A dark iron chain as thick as half a forearm was tightly looped around the young man’s slender neck. Wu Lang hung his head low, almost prostrating himself on the ground in an utterly wretched posture as he laboriously lapped at the water in the horse trough before him.
The male consort named Ah Xiao stood to one side, staring at him with clear impatience.
“Move it! Don’t even think about slacking off. This is medicine that the princess graciously bestowed upon you. She ordered that you lick up every last drop to heal the burns in your mouth. Don’t be ungrateful and waste her good intentions!”
He held a glossy leather horsewhip in his hand, bringing it down on Wu Lang from time to time. The young man’s thin back arched sharply, and the gossamer garment that barely covered his body was soon whipped to tatters. Fresh wounds overlaid old scars, oozing bright red blood.
Xue Yunyi’s brows furrowed tightly. Ah Xiao was merely a male consort in Xue Qingzhi’s service—how dare he bully Wu Lang so brazenly?
Or was it… that Xue Qingzhi was indulging him in this?
Her expression darkened, and she lightly tapped the armrest with her fingertips. Mo Ying understood and halted the wheelchair steadily in the open space before the stables.
Only then did Xue Yunyi see clearly that the water in the trough was laced with medicine.
A faint brownish tint floated on the surface, and the bitter medicinal scent mingled with the earthy smell after rain, permeating the damp air all around. The odor was utterly foul.
Xue Yunyi’s lashes trembled; she could scarcely bear to watch.
The trough was filled to the brim—enough that even a horse guzzling freely might not drain it all.
The young man’s head was buried extremely low. Xue Yunyi couldn’t see his expression, only the pitiful inch of damp red in his mouth repeatedly scooping up faint splashes of water. His small abdomen swelled slightly beneath the snow-white gauze, making him look extremely uncomfortable.
Xue Yunyi drew a deep breath and said coldly to Ah Xiao, “He is still someone in my younger sister’s service, the same status as you. How can you treat him like this?”
“Your Highness has misunderstood,” Ah Xiao replied, stowing his whip and bowing unhurriedly to Xue Yunyi. “This base slave accidentally scalded his tongue yesterday. Out of kindness, the princess gave him medicine for it. Good medicine tastes bitter, though, and she worried he wouldn’t drink it all, so she ordered me to watch over him here.”
Hearing Xue Yunyi’s voice, Wu Lang’s body went rigid. Recalling his current abject state, he wished he could burrow into the earth to hide himself, lest he sully her eyes.
Why would the Eldest Princess come here…
Yesterday, Xue Qingzhi had taken a whim and kept him chained for more than two hours of torment. He had only managed a little plain porridge for sustenance and had no strength left to hold out. He dug his nails into his palms until they bruised purple but still couldn’t endure. He couldn’t even kneel steadily and could only croak out pleas for mercy in a hoarse voice.
Xue Qingzhi flew into a thunderous rage, berating his body for being more and more useless, slapping him viciously several times before banishing him to the stables.
Slaves who erred had no right to sleep indoors.
To make matters worse, it had rained in the middle of the night, pattering down with chill winds that battered him in waves, leaving him shivering uncontrollably. When he woke in a daze, Ah Xiao’s mocking, sing-song voice rang in his ear: the princess had bestowed medicine upon him, so why wasn’t he kowtowing in thanks?
As if Xue Qingzhi would kindly treat his injury. It was just another twisted way to humiliate and torment him.
Wu Lang had long grown numb to it. He pretended not to hear Ah Xiao’s sneering barbs, lowering his eyes and bending silently to the task.
Degrading enough already.
If it were just Ah Xiao and the passing palace maids and eunuchs watching, it might have been bearable. But… the Eldest Princess had actually come here…
Heat flooded Wu Lang’s cheeks, slowing his movements. He didn’t dare lift his head and could only dig his fingertips fiercely into the mud, clawing out humiliating furrows.
Xue Yunyi pondered the vague wording in Ah Xiao’s explanation, her brows knitting even deeper. Ordinary scalds happened on exposed skin—how on earth had he burned his tongue?
“Your Highness, the Second Princess is still waiting for you at the training grounds,” Qingdai said with a beaming smile, clearly dismissing Wu Lang entirely. “It’s just a base slave. Why bother with him? Let’s pick a horse first.”
Ah Xiao laughed too. “Sister Qingdai is right. The princess knew Your Highness has trouble with mobility, so she specially instructed me to greet you here. Whichever horse catches Your Highness’s eye, just tell me, and I’ll fetch it for you.”
As his words trailed off, a gust of wind arose, kicking up grit from the ground and scattering it into the shallow brownish pool before Wu Lang. It sent faint ripples trembling across the surface.
Xue Yunyi watched as the young man flinched like a startled bird, then buried his head even lower. Stray locks at his temple dipped into the water, dripping inky trails.
A sour feeling twisted in her heart, but Wu Lang belonged to Xue Qingzhi after all. By the rules, whether he was punished or rewarded was entirely her younger sister’s prerogative—none of her business.
Xue Yunyi lowered her gaze, concealing the reluctance in her eyes, and gestured for Mo Ying to push her onward.
The sky was growing overcast; it might rain again soon.
The wheelchair rolled past Wu Lang. From the corner of her eye, Xue Yunyi glimpsed the unnatural flush on his cheek and pursed her lips. Last night’s rain had been frigid, and these stables were drafty on all sides. Spending a night here would surely bring on a chill.
Ah Xiao had already led a horse over and said to Xue Yunyi of his own accord, “Your Highness, what do you think of this one? It’s a treasure from Yuzhou, named Red Feather. Such beautiful coat—the Second Princess hardly ever rides it herself.”
The red horse’s coat blocked Xue Yunyi’s view. She turned her gaze, silent for a moment, then reached out to take the reins Ah Xiao offered. Red Feather tossed its head, hooves pawing restlessly at the ground.
It was a fiery steed.
Xue Yunyi released the reins impassively. “Since it’s something my younger sister treasures, how could this palace presume to borrow it? Choose another.”
Her eyes swept behind Ah Xiao, and she pointed. “That one.”
Mo Ying looked in the direction she indicated and exclaimed in delighted surprise, “Isn’t that Her Former Majesty the Empress’s Flowing Snow?”
Xue Yunyi murmured agreement and ordered two young eunuchs to bring Flowing Snow before her.
After days apart, it still recognized her.
It nuzzled insistently at Xue Yunyi’s leg with its head, then eagerly rubbed her palm. When she didn’t mount right away, it even knelt down of its own accord, lowering its body.
Xue Yunyi stroked Flowing Snow’s snowy coat. The soft, intimate touch evoked the warmth of Empress Jiang’s embrace—so gentle, so comforting.
She had grown up on Flowing Snow’s back.
Back then, Flowing Snow was just a foal. She rode unsteadily atop it, while Empress Jiang led it by the reins beside her, softly instructing that the children of the Jiang family had always grown up in the saddle. Though she was a princess of noble birth, she too must learn to ride.
Xue Yunyi had nodded in innocent understanding. Flowing Snow had a docile temperament and never once thrown her. She loved riding and never found it tiring.
As she rode, the foal grew into a majestic stallion, and the tiny girl blossomed into a graceful princess.
But later, the Emperor had forcibly claimed Flowing Snow and bestowed it upon Xue Qingzhi.
During last year’s autumn hunt, Empress Jiang had accompanied the imperial carriage. Xue Qingzhi took one look at the horse Empress Jiang rode and coquettishly tugged the Emperor’s sleeve, begging for it before all the ministers.
It was merely a horse; the Emperor waved a hand magnanimously and granted her wish.
He hadn’t anticipated that the ever-mild and yielding Empress would clash with him over a mere beast, even threatening to sever ties.
An emperor’s dignity brooked no challenge. After fruitless arguments, he angrily rebuked her for grave disrespect. Not only did he order Flowing Snow handed over to Xue Qingzhi on the spot, but he also confined the Empress to reflection without decree.
Upon returning to the palace, Empress Jiang fell ill. The sickness came abruptly and mysteriously. The Imperial Hospital exhausted every method, yet her condition not only failed to improve but worsened day by day. Judge Wu, stroking his white beard, sighed that Her Former Majesty suffered from a malady of the heart—one ordinary medicines could not cure.
Young Xue Yunyi hadn’t understood then why Empress Jiang would quarrel so fiercely with the Emperor over Flowing Snow. She still remembered her mother kneeling before the stern imperial presence, silently drawing the phoenix hairpin from her hair and pressing it horizontally to her throat. Her ink-black tresses tumbled loose, whipped into disarray by the mountain winds, yet her eyes remained calm and lucid, startling even the Emperor.
Yet even with death as her threat, Empress Jiang couldn’t make the Emperor rescind his order.
Later, Xue Yunyi had overheard Ah Wan mention that Flowing Snow belonged to the Jiang family.
On the day Empress Jiang entered the palace, her uncle Jiang Yan had entrusted someone to deliver Flowing Snow to her, to ease her boredom.
“Days in the palace are lonely. I only wish my little sister can gallop freely like Flowing Snow, unbound by heaven and earth or the passage of time, and live a life of unbridled joy.”
The handwriting was crude yet earnestly meticulous, each stroke brimming with unspoken care.
That letter remained locked in the makeup box Empress Jiang had left behind, its ink faded and yellowed, soaked by the tears of countless readers.
“Your Highness, are you sure you want this horse? It’s pretty enough, but it’s getting on in years and none too swift. Not like Red Feather—it runs like the wind,” Ah Xiao persisted.
Xue Yunyi ignored him, lifting her eyes to signal Mo Ying to lift her onto the horse.
Mo Ying was a martial maid by training, the best among her attendants, which was why Empress Jiang had assigned her to Xue Yunyi’s service. Effortlessly, she hoisted Xue Yunyi up and settled her securely on the horse’s back. Flowing Snow rose slowly and stood placidly in place.
Xue Yunyi grasped the reins and said softly, “Let’s go.”
Ah Xiao had no choice but to lead Red Feather back to the stables. Empty-handed, he followed behind her as they headed together to the Training Grounds.
The horse Xue Qingzhi planned to ride today was a tall, spirited black stallion.
It had originally been Lin Yi’s mount. When she took a liking to it, Lin Yi naturally didn’t dare refuse. A warhorse that had served him faithfully for over a decade changed masters just like that.
From afar, she spotted Xue Yunyi approaching. Her gaze lingered on Flowing Snow for an instant before she frowned and shot a displeased look at Ah Xiao beside her.
Hadn’t she told him to bring Red Feather to Xue Yunyi?
He couldn’t even handle such a trivial matter. What use was keeping him around?
She didn’t recognize Flowing Snow as the beloved horse of Empress Jiang from years ago. Back then, when she was first learning mounted archery, she had been struck by the creature’s beautiful coat and, on a whim, asked the Emperor for it. But riding and shooting proved too arduous, and after just a few days, she forgot all about Flowing Snow.
Flowing Snow slowly drew closer to her. Xue Qingzhi narrowed her eyes and glanced at Xue Yunyi’s hair.
Nestled amid her piled-up black tresses was a single simple emerald hairpin, its translucent green hue glowing with jade light.
She wasn’t wearing the Jade Butterfly Pearl Step-Shake.
Xue Qingzhi’s eyes grew cold, and she clenched her teeth.
If she didn’t like it, why had she asked for it in the first place?
It was all the fault of that spineless Wu Lang, with his seductive face so like his mother’s—enough to stir pity even in her aloof imperial sister.
Suppressing the anger bubbling inside her, Xue Qingzhi said icily to Ah Xiao, “Where is This Palace’s footstool?”
Ah Xiao froze for a moment before hurriedly replying, “Forgive this servant, Princess. It was Ah Xiao’s oversight.”
With that, he turned and dashed back toward the stables.
Xue Yunyi reined in her horse and glanced at the black stallion Xue Qingzhi held by the reins. In a flat voice, she said, “This is Commander Lin’s warhorse—far taller than an ordinary mount. Little Sister, why not choose a different horse? Then you won’t need a footstool.”
Xue Qingzhi let out a laugh and cast a meaningful glance at Xue Yunyi’s limp legs, dangling powerlessly beside the horse’s belly.
“My riding skills are poor, so of course I’m a bit clumsy. Imperial Sister is truly impressive—no trace of her disability shows at all. Little Sister admires you so much. I hope Imperial Sister won’t hold back and will guide me properly.”
Xue Yunyi replied, “Guidance is too strong a word. I’m just passing the time and can spar with you a little.”
Seeing that she wasn’t angered, Xue Qingzhi snorted heavily. “Just sparring is no fun. Why not set some stakes?”
She had trained in mounted archery under Lin Yi for over half a year. Her practice had been hit-or-miss, but surely she was still far better than a cripple like Xue Yunyi. If she could seize this chance to win back her Moon Pearls…
“It’s been quite some time since I last rode,” Xue Yunyi said lightly. “Naturally, I can’t compare to you, Little Sister.”
Xue Qingzhi felt like she had punched cotton, making a fool of herself. Her expression darkened further.
“Princess, I’ve brought the person.”
Fortunately, Ah Xiao arrived just in time with Wu Lang, giving Xue Qingzhi an outlet for her rage. The youth prostrated himself humbly on the ground, his voice hoarse as he said, “Please mount, Princess.”
Xue Yunyi could scarcely believe that the “footstool” Xue Qingzhi had mentioned was a living person. Incredulous, she watched as Xue Qingzhi turned and planted her foot firmly on Wu Lang’s slender back. A stifled grunt escaped the youth’s throat. His palms pressed desperately against the ground, barely steadying his body enough to keep her from falling.
“Enough. Crawl over there and kneel,” Xue Qingzhi commanded from horseback, looking down imperiously at the youth who remained obediently prostrated.
“Yes.”
Wu Lang rasped his reply and slowly crawled toward the corner.
He had been forced to drink far too much water earlier, leaving his lower abdomen painfully bloated. The crawling posture only intensified his agony, making every movement excruciating.
As he passed beside Flowing Snow, Wu Lang paused for the briefest moment and instinctively ducked his head even lower. Even so, Xue Yunyi noticed his flushed cheeks and the sweat beading at his temples.
He must have caught a chill and developed a fever.
Xue Yunyi’s gaze settled on the youth’s thin waist, her fine brows furrowing slightly.
Xue Qingzhi had already taken a bow and arrows from Jie An, who served at her side. With a mocking smile, she said, “Since Imperial Sister doesn’t dare compete with me, let’s forget it. With your condition, I wouldn’t dream of forcing you.”
Xue Yunyi watched as Wu Lang crawled at a snail’s pace to an inconspicuous corner by the straw target. There he knelt quietly, eyes downcast, like a docile kitten that had been declawed. She could no longer ignore the strange emotion stirring within her. Abruptly, she spoke. “I can compete with you. But I’ll set the stakes.”
“What?”
Xue Qingzhi blinked, caught off guard.
A cold wind whistled across the Training Grounds, making the youth shiver uncontrollably.
Xue Yunyi gripped the reins tightly and gazed at the slender figure. Slowly, she said, “If I win, you set him free.”