The Eldest Daughter Reborn: She Provoked the Obsessive Crown Prince and Couldn't Escape

"I heard that when you were in the Eastern Palace, you even had to be carried in a sedan chair to get from the Guanju Hall to the gate of the Eastern Palace..."

"Riding a horse? Hahaha!" Yuan Rui burst into laughter, completely disregarding her princess demeanor.

"Times have changed. The princess just said that in recent years, the winners of the horse racing competitions have all been from the Western Regions."

"The one sent by the Western Regions this time is the bravest of all warriors, General Yarkand!"

"I heard that Yarkand was born into a horse-breeding family, and that he ate and lived with horses from a young age, and that he was one with his horses when he rode them."

"Does the princess think that someone who couldn't even beat ordinary people from the Western Regions in previous years could defeat such a skilled opponent?" Fu Luan asked with a smile.

"If they can't, why can you? If you want to go, then go. Why come here to curry favor?" Yuan Rui pouted.

When Fu Luan saw that her tone had softened a bit, she knew that there was a way to get things done.

She spoke even more frankly: "As I mentioned before, I, as a single woman, cannot enter this racecourse."

"This humble woman wishes to ask the princess to lend her a palace token. Only with the token can this humble woman proceed."

Yuan Rui said with a half-smile, "I've always found it strange that even when Miss Fu was the Crown Princess, she rarely visited my Yaohua Palace."

"Why did you come to pay your respects today and even offer me advice? So that's what you were waiting for!"

Fu Luan bowed and said, "I dare not. It is only with a token that I can participate in the horse racing event."

"Only by participating in the horse racing competition can one win the championship; and only by winning the championship can the princess be spared from a marriage alliance."

"He is even more capable of saving the Ninth Prince, your Ninth Brother."

Based on what Yuan Rui had said earlier, Fu Luan felt that she and Yuan Jiu were very close.

So, disregarding secrecy, he revealed his plan, hoping to borrow the token in the process.

"Lending you the token is not difficult. But if you fail to win the championship, this princess will still have to be sent to a marriage alliance."

“I might even be blamed by Father for lending you the token without permission, causing Great Wei to lose face!” Hearing “Ninth Brother”, Yuan Rui’s heart softened a little.

But she still didn't trust Fu Luan.

“If Your Highness has the time, why not come with me to the palace horse farm to see my horsemanship before making a decision?” Fu Luan stood up and invited.

Yuan Rui hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.

Fu Luan had already sent her maid to the palace horse farm to choose a fine horse when she left Yaohua Palace earlier.

Now that they had arrived at the horse farm, she leaped onto it.

Before Yuan Rui could react, Fu Luan lifted her onto the horse, just as Fu Yuan had invited her to ride with him that day.

She wouldn't hold Yuan Rui tightly; instead, she would simply lay her face down on the horse's back.

Yuan Rui cried out in alarm, "Fu Luan, are you crazy? Put this princess down at once!"

She patted the horse's belly while her legs swung wildly to the other side.

"Miss Fu, where are you taking our princess?" Yuan Rui's maids panicked at the sight and rushed towards Fu Luan with small, quick steps.

Fu Luan acted as if he hadn't heard, and spurred his horse away.

Once the horse started running, Yuan Rui dared not pat its belly anymore, and instead clung tightly to it.

All that remained around her was the sound of the wind and the crack of whips lashing the horses…

The wind whistled past her ears, and she gritted her teeth, afraid to speak;

They were afraid that if they moved even slightly, they would fall off their horse.

Fu Luan carried Yuan Rui as they charged wildly across the racetrack, dodging one obstacle after another.

The eunuchs on duty at the horse racing track all made way.

The palace horse ranch stretched as far as the eye could see. Fu Luan rode to the very end before stopping and asking, "How was it?"

"Does Your Highness now think that I am qualified to represent the Great Wei on stage?"

Yuan Rui was too weak to speak, but she nodded on horseback.

When Fu Luan took Yuan Rui back, she had already obtained the token and told her about Yuan Jiu's recent situation along the way.

"Only the princess and my confidants know that I saved the Ninth Prince."

"You must not reveal this before it is accomplished, otherwise the Ninth Prince may face death!" Fu Luan warned.

When the two returned, they found that there was an extra person in the place where the palace maids were anxiously waiting—Prince Yuan Jia of Longxi.

"Rui'er's maid said that the young lady of the Fu family has gone mad and has taken Princess Chun'an away on horseback."

“Isn’t she perfectly fine?” Yuan Jia raised his chin and looked at Fu Luan and Yuan Rui.

To be precise, he was looking at Fu Luan alone.

Yuan Jia's captivating fox-like eyes had slightly upturned corners.

It seems that one can touch Fu Luan's soul through her reborn body.

Yuan Rui glared at the palace maids, "What a fuss! You're making a big deal out of nothing! I'll punish you severely when we get back to the palace!"

“This servant deserves to die! This servant knows she was wrong! This servant saw Miss Fu taking the princess away, and was worried…” The palace maids hurriedly knelt on the ground.

“Rui’er, forget it, they’re just trying to make a living.”

“Even if a princess of the Great Wei gets a minor scratch, she will still be punished with a beating.”

"Luckily, they ran into me on their way to call for help; if they had encountered someone else..."

"Who knows how this will be spread!" Yuan Jia said with a smile.

"Thank you, Seventh Brother." Yuan Rui said, bowing her head.

"Rui'er seems to be feeling unwell, so perhaps she should return to Yaohua Palace first; as for Miss Fu..."

"I will escort her out of the palace!" Before Yuan Rui could respond, Yuan Jia gestured to Fu Luan, indicating that she should leave.

Fu Luan was worried that Yuan Rui's unpredictable mood might cause her to withdraw the token;

Upon being invited by Yuan Jia, she hurriedly went up the steps, bowed and knelt to pay her respects to Rui'er, and followed him.

"The matter of Miss Fu has caused a great uproar in the city. Xiao Wang thought that the young lady must be tossing and turning at home, unable to eat or sleep, and feeling sad and melancholy, recalling the bits and pieces of her time with Sixth Brother in the East Palace."

"I didn't expect you to still have the mood to go to the palace to play with Rui'er. Oh... I see;"

"It must be because there were new rumors circulating in the city that the young lady was able to escape unscathed."

"I just wonder where this new rumor came from?" Yuan Jia seemed to be implying something.

Fu Luan, however, didn't care at all. "Yeah, who knows?"

"Before today, I have never seen you ride a horse;

"I never imagined that you, my former sister-in-law, could not only ride a horse, but you could ride it quite well."

"He even managed to bring someone along, not to mention scaring the usually bold Rui'er to that extent." Yuan Jia looked at Fu Luan, his gaze burning and intense.

He had always been interested in Fu Luan—in fact, most of the princes and nobles of the Great Wei Dynasty were interested in Fu Luan.

Fu Luan had just arrived on horseback, and her stunning beauty and graceful demeanor captivated him even more.

"I...ah..." Before Fu Luan could finish speaking, the token fell out.

She quickly picked it up, but Yuan Jia only glanced at it before recognizing it as the Yaohua Palace sign.

"If you need to use the token next time, young lady, you may come to me."

“Although I have established my own residence, I still have the palace tokens. How many do you want, young lady? I will give you as many as you wish,” Yuan Jia said after a moment’s thought.

By observing the horseback riding and the borrowed token, Fu Luan's intentions were already fairly clear to him—most likely for the horse racing event seven days later.

Yuan Jia was simply curious: what could a girl like her possibly do even if she went to the horse racing event?

The mysteries surrounding Fu Luan seem to be multiplying;

The more mysterious she became, the more fascinated Yuan Jia grew with her...