Probably because of the continuous snowfall a few days ago, the sun on this day was exceptionally good, and the cold that was blown by the wind was also dispelled a lot.
The snow on the way down the mountain has almost melted, and it is cleaned by the servants every day, and it has been unimpeded.
Chu Ning took two of Guo'er, led a few servants, walked down the mountain road and then rode the carriage, and in a short while he arrived at the spacious horse farm.
Today, she is wearing a winter riding suit, and her black hair is full of simple and generous hair accessories. She looks tall and straight, a little more dignified and delicate than usual, and she is beautiful His appearance became more and more dazzling, and almost as soon as he walked into it, he attracted countless eyes.
She was used to this kind of situation, and without the slightest turbulence in her heart, she only glanced at the figures nearby, seeing many noble children and girls, and several Qianniu guards, she knew that Xiao Kezhi was also there. This is why so many people are attracted.
Guo'er, who was on the side, was still very shy. Seeing the gazes of many people, she immediately retreated behind Chu Ning, pulling her sleeves and did not dare to move forward.
This child was born with such a nature, and Mrs. Xu was always a little worried about it. Today, she asked her to follow Chu Ning to learn how to ride a horse, because she wanted to teach her to let go of her temper and practice courage.
The two of them are used to the past life in the countryside, and even if they suddenly change from an ordinary farmer to a prince and aristocrat, there will be no big waves in the future. And Guo'er is still young and will marry and start a family in the future. As a parent, she naturally hopes that she can live as well as other noble girls in Chang'an City.
When Chu Ning watched the old couple love their only daughter so much, she naturally thought of her deceased parents.
Her parents did the same to her daughter back then, and they wanted her to grow up carefree. Looking at the whole of Chang'an, there were very few families with such a big family, and her parents were so upright, upright and upright. A loving and loving couple.
It's a pity that her mother left early, and her father was killed by Xiao Yu later. She is an orphan who is destined to not live as carefree as the husband and wife expected.
On the other hand, Guo'er, with both parents and a happy family, gave her a lot of sustenance. If she was destined to live a hard life, she might as well help this child and see that this child can live a good life. A consolation.
"Guo'er, let's pick a horse first, shall we?" She smiled and bent over slightly, tightening the collar and fur hat for Guo'er, pointing to the stable not far away.
Guo'er's shy eyes lit up when she touched the stables. After all, she was still a playful child. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded at her.
Upon seeing this, the servants who followed him hurriedly led the two to the stable, and summoned a manu to choose for the two of them.
It was not the first time that Chu Ning came back to Mount Li. There were familiar horses raised here, so he took the time to choose them.
The manu was very clever. Seeing that Guo'er was young and shy, he hurriedly brought the two of them to a young mare: "Your Highness, this horse is a breed of famous horses with a gentle temperament. , the foot strength is also stable, it is suitable for the little lady to learn to ride a horse."
Guo'er looked at the little red horse, which was much taller than her, although she was petite and petite. Her eyes were full of anticipation and nervousness, and she was a little afraid to step forward: "Your Highness, I'm a little scared."
Chu Ning stood beside her, holding her with one hand, stroking the pony with the other as a demonstration, and feeding it with a handful of hay.
The little red horse snorted and slowly rubbed against Chu Ning's palm, showing a bit of closeness.
Guo'er became more and more excited when she saw it, and finally stepped on the tumbler prepared by Manu, and carefully stretched out her hand to touch the little red horse.
The little red horse shook his head and approached her actively.
Seeing that Ma Nu was almost done, he stepped forward to open the door, led the little red horse out, and wanted to take the two to a wide area outside for a walk.
It was just that the three of them turned their heads and met Xiao Kezhi who was looking at him.
He was wearing this uniform and was followed by only two Qianniu guards.
"Your Majesty!" That Manu was startled, and hurriedly knelt down to salute.
Guo'er also became cramped, facing her cousin, she subconsciously ducked behind Chu Ning for a while.
Only Chu Ning held her very calmly, glanced at the still very lively situation outside, took two steps forward with a smile, and saluted him meticulously and flawlessly: "My niece didn't know that His Majesty was here, I'm rude."
Xiao Kezhi glanced at her expressionlessly, as if thinking of something, a bit of complexity flashed in his eyes, and then said solemnly: "It's okay, let's get up."
He didn't look at Chu Ning anymore, but walked up to Guo'er, bent down and asked, "Guo'er came to learn to ride today?"
Guo'er squeezed Chu Ning's hand, nodded with a wink, and said in a small and thin voice, "Yes, Guo'er will follow your Highness to learn to ride a horse."
He probably also felt that his dignified appearance frightened this shy and shy cousin, Xiao Kezhi tried his best to calm his face, looked at the little red horse behind them, nodded and said, "This horse is well chosen, it is suitable for beginners."
Guo'er's blushing face was a little happy: "His Royal Highness brought me to choose."
"Yeah." Xiao Kezhi didn't know if he was avoiding it on purpose, he didn't even glance at Chu Ning, he just signaled to lead the little red horse to a field with fewer people outside.
Several people went silent all the way, and immediately attracted the attention of many people. Several ministers, messengers, and several young noble men and women came over one after another on horseback. Among them, Zhao Yu'e, who had just arrived, attracted Chu Ning to take another look.
"Is Your Majesty going to personally teach the little lady Wei to ride a horse?" A clan looked at the little red horse and asked with a smile.
Guo'er was startled when she heard the emperor's teaching in person, and subconsciously grabbed the corner of Chu Ning's clothes with a white face, causing everyone on the side to look a little embarrassed.
Chu Ning was about to open her mouth to clear the siege, but Zhao Yu'e had already taken the lead and said, "It's not a matter of a day or two for a young lady to learn to ride a horse. Your Majesty has a lot of time to deal with the situation, and I think you won't have time to teach Madam Wei more. In my opinion, you might as well ask your majesty to choose one. A girl with excellent riding skills, teach the lady well."
She came to Mount Li after the snow had stopped in the past few days.
Although she is a noble girl, she is not a close relative of the royal family. Her elder brother Zhao Lun is far away in Bozhou, and she did not come with him. Naturally, it is not easy for her official family to come without authorization.
It was only recently that she received news from her brother from Bozhou. She knew that someone had been inquiring about the relationship between her father and Nanzhao in Bozhou recently. She also heard that Xiao Kezhi had also summoned several local generals to Beijing to report their duties. I was a little nervous, so I thought of asking other relatives of the Zhao family to come over a few days earlier to see the situation through their in-laws with the Xiao family.
After finally meeting Xiao Kezhi on the racecourse, she naturally had to seize the opportunity.
No matter how sluggish the people around her were, some of them understood her intentions. After all, most of the girls learn to ride horses for outings and fun, and very few can be called superb. In terms of riding skills, almost none of the ladies in Chang'an City can compare to her, the daughter of the gatekeeper. She obviously wants to borrow Taking this opportunity, he made a name for himself in front of the emperor and left a good impression.
And Zhao Yu'e was not shy at all, and continued, "If Your Majesty doesn't know which girl to choose, it's better to let everyone compete first. Whoever comes out on top is naturally the best in riding."
Xiao Kezhi didn't answer, but suddenly glanced at Chu Ning and said solemnly, "What does my niece think? I remember Fang Caiguo'er saying that she wanted to learn to ride with you."
Chu Ning raised her head in response, met his sharp eyes, and immediately understood that he didn't want her, the prince concubine, to teach his cousin at all.
"My nephew's riding skills are not good, so I was afraid of delaying Madam Wei. It would be best if a lady with superb riding skills came to teach her. Everything is up to Your Majesty."
Xiao Kezhi made a "uh" and raised his hand: "Then let a few girls have a match."
After he finished speaking, he turned around and walked to the stand aside, ignoring the others, but the girls below suddenly became nervous and turned their heads one after another.
The emperor only asked for a comparison, but did not say how to compare, these self-serving servants went to do it immediately. After a while, the girls were led to a black flag. From this point, a bunting flag was planted on the ramp in the distance. The one who pulled the bunting flag first was the winner.
Before Chu Ning passed, he simply took Guo'er to the stands, planning to watch the game with great interest.
Several ministers and clans sat down and chatted and laughed. Xiao Ke was sitting on the high seat in the middle and glanced at Chu Ning, who was pulling Guoer, and said, "Is your niece not going?"
"My niece doesn't dare to show ugliness." Chu Ning turned her head and smiled at him, with a natural expression, but there was a bit of resentment in her eyes, as if she said, "It's clearly your intention not to let me go."
Xiao Kezhi looked at her beautiful face, which was white and blushing, reflected in the golden sunlight, and his heart slid inexplicably for a while, as if he was leaning back in the Tangquan Pool that day, hugging her and kissing her wet neck, Look at the way she looks when she dodges with a smile.
He pursed his lips without saying a word, slowly looked away, and squeezed his hand on the railing silently.
"His Royal Highness," Guo'er said in a low voice, pulling Chuning's sleeve with a bitter face, "Guo'er wants His Highness to teach horseback riding..."
Just as Chu Ning wanted to comfort her, a deep voice came from behind him: "You are my cousin, and if you want to learn to ride, you should naturally be taught by the person with the best riding skills."
Chuning felt that he was mocking her poor riding skills.
She glanced back at him lightly, turned her head and said nothing.
He took another step without looking sideways, stood side by side with her, only a few inches away, lowered his head and patted Guo'er's head, said solemnly: "Don't worry, no one of them dares to bully you."
Guo'er raised her head, looked at Chu Ning, and then looked at Xiao Kezhi. Although she was reluctant, she still nodded and did not dare to refuse.
Whether it was intentional or unintentional, Xiao Kezhi didn't move any more, just stood quietly beside Chu Ning, looking at the situation offstage with her.
A few inches apart, the cold wind blew from time to time, blowing the robes of the two up, and from time to time they bumped into one place, rubbing and entangled in the air.
The two were silent, but the atmosphere was somehow strangely harmonious.
The girls below competed extremely fast, and amid the applause of the young men, Zhao Yu'e came out on top without any surprise, holding the bunting flag, turning her head and riding back.
She held her head high and smiled all over her face. The riding outfit on her body was a little tight, and it was attached to her body in the wind blowing on her face. The more she showed her mature charm, it was particularly eye-catching.
Chu Ning watched for a moment, then said softly, "Guo'er, look, Mrs. Zhao's riding skills are so good, if you follow her to learn, you will definitely become as good."
Guo Er nodded uneasily, but Xiao Kezhi, who had been silent all the time, suddenly glanced at her inexplicably.
After a while, Zhao Yu'e had come to the front, turned over and dismounted, walked onto the stage, held the colorful flag in the eyes of the crowd and handed it to the guards on the side, when she saw Chu Ning standing side by side with Xiao Kezhi, she was stunned for a moment, and then she fell to Xiao Kezhi. The first said: "Yu Niang is ashamed, she got an axe at the front door of your majesty."
Xiao Kezhi didn't look at her, just patted Guo'er on the shoulder and said, "Okay, since you have won, I will hand over my cousin to you. I hope you can teach her well."
It was still a lukewarm attitude, which made Zhao Yu'e a little disappointed. But this is an opportunity she won by herself, and she can't regret it anyway, so she can only say with a smile: "Your Majesty, rest assured, Yu Niang will not hold back and give her all."
Seeing that the matter was settled, Xiao Kezhi seemed to have lost interest, and waved to everyone: "Okay, let's go down separately, you don't have to stay in front of me, I should go back to the palace."
When everyone saw this, they all mounted their horses consciously, and dispersed in all directions, no longer gathered around the stands.
Chu Ning glanced at Guo'er, who followed Zhao Yu'e, and instructed the maids beside her to look at them from a distance, then left and returned to the stable, took out her purplish red horse, and trotted along the edge of the racecourse alone.
There is no one here, only the hunting north wind blows from time to time, and from time to time rolls up withered grass all over the ground. She could hear the crunch of withered grass and broken branches as the hoofs stepped by.
Although the weather is cold, it makes people feel very comfortable.
She simply didn't pull the reins, and just let the horse trot freely, feeling this rare tranquility and freedom.
It's just that the comfort didn't last long, and there was a sound of horses' hoofs from far to near, followed by a deep and familiar voice.
"Your riding skills are really not very good."
As soon as Chu Ning turned his head, he saw Xiao Kezhi who was riding a horse.
She raised her eyebrows and smiled at him, then clamped the horse's belly, and before he could react, she suddenly urged the horse to gallop out quickly.