After being thoroughly violated, he ran away with the enemy emperor's child.

He forgot all about horseback riding and fur coats; all he wanted now was to drag his Aci along with him...

He's shameless, but Chu Junci isn't, especially in broad daylight. He must be out of his mind to indulge him like this.

"Mo, Yan, be serious."

"It's all because Aci is too tempting."

Mo Yan kissed Chu Junci's fingertips, his eyes filled with deep meaning, "Tonight..."

"no."

Why?

"No means no, there's no reason why."

Shaking off Mo Yan's hand, Chu Jun took a few steps back and asked, "Still riding a horse?"

"…ride."

Resignedly, he changed the man into a set of close-fitting clothes and draped a dark cloak over his shoulders. Mo Yan kissed his cheek and said, "You're a bit shorter than me, so this cloak is a little long."

"It's alright, I'll carry you away."

He lifted the person up in his arms and stepped out of Qiyue Palace, heading towards the horse farm.

Along the way, they encountered many eunuchs and palace maids, who all bowed their heads and dared not look at them for long. Before long, they arrived at the outer edge of the horse farm.

"Bring Ta Xue here."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The eunuch in charge of the horses moved very quickly, and soon appeared leading Ta Xue.

Ta Xue was well cared for; its fur was glossy, it was large, and it had a rebellious nature. It only recognized Mo Yan as its master.

To Mo Yan's surprise, the moment Ta Xue saw them, she lowered her head and rubbed her face against A Ci's.

It even let out a few hissing sounds, as if urging him to hurry up.

"Mo Yan, it..."

Chu Junci was a little confused. He knew that valuable horses all had their own temperaments and mostly only recognized one master.

She would never invite him upstairs like Ta Xue did upon their first meeting.

"You, Ta Xue, you weren't this attentive when you first met me."

Mo Yan sneered, shielding Chu Junci to his side, and then explained, "It likes you."

"Ta Xue doesn't invite people to ride on its horse. Even I had to spend a lot of effort to tame it."

At this point, Mo Yan pinched Chu Junci's nose: "My Aci is indeed alluring, even Taxue is captivated by her."

"...Don't talk nonsense."

Mo Yan smiled, lifted him onto the horse, and said, "Hold the reins tight."

He then mounted his horse and sat behind Chu Junci, the two of them pressed tightly together with no gap between them.

Walking slowly through the snow, Mo Yan leaned close to Chu Junci's ear and said, "I have a gift for you later."

"don't want."

Chu Junci was stunned for a moment after instinctively refusing. Why did he refuse?

His memories of Mo Yan were still from the day he woke up, but in that instant, fragments flashed through his mind—

Mo Yan had given him "medicinal ointment", "books" and "warm jade", but he threw them all out the window.

His subconscious told him that the gifts Mo Yan gave him were not anything of substance.

As his memories were about to break free of their shackles, he frowned slightly, but showed no sign of anything amiss.

"Why not?"

Behind him, Mo Yan stroked his hair, then lowered his head to sniff it: "Tell me, why don't you want to?"

"Did you remember something?"

"Um?"

He turned his face towards him, looking into his eyes: "My dear Aci, tell me, have you remembered something?"

Mo Yan's expression seemed off, but Chu Junci forced a calm demeanor and said, "No."

"real?"

"Um."

"Then why don't you want my gift?"

Returning to the original topic, Chu Junci's heart raced: "These are turbulent times, and I don't want you to worry about other things."

"You should conserve your energy to fight the enemy, and... protect yourself."

"..."

Chu Junci's answer was unexpected by Mo Yan, but it made him extremely happy. "Is Aci concerned about me?"

"Yes."

"Don't be afraid, they're just clowns jumping around. I don't even consider them a threat."

Touching his cheek, Mo Yan pressed his hand against his brow: "In my heart, Aci's matter is the most important."

"Um……"

With the crisis averted, Chu Junci breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

He turned to look ahead and heard Mo Yan say, "Reach out."

He obediently extended his hand and saw Mo Yan place something on his wrist: "This is... a hidden blade?"

"right."

Mo Yan nodded: "This is a hidden arrow that I ordered to be made. Press the mechanism and the hidden arrow will be fired, capable of killing with one shot."

"Although I sent people to protect you, I was still worried about the possibility of something going wrong. With your hidden dagger, I can feel more at ease."

"I'll teach you how to use it later."

"it is good."

Fifteen minutes later, the two stood at the shooting range.

A target stood a few meters away, and a bow and several arrows were placed on a long table in front of them.

"Aci".

Mo Yan placed the bow in his hand: "Try it."

As soon as he held the longbow, a familiar feeling arose. Chu Junci curled his fingertips and nocked an arrow onto the bowstring.

The cold wind howled, fluttering his clothes. He aimed at the bullseye, his fingertips loosening slightly.

With a "whoosh," the arrow flashed through the air with a cold gleam before striking the bullseye with pinpoint accuracy.

As Mo Yan had predicted, his Aci was a young general of the Yong Kingdom, and naturally possessed excellent archery skills.

"It seems I don't need to teach you how to use the hidden blade."

Chu Junci glanced at him, then picked up the arrows on the table and shot them one by one into the bullseye.

In that instant, some images flashed before his eyes—

"Ah Ling, General Xie has taken leave today, so I will teach you archery."

A child of about five years old stood in the training ground. In front of him stood a man who was eight feet tall and handsome. The fine wrinkles on his face did not diminish his appearance, but rather added to his charm.

"Yes, Father."

Chu Ling nodded, picked up the longbow, and fired several shots in front of the man.

The man watched from the side, nodding occasionally. After he stopped what he was doing, he came to his side and said, "Ah Ling, you are talented and hardworking. To reach this level in just a few days is a blessing for our Yong Kingdom."

"Father, you flatter me."

I'm stating the facts.

Remembering something, the man smiled and said, "You are much better than your father. When your father first started practicing archery, he couldn't even lift a bow."

"The bow was too heavy for him to lift, so he sat on the ground and cried, even whining."

The man laughed and shook his head: "Seeing him cry, I couldn't bear to let him continue practicing, so after all these years, his archery skills are still the same."

Recalling the past, the man's expression softened. Looking at Chu Ling before him, his heart softened even more: "Ah Ling, you have a calm and steady nature. Compared to your father, you are more suited to be an emperor."

"Father believes that under your leadership, Yongguo will reach new heights."

"But there's no rush now. You're only five years old. There are many things that your father and I can handle."

"By the way, there are guests from the Zhao Kingdom today. Would you like to go and meet them?"

"I heard that their sixth prince, Mo Yan, is coming, and he is about your age."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Aci, what are you thinking about?"

He had been lost in thought for too long, so Mo Yan waved a hand in front of him and asked, "Why are you daydreaming again?"