“It—it was clearly this lowly one’s ignorance. How dare I raise a whip in front of Jieyuan Song…”
The steward forcibly swallowed the rest of his explanation.
Wen Yunwan frowned.
She turned to Song Yanzhou. “Does he bully you often?”
The calm returned to the young man’s eyes the instant she looked back at him. He neither confirmed nor denied it, merely saying calmly, “It’s all in the past.”
Wen Yunwan: …
“What do you mean, ‘in the past’? If I hadn’t come just now, that whip would have landed on you!”
She was furious.
She knew Song Yanzhou had a good temper—he hadn’t even lost his temper after she had pestered him for so long back then—but she hadn’t realized his patience extended this far.
Didn’t he even know to fight back when someone hit him?
Looking at him with exasperation, Wen Yunwan said angrily, “You and I really can’t communicate!”
She threw out those words and stormed away.
Song Yanzhou’s eyes remained fixed on her.
He watched her stride away at a brisk pace, watched her mount her horse with practiced ease, and watched her ride off.
Only then did he withdraw his gaze.
Of course, the days when he was bullied were all in the past.
Now, it was time for him to collect the interest.
He truly did not care whether others discovered his viciousness. As for his reputation, he had long since thrown it away completely.
But after seeing her figure, he instinctively wanted to hide this side of himself.
A gallant hero would surely hate rats hiding in the gutter most of all.
“J-Jieyuan Song…”
The steward’s back was burning horribly, and he could not afford to offend the prefect’s daughter. He could only swallow his grievance and say, “Those silver taels… could you give me another month?”
Song Yanzhou looked at him, violence churning in the depths of his eyes.
He had never intended to let this steward live.
But now, she had seen him.
If the steward died, would she suspect that he had done it?
For the first time in Song Yanzhou’s life, he felt such an emotion.
He could not tell whether he feared Wen Yunwan suspecting him, or feared Wen Yunwan detesting him.
The feeling made him extremely uncomfortable.
He looked at the steward.
“All right.”
He agreed.
Wen Yunwan ran two more laps before returning, and only then did the Zhou siblings arrive at a leisurely pace.
“Why are you so slow?”
Wen Yunwan looked at them with disdain.
The Zhou siblings’ expressions turned ugly.
They had spent some time plotting in the carriage, but what did Wen Yunwan mean by that?
She actually dared to reprimand them?!
Who had given her the nerve?!
“Dongzhi, have the servants take them to change.”
Seeing their faces as ugly as excrement, Wen Yunwan could not be bothered to say another word. After giving the order, she tugged on the reins and shot off into the distance.
Once the siblings had changed clothes, Zhou Huai’an lowered his voice when he saw that no one was around. “You’re sure she ate it?”
Zhou Shuangmian was not nearly as cautious as he was. She said carelessly, “Don’t worry, Brother. When Wen Yunwan was cursing us just now, I saw Cuiyu secretly stuff the poison hemlock into the horse’s mouth with my own eyes. It should take effect soon. Cuiyu still has some left. If that horse is fine later, I’ll have Cuiyu feed it more.”
Zhou Huai’an barked, “Keep your voice down!”
He checked again to make sure no one was nearby before continuing, “Just sit and watch later. When you see me carry her out, start crying exactly as I told you. Understand?”
Zhou Shuangmian waved impatiently. “I know, Brother. Hurry up and go, or you won’t make it in time to play the hero and save the beauty.”
The siblings walked off together, completely unaware that a figure stood behind them.
They were too far away for Song Yanzhou to hear what Zhou Huai’an had said, but he had heard Zhou Shuangmian’s voice.
Poison hemlock. A horse would go mad after eating it.
Song Yanzhou wanted to turn around and leave, but his feet seemed nailed to the ground.
He could not move.
At last, the young man exhaled a breath of stale air, took a bag of saltpeter, and walked toward the horse ranch.
Consider it repayment to her.
That was what he told himself.
Xiaobai went mad earlier than Zhou Huai’an had anticipated—and far more violently.
The horse ranch descended into chaos, and Zhou Huai’an did not even have a chance to approach.
Dongzhi rushed straight inside in a panic, but after only two steps, Wen Yunwan shouted at her to stop.
When Dongzhi still tried to come closer, she was nearly struck by a lash.
Zhou Huai’an, sweating anxiously on horseback, was utterly helpless. He could only shout toward the girl, “Yunwan, don’t be afraid! Wait for me to come save you!”
In reality, he could not even get close.
Wen Yunwan’s riding skills were better than he had imagined.
The crazed horse had not managed to throw her off, and she looked astonishingly calm under the circumstances. Yet her palms were already slick with sweat.
She did not know what to do, only that she could not be thrown off.
Otherwise, she would die all over again.
She held the reins tight and planted her feet firmly in the stirrups, but Zhou Huai’an still kept shouting uselessly at her from nearby.
It was the same thing over and over: Don’t let go. Keep your feet steady.
Did he think she didn’t know that?
She had to find the right moment to jump down. Otherwise, if Xiaobai threw her off, she would be crippled even if she did not die.
Seeing her remain silent, Zhou Huai’an could not tell whether she was truly calm or had already been scared senseless.
How had this horse gone so completely berserk?
He had intended to be a hero saving a beauty, not a hero throwing his life away.
Wen Yunwan simply could not find a chance to dismount. Her heart raced faster and faster, and she gradually began to despair.
Amid the swirling dust, a figure charged into the horse ranch before anyone could react.
The out-of-control Xiaobai rushed straight toward him.
Wen Yunwan also saw the man’s face clearly.
His clothes were no different from yesterday’s. His cold, pale skin gleamed beneath the sunlight. In contrast to the scattering crowd, he stood there, breathing slightly hard, fearlessly facing the maddened horse.
She cried out in alarm, “Get out of the way! It’s out of control!”
Song Yanzhou did not move an inch, but his voice reached Wen Yunwan clearly.
“Jump down toward me.”
As he spoke, he lifted the bag in his hand.
“Saltpeter.”
Wen Yunwan instantly understood what he intended to do.
The moment Xiaobai was about to reach Song Yanzhou, he swung up the hand holding the bag. The smell of saltpeter immediately filled the air.
Saltpeter—the scent horses feared most.
Acting on instinct to avoid it, Xiaobai turned and bolted.
“Jump!”
Wen Yunwan no longer hesitated. She jumped straight toward Song Yanzhou.
The young man reached out and caught her. He could have kept his footing, but Xiaobai kicked up its hooves, and as he dodged them, he still ended up falling to the ground with her in his arms.
Everything happened so quickly that no one had time to react.
The ranch master was the first to recover. He hurriedly led people to subdue the crazed horse.
The surroundings were chaotic and noisy.
The footsteps of numerous people gradually became clearer.
Yet all Wen Yunwan could hear was the strong beating of the young man’s heart beneath his thin clothes.
Thud—
Thud—
Thud—
He had shielded her in his arms, leaving her completely unharmed, but her mind was still somewhat dazed.
Zhou Huai’an watched the heroic rescue he had arranged being snatched away by someone else, and he was so furious he wanted to kill this impoverished servant.
He dismounted aggressively, his face frighteningly dark. “Who are you? Let go of Yunwan!”
Song Yanzhou had been prepared to take a kick from the horse, but fortunately, he had avoided it.
He ignored Zhou Huai’an, though his arms loosened around Wen Yunwan. “Are you hurt?”
Only then did Wen Yunwan lift her head from his arms. Bracing herself against his lean, bony chest, she sat up, her eyes red.
“It was so dangerous just now. Why did you run over?”
Zhou Huai’an stood right beside them. Seeing that her expression changed when she looked at Song Yanzhou, he immediately came over and said with concern, “Sister Yunwan, are you all right? I was scared to death just now. I wanted to save you, but I didn’t make it in time…”
“I’m asking you!”
Wen Yunwan did not look at Zhou Huai’an, as if she could not hear him. She only watched Song Yanzhou.
Seeing her reddened eyes, Song Yanzhou’s throat bobbed. He sat up as well.
“You’ll be fine.”
“I was prepared.”
After saying this, he stood and began gathering the silver scattered all over the ground.
It was his compensation—forty taels. The cloth bag had fallen during the chaos, spilling the money everywhere.
Zhou Huai’an let out a scornful laugh and mocked him without the slightest courtesy. “You rushed in here for this little bit of silver? Tell me, how much do you want for saving Yunwan? I’ll give you however much you ask for.”