Wei Qingge scratched her face suspiciously, wanting to say more, when she heard Li Qiongyu call her.
"Qingge, come here."
This foolish girl, squatting there eavesdropping.
Wei Qingge jumped off the carriage and shouted to the captain of the guards, "Get me a horse, I want to ride."
Li Qiongyu rode his horse towards her and directly pulled her onto the horse.
"What are you doing? I want to ride myself."
Wei Qingge glared back at him discontentedly.
"This horse of mine is a Western Region warhorse. Don't you want to try it?"
Seeing that the procession had already begun to move, Wei Qingge stopped being coy. She reached out and touched the mane of the warhorse beneath her, letting out a surprised "Wow."
"What a fine horse, better than any I've ridden at the border garrisons before."
Li Qiongyu curved his lips.
"Giddy up!"
Suddenly, he flicked the reins, and the horse let out a sky-rending neigh. Like an arrow released from a bow, it galloped wildly northward, kicking up dust.
Across the vast land, its long mane flying, the cold wind whistled past, whipping around their figures with a rustling sound.
Wei Qingge felt exhilarated. She turned her head, her smile revealing her clean teeth.
"What a divine steed, what is its name?"
Li Qiongyu's eyes were unrestrained and bright, shining with spirit.
"Whatever name you give it, that will be its name."
"Really?"
Wei Qingge was overjoyed. She leaned forward and hugged the white horse's mane, rolling around.
"This horse has a pure bloodline, excellent speed and stamina, and is pure white, as bright and lustrous as snow. Then I shall call it-- hmm--"
She straightened her body and looked back at him with a smile.
"Treading Snow, how about that?"
Li Qiongyu laughed heartily. "Good."
Wei Qingge looked at his smile and was briefly captivated.
The young man on horseback had handsome features, his light robes fluttering. The white light that shone on him made his figure appear even taller and more agile, as if he had returned to bygone days in an instant.
"What, are you stunned?"
Suddenly, he lowered his gaze and grinned at her.
Wei Qingge nodded and said, "You're getting old."
"---"
Li Qiongyu reached out unceremoniously and tickled her.
Wei Qingge could not stand being tickled and immediately cried out, wriggling her body to evade him.
"Ah, I was wrong, stop tickling me, stop it."
Her kicking and squirming caused the horse to tremble, unable to bear their playful antics.
Li Qiongyu grunted and, at the right moment, withdrew his hands.
Wei Qingge immediately retaliated by punching him, her small face flushed. She said angrily, "Are you crazy? You're all grown up and still tickling people."
As she spoke, she quickly tightened her arms, fearing she would be tickled again.
Li Qiongyu looked down at her, tugged at his lips, and said nothing.
Wei Qingge huffed and turned her head, looking at the surrounding scenery.
"Ah, right, after we return to Shangjing and attend Aluán and the Prince's wedding, let's go to Suzhou to visit them."
Li Qiongyu chuckled. "He's too preoccupied to entertain you."
"Then we'll have fun, and secretly check on them."
"Besides playing, do you have anything else on your mind?"
Li Qiongyu tapped her head, and Wei Qingge, angered, butted him back with her head.
"Tch, if you're not going, I'll go by myself."
Li Qiongyu leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, after Chi Zhan gets married, they will all return."
Inside the carriage.
Ye Luán hugged his back, her voice low and hoarse, "Have you had enough wild fun?"
She was so embarrassed.
"Not enough."
He held her and kissed her fiercely, his movements extremely intense.
Listening to the sounds, Ye Luán felt her face burning. The coachman outside must have noticed what they were doing.
But the feeling grew more intense.
She began to lower her head to kiss him, embracing him and returning his kiss, moving lower.
Their skin touched, and she stroked the Qiongqi on his back, looking at the bite marks on his shoulders, and couldn't help but lower her head to kiss him again.
When she took the initiative, Xiao Chizhan could no longer contain himself; he became wild like a mad dog.
Ye Luán gasped, biting her lip, her slender, well-proportioned legs kicking on the small couch.
Her clothes were immediately kicked and crumpled into a mess.
"Stop biting, you pathetic thing."
He chuckled and flirtatiously whispered in her ear.
Ye Luán playfully chided him, her eyes full of allure.
Xiao Chizhan, driven by her charm, lowered his head and kissed her passionately.
She immediately hugged him, entwining herself with him in a kiss.
They held each other tightly, entwined. He held her so tightly as if he wanted to crush her and absorb her into his body.
Ye Luán broke out in a sweat from his burning embrace.
Later, she was completely out of strength and nestled in his arms, completely unwilling to move.
This scoundrel, going mad at any time or place.
She cursed him repeatedly in her mind, but this only intensified his desire.
"Do you recognize who your man is?"
Ye Luán panted with her mouth open, unable to answer for a moment.
Xiao Chizhan relentlessly pressed her, making her gnash her teeth and chide him in his ear, "You, you, you—"
Xiao Chizhan felt comfortable and embraced her waist with satisfaction.
"I'm hungry."
It was already mealtime, but he had kept her so occupied that she hadn't even had a hot meal.
He didn't speak.
When he did, Xiao Chizhan lowered his head and kissed her lips.
He had no intention of letting anyone hear her sounds from the bed.
Ye Luán trembled all over, involuntarily tightening her waist, and lowered her head to kiss him.
After everything had settled, the sky outside gradually darkened. The night cast its glow around them, and faint moonlight streamed into the carriage.
Ye Luán sat listlessly by the small couch, eating with a cold expression. Xiao Chizhan poured her a cup of hot tea and placed it within her reach.
As soon as she looked up, she saw his satisfied expression, which made her teeth itch with anger.
When she put on her clothes, she discovered that her body was covered in red marks; there wasn't a single unblemished spot.
"Your Highness."
At this moment, Xue Ren's voice came from outside.
Xiao Chizhan lifted the carriage curtain, revealing a profile. The moonlight illuminated half his face, giving him a gentle appearance that filled Xue Ren with joy. The Prince seemed to be in good spirits.
He inexplicably peered inside, but the light inside was too dim to see clearly. He couldn't help but sigh and speculate, was what everyone said true?
Xiao Chizhan glanced outside, scaring Xue Ren into quickly retreating.
"Prime Minister says there's an inn ahead and asks if Your Highness wants to rest there for the night."
Xiao Chizhan glanced back at the exhausted Ye Luán and said, "Yes, go make arrangements."
"Yes."
"Are you full?"
Ye Luán put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and took the tea he poured.
"I'm done eating."
Xiao Chizhan reached out, embraced her, and prepared to carry her out of the carriage.
Ye Luán pushed him away. "Stop fooling around, there are so many people watching."
Despite her words, as soon as her feet touched the ground, both her legs trembled.
She angrily pinched him, "You scoundrel."
Xiao Chizhan rubbed his nose sheepishly, scooped her up, and bowed as he stepped out of the carriage.
Ye Luán clutched his collar tightly with both hands, burying her head in his embrace as if to cover her ears, automatically ignoring all the curious glances.
It was too humiliating.
Seeing her like this, Xiao Chizhan teased, "You need to exercise more in the future."
Ye Luán bit him fiercely on the chest.