Chapter 165 - 166: Paper Tiger
No matter how the guards threatened or cajoled, Bian Ziming refused to stand aside.
The soldiers of the Tiger Roar Camp outnumbered the Crown Prince’s guards dozens of times over. The disparity in their strength was immense.
The guards didn’t dare to force their way through and ultimately had to return empty-handed.
Li Cheng’s failure to tear Hua Manman to shreds as he had wished only fueled his resentment, and he grew even more paranoid.
Under Prince Zhao’s protection, Hua Manman could survive for a while longer.
But a worry was nagging at her heart.
She remembered that in *Palace Intrigue*, the Crown Prince died by hanging himself in utter despair after a failed rebellion.
That rebellion not only led to the entire Crown Prince Mansion being wiped out, but even the Empress’s clan was implicated. The casualties were innumerable, a true river of blood.
But the plot hadn’t progressed to the rebellion stage yet.
At this point, the Crown Prince still held a very important place in the Emperor’s heart.
If the Crown Prince were to die, the Emperor would surely launch a full-scale investigation.
And the Empress’s clan wouldn’t let the matter rest.
Whether Prince Zhao could escape unscathed in the end was still uncertain.
Once the disaster relief efforts were concluded, the weather finally cleared, bringing a rare stretch of sunny days.
Prince Zhao gave the order to break camp and return to the capital.
As Hua Manman walked out of her tent, she happened to run into the Crown Prince and his entourage, who were also just leaving their tent.
Li Cheng stopped in his tracks, his eyes locking onto her with a venomous glare.
Hua Manman pretended that everything was normal. She gave him a small curtsy, then hurried to follow Prince Zhao.
Only once she was sitting in the carriage did Hua Manman finally breathe a sigh of relief.
She patted her chest and exclaimed in a low voice.
"The look in the Crown Prince’s eyes was terrifying."
It felt as if he was about to pounce and bite her at any moment.
Li Ji reached out and pushed open the window, letting the warm sunlight stream in.
He saw the Crown Prince being helped into the carriage ahead by his attendants and remarked casually.
"He’s just a paper tiger. Nothing to be afraid of."
The group officially embarked on the journey back to the capital.
Compared to the hurried rush of their arrival, the return journey was much more leisurely.
Li Ji even took the opportunity to teach Hua Manman how to ride a horse.
At first, he rode with Hua Manman on the same horse, guiding her hands and teaching her the basics.
In a carriage not far away, Li Cheng watched the scene through the window, his eyes filled with seething hatred.
He asked a confidant following beside the carriage.
"Is everything taken care of?"
The confidant nodded. "As you instructed, Your Highness, everything has been arranged."
Li Cheng looked toward Prince Zhao and Lady Hua in the distance and gave a cold, sinister smile.
’This time, that damned pair will die!’
Once Hua Manman had grasped the basics of riding, he dismounted and let her ride on her own.
Hua Manman had never ridden a horse before and was very nervous at this moment.
She gripped the reins tightly, her body tensed up, not daring to move an inch.
Seeing her state, Li Ji walked up and took the horse by the reins.
With him leading the horse, Hua Manman immediately felt much more relaxed.
Her mind began to work again, and she started applying the tips Prince Zhao had taught her to urge the horse forward.
They walked very slowly.
A gentle breeze blew past, and the sun shone down on them, warm and very comfortable.
As Hua Manman gradually got used to riding alone, Li Ji quietly let go of the reins.
He stopped, standing where he was, watching her with a smile.
Hua Manman quickly turned to look back at him. "Prince!"
Li Ji reassured her.
"Don’t be afraid. I’m watching you. I won’t let you get hurt."
Whether it was his words that did the trick or not, Hua Manman felt a surge of confidence.
Under Li Ji’s watchful gaze, Hua Manman rode further and further away.
Her slender figure shrank to a small dot in the sunlight, about to disappear from sight.
For some reason, the smile on Li Ji’s face gradually faded.
’I taught her to read, taught her swordsmanship, taught her to ride...’
’I taught her everything I know, hoping that one day, if I’m no longer here, she can still protect herself.’
’I may seem flamboyant and unrestrained now, with the Emperor always having my back, but I know better than anyone that the more he favors me, the more people want me dead.’
’I’m like a man walking on a cliff’s edge; one wrong step and I’ll plummet to my death.’
’I never used to care about any of this. I was already prepared for the worst. It didn’t matter if I died; there was no one in this world who truly cared whether I lived or died anyway.’
’But it’s different now.’
’I have a reason to care now—Hua Manman.’
’I worry about what will happen if I die someday. Without my protection, how will this woman survive?’
’I have to teach her more skills to fend for herself while I’m still alive.’
That was Li Ji’s plan, but now, actually watching her ride away from him, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of loneliness.
He gave a self-deprecating laugh.
’Even though I’ve accepted my fate, I’m still not resigned to it.’
Just then, he heard the sound of approaching hoofbeats.
He looked up and immediately saw Hua Manman riding back toward him.
She had clearly gotten the hang of riding. Her lovely face was flushed with a healthy glow, and her eyes crinkled with a smile that showed how happy she was.
She trotted her horse right up to Prince Zhao and said excitedly.
"I learned how to ride!"
Li Ji smiled. "Mm, I saw."
Hua Manman was still giddy with the excitement of having just learned to ride, so she refused to sit in the carriage and insisted on horseback for the rest of the journey.
Li Ji didn’t stop her, letting her have her way.
But in less than half a day, she gave up on the idea of riding all the way back to the capital and scrambled back into the carriage.
Li Ji watched her with a teasing smile.
"Weren’t you just clamoring this morning to ride all the way back? Giving up so soon?"
Hua Manman sullenly rubbed her aching behind.
She had only ridden for half a day, but her rear was already aching from the saddle, and her inner thighs were chafed raw.
’If I really ride all the way back, my legs will be ruined.’
’I don’t want to end up paralyzed at such a young age.’
Her behind was so sore that she didn’t dare sit down. She could only lie on her side, her lips in a deep pout, looking quite pitiful.
Li Ji took a medicinal ointment from a hidden compartment in the carriage and said to her.
"Come here, I’ll put some ointment on for you."
’My injuries are on my butt and inner thighs! Those are very private places. How can I let Prince Zhao help me apply ointment?!’
She hurriedly refused.
"There’s no need to trouble you, Your Highness. I can apply it myself."
Li Ji placed the ointment on the small table and asked with unhurried amusement.
"Your injury is on your rear. You can’t even see it. How are you going to apply the ointment yourself?"
Hua Manman said, "I can have Jin Ling’er help me."
Li Ji raised an eyebrow, feigning displeasure. "You’d rather have an outsider help you than me? Do you resent my presence that much?"
Hua Manman’s face flushed red as she pleaded.
"How could I dare resent you? I’m just shy! The injury is in... such a place. How could I dare let you look? Please, just spare me this once."