The Innocent Heart - Chapter 65

“No!” Hearing this, Guan Yueyao stood up without a second thought to object. “That’s not fair to Cao Song!”

Because she was somewhat agitated, small spots of fresh crimson blood seeped through her newly tied linen bandages, looking like bright red plum blossoms scattered on the snow.

“A-Yao, sit down first. Your wound is going to tear open.” Huo Qubing looked at his friend’s state and carefully took her hand, hoping she would calm down.

“Qubing, it can’t be like this. There was a reason Cao Song hurt me. Even if he is to be punished, the culprit who poisoned his horse should be brought to justice first!”

Guan Yueyao’s tone remained anxious. Cao Song’s encounter reminded her of the bullying she had experienced when she first moved to Japan. She didn’t understand proverbs like “the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be destroyed by the wind,” but back then, she could clearly feel the malice and alienation in her classmates’ eyes when they looked at her.

She thought she had long stopped caring about that groundless isolation, and the bullying had long since ceased under the force of her fists. But those memories she had tried to discard were dragged back to the surface because of this youth named Cao Song.

She still remembered when she first stepped into that public junior high school in Tokyo; she had been full of expectations. After all, no child growing up in that era hadn’t seen a few anime or manga imported from Japan. The plots of characters wearing beautiful uniforms and spending their youth carefree on campus had once made Guan Yueyao very excited.

On the morning of the first day of school, Guan Yueyao got out of bed early, put on her neatly ironed sailor uniform, and spent a long time looking at herself in the floor-length mirror by her mother’s vanity.

It seemed her beautiful memories of school ended right there.

Why had she been chosen as the target for bullying and isolation from the very beginning? She no longer remembered. She only remembered that the prettiest girl in class always liked to make “jokes” at her expense with a strange, sarcastic tone. At the time, her Japanese wasn’t very good, and she couldn’t catch the hidden meanings in the words. Seeing the classmates around her laughing, she would laugh along with them just to fit in faster.

They even gave her a nasty, insulting nickname. Was it from that moment on that they began to treat her as a fool they could play with at will?

When did it start getting worse? It seemed to be after she showed off her excellent physical fitness in PE class and gained the attention of the young PE teacher and the seniors from the school’s Kendo club. Gradually, verbal teasing turned into physical contact, which she began to find increasingly unbearable.

Finally, one day after school, Guan Yueyao was called out by several girls and cornered in the classroom. They continued to mock her, and the tugging turned into shoving. Someone grabbed her hair and laughed, asking if her mother was a woman as stupid as she was, unable to see the obvious disgust others showed?

The string that had been pulled tight in Guan Yueyao’s mind finally snapped.

Every student present that day, regardless of gender, was sent to the hospital by her. Her mother had to pay a large sum of money to the other parents. The grade dean didn’t even bother to ask about the beginning or end of the incident or why she had hit them; he simply ordered her to be suspended from school.

It was precisely because of this that she ended up wandering the streets with nothing to do, eventually mixing with delinquent youths who were in similar situations as her.

“A-Yao, A-Yao, what’s wrong? If you’re really that upset, I’ll go with you to see my uncle!” Her friend’s concerned voice rang in her ear, pulling Guan Yueyao out of the quagmire of her memories.

Like a beam of sunlight breaking into the night, her vision focused again on the youth standing before her.

“I’m fine, I just thought of some things from the past,” Guan Yueyao explained to her friend with a smile.

Huo Qubing didn’t ask further. Judging by Guan Yueyao’s expression, he knew it wasn’t a pleasant memory.

“Let’s go. We’ll go to my uncle’s place and see how things are going.” As if to gloss over the tension, he returned a smile and changed the subject.

Guan Yueyao naturally agreed. She had already withdrawn from the competition due to her injury, so the next few days would be leisure time. But it would be a real pity if Cao Song was disqualified or even expelled from the army.

“A-Yao, what if Cao Song’s horse wasn’t poisoned by someone?” While walking, Huo Qubing suddenly voiced a possibility they might have overlooked from the start.

The reason Guan Yueyao assumed the horse was poisoned was because of what they had overheard in the stables. But from the time they left the stables to finding Cao Song, it had only been about fifteen minutes. Could someone really complete a poisoning in such a short amount of time?

Clearly, Guan Yueyao hadn’t thought of this. She looked at her friend in surprise, but saw that his expression was serious and he wasn’t joking.

“Cao Song’s horse was actually an old horse. Although you can tell he cherished it, the horse’s condition was not good…” At this, Huo Qubing couldn’t help but sigh. “But it’s because of that that Cao Song’s riding skills are so exquisite; he is truly a rare talent.”

“You mean, maybe the horse was just old and happened to die of a sudden illness at that time, causing a misunderstanding?” Guan Yueyao realized. Although it would be a massive coincidence if that were the case, it was indeed a possibility.

“If that’s true, then what I said earlier was too reckless…” Guan Yueyao remembered what she had told Cao Song, and her expression became solemn. Perhaps it was because of her definitive words that Cao Song became convinced his horse was murdered, ultimately leading to him accidentally injuring someone.

“Are you only just realizing how inconsiderate your words can be?” Huo Qubing chuckled, looking at his friend teasingly.

“If that’s the case, then it was I who harmed him.” Guan Yueyao looked dejected and a bit at a loss. “No, I have to go explain everything to Lord Wei. If there is responsibility or a misunderstanding, I must take my share of it.”

“Look at you, you just said you shouldn’t be reckless, and now you’re in a hurry again.” Concerned about the wound on Guan Yueyao’s arm, Huo Qubing didn’t dare pull her too hard. He could only lightly tug her sleeve and speak helplessly.

“This is just our speculation; there are many possibilities. My uncle also said he would investigate thoroughly. Poisoning a military horse in the camp is a major crime. If the horse really was poisoned, I believe my uncle and Commandant Han won’t let the culprit go so easily.”

He knew his friend was impulsive, largely because she often couldn’t see the full picture and tended to view things only through her own perspective, leading to panic. But as long as the matter was analyzed clearly for her, she could remain calm and stop acting solely on impulse.

Simply put, although Guan Yueyao had simple thoughts and was easily manipulated, she was fortunately very aware of this flaw. She wasn’t stubborn; she could listen to advice.

Sure enough, after Huo Qubing analyzed the current issues, Guan Yueyao calmed down.

“You’re right. Finding out the cause of the warhorse’s death is the most critical thing right now.” With that, she quickened her pace toward the stables. Huo Qubing followed behind her, shaking his head helplessly at her back. It seemed Guan Yueyao’s impatience was something that could never be changed.

The cause of death for Cao Song’s warhorse was quickly discovered. The horse doctor, Master Zhao, found traces of yew leaves in the trough, in the horse’s stomach, and in the manure left on the ground.

This is a plant that is harmless or even a good medicine for humans, but a deadly poison for horses. Only a very small amount is needed to kill a strong warhorse.

In the stables of the Northern Army, all warhorses were carefully raised, and there were strict controls over the fodder. Although yew isn’t a universally known poison for horses, it was impossible for the officials in charge of horse feed not to know.

When Guan Yueyao and Huo Qubing arrived at the stables, the Stable Overseer was already kneeling, drenched in sweat, before Han Anguo, who had arrived upon hearing the news. He was desperately trying to defend himself.

“Commandant, please see clearly. I have strictly inspected the fodder prepared for the horses every day. It could not have gone wrong at that stage. Otherwise, why would only this one horse have collapsed!”

The overseer spoke with conviction, and his deduction was quite convincing. Han Anguo nodded and told the official to rise.

“A warhorse is worth thousands; someone actually dares to damage one so casually—this is truly a disregard for the law! This matter must be thoroughly investigated…” At this point, he looked at Cao Song, who was kneeling dejectedly to the side, and his expression showed hesitation.

“As for you…”

Han Anguo had naturally seen Cao Song’s excellent riding on the field. Like Wei Qing, he cherished talent and found it difficult to expel him from the military at this time.

“Attendant Guan, tell me exactly what happened just now.” He turned his gaze toward Guan Yueyao in the crowd.

Guan Yueyao hadn’t expected Han Anguo to look at her. Ever since she had talked back to the old general in the Xuanshi Hall, he had been somewhat cold toward her, only refraining from lashing out due to the Emperor’s favor. But since General Han was willing to let her explain the circumstances, he likely had the intention of showing mercy. Guan Yueyao dared not be negligent and immediately stepped forward, recounting the situation exactly as it happened.

“To answer the Commandant, the incident just now was an accident. Cao Song had no intention of hurting anyone; he merely grazed me by mistake while we were struggling for the blade. I beg you and the other generals to consider that it was an unintentional slip and judge him leniently.”

Guan Yueyao spoke with great sincerity. Huo Qubing saw a flash of appreciation on his uncle’s face, and even in the depths of Han Anguo’s eyes, there was a faint trace of a smile.

“Since Attendant Guan has put it this way, expulsion from the camp can be waived. However, military law is as solid as a mountain. Since you did injure a superior first, the strokes of the rod cannot be avoided. After the trials are over, go and receive your punishment yourself.”

After delivering his final decision, Han Anguo left the stables. With his departure, the crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed. The afternoon matches were about to begin, and people’s attention shifted back to the arena.

Guan Yueyao looked at Cao Song, who was still kneeling blankly on the ground, and a sudden thought rose in her mind.

She leaned into Huo Qubing’s ear and whispered, “Qubing, I want to lend Chizhou to Cao Song for the afternoon competition. Is that okay?”

Huo Qubing looked at his friend with some surprise, but then realized that since Cao Song had lost his beloved horse, if no one lent him a steed, allowing him to continue the competition would be nothing but empty words.

“Since Chizhou has already been given to you, he is your horse. You decide for yourself who you want to lend him to,” Huo Qubing said, patting his friend’s shoulder.

After all, even he was very curious to know if, with such a magnificent horse, this youth named Cao Song could become like a tiger with wings and take the top spot in the afternoon finals.