Shen Chuan grew anxious. "Didn't you say you could tame that horse? Go help Her Highness now!"
Yue Ling wiped his face, his expression strained. "I can only control it briefly when it's calm... Right now, that horse has gone completely wild. Anyone who approaches would just be a hindrance."
"Besides..." Yue Ling's mood turned oddly complicated. "Judging by her skills just now, our worries might be unnecessary."
Shen Chuan frowned and scoffed. "If anything happens to Her Highness, I’ll never forgive myself!"
Yue Ling crossed his arms and snorted. "If you’re useless, why bother pretending otherwise?"
"You—!"
"Me what? I’m not wrong." Yue Ling ignored him, turning his attention back to the figure in the riding arena.
The black horse was still prancing wildly.
Jiu Yue, however, remained unhurried. With her nimble footwork, she danced along on its back as if it were a game.
The two—human and horse—seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Of course, Jiu Yue wasn’t actually playing. She was subtly wearing the horse down, waiting for its temper to subside.
Meanwhile, Fu Yan'an, who had also been watching the scene, fell silent.
"Aren’t you the least bit worried?" He raised a brow, glancing at Sima Qing beside him.
Sima Qing observed Jiu Yue’s struggle with the black horse calmly.
"She can handle it," he said.
Fu Yan'an withdrew his gaze.
Though he didn’t know the full extent of Jiu Yue’s abilities, her profound inner energy alone was proof of her extraordinary skill.
Before, Jiu Yue hadn’t gone into detail about her time in Tianqi, only mentioning in passing before and after their wedding that she and Sima Qing were quite close.
Now, seeing Sima Qing’s reaction, Fu Yan'an had a clearer understanding of just how close that was.
"She trusts you, and you trust her." Fu Yan'an suddenly chuckled. "In a way, you two are well-matched."
"Cousin, you have a sharp eye." Sima Qing’s tone turned unexpectedly amiable.
"...Speak properly." Fu Yan'an felt a strange discomfort but added, "If you can guarantee no mistakes in what you’ve proposed, I’ll cooperate."
Sima Qing smiled faintly.
"Rest assured, Cousin."
......
On the other side, the black horse seemed to be running out of steam, its kicks growing weaker.
Jiu Yue raised a brow at its sluggish movements, then, with a mischievous glint in her eye, settled firmly into the saddle.
The moment she tightened the reins, the horse tried its old trick again.
But Jiu Yue was prepared. She wound the reins tightly around her hand, not bothering to steady herself. Instead, she relaxed slightly, letting the horse’s movements sway her like a rocking chair.
The horse, intent on throwing off this pesky human and trampling her underhoof, soon realized—no matter how hard it bucked, she clung to its back like a burr!
Frustration only fueled its frenzy. It stopped bucking in place and instead bolted recklessly across the arena, turning the entire field into its personal battleground.
Jiu Yue’s eyes lit up.
Oh! Finally, it’s running!
She seized the opportunity, tugging the reins to steer the horse.
The black horse neighed furiously, but Jiu Yue refused to back down. Gripping its sides with her legs, she leaned forward and tilted sideways, locking eyes with one of the horse’s wild orbs.
If it was intelligent enough to understand humans, maybe it could grasp a word or two?
Remembering Shen Chuan’s advice about soothing it, Jiu Yue switched to a gentle, rambling tone.
"Your temper’s worse than mine, huh?"
"Are you a boy or a girl?"
"Running this long—aren’t you tired? I saw you didn’t touch your feed earlier. Are you picky?"
"Or do you just hate fancy hay and prefer plain grass?"
"Why’d you stop neighing? Don’t ignore me! Keep going, come on!"
"Yue Ling never mentioned your name. What do you like? ‘Precious Horse’—how about that? Can I call you that?"
The horse had charged up a slope, but at some point during her monologue, it let out another series of agonized whinnies—as if she were torturing it.
Jiu Yue was stunned.
"Look, I don’t know what’s wrong, but I’ll braid your mane as an apology, okay...?"
The horse beneath her suddenly erupted into another fit, pivoting sharply and galloping back the way it came.
Jiu Yue: "..."
She clicked her tongue in irritation, finally abandoning Shen Chuan’s "gentle taming" method. Freeing one hand, she smacked the horse’s neck several times.
"Are you done yet?! Just tell me what you want!"
"I hate it when things aren’t straightforward!"
"If you’ve got a problem, fight me!"
And so... the group by the fence watched, dumbfounded, as Jiu Yue came barreling toward them, cursing astride the furious horse.
Yue Ling’s eye twitched. "Move back! That thing’s strong enough to plow through us and the fence!"
Jiu Yue sensed the horse’s intent too. Her expression darkened, lips pressed into a tight line.
So it really doesn’t understand words.
Time for the hard approach.
The horse accelerated, mere meters from the fence. Jiu Yue yanked the reins with such force that the beast skidded to a halt, forelegs rearing high again.
"Hyah!" she barked, wrenching the horse into a sharp turn before delivering a sharp slap to its flank. "One more stunt, and I’ll beat you senseless!"
Threats, smacks, enraged neighs—the chaotic symphony echoed across the field.
Shen Chuan, who’d thought himself a horse-taming expert: "..."
Yue Ling, who’d assumed the Crown Princess of Great Yan was a refined lady: "..."
