After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

The Embroidered Spring Blade drew its final arc, and bamboo leaves fluttered down, covering the ground.

Xiao Changgeng turned around, his gaze passing over the scattered gold pieces in the courtyard, and met the gazes of three people in front of the door.

Then, without the slightest embarrassment at being caught, he calmly and slowly sheathed his embroidered spring knife.

He took two long steps and sat back in his wheelchair.

He called out, "Xuanqi, serve tea."

Shen Jingque was completely dumbfounded.

No, when did your leg get better, big brother?

Furthermore, after being seen, he went back to his wheelchair. Isn't that just deceiving himself?

Xiao Mingyue stepped into the courtyard first, gently clapping her hands three times, a faint smile on her face.

"Excellent knife skills, even more precise than two years ago."

Xiao Changqi darted to Xiao Changgeng's wheelchair as if propelled by a spring, looking him up and down.

"Big brother, your leg is healed? When did it get better? How long have you been hiding this from me?"

Shen Jingque followed closely behind, circled the wheelchair once, and kicked Xiao Changgeng's calf with her foot.

"Big brother, move a little, move a little more so I can see."

Xiao Changgeng's brow twitched as she kicked him, and he reached out to stop her restless foot.

"Stop kicking, or you'll ruin it again."

"You're lying!"

Shen Jingque gestured wildly, "Your movements just now were even more agile than Tian Jiu's! You're still pretending with me!"

Xiao Changqi looked wronged and started to complain as soon as he pouted.

"Brother, how could you lie to me? I'm your brother!"

"I'm your sister!" Shen Jingque immediately responded.

Xiao Changgeng pinched his brow, feeling a bit of a headache: "You two are so noisy."

After a flurry of chatter, the three gradually recovered from the rather shocking scene they had just witnessed.

Shen Jingque squatted down in front of the wheelchair, her eyes actually starting to sting.

"Big brother, you've been able to stand up for a long time, haven't you?"

Xiao Changgeng lowered his eyes and looked at her reddened eyes, then reached out and patted her head.

"Yeah, it's been almost a month."

"One month!"

Xiao Changqi's voice rose eight octaves, and he pulled up a low stool and plopped down in front of Xiao Changgeng.

"You kept this from us for a month? That bastard Ji Qianshang didn't even tell me!"

Xiao Mingyue also looked puzzled, her hands behind her back. "Why don't you say?"

Xiao Changgeng raised his eyes and sighed softly:

"A Lie has made great contributions in the Northwest, and all the officials are watching the Princess's residence. If I were to recover now, the tension in His Majesty's heart would finally snap."

The wind in the courtyard rustled the bamboo leaves, making a soft, rustling sound.

From these few words, Shen Jingque gradually discerned why Xiao Changgeng continued to feign lameness.

The current emperor was already wary of the Princess's residence, which was wealthy and powerful. The only drawback was that her eldest son, Xiao Changgeng, was disabled.

In the emperor's mind, a disabled commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard could never cause any real trouble.

If Xiao Changgeng were to recover at this time, he would believe that his throne could change hands at any moment.

To put it bluntly, it means their defenses were breached.

Shen Jingque curled her lip in disdain. "Big brother, are you planning to sit here forever?"

"When you get to your stop," Xiao Changgeng said gently, his tone calm and unperturbed.

In order to avoid making the Princess's residence a target of public criticism, pretending to be a useless person is not a big deal.

Xiao Mingyue walked up to him and gently patted his shoulder.

"Chang Geng, I'm sorry to have wronged you."

Xiao Changgeng's shoulders stiffened slightly, then he lowered his eyelashes and smiled.

"There's nothing to feel wronged about; sitting is less tiring than standing."

Xiao Changgeng's recovery from his leg injury should have been a cause for celebration, but Shen Jingque inexplicably felt that the atmosphere was somewhat melancholic.

To ease the tension, she suddenly stood up and grabbed Xiao Changgeng's sleeve.

"Big brother, now that your leg is better, why don't you come with us for a spring outing on your day off?"

"It's just us insiders; we won't let outsiders know."

Xiao Changqi followed up by putting his arm around Xiao Changgeng's shoulder and shaking him vigorously.

"Yes, brother, go ahead, go ahead. You've been staying in this courtyard for almost two years. Go out for a walk. Let's go outside the city and find a quiet place to stretch our legs."

Xiao Changgeng was shaken helplessly and twisted his body to avoid the hand on his shoulder.

"Let go."

"Then you say go," Xiao Changqi started shaking his shoulder playfully, "Come on, come on, come on!"

Shen Jingque also grabbed Xiao Changgeng's wrist and started shaking it, saying, "Go on, go on, go on!"

Xiao Changgeng's vision blurred from being shaken, but he gritted his teeth and replied.

"...Go away...you two, let go!"

Shen Jingque cheered and rushed over to hug Xiao Changgeng's arm.

"Great! Great! Big brother, you've finally agreed to go out! Second brother will push your wheelchair then!"

Xiao Changqi pointed to himself: "You've assigned me work again?"

Seeing them making a ruckus, Xiao Mingyue suddenly felt that perhaps this is what home should be like.

It's noisy and lively, yet relaxed and carefree, with the flavor of everyday life.

Footsteps sounded at the door.

The servant, panting, relayed the message: "My lords, someone has delivered a horse to the gate, specifically for the young lady."

"The man also said that there was a letter that the young lady should receive in person."

The servant presented a roll of plain white letter paper with both hands, loosely bound only with a thin straw rope.

Shen Jingque reached out and took it, untied the hemp rope and flattened the letter.

There is only one line of text on it, the ink is clear and elegant, and the brushstrokes are graceful.

—Do not be a caged bird startled into flight; I wish to borrow the long wind and the vast sky.

Shen Jingque's heart skipped a beat.

The strings in my mind were gently plucked, and Rong Jing's dark eyes and carefree smile appeared before my eyes.

Is it...him?

"Let's go, let's go take a look!"

Xiao Changqi immediately stood up and walked out. Shen Jingque quickly folded the letter and stuffed it into her sleeve, then followed him to the gate of the mansion.

A small, ponies were parked next to the hitching post outside the gate.

Its entire body is black and glossy like satin, except for the four hooves which are covered with a ring of snow-white fur, making it look like it is walking on clouds.

Its mane had been carefully groomed, and its big, dark eyes looked at the person who came in obediently, occasionally flicking its tail.

Shen Jingque walked over and reached out her hand. The little black horse lowered its head and nuzzled her palm, its fluffy nose warm and soft.

Xiao Changqi circled the horse once, clicking his tongue in disapproval.

"What a fine horse! A short-legged black horse, gentle and fast, a breed specifically for women and boys to ride."

He moved closer to Shen Jingque, nudged her with his elbow, and lowered his voice, asking, "Who sent this? What did the letter say?"

Shen Jingque smiled faintly and mumbled, "I don't know, this horse is really beautiful."

"Could it be a gift from Miss Xu?" Xiao Changqi analyzed to himself, "Her father sent her a horse from the Northwest, so it makes sense for him to send her an extra one as well."

Shen Jingque readily agreed, nodding with a grin: "It should be Yingying, right? We agreed to learn riding together."

Xiao Changgeng sat expressionlessly in his wheelchair as Xuan Qi pushed him to the door.

He frowned slightly when he saw the horse.

This breed of horse originated from Dayan and is extremely rare in Dayong, with a value exceeding a thousand gold pieces.

Why would General Dingyuan's mansion send such a valuable gift?

He seemed to be deep in thought, his gaze sweeping over the crowd and landing on Shen Jingque's face with a probing look.