Chapter 30.1
After brewing for most of the day, the long-awaited rain finally descended in two light showers around noon, leaving the air refreshed and clear. Having just finished her midday meal, Zhao Heng was enjoying the pleasant afternoon when Ning Wanzhi and Li Nanxi burst into her room, their footsteps echoing through the corridors.
Ning Wanzhi, her red silk dress billowing in the wind, led the charge, while Li Nanxi trailed behind, panting from exertion.
"Sister Zhao Heng!" Reaching Zhao Heng, Li Nanxi excitedly pointed to the birdcage in Ning Wanzhi's hand and exclaimed, "Xiao Ning found a talking parrot!"
Ning Wanzhi held up the cage with one hand and used a twig to coax the bird, teaching it, "Good bird, say 'Auntie'!"
The parrot strutted proudly around the cage, then, ignoring their expectant gaze, turned its head away.
Angered, Ning Wanzhi poked its bottom with the twig, "No talking, no food for you!"
Li Nanxi, nestled in Zhao Heng's lap, munched on a crisp peach, her legs dangling in the air as she muffled her laughter.
Ning Wanzhi glared at her, then switching to a gentle tone similar to Zhao Heng's, she coaxed, "Little Si Lang, Little Si Lang, good bird, say 'Auntie."
The parrot's eyes widened, its tail fanned out, and it turned away again, completely ignoring her.
Ning Wan0zZhi's mouth pouted, and she hung the birdcage on the porch, "Father lied to me! Little Si Lang doesn't know how to talk at all."
Zhao Heng smiled softly at her, "How can a bird be born knowing how to speak? Send it to the animal training grounds and ask around. Maybe they have a way to teach birds to speak human language."
Ning Wanzhi waved her hand to summon a palace maid, instructing her to take the bird to the animal training grounds. She pulled up a chair next to Zhao Heng and sat down, her boredom evident as she propped on her elbows, her chin resting on the table, she gazed out at the golden roof of the distant palace. 'How boring,' she sighed.
"Every day since Si Lang left has been so boring," she silently lamented.
Seeing Ning Wanzhi's listless state, Li Nan Qi jumped up and proposed, "Let's go horseback riding!"
Ning Wanzhi's spirit was instantly lifted, and she stood up with a swoosh, stating, "Let's go, ride the horse!"
They asked Zhao Heng if she could ride a horse, and she shook her head.
Ning Wanzhi looped her arm through hers and said, "It's okay, I'll take you."
Zhao Heng inexplicably looked forward to it, feeling a bit ticklish inside.
Emerging from extreme poverty, she was full of longing for many things she had never experienced before. She wanted to learn to read, to ride horses, to play the pipa, to dance, and so much more...
However, human energy and time were too limited, and now she sighed at the brevity of each day spent just learning to read.
"Let's go." Li Nanxi hooked her soft hand and scratched her palm, enticing her, "We can just have you ride my little red one."
Unable to resist the itching feeling, Zhao Heng nodded.
After changing into their riding clothes, Ning Wanzhi saw Zhao Heng in a narrow-sleeved riding outfit and couldn't help but exclaim, holding Zhao Heng's arm excitedly, "Aunt, you're so beautiful, just like the fairy in Little Silang's stories."
Ning Wanzhi never hesitated to praise, always leaving Zhao Heng feeling floaty.
"Little Silang has a beautiful painting of a lady riding a horse in his study, it's so beautiful." Ning Wanzhi gently turned her sharp eyes, her admiring gaze lingering on Zhao Heng's face, "Little Silang is a talented artist, praised even by the Emperor for his astonishing talent. When he returns, I'll have him paint a portrait of you to hang in the royal palace!"
Li Nanxi nodded in agreement, "Xiao Ning is right!"
Imagining her portrait hanging in Li Wenjian's sleeping quarters caused Zhao Heng's ears to flush red.
They arrived at the grassy field, and the attending guard hurried in to report.
Zhao Heng lifted her skirt and got off the carriage, then picked up Li Nanxi, and the captain came out to greet them.
"Princess, Zhaoxun, Miss Ning, your horses are ready." The captain bowed and led them into the field.
Ning Wanzhi's horse was a chestnut blood horse, while Li Nanxi's was a half-height pony. The pony seemed to recognize her and, knowing she was its owner, trotted happily to her and nuzzled her face with its wet nose, causing Li Nanxi to laugh and try to dodge.
Glancing at the smile on Li Nanxi's face, Zhao Heng's mood also improved.
"Aunt, come up." Ning Wanzhi held the saddle and leaped lightly onto the horse's back like a graceful swallow, reaching out her hand to Zhao Heng.
With her head held high, Zhao Heng felt a bit nervous, but Ning Wanzhi shook her hand, and the bell on her wrist jingled constantly, "I'm here, don't be afraid."
Ning Wanzhi was several years younger, yet she wasn't afraid. Why should she be?
She could always fall and get back up.
Thinking this, she handed her hand to Ning Wanzhi boldly, who had excellent arm strength and pulled her onto the horse with a strong grip on her hand.
Zhao Heng's eyes widened for a moment and she couldn't control herself, let out a low exclamation, "Xiao Ning!"
"Aunt, sit tight!" Ning Wanzhi laughed heartily, wrapping her hands around Zhao Heng's shoulders, encircling her in her arms, holding the reins with one hand and flicking the whip with the other, urging the horse forward.
The horse reared up and neighed, racing off into the distance!
Li Nanxi was adjusting her armor when she suddenly saw them zoom past like lightning in front of her, urgently waving and calling out, "Wait for me!"
But Ning Wanzhi didn't listen, urging her horse on even faster.
The early summer breeze brushed against their faces, seeping into their clothes, causing their robes to billow like waves. Zhao Heng's back was pressed tightly against Ning Wan's chest, with only the whispering wind and Ning Wanzhi's hearty laughter in her ears.
Zhao Heng's heart, which had been beating violently, gradually slowed down, and the hand clutching Ning Wanzhi's sleeve slowly loosened.
The grassy field beside them quickly receded, as they raced towards the setting sun, the carefree joy surging in Zhao Heng's chest.
"Aunt, let's go chase the sunset!" Ning Wanzhi laughed with her entire chest vibrating.
Infected by her laughter, Zhao Heng also abandoned her usual cautiousness, placing her hands around her mouth and loudly replied, "Okay!"
Li Wenjian stood on the tall watchtower, gazing northward, and saw two horses, one large and one small, galloping towards him.
An endless expanse of lush green grass stretched toward the horizon, the evening glow blowing in with the wind, enveloping them in a radiant light that made their red riding outfits look unbelievably vivid against the orange-hued sky.
"Here comes Ning Wanzhi and Xiao Ba again." Li Wenjian gazed at their figures and suddenly noticed someone in Ning Wanzhi's arms.
As they approached, Li Wenjian recognized the person as Zhao Heng and a smile crept onto his lips, as if this vibrant day had swept away any lingering darkness, leaving a clear and beautiful day.
Accompanied by several officials from the Ministry of War, Li Wenjian had come to inspect the training ground. Seeing him gazing at the far end of the field, they couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, do you see something?"
"No, nothing." Li Wenjian withdrew his gaze and looked at the magnificent sky, smiling, "It seems like tomorrow will be a good day."
The officials glanced at the distant mountains and pointed at them, saying, "'Tilted fog on Mount Yirang means rain tomorrow.' Looks like rain tomorrow, Your Highness."
Li Wenjian laughed heartily and turned around, hands behind his back, descending the tower steps.
The officials looked at Li Wenjian, then at the sky, scratching their heads in confusion before hurrying to catch up.
*
After riding the horses back, Zhao Heng's legs were shaking, feeling weak, and her body ached. But her joyful mood remained undiminished, a smile never leaving her face.
After resting for a while, Lin Mama brought dinner to her room. Perhaps due to the afternoon's exertion, dinner seemed unusually delicious. After the meal was cleared, Lin Mama asked, "Do you still want to go to the Chengming Hall? If you're tired, remember to send someone to convey your message."
Zhao Heng quickly declined. With the prince's exceptional talent, personally taking someone to study was an opportunity many could never dream of in their lifetime.
She gritted her teeth, got up, changed her clothes, and after a quick tidying up, walked out of the Changqiu Hall.
As night fell and a few drops of rain began to fall, she saw that it wasn't heavy enough to warrant an umbrella, so she draped a cloak over herself and, accompanied by Lian Zhou, made her way towards the Chengming Hall.
The drizzle fell gently, perhaps because of the afternoon's happiness, she found the raindrops quite lovely.
Mu Gui stood outside the study, his figure partially obscured in the darkness. He saw Zhao Heng's silhouette approaching through the rain, picked up the umbrella that was leaning against the wall, and opened it to greet her.
Upon seeing Mu Gui, Zhao Heng's eyes sparkled with a hint of a smile, as she gently spoke, "General Mu Gui, you're back?"
Mu Gui couldn't bring himself to look at her, only lowering his head, hummed in response, and lifting the umbrella over her head.
The study's door was tightly shut, and a warm yellow light seeped through the paper window, casting Li Wenjian's shadow onto it.
Mu Gui approached and lightly knocked on the door, announcing, "Zhaoxun is here."
A calm voice from inside replied, "Come in."
Li Wenjian was actually somewhat surprised. Riding a horse was quite strenuous, especially for the first time. Legs tightly gripping the horse's back, after a round of riding, they quickly started to ache.
He thought she wouldn't come today.
Mu Gui pushed open the door, and Zhao Heng entered. Li Wenjian lit a lamp on the desk, its glow only illuminating half of his face. Pressing lightly at his temples with his fingers, a faint weariness showed on his face as he eyed her.
She had changed into a simple purple skirt, the style and color unassuming, yet on her, the ordinary clothing exuded a unique elegance and tranquility.
"Your Highness." A smile played on her lips as she greeted him with a bow upon entering.
Li Wenjian gestured with his hand, Mu Gui stepped outside the door, and with a creak, shut it behind him.
Li Wenjian glanced at the desk beside her, "Take a seat over there."
Zhao Heng nodded, walked over, sat down at the desk next to him, and opened the bundle in her arms, laying out the books she needed to read for the day, before starting to write with a deliberate hand.
During the time she had been caring for the crown prince's arrow wound, Zhao Heng had grown accustomed to sharing a room with him while they both attended to their tasks. So, she paid no attention to his presence, burying herself in her writing.
She was deeply focused when writing, with the surroundings failing to distract her. Even the rustling sound of the rain outside couldn't reach her ears.
As her pen moved across the paper, filling it with strokes and characters, she quickly filled two sheets.
Li Wenjian, however, wasn't as focused. The scratch of her pen on the paper created a faint noise. Having drunk a bit the previous night, he had intended to go early to press acupoints for Zhao Heng to help her sleep, but she stayed up until midnight before resting.
After returning twice to her room, getting back into bed, sleep seemed elusive.
Hence, he was feeling somewhat tired today.
Hearing the scratching sound of the pen on the paper, he glanced slightly at Zhao Heng, vigorously writing. Perhaps tired from riding in the afternoon, she wasn't sitting upright, her back forming a smooth arch, her slender neck drooping, stray hair illuminated by the night lamp.
Under the desk, two hands were loosely placed, while the left hand clenched into a fist gently tapped from the hip to the knee socket and back up again, repeating the motion over and over.
Li Wenjian's gaze followed her hand movements, from top to bottom, and then back up again.
The lamp wick suddenly burst, making a 'pop' sound, causing the book in his hand to shake and almost fall to the ground. Li Wenjian snapped out of his reverie, realizing his distraction, he shook his head, chuckled, and averted his eyes to continue reading.