The Emperor of Xiyun laughed and said, "Yi Er is my son, so of course I have to look out for him."
An Jing neither agreed nor disagreed, simply smiling.
She had studied ancient history and had never seen an ancient emperor who didn’t fear ministers whose merits overshadowed their sovereign like the Emperor of Xiyun did. Of course, her husband also had a remarkable ability—it was not the talent of achieving great deeds, but rather the skill to put the Emperor of Xiyun’s mind at ease.
"However," the Emperor of Xiyun suddenly fell into contemplation, "even if we don’t arrange a political marriage, Wild Goose Jade should get married."
At twenty, Tuobanya was considered an old maid by the standards of these people.
"I will find her a good husband," the Emperor of Xiyun continued slowly. "Taking into account King Sheng’s undying loyalty to me, I will not hastily arrange a marriage. Instead, I will first ask her wishes, and if she agrees, then I will grant her the marriage."
An Jing felt a surge of sympathy for Tuobanya who did not have the freedom to choose her own marriage partner upon first hearing what the Emperor of Xiyun said, but then she heard that he would first ask Tuobanya’s opinion and only arrange the marriage if she agreed, making An Jing immediately smile and thank the Emperor on behalf of Wild Goose Jade: "Then, your daughter-in-law thanks you on behalf of Wild Goose Jade, your imperial father."
The Emperor of Xiyun laughed and said, "Seeing you , you really seem to like that child, Wild Goose Jade."
An Jing didn’t say much, just a simple phrase: "Wild Goose Jade is quite good."
The Emperor of Xiyun sighed and said, "It’s just that she is a bit too aloof."
Just then, a guard hurried in to report: "Begging your pardon, Emperor, the horse sent by Dongqing has escaped its stable and is now running around the palace grounds. Gong Ma and his men are currently trying to capture it."
The Emperor of Xiyun ordered, "Quickly notify everyone in all the palaces to stay inside, to prevent anyone from being injured by that horse."
As An Jing watched the guard hasten away, she asked curiously, "Emperor father, Dongqing sent you a horse?"
"Yes, they did send a horse. The horse is fine indeed, but it’s too wild. It was a gift from Dongfang Tianyang yesterday, saying it’s from the Emperor of Dongqing, who claimed that not a single person in Dongqing could stay mounted on its back, a once-in-a-century steed, hence given to me to show Dongqing’s true intent of friendship with Xiyun."
After a pause, the Emperor of Xiyun continued, "To think it is so wild as to escape on its own and run around the palace, it’s so audacious that if Dongfang Tianyang weren’t still in Xiyun, I would have it slaughtered right now."
An Jing laughed, finding the Emperor seemed like a child throwing a little tantrum. But she became even more curious, "Is it really that wild? Then I’d like to see it."
With that, An Jing turned to Xiao Changyi with a smile, "Husband, let’s go see what this once-in-a-century steed looks like."
The Emperor of Xiyun disagreed, saying, "You’d better stay here with me, in case that horse goes mad and charges at you."
But An Jing was not concerned in the least, "If it charges at us, we’ll just dodge; nothing will happen. Besides, it might not even charge at us."
As she spoke, An Jing looked expectantly at Xiao Changyi again.
Xiao Changyi was holding a teacup, about to drink, with the cup already at his lips. Seeing An Jing looking expectant, he wasn’t in a rush but instead slowly took a sip of tea first. Only after savoring the tea did he set down the cup and get up.
After interlocking fingers with An Jing, Xiao Changyi then walked out with her.
Seeing An Jing and Xiao Changyi determined to see the wild horse and not heeding his advice, the Emperor of Xiyun had no choice but to quickly send some guards to follow and protect An Jing and Xiao Changyi, in case the wild horse really did charge at them.