Chapter 266 - Out in the Shade (1/2)

”I was starting to think you weren't coming...” Prince Yi said as he straightened up from the tree he was leaning on.

Princess Nalan rode up next to him and said, ”Sorry...I couldn't leave the manor immediately, I had to make things believable or Molin would get suspicious...” They had planned to meet up in a spot outside the city for a trip. Since Molin and the guards would be in the way, they came up with this brilliant strategy to get rid of them.

She left the palace early this morning and went over to the Zou representatives manor. She told Molin that she missed him and wanted to have some fun with him and sparred for a bit and then ended up drinking wine and having fun playing drinking games.

Princess Nalan, of course, was not really drinking and after they were ”both” crazy drunk to the point of almost passing out. Princess Nalan ”drunkenly” excused herself to her room to sleep in peace and ordered that no one was to disturb her sleep.

This way no one would come bothering her. Prince Yi had also arranged for the maid who had been passing her letters in the manor to leave a maid's outfit and a fake identity table in Princess Nalan's room so she could change into it and easily slip out of the manor, unseen. And then she raced over to the rendevous point where Prince Yi had a servant waiting with a horse for her.

Prince Yi was also wearing a simple servant's outfit. His own plan had been much simpler than Princess Nalan's. He simply asked Zhao Chang to meet him at one of their usual drinking spots and then he changed outfits with their server and left while the server remained there to be Zhao Chang's drinking buddy for the day.

Prince Yi naturally did not tell Zhao Chang his plans, but they had done thins a few times in the past so Zhao Chang did not bother asking questions.

”You're here now so it's fine...” Prince Yi said with a smile as he vaulted onto his horse.

Princess Nalan nodded and then went, ”Let's go.”

”How about a race?” Prince Yi proposed with a smirk.

Princess Nalan knit her brows and went, ”I don't know the way...”

”Then I win by default then...” Prince Yi smugly responded.

Princess Nalan scoffed, ”We'll see...” as she whipped her horse into action and sped off, with Prince Yi promptly following, quickly overtaking her with a smug smile.

Princess Nalan scoffed again and leaned forward, pushing her horse faster. She had been anxiously waiting for this over the last two days.

The last time they met it was at the theatre where they were watching a show about the adventures of an idiot. The idiot was jumping around the stage ”riding” and Princess Nalan mentioned missing riding. She rode about the city but she could never go at a full gallop so it was no fun.

Prince Yi then suggested that they go out for a day of riding. Princess Nalan was quite surprised with the suggestion as they never met out in public, but she was happy and even proposed going over to that flower field spot from the last time and Prince Yi agreed with a smile.

Over the last few weeks, they had continued secretly exchanging letters even in the palace. They met up a bunch of times at restaurants and theatres but they always arrived separately and left separately. Although they never discussed keeping this secret, Princess Nalan never told anyone, not even when Lei Xing asked in conversation.

Princess Nalan was honestly not sure what they were doing, but she was enjoying the process of it all.

They raced through the flower field, finally stopping at the end of it with Princess Nalan in the lead. She smugly turned to him and went, ”I win.” with a victorious smile.

Prince Yi smiled back and went, ”I guess it just wasn't my day...”

Princess Nalan responded, ”Better luck next time...” with a laugh and Prince Yi laughed as well. They got down and Prince Yi kindly took Princess Nalan's reins and went to tie up the horses. Princess Nalan walked forward, scanned the field, and took a deep breath. It was really nice and this was definitely more her style.

”Horsemilk wine?” Prince Yi asked as he held out a goatskin wine bag to her.

Princess Nalan's face immediately lit up, ”Ah, Kumis! I haven't had this in so long...” She promptly took the bag, removed the c.o.c.k, took a deep sniff, and let out a sigh as she took a swig from it, ”This is amazing...”

”I knew you would enjoy it...” Prince Yi said with a smile as plopped down on the grass under the shade of the tree. He let out a sigh of his own as he scanned the flowery landscape. Princess Nalan went to sit down next to him and passed him the wine bag. He took a gulp and passed it back to her.

Princess Nalan took another gulp and then asked, ”Is it always empty here?” It was nice and quiet here, a world removed from the busy capital. She liked it this way but she was just curious, last time they were the only ones here too.

”It's removed the main routes to the city...I only stumbled on it when I was out wandering years back..”

Prince Yi then spotted two little snakes slithering up to him and added, ”Ah, perhaps people are afraid of these little ones here...I've heard they have bitten a few people so the commoners avoid it, I find them harmless though.” Prince Yi said as a pat the head of one of the snakes, smiling as the memory of a certain someone scrambling because of a little snake came to mind.

”I think they're harmless too...” Princess Nalan smiled as she reached over him and picked up the second snake while snickering as she also recalled a certain memory. She then stopped laughing, glanced at Prince Yi, and then tentatively asked, ”What do you think about Lei Xing?”

This question had been on her mind for a very long time but she had always been too unsure to ask. But now that they are on much closer terms, she felt that she could finally voice this out. She was truly curious.