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

Before the sky had fully brightened in the early morning, the gates of the Princess's residence were already open.

Three carriages filed out, with more than ten guards lined up on both sides.

The horses' hooves clattered on the road, making a clear, rhythmic sound that was particularly distinct in the deserted streets.

In the shadows, Xuan Qi, along with more than ten guards, followed the convoy silently along the rooftop line, like shadows blending into the morning mist.

Inside the lead car, Xiao Mingyue leaned against a soft pillow and closed her eyes to rest.

Today, instead of her usual dark, fitted outfit, she wore a new, narrow-sleeved robe dress made by Fan Suyao.

The soft blue background contrasted with her pale skin, and the silver embroidery on her shoulders and back swayed gently with the car body, shimmering faintly in the morning light.

A narrow leather belt cinched her waist, highlighting her slender figure, while the side slits at the hem were just right, conveying both the decisiveness of a warrior and the graceful demeanor of a woman.

Shen Yan sat opposite her, holding a book in his hands, but his eyes kept shifting back and forth between the pages and Xiao Mingyue.

Every time his gaze fell on her, he couldn't help but linger for a moment, then quickly looked away as if he had been burned.

Xiao Mingyue's eyes were not open, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

"Qingheng, you're holding that book upside down."

Shen Yan looked down and saw that it was indeed reversed.

His face turned red from the base of his neck to the tips of his ears, and he hurriedly flipped the book over.

Xiao Mingyue finally opened her eyes, turned her head to look at him, her eyes filled with a gentle smile, and reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind his ear.

"Is it pretty?"

Shen Yan was stunned for a moment before realizing that she was asking about clothes. He nodded quickly and said in a stammering voice.

"You look good in anything... No, I mean this outfit suits you very well, and the color is nice too..."

He became increasingly incoherent as he spoke, and finally simply held up the book to cover his flushed face.

Xiao Mingyue chuckled softly, stopped teasing him, took his hand and intertwined their fingers, then leaned back against the soft pillow and closed her eyes.

The scene inside the carriage behind was completely different.

Xiao Jingshu's mouth hadn't stopped since she got in the car, like a little myna bird whose switch had been flipped.

"Shen Jingque, look at that tree outside, it's so big!"

"Shen Jingque's steamed bun stall smells so good!"

"Shen Jingque, when are we arriving?"

Shen Jingque leaned against the car wall, her head buzzing from the chatter.

He reached out and pinched her cheeks, squeezing them together to make her mouth look like a fish's mouth.

"Can you please be quiet for a moment?"

She woke up earlier than she does when she goes to school today; she was just so incredibly sleepy.

Xiao Jingshu mumbled incoherently as her cheek was pinched, "Mmm, you're pinching my cheek too hard."

Shen Jingque released her hand, and Xiao Jingshu rubbed her cheeks. After a short while, she suddenly leaned over again, her eyes filled with a gossipy curiosity.

"Shen Jingque, your father and mother...were they very much in love?"

Shen Jingque raised an eyebrow: "What's wrong?"

"I secretly saw it when you got on the bus today," Xiao Jingshu said, covering her mouth and laughing. "When your father helped your mother into the bus, your mother shook his hand, and your father turned completely red."

Shen Jingque sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"My little ancestor, it's a pity you're not in the Embroidered Uniform Guard with your keen observation skills."

"I also discovered," Xiao Jingshu continued chirping, "that while waiting for the carriage, the two of them secretly held hands in their sleeves."

"Stop, stop, stop!" Shen Jingque covered her mouth with her hand. "If you keep talking, I won't be able to look my father in the eye tonight."

Xiao Jingshu pushed her hand away, pouted and sighed, her tone suddenly filled with a sentiment that didn't belong to someone her age.

"That's wonderful. My father and mother never do this."

Shen Jingque looked at her profile, which had suddenly quieted down, reached out and ruffled her hair, but didn't say anything.

The carriage swayed and rattled for most of the hour before finally stopping amidst a growing fragrance of flowers.

As the carriage curtain was lifted, a vast expanse of white pear blossoms covered the mountains and fields, flooding into view.

A gust of wind blew, and the petals fluttered down, carpeting the ground like a blanket of snow.

Xiao Jingshu was the first to jump off the carriage.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he froze on the spot.

She opened her mouth wide, tilted her head back to look at the petals fluttering in the air, and unconsciously spread her arms as if to embrace the entire sea of ​​flowers.

"Wow……"

It uttered only this one syllable; the rest was filled with wind and petals.

Shen Jingque jumped off the carriage and grabbed Xiao Jingshu's hand, rushing into the sea of ​​flowers.

"Let's go! It's even more beautiful inside!"

The two ran hand in hand up the hillside, laughing and shouting as they ran, like two frolicking deer.

Xiao Jingshu suddenly stopped running, squatted down, picked up a handful of petals and threw them into the air, watching them fall softly and settle on each other's hair and shoulders.

She turned to look at Shen Jingque, "I've never seen so many flowers before! Even the imperial garden in the palace isn't this big!"

Shen Jingque squatted down next to her, picked a pear blossom that had fallen on her head, and tucked it behind her ear.

"There will be plenty of opportunities to go out and have fun in the future."

The villa had been cleaned spotlessly, and the long table was laden with tea, snacks, fruits, and a whole set of treats that Xiao Changqi had purchased.

Xiao Changqi volunteered to prepare lunch, patting his chest and saying that he had learned how to roast a whole lamb from people in the Western Regions when he was traveling as a merchant.

As a result, he squatted by the fire and fanned it for a long time. The fire did get bigger, but the tip of his beloved gold fan was licked by the flames and smeared black.

"My fan!"

Xiao Changqi let out a pig-like scream, stamping his feet in heartache.

"This is custom-made! Eight hundred taels of silver per piece!"

Shen Jingque was laughing so hard she couldn't squat down, clutching her stomach and leaning back.

"Second brother, you're using an 800-tael fan to fan the fire while roasting the lamb. Are you here to cook or to burn money?"

"How was I supposed to know the fire would be this big!"

Xiao Changqi looked at his fan with a tearful expression, and like holding an injured child, he carefully blew on the smudged corner.

In the afternoon, the main event began.

Tianjiu led the sports student and another gentle brown pony out of the stables at the villa and stopped them in front of a flat grassy area on the slope.

He looked at Shen Jingque and Xiao Jingshu expressionlessly and began to explain the key points of mounting a horse.

"Hold the reins with your left hand, support the saddle with your right hand, put your left foot in the stirrup, use the momentum to flip yourself onto the horse, lower your center of gravity, and squeeze your knees tightly against the horse's belly."

Xiao Jingshu listened intently, mimicking the famous gesture with both hands in the air.

Shen Jingque nodded and yawned, then quieted down after being stared at by Tian Jiu with an expressionless expression.

She was the first to mount a horse.

He was so nervous that his legs were clenched tightly together, his palms were sweaty, and he dared not loosen his grip on the reins for a moment.

The PE student sensed her stiffness, pawed at the spot, and let out a short snort.

Then, the intelligent little horse very politely lowered its head and slowly took two steps.

"Shen Jingque, you're amazing!" Xiao Jingshu clapped her hands and cheered from the side.

Shen Jingque's bottom ached from the jolting on the horse, but she forced a smile.

The little princess is being praised mindlessly; the standards are too low.

When it was Xiao Jingshu's turn to mount her horse, Shen Jingque was already prepared to watch the excitement.

As a result, the pampered little princess stepped one foot into the stirrup, twisted her waist, and nimbly mounted the horse.

The posture while sitting on horseback is as if it were born that way, with a straight back and relaxed arms.

Even Lian Tianjiu's perpetually icy face showed a hint of surprise.

Standing under the pear tree, watching from afar, Xiao Mingyue narrowed her eyes slightly, a gentle smile playing on her lips.

"This girl..."

Shen Jingque, riding on the sports student's back, watched Xiao Jingshu's effortless movements and sighed repeatedly.

This girl is probably a natural-born martial arts prodigy.

What if she can grow up safely?

What if someone taught her riding and archery?

Perhaps, she will grow into a princess who is skilled in battle, just like Xiao Mingyue.

How could Xiao Jingchen tolerate the existence of such a person?

Thinking of this, Shen Jingque felt a chill run down her spine.