Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 245 - 243

Xiao’er decisively picked a horse from the other side of the stable.

Seeing this, Shangguan Xuanyi started to get a headache, shooting a glare at Shangguan Xuanhao and Di Shaowei! It was all their fault for secretly signing the girl up for this.

His original intent was only to bring the girl along to watch the fun.

"You’ve overprotected this small tree. Without surviving the wind and rain, how can a small sapling grow into a towering tree?"

"No need!" Shangguan Xuanyi said tersely, trailing behind Xiao’er.

"Tsk tsk, overprotective husband. I even suspect that the weak horse was prepared by him after knowing we had signed the girl up," Shangguan Xuanhao told Di Shaowei who was by his side.

Di Shaowei seriously nodded: "It’s truly possible."

A horse of this quality has never appeared in previous years.

Xiao’er glanced at all the horses in this row of stables, already having made up her mind.

"Brother Shangguan, which horse do you choose?"

"You pick for me." Shangguan Xuanyi cast an indulgent look at Xiao’er, whose eyes were sparkling.

The little girl seemed to really enjoy horse riding. He would bring her here more often in the future.

Xiao’er chose two horses from the stable: one at the front, one at the back, one white, one black – the two most spiritless horses in the entire venue.

"Brother Shangguan, I’ll take the white horse, and you take the black one, okay?"

Shangguan Xuanyi’s gaze flickered slightly, smiling, he said: "Alright."

"Has the girl made her pick yet?" Di Shaowei came over to ask.

"She has," Xiao’er pointed at the white horse at the front.

Di Shaowei had a glance and asked uncertainly, "The first one? The sullen one?"

"Yes! What do you think, isn’t it a good horse?" Xiao’er nodded confidently.

Di Shaowei was at a loss for words; he couldn’t see what was good about this horse. It seemed sickly to him, "The chestnut colored horse farther back is better. Trust me, girl, I won’t lie to you."

"Girl, what is up with your taste? This horse seems lackluster and droopy. Did you aim for the worst one?" Shangguan Xuanhao couldn’t help but stamp his foot, their rivals in the upcoming team competition were formidable!

Suddenly, he started regretting; was the girl here to trip them up?

"Right, I am planning to use the weakest horse of the lot to win this race!" Xiao’er raised her chin slightly and said haughtily.

If anyone else made this claim, it would certainly incite resentment. But when the girl made such a claim, Shangguan Xuanyi found it endearing no matter how he saw it.

Shangguan Xuanhao: Where did this girl get her confidence from? Is she underestimating the opponents too much?

Di Shaowei: Did I get it wrong, is this sickly looking horse actually a master horse?

A hunch told Di Shaowei that the girl would win.

Looking at that horse again, it still lacked the aura typical of an exceptional horse.

"You said it, girl, don’t make me lose too badly later, then I’ll consider that you’ve won!" Shangguan Xuanhao couldn’t help but remind her.

He had made a bet with Shangguan Xuanjun and Shangguan Xuanjie. If he loses, he would have to stay in the Imperial Capital for three consecutive months assisting the Emperor with state affairs. Just the thought of it was terrifying!

Shangguan Xuanhao shot a resentful glance at Xiao’er. For heaven’s sake! Choosing a sluggish, sick horse - was she a spy sent by the enemy? She was totally sabotaging her own teammate!

Ignoring him, Xiao’er asked Jingrui and Brother Ri about the horses they chose. Both of them nodded. Upon hearing that, Jinghao pouted; he was still too young to participate.

"Sixth Royal Brother, which horse did you pick?" Shangguan Xuanhao asked Shangguan Xuanyi.

"The black horse at the end."

"The end..." Another sick horse! Shangguan Xuanhao felt his spirit was crushed. He was doomed!

He intended to use this victory to secure a few months’ leave to go abroad!

"Was it Xiao’er who chose that horse?" Shangguan Xuanhao asked through gritted teeth.

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded.

The selection of horses began, and Shangguan Xuanyi had the chosen horse brought over.

In terms of "horse bumping", whoever gets the horse first owns it, and even the princes won’t argue about it.

After the horse was brought over, Xiao’er came forward and tried to touch the white horse, hoping to build a bond. However, the horse snorted through its nostrils and elegantly stepped away, avoiding her touch disdainfully.

Seeing this, Shangguan Xuanhao laughed shamelessly, "Look at the horse you picked, Xiao’er. Not only does it look sick, but it also has a huge temper!"

"I like horses with a big temper!" Xiao’er took something out of her sleeve and held it under the horse’s nose. The horse was initially about to turn its head away in disdain, however, the faint aura and sweetness seemed to attract it. It sniffed and then extended its tongue to eat the item in Xiao’er’s hand.

’One who receives a gift cannot speak against the giver.’ As Xiao’er stroked the horse again, it affectionately nuzzled her hand.

You little rascal, I can still handle you! Xiao’er laughed and then fed it another.

Shangguan Xuanhao stared in surprise. He knew this horse was stubborn, but it was noticeably tamed after just a little sweet treat.

Xiao’er handed a small bottle to Shangguan Xuanyi, "Brother Shangguan, you should also feed your horse."

Shangguan Xuanyi took the bottle and nodded.

Shangguan Xuanyi’s horse had always been with its eyes closed and its head down. When the thing was placed in front of its nose, its eyes flew open and it immediately ate what was offered.

After finishing it, the black horse approached Shangguan Xuanyi for more petting, as if hinting that it wanted more to eat.

"What are you feeding the horse, Xiao’er?" Di Shaowei widened his eyes, it seemed like he saw a glimpse of vitality flash across the black horse’s eyes.

Shangguan Xuanyi fed it another piece, and after it finished, its eyes closed again and it seemed to lose energy.

Di Shaowei thought he must have seen wrong earlier.

"Horse’s obedience."

"What?" Di Shaowei did not comprehend, ’What about the horse’s obedience?’

"I’m feeding the horse ’Horse’s Obedience’! After a horse eats this, it won’t dare to run second when I order it to run first. Do you believe it?" Xiao’er teased them on purpose.

Shangguan Xuanhao and Di Shaowei promptly led their horses away in reply to Xiao’er.

"Don’t believe it? It’s not too late to regret, I was going to give you two as well. But don’t ask me for them later!"

In response to Xiao’er, the two men walked away faster, without even looking back.

Shangguan Xuanyi shook his head at Xiao’er’s mischief, but his eyes were full of indulgence.

...

The competition began, starting with the individual men’s race.

The racetrack was large enough to accommodate twenty men to race at the same time.

Shangguan Xuanyi, riding his black horse, waited at the starting point for the signal to begin.

Among all the horses lined up, only his horse seemed to be sleepy and listless.

As soon as the signal sounded, Shangguan Xuanyi gently nudged the horse’s stomach: "Go!"

Without fully opening its eyes, the black horse hastily galloped forward like an arrow, leaving all the other horses far behind.

"What the heck, it’s playing dumb to catch us off guard! It made me underestimate it!" Shangguan Xuanjun immediately whipped his horse to give chase.

Watching the distant figure, Shangguan Xuanhao nearly fell off his horse!

Once he regained his senses, he hurriedly chased after it, "Horse’s Obedience! Wait for me!"