The Princess Who Divorced Her Husband - Chapter 4.2

In the morning, after breakfast, Yan Mei returned to her room.

The room was still as empty as ever. The master of the house, who had only shown her tenderness on their wedding day, had been absent for days. Waiting alone in an empty chamber had become a daily routine for Yan Mei.

Determined, Yan Mei changed into light riding clothes. She wanted to ride—ride long and fiercely, to sweat, to vent, and to let herself go.

The stable boy saw her coming with such forceful energy that he didn’t dare stop her. He led out a beautiful, snow-white horse for her. Yan Mei mounted it excitedly and left the governor’s mansion through the back gate.

As the daughter of a Mongolian prince, Yan Mei had learned to ride a horse as a child. She would ride when she was happy, and she would ride even more when she was upset. Riding the white horse, she unknowingly galloped out of Taiyuan and into the countryside.

There, the vibrant greenery, chirping birds, and fragrant flowers filled the landscape with life and vigor. The stifling frustration, pain, and grievances in her heart seemed to lift. She laughed and shouted freely, riding until the horse was tired and her clothes were soaked in sweat before she finally reined it in.

“Good horse, take a break now.” Tying the horse to a tree and letting it graze, Yan Mei stretched out on the grassy ground, limbs splayed.

Gazing up at the ever-changing clouds in the sky, Yan Mei felt a fleeting sense of freedom. At that moment, she heard the sounds of children’s voices and footsteps approaching.

“Wow, it’s a horse! Such a beautiful white horse!”

“Yes, it’s white!”

“Whose horse is this? Hey, look—it doesn’t even flinch when I touch it!”

“Really? Then I want to touch it too!”

“Me too—”

“Me too—”

What noisy little kids! But noisy as they were, their voices sounded so bright and adorable. Curious, Yan Mei sat up and saw four children gathered around her horse.

They were about seven or eight years old—three boys and one girl. Yan Mei guessed they were probably children from nearby farming families.

“Whoa, look, there’s a really pretty big sister is over there!”

“For real!”

“Big sister, big sister,” the little girl ran over, her round eyes inspecting Yan Mei. “Is the horse yours, big sister?”

“Yes, it is.” Yan Mei couldn’t resist gently pinching the chubby little cheeks of the girl.

“Then can Little Bean ride it?” the girl asked hopefully.

“Your name is Little Bean?”

“Uh-huh!” Little Bean pointed at her companions. “Little Stone is on the right, Little Wood is the dopey one in the middle, and Little Fatty is the chubbiest.”

“Really?” Their innocent names made Yan Mei laugh. She thought their parents must have quite the sense of humor to give their kids such silly names.

“Big sister, can I ride the horse?” Little Bean asked again.

“Of course.” Yan Mei took her hand and led her toward the others.

“Big sister, you’re really super pretty!” Little Fatty stared at her, completely mesmerized.

“Thanks!” Yan Mei patted his little round head and untied the reins from the tree.

“Who wants to go first?”

“Me!” Little Bean rushed ahead, and the three boys, showing gentlemanly manners, let the only girl go first.

“Come on up.” Yan Mei lifted Little Bean onto the horse.

“Wow, it’s moving! So fun, so fun!” Little Bean cried out in delight.

“Big sister, you’re so nice!” said Little Stone, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, full of admiration.

“Oh, really?” Poor Yan Mei—she had lost the confidence she had always carried in her beauty for eighteen years. “Don’t you think I’m scary or do you dislike me?”

“No way!” stammered Little Wood. “Big sister is so pretty, and she let us ride the horse. We really like big sister. We don’t dislike you.”

Looking at the children, Yan Mei suddenly felt the urge to cry. Someone finally said they liked her. Even if it wasn’t the person she cared about most, she was still deeply moved.

“Big sister likes you all too,” Yan Mei said, smiling through tears.

*****

Reluctantly bidding the children farewell, Yan Mei returned to the governor’s mansion before dinner.

“Father, what brings you here?” As soon as she stepped into the main hall of Yongmei Garden, Yan Mei saw Zuo Wende.

“Princess, the master has been waiting for you quite a while,” the nursemaid whispered as she approached Yan Mei.

“Yan Mei, I heard from the nursemaid that you left early this morning and didn’t come back for lunch. Where did you go?” Zuo Wende asked kindly.

“I went horseback riding in the countryside, Father.” Yan Mei took the damp towel Haitang handed her and wiped the sweat from her face.

“You went riding alone? That child Shengxing didn’t go with you?”

Yan Mei paused for a moment, then shook her head.

“That’s too dangerous!” Zuo Wende frowned. “Next time you go riding, Shengxing must go with you. Understand?”

“That’s not possible,” Yan Mei replied softly.

“Why not?” Zuo Wende looked at his daughter-in-law in confusion. “That’s his responsibility! If he doesn’t go with you, am I, his father, supposed to go instead?”

Zuo Wende had no idea about the “polite yet icy” state of affairs between Yan Mei and Zuo Shengxing. He was completely in the dark and still thought the couple were very much in love.

“Father, did you come today just to see me?” Yan Mei quickly changed the subject.

“Not really; I just came to see how you were doing.” Zuo Wende thought Yan Mei looked thinner and more worn out lately, so he came to check on her.

Facing the only person in the household who showed her any concern, Yan Mei said gratefully, “I’m doing well, Father. Thank you for worrying about me.”

“But you seem thinner,” Zuo Wende said with a chuckle. “Has your appetite been poor lately? I noticed you haven’t been eating much.”

“Yes…” Yan Mei didn’t quite understand what he was smiling about.

“Shall I have a doctor come take a look? Could it be…”

Yan Mei immediately understood what Zuo Wende meant. So, her father-in-law thought…

“Hee!” She couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Huh? What are you laughing about?”

“I… hee…” Yan Mei really couldn’t stop laughing. Zuo Wende actually suspected she was pregnant—that was just too absurd! If he discovered that she was still a virgin, would he instantly lose consciousness?

“Princess, that’s enough!” the nursemaid tugged at Yan Mei’s sleeve, trying to keep her from going too far.

“Mmm…” Yan Mei took a deep breath and finally calmed down. Although she appeared to be laughing, her heart was in pain.

“Father, don’t worry. That sort of thing is absolutely impossible.” Yan Mei didn’t want to be saddled with the blame of being “infertile”—this needed to be made clear.

“W-why not?” Zuo Wende was stunned.

Anger surged within Yan Mei. Zuo Wende still had the nerve to ask why. Why didn’t he go ask his precious son? She had endured so much mistreatment from Zuo Shengxing—why should she have to bear the consequences of his mistakes? No! That was his problem, not hers. She had no obligation to cover for him.

“Princess…” the nursemaid was growing more anxious. If Zuo Shengxing found out about this, would it stir up even more trouble? No matter what, it would always be her mistress who got hurt.

“Yan Mei, can you be a bit clearer?” Zuo Wende pressed.

“Father, I can say no more,” Yan Mei sighed. “If you still have questions, why not ask Shengxing yourself?”