"Chen Xuannan! What exactly did you feed my horse? Why has it suddenly stopped running?"
Li Yang, Prince Jing'an's heir, angrily berated Chen Xuannan, who stood beside him looking like a groom.
Egged on by the flattery of those around him, Li Yang had taken a sudden fancy to riding a few laps.
He had been racing against other members of the imperial family.
Of course, no one dared ride ahead of him. This was his home, after all, and his father held a lofty position within the imperial family.
After playing for a while, Li Yang grew a little tired and dismounted to rest.
During that time, Chen Xuannan fed the horse something. When Li Yang had rested enough and mounted again, the horse refused to move no matter what he did, so he directed his anger at Chen Xuannan.
Many of those present were Li Yang's companions-or rather, his lackeys. Seeing the heir berate Chen Xuannan, they began finding fault with him too.
Some already had grudges against Chen Xuannan, and their words were even uglier.
"Hmph, I knew you weren't that kindhearted. You must have done it deliberately to spoil His Highness's fun!" a burly young man sneered, his eyes brimming with hostility toward Chen Xuannan.
"Exactly! A mere groom, and you dare play tricks in front of us? Come outside if you have the guts. Let me teach you a lesson and vent His Highness's anger!" another young man chimed in. His pointed mouth and monkeylike cheeks were full of mockery.
Just then, a clear call to halt a horse broke through the surrounding clamor.
A woman in sumptuous clothing rode a tall, imposing horse slowly into the riding grounds.
She was Chen Xuannan's wife, Commandery Princess Li Ling.
She was also Li Yang's younger sister.