The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Where?

The sudden turn of events threw everyone into a panic.

Princess Qingyang shot to her feet. ”Someone! Stop that horse!”

At the same time, she drew the long whip from her waist and shielded the Eldest Princess with her body.

The horse, spooked, neighed and charged madly forward, kicking up dust with menacing force.

A palace attendant rushed forward, trying to grab the reins and bring the horse under control. But the moment his hand closed around them, the horse reared, flinging him violently away.

The attendant’s shoulder was struck hard, and he collapsed to the ground.

”Quickly! Hurry!”

The palace attendants were in disarray. Several more tried to approach one after another, but this horse had been specially selected for the polo match. It was a prized steed, powerfully built and large. The men were either thrown off the moment they got close or couldn’t even get near it, forced to watch anxiously from the side.

The crowd descended into chaos, the air filled with an endless stream of panicked shouts, gasps, and screams.

Princess Qingyang tightened her grip on her whip, about to step forward, when she suddenly heard a cool, detached voice.

”Qinyang.”

Princess Qingyang turned back, stunned. ”Brother?”

’Why doesn’t he look nervous at all—’

Shen Yanchuan lifted his chin slightly. ”Don’t worry. Someone’s already on it.”

What?

Princess Qingyang looked back and saw a lithe, powerful figure suddenly dart out from the side, moving toward the horse with astonishing speed!

”Ye Yunfeng!?”

Princess Qingyang didn’t loosen her grip on the whip.

’Ye Yunfeng is the youngest of the group. So many men couldn’t subdue that horse, what chance does he have—’

’Isn’t he just asking for trouble?’

She hurriedly turned to Ye Chutang. ”Doctor Ye, your fourth brother—”

Hearing her, Ye Chutang, who was wiping pastry crumbs from Xiao Wu’s mouth, seemed to only just notice what was happening. She glanced up at the field.

But after only a single glance, she looked away again and used a handkerchief to wipe Xiao Wu’s chubby little hands.

”Didn’t we just have breakfast? Why are you eating so much again?”

Xiao Wu’s face turned red. He bashfully covered his mouth and burrowed into Ye Chutang’s embrace.

’—But the pastries and lotus seed soup the Eldest Princess sent over were just too delicious!’

Princess Qingyang: ”...???”

’Seriously, do you two not care at all whether your own brother lives or dies?’

’How can you be talking about this at a time like this?’

By now, others had also noticed Ye Yunfeng suddenly rushing forward.

Many gasped, covering their mouths. The more timid ones even backed away, afraid of getting caught in the chaos.

Murong Ye had been planning to lead his men over, but to his surprise, Ye Yunfeng beat him to it.

His expression turned cold, and he couldn’t help but sneer, ”What an attention-seeker!”

The men beside him knew of his rivalry with Ye Yunfeng and immediately chimed in.

”He’s just showing off!”

”Exactly! Everyone knows you’re the real expert at taming horses, Aye! He’s just arrogant and doesn’t know his own limits! If he gets knocked over and injured, he’ll be stuck in bed for a good ten days or half a month!”

”Aye, don’t mind him! Let’s see if he ever has the guts to try this again—”

The speaker’s voice died abruptly. Murong Ye’s expression also shifted slightly, and he unconsciously lowered his folded arms.

Ye Yunfeng sprinted forward. Even as he neared the horse, he didn’t slow down. With a long reach, he seized the reins and gave them a savage yank!

The horse’s head was jerked to the side, and its gait faltered for a moment.

In that brief pause, Ye Yunfeng sped up again, taking a few quick strides before pulling on the reins and leaping, cleanly and nimbly mounting the horse!

He clamped his legs around the horse’s belly and yanked hard on the reins!

The horse reared its head and let out a piercing neigh!

Murong Ye hadn’t expected Ye Yunfeng to mount the horse so easily. His expression flickered through several changes.

Noticing his foul mood, one of his companions tried to placate him. ”So what if he got on? The real skill is in taming it! The horse is panicked and wild—this is when it’s most dangerous. If he gets thrown off now, it won’t be just a simple injury...”

In fact, he wasn’t wrong. After being momentarily restrained by Ye Yunfeng, the horse, as if greatly provoked, suddenly bolted with even greater speed and force, desperately trying to throw Ye Yunfeng from its back!

Everyone watched with their hearts in their throats.

Yet Ye Yunfeng was not only unafraid, but the roguish, untamed aura about him intensified, a fierce competitive spirit igniting in his eyes.

He stuck close to the horse’s back, periodically yanking on the reins to gradually wear down its strength.

Finally, after a few laps around the field and several struggles against Ye Yunfeng, the horse began to slow down.

Ye Yunfeng sat up straight. Holding the reins with one hand, he patted the horse’s head with the other and said with a grin, ”My sister really dislikes disobedient horses. She’s always worried they’ll scare Xiao Wu. I’m different, though. After all, when you have nothing else to eat, a slice of horse meat is a pretty good meal.”

Whether the horse understood or not, its frantic energy vanished completely. It snorted, twitched its ears, and lowered its head.

Ye Yunfeng was very pleased.

’In the past, whenever something like this happened, my sister would always say I was too young and wouldn’t let me handle it.’

’I’d be itching to jump in, but I knew she was just looking out for me, so I had to hold back.’

’I never thought I’d get a chance to practice handed to me on a silver platter right here in the Capital City.’

He pulled the reins, turning the horse. ”Hiyah!”

The horse obediently returned to the side of the field.

Ye Yunfeng leaped off the horse and tossed the reins to the pale, stunned palace attendant.

”There. You can take him now!”

...

Xiao Wu looked down and counted the pastries on the plate again.

’One, two, three, four... Good, I saved one of each kind for Fourth Brother!’

A look of utter shock appeared in Princess Qingyang’s eyes.

She had studied martial arts since childhood and had seen many skilled individuals, even considering herself one of the best. But she truly never imagined that Ye Yunfeng, at only twelve or thirteen years of age, could already tame a spooked horse with such ease and confidence!

’Did the whole thing even take the time it takes for an incense stick to burn?’

’So many people had tried and failed, yet from start to finish, he never showed the slightest hint of difficulty, as if he were just performing some trivial, everyday task.’

’This—’

She couldn’t help but turn to Ye Chutang and murmur, ”...Your fourth brother is this skilled?”

The Eldest Princess was already smiling.

”Seeing is believing. Feng Zhang has praised him lavishly before, and seeing him today, he is indeed outstanding.”

Hearing this, the crowd reacted in various ways.

Some were envious, some were jealous, and some were filled with admiration.

A faint smile touched Ye Chutang’s lips. ”A Feng has always been energetic and restless since he was a child. He’s just a bit stronger than others. The Eldest Princess overpraises him.”

The Eldest Princess laughed. ”There’s no need to be so modest. If not for him, it’s uncertain whether I would still be sitting here safely.”

Though she was smiling, her words seemed to hide the edge of a blade, sending a chill through everyone’s hearts.

The entire field fell deathly silent.

Shen Yanchuan turned his head and asked in a quiet voice:

”Where are the men from the Guanglu Temple?”