On the stands, Li Hanxing fanned himself and after a moment asked curiously, “What’s Qiu Sichen doing over there?”
Li Hanfeng, sitting nearby, kindly explained, “It seems she doesn’t know how to ride, so Yuanwu is probably teaching her.”
Li Hanxing froze mid-fan, incredulous. “She can shoot arrows but can’t ride a horse?”
Li Hanyuan, unwilling to concede, defended her: “Who says being able to shoot means you have to ride?”
Indeed, the two skills weren’t necessarily connected. Li Hanxing scoffed. “Then what’s the point of this contest? My second brother is guaranteed to win.”
Li Hanyuan disagreed. “Zheng Yuanwu has beaten my brother before, and Seventh Sister has beaten Xinran. In the end, who wins is hard to say.” She looked a bit smug, prompting Li Hanxing to pinch her chubby cheek with a laugh. “I’ll go tell your brother what you said.”
Li Hanyuan’s face froze. “I… I didn’t mean it like that.”
The people on the stands laughed, while Xia Xiuyan lazily stared across the training ground, eyes unfocused.
Below, the two riders circled the field side by side. They started slowly. After a few laps, the girl on horseback gradually relaxed, letting go of the reins with one hand. She gestured toward the boy’s horse, half startled, half delighted, unsure what to say.
Zheng Yuanwu laughed. His young smile shone brilliantly in the autumn sunlight, while Qiu Xinran, seemingly dumbfounded by his grin, looked even funnier. Zheng Yuanwu wiped his face, and the horse beneath him shifted nervously.
Li Hanfeng, watching this, couldn’t help smiling. “Qiu Sichen… sometimes she’s quite entertaining.”
“Hmm?” came an indifferent reply from beside him.
“Before you were around, Zhou Xianyi once invited her over. His sister had returned to her natal home for a short stay, and Zhou wanted Qiu Sichen to help predict when she might conceive. Qiu Sichen normally doesn’t do readings for officials, so Zhou didn’t mention the reason. At the pavilion, she casually complimented the cat in Madam Zhou’s arms. Madam Zhou mentioned the cat was a gift from her husband and that, though they treated it like a child, one cat was lonely. Qiu Sichen reassured her that the household would soon see another joy. Less than a month later, Madam Zhou had news of a pregnancy. Zhou Xianyi brought red-dyed eggs to thank Qiu Sichen. Guess what happened next?”
Li Hanfeng paused for effect, and those nearby, remembering the incident, laughed. Li Hanyuan didn’t know about this and eagerly asked, “So what happened?”
Li Hanfeng chuckled. “Qiu Sichen, utterly confused, asked: ‘Do all the cats at your household get red eggs when they have kittens?’”
The onlookers burst into laughter. Even Xia Xiuyan couldn’t help a faint smile. Li Hanyuan, still puzzled, asked, “But wasn’t it Zhou’s sister who was pregnant?”
Someone explained, “Yes, but Qiu Sichen had seen that the cat was expecting. That’s why she predicted joy for the household. Madam Zhou, meanwhile, was secretly asking her about when she could conceive.”
Li Hanyuan finally understood. Before she could say more, a sudden neigh startled everyone. All eyes turned to the field. Li Hanru, who had just shot arrows, was supposed to turn her horse back after the target, but somehow, she charged straight toward the two riders circling outside.
The sudden charge came at alarming speed. Qiu Xinran, just starting to get comfortable on her horse, froze. Her mount panicked, neighing and rearing, nearly throwing her off.
Zheng Yuanwu steadied his horse and shouted to her, “Hold the reins tight!”
Startled, Qiu Xinran pulled the reins urgently. Her horse pawed at the ground, retreating. Just as the two horses were about to collide, Li Hanru yanked her reins sharply, letting out a long breath. Her mount, a frenzied chestnut, raised its hooves high but stopped just an arm’s length from Qiu Xinran. The horse snorted a few times, then calmed. Li Hanru sat tall, heroic, and shot Qiu Xinran a disdainful glance.
“Seventh Princess, that was dangerous!” Zheng Yuanwu’s face was stern.
Li Hanyi, who had arrived on horseback, saw that no one was hurt and relaxed. He glanced at Li Hanru’s horse. “Are you okay? Want to switch mounts?”
Li Hanru snorted and turned her horse away without a word. The three riders, having reached the edge of the field, dismounted and handed their reins to attendants, leaving without another word.
“What’s her problem?” Li Hanyi muttered, chasing after them.
On the stands, the spectators were still trying to process what had happened, but half the people had already left.
“Did something happen to my second brother and them?”
“The Seventh Princess spooked her horse, probably.”
After some discussion, realizing the spectacle was over, most people packed up to leave.
Li Hanfeng asked Xia Xiuyan, “Are you heading back?”
“I’ll go to Fukang Palace later,” Xia Xiuyan replied.
“No wonder you weren’t in a hurry today,” Li Hanfeng smiled and stood. “I’ll go ahead; you stay a bit longer.”
On the field, Zheng Yuanwu watched Li Hanru leave and sighed. He turned to Qiu Xinran, who was still shaken. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“Want to continue training today?”
Qiu Xinran hesitated, then admitted, “I… I don’t really want to… but I’m too scared to get off.”
She looked pitiful and funny at once. Zheng Yuanwu hid a smile and said, “Then I’ll lead your horse for a few laps.”
He dismounted, gave his horse to an attendant, and took Qiu Xinran’s reins. After a while, her numb legs regained feeling, and she blushed. “It’s fine—I shouldn’t let you hold the reins for me.”
Zheng Yuanwu laughed lightly. “No problem. My father says if I joined his army, I’d just be holding horses anyway.”
Qiu Xinran teased, “So you’re just practicing on me first?”
He nodded seriously. “Exactly. I should thank you for the opportunity.”
They laughed together. After a pause, he said softly, “About earlier… don’t hold it against the Seventh Princess. She’s straightforward, has clear likes and dislikes, but isn’t a bad person.”
“I know,” Qiu Xinran said quickly. She realized Li Hanru had likely intended to let her horse charge close, not accidentally spook her. Curious, she asked, “Does the Seventh Princess like you?”
Zheng Yuanwu stammered, embarrassed. “N-no…” His reaction was telling, but Qiu Xinran decided it was just her imagination.
A while later, he murmured, “Besides, nothing could happen between the Seventh Princess and me…”
“Why not?”
He hesitated, then asked, “Do you know General Xia?”
Qiu Xinran blinked. “You mean Xia Shizi’s father?”
He nodded. “General Xia married Princess Mingyang. They were devoted. After marriage, he left the army and never went to the frontier. At the time, the frontier was in crisis; people criticized him for enjoying luxury, but my father said the Emperor held the capital dear. Any woman could be widowed, but the Princess could not. Any man could die for the state, but a prince consort could not.”
Qiu Xinran had never heard this. “What happened later?”
“Soon after, Princess Mingyang died, leaving only one child. General Xia, grief-stricken, requested to serve at the distant frontier, and the Emperor approved.”
Zheng Yuanwu spoke with respect: “Fanzhou was harsh and often attacked. Few dared go. General Xia strengthened the region, both defending and developing trade. Years later, Fanzhou was no longer the same. Local songs say: ‘Where the Changwu army stands, its fame rules eight directions.’”
“That’s… not exactly good news,” Qiu Xinran murmured.
Zheng Yuanwu sighed. “Indeed, his merits overshadowed the throne. Three years ago, the Emperor, under the Empress Dowager’s pretext of caring for the grandson, brought Xiuyan to the capital to recuperate. Though sickly, it might be for the best…”
With Xia Hongying in place, the court didn’t need another Xia Xiuyan.
They fell silent. After a while, Qiu Xinran asked, “You want to join the army too. Aren’t you afraid…”
Zheng Yuanwu seemed to realize the topic was heavy. He relaxed slightly. “Our family’s different. My father governs the southwest under the King of Anjiang. The court needs someone to balance the region.”
Qiu Xinran nodded. “I see. So keeping you in the capital was to prevent alliances in the southwest. You could still marry a royal princess later.”
Zheng Yuanwu was surprised by her insight. He paused, scratching his head. “True, but I…”
He didn’t finish, but Qiu Xinran understood. With examples like Xia Hongying and Princess Mingyang, he likely wouldn’t want to marry a princess.
They circled the training ground for many laps. The stands were empty, autumn wind rising. Qiu Xinran looked around, suddenly nostalgic for the endless sunsets of Jingxu Mountain.