“Ah—Qin Wan! How dare you—you—” Tuoba Wu’s horse galloped forward like a mad beast. She wanted to turn back to rebuke Qin Wan, but with the slightest movement, she nearly fell off the horse’s back. Unlike Qin Wan, Tuoba Wu’s martial arts skills were not weak, and an ordinary mad horse shouldn’t have affected her. She had initially thought this way, but somehow, her horse had become even more frenzied than the white horse Qin Wan had just ridden. Tuoba Wu dared not be careless; she frowned and pulled tight on the reins. With her skills, taming a horse shouldn’t have been difficult.
Tuoba Wu was confident, and even as the horse became increasingly manic, she didn’t think about dismounting. Instead, she wanted to subdue the frenzied horse. However, the more she pulled on the reins, the more wildly the horse ran. Tuoba Wu’s bones rattled from the jolting, and she quickly broke into a sweat. Yet knowing Qin Wan was watching from behind, she refused to lose face and used all her strength to rein in the horse. Even with all her might, the horse only slightly changed its direction of gallop—
Caught in danger, Tuoba Wu couldn’t understand how things had turned out this way.
She had meant to mock Qin Wan, to teach Qin Wan a lesson. Qin Wan had fallen off her horse in disgrace, but how had her horse become like this?
These horses had all come with them from Northern Wei, and this batch of chestnut horses had been with her since they were young. She knew her horse wasn’t a useless creature that couldn’t stand the sight of blood, so where did this madness come from?
Tuoba Wu carried a dagger at her side, and she could have killed the horse as Qin Wan had done, but how could she bring herself to do it? This horse had been with her for almost ten years; she could never bring herself to harm it!
The horse’s frenzy came unexpectedly—unable to tame it, unwilling to kill it—what could she do? Tuoba Wu’s heart was filled with anxiety, and if this continued, she would become exhausted and injured—
Her brows were tightly furrowed, and her hands, from gripping the reins too tightly, had developed bloody marks on the palms.
Tuoba Wu couldn’t understand how what had just happened to Qin Wan had so quickly befallen her!
“Your Highness—”
Seeing Tuoba Wu carried away by the mad horse, and watching her change direction, being jolted about the horse grounds as if she could fly off at any moment, the Northern Wei maid became anxious. She glared fiercely at Qin Wan, “How dare you! If anything happens to our Princess, we will certainly seek justice from the Emperor and Empress—”
Qin Wan narrowed her eyes at the maid, who felt inexplicably uneasy under her gaze.
Qin Wan originally didn’t want to waste words with a maid, but looking up, she saw many figures approaching the horse grounds. Qin Wan gave a cold laugh, “It seems there’s no need for you to seek justice—”
The maid was slightly startled and turned to look, seeing a large group of people heading towards the horse grounds. At the front were none other than the Empress Dowager and Emperor Yan Huai, sharing an imperial carriage. Behind them were Crown Prince Yan Che, Prince Cheng Yan Qi, Prince Rui’s heir Yan Chi, Prince Gong’s heir Yan Li, along with Northern Wei’s Crown Prince Tuoba Hong, Fifth Prince Tuoba Rui, and Western Liang’s Third Prince Liu Yun, all on horseback. Many guards surrounded them. Seeing this scene, the maid suddenly panicked. When she looked back, she saw Tuoba Wu fall from her horse in the far distance!
The maid cried out in alarm and, forgetting everything else, immediately rode off to find Tuoba Wu.
Bai Ying whispered in Qin Wan’s ear, “Miss, when the white horse went mad earlier, the guards nearby who saw something was wrong went toward the main tent. I think they must have reported it, bringing the Empress Dowager here.”
Qin Wan’s lips curled slightly, “Perfect timing.”
At these four words, Bai Ying was slightly surprised. She had originally thought Qin Wan only showed such an imposing manner during the autopsy, but she hadn’t expected that when others bullied her, Qin Wan would be equally unforgiving.
Tuoba Wu didn’t understand Qin Wan deeply, but she had followed Qin Wan for half a year. The madness of Tuoba Wu’s horse must have been Qin Wan’s doing. Thinking this, Bai Ying couldn’t help but worry. Although Tuoba Wu was the culprit, she was still a princess. Even with the Empress Dowager’s and others’ favor, Qin Wan’s status still couldn’t compare to that of a princess.
As Yan Huai and the others drew closer, Qin Wan stood motionless in place. When the Empress Dowager saw Qin Wan’s condition and the fallen white horse bleeding profusely, her expression changed dramatically. Just as she felt her heart tighten, she saw someone riding ahead toward Qin Wan at full speed—it was Yan Chi!
Yan Huai and the others all saw this. The Empress Dowager hurriedly said, “Yan Chi, quickly go see if Nine Girl is injured!”
With the Empress Dowager’s words, it seemed as if Yan Chi had received her order. His horse whip fell sharply as he galloped to Qin Wan’s side. Yan Chi was on horseback while Qin Wan stood on the ground; their eyes met, and Qin Wan secretly shook her head.
Yan Chi’s eyes were full of urgency as he looked Qin Wan up and down before slightly relaxing. Although Qin Wan was supported by Bai Ying, she could stand steadily, showing she wasn’t seriously injured. However, her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were covered in blood, looking quite pitiful. Looking at the white horse on the ground and the cold blade in Qin Wan’s hand, Yan Chi raised his eyes and coldly looked toward Tuoba Wu in the distance. He narrowed his eyes, glanced at Qin Wan again, and then turned his horse to meet the Empress Dowager and others.
“Royal Grandmother, Nine Miss appears to be seriously injured.”
At Yan Chi’s words, the Empress Dowager only made the carriage move faster. Yan Huai also frowned deeply, “Quickly, summon the Imperial Physician! What exactly happened today? Wasn’t it said there was an accident during horse riding?”
At Yan Huai’s command, guards immediately returned to the main camp. The Horse Grounds Marshal who had reported the incident said, “Your Majesty, Nine Miss was fine when she arrived, but soon her white horse went mad. At first, we didn’t think anything was wrong, but later when we saw Nine Miss seemed to be badly affected by the white horse’s frenzy, this humble official sent someone to report.”
Yan Huai frowned, “So the horse suddenly went mad?”
As they spoke, the carriage finally reached Qin Wan. The Empress Dowager hurriedly descended from the carriage.
“Nine Girl, what happened?! Weren’t you supposed to help treat the Northern Wei Princess’s patient? Why are you covered in so much blood? Where are you injured?”
Qin Wan bowed in greeting, but the Empress Dowager quickly helped her up. Qin Wan lowered her eyes and shook her head, “Empress Dowager need not worry, not all this blood is mine—some is from the mad horse.”
“Mad horse?” The Empress Dowager looked at the fallen white horse.
Meanwhile, Bai Ying spoke with a slightly trembling voice, “Empress Dowager, there’s something wrong with this horse—”
Tuoba Hong and the others had also arrived. Hearing this, he looked at the white horse and found it very familiar. Looking more carefully, he was shocked—wasn’t this Tuoba Wu’s horse?!
Tuoba Hong immediately said, “How is this possible? This horse is Wu’er’s, it couldn’t have any problems.”
Bai Ying raised her eyes and looked at Tuoba Hong with deep intensity, “Your Highness the Crown Prince, would this horse obey the Princess’s commands?”
Tuoba Hong’s heart flashed with a moment of weighing options. He didn’t want things to develop unfavorably for Tuoba Wu, but she was currently dozens of zhang away from everyone, unable to approach, and Tuoba Wu didn’t know how things had reached this point. To avoid mistakes, he could only nod, “Yes, this is Wu’er’s horse, it does indeed obey her.”
At this admission, Bai Ying’s expression became somewhat resentful. She gave Tuoba Hong a deep look, then suddenly knelt before the Empress Dowager and Yan Huai. Among those present were all nobles; as a maid, she could only speak after kneeling.
“Please, Your Majesty and Empress Dowager, seek justice for my Miss. Empress Dowager knows that today my Miss kindly helped the Princess treat a patient. After leaving the Empress Dowager’s main tent, the Princess had my Miss mount a horse. At the time, my Miss still asked the Princess where the patient to be treated was, but the Princess led my Miss to the horse grounds. Upon arriving, the Princess immediately said the horse my Miss was to treat was this white horse. Before my Miss could react, the Princess blew a whistle, and with one whistle, this white horse immediately went mad. This servant wanted to save my Miss, but the Princess’s maid stopped me…”
Bai Ying suddenly looked up, accusing, “Please, Your Majesty and Empress Dowager, seek justice for my Miss! The Princess’s intentions are unclear, but today, she meant to kill my Miss!”
In the distance, Tuoba Wu, who had fallen from her horse, was walking towards Qin Wan. Her face showed anger, and her steps were quick. Meanwhile, Tuoba Hong’s expression had changed several times; he knew Tuoba Wu was capable of doing such a thing.
“This… surely there must be some misunderstanding… how could Wu’er be so discourteous to Nine Miss?”
After Bai Ying finished speaking, it was Qin Wan’s turn to speak. She tucked the cold blade into her sleeve and brushed the blood stains from her skirt. “If there’s any misunderstanding, Your Highness the Crown Prince should ask the Princess. Today, before the Empress Dowager, the Princess asked for my help, but she didn’t say she wanted me to treat this white horse. After leaving the Empress Dowager’s tent, she watched me mount the white horse, not only failing to mention it was a mad horse, but at the horse grounds, she even used a whistle as a trigger. When the white horse went mad, the Princess seemed quite delighted.”
If Bai Ying’s words were accusations born from concern for Qin Wan, then Qin Wan’s current words were solid evidence condemning Tuoba Wu. Qin Wan’s disheveled state was real, the blood stains were real, and the horse’s death was real—looking at all this, Tuoba Hong couldn’t utter a word of rebuttal. The Empress Dowager and Yan Huai naturally understood how things had transpired.
Yan Huai’s frown deepened, and Yan Che and the others were somewhat confused. Today they had originally planned to accompany Yan Huai to watch archery competitions, but just as they gathered, someone reported that Qin Wan had met with a horse-riding accident. The Empress Dowager became extremely anxious and insisted on coming to see for herself. Since the competition hadn’t officially begun, Yan Huai brought everyone along.
How could Tuoba Wu, a Northern Wei Princess, have developed such conflict with Qin Wan?!
Yan Chi stood at the side with a dark expression. Because everyone was watching Qin Wan, no one noticed his particularly gloomy countenance. Seeing the blood on Qin Wan’s clothes, his heart ached terribly. Although it was mostly horse blood, just looking at it shook him to his core. He had underestimated Tuoba Wu’s audacity. He had known since last night that Tuoba Wu had discovered his relationship with Qin Wan, but he had thought she would use other means. Even when someone came to report earlier, he hadn’t expected such a shocking scene. How could he have imagined that Tuoba Wu, as a Northern Wei Princess, would so recklessly harm Qin Wan?!
“This… this…” Tuoba Hong was at a loss for words. If this was true, no matter how one looked at it, it was Tuoba Wu’s fault. Even though Qin Wan wasn’t from the royal family after spending so many days in Great Zhou, Tuoba Hong deeply understood how special Qin Wan’s status was. “Your Majesty… my sister surely didn’t mean to…”
“Whether it was intentional or not, Crown Prince, you probably know in your heart.” Yan Chi spoke coldly. “Everyone knows Northern Wei has its methods of horse training. The horse trainers in the Northern Wei palace mostly use whistles and bamboo flutes as tools. The trained horses become gentle when commanded to be gentle, and frenzied when commanded to be frenzied. If the Crown Prince still wants to quibble, it won’t just be the Princess who loses face.”
With so many people present, Yan Chi still spoke up. Qin Wan’s heart tightened slightly, and others turned to look at Yan Chi.
Though Yan Chi knew speaking now would draw attention, he truly couldn’t hold back! Tuoba Wu had hurt Qin Wan—how could Tuoba Wu’s punishment alone be enough?! Tuoba Hong and Northern Wei couldn’t escape the consequences!
Seeing Yan Chi’s reaction, Yan Li immediately added, “Crown Prince, are you certain you came to foster good relations with Great Zhou? You speak of seeking a Great Zhou maiden’s hand, yet here on Great Zhou territory, your country’s Princess can act so presumptuously. If a daughter of Great Zhou were to go to Northern Wei and meet with misfortune, wouldn’t it be but a snap of your Princess’s fingers?”
Tuoba Hong’s face paled, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. Beside him, Tuoba Rui’s eyes flashed with amusement as he raised his chin to watch Tuoba Wu approaching—
“Your Majesty, Empress Dowager! You’ve come at just the right time!”
Tuoba Wu had finally dismounted. Her fall had left her disheveled and quite miserable. Moreover, her chestnut horse had now run off without a trace. Looking at the fallen white horse again, Tuoba Wu’s anger grew even stronger.
Though Yan Huai didn’t show obvious anger, he was the Emperor of Great Zhou. Even if Qin Wan hadn’t earned great merit by healing Empress Dowager, even if she were just an ordinary noble lady, he wouldn’t allow the Northern Wei people to bully his subjects like this!
“Oh? What does the Princess wish to say?” Yan Huai asked with deliberate calm.
Tuoba Wu gritted her teeth and said, “Qin Wan killed my white horse, and not only that, but she also made my chestnut horse go mad!”
Qin Wan coldly looked at Tuoba Wu. Looking at her, she thought several times of Yue Ning, but she was wrong—how could someone as arrogant and presumptuous as Tuoba Wu be compared to Yue Ning?!
“Princess! The white horse was mad—what’s there to regret about killing it? As for your chestnut horse going mad, it was merely frightened by the sight of blood. If you hadn’t intended to harm me, Princess, how would any of this have happened?”
Tuoba Wu’s eyes widened, “It must have been you! My chestnut horse wouldn’t go mad! She listens to me the most!”
By saying this, Tuoba Wu confirmed that the white horse had indeed been under her control. Even if she spoke harshly now, it was true that she had harmed Qin Wan first—who would believe that Qin Wan had harmed her?! And it wasn’t strange for horses to be frightened by the sight of blood.
At this point, there was no need for Qin Wan to refute—no one would believe Tuoba Wu!
The Empress Dowager gave a cold laugh as she looked at Tuoba Wu, “Princess, this is Great Zhou. You weren’t like this this morning when you came asking Nine Girl for help. Now that I’ve let her help you, you try to harm Nine Girl?!”
Tuoba Wu immediately felt guilty, but in her eyes, Qin Wan was merely a noble lady who knew medicine. Even if the Empress Dowager valued her, she surely couldn’t compare to her status as a Northern Wei Princess!
“Empress Dowager, I… I just wanted to test her horsemanship!” Speaking rapidly, Tuoba Wu continued, “But she made my chestnut horse go mad—she’s the one who tried to harm me…”
The Empress Dowager gave another cold laugh, “Is this how the Princess behaves in Northern Wei, so lacking in manners and virtue?! Is this how the Emperor of Northern Wei taught the Princess? Just days ago, I was praising the Princess for being straightforward and unrestrained. Now I see the Princess has truly disappointed me. Crown Prince, you must give me an explanation for today’s events!”
Tuoba Wu naturally wouldn’t accept this. As she was about to speak, Tuoba Hong stepped forward to block her path. “Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, this is indeed my sister’s fault. She has been too spoiled in Northern Wei, and this time she has gone too far.”
Tuoba Wu frowned, “Royal Brother!”
Tuoba Hong glared at Tuoba Wu, “Be quiet!”
Tuoba Hong rarely spoke so harshly, and Tuoba Wu was startled into silence. She turned to look at Yan Huai Yan Chi and the others. These people were all from Great Zhou, and now their gazes toward her all held some hostility. Tuoba Wu clenched her fists as Tuoba Hong bowed to Qin Wan, “Nine Miss, I apologize on behalf of my sister. Nine Miss is injured—treating your wounds should be the priority now. Later, I will bring my sister to formally apologize!”
Tuoba Wu raised her chin, “Brother, she killed my horse! She—”
“Wu’er, apologize to Nine Miss!”
Apologize to this woman?! Tuoba Wu clenched her fists, completely unwilling!
“Why should I apologize?! She’s the one who said she could ride horses! I…” Speaking, Tuoba Wu’s gaze flickered to Yan Chi, only to see his eyes sharp as knives, that gaze seeming as if it would flay her alive.
Tuoba Wu’s heart trembled, “I, last night—”
She hadn’t expected to draw such a crowd. She had only wanted to teach Qin Wan a lesson, but now not only had she failed to do so, she had made herself look pathetic. Moreover, she was now being condemned by everyone, and seeing Yan Chi’s expression, she knew he had grown to hate her as well. This wasn’t what she had intended at all!
Tuoba Wu felt both wronged and angry. Faced with Yan Chi’s gaze, she wanted to expose his secret with Qin Wan in a desperate move, but as soon as she began to speak, Yan Chi’s gaze sharpened further. That look was one reserved for enemies, making Tuoba Wu’s back go cold with a shiver!
Her words halted as Tuoba Hong forcefully pulled her aside!
“Wu’er! Apologize to Nine Miss—”
Tuoba Wu saw the surge of anger in Tuoba Hong’s eyes but pressed her lips together tightly and lowered her head.
She wouldn’t apologize! Absolutely wouldn’t apologize! She knew Yan Chi and Qin Wan’s secret! Why should she apologize?
The situation became tense. Yan Huai glanced at the blood on Qin Wan’s clothes, “Girl, shall we treat your wounds first?”
Tuoba Wu wasn’t one to put etiquette and diplomatic relations first, and as a Northern Wei Princess, neither the Empress Dowager nor Yan Huai could openly punish her. That being the case, let Tuoba Hong deal with her!
Qin Wan understood Yan Huai’s meaning and naturally nodded.
The Empress Dowager then looked at Tuoba Hong and Tuoba Wu, “Crown Prince, Nine Girl will be with me. I await your explanation.” Then she grabbed Qin Wan’s hand, “Nine Girl, let’s go—”
Since the Empress Dowager had spoken thus, Yan Huai also said, “Crown Prince, this matter can be either major or minor. I’m now somewhat unsure of the Crown Prince’s intentions.” Though Yan Huai’s tone was gentle, these words made Tuoba Hong break out in another layer of cold sweat.
Tuoba Hong repeatedly agreed, “Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I know what to do.”
Yan Huai nodded, then turned around, “We’ll await the Crown Prince’s response. Today’s competition is about to begin. The Northern Wei warriors need not participate. Others shouldn’t be late.”
Tuoba Hong stood frozen in place while Liu Yun beside him laughed pleasantly. As everyone was about to leave, he said coolly, “Crown Prince, you’ve spoiled the Princess too much. Even I know Nine Miss’s importance—aren’t you being too disrespectful to the Empress Dowager and Emperor?!”
Liu Yun made his point and stopped there, but this was enough to make Tuoba Hong’s face turn completely white.
Everyone had come together, but when leaving, Tuoba Hong and Tuoba Rui were left behind. Tuoba Rui maintained an indifferent expression, while Tuoba Hong trembled with anger. He watched helplessly as Yan Huai’s group walked away. Before he could speak, Tuoba Wu said, “Brother, my horse ran away. Please send someone to find—”
Before she could finish the word “back,” Tuoba Hong raised his hand and delivered a slap!
With a crisp sound, Tuoba Wu’s face was struck to the side. She had already fallen earlier, and her face bore cuts from grass blades. Now, a clear handprint quickly raised on her cheek, and soon blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Tuoba Wu froze in disbelief—she couldn’t believe Tuoba Hong would strike her!