The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 68: Going Out to Burn Incense (7)

"Before, I couldn't take care of you, and I don't know if I can in the future. But now that you're in my carriage and your grandfather has entrusted you to me for this trip, I naturally can," Rong Jing said slowly. Seeing Yun Qianyue ignoring his words, he casually added, "Since you won't play chess with me, I'll just call for His Highness the Crown Prince to come in and play with me instead! I'm sure he would be very willing."

"You..." Yun Qianyue opened her eyes, glaring at Rong Jing in anger.

Rong Jing paid her no mind, instructing outside the carriage, "Xiang Ge, go call the Crown Prince over..."

"I'll play with you!" Yun Qianyue sat up abruptly. She absolutely despised that scoundrel Ye Tianqing. Just the thought of him made her feel sick.

"Great!" A smile crept onto Rong Jing's lips as he activated a hidden compartment in the carriage wall. With a soft click, it opened to reveal a black jade box. After a gentle press, the box popped open, showcasing exquisite black and white chess pieces made from the finest jade.

"Such luxury!" Yun Qianyue sighed as she looked at the pieces. "If this were brought to the modern world, it could probably buy a city."

"If you manage to win against me, I'll give you this chess set as a gift, how about that?" Rong Jing tilted his head to glance at her.

The offer piqued her interest. "You say that to everyone you play chess with, right?"

"Not at all, just you. Ten years ago, Ye Qingran bet me his prized horse, saying if he won, the chess set would be his; if he lost, the horse would belong to me." Rong Jing slowly laid out the chessboard.

"And then? He lost?" Yun Qianyue mused, noting that the chess set was still in Rong Jing's possession, which meant Ye Qingran had not won.

"Yes," Rong Jing nodded.

"And did you get his horse?" Yun Qianyue leaned in with curiosity. The 'sweat blood horse,' known for its blood-red sweat when it ran, was said to be a rare breed in Chinese historical texts, known as the "Heavenly Horse."

"I did," Rong Jing replied, noticing the sparkle in her eyes.

"How long ago was that bet? Do you still have the horse?" Yun Qianyue asked, her interest now shifting from the chess pieces to the horse itself. She imagined if he had put the horse up as a bet, she would definitely want to win to experience the thrill of riding such a magnificent creature.

"Ten years ago, but I don't have it anymore," Rong Jing shook his head.

"Where did it go? Did it die of illness?" Yun Qianyue felt a tinge of disappointment. Ten years was a long time.

"It didn't die of illness," Rong Jing clarified.

"Then did you give it to someone else?" Yun Qianyue's hopes lifted again.

"Not exactly," Rong Jing said, looking at her. He hesitated, seeming reluctant to share, but eventually continued, "It's said that the meat of a sweat blood horse is exquisite. I hadn't tasted it before, so after winning it, I ordered Xiang Ge to kill it."

"Ah?" Yun Qianyue was stunned.

"The meat was indeed as delicious as the rumors claimed; I still reminisce about it to this day," Rong Jing said nostalgically.

Damn! Yun Qianyue shot to her feet, hitting her head against the carriage's ceiling with a thud. Ignoring the pain, she scolded Rong Jing, "You're such a waste!"

"Yeah, Ye Qingran said the same thing when he found out. He even challenged me to a match," Rong Jing nodded.

"You definitely lost! Ye Qingran must have been furious with you!" Yun Qianyue huffed. How could he treat such a magnificent horse like that? If she had been here ten years ago, she would have never let him waste it.

"He did come after me, but he didn't win. Out of anger, he ended up trying the meat himself and enjoyed it a lot," Rong Jing added.

Yun Qianyue's face darkened. She could picture how things must have gone. That shameless Ye Qingran! But then again, it was a sweat blood horse. If it was free food, who would refuse? She found herself empathizing with Ye Qingran, thinking she would have likely joined in too. But she imagined that in his anger, Ye Qingran must have eaten the horse meat without any decorum.

"You probably haven't tasted it, right? The next time I get a sweat blood horse, I'll make sure to kill it for you to eat," Rong Jing said casually.

Damn! Not again! Yun Qianyue's face darkened further, and she retorted, "If you dare kill it to eat, I'll make sure to eat your flesh instead!"

Rong Jing was taken aback, his hand that was reaching for a chess piece freezing mid-air.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Yun Qianyue realized she had misspoken. She felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her. What did she mean by eating his flesh? He wasn't Tang Seng! Watching Rong Jing's stunned expression, she felt her cheeks heat up and quickly cleared her throat, "I meant, that's a magnificent horse! Do you understand? It's more valuable than gold."

"I understand," Rong Jing nodded. If it wasn't valuable, he wouldn't have eaten it!

"So, don't waste such treasures. The Buddha won't stand for it," Yun Qianyue said earnestly.

Rong Jing suddenly lowered his head, glancing at his fingertips, and fell silent for a moment.

Yun Qianyue also looked at his fingers, then down at her own. She couldn't help but think: What was a handsome man like him doing with such beautiful hands?

"Okay! I won't eat it again," Rong Jing suddenly looked up and smiled at Yun Qianyue, his expression sincere.

Yun Qianyue's heart skipped a beat at his lighthearted smile. She thought to herself that this kid was still redeemable, realizing the error of his ways. But she felt sorry for that horse. Although she had never seen it, just thinking about it made her heart ache.

"Would you like to play with white or black pieces?" Rong Jing asked, pointing to the black and white pieces in the jade box.

"White!" Yun Qianyue replied without a second thought.

"Alright!" Rong Jing placed a black piece on the board. Noticing that she still looked pained, he said, "It's your turn!"

"Do you not know about ladies first? So unchivalrous!" Yun Qianyue shot him a glare, tossing the black piece back into his hand. She picked up a white piece and placed it in the same spot where his black piece had been, putting on a serious face as she declared, "I'll go first!"