Palace Intrigue?: I Make the Emperor Cry by Rewinding Time!-Chapter 120 - 109: Master Equestrian

Among the many excellently bred horses at the Upper Stable, it is easy to spot which one belongs to the Emperor.

In later generations, it was called the Akhal-Teke Horse, one of the three oldest horse breeds. Ever since Emperor Ruiwu, only the imperial family had access to its breeding, serving as a symbol of royalty, and would occasionally be gifted to ministers or relatives who had performed great deeds.

And the best one naturally resides within the Imperial Palace.

Its pale golden fur glistens in the sunlight like silk, with just a glance, one can tell it is extraordinarily rare and valuable. Back then, those who presented it to Emperor Ruiwu didn’t need to use extravagant words to boast, but simply said —

"This is a horse worthy of being ridden by the Heavenly God, and now it is presented to Emperor Yan Chi."

Among the four types of Ferghana horse coat colors, the most famous is the chestnut variety, which, after a long run when slightly sweating, makes it look as if the sweat seeping through its coat is blood in the eyes of others.

However, the current Emperor favors this pale golden Ferghana horse the most and has named it Tengwu.

Earlier, after Yun Jiao finished snacking on the delicacies from Princess Consort Jing’s share at Qixiang Palace, she decided to go horse riding for digestion, and the Eldest Prince insisted on joining, so she had to take him along.

Little Red Rabbit was overjoyed to see its owner, pacing back and forth beside her and occasionally nudging her with its nose.

The Eldest Prince looked on enviously and wanted to ride as well.

Due to his noble status and young age, he couldn’t ride an ordinary tall horse, but with Red Rabbit being small and light, he could give it a try while held by a skilled eunuch. Thus, Yun Jiao generously lent the beloved horse and picked another to ride herself.

She ended up choosing Tengwu.

Cold sweat instantly trickled down the forehead of Eunuch Lu, the overseer: "Lady, this horse might be difficult to ride, perhaps you’d like to pick another one?"

"I just like it."

Eunuch Lu sighed: "Lady, this is the Emperor’s horse."

"Did the Emperor say that no one else can ride it?"

"Not exactly, it’s just that it has a wild nature and only listens to the Emperor, I’m afraid it might hurt you, Lady."

Eunuch Lu said this because previously when Prince Duan came, he was thrown off by Tengwu.

For this, the Emperor had instructed that apart from Prince Kang, others could borrow the horse at their discretion, but if they were thrown off by Tengwu, he wouldn’t be held responsible: "I truly fear for your safety, Lady, otherwise even at the risk of being scolded by the Emperor, I’d have to give you this face! Last time, when Mr. Wei wanted to ride, he was thrown off by Tengwu and took half a month to recover."

No one is more informed than the palace attendants, and Eunuch Lu had long known about Concubine Xi’s tremendous favor.

Had it been anyone else asking to ride Tengwu, he would have promptly dismissed them with a few words, but now he had to patiently explain with a smiling face.

"Uh, I see..."

Upon hearing this, Yun Jiao was inclined to back off.

"How could you speak to Lady Xi like that! You lowly servant looking down on people,"

The Eldest Prince, sitting on Red Rabbit’s back, was extremely displeased upon hearing Eunuch Lu’s words, his small face revealing an air of imperial majesty: "Lady Xi told me in Qixiang Palace, her excellent riding skills astounded everyone at the Hanyang Hunting Ground, no matter how wild the horses were, they’d become as docile as puppies in front of her, though she’s long since tamed many wild horses and grown tired of them. It was this cute little horse that caught her eye."

Eunuch Lu’s eyes widened in shock.

As someone working at the Upper Stable, of course he understood horses.

Forgive him for staring in disbelief at Concubine Xi, unable to see any trace of horse-handling skills in her.

At this moment, Tengwu beside them acted as if it understood the words, snorting through its nostrils, much like the Emperor himself scoffing at her presumptuousness.

"I apologize, I did not recognize Taishan," he pleaded with his raspy voice.

The Eldest Prince lifted his small face arrogantly:

"If you know your mistake, then quickly bring out Tengwu!"

With that, he turned back, smiling cutely at Yun Jiao: "Lady Xi, don’t get angry with the lowly servant, quickly get up."

Yun Jiao: ...

Every word of the Eldest Prince was like being roasted over a fire!

How did the Eldest Prince take all her boasting at Qixiang Palace seriously without even a hint of doubt? Staring at the boy’s puppy eyes, Yun Jiao found herself unable to admit, "Haha, I was just pretending."

So Yun Jiao had no choice but to save the scene, gritting her teeth as she mounted the horse.

Every time she was thrown off, she’d immediately restart.

She had no other virtue but her skill in restarting was particularly adept; it had become instinctive. After going through it many times, she somehow managed to figure out a trick. No matter how the wild horse struggled beneath her, it seemed to be under her control. Tengwu couldn’t understand how such a frail novice could master its reactions so thoroughly, eventually stopping its struggle, grudgingly tolerating her on its back.

The view from atop the Ferghana horse was much more expansive than from Little Red Rabbit’s back.

Without comparison, there is no recognition of inadequacy.

With this comparison, Little Red Rabbit seemed like a puny rogue.

"See, I told you, Tengwu is no big deal," Yun Jiao boasted proudly to the Eldest Prince.

"Lady Xi is truly impressive!"

The Eldest Prince looked at Yun Jiao with admiration.

Just as she was gearing up to start a new round of boasting, Tengwu, who had been ignoring her, suddenly became restless and dashed uncontrollably toward the southeast.

"Lady Xi!"

Eunuch Lu’s face went pale: "Concubine Xi! Pull it back! Tighten your legs around the horse’s belly!"

Other eunuchs also rushed to chase after them.

Little Red Rabbit had never jostled Yun Jiao like this, and she finally realized the power of a wild horse, being jolted until her soul was nearly scared out of her. Ahead, in the distance of the southeast, a bright yellow figure stood calmly watching her.

"Protect the Emperor!"

Tengwu eagerly charged toward its master, coming to an abrupt stop just before it collided with the Emperor.

"Reckless."

Xie Zhixing sighed, raising a hand to stroke the horse’s head.

Tengwu, arrogant in front of others, was exceedingly gentle before the Emperor. Yun Jiao, sitting red-eyed and nervously on its back, looked at him with helpless innocence, making her look very pitiful: "Be good, let me help you down," he said.

Startled out of her wits, Yun Jiao opened her arms to wrap around his neck, and he held her in his embrace.

"If you want to learn to ride, take it step by step. Tengwu has a bad temperament, learned to be afraid now?"

Xie Zhixing didn’t intend to mock her; he just thought that behavior was dangerous.

He always carried himself with dignity, never risking his safety for frivolous excitement.

However, Yun Jiao raised her head from his arms, puffing cheekily: "Wasn’t prepared mentally before, just wait and see."

How to wait and see?

In the next moment, time reversed, and Yun Jiao was back on the horse, with Tengwu yet to go wild.

She estimated the time in her heart, saying preemptively: "Look, the Emperor is also here."

Yun Jiao looked toward the southeast.

With those words said ahead of time, Tengwu’s subsequent wild dash seemed intentional on her part.

A strategic smile played at her lips, the horse galloped all the way to Xie Zhixing, and she reached out her hands to him: "Your servant greets the Emperor, may the Emperor embrace your servant, please."

— It wasn’t that she didn’t want to keep pretending, it’s just that she hadn’t learned how to dismount on her own.