Just a vulgar rake.

"Oh?" Dowager Princess Shu was indeed intrigued. "I know of the Ling family's daughter—gentle, virtuous, and strictly observant of propriety. This is indeed a happy occasion."

"Naturally it is a happy occasion, but who could have known the two children lacked affinity!" remarked a sharp-faced matron.

"I heard that back then, their betrothal had reached the very final stage, and even the date had been almost chosen, when the Ling family suddenly called off the marriage..." another matron chimed in.

Her tone made the two madams of the Ling family boil with quiet rage.

Yet when it came to a broken engagement, it was always the women who suffered the reputational scars, while men rarely sustained any real damage. Even if the fault lay with the groom, the world at large would do no more than murmur a casual remark about a lapse in personal virtue.

Over the past few years, they had managed to suppress the gossip, only for it to be dredged up again today in front of everyone. First Madam Ling maintained a semblance of composure, though her expression chilled by three parts, while the Second Madam simply dropped her face into a stern frown.

Even Yan Jing, whose demeanor was usually dissolute and devil-may-care, reined in his smile upon hearing these words.

"You speak as though you witnessed it with your own eyes, Madam. If I may be so bold as to offer a word of advice, you ought to replace the people around you. One can only wonder what kind of black-hearted, foul-minded scoundrel fabricated such a rumor."

Even in such a moment, Yan Jing cut a dashing figure as he straightened his back in the saddle, holding his riding crop and bowing respectfully to Dowager Princess Shu. "Your Ladyship, it was I who lacked the competence, dragging down the good name of the Ling family's daughter and exposing her to idle slander."

The assembled matrons were somewhat taken aback. Everyone knew him as a notorious playboy of the capital—habitually casual and unrestrained—and rarely had they seen him display such a sharp edge, nor had they realized he was truly angered.

Fortunately, a kind-hearted soul immediately stepped forward to smooth things over. "Dowager Princess, look at this! Our young Marquis Yan is still protecting the young lady himself. Clearly, we were all just meddling in affairs that did not concern us."

"Indeed, indeed! It was merely a lover's quarrel between the young couple. We need only wait to be invited to their wedding feast."

Dowager Princess Shu was well-versed in the ways of the world, clear-eyed and sharp-minded. Naturally, she understood the subtext behind their words and could not help frowning slightly.

Seeing this, the crowd immediately fell silent and dared say no more.

Yan Jing's disposition was like a dragonfly skimming the water's surface; he never dwelled on a single matter for long. Since the Dowager Princess had taken up the cause for the Ling family's daughter and offered him a graceful way out, he naturally accepted it. Especially in the presence of an elder, he could not be bothered to bicker further. Bidding farewell to the matrons, he wheeled his horse about and headed straight for the polo field.

Meanwhile, over on Xiao Ming's side, things were far more tranquil.

The young ladies sat quietly in the loft's viewing gallery, clustered in twos and threes to gossip. Huaining sidled up to Xiao Ming and Huaixi, whispering mysteriously, "For this afternoon's match, Big Brother and Lord Yan are both sitting it out. I heard they've called Li Zongfang onto the field instead."

"What happened to the two of them?" Huaixi asked with a hint of worry.

"Some busybody sister was running her mouth about reputations, and Lord Yan took offense right then and there."

Huaixi bit her lip.

"Lord Yan still holds you in his heart, Sister. Why not give him another chance?" Xiao Ming probed gently.

"He is nothing more than a frivolous libertine." Huaixi merely lowered her gaze, watching the tea leaves swirl in her cup.

Huaining and Xiao Ming exchanged glances, finding it difficult to press the matter further. Xiao Ming, in particular, had felt ever since they bared their hearts to one another that Huaixi was not simply gentle and refined; beneath her soft exterior, much like a flowering branch in spring, lay a core of resilient strength.

"Look!"

Someone cried out, and instantly the young ladies in the viewing loft erupted into a murmur of excitement, flocking toward the balustrade.

A matron was leading a magnificent steed over. The horse was pure white from head to hoof, without a single stray hair, looking as though it had been piled together from fresh snow. Tall, athletic, and dazzlingly handsome, it made everyone draw in a breath of astonishment as Meng Qingxuan was helped up into the saddle, instantly capturing every gaze.

"Qingxuan Sister, is this the horse Big Brother gave you when you became engaged? I remember it's called 'Chao Ye'. Big Brother adored it so much he wouldn't even let me touch it on ordinary days," Huaining said with undisguised envy, scurrying over to the horse's side to gently stroke its head.

Meng Qingxuan had changed at some point into a crimson-red riding habit, even her boots dyed a matching scarlet. Against the backdrop of the snow-white horse, she cut a striking figure. Yet, as was customary for well-bred ladies in the capital who wished to appear refined and modest, she rode side-saddle.

With agile grace, she slipped down from the saddle before answering Huaining's question.

"I merely happened to catch sight of it in the Ling family's stables, and Young Master Ling generously gifted it to me," Meng Qingxuan said with a modest blush. "Though, truth be told, I am not particularly skilled at riding."

As she spoke, her cold gaze swept across the crowd to lock with Xiao Ming's. Xiao Ming offered a sweet, placid smile in return.

They understood one another without a word.

The other girls descended from the loft, crowding around Chao Ye to stroke its coat and bombard Meng Qingxuan with questions.

Before long, Meng Qingxuan made her way directly to Xiao Ming, taking her hand with an air of intimate affection. "Would Younger Sister care to mount and try it out?"

"This younger sister lacks talent and does not know how to ride."

Meng Qingxuan froze for a fraction of a second; she had not expected such a blunt and straightforward refusal, which left her temporarily at a loss for face. "Sister need not be so modest. The stable hand told me just now that a fairy-like maiden rode exceptionally well—surely that must have been you."

"Elder Sister Xiao, this is Big Brother's Chao Ye! If I weren't terrified of him scolding me, I would have ridden a full circle around the paddock myself," Huaining said with absolute sincerity.

The matron leading the horse looked experienced and reliable. She offered a crisp, proper bow and chimed in, "Milady need not fear, this horse is of a very gentle temperament."

Xiao Ming felt a knot of anxiety twisting in her stomach. She feared Meng Qingxuan might have tampered with the horse, yet she had just watched Meng Qingxuan ride over sitting atop it without a single mishap.

Calculating swiftly, she took half a step back. "Perhaps the other young ladies should try it first."

Meng Qingxuan nodded magnanimously. "Very well."

Seeing the horse's owner grant permission, the girls cheered, and the bolder ones immediately stepped forward to try their luck.

The matron kept a firm grip on the reins, leading the aristocratic young misses around the edge of the polo field at a gentle walk, with no trouble whatsoever.

Xiao Ming's tension began to ease. When her turn finally came, the danger of riding side-saddle suddenly flashed through her mind. Remembering the lessons Han Yi had given her, she chose to mount properly, swinging her leg over to straddle the horse like a man.

The saddle was of the finest quality, and the stirrups had already been adjusted to her height by the matron. Yet, at the exact instant Xiao Ming settled her weight firmly into the saddle, Chao Ye—the docile creature it had supposedly been—let out a piercing, frantic whinny and suddenly bucked wildly.

It all happened in the span of a single lightning strike. The maddened beast reared its upper body almost completely upright, lashing out furiously with its hind hooves. The matron holding the reins was instantly kicked to the ground, and no one dared approach within range.

As for the pampered young misses, whose lives had been confined to the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, and verse, none had ever witnessed such a terrifying spectacle. Pale with fright, they shrieked and scattered in all directions.

The wild horse, bearing Xiao Ming on its back, bolted in a frenzy, charging straight toward the perimeter of the polo field.

"Elder Sister Xiao!"

Huaining's face drained of color as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. She screamed and chased after the horse, but how could human legs possibly keep pace? Everyone watched in horror as the crazed animal leaped over the wooden barrier at the edge of the field, vanishing into the distance in the blink of an eye.

Huaixi's face was equally pale, but her mind remained sharp. "Huaining, stop chasing! Go quickly and find First Aunt, and tell her to send our Ling family men out to search!"