Chapter 19: Being Flexible With Your Husband (2)
If he found out about this situation, what kind of expression would he make?
Suddenly, I was somewhat looking forward to it .
The night before the ji qiu ceremony, I deliberately went to Qi Sheng’s Palace Hall to find him . After pondering things through, I used a very tactful way to inform him of my situation .
Still holding the memorial scroll containing the Emperor’s approval for an order, Qi Sheng looked at me, not a single wave of alarm passing over his face .
I couldn’t help but exclaim over how calm and steady he was .
However, Qi Sheng suddenly threw down the memorials before he stood up from his seat at the table and walked over . Then, without saying another word, he grabbed my hand and began dragging me to the door .
I was most annoyed by big men pulling each other like this . In addition, Qi Sheng’s tugs were making me stumble . Thus, I immediately began shouting, “Hey! Let go! What does this look like?!”
Qi Sheng didn’t even turn his head around . Instead, he only roared in a low and impatient voice, “Shut up!”
After he finished talking, he turned his head to an inner palace servant and yelled, “Prepare horses!”
The inner palace servant saw how bad Qi Sheng’s complexion was and didn’t dare to waste time . He promptly began sprinting in front of us usto get someone to prepare horses .
Because Qi Sheng was good at martial arts, there was an area in the Eastern Palace that had been specifically built for him to use . By the time Qi Sheng dragged me over to the martial arts training field within the inner regions of the Eastern Palace, there were already two fine steeds waiting there .
All the inner palace servants had been sent out by Qi Sheng, and there was no one else on the martial arts training field .
I immediately understood . This youngster wanted to play a round of night training, ah!
It was midnight, so the sky was dark . In addition, even the horses were already sleepy and tired . This was too……too easy for an accident to occur, ah!
I looked at Qi Sheng and advised him, “Can I not learn this tomorrow morning?”
Qi Sheng’s face looked completely cold as he said, “Get on the horse!”
Without a choice, I could only take the reins . Just when I was about to try imitating how people got on horses on TV, Qi Sheng once again stopped me . I turned around to look at him .
Qi Sheng coldly said, “Take off your outer skirt!”
I stared blankly for a moment . Take off my skirt? Are you asking me to mount the horse, or do you just f*cking want to mount me?
Perhaps my expression had revealed my feelings a bit too obviously because Qi Sheng’s face darkened . He angrily said, “Your clothes are too inconvenient, how are you going to be able to mount the horse?”
I suddenly realized his meaning . Immediately running to the side of the training field, I slipped off anything that was a hindrance and dropped them onto the ground . Then, I jogged back in only my undergarments . I grabbed the reins and pulling the saddle, I began climbing on top of the horse……
Although my posture wasn’t very elegant, I finally managed to get onto the horse . I straightened my waist and back before I turned around to look at Qi Sheng in a proud manner .
Qi Sheng stared at me blankly, the expression on his face was quite strange and hard to describe .
I mulled over it . Perhaps it was because he had never seen me this……frank and straightforward?
Shaking the reins, I asked Qi Sheng, “Let’s……start?”
A night of bitter training will result in exquisite horse riding skills……dream on! I’ve never heard of anyone learning how to ride a horse in a single night . Even though I personally think my athletic skills aren’t bad, I couldn’t achieve something that godly .
On the other hand, I am able to ride a horse for a short run now . However, it’s a different matter for the two very hard actions of riding a horse while it’s galloping and stooping down to hit a ball . If you separated them, I could do it, but if you wanted me to do them together, then I really didn’t have the guts to do so .
After all, polishing a gun before the war would only result in a waxed gun! It would only be impressive-looking but useless .
Although Qi Sheng was probably extremely anxious in his heart, he didn’t show anything on his face . When all was said and done, achieving my current state after just one night was also quite rare .
It wasn’t until it was almost dawn before Qi Sheng said, “For the time being, this will have to do! Tomorrow, find an excuse to not go on the field!”
I didn’t have any abilities myself so obviously I didn’t have anything pertinent to say . Thus, I could only be obedient . However, I only noticed after I got off the horse that not only were my waist and butt numb, even my thighs were in extreme pain from all the rubbing . When I touched them with a hand, my hand got covered in blood .
The f*ck! I actually rubbed them to the point that the skin broke!
I sucked in a few breaths of cold air . Opening my legs wide apart, I began carefully walking to the side of the training field to put on my clothes . I hadn’t even taken two steps before I suddenly felt as if my entire body had become lighter . Qi Sheng had lifted me up from behind . He then turned my body around in midair and my head fell on his back . I was unexpectedly being carried over his shoulder……
I became anxious . What kind of f*cking game was it this time?!
I shouted, “You f—”
“Shut up!” Qi Sheng cut me off in a cold voice .
In conformance with the principle ‘a wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him’, I chose to shut up .
Qi Sheng lifted the outer skirt I had thrown onto the ground with his foot before covering me with it . Then, taking big strides, he began walking out of the training field .
I propped up my upper body to identify the scenery . He was……walking toward my palace?
Lu Li hadn’t slept yet and had been guarding my palace hall all this time . When she saw Qi Sheng carry me inside, she was frightened so badly that her little mouth started stuttering, “Your your……your highness!”
Not saying anything, Qi Sheng threw me on the bed before he turned his head around and left .
Lu Li didn’t come back to her senses until Qi Sheng left . She practically flew over as she pounced toward my bedside to look at me . When she saw how my skirt was stained with blood, her tears immediately began flowing down her face . Biting her lip, Lu Li began choking with sobs, “His Highness the Crown Prince is too……too……too……”
Staring blankly, she didn’t manage to finish her sentence about Qi Sheng!
I tried guessing, “Too great?”
With her cheeks streaming with tears, Lu Li shook her head like a rattle-drum .
I tried guessing again, “Handsome?”
Lu Li still shook her head .
I tried again, “S1……”
I hadn’t finished speaking when I realized that Lu Li probably didn’t know this word . Thus, I said something else . “Beastly?”
“Wah!” Lu Li hugged me before she began crying . As she cried she said, “Crown Princess, I’ll prepare some water for you right now . You will feel a bit better after you clean yourself……”
Word GET! It seemed like ‘beastly’ had been the correct word!
Lu Li climbed up from my bedside while crying . Using both hands to carelessly wipe away the tears on her face, she became occupied with preparing some hot water for me . I also felt that the wet feeling of my own sweat was quite uncomfortable so I let Lu Li do as she pleased .
It didn’t take long before Lu Li was ordering someone to bring in a bathing tub and to place it outside the canopy . Lu Li herself came inside to help me up .
I waved my hand, “There’s no need to assist me . Help me find some medicine for injuries instead . I’ll rub it on later . ”
Then, I began soaking in the big bathing tub’s hot water . Hey, this was pretty comfortable, ah! I soaked and soaked until I felt dazed to the point I only wanted to sleep .
Every now and then, Lu Li would still rub away her tears . Several times, I wanted to coax her . However, the sight of a little girl with red-rimmed eyes was really too cute . In addition, I was truly too tired, so I didn’t have the strength to coax her .
After taking my bath, I rubbed on some medicine . Then, I climbed into my bed to sleep, though I hadn’t slept for long before the sky outside brightened .
Lu Li leaned against the edge of my bed and gently asked me, “Crown Princess, let’s not go today ah . We can just say you caught a cold during the night . ”
However, hearing that I immediately quivered and woke up . I loudly yelled, “Go! Of course we’re going!”
If we didn’t go, how would that be fair for all the exhausting hardships I had suffered last night?
The field was located in front of the Bao Jin Tower . It consisted of a huge meadow field . Two wooden pillars stood on the east and west sides, acting as the goals . They were more than one zhang2 high and their tops were engraved with a golden dragon . Their bottoms were located on a stone lotus base . Needless to say, these pillars were very imposing .
The Empress accompanied the Empress Dowager and stayed on the Bao Jin Tower with all the Imperial wives and concubines . On the other hand, the cabinet ministers, ordinary soldiers and the like all surrounded the field .
There were two teams standing on the field . Each team had sixteen players and one team wore yellow clothes while the other team wore green . Apart from the Imperial princes, princesses, and children of aristocrats, there were officials in the royal court and new military recruits .
I looked at the yellow clothes that clothed me from head to toe, and then looked at the Bathroom Lord and Tree Climbing Lord’s green clothes before feeling extremely gratified .
For an occasion like this, of course it was the Emperor who started off the ball game .
The Emperor rode a horse onto the field as the sound of drums and cymbals filled the air . Everyone began urging their horses to move to their respective positions .
Tree Climbing Lord specially ran over to my side and told me with a smile, “Hey, you have to show off your skills this time and let us see Crown Princess’ abilities!”
I didn’t say anything and silently nodded my head .
Bathroom Lord slipped past me as well, smiling slightly as he warmly said, “Be careful . ”
Like before, I nodded my head .
Qi Sheng passed me . With a cold face, he quietly commanded, “Run a lap and then get off the field!”
I still nodded……
Zhao wang and that Jiang-shi came together . When they passed me, they hadn’t said anything yet before I nodded first from habit .
Zhao wang somewhat blanked for a moment .
Jiang-shi softly smiled .
For the time being, I couldn’t attend to that many matters . With one hand on my reins and my other hand on my game stick, I was completely engrossed in waiting for the Emperor to start the game . And then……I could urge on my horse to chase after the ball for a bit and then……find an excuse to leave the field!
While I was concentrating my attention completely on this plan, Lu Li suddenly called out to me from the side of the field . I turned around my head . Using both hands to cup her mouth like a megaphone, Lu Li yelled a sentence, “Crown Princess must be victorious!”
I was immediately dumbfounded . By the time I turned my head again, the Emperor had already started the game .
With Lu Li’s distraction, now I couldn’t even see where the ball went . I couldn’t do anything about it, so I decided to run wherever there was more people . But despite getting close to the ball with great difficulty, the ball was obtained by Qi Sheng instead . After hitting the ball a few times, he shot the ball somewhere far off in the distance . When he passed by me, he furiously said in a low voice, “Get off the field!”
I nodded and went to the side to make way for him . However, I coincidentally managed to move into the path of someone who had been speeding over . That person hastily began pulling back their reins, but it was already too late……
When I rolled off my horse, I thought, got it! Now I finally had a perfectly legitimate reason for getting off the field .
That person also hastily tumbled off his horse, protecting me until we reached an empty part of the field . His sharp and handsome face had already turned a bit pale as he anxiously yelled, “Crown Princess, Crown Princess!”
I grit my teeth and endured the pain as I carefully sized up this person .
This was General He Bingze who was in charge of defending the country’s left border . People described him as someone who was ‘brave and acute for their young age, but capable of doing even equestrian archery’ . His father was He Liangchen who had once given the title of supreme pillar of the country due to his military achievements . Currently, he was occupying the position of secretarial assistant minister .
He Bingze was not only a top-ranked member’s child in name, he was a genuine second generation descendant of officials .
He Bingze kneeled down on one knee and spread both arms out around me, like he wanted to protect me but was also afraid of touching me . He only looked at me with a nervous expression as he asked, “Crown Princess, are you wounded anywhere?”
My shoulder had hit the ground first, and the fall had been extremely painful . Right now I was enduring the pain with great difficulty, so I replied to him with a pained face, “It’s alright, I just hit my elbow . ”
When he heard that, He Bingze looked even more nervous as he repeatedly admitted his crime .
I was just about to open my mouth and say something to comfort him and obtain his goodwill when Qi Sheng urged his horse to return . When he was close to us, he jumped off his horse . Then, he bent over and gave me two glances . Qi Sheng didn’t even reach out a hand toward me before he raised his voice and called, “Someone come, carry the Crown Princess off the field!”
The emergency rescue team that had been on standby finally got to show off their skills . A few inner palace servants rapidly carried over a brightly coloured, embroidered canvas . Then, they very professionally lifted me onto it before they immediately began sending me off the field .
I still hadn’t said the words I wanted to so I turned my head around in an unwilling manner only to hear Qi Sheng comfort He Bingze by saying, “It’s the Crown Princess’ fault, it has nothing to do with Bingze . ”
Hey! Seriously, why did this guy have to steal my line?
After I got carried off the field, a crowd of people surged forward . The Imperial physician carried a small medicinal chest and diligently came over . He squeezed himself through the crowd before taking a look at my expression first . Then he lowered his head and reached out to check my pulse as he asked, “Crown Princess, where were you hurt?”
I replied, “My shoulder . ”
The Imperial physician half-squinted as he petted his beard . Then, he put on an act and replied, “Crown Princess has a deficiency in both blood and qi, these two combined have caused a stagnation of the fluid in your body . You should eat some Eight Treasures Motherwort Pellets to supplement your qi, support your blood, and regulate your menstruation . ”
Gonna guess our darling Princess wanted to say SB (slang for stupid) here, ahahaha Roughly 3 . 6m .