GTB Chapter 128

Chapter 130: Accident

Chapter 130: Accident

Chu Yifeng’s words weren’t originally a big deal, but with Shí Yuanchen’s comment, everyone present instantly fell silent. Only Shí Yan cast a cold glare, directed at both Shí Yuanchen and Chu Yifeng.

Chu Yifeng’s lips twitched, thinking, “Is Shí Yuanchen deliberately trying to stir things up, or is he just plain crazy?”

He awkwardly glanced at Jiang Jiuchu, but she had already taken a step to the side, pretending not to have heard anything.

Seeing this, Chu Yifeng felt a little less embarrassed and gave Shí Yan a flattering smile, “I… I didn’t mean that. I was just casually chatting with Brother Jiuche, and it was he…”

He pointed directly at Shí Yuanchen. “He deliberately twisted my words. Perhaps he’s the one thinking that way in his heart.”

Shí Yuanchen panicked upon hearing this. He clearly meant what he said, yet he was being accused. Most importantly, he had once been fond of Seventh Sister-in-law, so he couldn’t bear such false accusations.

He quickly looked at Shí Yan with an innocent expression. “Seventh Brother, I didn’t. He slandered me because I hit a nerve.”

Shí Yan looked at Shí Yuanchen and said coldly, “If you can’t speak properly, then shut your mouth.”

He naturally knew that these two hadn’t been getting along recently. Shí Yuanchen was deliberately exposing Chu Yifeng’s words to embarrass him.

“Oh! Understood.” Shí Yuanchen looked apologetically at Jiang Jiuchu beside him, realizing that his words were inappropriate.

Shí Yan ignored Shí Yuanchen and walked directly to Jiang Jiuchu, taking her hand. “It’s about to start. Let’s go over and wait.”

“Okay.” Jiang Jiuchu didn’t even turn her head, following Shí Yan forward.

She thought to herself, “This Eighth Prince must have something wrong with his brain. He speaks so recklessly. I won’t help him steal paintings next time. He might sell me out at any moment. He’s too unreliable.”

Seeing this, Jiang Jiuche quickly followed, leaving only Chu Yifeng and Shí Yuanchen glaring at each other.

It wasn’t until a sharp and loud announcement came that the two broke their gaze.

“The Emperor has arrived.”

With this shout, the people who were originally scattered around instantly stood neatly in the center of the field, paying their respects to Emperor Yue An at the head of the platform.

Emperor Yue An sat at the head, looking at the crowd of young men and noble daughters with a majestic air. “The peace of our Dong Yue Kingdom was won on horseback. Today, let me see how skilled your generation is in horsemanship.”

After he finished speaking, he raised his hand slightly. Immediately, Eunuch De, according to custom, explained the rules of the competition to everyone.

“This year, it will be the same as usual. Men and women will compete separately for the championship. The men will go first, and when the top three riders return, the women will start.”

“The top three winners in both the men’s and women’s categories will receive corresponding rewards. Now, everyone prepare to lead your horses to the field.”

After Eunuch De finished speaking, the grooms had already led the horses to the starting line in front.

All the men mounted their horses. With the sound of a gong, batches of horses quickly ran forward, instantly kicking up a cloud of dust.

Ji Shutíng looked at Gu Changxuan’s figure riding at the front. “Jiuchu, who do you think will win the top three?”

Jiang Jiuchu shook her head. “I don’t know? But your Master Gu should be among them.”

She thought that in terms of horsemanship, Shí Yan shouldn’t be bad. After all, his martial arts were so high, so how could his horsemanship be poor? It’s just that she didn’t think he would compete for the top three.

As for the others, she didn’t know. Her own brother’s horsemanship wasn’t bad either, so he should also be in the top three.

She wondered what the Emperor’s rewards were. But thinking about how much their Dong Yue Kingdom valued horsemanship, the rewards should be good.

“Alas! I don’t know. Changxuan is just a scholar. I wonder if he can make it into the top three?”

Although Ji Shutíng said this, she believed in her heart that Gu Changxuan could do it. He had said that he would win a reward in the top three and give it to her.

“Let’s go, let’s go sit down and wait! It’ll probably take half an hour to finish this round.”

“Okay.” Jiang Jiuchu followed Ji Shutíng to sit at a table on the side, and the palace maids brought tea.

Although Jiang Jiuchu was a little thirsty, she didn’t drink it. She was really scared and thought that next time she had to bring a silver testing needle with her.

The sun was slightly hot, and the mountain breeze gently blew.

Half an hour later, when the faint sound of horses’ hooves came from afar, the women in the field all looked over, curious as to who had won the first prize.

When the figure came closer, Jiang Jiuchu smiled. It turned out to be her brother, Jiang Jiuche.

The person who came next surprised her a little. It was Chu Yifeng. It seemed that people couldn’t be judged by their appearance! She thought he was just a playboy.

Seeing the two people appearing in succession, Ji Shutíng became secretly anxious.

It wasn’t that she was worried about not receiving the gift Gu Changxuan won, but that she was worried Gu Changxuan had already promised her. If he couldn’t get into the top three, she was afraid he would feel disgraced.

While she was thinking about how to comfort Gu Changxuan later, the next figure that appeared made her instantly smile, excitedly grabbing Jiang Jiuchu’s arm and saying:

“Jiuchu, look, it’s Gu Changxuan. He actually took third place.”

“Yes, yes, I saw it. I didn’t expect him to be quite good.”

Jiang Jiuchu was a little surprised. As Ji Shutíng said, Gu Changxuan was just a scholar with no martial arts skills, but he was able to ride out in third place, which was not easy.

Jiang Jiuchu, hearing the eunuch in the field loudly announce “Women, prepare,” stood up and pulled Ji Shutíng up. “Okay, it’s our turn.”

A group of noble daughters climbed onto their horses, some delicate, some valiant, forming a beautiful scene in the garden.

With the sound of the bronze gong, one “giddy-up” after another rang out, but the speed was obviously slower than the men’s, and the dust raised was not as flying and scattered as when the men set off.

Jiang Jiuchu deliberately slowed down her horse. After riding for a while, those who could ride had already disappeared in front, and the small group of noble daughters who couldn’t ride well and didn’t dare to run were left far behind.

For a time, she was the only one left on this mountain road.

Jiang Jiuchu flicked her whip and accelerated forward.

However, the red-tailed horse beneath her suddenly seemed to be out of control, directly taking Jiang Jiuchu off the road and towards a small path in the mountain forest. Jiang Jiuchu was startled and quickly tried to rein in the red-tailed horse beneath her.

But the horse beneath her seemed unable to feel Jiang Jiuchu’s pull and still ran towards the forest recklessly.

Jiang Jiuchu’s face turned pale, looking at the branches in the forest ahead with fear, and immediately lowered her head and lay on the horse’s back.

Her heart sank, not understanding what went wrong. Her horse had always been watched by Mu Qing, and Mu Qing had personally led it to the starting point. How could something go wrong?

No, she felt that the horse beneath her didn’t seem to be frightened, but rather heading forward with a purpose.

Jiang Jiuchu lay on the horse’s back, trying to calm herself, thinking that as long as the horse didn’t go crazy and she didn’t fall off, she would be fine. When the horse was tired, it would naturally stop.

And if her brother and Shí Yan didn’t see her return after half an hour, they would definitely come looking for her.

Thinking this, Jiang Jiuchu was no longer so afraid.