Sun Jiming had been standing to the side since he arrived and hadn't gotten involved. When the crown prince spoke, Sun Yuelan finally noticed that her elder brother had also come. She hurriedly ran over and asked, "Brother, didn't you have something to do today?"
After saying that, her gaze fell on Qi Yueheng beside him and she called out, "Brother Qi!"
Sun Jiming pushed aside his annoying younger sister in front of him and explained, "I went to investigate a case in the suburbs of the capital with Brother Qi today. We rushed over when we heard that something had happened here."
Then he walked up to Xie Fengran, stopping at a certain distance. "If Miss Xie doesn't want to participate in the horse - riding and archery competition, please go somewhere else to rest."
"Mr. Sun, there's no need to be so polite. I'd like to stand here and watch Yuelan." Xie Fengran nodded slightly, with a distant tone.
Qi Yueheng beside them showed a critical look in his eyes. He sized up Xie Fengran from head to toe and thought to himself: She's too beautiful, her eyes are too sharp, and her temper is too stubborn. She's not suitable for Brother Sun at all. However -
With such a beauty in front, even if his younger sister was highly skilled in martial arts, it would probably be difficult for her to win Brother Sun's heart.
He sighed silently in his heart, withdrew his gaze, and looked at his younger sister who was getting ready on the racecourse.
Xie Fengran knew that Qi Yueheng was looking at her when his gaze fell on her, but she didn't know why this Mr. Qi kept sighing after looking at her.
Before she could figure it out, her train of thought was interrupted by Sun Yuelan.
"Fengran, why don't you go and rest with the Fourth Princess first? I'll come and find you when I'm done."
Xie Fengran shook her head. "I'll watch you. Go ahead!"
Seeing her firm words, Sun Yuelan didn't try to persuade her anymore. She turned around and walked towards her horse.
The area around the racecourse suddenly fell silent. Sun Jiming stood not far from Xie Fengran, looking in their direction. Behind them were the guards of the crown prince's mansion.
The Fourth Princess looked at Sun Jiming and then at Xie Fengran. She secretly tugged at Xie Fengran's sleeve and said, "Sister Xie, I know why Xie Zhaoyang has been chasing after you like a mad dog!"
"… Princess, she's your elder sister."
The Fourth Princess pouted. "It's such a pity! You already have a cousin, and there's also the crown prince brother eyeing you covetously. Mr. Sun has no chance at all."
She finally understood why Miss Sun said that she was partial to outsiders!
However, "No matter who Sister Xie marries in the future, she won't have any problems with her sister - in - law!" The Fourth Princess counted on her fingers. "If it's the crown prince brother, I like you very much. If it's Mr. Sun, Miss Sun likes you very much. If it's your cousin, I don't have a cousin - in - law."
Xie Fengran: "…" Why is it that every time she thinks the Fourth Princess is a bit smarter, this girl starts to say something astonishing!
Since the people from the Eastern Palace had inspected the horses, Xie Fengran's accident didn't cause panic among the young ladies. Moreover, as the daughter of Hanlin Sun, Sun Yuelan didn't give up the competition, which made everyone feel a bit more at ease.
However, there were no surprises in this competition. Qi Yueying took the lead and crossed the finish line half a lap ahead of the second - place finisher, as expected winning the first place.
What surprised Xie Fengran was that Sun Yuelan actually came in second. Although she was half a lap behind Qi Yueying, she was much better than the other young ladies.
In the Great Yue Dynasty, literature was always more highly regarded than martial arts. Otherwise, the military power in the northern border wouldn't have been in the hands of the Grand Princess for so long. Few people, whether male or female, in the capital were proficient in horse - riding and archery.
Just look at the young ladies behind Sun Yuelan. Some of them couldn't even ride a horse properly.
Qi Yueying actually didn't want to come to this competition. She wasn't interested in whether she could enter the women's academy or not. She only came because her brother told her to come and support the event.
With outstanding people in both the written test and the horse - riding and archery competition, this written test wouldn't look so bad.
So Qi Yueying participated. After the competition, she immediately rode towards her brother.
When she saw the figure that should have been standing beside her brother standing behind Miss Xie in a protective stance, her pupils constricted slightly. She immediately turned her horse around and rushed straight towards Xie Fengran uncontrollably!
This sudden change on the field was unexpected. Even the guards of the Eastern Palace didn't expect that this young lady from the Qi family would suddenly target Xie Fengran. And the Fourth Princess was actually beside Xie Fengran. Immediately, they rushed forward to try to stop Qi Yueying.
Unfortunately, Qi Yueying's horse was brought by herself, a fine steed. In just a moment, it rushed in front of Xie Fengran.
Even Sun Jiming didn't react in time. The horse's hooves were already raised high, and it seemed about to step on Xie Fengran's face!
"Yueying!" Qi Yueheng finally realized something was wrong, but it was too late to stop her!
"Sister Xie!" The Fourth Princess tightly grabbed Xie Fengran's arm, scared out of her wits. She was really terrified!
Xie Fengran's face turned pale. She never expected Qi Yueying to react like this. It was too late to dodge, so she could only pull the Fourth Princess behind her and stand in front of the horse's hooves!
Her eyes were as sharp as knives as she stared at Qi Yueying on the horse.
One of them was as elegant as an orchid in a secluded valley, and the other was as passionate as a blooming rose. Their gazes met in the air. Xie Fengran could even feel the whistling wind of the horse's hooves coming through the air, and there were gasps from the young ladies around her.
Just when she was about to close her eyes in despair, there was a long neigh from the horse, and the sense of oppression in the air disappeared.
Qi Yueying fiercely pulled the reins, and the fine steed under her suddenly turned in a different direction and stopped!
The figure on the horse jumped down and knelt on one knee in front of the Fourth Princess. "I, your subject, am guilty. Please punish me, Fourth Princess!"
The person who was just so high - and - mighty was now kneeling to plead for punishment. For a moment, no one could react.
The Fourth Princess stared blankly at the person kneeling in front of her with their head down and didn't react for a while.
At this time, Qi Yueheng also came over and knelt beside Qi Yueying. "My younger sister is naughty. Please punish her, Fourth Princess!"
Neither the brother nor the sister tried to shirk their responsibility. They came up and asked for punishment, which made Xie Fengran look at them with a bit more respect.
The Fourth Princess also came to her senses. She understood that this was just a farce by Qi Yueying, but she was still very angry. "Miss Qi, why did you do this? Do you know that if you couldn't control your horse in time, Sister Xie and I would have been killed under your horse just now!"
"Please forgive me, Princess. I just wanted to test Miss Xie. I have no other intentions! I definitely have no intention of harming the Princess!"
Qi Yueying was straightforward. She just disliked Xie Fengran and just wanted to see her make a fool of herself.
"Miss Qi, you're wrong. The Princess is the ruler, and you're the subject. Regardless of the reason, putting the Princess in danger is an act of insubordination."
Sun Jiming strode over and stood in front of Xie Fengran and the Fourth Princess. He looked coldly at Qi Yueying. "Miss Qi, don't worry. I'll report this to the Crown Prince later. I'm sure His Highness will make a proper decision on the punishment!"
Hearing this voice, Qi Yueying's body swayed. She forced herself not to look up and tried to suppress her voice. "Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Sun. I'll remember it!"
Xie Fengran had calmed down by now. Her gaze fell on Qi Yueying's hand holding the whip, and she sighed silently.
This was really an innocent disaster!