Chapter 103 -
Zi Han stood stiffly beside the carriage steps, looking impeccably refined in his fine scholar’s robes. As the Prime Minister’s son and the empire’s top imperial scholar, he usually possessed an air of effortless grace.
Right now, however, he was standing as rigid as a fence post.
"Lady Lanyin," Zi Han said as she approached. His voice was flat, blunt, and entirely unpoetic. "The step is high. Do not fall and break your ankle."
Lanyin blinked her soft eyes, a small, amused smile tugging at her lips. "Thank you, Zi Han," she replied gently.
Zi Han’s heart gave a sudden, violent thud against his ribs. Trying to maintain his usual dignified composure, he held out his arm at a strict ninety-degree angle.
"Please hold on," Zi Han blurted out, staring fixedly at a distant oak tree to avoid looking directly into her eyes. "My arm is solid. It will not break under your weight. Not that you are heavy. You are very light. Like a leaf. A polite leaf."
Lanyin choked back a soft giggle and placed her small, delicate hand onto his arm.
Zi Han went dead rigid. Holding his breath, the top imperial scholar guided her up with such extreme, precise care that Lanyin floated effortlessly onto the carriage step.
"I... I will step inside to accompany you," Zi Han stammered, his sharp intellect completely short-circuiting into pure fluster. "To ensure... proper conversation during the long ride."
"I would like that very much, Zi Han," Lanyin murmured, her own cheeks warming to a soft pink as she moved inside, making room on the cushioned bench.
Zi Han stepped inside and sat down awkwardly across from her, his posture straight as an arrow, his face flushing a bright, uncontrollable red as the door closed behind them.
Meanwhile, the journey had been underway for a good thirty minutes, and Su Yueqing was already bored out of her mind.
Sprawled inside the spacious main carriage, her stomach was still comfortably full from her massive breakfast. Having spent half an hour staring at the wooden ceiling, she finally pushed open the carriage window to get some fresh air.
Outside, Xi Wenzhe was riding his tall black warhorse right beside her window. He was strangely quiet, his handsome face carrying a completely rigid, tired, and thoroughly bored expression.
Yueqing leaned her chin on her hand, restings her elbows on the window sill, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.
"My, my, General," Yueqing called out, her voice dripping with playful mockery. "Why are you out there braving the dirt and wind? Is the carriage bench too soft for the grand warrior of the empire?"
Wenzhe didn’t even turn his head. He kept his eyes locked straight on the road ahead, his jaw tight.
"I prefer the horse," Wenzhe replied coldly, his voice flat and unbothered.
Yueqing rolled her light green eyes at his sarcastic, icy tone.
[Oh, look at him acting like a brooding lone wolf,] Yueqing’s inner thoughts giggled, broadcasting loud and clear straight into Wenzhe’s head as he rode alongside her. [Big scary General! So tough! So silent!]
"Are you sure?" Yueqing continued, leaning further out the window to deliberately pester him. "It looks awfully lonely up there! You could come inside, you know. I promise I won’t bite... unless you run out of pork buns!"
Wenzhe’s eyebrow twitched slightly, but he maintained his rigid glare toward the horizon.
For a solid five minutes, Yueqing didn’t give him a single second of peace. She teased him about his stiff posture, mocked his gloomy expression, and poked fun at his silent treatment all while her chaotic inner thoughts clanged inside his brain like a brass gong.
Finally, Wenzhe had heard more than enough.
Without uttering another word, Wenzhe lightly kicked his horse’s flanks. The black stallion trotted forward, pulling several paces ahead of the carriage to put a merciful distance between himself and his wife’s endless badgering.
Yueqing watched his retreating back with a thoroughly satisfied smirk, pulling her head back inside and pulling the window curtain shut.
[Ha! Defeated by pure annoyance!] Yueqing cheered in her head as she curled up sideways on the comfortable bench.
Satisfied with her victory and weighted down by her heavy stomach, she knew it was finally time for a well-deserved nap.
[Alright Nine,] Yueqing yawned, speaking to her system inside her mind. [Wake me up when we reach the next town. It’s sleep time.]
She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh, settling into the cushions.
Just as she was drifting off to sleep, a soft pat-pat-pat sounded against the wooden roof of the carriage.
Within seconds, the quiet tapping turned into a steady rhythm as water droplets began to hit the roof and windows. Rain was starting to fall.
The soft tapping of raindrops against the wooden carriage quickly picked up speed, turning into a steady, pattering rhythm.
Inside the carriage, Yueqing opened one eye, a wide, mischievous grin spreading across her face.
[Oh, perfect!] her inner voice cheered, broadcasting straight out like a trumpet into the rainy air. [Now he’ll have to bring his stubborn ass in here. Let’s see how long the Grand General can act tough against torrential rain!]
Riding just a short distance ahead, Wenzhe heard her smug thoughts loud and clear over the sound of the falling water. His brow furrowed, his jaw clenching tightly. Lose his pride to her teasing?! Absolutely not.
The carriage driver pulled his oiled-paper hood up, squinting through the gathering mist, and called out to the front. "General! Please head inside! It’s about to pour heavily!"
Wenzhe simply shook his head, his face a mask of iron determination. "I am fine. Keep the horses moving at a steady pace."
A moment later, the main carriage picked up speed slightly, and Yueqing’s window caught right up to his horse. She slid the wooden panel open, leaning her chin on her hand as she watched the rain start to soak the shoulders of his dark robes.
"My, my, General Xi!" Yueqing called out, her voice practically dripping with theatrical pity. "It’s getting quite wet out there! Are you sure you don’t want to come inside where it’s dry and warm? Or are you planning to turn into a drowned rat out of sheer stubbornness?"
Wenzhe gave her a single, icy side-eye. "No," he said coldly.
With a flick of his reins, he nudged his stallion forward again, speeding ahead to escape her relentless teasing.
Yueqing rolled her eyes with a satisfied chuckle, shutting the window panel to keep the damp breeze out.
From the second carriage following behind, Lanyin parted her own silk window curtain slightly, watching her brother’s soaked figure riding stubbornly at the front of the procession. She let out a soft, long sigh.
Having been subject to her sister-in-law’s loud internal commentary all day and now watching her formidable, legendary General of a brother acting like a petty, moody child she couldn’t help but shake her head.
"They are both so stubborn," Lanyin murmured with a gentle, fond smile, drawing the curtain closed.
Sitting across from her, Zi Han blinked, his posture still impossibly straight. "Lady Lanyin? Is something amiss with the General?"
"Not at all, Zi Han," Lanyin replied softly, her eyes gleaming with warm amusement. "They are just being themselves. In a strange way... they really do fit each other perfectly."