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The sudden "mischief" caused Yun Kexin to panic and tightly cling to Tong Zhichen's waist. Her mind went blank, unable to think about what was happening. The fence beside her, the horses grazing or running, flew by like a blur, forming an indistinct line of sight that she couldn't make sense of. Wei Qing's loud calls were drowned out by the howling wind in her ears.
Tong Zhichen's riding skills were average; he could manage some running and jumping, but he felt a bit flustered in a situation where the horse was startled and "went wild," especially with Yun Kexin sitting behind him.
"Yun Kexin, are you okay?" Tong Zhichen gripped the reins tightly, wishing he had three heads and six arms to protect her. "Hold on tight, okay?"
"Young Master Tong, the horse is running too fast; I can't keep my eyes open," Yun Kexin replied awkwardly, only managing to grip the sides of his clothing with both hands. "I feel like I'm going to throw up."
"Just hang in there a little longer," Tong Zhichen shouted. "I'll find a way to rein in the horse."
But the horse only grew more "excited" as they ran until they reached a steep hill. Suddenly, there was a long whinny, and the horse reared up violently. Both riders leaned back simultaneously, and Yun Kexin's grip on Tong Zhichen's clothing slipped. She fell off the horse, and in her daze, she felt herself fall into a strong embrace that held her tightly. Then she rolled down the slope at an astonishing speed, and after that, she knew nothing.
Meanwhile, Wei Qing leaped onto Tong Zhichen's horse, reining it in while supporting Tong Zhichen who was nearly thrown off.
As the blood-red sunset illuminated the grassy area at the foot of the hill where two people lay, Feng Yinxiao, who had been disoriented from rolling around, tried to move but felt something heavy pressing down on his chest and something fuzzy under his nose. He opened his eyes in confusion and was startled awake: Yun Kexin was sprawled across him, still in a daze from the sudden turn of events. He had recklessly caught her when she fell from the horse and had slid down the slope with her in his arms without knowing if she was hurt.
Feng Yinxiao suddenly didn't know how to handle the situation. If he woke her up, he feared she would feel embarrassed; if he didn't wake her up, he worried that their companions would soon come down the slope and see them in this "position," which might lead to misunderstandings—he himself didn't care about such things, but her reputation would be ruined.
"Yun Kexin... Yun Kexin..." Feng Yinxiao tried gently shaking her shoulder while calling out softly. "Wake up, Yun Kexin, are you alright?"
However, Yun Kexin remained motionless. Feng Yinxiao even shook her shoulders lightly but got no response. Worried that she might be injured, he quickly moved her aside and laid her on the grass. But since she was a woman and it wasn't appropriate to check for injuries directly, he had no choice but to carry her back along the same path.
Halfway up the slope, he saw their companions coming down from afar, calling out "Young Lord" and "Seventh Sister" while looking around. Shanling, Shining, and Shan Yue were the first to spot him and pointed in his direction shouting: "Young Lord! Young Lord! He's over there!"
Everyone rushed down together and was shocked to see Feng Yinxiao holding the unconscious Yun Kexin in his arms.
"Seventh Sister! What happened to her?" Yun Yan asked anxiously.
"Yeah, what happened to Seventh Sister?" Wei Qing asked urgently.
"She has been like this since we slid down the hill together," Feng Yinxiao said as he glanced at Yun Kexin in his arms with concern. "I can't wake her up; she might have fainted. I had no choice but to carry her back."
"Hurry back to the manor and call for an Imperial Physician to take a look; it mustn't be delayed," Qin Yan finally realized that his earlier joke had caused trouble and quickly instructed Wei Qing. "Wei Qianhu, get the Palace physician to come see Seventh Sister."
"Yes, Your Highness." Wei Qing glanced at Yun Kexin's pale face and frowned.
To avoid suspicion, Feng Yinxiao had Shanling and Shining carry Yun Kexin back to the Duke of E State Mansion. After the Crown Prince and Tong Zhichen sent Zhen'er Sister home, they returned to the palace under Wei Qing's escort.
****
"Oh, what happened?" Fu Lianyin exclaimed in surprise when she saw Shanling carrying Yun Kexin inside. "Wasn't she fine before we left? How did she come back like this?"
"There was a little accident; Seventh Sister fell off her horse and is a bit unconscious," Feng Yinxiao said apologetically. "Please forgive me, Third Madam; I'll have someone check her injuries right away."
"Let a woman check her injuries; for treatment, her Uncle can do it, but my brother is in the palace right now," Fu Lianyin said, rubbing her hands awkwardly. "Let's check her injuries first."
Feng Yinxiao exchanged glances with Shanling and the others, and the three maids understood, so they approached Fu Lianyin to take care of it.
Fu Lianyin had no objections—after all, they were all women, and there was nothing to be concerned about. She nodded in agreement. The three maids entered Yun Kexin's room, closed the door, placed her on the bed, and began to examine her injuries while the others waited outside.
Feng Yinxiao paced in front of the door, thinking that when he had rolled down the slope with Yun Kexin in his arms, he had protected her head with one hand while wrapping his other arm around her waist. Since the Riding Ground was a Lawn, she shouldn't have been hurt. But how could she be unconscious?!
While he pondered this, the three maids opened the door. Seventh Sister was not injured and had already regained consciousness; she was just dazed from being startled by the horse that had been "jumping around."
"Thank goodness she's not hurt," Feng Yinxiao said with a slight sigh of relief, smiling softly. "You really scared me."
"I'll have someone bring some calming soup to help her wake up," Fu Lianyin said as she walked away. "You all take good care of Seventh Sister."
Shan Yue noticed that although Feng Yinxiao was "properly" standing at the door, his head kept trying to peek inside. She hesitated, wanting to go in and check on him but feeling it might not be appropriate.
"Younger Lord, do you want to come in and see Seventh Sister?" Shan Yue teased. "Look how anxious you are."
"Oh, no need," Feng Yinxiao said shyly as he withdrew his gaze. Looking seriously at Shan Yue, he added, "Take good care of Seventh Sister; I still need to go to Second House. I'll be leaving now."
Though he said "I'll be leaving now," his eyes were filled with lingering affection as he took one last glance inside before departing.
Shan Yue was somewhat taken aback: he just left like that, and went to Second House? Young Lord can't really want to marry Fourth Sister, can he?
He wished he could chase after them to ask for clarification, but Shining had already pulled him back into the bedroom...
Feng Yinxiao still had in mind to express his "intentions" to Second House, so he decided to have a good talk with Second Madam today. After leaving Western Courtyard, he went around the screen and arrived at Southern Courtyard—the residence of Second House.
Coincidentally, he ran into Yue Clan who was taking her two children, Yun Ke and Yun Yan, to visit Third House to see Yun Kexin—
“Young Lord, it seems that when you came from Third House, has Seventh Young Lady woken up? Is she injured?” Yue Clan asked.
“She has woken up. The horse got startled and ran around, which caused her to be jolted,” Feng Yinxiao replied. “She feels dizzy and probably has a stomachache; right now she is lying in bed resting.”
“I want to go see Seventh Young Lady, but I don’t know—” Yue Clan hesitated, unsure, “is it convenient?” Of course, she was concerned about Third Madam and the Fu Family.
“There’s nothing inconvenient about it,” Feng Yinxiao said. “Second Madam, please forgive my boldness; I have something to discuss with you. Can we speak privately for a moment?”
Yue Clan’s eyes flickered as she recalled the “strange” behavior of Yun Yan after returning from the Riding Ground. She nodded and smiled, saying, “Sure, let’s go to the hall.” At the same time, she told Yun Ke and Yun Yan, “Ke'er, Yaner, let’s hold off on visiting Seventh Sister. Let her rest for a while; we’ll go later.”
In the hall, as Yue Clan sat down and was about to call a servant to offer a seat to Feng Yinxiao, he took a few steps forward and then knelt down. Startled, Yue Clan was about to rise but was stopped by Feng Yinxiao:
“Second Madam, please listen to me.”
“Why does something require you to kneel before me, Young Lord...”
“It’s inappropriate for you to kneel before Mother,” Yun Ke urged. “Young Lord, please get up.”
However, Feng Yinxiao only raised his arms in front of the three of them and calmly said, “Second Madam, I actually came here to apologize.”
“Apologize?” Yue Clan was taken aback. “What do you mean, Young Lord?”
“Second Madam, I know you have made a verbal agreement with my parents,” Feng Yinxiao said carefully, “to betroth Fourth Sister Yun Yan to me. However, I fear that I am unworthy and may disappoint the good intentions of Second House.”
Feng Yinxiao looked up at the Yue Clan, his face showing guilt but no regret.
The Yue Clan was slightly taken aback and involuntarily turned to glance at Yun Yan, only to find that this child did not exhibit the usual "shock" and "indignation" expected of a girl in such a situation. Instead, she appeared calm, as if she had been mentally prepared for this moment.
"Why? What is wrong with Fourth Young Lady?" Yue Clan asked gently with a smile.
"No, Fourth Sister is wonderful," Feng Yinxiao replied with a slight nod. "It is my issue; I consider myself too young and unwilling to engage in marriage too early. Perhaps I am just not ready to start a family."
Yue Clan couldn't help but recall everything that had happened since Seventh Young Lady returned to the capital from Fan City—everything was intricately connected to Feng Yinxiao. She also remembered how Fourth Young Lady had fallen from her horse at the Riding Ground and how Feng Yinxiao had risked everything to protect her. This was not something mere "playmates" could do. Could it be true, as she suspected?
"Young Lord, please rise," Yue Clan pondered for a moment and decided to speak frankly with Feng Yinxiao. "Your actions are quite disrespectful."
Feng Yinxiao complied and smiled lightly, saying, "Is it disrespectful for a junior to pay respects to an elder? It is only proper. Moreover, I am here to seek forgiveness; I hope my actions do not affect the longstanding friendship between our families."
"That should not be the case," Yue Clan instructed Yun Ke to offer Feng Yinxiao a seat. After a moment of contemplation, she continued, "I must seriously remind you, Young Lord, if your feelings are due to Seventh Young Lady, you should think carefully. Because Seventh Young Lady—"
"I know, Seventh Young Lady's marriage was decided before her birth and is contained within a brocade box," Feng Yinxiao said quietly as he turned the Hetian Jade cup in his hands, his voice deep and hoarse. "I dare not entertain any other thoughts; I only hope to be friends with her, nothing more."
Yue Ziyun looked at Feng Yinxiao's face filled with sadness and loss yet unwavering determination. In that moment, she seemed to see the shadow of his father, Feng Hongrui.
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