Drunken Beauty

  Kunlun Garden is located at the intersection of Baoshan Mountain and Yige City, where it has been a place for the heavenly family and aristocratic children to hunt and play. The garden spans across Tiandu, Lianzhi, Lan'an, Hegu, and Huailu five borders, stretching over 400 miles, with six rivers flowing in and out, including Ba, Duan, Si, Yi, Gao, and Lang, gathering beautiful scenery like a painting. Eight great halls, seventeen palaces, twenty-four pavilions, and thirty-nine star-studded gardens are scattered throughout, majestic and magnificent, cleverly stealing the work of nature.

  The Tianchao Emperor Mu was infatuated with the Taoist arts, and during his reign, due to the excellent feng shui of Baoshan Mountain, he mobilized 100,000 laborers to move mountains and pile up earth to build the Xuan Sheng Palace, which took thirteen years to complete.

  The Xuanheng Palace is exquisitely constructed, with a magnificent and unparalleled beauty. In front of the palace, there is a high gate over 20 meters tall, with a golden phoenix spreading its wings to welcome the wind. The path leading to the Divine Brightness Platform is paved with jade. The Divine Brightness Platform rises from the ground, with a statue of an immortal holding a jade plate to receive the clouds and dew. The divine figure is ethereal and can be seen from afar, even from 100 miles away in Yicheng City. Inside the palace, there are many winding paths, flying corridors, and interconnected crystal platforms and jade pools, which seem like a celestial paradise. Although the current emperor is not interested in alchemy or seeking immortality, after ascending to the throne, he designated this place as the site for the imperial family's worship of heaven and major ceremonies. He gradually expanded the palace, spending some time here every year.

  Nanyuan Weichang, deep in the mountains, encircled and raised hundreds of beasts, forming a hunting ground that could hold thousands of horses and tens of thousands of carriages. You dusted off the same night, Tianhui galloped into the interior, and suddenly the scene opened up before his eyes. The weather changed from the previous day's sweltering heat, with occasional wisps of faint misty rain drifting by, gently brushing against the earth. The forests and mountains undulated and spread out, seemingly connecting with the distant sky as one line, vast and continuous.

  You shook the whip near and put it back in your hand. All the way, she was very depressed. Under the night sky, "pursuing the evening" with a precious horse that was exceptionally spirited, several times trying to surpass her, but seeing Night Sky laughing complacently, she said unwillingly: "If not for the good horse, how could you be so arrogant!"

  "Haha, don't forget that your horse riding skills were taught by me. Do you think you can win against me?"; Ye Tianying raised his hand and pointed to the vast horse ranch: "There are countless good horses here, go ahead and choose one, and we'll compete after you've made your selection."

  "You think you're better than me, don't you? You think you can surpass your master and show off my skills? Are you afraid I'll win against you, or are you secretly holding back?"

  Yitian burst out laughing and said: "First call me Master, then I'll teach you more about taming horses."

  "Hmph!" He gave him a displeased glance and turned to look for better horses. After searching around, he didn't see any that caught his eye. Ye Tianyi followed beside him, laughing as he said: "You're so picky, it's like you're choosing a husband! If you find one that's almost good enough, don't forget to ask about its family background."

  "You must have an affinity with the horse you choose, didn't you know that?"

  "I advise you to give up, my Pursuing Twilight is a top-notch steed, one in ten thousand. If you want to surpass it, it's impossible unless you're as fast as the wind and clouds."

  "Yunyi, isn't that the horse that was injured that day, the precious steed from the Eastern Turks' tribute?" Qincheng asked, turning her head.

  Ye Tian Liao said: "Not bad, that day I was in a hurry to return to the palace and didn't have time to investigate further. Later, I asked someone to ask about it in detail and found out that Yun Cong had a violent temper and was very particular about his master. That day, he also injured two horse trainers, which made them angry, and they actually used a hobble rope to try to tame him. Hmph! These bold slaves are lucky that only the skin was scratched, otherwise if they really hurt this precious horse, I'd like to see how they would explain themselves."

  "Qing Chen Dao: I think Yun Bing doesn't seem that ferocious, last time it was still me who applied medicine to it, and it didn't even resist, but instead ate things from my hand."

  Yitian smiled and said, "Any fine horse understands human nature, knowing you won't harm it, so it will naturally cooperate. But if you want to tame it, that's not so easy. I heard the medicine you gave has a great effect, Cloud Gallop's injury must have healed by now."

  I've studied quite a few prescriptions, originally prepared for emergency use, in case I got injured while riding horses.

  Qingchen smiled and said, looking around, only to see a group of horses galloping from afar. The first horse was as white as frost, with a flowing mane and tail, like the moon shining brightly in the daytime, its shadow flowing across the vast plain as it rushed towards them. As if it had run to its heart's content, the lead horse slowed down and stopped, its bright eyes gleaming with spirit, looking proudly in their direction.

  Your eyes lit up: "Quickly look, it's him, Yun Chen!"

  "Ah, just mentioning it!"; Ye Tianying raised her head in the direction she was pointing, and Qingchen had already walked towards Yun Yang.

  Yun Yi saw someone approaching, and with a disdainful glance, he turned around with long strides. The neighing sound scattered the horses in all directions. Qing Chen knew that if the horse didn't want to get close to you, chasing after it would be useless. He dismounted his horse and called out: "Yun Yi..."

  Yun Yi turned his head sideways, paused for a moment, probably recognizing the appearance of Qing Chen, remembering that he had seen her before, and lightly snorted.

  Qingchen tentatively stretched out her hand, and Yuncong seemed to not mind, slowly approaching her side, cautiously sniffing the palm of her hand, as if sensing her friendliness. Her pure and beautiful eyes revealed a hint of closeness. Qingchen quickly took out a pine nut candy, and Yuncong apparently liked it very much, his ears perked up slightly, starting to lick it from her palm slowly, occasionally lifting his hoof and whinnying softly, looking very comfortable. Qingchen then took the opportunity to stroke its neck, speaking softly: "Yuncong is so well-behaved, has your injury healed? I didn't see you when I came to Kunlun Garden last time, where did you run off to?"

  At night, she saw her talking to a horse with a serious face, and couldn't help but laugh. Rarely having a good temper today, she let go of the reins and let the horse graze freely, while she rested under a nearby tree. Before she knew it, she suddenly heard Yun Xiang's long neigh, and Qing Chen had already mounted the horse, with one person and one horse rushing forward like a flash of silver light.

  "Ah, dust!"; The night sky was shocked and drank loudly, he deeply knew that Yun's horse was extremely fierce, in these years, countless horse trainers had been killed or injured under its hooves, frightened out of a cold sweat, whistling to summon the pursuit of dusk, quickly mounting his horse to chase after.

  Yun Yi had already rushed out several feet, and although Zhao Ye's horse was spirited and galloping rapidly, Yun Yi was like a cloud soaring in the sky, far ahead of him, always maintaining a distance between them.

  At this time, the guards who were following from the side also rushed over to intercept from all sides. Suddenly, there was a loud noise of people and horses, which frightened the birds and beasts in the field to flee in all directions. The horses within a hundred paces around were all startled and ran wildly.

  You were startled by Yun's speed at first, but Yun's running was fast, but not chaotic. As long as you have a little horse riding skills and keep your balance, you will be unusually stable on the horseback. She found that Yun did not resist herself, and she was surprised and delighted, so she boldly shook the reins, not only did not restrain, but also indulged Yun to run freely.

  Yun Yi galloped forward, his horse's hooves pounding the ground, sometimes slowing down slightly, but Yun Yi remained carefree as ever, only occasionally trying to rein in his mount. As they ran, man and horse adapted to each other, covering dozens of miles, when Yun Yi suddenly slowed down, and Chui Xiao caught up, her horse's hooves flying like lightning. "Steady yourself!" she shouted at Yun Yi, reaching out to grab the reins, but just as she did, Yun Yi's horse suddenly stopped in its tracks, sending Chui Xiao's mount skidding several steps back. With a majestic swing of its tail, the horse turned around and shot forward once more.

  The dark sky was filled with swirling clouds as he turned his horse around, shook his wrist and swung the lasso towards Yun Yi.

  Yun Hui dodged nimbly to the side and suddenly charged out, causing the reins to fall empty. The guards who came forward one after another were all useless, and instead they were played around in circles.

  Following Qing Chen and Yun Yi turning several circles, Ye Tian suddenly felt something was off. Taking a closer look, he saw that Qing Chen's eyes were shining with mischief, her face full of sly smiles, without a hint of fear. Looking again at how she skillfully maneuvered her horse and dodged the guards, he pulled on the reins to stop his horse, feeling both amused and annoyed.

  She saw the expression on Ye Tianhui's face and knew she had been seen through, so she pulled her horse back and turned around to smile at him: "Dare you have another look? This time I won't lose to you." She was overjoyed as she stroked Yun Xiang, and Yun Xiang, like her, turned his head to give Ye Tianhui a provocative glance, and surprisingly, they breathed out in unison.

  Ye Tianli was shocked and speechless, but even more so, he couldn't help but cry and laugh at the same time: "Do you want to scare me to death? If you have a good or bad fate, Seventh Brother won't take my life for nothing!"

  You dusted off your mouth with a smile, and Ye Tian glared at her fiercely again, but she was looked back by her extremely innocent eyes. Yun Yang's beautiful eyes actually also had a cunning smile, really angry but didn't know how to vent.

  Yun Yi and Qing Chen were so compatible, not only did he treat her warmly last time, letting her apply medicine to his wounds, but now he was willing to let her tame him, without any resistance. Ye Tianyi's shock had just subsided, and she was extremely surprised in her heart, unable to help but walk forward to examine him, clicking her tongue in wonder.

  "What, are you afraid of losing to us?"

  Qingchen smiled as he looked at him, suddenly and unexpectedly raised his whip and lashed it at Zhuixiao's body. Zhuixiao was startled and angrily neighed, instantly dashing forward.

  "Start!"; Your gentle smile fell, and the cloud galloped like an arrow leaving a bowstring, shooting out, and in an instant, it rushed past the pursuers, taking the lead.

  "How dare you cheat!"; The night sky's sword-like eyebrows rose, and he immediately urged his horse to pursue relentlessly. The young man's heroic posture, the angry horse like a dragon, the two of them ran freely in the arena, exhilarating and refreshing. Yun Bing was indeed a rare fine steed in a hundred years, but Chui Xiao was still the best among horses, yet it still frequently fell behind him, finally allowing Qing Chen to turn the tide of defeat.

  Just as they were galloping along, a group of people came from afar, and it turned out that Ye Tianzhan had brought two teams of Imperial Guards. As soon as Ye Tianhui saw him, he said: "Not good, it's Seventh Brother, if he finds out you're riding Yunying, he'll definitely scold you."

  In front of them, on horseback, the tight-sleeved warrior's uniform set off Yè Tiān Jùn's slender figure, making him look extraordinary. His white robe fluttered in the wind as he rode his horse at high speed, arriving before them in an instant. Qīng Chén and Yè Tiān Huì dismounted their horses together. It was only then that she felt her legs were sore and tired, and she almost fell over after swaying unsteadily.

  Ye Tian's expression changed slightly as he turned over and landed beside her, reaching out to support her. "What's going on?" he asked.

  Yun Yi himself walked away with a swagger, Qing Chen furrowed his brow and moved his legs, feeling that this round of exertion was quite exhausting. "My bones are going to scatter." He muttered in a low voice, Ye Tian Lie said: "Who told you to provoke Yun Yi, if you didn't get smashed it's just good luck."

  You dust raised his eyes and said with a flying spirit: "Wouldn't it be better if Yun Chen listened to me?"

  Ye Tian swept a glance at the two of them, and Qing Chen was immediately intimidated into silence. Ye Tian hastily smiled and asked: "Isn't Seventh Brother supposed to be accompanying Shi Luo Khan? How did he end up in the Imperial Garden?"

  Yè Tiān Zhàn Dào: "If you hadn't come, I wouldn't have known that you two are so bold. Cloud Gallop killed a horse trainer last month, and you still dare to let her ride!"

  "Night Sky pointed at Qing Chen: "How can I control her? Just now, it was me who almost got tortured to death by her."

  Qingchen gazed quietly at Yunying's bitter face, couldn't help but smile, and immediately snapped her fingers. Yunying proudly let out a soft whinny before coming over to this side. Qingchen reached out to touch its mane, then pulled out a piece of pine nut candy, which Yunying unceremoniously licked away and swallowed, also using its nose to nuzzle her face. Qingchen exclaimed "Ah!" and burst out laughing, reaching out to smooth out its slightly disheveled mane, feeling extremely happy.

  Ye Tian Zhan looked at Yun Cheng's affectionate behavior towards Qing Chen with great astonishment, Qing Chen said: "Yun Cheng is very obedient and won't hurt me, anyway nothing happened, so don't be angry."

  Ye Tian's eyebrows slightly furrowed as he said: "The Emperor and Shi Luo Khan have arrived at the horse grounds, they are looking for Yun Jun."

  At night, Tianyan looked over there and saw the yellow flag of the Imperial Forest Army vaguely. He knew that the Heavenly Emperor had arrived, and coldly snorted: "Shiluo Khan came to find Yunyang as soon as he arrived, but did he also want to see the joke of my heavenly dynasty?"

  However, the Tujue tribe was based in the north of the desert, and dozens of years ago, due to a dispute over the throne, it split into two factions, one building its capital in Kedana, and the other establishing a country on the ancient Lü River. Although they had been fighting internally for a long time, they had also been constantly at odds with the Central Plains, sometimes fighting and sometimes making peace.

  In the 19th year of Shengwu, the Eastern Turks frequently sent troops to harass the borders, burning and killing. Under the wrath of the Heavenly Emperor, an army of 200,000 was dispatched northward, deeply penetrating the northern wilderness, directly breaking through to the city of Kedana. The Eastern Turks were unable to resist and surrendered, with Shi Luo Khan personally entering the heavenly capital to pay tribute, bringing with him two precious horses, Fengchi and Yuncheng, which he called a tribute, but in reality, the fierce desert horses were difficult to tame, and ordinary people could not even touch them. If no one in the heavenly court could tame Fengchi and Yuncheng, it would be a loss of face, even if they had won countless victories on the battlefield.

  But what Shi Luo Khan did not expect was that in the past two armies had fought, they almost every battle were defeated by Tian Di's fourth son Ye Tian Ling. This time, bringing Feng Chi and Yun Bing, Ye Tian Ling saw that several people were injured by the fierce horse, so he asked for orders from Tian Di. Although Shi Luo Khan hated Ye Tian Ling to death under the horse, he watched with his eyes open as two horses, the most violent of which was Feng Chi, surrendered to him after a few rounds.

  With an expression as cold as ice, the Ling King, like a god riding the wind, was a lone peak of frosty isolation. After leading his army of over 10,000 men to break through the city of Kedana and defeat the Eastern Turks once again, those piercing eyes, that gaze of disdain, were like a sharp long sword, deeply embedded in the hearts of the Turks. The Turkish army had been defeated time and again, and now they would lose their nerve at the sight of the Ling King's armor flag, change color at the mention of his name, regard him as a ghost or god, and take a detour to avoid him.

  But at the moment, Ling Wang is not in Tiandu. Feng Chui also followed him to the front line of the battlefield. Although Shi Luo Khan came to pay his respects specifically to show that he was not cooperating with the Western Turks, he always brought some ulterior motives.

  You've probably gathered from their conversation that the two of them are quite close, so he turned to Ye Tianzhan with a smile and said: "Thanks for taking care of me these days. Since Yun Zhang recognizes me, I'll help you take down Shi Luo Ke Han's arrogance today."

  The night sky was clear and calm, but his eyes were slightly dim: "Is this how you repay me?"

  You smiled brightly: "No, I think you look terrible when you're frowning!" After speaking, she flipped onto her horse and said, "Let's go!"

  Ye Tian Zhan was taken aback for a moment, Ye Tian Li leaned in close to Qing Chen and whispered: "Cough, this sounds like... Mei Ren Bo Qi Ge's smile."

  You raised an eyebrow and glared at him, almost wanting to lash out at that unscrupulous smile of his. He had already burst into laughter and spurred his horse to avoid you.

  Your eyes swept over the corner, and you saw Ye Tianyun leisurely riding a horse beside him, with a smile on his lips. When their eyes met, the gentleness in his eyes was like endless green grass and fine rain that instantly enveloped her, and the ripples of the lake gently covered the shore and seeped into her heart, spreading warmth. She hastily lowered her eyelids and urged Yun to run quickly for a few steps, but unintentionally smiled comfortably herself.

  In front of the yellow flag, the imperial carriage was approaching. The two rows of Imperial Guards stood solemnly in their armor, and the Emperor and a tall-nosed Turk were riding horses side by side. The Ninth Prince Ye Tianyun was also attending to the side, accompanied by a woman wearing a fiery red cavalry uniform, who was none other than Xieli Khan's beloved daughter, Princess Qixing.

  The Heavenly Emperor saw Yun Hui's humble and intimate attitude, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he didn't ask any questions. He turned his head to chat with Shi Luo Ke Khan: "I haven't been to the Imperial Garden for a long time either. How does Yun Hui compare to when he was in Tuyuhun?"

  Shi Luo Khan smiled and said: "Your spirit is even more radiant than before, the water and soil of Central Plains are indeed extraordinary, it's truly enviable." He spoke in perfect Mandarin Chinese.

  Princess Na Huixian's beautiful eyes sparkled, her proud and fiery personality evident. With a rare straightforwardness that few women from the Central Plains possessed, she looked up and down at him before asking loudly: "Is that a Cloud Steed you're riding?"

  "You lightly smiled and said: 'It's Yun Chen.'"

  Princess Huixing, having been tricked by Yunying in the Turkic region, raised her elegant eyebrows and pointed with her whip: "I don't believe you can tame Yunying. Do you dare to compete with me in horsemanship?"

  It's a matter of national importance, you don't want to take initiative on your own, look towards the Emperor and wait for his instructions.

  Shiluokhan said to Tian Emperor: "Your Majesty, it doesn't matter if the young people want to have fun on their own, we can just watch from the side and it will be lively."

  The Heavenly Emperor did not want to lose face in front of Xieli Khan, and also wanted to see how good you are at riding dust, so he nodded in agreement.

  Huo Huo Princess got the permission, rode her horse away from her father and said to Qing Chen: "I'll wait for you ahead." Qing Chen bowed to Tian Di and Shi Luo Khan, then called Yun Xiang to follow him and left.

  The night sky was dark and the stars were faintly visible, and she stood sideways to face the Emperor of Heaven: "Your Majesty, horse racing is dangerous after all. Don't get the princess hurt, why not let me accompany them together, it's also good to have someone to take care of them."

  "Alright, go."

  Ye Tianzhan and others rode their horses to the front, just in time to hear Princess Huoyue say to Qingchen: "Who can be faster than anyone else? What does it mean? Do you dare to compete with me in archery?"

  You dusted off the cloud and nodded: "I have no opinion, Princess decides what's good!"

  Ye Tian Zhan immediately swept a glance at Qing Chen, who smiled and led the horse forward. Suddenly, he met Ye Tian Hong's gaze from the side, his heart skipped a beat, feeling an inexplicable sense of eeriness.

  The guards set up ten horizontal bars, and the rules of the game were fixed: two people took the number of arrows in the quiver as the scoring standard, knocking down one bar and putting in one arrow, falling off the horse and putting in two arrows, with a quick drumbeat of 100 beats to count the time, and finally whoever had fewer arrows in their quiver was the winner.

  The Heavenly Emperor and Shi Luo Khan moved their thrones to one side to watch the battle, and also served as judges.

  Princess Huixi and Qingchen rode side by side in the front, Yunxiang lifted her hoof and whinnied softly, as if she was very excited. When the drum sounded, the two horses shot out like arrows.

  The sky had long since cleared of rain, a ray of sunlight broke through the clouds, on the grassland the sound of drums and gongs shook the heavens, flags were raised high, a group of guards cheered in unison to help them gain momentum.

  You were originally worried that your riding skills were not as good as Princess Huixian, but unexpectedly, Yunyi suddenly rushed to the front of Princess Huixian, and there was no need for the master to drive, riding the wind and clouds, like a flash of lightning, lightly flashing through the air, steadily landing, and rushing towards the second pole.

  You praised in the dark, and your confidence doubled instantly. Princess Huxin didn't fall behind either, she leaned forward to urge her horse on, chasing closely until they reached the finish line almost at the same time, with Red Clothes and Snow Shadow each taking the lead.

  Yun Xuan was as swift as lightning and as fast as a strong wind, opening up the speed, always one step ahead of his opponent. When he arrived at the seventh pole, Princess Huixian wanted to overtake Qincheng, so she shouted and whipped her horse, urging it to accelerate, but unfortunately, the speed was not enough, and the front hoof stepped on the pole.

  The horizontal bar suddenly broke in half, and a piece of wood flew towards the horse's head. The horse let out a loud whinny and immediately galloped to the side. Princess Huan was thrown off balance by the startled horse and cried out in surprise. At the same time, Yun Chen accelerated his horse to avoid obstacles, and its four hooves left the ground. As it was a new horse that he had just changed to and wasn't fully accustomed to yet, when it was startled, its body swayed to the side, and Yun Chen was about to fall off. He quickly pulled on the reins in his hand.

  Yun Tengyun descended like a cloud, landing steadily in front of him. He rushed out several steps and saw a dark figure flying towards Huanhuan Princess. Someone rode their horse to rescue her by the waist. At the same time, someone else arrived beside Qingchen, but it was two people who reached out to support her at the same time.

  You turned your head to see Ye Tianzhan and Ye Tianming riding together, and subconsciously pulled the reins to quietly retreat. The two people beside him exchanged a silent glance, one with a bright light flashing in his slender eyes, sharp enough to make people's hearts tremble; the other had a faint wind and cloud at the bottom of his eyes, with a clear light shining like the moon on the water.

  "You're welcome, Your Highnesses," Qīng Chén hastily said with a smile. Yè Tiān Zhàn didn't respond, his lips, which always seemed to hold a faint smile, were pursed in a cold and gentle manner, his expression was light and made people feel a chill in their hearts. After sizing her up and seeing that she was unharmed, he said in a soft voice, "Go take a look at the princess."

  Ye Tian's eyes stared at Qing Chen, the bright light in his eyes set off his absolutely beautiful face with a kind of almost eerie charm. Qing Chen's heart skipped a beat and he couldn't help but rein in his horse to yield, following behind to look at Princess Huo Xiao.

  Princess Huanhuan sat on the back of Zhuixiao, her face flushed, her silver teeth biting back a smile, as she gazed up at the night sky with an air of nonchalant amusement. She glanced down at the beauty's pouting expression, raised an eyebrow, and dismounted, offering his hand to assist her. Princess Huanhuan's eyes widened slightly, but she still handed him her hand and jumped off the horse. After dismounting, she saw that two arrows had already been inserted into her quiver, while Qingchen's was empty. She quietly returned to Situ Ke Khan's side.

  The outcome was already decided, but Tian Di just smiled and didn't mention it. Shi Luo Khan had been left speechless, and his heart ached for his beloved daughter; he also couldn't say anything to save face, so he forced a smile and glossed over the situation.

  But then a swift horse came galloping from afar, and as it approached, the rider leapt down and handed over an urgent express report to one of the imperial guards, who hastily stepped forward and presented it to the Emperor.

  The Heavenly Emperor took it over and saw that it was a military report from the front line. He handed it to Ye Tian Zhan: "Take a look at what it says."

  At night, Tian Zhan removed the wax from the letter and read it once. He replied: "Your Majesty, the Western Turks have agreed to withdraw their troops, acknowledge allegiance, and pay tribute. The great army of the Fourth Imperial Brother will set out on its journey back to the capital after a short rest, and will arrive at Tian Du in no time."

  The clouds are breaking, and the sun is gradually driving away the rain of the whole day. The golden light shines on the grassy plain, and the brilliant sky is outlined with a dazzling light that shocks people's hearts. The Emperor's gaze swept from the beginning to the end of the vast plain, and he smiled with satisfaction: "Very well, this time I will personally reward the three armies at the Shenwu Gate."

  Shi Luo Khan and Xi Tu Jue Shi Huo Khan had countless grudges over the struggle for the throne of the northern desert, at this time whether or not he sincerely surrendered to the heavenly dynasty, he was willing to see the defeat of the Western Turks, and laughed: "Congratulations to Your Majesty's great victory in returning to the court."

  Yè Tiān Zhàn said to the Heavenly Emperor, "Your Majesty, I suppose Khan and the princess must be tired too. Why not return to the palace to rest for a while? A banquet has also been set up in the Qingming Hall."

  The Heavenly Emperor nodded and said: "Let's go to the Qingming Hall." Before leaving, he glanced at Qingchen, who quietly lowered his eyes to see him off.