Chapter 639: Falling Off Her Horse 3 (2/2)

The emperor was stunned. He stared over at He Changdi, who was still holding the longsword he had used to behead the horse in hand. The sword was still dripping blood, and he had an aura of slaughter about him.

Actually, Princess Leyao’s demands were very sudden, and even more unreasonable.

Although their rules weren’t as conservative as to forbid seven-year-old boys and girls from sitting at the same table, that didn’t mean that men and women could freely mix around in the Great Wu.

He Changdi was a married man. While Princess Leyao was eleven, she was already in the process of becoming a lady. In the Great Wu Dynasty, ladies could marry once they came of age. There were families who even started looking for suitors for their daughters when their daughter turned twelve. At this age, it was already necessary for Princess Leyao to keep her distance from men.

Furthermore, Princess Leyao had hit puberty earlier than average. Perhaps due to the good environment she had been raised in, she looked more mature than other girls that were her age. Although she was only eleven, she didn’t look much different from girls who were thirteen or fourteen.

Once Princess Leyao spoke, many people in the surroundings covertly placed their eyes on He Changdi.

There were some with thoughtful looks, some with jealousy, some with contempt, and some with malicious intent…

He Changdi hadn’t expected Princess Leyao to make such an excessive demand at this juncture.

Speaking of his interactions with Princess Leyao, the only one worth mentioning was saving her once in order to grab the emperor’s attention. After that, Princess Leyao had somehow gotten the opportunity to meet him several times. At that time, Princess Leyao was only ten, so He Changdi hadn’t thought much of it at all.

After that, he had gone to the northern border to fight for merit, and had finally returned after their great victory after the new year. The last time he had met Princess Leyao was at a banquet in the palace, and they had only nodded to acknowledge each other’s presence.

Although He Changdi disapproved of Princess Leyao’s demands in his heart, he didn’t think too much of it. In his eyes, Princess Leyao was just a child who had yet to become a woman.

He stood there, motionless, with his frosty countenance and calm disposition as usual.

It was obvious that the emperor couldn’t make out what was on his daughter’s mind, but he recalled the fact that He Changdi had saved his daughter last year. Thinking about it, perhaps his daughter wanted He Changdi to send her back because she wanted to rely on her savior. He Changdi had saved her before, so he could give her a sense of security.

He glanced at He Sanlang, “Marquis Anyuan, send the princess back.”

Since the emperor had spoken, He Changdi had no choice but to comply. He took Princess Leyao from Royal Prince Lu Tai’s arms, then led Yuanzhou and the other guards as they returned to the campsite on their horses.

The treatment for Princess Leyao’s leg couldn’t be delayed.

The emperor watched motionlessly as He Changdi left with Princess Leyao for a long moment. No one could tell what was on his mind. Finally, he got back onto his horse, and led his many officials deep into the mountains.

Since he had watched his daughter get hurt, he had no mood to continue the spring hunt.

However, he had already brought so many officials and nobles out, so it wouldn’t be right to just return like this. He had to keep his spirits up and at least make a round around the hunting grounds today.