Chapter 4
Chapter 4
The grapevine overhead rustled uneasily.
My eldest sister pulled me into her arms and asked anxiously, “Does it hurt?”
My brother’s palm was slightly red.
He stared at it for a long time, a brief flicker of panic flashing through his eyes.
Then he stepped toward me. “Yinyin-”
Instinctively, I shrank deeper into my eldest sister’s embrace.
Pei Chi reached out and grabbed my brother just like that, his tone far from friendly.
“Have you lost your mind?”
Because of my stubbornness, the atmosphere turned oppressively silent.
This time, it was the Crown Prince, standing beside Pei Chi, who tried to smooth things over.
“Didn’t little Yin want to choose a husband?”
“Half a month from now, at the Imperial Polo Banquet, all the young masters from prominent families in Shengjing with excellent character will be there. When the time comes, A’Chi can help you win first place, and Yunshao and I will deliberately lose to your side as well.”
“By then, all the finest young men in Shengjing will be yours to choose from.”
When he finished speaking,
the Crown Prince tugged at the still-dazed Pei Chi. “Say something already.”
“Are you willing to help Yinyin?”
By then, the setting sun above us had completely disappeared behind the mountain.
For some reason, Pei Chi stared at my swollen cheek for a long while without speaking.
It wasn’t until my eldest sister urged him, “Pei Chi, I’m begging you,” that he seemed to snap out of a dream and looked away from me.
He answered with a quiet, “All right.”
But before leaving, Pei Chi pressed his lips together and asked me,
“You… do you dare ride a horse?”
My eldest sister immediately said, “What do you mean by that, Your Highness?”
“Yinyin is especially skilled at riding.”
The pain of falling from my horse in my previous life came rushing back, and my left leg began to ache faintly too.
Still, I clenched my palms tight and lifted my head, meeting his gaze directly.
My answer was firm and absolute.
“I do.”
I do.
A life of forever waiting to be chosen, or passively accepting whatever marriage was handed to me,
was far more terrifying than falling from a horse.
Pei Chi lowered his eyes, avoiding my gaze.
“Then… I’ll pick out a good horse for you.”
Having learned my lesson from my previous life, I decisively refused Pei Chi.
I also urged my eldest sister, “We should stick to the horses we’re used to riding.”
After hesitating a moment, she nodded. “That works too.”
From that day on,
I trained day and night, rain or shine.
At the Polo Gathering in my previous life, there had been no shortage of skilled players. Before I fell from my horse, I had only barely managed to place third.
My eldest sister had placed second.
So in this life, even if she held back on purpose, I still couldn’t afford to be careless.
Fortunately, heaven had not treated me too harshly.
On the night before the match, my eldest sister looked at me with shining eyes.
“Yinyin, you’ve improved so much.”
“You’ll definitely be fine!”
I wiped away my sweat and gave a soft hum in reply.
The next day, I prepared my boots and riding cap and made sure my horse was fed.
But when my eldest sister and I were heading out, someone stopped us.
“Yinyin.”
It was my brother, whom I hadn’t seen for many days.
Instinctively, I tightened my grip on the reins and took a step back. “…Do you need something?”
He looked me over in my riding clothes, his brows knitting slightly.
“You’ve started imitating your eldest sister now, have you?”
“Do you really have to go?”
“If you get hurt, don’t come crying to me.”
The cries of street vendors on the long avenue rose and fell without end.
The morning sun overhead was warm as well.
But my palms were cold. I couldn’t even be bothered to argue, only gave a faint nod before swinging myself onto my horse.
The moment I cracked the whip, the steed let out a sharp neigh.
As I was about to leave,
the reins were tugged.
My brother pressed his lips together, looking awkward.
As though making a compromise, he said,
“Come back early tonight.”
“I’ll make your favorite dishes.”
In the gentle morning breeze, I very much wanted to ask,
did my brother still remember what my favorite food was?
But I only swallowed and urged my horse into a gallop.
I said nothing.
Before the match,
I gripped my polo mallet tightly and took deep breaths again and again.
Pei Chi sat astride his horse at my side and spoke softly.
“This past month, whenever I went to Zhu Mansion, I always saw how hard you were pushing yourself.”
I cupped my hands in salute and made my request in complete sincerity.
“Then I ask Your Highness to give it your all.”
“Yinyin would be deeply grateful.”
Dappled sunlight fell across Pei Chi’s sharply defined profile.
His eyes were faintly red, and his thin lips parted.
“So, Yinyin… you came back too.”
“You hate me.”
“You… dislike the idea of marrying me that much.”
The referee’s whistle rang out.
I wasn’t particularly surprised.
From the moment Pei Chi asked whether I dared ride a horse,
I had known that he, too, had been reborn.
I gave the reins a light tug and smiled.
“The match has started.”
Then I spurred my horse and rode onto the field.
Behind me, Pei Chi hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he followed.
My training had paid off.
Out of the five matches, I had already won two in a row.
During the break, my eldest sister handed me water and said with a bright smile,
“I heard that this time, His Majesty will personally award the champion.”
She tilted her head up toward the sky, her expression carrying a trace of envy.
“That’s the highest honor.”
“Yinyin, do your best.”
After saying that, my eldest sister went off to play her third match.
All that remained was the soft passing breeze.
At my side, Pei Chi sat on horseback.
He didn’t drink, didn’t rest, and kept his head lowered, lost in thought.
But in the end, he made no mistakes and played with complete dedication.
I let out a breath of relief.
Until the final match.
Pei Chi’s cousin accidentally struck my knee with her mallet, then glanced at Pei Chi in panic.
I fell from my horse and curled up, clutching my lower leg.
The whistle sounded almost at once.
The judges ruled it a loss for me.