Chapter 25

As long as she could get on the horse, she would tie herself to it, but...

Getting on the horse was not an easy task. Asking Prince Qin for help was out of the question; she had just been refused. Asking her to speak to him again was like a dream.

As for asking others for help? She had no silver left. Even if she could afford it, no one would dare touch her in her half-dead state. So she could only rely on herself.

Gu Qiancheng knew her physical condition was extremely poor, so she did not rush to get on the horse. Instead, she leaned against the horse, closed her eyes to rest, and waited for her strength to recover.

"What is she doing? Why isn't she leaving?" Jiao Xiangdi was about to get on the horse, but seeing Gu Qiancheng standing there for a long time, he couldn't help but ask again.

Since Prince Qin hadn't left, he wasn't in a hurry.

"She is gathering her strength. In her current state, she can't get on the horse." Feng Yuqian, a military general, knew very well how weak a person could be after such severe injuries.

"Can't she tame the horse to lie down, then get on and have it stand up again?" Jiao Xiangdi sincerely hoped Gu Qiancheng would perform again; he hadn't had enough of it just now.

This time, before Feng Yuqian could speak, Gu Qiancheng shot Jiao Xiangdi a look that said, "You're an idiot."

"Xiao Qianqian, she's looking down on me." Jiao Xiangdi put on a pained expression, making people want to punch his face.

"I also look down on you." Feng Yuqian mimicked Gu Qiancheng and gave Jiao Xiangdi a similar look.

If taming a horse were that easy, Gu Qiancheng would have left long ago. She wouldn't be standing here being pointed at and criticized.

Gu Qiancheng's face grew even paler, and Qin Jiyi sighed inwardly. Beside him, Jiao Xiangdi said, "Xiangdi, go get a carriage." This woman was so stubborn that it made him feel sorry for her, and he even felt a bit guilty.

"Get a carriage for her?" Jiao Xiangdi thought he had heard wrong, but it turned out he hadn't. Prince Qin gave him a stern look: "Hurry up."

"Uh... I'll go right away. But why me? Shouldn't this be Xiao Qianqian's job? He runs faster than I do." Jiao Xiangdi didn't understand why he always had to do the running, especially since Feng Yuqian was better suited for it.

Feng Yuqian didn't explain much, just smiled and said, "If Feng Sijin were here, would he...?"

"Stop." Before Feng Yuqian could finish, Jiao Xiangdi quickly interrupted, "Don't mention Feng Sijin to me. You win, I'll go get the carriage right now."

Jiao Xiangdi left in a huff, and Feng Yuqian was delighted. Qin Jiyi smiled, "Don't always bully Xiangdi."

"Ha ha... Who else but him? Sijin hasn't done anything to him, but he treats Sijin as his rival. Every time Sijin is mentioned, he loses instantly." Feng Yuqian laughed slyly.

"Xiangdi is just under too much pressure." Anyone who is constantly compared to others wouldn't be happy, especially if they always fall short.

For so many years, Jiao Xiangdi hadn't gone crazy or become twisted, and Qin Jiyi was already impressed.

Feng Yuqian's smile faded, and he said sympathetically, "Speaking of which, Xiangdi is also pitiful. Lord Jiao and Lord Feng have been rivals since childhood, comparing everything. They have always had their wins and losses, evenly matched. But when Xiangdi and Sijin were born, they started comparing their sons, and Lord Jiao has always been the loser."

"In this world, there is only one Feng Sijin. Many children in the Great Qin are known as prodigies, but only Feng Sijin has maintained his fame into adulthood. He has already won the titles of Jieyuan and Huiyuan. If he wins first place in this year's imperial examination, he will be the third person in the history of the Great Qin to achieve the 'triple first,' and the youngest one." Qin Jiyi's tone was calm, neither envious nor admiring, just stating a fact.

As the eldest grandson of the emperor, he was happy to have such talent in the Great Qin.

"Feng Sijin is indeed talented. Xiangdi can only blame his bad luck for encountering him and being destined to be the second best all his life." Feng Yuqian was relieved that he didn't have to take the imperial examination and compete with Feng Sijin.

Qin Jiyi nodded slightly in agreement, then looked up at Gu Qiancheng. He saw Gu Qiancheng looking at him with a half-smile, and when their eyes met, Gu Qiancheng calmly turned away. Qin Jiyi frowned but said nothing.

He didn't help Gu Qiancheng for any other reason; he just wanted to.

Gu Qiancheng was very brave and didn't act like a woman confined to the inner chambers. She remained calm in the face of trouble, showing the demeanor of a capable housewife. Unfortunately, she encountered the unreliable Qin Yunchu, who publicly broke off the engagement. It was unknown if she could ever marry again.

Although Jiao Xiangdi's mouth was often asking for a beating, his ability to get things done was indeed strong. Before long, he drove a carriage over. When Gu Qiancheng saw the carriage, a strange smile appeared on her lips.

Gu Qiancheng had her own pride, even if it seemed ridiculous to others, she still insisted on it.

Before Qin Jiyi could think about what Gu Qiancheng's smile meant, he saw her take a deep breath, grip the reins with both hands, and then...

With a beautiful leap, she actually got on the horse!

"Amazing, amazing."

"Beautiful."

The crowd burst into cheers, but Gu Qiancheng ignored them. She lifted her bloodied face, gave Qin Jiyi a challenging look, and without waiting for his reaction, turned the horse and galloped toward the Gu residence.

After being refused help, she, Gu Qiancheng, would not accept Qin Jiyi's charity.

The crowd automatically cleared a path, and Gu Qiancheng rode through unimpeded.

"Crazy woman." Qin Jiyi finally understood why Gu Qiancheng had laughed when he told Jiao Xiangdi to get a carriage. She was laughing at his wasted effort.

"Nothing can stop what this prince wants to do." Qin Jiyi's hidden stubbornness was provoked by Gu Qiancheng. He didn't care about the trouble it would cause and immediately mounted his horse to chase after her.

He wouldn't accept rejection!

"Prince... Qin, wait for me." Feng Yuqian, seeing this, didn't wait for Jiao Xiangdi and immediately followed.

Heaven help them, nothing must happen to Prince Qin, or both he and Jiao Xiangdi would be exterminated.

"What's going on?" Jiao Xiangdi ran over, leaving the carriage behind.

"Stop right there." Qin Jiyi still had his wits about him and didn't shout Gu Qiancheng's name in the street.

Gu Qiancheng heard Qin Jiyi's words, but instead of stopping, she sped up.

She wanted to stop, but if she did, she would definitely fall off the horse. If she fell, she would first have to make it to the Gu residence, otherwise...

If she fell in the street, no one would care about her life or death.

Prince Qin?

Forget it.

After being refused once, Gu Qiancheng's good impression of Prince Qin had greatly diminished. As Prince Qin said, she, Gu Qiancheng, was not his anyone, so why should he help her?

Now that she had safely mounted the horse, why was Prince Qin still chasing her?

If Gu Qiancheng were not injured and in full spirit, she would have proudly told Prince Qin not to chase her, or at least stop, cross her arms, and look down at him with a haughty expression, asking if he was done playing. But...

She couldn't do anything now, only sit unsteadily on the horse, letting it run forward. As for the road ahead? Her vision was blurry, and she couldn't see clearly, so...

She didn't notice that because of Prince Qin's relentless pursuit, her white horse was being forced off the path toward a pond.

Qin Jiyi originally thought Gu Qiancheng was taking risks to shake him off, but as she got closer to the riverbank, he realized something was wrong...