The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 213 To have someone’s heart and never part even till hair turns white (second update)

Chapter 213: 213 To have someone’s heart and never part even till hair turns white (second update)

Yaduo lifted the teacup and took a sip, chuckling lightly, "This mischievous lad has always regarded emotions as dirt, who would have thought he’d see this day."

Yelu Yan rested his arm on the back of Li Xianyun’s chair, placing his hand gently on her slender and attractive shoulder.

Li Xianyun turned her head, looking at Yelu Yan with confusion.

Yelu Yan felt disgruntled inside but maintained an unruffled demeanor, "Drink your tea."

"Hmm."

Li Xianyun took a sip from her teacup and continued to watch the horse races.

As a horseback nation, every Khitan man excelled at mounted archery; with numerous participants, the competition was divided into several rounds. Each round would select a winner to compete in the final bout.

The prize was highly enticing, a Western Regions’ tribute, a sharp curved saber, keen enough to cut through hair as it fell.

Everyone gave their all, the competition was incredibly fierce.

By the last round, Yelu Yan leaned towards Li Xianyun’s ear, "Watch me closely."

"Hmm?"

Li Xianyun hadn’t grasped his meaning before Yelu Yan stood up and strode out.

Only when Yelu Yan mounted the fine steed did Li Xianyun realize what he meant earlier.

The crowd, seeing Yelu Yan mounted on the prized horse, exuded excitement.

They knew Yelu Yan’s horsemanship was unmatched, eager to witness his majesty.

Yelu Yan cast a distant glance at the stands; his woman was watching him.

His heart filled with joy, he simultaneously gripped the reins, waiting for the horn to sound.

As the ox-horn trumpet blared, several swift horses dashed out like arrows released from bowstrings. These top racers seemed to merge with their horses, speeding towards the finish line.

Almost the instant the horn blared, one rider broke away from the rest, Yelu Yan whipped the horse’s back, playfully, leaving all other racers in the dust, including Yuchi Hong, who was utterly outclassed.

The crowd burst into joy, with soldiers shouting, "Khan is might!! Khan is might!!"

After the race, Yelu Yan tilted his head to look at Li Xianyun.

Their gazes collided across the crowd.

Li Xianyun flashed an enchanting smile, naturally charming and alluring.

Although Yelu Yan won the race, he awarded the prize to Yuchi Hong, who finished second.

Returning to the stands, Yelu Yan sat beside Li Xianyun, lowered his sturdy shoulder, and leaned in, "How was my performance just now?"

Li Xianyun pressed her lips together in a light smile; this man truly loved to hear flattering words.

She indulged him.

"My lord is a dragon among men, unmatched by anyone."

This praise was particularly satisfying to Yelu Yan, who smiled and asked, "How about compared to Yuchi Hong?"

It was then Li Xianyun understood why he took part in the race; it was because of the comment she made.

She had casually complimented Yuchi Hong earlier, not expecting to overturn someone’s jar of vinegar.

Li Xianyun picked up the teacup, pretending to drink, her mouth curving into a very happy smile.

Yelu Yan persisted, "Let’s hear it."

Putting down the teacup, Li Xianyun locked eyes with him, her gaze filled with mirth, "My lord is wise and valiant; General Yuchi cannot be mentioned in the same breath as you."

Yelu Yan was satisfied with her answer, taking the teacup in front of Li Xianyun and starting to drink.

Li Xianyun’s face turned red, and she muttered softly, "That’s my cup."

"Oops, wrong one." Yelu Yan said, taking another sip of tea.

Li Xianyun observed the shameless man next to her; he was clearly doing it on purpose.

The crowd was astonished by Yelu Yan’s bold antics, they had never seen Yelu Yan smile before.

He was usually aloof, keeping people at a great distance.

Yet now, he was like a different person, pouring tea for Li Xianyun, leaning in to chat and jest, appearing quite affectionate.

On the other hand, Li Xianyun seemed too calm and composed, distant yet within reach, making people wonder if Yelu Yan was the one making all the effort.

After the horse racing came the archery; mindful of previous experiences, Li Xianyun no longer openly showed admiration for any of the men to avoid stirring up jealousy.

Thanks to Li Xianyun’s thorough preparations earlier, everyone smoothly watched the plays and acrobatics, and then cheerfully proceeded to Haoyang Palace to attend the palace banquet.

They all lavished praise on the ice porridge, pastries, and preserved fruit.

Zhuo Ma and Youlan briefly explained the origins of the ice porridge, pastries, and preserved fruits.

This piece of information would quickly reach their masters’ ears.

Throughout, Li Xianyun was vigilant for any sign of the assassin, but nothing unusual occurred until the banquet concluded.

The individuals from the Music Bureau were clearly spies planted amongst them; they hadn’t made their move during the performance or acrobatics. What else could they be waiting for?

Yelu Yan, seeing Li Xianyun looking around, gently placed his rough hand on her slender, attractive back and softly said, "Stop looking, they don’t plan to make a move in Haoyang Palace."

Li Xianyun turned to look at him, feeling as though her every move was under his surveillance.

Such a man provided a strong sense of security, but he also wasn’t someone to offend—becoming his enemy would be truly terrifying.

He appeared like a lurking beast that allowed no escape for his prey.

Under the table, Yelu Yan took Li Xianyun’s hand, gently pinching and kneading it, "With your husband here, just enjoy yourself. You needn’t worry about anything else, understood?"

"Understood."

After dinner, everyone moved to the edge of Qingyan Pool, where many guards were on duty.

Flower lanterns and Kongming Lanterns were laid out on wide tables.

People were free to choose, whether to release flower lanterns, Kongming Lanterns, or both.

Soon, several flower lanterns fell into the water, drifting lightly with the breeze and the ripples, leaving beautiful reflections and sparkling ripples on the surface of the water.

The flickering lights in the water added a touch of serenity and dreaminess to the quiet night.

The evening breeze was gentle, and the fragrance of flowers intoxicating.

Yelu Yan turned to Li Xianyun and asked with a smile, "Which would you like to release first?"

"A Kongming Lantern."

"Alright."

The two approached the table and unfolded the paper of the Kongming Lantern.

Li Xianyun drew a cute little cat on it.

Yelu Yan’s jaw tensed; this was evidently the small white cat that Li Xianyun was so fond of.

Seeing Yelu Yan staring blankly at the "little cat," Li Xianyun handed him the brush, "Husband, why don’t you write something on the Kongming Lantern as well?"

Yelu Yan took the brush, delicately dipped it in fragrant ink, and was about to write when he looked towards Li Xianyun.

"What’s wrong?" Li Xianyun didn’t understand.

"Xuanxuan loves this excitement. I wonder where she has gone off to," he said.

Li Xianyun turned her head to look for Yelu Xuan.

Yelu Yan quickly wrote several bold characters on the paper, vigorous and restrained.

Li Xianyun finally spotted Yelu Xuan in the crowd, grinning from ear to ear with Yelu Yu and Yuchi Qian by his side, the three of them fiddling with a flower lantern.

Turning her head back, Li Xianyun saw that Yelu Yan had finished writing and was holding the paper toward himself, keeping it from view.

"Husband, what did you write?"

"Nothing much," Yelu Yan said with a light laugh.

Li Xianyun reached out to snatch it, "What exactly did you write?"

Dodging her, Yelu Yan laughingly said, "In front of so many onlookers, has Xianxian truly forgotten to mind the situation?"

Li Xianyun huffed lightly and gave up the effort.

Yelu Yan lit the wax-soaked cloth at the bottom of the Kongming Lantern, waiting for it to fill up with hot air.

After a while, when the time was right, they let go and watched the Kongming Lantern rise slowly into the sky.

Li Xianyun moved next to Yelu Yan and looked up at the ascending Kongming Lantern, where two lines of Khitan script caught her eye:

May I win this one heart and never part till for our gray hairs depart.