The Innocent Heart - Chapter 63

Guan Yueyao’s sudden action left everyone on the field stunned. Following the conventions of the time, although there was no official rule against it, once a rider fell, their chances of winning were considered virtually non-existent.

For a moment, the generals sitting in the viewing stands looked at each other and instinctively turned their gaze toward the center of the stands, where the Son of Heaven sat.

At this moment, Liu Che and Huo Qubing stood side-by-side by the railing, staring fixedly at the arena without saying a word.

“There is no need to stop Attendant Guan; let him finish the race. As for the ranking, we will wait for His Majesty to make the final decision. I doubt anyone will have anything to say then,” Wei Qing turned to the lieutenant standing beside him and instructed.

Sitting nearby, Han Anguo overheard Wei Qing’s words and shot him a sidelong glance, but ultimately did not voice any opposition.

And so, everyone on the field watched as Guan Yueyao remounted her horse and gave chase.

The contestants who were still leading the pack seemed to lose their status as the center of attention. Everyone’s eyes were involuntarily and tightly fixed on Guan Yueyao, wanting to see just how far this youth could go.

Sitting atop her horse, Guan Yueyao took a deep breath to steady her mind. She told herself to synchronize with Chizhou’s rhythm—posting, sitting the gallop, leaning forward, and jumping.

Man and horse cleared one obstacle and began racing toward the next.

Guan Yueyao took the opportunity to look ahead. The string of failures by the riders behind her and the increasing difficulty of the hurdles had made the leading contestants cautious; they were no longer sprinting at full speed. Some warhorses, having never received specialized hurdle training, began to hesitate or stop entirely before the taller obstacles.

This was a stroke of luck for Guan Yueyao. In the group heat she had drawn, all the other contestants were from various commanderies and vassal states across the country. This meant that aside from her, no one else possessed the “home-field advantage.” Every obstacle on this course was something she had led Chizhou over countless times during practice before the official trials.

While she wouldn’t say it was effortless, she knew one thing: as long as she and Chizhou coordinated properly, they could finish the course!

In a competition, confidence is sometimes the key factor in achieving victory. Her experience from countless past competitions told her: Do not give up until the very end. Even if you suffer a mid-game collapse, do not be quick to write yourself off.

“Finding life in a place of death” was not merely empty talk or a fantasy. Besides, even if she lost in the end, as long as she gave it her all, she could face herself with a clear conscience.

In the midst of her thoughts, Chizhou cleared another obstacle. It seemed both Guan Yueyao and Chizhou had instinctively cast aside all distractions; the coordination between man and horse grew increasingly seamless.

Huo Qubing watched the field with a tense expression, seeing Guan Yueyao clear one hurdle after another and overtake one contestant after another.

Finally, she became the second rider to cross the finish line. Watching his friend charge past the mark, Huo Qubing lost himself in the moment. He slapped the railing and jumped up.

“A-Yao! A-Yao won!” he shouted excitedly.

“Good!” Suddenly, another cheer from beside him, no less enthusiastic than his own, pulled Huo Qubing back to reality. His tensed nerves finally snapped back, and he remembered that he was still in the presence of the Emperor.

However, the Emperor beside him did not seem to mind his breach of etiquette; in fact, the expression on Liu Che’s face was even more excited than his own.

Previously, Liu Che’s attitude toward Guan Yueyao had been undecided. He felt that while she was highly skilled in martial arts, her strategic vision was far inferior to a talent like Huo Qubing. But today, Liu Che developed a new perspective.

The current Han army desperately needed a role model like Guan Yueyao—someone who refused to give up in the face of failure and difficulty. Like a stalk of tough bamboo, she seemed to possess an endless amount of resilience.

Liu Che believed that if this youth could pick himself up on the training field today, he would do the same on the battlefield tomorrow. He would neither underestimate the enemy nor fear them. In the face of a crisis or danger, he would not panic but instead strive to find a way forward through the hardship and ultimately lead his troops to victory.

Liu Che turned and summoned Wang He. He intended to reward Guan Yueyao handsomely in front of everyone, letting them know that the quality of “not giving up easily” was something the Son of Heaven highly commended.

Liu Che hoped this event would be like a seed dropped into the hearts of the entire army, eventually taking root, sprouting, and bearing rich fruit.

Seeing Guan Yueyao finish the race, Huo Qubing could no longer suppress the excitement in his heart. With Liu Che’s permission, he left the stands and sprinted toward the contestants’ resting area.

At this moment, due to the Emperor’s obvious approval, the area around Guan Yueyao was exceptionally lively. Some were eagerly congratulating her, while others stood aside offering cold, mocking remarks. But Guan Yueyao turned a deaf ear to them, keeping her head down as she prepared for the next event.

When Huo Qubing arrived, she was walking out of the rest area with several pomegranates in her hands, heading toward the stables.

“Qubing, Qubing! Did you see! I got second place!!” Upon seeing her friend, Guan Yueyao could no longer hold back the smile on her face, almost skipping toward him.

Under these circumstances, Huo Qubing did not find his friend’s behavior lacking in composure or childish; he was genuinely happy for her from the bottom of his heart. But alongside his joy, he was also worried.

“A-Yao, that’s wonderful, congratulations!” Huo Qubing ran to meet her. “But how do you feel right now? Did you get hurt in that fall earlier?!” He asked the question that had been weighing on him ever since he saw her go down.

“I’m fine! I’m great! It’s all thanks to the armor you gave me. It’s a bit heavy, but the protection is really top-notch,” Guan Yueyao laughed, still maintaining that carefree attitude.

“What are you doing now?” Hearing her words, Huo Qubing felt slightly relieved. His gaze shifted to the fruit in her hands, and he asked curiously.

“Going to see Chizhou, of course. He must be tired after the race, and I have to take good care of him.” Her tone was light, and a smile leaked out from the corners of her eyes, making anyone who saw her feel a surge of joy.

This was exactly what Huo Qubing liked most about her: her happiness and unhappiness were always displayed so openly on her face. If she won, there were no hypocritical pleasantries or fake modesty. If she lost, her disappointment would surely be expressed directly. Being with a Guan Yueyao like this always made Huo Qubing feel incredibly relaxed. There was no need to guess, speculate, or observe whether her words were sincere or false. Like a newborn babe, her purity made one feel at peace.

The two talked and laughed all the way to the stables, where Chizhou was lowering his head, leisurely eating fodder.

“Chizhou, come, I brought you a snack!” Guan Yueyao said, snapping a pomegranate into two halves and holding one to Chizhou’s mouth.

Chizhou looked at her with docile eyes, then slightly raised his head to take the pomegranate and began chewing. Guan Yueyao affectionately stroked Chizhou’s smooth mane, turned to pick up a brush, and stepped into the stall.

Huo Qubing was also a lover of horses and knew exactly why she was doing this. He smiled, and as Chizhou’s former master, he also picked up a brush and followed her in.

But they had barely brushed a few strokes when suddenly, a strange noise came from the stable entrance. Both stopped simultaneously and looked warily toward the source of the sound.

The stables of the Northern Army were much better equipped than ordinary ones; each horse had its own stall. Because of this, if someone intentionally moved quietly, it was hard for those inside to notice someone standing outside.

“Hey, are we really going to ‘add something’ to Cao Song’s horse? If we get caught, we’ll definitely be punished.” A hesitant voice rang out.

“What are you afraid of? Horses just poop out whatever they eat. Later, we’ll clean up the manure, and it’ll be done without a trace. Who will find out?” another voice added.

Standing in the stall, Huo Qubing and Guan Yueyao looked at each other, seeing disbelief in each other’s eyes.

Both of them knew of this “Cao Song.” He was one of the favorites to win the horsemanship category in these trials. Though he came from a humble background and was a Han citizen who had escaped from the Xiongnu, his riding skills were on par with someone like Li Gan, who came from a family of famous generals.

In the Han Dynasty, where social status was highly valued, a commoner possessing such startling talent was bound to attract jealousy. Especially in these trials where even the Emperor was present, it seemed all too common for someone to feel Cao Song was in their way and want to “teach him a lesson.”

Given Cao Song’s meager family resources, if something happened to his racehorse, he would have no spare horse to continue the competition.

Thinking of this, Guan Yueyao could no longer hold back. She shoved the stall door open; because she used too much force, the wooden door slammed heavily against the railing with a dull thud.

The two suspicious voices heard the noise and were startled to realize someone else was in the stables. Before Guan Yueyao could see who they were, they vanished in a flash.

“Darn it, they got away!” Guan Yueyao punched the wooden door, her expression full of frustration.

“Forget it. Now that they’ve been interrupted, they probably won’t dare try anything else. We should go warn Cao Song; he needs to keep a closer eye on his own horse,” Huo Qubing said, frowning as he stared in the direction the culprits had disappeared.

Since they couldn’t catch them red-handed, this was the only option. Guan Yueyao felt a bit of regret; her reckless action had scared the scoundrels away. Had she caught them on the spot, it would have saved a lot of trouble.

“I can’t act solely on impulse like this anymore,” Guan Yueyao warned herself inwardly. Without further delay, she followed Huo Qubing as they hurried off to find the youth named Cao Song.