Chapter 212 -

Chapter 212: Chapter

"What are you doing here?" Wenzhe asked. His voice was freezing cold, and his hand tightened around his silver cup.

Xiao Chen did not look scared at all. He picked up an empty cup from the table and spun it lazily in his fingers.

"I want to sit with Lady Su," Xiao Chen said smoothly, flashing a fake, innocent smile. He tilted his head at Wenzhe. "Is there a problem, General?"

"Yes," Wenzhe snapped. "She is my wife. Find your own table."

Instead of panicking about the two deadly men glaring at each other, Yueqing just sighed loudly. She totally ignored their intense staring match and reached right across Xiao Chen’s lap to grab a plate of sweet cakes.

[Why do rich men always want to sit where the food is the best?] Yueqing complained in her head, happily taking a big bite of her cake. [Xiao Chen definitely just came over here to steal my roasted pork. Well, he can forget it.]

Wenzhe almost dropped his cup.

He stared at his wife in total disbelief. Roasted pork?! Wenzhe yelled in his own mind. This prince is trying to provoke me and steal my wife, and she thinks he is after the pork?!

Xiao Chen, who had no idea what Yueqing was thinking, rested his chin on his hand. He looked at Yueqing, completely ignoring Wenzhe.

"Lady Su," Xiao Chen said, using a soft, charming voice. "You look stunning tonight. It is a shame you are stuck at such a boring table with such a boring man."

Yueqing smiled politely, but her eyes quickly darted to the meat on his side of the table.

[If you think sweet words will make me share my food with you, Your Highness, you are completely dreaming,] she thought stubbornly.

She picked up her chopsticks, reached over, and grabbed a plain, raw stick of celery from a decorative bowl. She dropped it right onto Xiao Chen’s empty plate.

"Here, Your Highness," Yueqing said brightly. "Eat your vegetables. It is very good for your health."

Xiao Chen stared down at the sad, green stick of celery. His charming smile froze completely. He looked completely confused.

Wenzhe let out a sudden, loud laugh.

He quickly covered his mouth, but he could not hide the huge, victorious smirk on his face. Seeing the arrogant Third Prince get rejected with a piece of raw celery was the funniest thing Wenzhe had seen in years.

[Look at them,] Yueqing thought, rolling her eyes as she went back to chewing her cake. [One is glaring at a vegetable, and the other is laughing like a crazy person. Men are so weird.]

Xiao Chen slowly pushed the celery away. He looked at Wenzhe, his eyes turning cold again.

"You think this is funny, General?" Xiao Chen asked in a low, dangerous voice.

Before Wenzhe could answer, Yueqing suddenly slapped her hand flat on the table. Both men jumped slightly and looked at her.

"Listen," Yueqing said firmly, pointing her chopsticks at both of them. "I do not care about your little staring competition. But if either of you knocks over my plate of sweet buns while trying to look tough, I will personally throw both of you out of this hall. Understood?"

Wenzhe stared at her. Xiao Chen stared at her.

"Yes ma’am!"

The grand banquet finally came to an end. The Emperor and the Empress left the hall, and everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Su Yueqing rubbed her full stomach. She was completely stuffed with roasted duck and sweet cakes. She was ready to go back to her soft bed and sleep until the next day.

But the night was not over. The Crown Prince stood up and clapped his hands loudly. He loved loud, flashy games.

"The night is still young!" the Crown Prince announced to the crowd. "All the young lords and generals will join me outside at the royal dirt track. We will have a night horse race under the lanterns!"

The young noblemen cheered loudly. It was the perfect chance to show off their skills.

"But the ladies will not be bored!" the Crown Prince continued with a wide smile. "We have set up a royal betting table. Every lady must bet a bag of gold on the man they think will win. The lady who picks the winner gets to keep all the gold on the table!"

Instantly, Yueqing’s sleepy eyes shot wide open.

[Gold?!] Yueqing screamed in her head. Her tiredness vanished completely. [Did he just say a whole table of free gold?! Step aside, ladies. Mama needs a new pair of silk shoes!]

Standing next to her, Wenzhe let out a heavy sigh. A second ago, she was yawning. The moment money was mentioned, she suddenly had the energy of a wild tiger.

The whole group moved outside to the royal field. The cool night air felt refreshing. Hundreds of bright red lanterns lit up the long dirt track.

The young men walked over to the royal stables to pick their horses. Wenzhe, Xiao Chen, Yunchen, Yunhao, and Gu Xiao were all getting ready to race.

Zi Han, the handsome top scholar and son of the Prime Minister, was also joining them. As he walked toward the stables, he stopped right by the ladies’ betting table. His eyes searched the crowd until they landed on Lanyin.

Lanyin froze. Her heart started beating wildly.

Zi Han smiled softly, stepping a little closer to her. "Lady Lanyin," his voice was gentle and warm. "The track is dangerous tonight. Will you cheer for me?"

Lanyin’s face turned bright red, matching the lanterns above them. She looked down nervously, her fingers playing with her silk handkerchief.

"I... I will always cheer for you, Young Master Zi Han," Lanyin whispered shyly.

Zi Han’s smile grew wider. He gave her a respectful bow and walked off to find his horse.

Without hesitating for a single second, Lanyin stepped up to the table and proudly placed her heavy bag of gold right on Zi Han’s name.

Standing a few feet away, Qianqian gently nudged Gu Yue with her elbow.

"Look at her blushing like a ripe tomato," Qianqian whispered playfully, trying not to laugh. "She is totally in love."

Gu Yue giggled quietly behind her hand. "It is very romantic! Zi Han is so handsome. But I am still betting my gold on my brother, Gu Xiao. He has been practicing his riding all month."

"Your brother is fast, but he cannot beat mine," Qianqian said proudly. She marched up to the table and slammed her gold down. "I bet all my money on Wenzhe! He is the greatest rider in the entire empire! As for YunChen and Yunhao.. umm they will be fine haha."

Most of the other noble ladies quickly agreed. They threw their gold onto Wenzhe’s name. Even though the General was terrifying, nobody could deny his skills in the saddle.

Yueqing stood near the front, holding her bag of gold tightly. She rubbed her chin, looking at the names on the table like a serious businesswoman.

Before she could make a choice, a dark shadow stepped up beside her.

"Lady Su," a smooth, arrogant voice called out.

Yueqing turned around. Xiao Chen stood there, looking tall and confident in his dark royal robes.

"If you want to double your gold, you should bet on me," Xiao Chen said, flashing a wicked, charming smirk. "I know this track better than anyone. I never lose."

Yueqing raised an eyebrow. She looked at Xiao Chen, then looked at her heavy bag of gold.

[He does look very confident,] Yueqing thought to herself. [And he is completely healthy...]

"She is my wife."

The freezing, deadly voice cut through the air like a knife.

Wenzhe stepped around Xiao Chen and stood directly in front of Yueqing. He looked down at her, his jaw tight.

"I am your husband," Wenzhe said firmly, his voice low and strict. "Why would you even think about betting on someone else?"

Yueqing did not look scared at all. She looked right back into Wenzhe’s angry eyes.

"Because this is business, Husband!" Yueqing argued, crossing her arms.

[You literally had a deadly fever this morning, you stubborn block of wood!] Yueqing screamed in her head. [Your body is weak! What if you get dizzy and fall off your horse halfway through the race?! I will lose all my money! Xiao Chen is healthy. It is just basic math!]

Near the stables, the rest of the Xi family completely froze.

Yunchen and Yunhao almost tripped over their own boots. They shared a shocked look. Did their sister-in-law really just call the most terrifying general in the empire a weak block of wood?!

Wenzhe’s eye twitched violently.

Weak?! Wenzhe yelled in his own mind. Dizzy?! I led an army for three straight days with an arrow in my shoulder, and she thinks a tiny fever will make me fall off a horse?!

Wenzhe leaned down until his face was inches from hers. The heat coming off his body had nothing to do with a fever. It was pure, intense, competitive rage.

"Put your gold on my name, Yueqing," Wenzhe whispered. His dark eyes burned into hers. "Watch me closely tonight. I am going to completely destroy him on that track. I will win you every single coin on this table."

Yueqing blinked. Wenzhe looked so fierce and determined, it actually made her heart skip a tiny beat.

She slowly placed her bag of gold on Wenzhe’s name.

Xiao Chen watched the whole thing. His charming smirk vanished. His eyes turned ice cold.

"We will see about that, General," Xiao Chen snapped. He turned around and marched angrily toward his giant brown horse.

Wenzhe did not say another word. He gave Yueqing one last intense look, then turned and walked to his massive black horse . He jumped into the saddle in one smooth, powerful move.

Yunchen, Yunhao, Gu Xiao, and Zi Han all lined up at the starting line. Wenzhe and Xiao Chen rode up right next to each other in the center. The heavy, dangerous tension between the General and the Prince made the air feel completely electric.

The Crown Prince raised a bright red flag high into the air. The crowd went dead silent.

[You better not fall off, Wenzhe,] Yueqing thought, gripping the edge of the betting table. [Or I am sleeping in a different room tonight!]

Wenzhe heard her threat loud and clear. He grabbed his reins tightly and narrowed his eyes at the dark track ahead.

The Crown Prince threw the flag down.

"Go!"