He Erlang innocently rode his handsome horse on his way back to the estate without any inkling of what was about to happen to him.
After getting scolded by his superior yesterday, he then had to face a messenger sent by his grandmother to harry him into returning home for his mother’s birthday. He had come out from his barracks on horseback early this morning with his heart filled with frustration. Thus, he had let his horse sprint all the way to the entrance of the estate before thinking to pull in the reins, only to see a low-key luxuriously decorated horse carriage come speeding over recklessly. Before the carriage even stopped, someone jumped out from the carriage and started on a collision course with his horse’s belly.
He Erlang was pretty skilled in martial arts; with a twist of his waist, he reached out with his muscled arms and grabbed hold of the person about to fall out of the carriage.
However, in order to do so, he had to kick off on his horse’s side. The horse began to cry out from the immense pain it was feeling; it reared up and tried to shake He Erlang off its back.
He Erlang’s arms were wrapped around Royal Princess Duanjia. Upon realising that he was about to fall off his horse, he could only twist his body again and roll off from the horse’s back himself. However, he wasn’t able to adjust his center of gravity properly and ended up in a position where he was going to fall onto Royal Princess Duanjia.
He Erlang suddenly realised that he was holding a fragile young lady in his arms. If he really fell right on top of her with his huge frame, wouldn’t she be squashed flat?
After that thought flashed through his mind, He Erlang had already made his decision. He shifted his body slightly and let his broad back face the carriage. His toned arms tensed and pulled Royal Princess Duanjia into his embrace.
Just as Royal Princess Duanjia was about to scream from fright, she heard the muffled thud of a body slamming against the side of the carriage.
Finally, it was He Erlang’s broad back that hit the ground first. Royal Princess Duanjia was protected in his embrace, so all she suffered was some messy hair and disheveled clothing.
He Erlang felt a twinge of pain in his back, but his only reaction was a slightly furrowed brow. He quickly loosened the hold of his arms and asked in his deep and slightly husky voice, “Miss, are you alright? Have you been hurt?”
It wasn’t until she heard He Erlang’s caring words that Royal Princess Duanjia finally returned to her senses. She was still slightly dazed and completely forgot how to move, or even how to speak. She simply stared at the strong-looking man under her blankly.
“Your Highness, Your Highness! Are you alright?!” Without waiting for Royal Princess Duanjia to finish regaining her wits, her servants had all come running over to her with pale faces.
When one of her handmaids saw that the princess was still dazed and lying on top of a man’s body, all the remaining colour drained from her face. She quickly went over to help Royal Princess Duanjia up.
“Your Highness, have you been hurt anywhere?”
Royal Princess Duanjia subconsciously shook her head in reply. She allowed one of her handmaids, Jinxiu, to straighten out her disheveled clothes with the help of another handmaid while she turned to look at the man who had just saved her.
After hearing how the group of servants had addressed the girl he had just saved, He Changjue was also slightly surprised. He hadn’t expected that the person he had just saved would turn out to be a royal princess.
When Royal Princess Duanjia had been helped up by those servants, He Changjue had also gotten up onto his feet and dusted off his sleeves.
His height wasn’t noticeable while he was still lying on the ground. However, the moment he stood up, his head seemed to be a whole length higher than the ladies around him. He Changjue looked both tall and strong, and the uniform of the Left Military Guards only emphasised his broad shoulders and narrow waist.
His skin was slightly tanned, and although his features weren’t as fine as He Changdi’s, he gave off a firm and resolute aura. Just his mere presence was reassuring to the people around him.
When He Changjue noticed Royal Princess Duanjia looking up at him, he shifted his gaze away and bowed towards her. He apologised and said, “My name is He Changjue of the Left Military Guards. This humble one was terribly impolite towards Your Highness just now, but this humble one was forced to do so due to the circumstances. Please forgive this humble one, Your Highness.”
Royal Princess Duanjia kept staring at him silently. However, in her heart, she was now clear on He Changjue’s identity. When she saw that this tall, strong man had to bend down and lower his head to her, that he didn’t even dare to look at her, it was odd- the princess didn’t feel the slightest bit inclined to blame He Changjue for the incident. Instead, the mischievous urge to keep watching his awkwardness rose up in her mind.
When He Changjue didn’t hear any response from the princess before him for a long while, he looked up a little and glanced at Royal Princess Duanjia. However, when he caught sight of the sly look in her eyes, He Changjue stiffened and felt even more uneasy.
Jinxiu was getting more and more antsy just watching this. It wasn’t good for them to continue standing like this in front of the Jing’an Estate’s main entrance. Today was Countess Jing’an’s birthday, so there were definitely going to be more guests coming later on.
Royal Princess Duanjia hid away the emotions in her eyes and purposely raised her chin to say, “Then this princess will forgive you just this once for your offence. There will be no next time.”
After finally getting a response from the princess, He Changjue inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. “Many thanks, Your Highness.”
Royal Princess Duanjia soon entered the Jing’an Estate with her servants supporting her on either side and He Changjue following behind with some distance between them. Royal Princess Duanjia had thought that he would escort her to the parlour in the outer court at first, but He Erlang quickly turned and left on a different path after they entered the Jing’an Estate.
When she turned around, all she caught was his tall figure hurriedly leaving.
Royal Princess Duanjia couldn’t help but bite her lip in frustration. Following that, she went to Songtao Court to look for Chu Lian.