Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 210 - 208: Not So Pleasant Date

Shangguan Xuanyi and Di Shaowei discussed in detail based on the list provided by Xiao’er.

They discussed for a whole day before Shangguan Xuanyi summoned ten hidden guards and issued order after order.

In the dark night, from time to time, messengers flew into the night sky with the fluttering of their wings.

Upon receiving the encrypted letter, the carefree emperor ordered a u-turn without any change in his expression, heading back to the Imperial Capital first.

Soon, at differing times, generals of various stationed armies received secret orders to mobilize troops.

This year, the political landscape of the Minze Dynasty would undergo a major reshuffle.

...

Early the next day, Di Shaowei left first. All day long he had rambled about what to bring, what to pack more of, but in the end, he did not manage to bring anything with him. Without even bidding anyone goodbye, he left before dawn had arrived.

Today the sun is shining brightly. In the early summer lotus pond, the tiny lotuses just poked their sharpy tips out. The flowers, plants, and trees all around were growing robustly, everything was filled with so much vigor and vitality.

"Lass, would you like me to take you horse riding?" Shangguan Xuanyi asked Xiao’er, who was standing next to him admiring the early summer rural scenery, recalling the thrill of galloping on a horse in the grasslands.

"Good!" There wasn’t any reason to refuse! Xiao’er agreed readily. With such good weather and sunshine, it was a perfect day to go outdoors!

"You have someone prepare the horses, I’ll go and let my parents know. I’ll also change into something more comfortable. We can have a picnic!" Once she finished her sentence, Xiao’er quickly ran back.

Looking at Xiao’er’s excited figure, Shangguan Xuanyi’s lips inadvertently curled upwards.

Xiao’er changed into a horse-riding outfit, tying her hair into a ponytail. At first glance, she seemed like a boy, gallant and spirited.

She had originally thought of riding a small horse, but when she came out, she only saw Shangguan Xuanyi’s magnificent, tall, and black BMW horse.

"Where’s my horse?" Has it gone to eat grass? Xiao’er looked around.

"This horse bears weight very well, let’s ride it together. Come, let me lift you up." Shangguan Xuanyi beckoned Xiao’er.

"I can ride by myself." She was thinking of the two of them having a horse race.

"It’s a long journey. With your small build, you won’t be able to straddle the horse. So how are you going to ride?" Not paying any attention to her words, Shangguan Xuanyi directly lifted her onto the horse, then mounted the horse himself.

Upon hearing this, Xiao’er found it unbelievable. Glancing herself from head to toe, her height was above average for her age, "How am I small like a bean!"

"Hold on tightly!" Shangguan Xuanyi lightly laughed, not answering her question. With one arm around Xiao’er and the other holding the reins, he spurred the horse: "Go!"

The horse began to run, picking up speed as it went.

The wind was rather strong, making it hard for them to keep their eyes open.

Shangguan Xuanyi pulled off his cloak and enveloped Xiao’er in it.

"It’s windy, don’t catch a cold."

Xiao’er pulled down the cloak and exposed her face, "I’m not cold."

Shangguan Xuanyi then adjusted the cloak again, "We’ll arrive soon enough, just bear with it. The wind is strong, easy to cause your eyes to fog up."

The early summer breeze was still cool and she was dressed very lightly, if they keep riding and charging into the wind, wouldn’t she end up with a runny nose? He should have let her take the carriage.

Xiao’er pulled down the cloak again, showing her little head, "If you cover my whole head, how can I enjoy the scenery?"

"There’s nothing much to see on this road. Be good! The wind can cause your skin to crack."

She hadn’t heard of summer wind causing people’s skin to crack before!

Xiao’er pulled down the cloak once more, "Brother Shangguan, do you find it embarrassing to be seen with me?"

"Not at all!" On the contrary, he felt honored.

"Then why do you insist on wrapping me up completely!"

"I’m worried you might catch a cold."

"I’m not cold, in fact, I’m actually hot." Xiao’er was speechless. Riding a horse out didn’t turn out to be as wonderful as she thought.

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Xuanyi lowered his head and checked Xiao’er’s smooth forehead. He did notice a slight trace of perspiration. "I must have misjudged the situation. Use a handkerchief to wipe your sweat quickly."

Xiao’er breathed a sigh of relief. The entire journey was exhausting! Luckily, she had sneakily used the spatial water to wipe her forehead.

"Brother Shangguan, I want to ride faster!"

"Alright."

The horse galloped forward, and Xiao’er couldn’t help but stretch her arms out, closing her eyes to enjoy the pleasure the speed brought.

Seeing Xiao’er happy, Shangguan Xuanyi further increased the speed.

Shangguan Xuanyi brought Xiao’er to a suburb where many people came to train and race horses.

The terrain was flat with lush grasses and babbling creeks.

Shangguan Xuanyi and Xiao’er ran around here for a while, before finally stopping in a secluded area.

He helped Xiao’er dismount the horse. "Rest for a while, I’ll go catch a few fish from the river for us to grill."

"Brother Shangguan, I want to ride the horse myself for a while, I haven’t had enough fun!"

"No, this horse is too big and high. If you want to ride, I’ll accompany you later."

How can riding with someone be the same as riding by yourself?

Moreover, when Shangguan Xuanyi was with her, he didn’t dare to ride too fast. She could even feel the horse’s agitation, wanting to break free and sprint wildly.

"Brother Shangguan! Just one time, I won’t do anything that’s not under my control. Besides, your horse seems quite smart, I believe it wouldn’t throw me off." Xiao’er extended her right index finger, while coaxing and flattering the horse simultaneously.

"No means no! And my horse is very proud, it doesn’t allow anyone but me to ride it." If it weren’t for the fact that he rode with her and the conversation they had earlier, this horse wouldn’t have allowed her to ride it. Shangguan Xuanyi started to remove his shoes and socks, preparing to go down to the river and catch some fish.

"If it lets me ride, would you agree then?"

"No!" It’s too dangerous. What if she falls off? Even if Heilei wouldn’t possibly let her ride, he can’t agree to it.

"But if I....."

Shangguan Xuanyi stretched out his hand to stop her from continuing. "No matter what you say, I won’t agree, young lady."

Xiao’er felt deflated. Knowing how things turned out, she wouldn’t have come, how boring!

"I’ll catch a couple of fish from the river and grill them for you. Can you just sit and rest a bit?" Seeing her dejected look, Shangguan Xuanyi felt slightly guilty.

This girl is always full of energy. He brought her out to make her happy, but seems like his plan totally backfired.

Anyway, first things first, he had to sort out the food.

Shangguan Xuanyi, whilst racking his brain about how to cheer Xiao’er up, waded into the river.

He realized solving this problem was more difficult than any other he had ever faced.

Seeing Shangguan Xuanyi enter the river to catch fish, Xiao’er decided to collect some firewood for the fire later on.

"Brother Shangguan, I’m going to collect some dry wood over in that forest."

"Don’t. I’ll go fetch some later." The forest was a bit far, and he wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on her.

"I’ll be quick. I’ll be back by the time you’re done catching fish." As Xiao’er said this, she just took off running.

She began to think that she couldn’t negotiate everything with Shangguan Xuanyi. He was stricter than her dad!

Seems like she just needed to casually mention the thing she wanted to do and then go ahead with it without any further ado.