I am the champion of palace intrigue, and even the proud prince bows his head in submission.

Chapter 128 Gently Embracing Qin Jiuwei's Slender Waist

Looking at Chen Xiuming's smug face, Chen's father was immediately furious.

He almost poked Chen Xiuming's forehead with his finger, "Don't think that everything will be fine just because you have an imperial edict!"

"You must immediately get rid of that prostitute and sever all ties with her. Don't even think about taking her into your family again. The Chen family's reputation will not be trampled on like this. If you still consider me your father, then do as I say right now!"

Chen Xiuming gritted his teeth and reluctantly said, "Yes, Father."

But he had other plans in mind.

Ask him to abandon Mengniang? No way.

Anyway, the emperor has already bestowed a marriage upon them.

Even if he has concubines, so what? Does the Jiang family dare to defy the imperial decree and refuse to let their daughter marry him?

He's just a minister, but he's the son of an earl!

The next day.

Xie Jue ate the shrimp wontons in her bowl, blinking her big eyes as she looked around the table.

When her gaze fell on Xie Yanli, a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes.

My father is usually the first to finish eating and leave, but why hasn't he left yet today?

Xie Yanli noticed Xie Jue's gaze and turned to look at him.

"what happened?"

Xie Jue tilted his head and asked, "Father, aren't you going to court?"

Qin Jiuwei then spoke up, "Your father took leave today, so he didn't go to court."

Asking for leave? Xie Jue was even more shocked.

My father used to be busy with official duties all day, but now he's actually taking leave!

He asked with his little mouth agape, "Why did you ask for leave?"

Qin Jiuwei: ...To compete with your cousin.

"Because my father is taking my mother and me to the horse farm in the western suburbs," Xie Jingchun suddenly said.

Hehe, after his mother told him about this last night, he was so happy that he couldn't sleep all night.

I'm just looking forward to going out and having fun today.

A horse farm? Wouldn't that mean there would be foals running around like hooves?

Xie Jue's eyes lit up, and she raised her little hand, "I want to go too."

"Third brother, you shouldn't go." Xie Jingchun reached out and ruffled his little head, teasingly saying, "You're not even as tall as a horse's leg."

"Big brother, you're so annoying!" Xie Jue stretched out her little fist and punched Xie Jingchun in the chest fiercely. "Hmph!"

Xie Jingchun couldn't help but let out two muffled laughs.

"Alright, Jue-ge'er, be good." Qin Jiuwei watched the two brothers playfully bickering and coaxed them with a light laugh, "How about Mommy takes you to eat braised duck another day?"

Today's occasion is indeed not suitable for bringing Xie Jue along.

If Xie Yanli really fights with Jiang Chirang then...

She was holding Xie Jue in her arms; it wouldn't be easy for the two of them to run away...

-

Horse ranch in the western suburbs.

"Cousin." Qin Jiuwei was dressed in a light yellow riding outfit, like a blooming flower in spring, so bright that it was hard to look away.

The fitted top clung to her body, and the perfectly tailored neckline subtly revealed her fair collarbone.

She wore a pair of small riding boots of the same color, with round pearls inlaid on the boot surface.

A light pink ribbon was tied around her waist, the bow hanging playfully to one side, the ribbon swaying gently in the wind.

Jiang Chirang's eyes lit up the moment he saw her.

This was the first time he had seen Jiuwei in riding attire; she looked really good.

Just as I was about to offer my praise, a dark shadow suddenly flashed before my eyes.

Immediately afterwards, a clear and cold voice rang in my ears, "Cousin Jiang."

The voice was so familiar that Jiang Chirang's upturned lips instantly froze.

He squeezed out a few words between his teeth, "Thank you, Prince Xie."

Seeing Jiang Chirang's gloomy face, Xie Yanli smiled with satisfaction.

Their eyes met, the air froze, and the atmosphere became tense.

Qin Jiuwei: ……

We've only just met.

She pursed her pink lips and couldn't help but speak up to break the awkward atmosphere in front of her.

"Cousin, what should we play today?"

Hearing Qin Jiuwei speaking to him, Jiang Chirang immediately turned his eyes and said gently, "It doesn't matter what kind of games you play, just riding horses and relaxing."

"By the way, we have already read the letters you sent to the Jiang residence yesterday."

Jiang Chirang couldn't help but sigh, "Thank you so much for Yunzhu's situation this time. Otherwise, if Yunzhu had really married that bastard Chen Xiuming, her life would have been ruined."

"Cousin, you're too kind. We're all family, no need for such formalities."

Jiang Chirang smiled and said, "Even though we're family, we can't skip thanking you."

"By the way, cousin, can you ride a horse?"

Qin Jiuwei paused upon hearing this.

She actually knew how to ride horses. In her previous life, when she was in the imperial harem, Gao Yunzhi often took her to the imperial horse farm to ride horses.

At that time, Yunzhi was pregnant and could not ride a horse, so he taught her how to ride one by one.

Even Gao Xian once praised her horsemanship as excellent.

But in this life, she returned to her original origins.

Jiang Chirang and Xie Yanli were both aware of her situation in the Qin family.

How could a concubine's daughter, who was confined to the inner quarters and neglected by her father and stepmother, possibly ride a horse?

and so……

"I can't." Qin Jiuwei shook her head gently.

Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Jiang Chirang's eyes.

He smiled and said, "I guessed that you might not be able to ride a horse, so I specially found you a gentle and fine horse. You can use it when you learn to ride today."

Xie Yanli's face darkened; Jiang the bandit had indeed come prepared.

After Jiang Chirang finished speaking, he immediately turned around to fetch the horses prepared for Qin Jiuwei.

Xie Jingchun saw Jiang Chirang's back and suddenly blurted out a sentence.

"My father seems to be a little taller than my cousin."

Xie Yanli raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

He turned to look at Xie Jingchun, his eyes full of admiration.

Good child, you are so observant, you noticed all of this.

Seeing Xie Yanli's expression, Qin Jiuwei twitched her lips speechlessly.

Is it really that important that it's only a little bit higher?

This man...

Soon, Jiang Chirang led a white horse toward them.

The horse's coat was as white as snow, and its mane hung smoothly down on both sides of its neck.

Its eyes were bright and gentle, it swished its tail gently, and its hooves pounded the ground rhythmically, making a soft sound.

Qin Jiuwei's eyes lit up when she saw it.

He blurted out, "What a beautiful horse!"

Jiang Chirang was delighted to see that she liked it.

I was about to hand her the reins so she could get to know the pony better.

But just as Jiang Chirang reached out, a pair of large hands snatched the reins from his hand.

Looking up, I saw it was Xie Yanli again.

Jiang Chirang: ? What are you doing?

Xie Yanli's lips curled up slightly, but his eyes were cold as he looked at Jiang Chirang.

"My wife can't ride a horse yet, so I'll teach her first."

When he spoke, Xie Yanli emphasized the words "my wife".

A blatant declaration of sovereignty.

Jiang Chirang's eyes instantly turned cold.

He clenched his right fist in his sleeve, but found that he really couldn't do anything about it.

Jiang Chirang's voice sounded a little unnatural, "My cousin can't ride a horse, so she really needs to learn."

Xie Yanli didn't raise his eyebrows, holding the reins in one hand and taking Qin Jiuwei's small hand in the other, and walked towards an open area to the side.

The two had held hands at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet before, but Qin Jiuwei was still a little uncomfortable at this moment.

And this was in front of Jiang Chirang, so her ears turned slightly red.

But Xie Yanli held on particularly tightly this time, as if he wanted to prove something.

Jiang Chirang's eyes dimmed slightly when he saw the two holding hands tightly.

Xie Yanli only slowly released Qin Jiuwei's hand when they reached an open area.

Qin Jiuwei looked at the stirrups and instinctively prepared to mount the horse.

But then I remembered that she had just said she couldn't ride a horse.

She paused in her movement, and said softly, "Husband, how do I mount a horse? I don't know how."

She blinked gently, deliberately feigning ignorance, her eyes filled with confusion.

"How should I hold these reins?" Qin Jiuwei stretched out her hand again, trembling slightly, as if she didn't know where to start.

As he turned his back, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

What's harder than learning to ride a horse is pretending you can't ride one...

Xie Yanli stepped forward, gently took her hand, and placed the reins correctly in her hand.

"Put your left foot in the stirrup and lift your foot to mount the horse."

Qin Jiu nodded slightly, and after pretending for a few moments, he sat on the horse.

She gripped the reins tightly, recalling the first time she rode a horse.

He asked, feigning doubt and fear, "What if it suddenly starts running?"

Xie Yanli patiently reassured her, "Don't worry, this horse is very docile. As long as you don't tighten the reins, she won't suddenly run away."

Seeing that she had acted enough, Qin Jiuwei pursed her pink lips, preparing to say that she could ride.

Before she could speak, Xie Yanli noticed that she was still a little nervous, so he said, "How about this, I'll teach you how to ride step by step."

Qin Jiuwei: ?

Hand-in-hand? How exactly do you mean hand-in-hand?

Almost instantly, Xie Yanli, who had been standing to the side, stepped forward and mounted his horse with ease. Then, he stretched out his long arm and gently embraced Qin Jiuwei's slender waist.

Qin Jiuwei didn't react in time and fell backward unexpectedly.