Chapter 22

"Don't you like that one?" She asked soothingly. Her voice was overly sweet. The sound of her coaxing voice made Prince Yi Feng fill with resentment. A woman's ability to persuade was terrific. "Come here, Uncle, and we can look at this horse, then you can see if it's yours or not."

"Uncle? I'm only twenty-three!" He howled.

"Look here, Uncle, you can't be my Gege. I don't even know you. So, give me your name instead, then I won't offend you."

He nodded his head in approval and patted his chest, "I'm Chang Ying."

She nodded her head, as well. "Very good name Chang Ying," she was in her bartering mode. Though she never had a lot of dealings with the people in the town, she did go there on occasion to trade furs and meat to get books and various things. "I am Lia Jiao. Now we are acquainted, and we can make a trade."

"A trade? For this horse?"

She nodded her head very seriously.

"Well, I'm very fond of this horse," he said with a quirked brow.

"Mmm, it seems that you have a big heart for this horse. I understand I understand." She spent a moment as if contemplating something, "I too have a big heart for this horse, I feel like he and I are old friends. You must love him very much and want him to be happy, right?"

Chang Ying nodded his head, suddenly feeling very emotional and fond of this horse. He patted its head with his clumsy hand. The horse didn't like it very much and bristled, making Chang Ying lose his balance and nearly fall. Liang Lai Jiao steadied the horse soothing it with gentle touches. It brought its narrow muzzle towards her head. If everyone here didn't know, they would think that she and this horse really were old friends.

"Since you want him to be happy, and I want him to be happy. Why don't we let him choose, and whoever he chooses can keep him, and whoever he doesn't choose will pick one of those horses. Those horses are excellent and worth a lot more money than this horse," she said, trying to persuade him.

Although she was still using that sweet voice from before, Prince Yi Feng didn't feel like she was trying to use her womanly whiles anymore. She seemed more like a shop keeper trying to appease her customer. It was a little disgraceful, but at least she wasn't trying to hook him with her claws.

Chang Ying turned his bloodshot eyes towards the war horses. He was very drunk, but he wasn't a fool. He couldn't figure out why she wanted this horse. He knew there was nothing special about it. He shook his head and looked down at her. "Alright then," he said after a moment.

Chang Ying jumped down from the horse, his figure staggering a few times to keep his balance when he landed. He walked towards the warhorses and looked them over. One of them was a dark brown with thick shoulders and a large frame. He patted it on the rear and nodded his head. "You can have that one girl. I'm a good guy, you like it, it likes you. I just need a horse to ride. We don't have to compete." He gave Lia Jiao a broad grin, and she returned it with gratitude.

Prince Yi Feng stepped forward then, "Who said that you can give away one of these horses?" He asked firmly. He watched the whole scene and only now stepped forward.

Chang Ying glanced at him and saw that he was very overbearing and aggressive. He glanced back at Liang Lia Jiao and felt his heart soften. He was just a poor farmer; the crops hadn't been good this year. A swarm of locust had wiped out half of the good harvest. He was left with the low-grade malting barley. Even though it was good to sell or make alcohol with, it wasn't suitable for eating. Because there wasn't enough income coming in, his family was left in dire straights. After taxation, they were left with almost nothing. His father was old and crippled, his mother was the daughter of a farmer who was in as bad a situation as they were. With little options left, he chose to join the army. At least then, he would get an annual salary. The initial pay for conscripting wasn't much, but it would take care of the necessities of his family until he got more wages.

Currently, he was on his way to join his new troop. He wasn't well versed in the art of war and didn't have a lot of ability when it came to fighting, but he was strong-willed, and he would make things work. He felt like this girl was similar. She had a strong, fighting spirit. He respected that kind of mentality.

Liang Lei Jiao stared at Prince Yi Feng. 'Jerk. Couldn't step forward when I first started talking to him?' she fumed in her thoughts.

Prince Yi Feng raised his brow as if daring her to retort. She didn't dare only looked longingly at the horse in front of her.

Chang Ying sighed internally. His mom had always told him his heart was too soft. He stepped forward towards Liang Lia Jiao and petted the horse. His eyes were clear, slowly sobering after all the heavy thinking. "You just keep him. I'll figure things out for myself later."

Liang Lia Jiao stared at him with wide eyes. She was internally thrilled, but she was also not willing to take advantage of his kindness. She sadly shook her head "I don't have any money right now. I wouldn't dare take this horse from you."

Chang Ying respected her more for denying his offer, but he really did want her to take it. She had a kind of delicate naivety about her that caused him to want to pamper her a bit. "You take him," he said again. "He's not suitable for where I'm going. I'll have to sell him off anyways. Might as well let him go to a home that will treat him better then I did." He patted the horse's rump and smiled at Liang Lia Jiao assuringly.

She still hesitated. She knew she really shouldn't except the horse now. "Where are you going that he can't follow?"

Chang Ying sighed, "Today, I leave the life of a commoner and join the ranks of the army."

Prince Yi Feng looked him over. He was a broad-shouldered man with sharp facial features, stubble growing on his chin. Eventually, he would fall under his command. It wasn't likely that his conscription was for the Left. They recruited mainly from the inner cities. This man was obviously from the country.

"Take the horse," he said to Chang Ying, pointing to the one he had acknowledged earlier. He turned his cold eyes towards Lia Jiao, "If this horse isn't suitable later on, you can run like you did today everywhere we go."

Liang Lia Jiao felt a quick moment of panic, before turning back to Xianger, she'd already named him. She was sure of her choice. She nodded her head in approval and bowed to him in thanks, then turned to Chang Ying and bowed to him as well. Chang Ying chuckled at her, he was happy that she was happy.

Liang Lia Jiao took Xianger to the stable in the back, and Chang Ying took his new horse away. There was no denying that he was the winner in this trade. He even felt more powerful, just sitting on it.

In the stable, Lia Jiao petted Xianger and made sure he had food and water. Prince Yi Feng's horse recognized her and walked towards her wanting to nuzzle her. Xianger seemed to be jealous and moved closer to her blocking the rival horse from coming to close. Lia Jiao smiled warmly and spent a little more time doting on him before heading into the inn. She was exhausted and needed to sleep.

Inside the inn, Prince Yi Feng and the guards were sitting at a table full of food dishes. She walked over and plopped down at the table and set her arms on it before resting her head on them. Prince Yi Feng glanced at her then splashed some water on her. She looked up at him, shocked. He pointed towards the food. "Eat," he ordered.

'Dirty scumbag. If you want me to eat, just say it.' She gave him a polite smile despite the rude thoughts i and helped herself to some dishes. When they finished eating, she was led to a room, and without another thought, in her head, she fell on the bed and slept.