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

Xiao Mingyue's gaze lingered on the short-legged black horse for a moment, but she said nothing. She simply turned her head to glance at Shen Jingque's hand hidden in her sleeve.

Then she waved her hand and instructed the servant to lead the horse to the stable in the backyard and to have hay and water prepared.

Shen Jingque breathed a sigh of relief and immediately skipped and hopped after the servant towards the stable, calling out to Xiao Changqi as she turned back.

"Second brother, come quick, help me think of a name!"

Xiao Changqi followed along, slapping his fan against his palm, looking very excited.

"Leave the naming to me. The names I came up with for my three ships were praised even by the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner."

"What are the names of your three boats?"

"Granaries full of gold, granaries full of silver, granaries full of money."

"...Never mind, don't bother taking it."

The two followed the servant through the covered walkway. The stable was in the southwest corner of the backyard, against a low wall.

The little black horse was led into the spacious shed, lowered its head to sniff the hay in the trough, and looked back with wet eyes, as if to confirm whether its new owner had come along.

Shen Jingque leaned on the railing and reached out to touch its mane. The little horse obediently came over and rubbed against her palm, its warm breath tickling her hand.

"It's so well-behaved, much better than Xu Wanying's red horse."

Xiao Changqi circled the horse, clicking his tongue as he stroked the muscle lines on its rump, then opened its mouth to examine its teeth.

"At two years old, she is at a good age. She has been well-trained and is gentle but not timid. It takes effort to raise her."

He turned to look at Shen Jingque, his eyes filled with a mischievous shrewdness.

"Honestly, how could General Dingyuan's mansion possibly get their hands on dwarf black steeds? This breed comes from the northern border of Great Yan, and it's extremely rare and expensive in Great Yong. A single steed would cost at least a thousand taels of silver."

Shen Jingque pretended not to hear and focused on stroking the horse's neck.

Xiao Changqi leaned over and nudged her with his elbow, chuckling.

"Why don't you tell your second brother who sent it?"

Shen Jingque looked up at him with her bright eyes, her face completely innocent.

"Didn't you say it was a gift from Yingying?"

Xiao Changqi tapped her forehead with his finger: "I was just trying to smooth things over for you. Your brother is so loyal, so why don't you just tell me?"

Shen Jingque plucked a handful of grass and fed it to the pony.

"I really don't know, maybe it's someone who admires me?"

"You're twelve years old. What do we admire about you? Do we admire your fast eating speed? Your loud voice?"

Shen Jingque was so angry that she punched him.

The two stayed in the stable for about half an hour. In the end, Shen Jingque named the little black horse "Sports Student" because its four hooves were covered with a ring of white hair, making it look like it was wearing white socks.

Hmm... those who know, know.

Xiao Changqi didn't understand what a sports student was, but he felt that the name didn't sound auspicious, so he suggested calling him Silver Hoof.

Shen Jingque rejected it without hesitation.

On the way back to the courtyard, dusk was falling, and the lanterns in the mansion were being lit one by one.

Shen Jingque walked on the gravel path, her fingers unconsciously touching the folded letter in her sleeve. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, but she quickly suppressed it.

Was it a gift from Rong Jing? She wasn't sure.

But my gut feeling tells me that only he would do something like that.

She had just told Xu Wanying a few days ago that she wanted a pony to learn riding skills, and it was delivered today.

Just how many spies did this person plant around her?

Shen Jingque took a deep breath and tucked the letter deeper into her sleeve.

Forget it, I'll think about tomorrow's problems tomorrow. I'm going to sleep now.

……

The next morning, the spring sunshine was just right.

Shen Jingque woke up naturally, stretched and crawled out of bed. Lü'e helped her wash up and change, and styled her hair into a simple bun.

When she pushed open the courtyard gate, she stood there stunned.

Xiao Changgeng sat at the stone table in her Mingcui Pavilion courtyard, a cup of tea beside him, the morning light filtering through the crabapple blossoms and dappling his shoulders.

He was dressed in a dark blue casual suit, his long hair was tied up neatly, and his pale and aloof face appeared particularly serene in the shadows of the flowers.

A thin blanket was draped over the armrest of the wheelchair, and the teacup in front of him was more than half empty, indicating that he had been waiting for a while.

Shen Jingque rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

"Big brother? Why are you here so early?"

Xiao Changgeng looked up at her and said calmly, "Come and sit down."

His tone was neither warm nor cold, but Shen Jingque inexplicably felt that the atmosphere around him was a bit low today.

She obediently walked over and sat on the stone bench opposite, picked up a pastry from the table and took a bite, tilting her head to observe Xiao Changgeng's expression as she chewed.

"Big brother, is there something you need from me?"

Xiao Changgeng did not answer immediately. His slender fingers lightly traced the edge of the teacup, as if he was carefully considering his words.

"That horse from yesterday."

Shen Jingque slowed down her chewing of the pastry.

coming.

"The dwarf black horse originated from the Wuheng Mountain pasture in the northern border of the Great Yan. The Dayong government did not establish an import channel for this breed, and it was rarely circulated among the common people."

Xiao Changgeng's gaze fell calmly on her face, as if he were simply stating the facts objectively.

"The horses in General Dingyuan's mansion were transferred from the Northwest Military Horse Farm, so they wouldn't have this breed."

The pastries in Shen Jingque's hand suddenly didn't smell good anymore.

She chuckled, trying to bluff her way out.

"Perhaps it was brought back from abroad by a caravan. After all, Kyoto doesn't do north-south trade..."

Xiao Changgeng picked up his teacup and took a sip, his tone still unhurried, "Yesterday I sent people to investigate, and no one is selling dwarf black horses on Horse Street."

Shen Jingque put down the pastries, wiped her fingers with a handkerchief, and decided not to continue the performance.

She raised her head and looked directly into Xiao Changgeng's eyes, her tone frank.

"Big brother, are you asking if the horse was a gift from Rong Jing?"

Xiao Changgeng did not deny it, but simply waited quietly for her to continue.

The pressure of this silence is greater than any questioning.

Shen Jingque gripped the hem of her skirt tightly and nodded honestly.

"I guess it was him who gave it to me."

The wind in the courtyard blew through the crabapple branches, and a few petals fell softly onto the stone table.

Xiao Changgeng placed the teacup back on the table and looked solemnly at Shen Jingque.

"Sparrow, your elder brother is not trying to interfere with your making friends."

He raised his eyes, and those eyes, which were usually as cold and sharp as an eagle's, now held an almost tender seriousness.

"Rong Jing is a hostage of the Great Yan. He won't stay in the Great Yong forever; he will have to go back sooner or later."

Shen Jingque nodded; she knew.

"I don't doubt his goodwill towards you," Xiao Changgeng said, tapping his teacup lightly with his fingers. "But the fact that the hostage is getting too close to the powerful figures of Dayong will damage your reputation if word gets out. That's one reason."

"Secondly," he paused, his gaze hardening, "you're young, and he's four years older than you, far more mature than your peers. I'm afraid you'll be swayed by his feelings, and what will you do when he decides to return to Great Yan?"

Shen Jingque's heart stirred slightly upon hearing these words.

Xiao Changgeng was neither interrogating her nor ordering her to stay away from Rong Jing.

He was simply a brother worrying about his younger sister.

I was worried that she would be deceived, and that she didn't know the risks.

I worry that she's young and might get hurt by an immature relationship.

Shen Jingque moved closer to Xiao Changgeng, tilting her little face up to look at him earnestly.

"Big brother, I know Rong Jing will return to Great Yan in the future."

"So my relationship with him has only been going on for the last few years at most."

She stretched out her hand and made a gesture of assurance in front of Xiao Changgeng.

"I promise my elder brother that I will not be deceived by anyone, whether he is a hostage from Great Yan or a celestial being."

Her tone was light yet firm, and her round almond-shaped eyes curved into bright smiles as she looked at Xiao Changgeng.

"Father, Mother, eldest brother, second brother, and third brother who will be back soon, you are the most important people to me. No one can take me away from you."

Looking into her clear eyes, Xiao Changgeng's solemn expression finally eased a little.

He reached out and patted the top of her head, letting out a long sigh.

"Promise me that if anything seems wrong with Rong Jing, you'll tell me immediately."

"Okay!" Shen Jingque nodded vigorously, "Pinky promise!"

She held up her little finger.

Xiao Changgeng looked down at the raised finger, remained expressionless for a while, and finally raised his hand, hooking his slender little finger around hers.

Shen Jingque swayed happily for a moment, laughing like a little fox who had stolen a chicken.

After seeing Xiao Changgeng off, she went back to her room to tidy her clothes and thought about taking advantage of the free time to go to the stable to see the sports students and get to know the horses.

As soon as I left the hospital, I bumped into a tall and straight figure.

Qingyuan, dressed in dark, close-fitting clothes, bowed to her with a cold expression.

"Miss, the Princess requests your presence in the front courtyard's flower hall."

Shen Jingque blinked. What was she doing in the flower hall so early in the morning?

"What happened?"

A smile appeared on Qingyuan's face.

"You'll find out when you get there; someone will come looking for you."