Today, Shen Chuan didn’t show up, but Yue Ling arrived at the horse track bright and early.
At the moment, he was watching the black horse contentedly munching on hay with a pleased expression.
The black horse had been temperamental since birth—docile when in a good mood but mischievous when irritated, even going so far as to "mock" people with its antics.
For the grooms, leading the horse out and back was always a trial.
Let alone transporting it all the way to Great Yan this time.
This was precisely why Yue Ling had disguised himself as part of the envoy delegation—purely to keep the black horse calm.
Yue Ling was one of the few people the horse showed any kindness to, but even so, he had never seen it behave so well in the morning without causing trouble.
He figured it must have suffered under Jiu Yue’s hands yesterday and was now belatedly realizing how good he was in comparison.
With a sigh, he reached out to pat the horse’s head. "If you’d been this well-behaved from the start, none of this would’ve happened. Don’t let me down today…"
Yue Ling was determined to impress the Crown Princess of Great Yan today! He’d show her his dashing figure on horseback!
Far more dashing than that reserved and prim consort of hers!
Yue Ling grinned to himself.
But the moment his hand touched the horse’s head, it immediately began stomping, its nostrils flaring as a distinctly displeased glint flashed in its large, dark eyes.
Yue Ling: "…"
He quickly withdrew his hand, reflexively taking two steps back—only to trip over something and nearly lose his balance.
Jiu Yue, who had been about to greet him but hadn’t gotten the chance before being stepped on: "…"
Her outstretched hand abruptly retracted.
Yue Ling staggered but managed to steady himself, only to look up and meet a pair of unreadable eyes.
Yue Ling: "…"
Yue Ling: "Your Highness!"
Jiu Yue studied him for a moment before asking, "Care to play a game?"
Yue Ling was overjoyed. His eyes immediately darted around, confirming that the detachable ice-block of a consort was nowhere in sight!
This was a heaven-sent opportunity!
Straightening up instantly, Yue Ling wore an expression of absolute confidence. "Of course! What does Your Highness have in mind?"
Jiu Yue smiled innocently. "Given our statuses, we ought to play something grand, don’t you think?"
Yue Ling was more than willing to oblige. Then Jiu Yue said, "Let’s race."
Yue Ling paused, feeling like this was almost too easy.
Jiu Yue added, "I’ll use A’Bao."
Yue Ling: "…Who’s A’Bao?"
With a knowing smile, Jiu Yue walked up to the black horse and affectionately patted its head. "Allow me to introduce my beloved steed. From now on, you may call him A’Bao."
The horse’s dark eyes flicked to Jiu Yue before it calmly resumed eating hay.
Yue Ling’s lip twitched.
He nearly burst out laughing.
"Your Highness, I am a man," he said, his sense of reason prevailing. "This is hardly fair to you."
This horse—no, A’Bao—wasn’t even fully tamed yet. How could it possibly compete?
Unable to hold back, Yue Ling added, "I am the racing prince of the Eastern Yue. Your Highness must be underestimating me."
Jiu Yue blinked. "You’re that skilled?"
Yue Ling crossed his arms and nodded, his chin lifting slightly.
Jiu Yue adopted a solemn expression. "In that case, we should indeed not underestimate you. Let’s set a wager."
Yue Ling raised a brow. "What kind?"
Jiu Yue lightly brushed the boot he had stepped on, her smile still harmless. "What do you want?"
After a moment’s thought, Yue Ling replied, somewhat sheepishly, "If you lose, treat me to a meal."
Jiu Yue considered it, then nodded.
"Deal!" she declared imperiously. "But if you lose, you owe me five hundred taels of gold."
"No problem!" Yue Ling’s eyes lit up with excitement, his confidence unshaken. If anything, he looked eager. "When do we start?"
Jiu Yue smiled. "Once A’Bao is ready. Your Highness may go select your horse in the meantime."
Yue Ling strode off, brimming with fighting spirit. "Then I’ll see you shortly, Your Highness!"
Jiu Yue waved him off.
Yue Ling rubbed his hands together, already summoning his attendant.
"Reserve the finest banquet at Qianwei Pavilion."
Tonight, he would dine with the Crown Princess—alone!
Their agreed-upon rules were simple.
With only two participants, the usual speed-based race was unnecessary… Yue Ling knew better than anyone that no horse in the entire track could rival A’Bao in a straight sprint.
So they settled on two challenges instead.
The first was mounted archery—guards would randomly toss targets into the air, and while completing the required laps, whoever hit the most targets would win.
The second was weighted polo—additional weights would be strapped to the horses to slow them without hindering movement, and within the time limit, whoever scored the most goals would win.
Yue Ling was about to flash a roguish grin when his gaze landed on Jiu Yue, who barely stood taller than the longbow. Then he remembered his mother’s teachings.
One shouldn’t be too competitive with women.
So, reconsidering, he rode up to Jiu Yue and looked down at her. "Your Highness, since we’re only doing two rounds, if it’s a tie, you win."
He felt this was a generous concession.
Jiu Yue: "…"
She lifted her gaze, meeting Yue Ling’s under the sunlight, and chuckled softly.
Very well.
Swinging onto her horse, she took the heavy bow handed to her by a guard.
"No need. A tie counts as my loss," she said, tugging the reins as A’Bao trotted past him. With a friendly yet challenging tone, she added, "After you, Your Highness."
Yue Ling: "?"
Though puzzled, Yue Ling took the competition seriously. Soon, he was also mounted and positioned at the starting line.
The lighthearted atmosphere between them had subtly shifted into something far more competitive.
The track was prepared. Guards stood ready, and one stationed on a high platform waited for both Jiu Yue and Yue Ling to signal their readiness before striking the gong with a heavy mallet.
His voice boomed: "Begin—!"
Horse and rider surged forward as one.
The archery challenge required ten laps around the track while remaining alert for targets. The moment a guard threw one, the rider had to swiftly aim and shoot.
It demanded sharp reflexes, precision, and superb horsemanship.
Yue Ling took an early lead.
The sound of hoofbeats behind him faded—he knew he had pulled ahead of Jiu Yue. But he didn’t grow complacent, nor did he glance back. Instead, he leaned low over his horse, bow at the ready, eyes scanning for targets.
Within moments, a rustling came from above.
Yue Ling looked up just in time to see several straw balls, shaped like footballs, being tossed into the air.
His focus sharpened—he drew his bow—
The straw balls were pierced midair, falling to the ground with arrows embedded in them.
Yue Ling glanced down at the arrow still nocked in his own bow: "…"
