Chapter 213 -

Chapter 213: Chapter

The race began. Horses charged forward, kicking up thick clouds of dirt.

Wenzhe shot to the front instantly. His massive black stallion ran with terrifying speed. He sat perfectly still in the saddle, his strong hands easily guiding the reins.

Behind him, Yunchen and Yunhao whipped their horses hard. They shared a quick look. Both brothers knew Wenzhe was already miles ahead of them.

"Come on!" Yunhao yelled at him while trying to control his horse.

"I am trying!" Yunchen shouted back.

They rode side by side, but they could not catch their older brother.

The other noblemen raced fiercely. Their bright silk robes flew in the wind under the red lanterns. Gu Xiao leaned low, refusing to give up. Zi Han stayed completely calm, guiding his horse with smooth skill.

But the real war was at the front.

Xiao Chen’s giant brown horse ran right next to Wenzhe’s black stallion. Neither man backed down.

"Faster!" Xiao Chen ordered, kicking his horse.

The brown horse surged ahead. For a few seconds, Xiao Chen took the lead. The crowd went wild.

"His Highness is winning!""Look at that speed!""General Xi is losing!"

At the betting table, Yueqing gasped.

[WHAT?!] She gripped the wooden table hard. [No! My gold!]

Wenzhe heard the loud cheers. He glanced sideways. Xiao Chen was half a horse ahead. The Third Prince flashed a wicked, proud smile.

"Looks like you were too confident, General!"

Wenzhe’s dark eyes narrowed. He did not say a single word. He just leaned closer to his horse’s neck.

"Go," he whispered.

The black stallion understood. With a massive burst of power, the horse lunged forward. Its hooves hit the dirt like thunder. In a flash, Wenzhe closed the gap.

Xiao Chen’s proud smile disappeared. "What?!" the Prince gasped, pulling his reins hard.

But Wenzhe was already right beside him. The two men raced neck-and-neck, glaring at each other with pure, deadly focus.

Yueqing squeezed her fists tightly. [That is right! Go, Wenzhe!] Then she quickly corrected herself. [Wait... I mean, go because I need that money!]

Standing nearby, Qianqian stared at her. "Sister-in-law, you look more nervous than the riders."

Yueqing stood up straight and forced a polite smile. "Of course not. I am just protecting my investment."

The other ladies screamed and cheered. But halfway around the track, disaster struck. One young nobleman lost his balance on the rough dirt. He fell hard from his saddle.

"Young Master!" his servants cried out in panic, rushing onto the field to grab his runaway horse.

The race pushed on. Yunchen and Yunhao fought fiercely to catch Gu Xiao and Zi Han.

"Do not let them pass us!" Yunchen yelled.

"I know!" Yunhao gritted his teeth and pushed his horse to the limit. Slowly, the two brothers started to gain ground.

Up front, Wenzhe and Xiao Chen were locked in a brutal fight. The finish line was fast approaching. The crowd screamed louder.

Yueqing’s heart pounded against her ribs. She stared at the huge pile of gold coins.

[Please, Wenzhe,] she swallowed hard. [Do not lose.]

Wenzhe heard her fearful thought. Even from far away, he looked right at the betting table. His sharp eyes locked onto Yueqing for one brief second. He saw her fists pressed tightly to her chest.

A faint, confident smile touched Wenzhe’s lips.

He turned his attention back to the dirt track. His grip on the reins tightened like iron.

"Hold on."

The black stallion exploded forward with everything it had.

Xiao Chen’s eyes went completely wide. "Impossible!"

The final stretch turned into pure chaos as both horses flew toward the finish line at maximum speed.

With a final, explosive burst of speed, Wenzhe’s black stallion shot past the two flaming torches. He crossed the finish line first!

The crowd went absolutely wild. The nobles cheered and clapped loudly, shouting the great General’s name into the night air.

Xiao Chen pulled his reins hard. His brown horse stopped violently in a thick cloud of dust. The Third Prince sat frozen in his saddle. His eyes were wide with total shock. He simply could not believe he had lost.

A few moments later, Zi Han, Gui Xiao, Yunchen, and Yunhao finally crossed the finish line. They were breathing heavily and covered in dirt, but the crowd continued to cheer for all the riders.

Wenzhe did not care about the cheering crowd, and he did not even look at the angry prince. He smoothly turned his giant black horse around and rode straight back to the ladies’ betting table.

He stopped the horse right in front of Yueqing. With one smooth movement, he jumped down from the tall saddle.

The night wind blew his dark hair slightly out of place. He walked slowly toward her. The cold, scary look he usually wore was completely gone. Instead, a rare, breathtaking smile spread across his handsome face.

He stopped right in front of her, looking down into her wide eyes.

"I won... didn’t I?" Wenzhe asked, his deep voice soft and slightly teasing.

Yueqing stared up at him. Her heart did a massive, crazy flip in her chest.

Before Yueqing could even answer Wenzhe, excited voices interrupted them.

"Brother!" Qianqian cheered loudly. She ran over with Lanyin and Gu Yue right behind her. "You were amazing! You totally crushed him!"

Yunchen, Yunhao, and Gu Xiao rode up right after them. They jumped down from their horses, covered in dirt and breathing heavily. Everyone started talking and laughing at the same time, completely surrounding Wenzhe to celebrate his massive win.

While the family was busy talking, Yueqing looked past them.

She spotted Xiao Chen. The Third Prince had just gotten off his giant brown horse. He looked completely defeated and upset. Without saying a word to anyone, he turned around and slowly started walking away into the dark.

Yueqing felt a tiny bit bad for him. She quietly slipped away from the noisy group and walked toward the prince.

"Your Highness! Wait!" she called out.

Xiao Chen stopped and turned around. His face was cold and guarded, but his dark eyes looked very surprised to see her standing there.

"You did really well tonight," Yueqing said honestly. She gave him a small, polite smile. "You got second place out of the best riders in the capital. That is still very impressive."

Xiao Chen stared at her. For a moment, he did not say anything. Then, the heavy, angry look slowly faded from his face. The corners of his mouth lifted into a very slight, genuine smile.

"Thank you, Lady Su," Xiao Chen said quietly, his voice much softer than before.

Before they could say anything else, the Crown Prince clapped his hands loudly to get the crowd’s attention.

"Listen up, everyone!" the Crown Prince announced. "Great racing tonight! Get cleaned up, because there will be a little party later to celebrate! I will see you all there!"

With a wide smile, the Crown Prince turned around and started walking away toward the main palace.

Wenzhe, who had been quietly watching Yueqing talk to Xiao Chen from a distance, suddenly turned away. His face grew very serious. Instead of walking over to his wife to bring her back, Wenzhe quickly followed right behind the Crown Prince.

Yueqing watched Xiao Chen leave, and then she turned around just in time to see Wenzhe walking away with the Crown Prince. They disappeared together into the dark palace hallways.

[Huh?] Yueqing thought, tilting her head in total confusion. [Where is the block of wood going now? The race is over! What kind of secret business do he and the Crown Prince need to discuss in the dark?]