Yun Si met Xie Yan’s gaze and shuddered in alarm!
Had she been discovered?
Yun Si felt like prey locked in the sights of a natural predator. She immediately wanted to retreat but realized that moving now would only draw more attention.
From such a distance… the Emperor couldn’t possibly see her clearly.
Suppressing the urge to flee, Yun Si stood still, feeling every hair on her body stand on end.
Sure enough, moments later, the man shifted his gaze away.
Yun Si secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Had the man just happened to look in her direction? From so far away, he definitely couldn’t make out her face. Even if he could see her face clearly, it wouldn’t matter—her disguise as a man was flawless.
Everyone knelt down one after another to pay their respects to the Emperor.
Yun Si followed the crowd, kneeling at a measured pace, hiding herself among the throng.
The Emperor ignored the bowing crowd and walked straight into his tent. Shortly after, a eunuch emerged from the tent and instructed everyone to rise.
This was Yun Si’s first time at the autumn hunt, and she quickly noticed the arrangement of the tents. The Emperor’s tent was the tallest and largest, positioned prominently at the center, surrounded by others like stars around the moon. The remaining tents were arranged according to status and closeness to the Emperor, with those of the imperial relatives closest to his, followed by the ministers’ tents in the outer circle.
Prime Minister Yun’s tent was the closest to the Emperor’s among the ministers.
Standing before her tent, Yun Si gazed at the high peak of the Emperor’s tent… She had truly found the man from her dreams, and at this moment, he was within arm’s reach.
Yet, the man’s status made him feel as distant as the heavens, lofty and unattainable.
Little did Yun Si know that as she looked toward Xie Yan, he was also thinking of her inside his tent.
“Who would have thought… Prime Minister Yun, who appears so upright, also favors young and beautiful maidservants.”
The personal eunuch Liao Mingzhi didn’t understand. “Your Majesty, what did you say?”
Xie Yan shook his head and said nothing more.
Xie Yan’s hearing and eyesight far surpassed those of ordinary people. From such a distance earlier, he had immediately recognized that the “page” behind Prime Minister Yun was actually a woman in disguise.
For a woman to dress as a man and accompany Prime Minister Yun to the autumn hunt—she must be a maidservant he had recently grown extremely fond of, right?
Xie Yan had long heard that Prime Minister Yun, apart from his wife, had only one concubine, taken solely because his wife had not borne him a son.
Xie Yan had originally thought Prime Minister Yun was a rare, truly upright man. It turned out he was just as hypocritical as everyone else in the world.
Having only one concubine at home didn’t stop him from bringing a disguised maidservant along on his travels.
Tsk, tsk. Who knew whether Prime Minister Yun couldn’t resist the maidservant’s pleading or whether he himself was shamelessly unwilling to part with her even for a few days.
From such a distance earlier, he hadn’t gotten a clear look at the maidservant’s appearance. Curiosity stirred in Xie Yan’s heart. Later, he would take a good look at just how beautiful this maidservant was to have so thoroughly bewitched the hypocritical Prime Minister Yun.
As for the matter of disguising as a man, if Xie Yan chose not to pursue it, that would be the end of it. But if he decided to investigate, he could immediately charge Prime Minister Yun with the crime of deceiving the Emperor!
Xie Yan rested in his tent for half a day before heading out for a ride.
To his surprise, as soon as he stepped out of his tent, he saw Prime Minister Yun’s disguised little maidservant already on horseback, and her riding skills appeared quite impressive!
Xie Yan narrowed his eyes. How would a maidservant have had the opportunity to learn horseback riding?
It seemed Prime Minister Yun truly doted on her, having taught her to ride within the Chancellor’s Mansion.
Xie Yan rode his horse closer to the little maid, scrutinizing her with a cold expression. When disguised as a man, she must have darkened her skin, thickened her eyebrows, and concealed her figure to appear masculine…
With so many people around, no one had noticed she was a woman in disguise.
Disguised so convincingly as a man, her feminine beauty was surely hidden. Xie Yan stared at the face of the “graceful young man” before him, trying to reconstruct the little maid’s beauty from her features.
Tsk… she didn’t look all that remarkable.
The old Prime Minister Yun must be losing his mind!
Yun Si watched as the Emperor rode his horse closer and closer to her, not daring to look directly at him but keeping a tight watch on his movements from the corner of her eye.
Closer… even closer…
The Emperor’s gaze swept in her direction. Could he be looking at her?
Yun Si’s heart pounded so hard it felt ready to leap from her throat. From the corner of her eye, she saw the Emperor’s long legs gripping the horse’s sides, the dark riding outfit outlining their smooth, powerful lines…
For some reason, an image of the Emperor from her dreams surfaced in her mind. She already knew exactly what those legs looked like beneath the fabric…
At this thought, Yun Si’s cheeks flushed crimson, burning as if about to steam, and a parched, thirsty sensation washed over her…
No, no, no! She had to stop—she couldn’t let her thoughts wander any further!
The Emperor definitely wasn’t looking at her. She had no reason to feel guilty like a thief, nor should she indulge in wild fantasies…
As Yun Si silently recited calming mantras in her mind to steady herself, she suddenly saw the Emperor charge straight toward her on his horse, yanking the reins to a halt before her, then sweeping his long arm out.
“You, you, you, you… all of you, come race with me.”
Yun Si stood frozen in place. Among those the Emperor had pointed out… was her!
Prime Minister Yun, seeing Xie Yan select Yun Si, grew frantic with worry and hurried forward to apologize. “Your Majesty, this servant of mine is unskilled in horsemanship. It would be best not to include him in the race, lest he spoil Your Majesty’s enjoyment.”
The Emperor glanced lightly at Prime Minister Yun. “Let her go.”
Prime Minister Yun was so anxious he nearly fainted, but he dared not protest further. The Emperor was unyielding in his decisions—the more one tried to dissuade him, the more stubborn he became.
If he said too much, Prime Minister Yun feared arousing the Emperor’s suspicion.
He quickly changed his approach. “Your Majesty, this old minister also wishes to race with you. Please allow me to join!”
Xie Yan thought to himself, So this little maid disguised as a man truly is Prime Minister Yun’s beloved treasure.
The moment she leaves his sight and mingles alone among men, he grows uneasy.
The more Prime Minister Yun acts this way, the less I’ll let him have his wish.
He raised his riding crop and pointed it at Prime Minister Yun. “Your old arms and legs need not trouble themselves to follow.”
“Not a single one of those I selected may be missing. Follow me!”
Xie Yan cracked his whip in the air, the lash slicing through with a sharp, crisp sound. “Move!”
Prime Minister Yun was beside himself with panic. He had agreed to let Yun Si attend the autumn hunt disguised as a man only because he believed he could keep his daughter protected by his side at all times, with Jin Ming and Bai Hao also disguised as men to accompany her.
He never imagined things would turn out like this. He wanted to keep his daughter back, but the Emperor refused! He wanted to go along himself, but the Emperor refused that too!
Yun Si was also stunned. Helplessly, she looked toward her father, hiding her panic deep in her eyes.
She was even more afraid than her father. Her father didn’t know she was the woman from the Emperor’s dreams, didn’t know she was the woman with a small red mole on her waist whom the Emperor was seeking for the imperial consort selection, and certainly didn’t know she felt an indescribable, irresistible sensation whenever she faced the Emperor…
Yun Si was especially terrified that the Emperor might notice her unusual behavior.
The Emperor seemed to have already sensed something, casting suspicious glances back and forth between Yun Si and Prime Minister Yun…
Just then, Xie Changze stepped forward: “Imperial Uncle, let me join the horse race!”
Xie Yan’s lips curved into a smile: “Alright! Let’s go!”
Interesting, truly interesting! Xie Yan’s face was full of amusement; he hadn’t encountered anything this intriguing in a long time.
Xie Yan had already noticed that after he selected the little maid for the horse race, not only did the little maid and Prime Minister Yun each have their own dramatic reactions, but his nephew Xie Changze’s response was also extremely fascinating.
What did this have to do with Xie Changze?
It seemed his nephew also knew about the woman disguised as a man—his father-in-law’s romantic affairs hadn’t escaped his notice…
But wasn’t his nephew being a bit too eager to please his father-in-law?
Volunteering to his imperial uncle, personally going to protect his father-in-law’s beloved pet?
Although Xie Changze was Xie Yan’s own nephew, Xie Yan had never placed much importance on blood ties and didn’t know his nephew well.
Xie Yan thought to himself, Xie Changze was, after all, a young prince—why was he so obsequious toward his father-in-law? Was it just his nature, or was he extremely satisfied with his fiancée?
He wondered what Prime Minister Yun’s daughter looked like? But no matter how beautiful she might be, it wouldn’t matter—the daughter of Prime Minister Yun was surely a little prude raised by an old prude.
Xie Yan cracked his whip and galloped ahead, with those he had selected quickly following suit.
In truth, aside from Yun Si, everyone chosen was among Xie Yan’s personal guards, who were supposed to accompany him during his rides anyway.
Afraid of standing out, Yun Si hurriedly gave her horse a light squeeze with her legs, urging it to speed up.
Xie Changze had just wanted to remind Yun Si, but unexpectedly, she reacted faster than he did. Riding alongside her, he stayed close—if Yun Si encountered any danger, he could intervene immediately.
Xie Yan’s sword-like eyebrows lifted slightly.
Interesting… truly fascinating.
Whether it was Xie Changze’s protective stance toward the “little maid,” the “little maid’s” skilled horsemanship, or the extraordinary steed beneath her… everything made Xie Yan find the situation utterly captivating.