В Цзянху есть Сяо Чань

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Just as Song Xiaohua was chuckling to herself, feeling both embarrassed and amused, as she strolled out of the bustling city, she suddenly heard the rapid sound of horses' hooves coming from her left. Instinctively, she quickly moved to the side of the road, but before she could even regain her balance, she heard several exclamations. Then, a large, dark shadow suddenly loomed over her. Panicked, her legs gave way, and she fell flat on her backside. A slight stinging pain shot through her face, much like the feeling of being hit squarely in the face with a broom during a fight in high school…

Then, she was helped up by a flurry of hands, dizzy and disoriented, not understanding what was happening, only a cacophony of voices ringing in her ears: "Is Mrs. Lu alright?" "Was Mrs. Lu hurt in the fall?" "Was Mrs. Lu bumped into?" "Mrs. Lu..." "Mrs. Lu..." Buzz...

"Who were those people just now? How could they be so arrogant?"

"Judging from their attire, they should be Liao people."

"Oh, I remember now! The one in front looks like the woman who was with Lord Lu yesterday!"

"It was the horse she was riding that bumped into Madam Lu!"

"Wasn't it said that the woman was some kind of princess from the Liao Kingdom?"

"Yes, yes, I heard that too! Tch, why don't they just act like tyrants in their Liao Kingdom? Why do they have to come to our Song Dynasty to show off their power?!"

"Exactly! That's why I say there's not a single good person in the entire Liao Kingdom!"

"That's right, Liaoning dogs!"

"…………"

A Liao person? A princess? Holy crap!

Song Xiaohua finally regained full consciousness.

The big black shadow was a horse, and what brushed against his face was a horse's tail. The culprit was that arrogant princess.

That damned woman, she must have done it on purpose!

Damn it! If you ruin my appearance, disfigure my face, I'll poke your eyes out, pull out your teeth, break your arms and legs, and I'm not a Song! Uh... well, I guess I wasn't originally a Song... whatever, anyway, if I don't make sure even your own mother doesn't recognize you, I'll kill myself by hitting my head against a wall to atone for my sins! Good heavens!

Song Xiaohua rubbed her bottom, which was now in eight pieces, and touched her burning face, while a torrent of profanities churned within her.

"Mrs. Lu, your things. Luckily they were wrapped up well and didn't break apart."

Someone nearby had already brought her the two paper packets that had been thrown far away by the impact. The medicinal herbs should be fine, but the pastries must have been crushed to pieces.

Song Xiaohua didn't have time to deal with these things for the time being. Just as she was about to grab someone to ask if her face was broken, she heard the sound of horses' hooves again.

In the blink of an eye, a horse neighed and stood upright, stopping steadily right in front of her.

The rider was dressed in a fiery red outfit, with long hair reaching his waist, and an ornate hat adorned with jingling ornaments.

Leaning slightly forward, holding the reins in one hand and stroking the horse with the other, she glanced sideways at him, her slightly hoarse voice carrying a hint of arrogance, disdain, and mockery: "Oh, it's you, little sister. I didn't see you earlier. How are you? Are you alright?"

Yelü Ping's height of about 1.7 meters had already made Song Xiaohua, who could have been on par with him but could only look up at him, very unhappy. Now, riding on horseback, she looked even more superior, and even if she strained her neck, she couldn't see the expression on Yelü Ping's face.

Song Xiaohua felt incredibly nauseous, but she couldn't let herself lose her temper. Putting aside the difference in their physical attributes, such as height and build, whether they could win a one-on-one fight was another matter entirely; if things went too far, it would cause trouble for Lu Ziqi.

She took a deep breath, lowered her head to brush the dust off her clothes, and replied casually, "Princess, please call me Madam Lu. I can't bear the title of 'sister'!"

Upon hearing this, Yelü Ping's eyebrows furrowed in disapproval. How dare she treat her so disrespectfully?

She had intended to embarrass her in the street, teach her a lesson, and vent the anger she had suffered at Lu Ziqi's hands. In fact, covered in dust and with her face swollen and red, she was indeed in a sorry state. But unexpectedly, she could still put on such a calm and indifferent demeanor, and even dared to retaliate in public.

Was this woman simply too stupid, or too arrogant? She was just a lowly county magistrate's wife, clearly without any background or connections. What gave her the right to act so arrogantly towards the mighty Princess Xingping of the Liao Dynasty?! Even the imperial relatives of the Song Dynasty would only show her deference and deference. Who did she think she was?

Is it because Lu Ziqi is backing them up?

Recalling those words about becoming a concubine, and the humiliation of having all her self-respect and pride manipulated at will, a surge of anger within her could no longer be contained.

Lu Ziqi, Lu Ziqi, if she weren't there to shield you, let's see what excuse you could have!

"Since the weather is nice today, how about we go hunting outside the city together?"

This awful weather is considered good? You're blatantly lying! And it's almost dark; what kind of hunt is this? A dark and stormy night is more like a murder scene…

Song Xiaohua pouted, but the movement caused a sharp pain in her cheek. She inwardly gasped and was about to retort when the power of conversation was once again in the other person's hands.

Yelü Ping didn't even look at her. He simply raised his voice and gestured to the attendants who were lagging far behind: "You two ride together and bring over the empty horse!"

As the enormous creature thumped toward her, Song Xiaohua's legs involuntarily trembled.

Compared to this thing, the kind of creatures we used to ride in the park's horse farm could only be classified as little donkeys...

"What, are you afraid to come with us, or..." Yelü Ping's mocking expression deepened: "You can't ride a horse?"

Even though this area borders Liao and shares many similarities in customs and traditions, and horseback riding is a piece of cake for most people, this "most people" primarily refers to men. How many women from normal families would ride horses recklessly through the streets? Do you think this is a martial arts film where anyone can leap onto a horse and disappear in a flash? ...

But how can you honestly admit weakness at such a critical juncture? At worst, you have to grit your teeth, close your eyes, and bravely face the difficulties head-on!

However, the tall horse's expression as it looked over was one of impatience mixed with deep contempt. Look at the white breath coming out of its big nostrils, look at the shallow craters its hind hooves dug in the ground. If it were unhappy and got thrown off, dragged along, and stomped on a few times, then it would be a terrible death.

However, we must not lose face, for the Party teaches us that personal life and death are small matters, while national honor and disgrace are great matters... This issue seems to be raised to a rather high level...

The fastest thing in the world is thought, so even though she had so many random thoughts, it only took a few seconds. After staring at the horse's round eyes for a while, Song Xiaohua cleared her throat and said, "This horse is no good."

Yelü Ping was taken aback: "What do you mean, 'no'?"

“It’s no good in any way.” Song Xiaohua shook her head with her hands behind her back. “It’s really strange! Logically speaking, shouldn’t your Liao Kingdom be famous for its fine horses? How come you gave these few second-rate ones for the princess to ride? Could it be that your country, like our Song Dynasty, is used to giving the good things to others and keeping the inferior things for yourself? Oh… then no wonder you always suffer defeats in battle. It turns out you sold us the best horses. If that’s the case, then our Song Dynasty does seem to have won somewhat unfairly! You’re too kind!”

Her words were essentially nonsense. In the wars between the Song and Liao dynasties, the Song suffered more defeats than defeats. If it weren't for the Liao's internal problems in recent years that led to a significant decline in its national strength, and the Song's annual gifts of large sums of money, how could the two countries have maintained this superficial peace? As for her claims about horses, they were even more utter rubbish…

However, this is Song territory, and the surrounding area is inhabited by Song people. Regardless of whether it's true or false, or whether it's reasonable or not, it's satisfying to boost one's own morale and diminish the prestige of others!

Moreover, the county magistrate's wife is approachable and well-liked by the people. Whatever she says, everyone will naturally support her wholeheartedly. No matter what, they cannot allow her to be bullied by this unruly and domineering Liao princess.

A thunderous applause erupted in agreement. Some true horse connoisseurs even went so far as to dismiss what was originally a rare and exceptional steed as utterly worthless.

Yelü Ping hadn't expected Song Xiaohua to be so unreasonable, and he couldn't help but regret choosing such a place to cause trouble. Although he wasn't afraid of incurring public wrath, if a fight broke out, his guards, not knowing their own strength, might accidentally kill or injure some of the innocent civilians. Even if this wasn't a major issue, there would inevitably be mutual accusations and blame-shifting. It might even alarm his brother, the Emperor, and give his political enemies ammunition to stir up trouble. If that happened, it would be a case of losing more than one gains.

It's really not worth it for such an ordinary woman.

However, things have escalated to this point, and to simply give up and leave would be tantamount to admitting defeat, which is absolutely unacceptable...

Author's note: Happy International Women's Day to all my dear friends who are either big or small-scale Women's Day!

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Blue Shirt Reappears

Yelü Ping, accompanied by his guards, rode on a tall horse and coldly looked down at the crowd below. Dozens of people surrounded Song Xiaohua, who was covered in dust but looked smug, and confronted her. Some people kept pointing and laughing loudly.

Fortunately, it was dinnertime and the location wasn't in the center of the market. Otherwise, given the age-old Chinese tradition of flocking to lively places, at least several hundred people would have gathered. Even if there hadn't been any pushing or stampeding, it would have at least caused traffic congestion...

Just as the stalemate reached its peak, and Yelü Ping's impatience grew, seemingly on the verge of resorting to force, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd. It wasn't loud, but it was enough to drown out the chaotic noise, allowing everyone present to hear it and immediately quieting down: "In my opinion, why not choose a fine horse from the Song Dynasty for Madam Lu, so that our Liao friends can broaden their horizons? What do you think?"

Yelü Ping scoffed, suppressing his anger: "Fine, we'll wait here and see what the Song Dynasty calls a fine horse!"

Song Xiaohua's lips twitched involuntarily. Was this person a double agent? Whether they brought over a good horse or a bad one, wouldn't she be forced into it? What if she fell and died? Who would be responsible? She wouldn't even be able to find the right person to appeal to in the underworld…

But why does that voice sound somewhat familiar?

"I happen to have a fine horse at home. Please wait a moment while I go back and bring it here so I can show it off. I also hope that the experts in horse judging can give me some pointers."

His words carried the pedantic air of a scholar, yet his voice was clear and slightly deep… This was…

Song Xiaohua quickly tiptoed to look at the source of the sound, but all she saw was a dark mass. The person had stopped talking and must have left.

Even if ordinary people had horses, they were mostly used for plowing and carrying goods; it was almost impossible for them to own a true steed. At the moment, although everyone was somewhat surprised by this person's words, since he dared to recommend himself in public, he must have some merit and wouldn't just spout nonsense. So, everyone wore smug expressions, as if they all knew that the person about to appear was a magnificent Akhal-Teke horse.

Only Song Xiaohua appeared calm and composed, but in reality, she was somewhat uneasy.

If it really is that person, then they certainly wouldn't harm her. But could it really be that person? Why not just come out directly instead of keeping it all so mysterious...?

As a result, the two sides entered a relatively peaceful standoff period. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard urgently.

Song Xiaohua's heart stirred, she glanced around, was stunned, and then delighted.

The visitor was none other than Lu Ziqi.

Their wide sleeves and collar fluttered in unison, their black hair matching the color of their long gowns.

He galloped up on his maroon steed, slammed on the reins with one hand, flipped off, and landed gracefully. The whole sequence was executed flawlessly and cleanly, making Song Xiaohua's eyes sparkle with admiration. "Mommy, Mommy, wow, that's so cool!"

When the county magistrate arrived, the people felt reassured and their spirits lifted. They stopped talking and simply watched the situation unfold silently.

Yelü Ping's expression froze for a moment, then he gave a cold laugh and continued to stroke the horse's mane.

Lu Ziqi's gaze swept across the room, finally settling on Song Xiaohua's face, who was completely infatuated with him. His brows furrowed sharply, barely suppressing his anger, and he turned to Yelü Ping, cupping his hands in greeting: "So the princess was talking with her wife. I hope my sudden arrival has not disturbed your conversation."

Yelü Ping maintained his superior demeanor, drawing out his words: "Magistrate Lu's arrival is perfectly timed!"

"Today's official business has come to a temporary end, and this road is the only way for people in this county to go home."