Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The banner sent dust and sand flying as the onlookers turned to the young man who had come to the rescue. The young general moved with crisp precision, a sword at his waist catching the sharp light, the ancient scabbard, and his long fingers rested lightly on it. That casual touch alone made many tremble with fear.

Qi Hanzhou, the sole son of Qi Shen, would later become the renowned Young General Qi.

At twelve, he had joined his father on the battlefield, capturing three cities in a row and earning fame overnight with his extraordinary martial skills.

Qi Hanzhou rose to fame young and became a trusted subject of the emperor. In the capital, such a man remained aloof from faction politics, a lone wolf, cold-faced and iron-boned, his temperament unfathomable. Many sought his acquaintance to win over the Qi family, but all returned empty-handed, unable to decipher his nature, often came off worse in dealings with him.

Such a man was extremely difficult to get along with.

Even Ying Fusheng later thought so—until that falcon perched in that secluded spot.

As Ying Fusheng pondered, he suddenly sensed a cold gleam ahead.

He looked up and found Qi Hanzhou staring at him for who knows how long.

"Eighth Prince! Sixth Prince!" the eunuch's voice rang out.

Ying Fusheng stood still, the broken flagpole beside him, a hair's breadth from falling on him. Yet he seemed oblivious, and in that close proximity, his gaze briefly met Qi Hanzhou's before parting, the probing tension dissipated in an instant.

After a moment, Ying Fusheng took half a step back.

Qi Hanzhou's eyes dropped to the fallen banner. He frowned slightly, then turned his head to see the two princes already surrounded by approaching servants. Members of the training ground hurried over. Qi Hanzhou exchanged a glance with his deputy general, then his gaze involuntarily settled on the slender figure of Ying Fusheng not far away. He thought to himself, *He could have avoided it.*

Noticing Qi Hanzhou's pause, the deputy general asked, "Young General, what's wrong?"

Qi Hanzhou said nothing more, watching as the Sixth Prince stepped back half a pace, fully withdrawing from the shifting turmoil, his face already shifting to a different expression. The Sixth Prince's face was pale, as if truly frightened by the falling banner, only coming to his senses after the repeated calls of the servants. If Qi Hanzhou hadn't seen those eyes—calm and unruffled—he too would have been fooled by his act.

An unexpected incident occurred on the examination field. The other young nobles crossed the finish line, while everyone turned their attention to the kneeling Shen Yunfei. A spooked horse and a disturbance to the princes—even if no catastrophe had befallen, causing such a commotion before the emperor meant that the slightest misstep could lead to grave punishment.

Ying Fusheng shifted his gaze from Qi Hanzhou and looked into the distance. The soldiers of the training ground had subdued the panicked horse, its leg broken. Shen Yunfei, injured from the fall, had gotten up and was kneeling on the ground, his face pale.

The horse lay motionless, severely injured. The horse master inspected it and concluded that the horse's poor condition caused its hoof to break on the sandy ground, leading to the fall. During the ride, nearby soldiers had already noticed something was off with the horse. Given the speed around the bend, if Shen Yunfei hadn't controlled it in time and had been thrown off along with the horse, the Seventh Prince, who was close by, could have been severely hurt.

"It's a good thing nothing serious happened." The Crown Prince hurried over, looking worriedly at Ying Fusheng and the Eighth Prince. "That was far too dangerous just now."

Noticing Ying Fusheng's silence, the Crown Prince, in his role as a concerned elder brother, asked, "Sixth Brother, are you all right?"

"Thank you for your concern, Brother. I'm fine." Ying Fusheng replied briefly.

"That's good." The Crown Prince's expression darkened, and as he turned his head, his eyes gradually turned cold.

Consort Yun was comforting the Seventh Prince nearby, while Empress Xu remained calm, though her eyes darted toward the distant Crown Prince. The Crown Prince had already ordered the servants to handle the aftermath and was soothing the startled Eighth Prince.

The Eighth Prince hadn't anticipated such an incident. As the Crown Prince held him by the shoulder to comfort him, he looked fearfully at Ying Fusheng standing alone in the distance. Ying Fusheng's clothes were covered in dust, and his face was equally pale. The Eighth Prince felt uneasy, knowing that if not for Ying Fusheng, the falling banner would have struck him.

Ying Fusheng didn't notice the Eighth Prince's gaze. He stepped back a few paces, his fingertips cold, he was panting slightly from overexertion. Retreating behind the crowd, he heard the Crown Prince's words and glanced out of the corner of his eye at the broken flagpole... From the horse's panic toward the Seventh Prince to the sudden snapping of the banner, this chain of seemingly coincidental events was likely deliberate.

Just before Shen Yunfei's horse was startled, he had noticed a sharp glint from the seating area.

The Seventh Prince was dressed luxuriously today, and even after changing into training attire, his hair ornament glittered with gold. He wasn't as ostentatious as the Eighth Prince, but because of Consort Yun, he favored such luxurious yet elegant accessories. On ordinary days, this was not a problem. But on the training ground, under the bright sunlight, the ornament shimmered dazzlingly.

In an instant, it was enough to startle a sensitive horse. Who had adorned the Seventh Prince with those ornaments? Who had led the Seventh Prince, who loved to join in the excitement, to that spot just at the turning point? These questions remained unknown. If Shen Yunfei hadn't controlled his horse in time, the Seventh Prince's situation would have been dire.

The horse masters from the training ground gathered to inspect the situation. Ying Fusheng stood before the horse, observing the situation in a few glances, and finally stopped at the horse's twitching, seemingly broken hind leg. It was this hind leg that had caused the problem during the turn, leading to Shen Yunfei's fall.

Ying Fusheng muttered to himself, "It's the horseshoe."

His words went unnoticed by others, but were caught by the Crown Prince beside him. "Sixth Brother seems to have an insight?"

The horse's panic had already drawn everyone's attention, and the Crown Prince's words turned all eyes to the Sixth Prince. Even the Emperor on the dais cast a glance, momentarily pushing Ying Fusheng into the spotlight. None of the other horses had shown issues, and the sudden anomaly made everyone wonder how the Sixth Prince could know such details.

At this, Qi Hanzhou furrowed his brow slightly at him, and even the seasoned horse trainer couldn't help but look askance.

"I've heard others say that Sixth Brother reads widely in eclectic subjects, and it seems he's learned a lot from it," the Crown Prince said, seeing Ying Fusheng standing before the injured horse. "But Sixth Brother, theory on paper still falls short of practice. You're frail, so don't get too close to the horse."

Ying Fusheng paused, momentarily speechless, as if trying to avoid eye contact. He was standing quite far from the horse, surrounded by palace attendants, merely observing from a distance. At this, he met the eyes of the Emperor and Empress Dowager not far away, and then explained, "I'm just guessing. The horse's hoof prints are off."

Ying Fusheng shifted his weight, and when the Emperor didn't stop him, he continued, "It's like a sprain—only a faint trace is left, without stirring up large patches of sand..."

The ground was sandy, and the horse's tracks were clearly visible. They weren't broad or sweeping, but only left small, deep indentations. Anyone could see the horse's imbalance came from its hind leg, and this Sixth Prince clearly wasn't a regular at the training grounds, basing his judgment on such a small hoof print.

"What the Sixth Prince says is true. If the injury were in the leg or the entire hind leg, the movements would leave more obvious marks in the sand," the horse trainer said, looking at the Sixth Prince with a new respect. They relied on experience to check the horse's injuries, but the Sixth Prince didn't even examine the horse closely—just the hoof prints told him the injury point. "The horse's injury is indeed in the hind hoof."

The Crown Prince couldn't help but say, "Isn't that a bit too hasty a conclusion?"

"That's also true, but judging by the horse's tracks, Grand Secretary Xu once had only a passing knowledge of horsemanship, yet he could discern details from horse and carriage tracks, which led the authorities to not rely solely on surface appearances," the horse trainer said. "The Sixth Prince has a keen eye."

Grand Secretary Xu... The Crown Prince's face stiffened slightly; that was his maternal grandfather.

The Emperor asked, "Horse trainer, what's the situation?"

The experienced horse trainer had already thoroughly examined the horse's condition and reported it, but the Emperor's expression didn't improve.

"An accident?" the Emperor asked.

Shen Yunfei, his face pale, knelt in pain, not daring to meet the Emperor's eyes. Though he had stopped the runaway horse in time, he had still startled the prince. "Your Majesty, forgive me!"

The horse trainer replied, "Indeed, as the Sixth Prince said, the horseshoe was worn out... Fortunately, Master Shen reacted in time."

Worn-out horseshoes were common in the military camp, sometimes threatening soldiers when riding. Every year, at a set time, the horseshoes on warhorses were replaced. Today's training ground assessment used warhorses, and it wasn't yet time for the annual replacement. Moreover, the selection was a minor test, and generally, worn-out shoes could still complete the assessment.

It was simply Shen Yunfei's bad luck to draw a warhorse with worn-out shoes, and the horse's condition was poor, nearly causing a major disaster. But his timely intervention kept the prince from injury, which could be considered a minor merit, though not enough to offset his fault. In the end, it was Young General Qi who stepped in to resolve the crisis.

Everyone present looked at Shen Yunfei. Today's companion selection had the imperial offspring present, and the Shen family had already displeased the Emperor. The horse that caused the trouble was precisely the one Shen Yunfei was riding. To all, this accident was simply Shen Yunfei's rush to compete, causing the horse's hoof to break and the mishap. With these two incidents, even if the Shen family had been well-regarded before, it was hard to salvage their standing in the Emperor's eyes.

Soon, several assessments concluded, and Shen Yunfei unsurprisingly came in last.

The Emperor selected a few companions. Zhou Qingyuan naturally came in first and became the Crown Prince's companion. Additionally, the Emperor appointed another companion for the Crown Prince... Among the court's eligible princes, a few still lacked companions, and Shen Yunfei, as the lowest-ranked, had almost no chance.

After assigning companions to the Crown Prince, the other princes and princesses looked to the Emperor, they already had candidates in mind.

By age, after the Crown Prince's companions were chosen, it was the turn of the Sixth Prince.

The Sixth Prince approached the Emperor due to the palace banquet, but in reality, based on his maternal family and court status, he was far less prominent than the thriving Seventh Prince. So how the Emperor would choose a companion for the Sixth Prince, how the Ning family would instruct him, and what stance the Ning family would take were all worth pondering.

Empress Xu glanced sideways, her prayer beads stilled, no longer moving.

All eyes followed. Not far away, the horse trainers were tending to the injured horse. The Sixth Prince seemed distracted, while others focused on the companion selections, he kept looking into the distance, as if concerned only about that injured horse that had no future.

Hearing the palace attendant's call, the Sixth Prince snapped back to attention, reluctantly shifting his gaze from the horse. "Father."

The Emperor had already noticed his distraction. While the other princes were concerned about their companion candidates, only he seemed indifferent, his attention fixed on a single horse. "The horse's injury is for the trainers to handle."

Ying Fusheng seemed to pull himself from his thoughts, still troubled by the question: "Can it still gallop?"

"There's something you don't know, Sixth Brother." The Crown Prince glanced at Ying Fusheng, his tone deceptively gentle. "If a horse's leg is broken and the injury is untreatable, it can only be bled to death."

As soon as the Crown Prince spoke, a few of the other princes started whispering. Clearly, Ying Fusheng was unaware of this, but it was understandable—having been bedridden for so long, this was likely his first time at the training grounds, and he lacked even such basic knowledge. It truly went against the martial traditions of Dayuan.

The others looked toward the Emperor.

Ying Fusheng lowered his eyes, his gaze settling on a figure not far away. "So that's how it is," he murmured softly.

The horse trainer explained, "If the injury is too severe, we can only put it out of its misery. A horse that cannot walk suffers greatly."

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence: "Whether to bleed it depends on how bad the injury is."

"The damage is to its hind hoof. When I rode it, I deliberately controlled its landing. This method is less strenuous and allows the horse to move faster... so the injury shouldn't have damaged the bone." Shen Yunfei knew the horse was bound to be injured, but he had done his best to manage it. Given the circumstances, it was impossible to achieve a perfect outcome. Even if the horse trainer worked miracles, the best-case scenario was lameness; the worst was death, and they could only prepare for the end.

As he finished speaking, he noticed the silence around him and realized he had overstepped. "I spoke out of turn."

Just then, Qi Hanzhou, who had said nothing since the horse incident, suddenly spoke. Many eyes turned to him as he looked up slightly. "The hoof casing hasn't completely split, and the hoof bone has shifted slightly to the side. His horsemanship is different from others."

Ying Fusheng's brow twitched slightly, hidden by his composed expression.

Upon hearing Qi Hanzhou's words, the horse trainer suddenly understood. He turned to Shen Yunfei. "Now that the young general mentions it... it's true. Although the horse is injured, the injury is just right. If it had been off by just a bit, it would have been irreversible."

Qi Hanzhou said no more, simply looking at Ying Fusheng.

Ying Fusheng, in turn, looked at Shen Yunfei, as if suddenly intrigued by the horsemanship technique Shen Yunfei had described. He ignored the stares of others, his gaze toward the horse trainer and Shen Yunfei carrying a hint of curiosity.

The Crown Prince looked at Ying Fusheng with disdain. Others were distancing themselves from the Shen family, yet Ying Fusheng was still concerned about a horse and some trivial riding technique.

Empress Xu, upon hearing Ying Fusheng speak, half-lowered her eyes and frowned slightly, signaling to the attendant beside her.

Ying Fusheng, pretending to be absentminded, glanced toward the high seat and saw the attendant quietly leaving from Empress Xu's side. His expression flickered before quickly glancing away from the figure in bright yellow robes. As he looked down, a voice came from above—

"Your horsemanship is different from your father's."

From the high seat, the Emperor's words fell, and the crowd instantly fell silent.

Shen Yunfei was momentarily stunned, then quickly explained, "My skills are no match for my father's."

The Emperor gave a faint smile, his intentions unclear. "Hanzhou rarely gives praise. Being different from others is a strength."

Everyone looked at Qi Hanzhou. Young General Qi had not intended to involve himself in the selection, but that remark was indeed unusual.

Shen Yunfei had not expected anyone to notice this. His riding style had always been different from the rest of the Shen family—wild and unbridled from childhood, galloping through the mountains and fields. Over time, he intuitively knew where a horse's hooves would land at full speed and how to make it faster. "I am humbled."

Shen Yunfei's horsemanship was exceptional, and those who understood martial arts recognized it. In this selection of study companions, his riding skills were the best.

Many began to ponder the Emperor's intentions. Why had he suddenly asked about Shen Yunfei? While they speculated, the Emperor did not question further. Instead, his attention turned to Ying Fusheng.

Eunuch Rong then gently reminded him, "Your Highness, today is the selection of study companions. His Majesty is waiting for your choice."

Ying Fusheng snapped back to attention. He had no older eunuch accompanying him, and no one had prompted him.

Only then did he realize his lapse in decorum. "I was distracted, Father."

"It's fine," the Emperor said, visibly interested. "Among the noble sons participating in today's selection, Xiao Liu, do you have anyone in mind?"

Everyone waited for Ying Fusheng's choice, but at that moment, he glanced at Shen Yunfei, who stood alone, hesitating as if to speak.

Ying Fusheng paused and quickly averted his gaze from Shen Yunfei. "Your son..."

"Speak your mind," the Emperor said, his tone softened by compassion for the young child. "Today is about selecting study companions for you. Whether you like someone or not should be your own decision."

Ying Fusheng breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze landing on Shen Yunfei's pale face. "I have been frail since childhood and dare not dream of martial arts, yet I wish to build my strength... Master Shen's horsemanship is truly impressive. I humbly request that Master Shen be my study companion."