: "Don't talk nonsense. If you're unwilling, the bet is off. Or, we can find someone else to race for you..."

“No need to change players!” Pei Yan and Yang Huai said in unison, exchanging a glance.

Immediately, Pei Yan spoke up again, "I accept this bet."

The strange bitterness in Yang Huai's heart was immediately soothed, and he smiled proudly: "Please have the food prepared, Sixth Miss. After I win this horse race, I will take a thousand shi of military rations back to Guangning Army."

Pei Yan spat, "Want to beat me? Dream on."

"Alright, stop arguing." Pei Qinghe laughed. "We'll know who wins and who loses in the match. Everyone, step aside."

This wonderful performance thrilled the crowd. They quickly dispersed, making way for a large open space. Pei Yan mounted her horse with swift and graceful movements, earning a chorus of applause.

Yang Huai joined the army at the age of twelve and served there for ten years, becoming an excellent horseman. He was tall and long-legged, and his mounting was graceful and agile, drawing applause from a large crowd. Leading the applause was Zhao Hai.

Zhao Hai was the first son-in-law to marry into the Pei family. He managed the stables and was deeply trusted and valued by Pei Qinghe. Naturally, the other sons-in-law followed Zhao Hai as their leader. As soon as Zhao Hai took the lead, the other sons-in-law cheered and applauded.

Others, with a mischievous grin, quipped loudly, "If you want to beat our Miss Pei Yan, General Yang will have to show you his true skills. Don't try to lose on purpose!"

Everyone grinned and laughed.

Even Yang Huai's personal guards were amused.

Since their young master married into the Pei family, they followed him to the Pei family army. The Pei family army provides excellent food, clothing, and lodging, and has many female soldiers and women in charge of logistics. Perhaps one day they too will be chosen and live a good life with wives, children, and a warm bed!

Amidst the clamor and noise, Yang Huai adjusted his breathing, his handsome face becoming solemn.

He could never have deliberately lost.

He was determined to give it his all in this race. If he won, he would return in glory with the military provisions. If he lost to Pei Yan, he would accept it and become a live-in son-in-law.

Even the usually carefree Pei Yan was unusually serious. Having won several sons-in-law, the Pei family army and the Guangning army had formed an alliance through marriage. Losing meant sending a thousand shi of military rations and becoming a laughingstock. Her cousin Pei Xuan and cousin Pei Feng were both sneakily waiting to see what would happen. Pei Yan was the third most important figure in the Pei family army; she couldn't afford to lose, nor could she bear the humiliation.

"The horse race begins after the bamboo whistle blows. Start from here and run a lap around Pei Family Village. Whoever returns to here first wins." Pei Qinghe announced the rules concisely and blew the bamboo whistle.

Pei Yan kicked the horse's belly hard, and it shot off like an arrow.

Yang Huai was also incredibly fast, running far away in the blink of an eye.

Two horses, one black and one blue, galloped away and quickly disappeared from sight.

Everyone was eagerly discussing: "Who will win?"

“Miss Yan is truly skilled; she ranks among the top five in our Pei family army. In my opinion, Miss Yan will definitely win this horse race,” Tao Feng said with certainty.

Sun Cheng couldn't help but chime in: "Yang Huai's horsemanship is indeed superb. That blue horse is a truly fine horse from beyond the Great Wall. Miss Yan has just acquired the black horse and still needs to break it in. She might not be a match for Yang Huai when it runs."

Tao Feng grinned and winked at Sun Cheng: "You don't understand Miss Yan. She's competitive and has plenty of ways to win."

Sun Cheng chuckled. Pei Qinghe heard this and smiled. Turning her head, she saw her head steward looking enviously in the direction the horse had galloped away.

The cunning Manager Shi was once again subtly hinting at something.

Pei Qinghe chuckled softly and looked away.

Peijia Village was constantly expanding; it would take at least an incense stick's time to ride a horse around it.

The crowd waited and waited, but the black horse and the blue horse never appeared, which puzzled them. Sun Cheng volunteered to ride off to find out what was going on.

Pei Qinghe smiled casually and said, "No rush, let's wait a little longer."

After waiting for almost half an hour, the sound of horses' hooves finally came.

Everyone craned their necks to look. Two warhorses charged forward, one after the other. The one in front was black, and the girl riding it, Pei Yan, had dark skin that shone brightly against the black horse.

The blue horse was a step too slow, and General Yang, who was on horseback, had a dark expression on his face. When he dismounted, he limped, and there were footprints on his clothes.

Pei Yan jumped off her horse first and proudly announced, "I won! Hahaha!"

Pei Yan put her hands on her hips and laughed heartily.

Pei Xuan and Pei Feng showered her with flattery: "Sister Yan is truly amazing!"

"With Sister Yan in charge, no one can stand against her!"

Sun Chengtao and others joined in the fun, bowing and congratulating Miss Pei Yan on winning the horse race.

Yang Huai's personal guards gathered around, dusting off their young master. At least one guard had a conscience, indignant on his behalf: "We agreed on a horse race, why did they resort to violence? This is blatant bullying!"

Yang Huai's face darkened even more, and he glared at him, saying, "Shut up!"

Taking action is nothing; losing is what's truly shameful.

This wasn't the first time he had suffered a defeat. Last year, he was defeated by Pei Yan, became a prisoner of Pei's army, and cost the Guangning army fifty good horses.

Today's defeat was even more devastating.

He initially took the lead, but Pei Yan used her whip to throw him off his horse, and the two engaged in a fistfight. He was tall and strong, and quite skilled. However, Pei Yan was far superior, and after a beating, he was left running around covering his head.

"Pei Yan! This is a horse race, you're cheating by hitting me!" He was still indignant when he was kicked to the ground.

Pei Yan stomped on his chest, bent down and grinned: "Who says you can't fight during a horse race! If this were a war, I would have already chopped your head off!"

"Are you satisfied?"

Yang Huai disagreed.

Pei Yan withdrew her foot, urging him to stand up: "Let's fight again, until you're completely convinced."

Yang Huai flipped over and leaped up, throwing a punch in anger. Pei Yan swiftly dodged, moved to his right, punched him in the shoulder, and kicked him to the ground again.

"Are you convinced or not?" Pei Yan's chuckle echoed in Yang Huai's ears.

Yang Huai gritted his teeth: "I refuse to accept this!"

……

(End of this chapter)