My elder sister forced me to become a concubine; I was reborn and remarried into the emperor's

At first, I was naturally extremely unaccustomed to it; it was so fast, just too fast.

This was completely different from the leisurely stroll just now; it was like a sudden storm, and she was like a flower or plant with no shelter in the wind and rain, ravaged and on the verge of death.

She didn't even dare to open her eyes. At first, she was holding the reins tightly with both hands, but she didn't realize when someone took over the reins.

Unbeknownst to them, she had already wrapped her arms tightly around the horse's neck, as if she wanted to press her whole body against the horse's back.

Then a voice, tinged with laughter, rang in my ears: "Open your eyes."

"do not be afraid."

"I'm here."

A few short but powerful words gradually pulled her shattered consciousness back.

She is not alone.

Pei Ji held her tightly in his arms; he wouldn't let her fall.

Wei Nanxun's long eyelashes trembled as she slowly opened her eyes. The lanterns at the horse farm were hung very high, so she couldn't see the surrounding scenery clearly.

The sun was running very fast, and in the thick darkness, she could only see specks of candlelight receding behind her. The inability to see anything actually lessened her fear.

I could only feel the wind blowing on my face, making a whooshing sound, but it didn't hurt; it just felt a little cool.

The cool breeze carried away her fear, and she gradually sat up straight, opened her eyes, and boldly looked straight ahead.

I finally got a feel for riding a horse.

Under the cover of darkness, the boundaries of the wall were invisible. At a glance, it seemed as if heaven and earth merged together. She could see the vast sky scattered with brilliant starlight, and she was so close to it.

For a moment, she felt as if she had wings on her back, and that she could reach the sky with just a stretch of her hand.

She felt an unprecedented sense of freedom, joy, and unrestraint, as if she had been reborn.

So this is what horseback riding is all about.

Her eyes were a little sore, not from the wind, but from her liking and enjoying the present moment.

She was determined to learn to ride a horse; she wanted to completely sever ties with her past life.

She wanted the world to no longer be able to bind her.

"Pei Ji, thank you."

"I like it very much, I like it very much."

The wind shattered her voice.

She didn't care whether the people behind her could hear her; she just wanted to express her feelings at that moment.

After running another lap, as night deepened, Pei Ji tightened his grip on the reins, causing the horse to slowly come to a stop.

He first dismounted, and then reached out his hand to her.

Wei Nanxun hesitated for a moment, but still placed her hand in his palm, and he held her hand, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her down.

She stood there, looking somewhat awkward.

She was in a hurry to leave the palace, but the emperor asked her to stay a few more days so that she could attend the farewell banquet, saying that they would be setting off for the northwest the day after tomorrow.

She hesitated to agree immediately, but now that the horseback riding thing had happened, the balance had tipped.

After she left, she never had the chance to learn to ride a horse again.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally looked up and asked expectantly, "Can I...can I come back to learn horseback riding next time?"

Pei Ji looked at her as if she were a fool. He pursed his lips, his eyes smiling, and said, "I couldn't ask for more."

"The red cloud was originally a gift for you."

Wei Nanxun felt her ears burning under his gaze, and instinctively wanted to refuse: "This is too expensive, I can't accept it..."

Although Hongyun is still a young horse, you can tell at a glance that it is a fine horse.

"Once you've named her, she's your horse. If you don't want her, she'll be ownerless for life."

Before the establishment of dynasties, our ancestors lived by following the grass, and often relied on horses to find water sources. Horses, like dogs, were humankind's most loyal companions.

Similarly, they will only have one owner.

Hongyun seemed to have heard its name, and wagged its long tail as it came closer, affectionately nuzzling its head against Wei Nanxun's palm.

How could she possibly refuse such an adorable little pony?

But if she wanted to see Hongyun and learn to ride a horse, she had to come to him.

No wonder he suddenly asked her to name a child; he was waiting for this moment.

But such a trap was something she couldn't refuse, and she was forced to jump in willingly.

She wanted to say thank you, but she had said it so many times that the words "thank you" had lost their weight.

Wei Nanxun was still agonizing over how much she owed him and how she feared she would never be able to repay him in the future when Pei Ji appeared out of nowhere with a basket.

Inside were horse brushes and sugar cubes.

Without giving her a chance to think, he pulled her aside and taught her how to feed the horse, give it water, and brush its mane.

"Here, you feed it."

Pei Ji placed a piece of candy in her palm and asked her to reach out and feed it to Hongyun. At first, she was a little hesitant, but then she remembered that this was her horse, so how could she not take care of it?

Only by establishing trust with it can you better manage it in the future.

She hesitated for a moment, then held her hand to Hongyu's lips, and the little colt immediately curled its tongue and swallowed the candy.

Seeing this, Pei Ji took her hand again and taught her how to properly brush the horse's mane.

Her movements were very gentle, and she combed her hair very carefully, one stroke at a time. Hongyun's tail swayed gently, and she was clearly very happy.

Pei Ji watched with envy, and the brush in his hand became a little too heavy, causing Lie Yang to let out a few displeased roars, and he even seemed to be leaning towards the little girl.

He slapped the horse's rump with his brush: "Behave yourself."

Wei Nanxun had already combed Hongyun's mane, and mistakenly thought that Pei Ji didn't want to do it, so she came over very obediently and said, "I can help."

As she spoke, she picked up the brush, held Lieyang's head, and gently brushed his mane, making his tall, thick tail swing wildly in pleasure.

Does it really think it's a dog?

He's living a life worse than a horse.

The night breeze gently caressed them, making their tall and slender figures appear longer and longer until they overlapped.

-

Perhaps she was exhausted from working all night. Nanxun had thought that she would have trouble sleeping after returning to the palace, but she slept very soundly this time.

And so I was blessed, sleeping soundly until dawn.

However, the drawbacks are also obvious. She didn't feel anything last night, but when she woke up this morning, she couldn't lift her hands, and the skin on the inside of her thighs was chafed.

Therefore, her first thought was not to give up, but to sew a layer of cotton cloth onto the sides of her trouser legs, otherwise she would soon be walking unsteadily.

Wei Nanxun got up very early, and after washing up, she went to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager recited scriptures every morning, and she thought that all she had to do was wait outside.

Unexpectedly, Empress Dowager Jiang invited her in and even asked her to join her in chanting scriptures in front of the Buddhist shrine.

This might not sound like a good thing, but being qualified to recite scriptures with the Empress Dowager is something that many young women in the capital would beg for but could not obtain.

Even though Wei Nanxun didn't have the habit of chanting scriptures, she entered the hall respectfully and patiently accompanied him.

An hour later, the Empress Dowager finished chanting the sutra and gave her a kind smile.

This smile was different from yesterday's polite one; it carried a more intimate feel.

"Accompanying me in reciting scriptures must be extremely boring, right?"

Wei Nanxun shook her head and said sincerely, "It is my honor to accompany the Empress Dowager in worshipping Buddha."

"He's a rare, patient and good kid."

Empress Dowager Jiang took a sip of ginseng tea, looked at her with a smile, and said, "Anyang will be leaving the capital the day after tomorrow. I feel so lonely by my side. Would you be willing to come to the palace to serve me?"