The young lady is delicate and soft, yet she criticizes the powerful minister for bowing and scrapin

Wei Ruowei led an ordinary brown pony that looked extremely docile.

"Ah Li, you should get a horse too. If you're really worried, I'll go and call Ting Yue to come and keep you company."

Qi Yunli looked back and saw her maid, Tingyue, staring at her expectantly, but she knew that Tingyue was also afraid of horses.

"I've never learned horseback riding, so I won't get on a horse. I'll just play with you for a bit first, and then you can teach me how to ride," Qi Yunli said with a smile.

After much deliberation, she decided it was best not to cause any trouble at the banquet. She truly couldn't ride a horse, and to prevent any accidents that might give the Marquis's household a bad impression, she decided against it.

Compared to Wei Ruowei's casually led horse, Qin Xue's personal horse "Jade-Crowned Snow" was much more beautiful.

Its entire body was covered in snow-white fur, making it stand out conspicuously in a green forest. Its mane was glossy and smooth, and the saddle on the horse was also exquisitely crafted, inlaid with jewels, which showed how much the Duke doted on this eldest daughter.

Qin Xue's maid followed behind the three, watching them. The maids from the Wei household did not follow; they waited for their mistresses where they were.

Wei Ruowei was overjoyed as soon as she mounted the horse. The view of the distance was much wider than when she was standing and walking, and many images of galloping across the grassland appeared in her mind.

So she pushed off with both legs and walked ahead, then turned around and excitedly waved her hands, shouting:

"Miss Qin! Keep up!"

Qin Xue was also stunned. She usually only rode a horse a couple of steps faster than others, using it as a means of transportation. She had never thought of galloping wildly on horseback like a man, and had never done so before.

Wei Ruolan despised her third sister's behavior from the bottom of her heart: "Sister Xue is fine, don't mind her. She's just wild and different from others, don't learn from her."

Qi Yunli walked behind Qin Xue's horse, silently trying to hide herself and avoid drawing too much attention from Qin Xue.

Wei Ruolan personally led Qin Xue's horse towards the edge of the woods, while Qi Yunli walked behind. Her eyes seemed to drift almost imperceptibly over Yu Dingxue's swaying tail, finding it rather adorable.

After walking for a while, we came to a grove of low pine trees. The ground was covered with thick pine needles, which felt soft and slippery underfoot.

Wei Ruolan suddenly tripped and slipped on the ground with a cry of "Ouch!", her body staggering.

Qin Xue asked, "Are you alright?"

Wei Ruolan limped to her feet, a look of pain on her face: "I'm fine, but I think I sprained my ankle."

Two maids from the Duke of Qi's mansion stepped forward to help Wei Ruolan. Wei Ruolan looked back at Qi Yunli and said in an unyielding tone:

"Ah Li, come up and help Sister Xue with her horse. We'll walk a little further into the deep forest, then we can turn back. I'll wait for you here."

Qi Yunli hesitated for a moment, but didn't want to make herself too special.

Wei Ruolan had been leading the Jade Peak Snow for quite a while, which shows that it is docile.

Given that she was living under someone else's roof, she had no choice but to bite the bullet, step forward, take the reins, and nod in agreement.

But as it walked, the Jade-Crowned Snow Horse's temperament changed drastically from before, and it began to wag its tail more and more violently.

Qi Yunli held the reins, feeling them tighten more and more in her palms. The horse behind her trembled slightly, though she wasn't sure if it was just her imagination. The horse was even snorting, pawing at the ground in agitation, a far cry from its earlier docile demeanor.

"What's wrong with this horse? It's walking so slowly. Is it bothered by mosquitoes in the woods?"

Qin Xue didn't feel anything too unusual while on horseback, as she was busy admiring the birds and beasts in the distance.

As soon as he finished speaking, a pheasant flapped its wings in the woods, startling all the birds around it into a chorus of cries.

Wei Ruowei shouted from a short distance away, "I caught a rabbit, now I'll catch a pheasant! If I catch it, we'll have roast chicken for dinner!"

Wei Ruowei shouted too loudly. The horse behind Qi Yunli was already somewhat irritable, and suddenly startled by the noise, it reared up and neighed, raising its front hooves high.

When the horse's hooves struck again, it suddenly ignited the horse's frenzy. It thrashed about wildly, trying to shake off its rider.

Qin Xue lost her grip on the reins. As the horse's hooves kicked up the ground, she swayed precariously on its back, about to fall off. Her body, like a kite with a broken string, plummeted straight to the side.

Seeing this, Qi Yunli was very worried. She gasped and reached out to catch Qin Xue, who was about to fall.

My heart tightened at the sight, and without thinking, I lunged forward almost instinctively.

She rushed to Qin Xue's side, her back slamming hard against a pine tree. She didn't roll down, but a sharp pain shot through her shoulder blade. Before she could recover, Qin Xue had already crashed heavily onto her.

Her arms were also the slender arms of a young woman. After Qin Xue fell, her elbow slammed hard into Qi Yunli's forearm with great force, making Qi Yunli's wrist go numb.

Qi Yunli gasped.

"Are you alright?" Qin Xue was dazed from the fall, and struggled to her feet, looking disheveled but extremely worried about Qi Yunli.

Qi Yunli covered her arms and said, "It's okay, I'm fine."

Wei Ruolan shouted in a shrill voice from behind, "Help! Stop the runaway horse! Sister Xue is injured!"

She called out urgently and ran over quickly, instantly healing the sprained ankle she had fallen into.

"How did you lead the horse? I was fine when I led it, so why did you make Sister Xue fall? Tell me!" Wei Ruolan shouted.

The servants of the Duke of Qi's mansion didn't see clearly just now, but it was indeed Qi Yunli who caused the young lady to fall off the horse.

Qi Yunli lowered her head: "It was Sister Ruolan who told me to lead the horse, so I did..."

Wei Ruolan was furious: "What? Serving Sister Xue is making you feel wronged? Now you're blaming me?"

The thought that she had been humiliated last time because of Qi Yunli made her furious.

Regardless of whether anyone else was present, even her sisters from the same household as Wei, she was determined to prove herself here.

Upon hearing that his younger sister was injured, Qin Wenchang quickly rode over to check on her injuries.

Qin Xue had a scrape on her elbow; although it didn't bleed much, the extra wound on her fair skin was heartbreaking to see. Qin Wenchang's gaze towards Qi Yunli held a hint of resentment.

"Are you a cousin from the Marquis of Dingyuan's household?"

Qi Yunli sensed the hostility in Wei Ruolan's tone and couldn't bring herself to argue with her any further: "Yes."

"Jade Peak Snow is intelligent and a fine steed, so why is it so unruly in your hands?" Qin Wenchang questioned.

In the woods, the neighing of the frightened horses subsided slightly. A deep laugh drifted from afar.

"Wenchang, Yu Dingxue is indeed intelligent, but I'm afraid there's another reason." The person who returned from the depths of the forest leading a horse was none other than Su Jingran.

"What do you mean?" Qin Wenchang asked.

Su Jingran curled her lips, glanced at the two girls from the Wei family, and lingered on Qi Yunli for a while.

"I said that someone sabotaged Xue's fall from her horse this time."