Volume 1, Chapter 23: The True Heiress Is a Powerhouse 23

As soon as the task of purchasing the horse farm was completed, the system’s rewards were issued. This time, it was different from previous monetary rewards; the prizes were specifically for the farm.

[Congratulations to the host for completing the horse farm purchase. As a system of boundless wealth, how could I allow the host’s horse farm to be anything but extraordinary?]

[Reward One: Two hundred Akhal-Teke horses, all three-year-olds in their prime, equipped with the "Thousand-Mile-a-Day" buff.]

[Reward Two: One hundred loads of improved alfalfa seeds. Drought-resistant and water-tolerant, they act as a potent tonic for horses, ensuring even the sick and weak become sleek and glossy.]

[Reward Three: A top-tier veterinary team, including three masters of ancestral veterinary medicine and twenty apprentices, specialized in treating the most difficult equine ailments.]

[Reward Four: A set of fully automatic water-drawing equipment, including a thirty-zhang deep well. One step on the pedal yields ten buckets of water—enough not just for drinking, but for washing the stables as well.]

[Reward Five: Five retired horse trainers from the former military stables, all veterans who once trained warhorses for generals.]

[Look, host! Now, never mind just raising horses; you’re qualified to open a Royal Equestrian Academy! Hurry and praise me!]

"Mm, you’re amazing!"

[Yay! The host praised me! This is the first time! All the rewards are already in place at the farm. Would the host like to go and see them now?]

"No, Lingyi can go and take a look."

An Qianqian only wanted to go back and lie on her lounge chair to soak up the sun. The weather was nice today; it was a bit hot, but that didn't affect her in the slightest.

In the following days, the system did not issue any more tasks, and An Qianqian enjoyed the leisure. Apart from visiting Si Chengnian every night to listen to stories, she spent her time lying in the courtyard basking in the sun.

In the blink of an eye, the eve of the Crown Princess’s Ice Banquet arrived.

An Qianqian lay on Si Chengnian’s bed, listening to him read from a newly found novella. As he read, he suddenly stopped.

"I will be leaving in a few days. Are you willing to come with me?"

Si Chengnian’s hand, clutching the book, tightened abruptly, his Adam’s apple bobbing repeatedly.

An Qianqian didn't even lift her eyelids; she yawned and nuzzled into the pillow: "Sure."

Si Chengnian suddenly looked up, his peach-blossom eyes shining with startling brilliance, his fingertips burning as if they were on fire: "You..."

"Call me when you leave."

She turned over, her voice already heavy with sleepiness, "Keep reading."

Si Chengnian lowered his gaze to her sleeping profile, his fingertips trembling more violently, yet he slowly reached out to stroke her hair, his movements so light as if he feared shattering something.

I don't know how much time passed, long enough for him to sense that An Qianqian was fast asleep.

"Qianqian," he murmured, his voice low and hoarse, carrying a sigh of near-greedy satisfaction, "since you’ve promised, don't think about running away."

His thumb brushed over her temple, the pressure gradually increasing, his eyes brimming with a paranoid light: "Once we reach the Yan Kingdom, across the vast lands, you will only be able to look at me."

The sleeping An Qianqian did not see this scene. The decision to leave with Si Chengnian was something she had considered carefully. After all, one of the tasks for coming to this world was to fulfill his wish. Once he left, there was no point in her staying in the Shang Kingdom.

The next day, An Qianqian was woken up early in the morning by Cheng Mingyue.

"Today is the Crown Princess’s Ice Banquet. I’ve had Chun Tang change you into the Moonlight Dress."

Cheng Mingyue had slept very late last night, all to ensure she could coordinate an outfit for An Qianqian to debut before everyone today. The previous recognition banquet had been too formal, so the dress had been strictly regulated. But this time was different; at the Ice Banquet, although men and women were seated separately, there were no screens to block the view. Dressing her daughter beautifully might just catch the eye of some young nobleman. By then, her daughter would surely forget that Si Chengnian.

An Qianqian was dressed up by Cheng Mingyue like a doll, and then they set out with her three other daughters-in-law. Her five sons followed An Mingxia, and they did not share a carriage with the women.

The carriage pulled to a slow stop before the East Palace gate. Just as Cheng Mingyue was leaning on a maid’s hand to get off, she suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats and the heavy rumble of carriage wheels behind her.

"Madam, it’s the carriage of Princess Heqin!"

The coachman’s face turned grim. "Judging by the momentum, she intends to cut in front of us."

Cheng Mingyue’s brows furrowed, and just as she was about to say "let her pass," a gilded carriage surged forward diagonally, its wheels nearly grazing their carriage shaft.

The curtain was lifted a corner, revealing Princess Heqin’s arrogant face. Her gaze swept over Cheng Mingyue’s carriage with unconcealed disdain: "Move aside, don't block my 'Snow-Treading Steed'."

The white horse pulling her carriage was remarkably spirited, its coat like frost. It was a fine breed gifted from the Western Regions; though not as rare as an Akhal-Teke, it was a prized possession among the noblewomen of the capital. At this moment, being reined in by the driver, it pawed the ground restlessly with its front hooves, clearly impatient.

"Princess Heqin, at the gate of the East Palace, entering in order is the rule!" Cheng Mingyue gripped the carriage handle, her tone deepening.

"Rules?"

Princess Heqin sneered and gestured for the driver to move forward. "When my Snow-Treading Steed runs, even rules must yield. What is the Duke of Rong’s mansion? I am determined to enter first today!"

"This is the forbidden ground of the East Palace; how dare you run wild with your horse!"

Cheng Mingyue called out to her own coachman, "Hold the carriage steady, nobody is to move!"

The coachman received the order and pulled the reins tight. The bay horse pulling their carriage, though only an ordinary draft horse, was buoyed by its mistress’s resolve and stood firmly in place, refusing to retreat a single step.

Seeing this, the disdain in Princess Heqin’s eyes deepened. She leaned out and pointed at Cheng Mingyue’s horse, mocking: "The Duke of Rong’s mansion uses such a nag? Its coat is messy, its frame is slack—is it a donkey pulling a cart?"

Her tone was dripping with arrogance: "My Snow-Treading Steed eats more in one meal of fodder than your horse does in three days. If it runs, it will grind your broken carriage into wood shavings! Don't even talk about yielding—if I really hit you today, your inferior horse will have to kneel and beg for mercy!"

The driver chimed in behind her: "The Princess is right! This Snow-Treading Steed even beat Prince Qin’s 'Wind-Chaser' the other day. The horses of the Duke of Rong’s mansion aren't even fit to tie its shoes!"

Cheng Mingyue’s chest heaved with anger, but she suppressed her fury: "Princess, watch your tongue! The horses of the Duke of Rong’s mansion, even as draft horses, know how to follow rules and understand propriety—unlike some beasts that, having gained a bit of superficial grace, forget their own place!"

"Who are you calling a beast!" Princess Heqin slammed her hand against the carriage wall. "Ram into them! I want to see if her rules are tougher, or my Snow-Treading Steed is!"

The driver, receiving the order, lashed the whip sharply. The Snow-Treading Steed let out a long neigh and actually charged toward Cheng Mingyue’s carriage.