Zhao Ming pursed her lips as she controlled the urge to cry. She doesn't want to come out as the scaredy Empress that's why she was trying hard to control her expressions. She held onto the rope as her body moved up and down. She was now sitting on the horse, even though Ji Cheng was sitting behind her and was leading the horse, she was still fearful.

  A while ago, she was afraid to ride on the horse and was staring at the horse warily. But because of his constant nagging, she gave up and he helped her to climb up the horse. She almost fell down the horse as soon as she sat on it and it moved. Her hands were trembling as she gripped on the rope tightly.

  Her body shivered when Ji Cheng kicked the horse lightly to start it. Her heart was beating fast as if it would come out of her body.

  Ji Cheng who was sitting behind her, noticed her stiff position and leaned closer to her, his hands were holding onto the rope and she was caged between his arms.

  He brushed his lips against her nape and said, " Still nervous, Hmm? How come my Empress became so cowardly?" He chuckled seeing her tightly holding onto his hands which were holding the rope.

  He could feel that her body had gone cold. Even after his teasing, she didn't move nor she reacted in any way. She closed her eyes and was just waiting for this scary ride to end. The horse was just walking, leaving alone running. The horse was his own horse which was known for his fast speed but he knew she would be more scared if he tried to increase the speed.

  The distance which could be covered in 5 minutes with the horse took 20 minutes.

  Upon reaching their destination, Ji Cheng got off the horse, and helped her to get down as well. As soon as she climbed down, she felt her legs wobbling as she sat on the ground. Her body never felt this weak before.

  She panted and took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. She was holding her breath all this while and didn't even dared to take heavy breaths.

  "-_-"

  Ji Cheng was shocked seeing her reaction. Isn't it a bit extreme? As much he knows, she knows horse riding very well and seeing her reaction, he was perplexed. She was saying that it was happening since she woke up from the coma and it might be it's side effect.

  But is this normal?

  He frowned and wondered why she became so strange and different than her past self. She can't do horse riding nor her training. She has lost her interest in cooking and passion towards medicine as well. How can she change so much?

  Zhao Ming was oblivious of his suspicious thoughts and was patting her chest with her fist to calm down. After calming down, she looked at the surroundings and noticed that this was the lakeside area behind the palace where he had brought her before for breakfast. This place used to be his secret hideout which he showed to her.

  She was surprised and looked at him in confusion, " We are going to train here?" The scenery was beautiful and the lake water was as clean as the sky. This place has some of the best landscapes. She was perplexed why he brought her to train her body here out of all the places?

  He nodded." This place is best for your training. Here no one will come since no one knows about this place. Also, you can enjoy the scenery while doing your exercises. Now since you have calmed down, let's start. Get up and run 10 laps around this area." He said while pointing towards the area near the lake.

  Her jaw almost dropped when she heard his words. What? 10 laps? The area was a little muddy, just like the beach areas and he was telling her to do 10 laps??How can she cover this long distance?

  " Ji Cheng……you……you want me to run 10 laps? Are you out of your mind?" She raised her voice as she said in frustration.

  However, he didn't say anything and just pointed towards the area as if asking her to shut up and get on work

  ….

  Zhao Ming was panting and sweating heavily. Her body was moving but she looked like she was about to die. Her face had turned pale as sweat was rolling down from her forehead.

  She stopped in front of Ji Cheng who was standing near the lake and was observing her carefully. With no intention to move even an inch.

  She panted and asked, " How……how.much did I do?" she asked while panting.

  He frowned and said, " You did only 2 laps yet Zhao Ming."

  "-_-"

  " Fu&k" she cursed under her breath and started running again, back and forth. After 20 minutes, she finally finished her laps.

  As soon as she reached near Ji Cheng, she slumped on the ground and lay on the ground lifelessly. She didn't care about her Empress image and her main priority was just catching her losing breath.

  Ji Cheng walked to her and saw her lying on the ground lifelessly. He sighed and let her rest for some time. She looked exhausted from 10 laps only. They haven't even started yet.

  He patted her raised legs and said, " Tsk, Tsk. Aunt Shen Jia is right. You really need to work on your body. You are huffing like this only after 10 laps? No doubt you lose energy after one round only."

  She frowned hearing his sarcastic comment. She chuckled and said, " It's because I haven't trained in years now. After I came to the palace, I haven't trained even for a day. Isn't your mother, who never liked me doing the stuff which is not feminine and not meant for women?"

  "-_-"

  He shut his mouth hearing her comment. What can he say after this?

  …


  Zhao Ming was lying on the bed lifelessly as she stared at the ceiling. Her whole body was aching like that a truck had walked over her. Her legs were still shivering and she didn't even have the energy to get up and take a bath.

  ' What kind of crappy task is this?'

  ' I shouldn't have asked Ji Cheng for help.' she pursed her lips and regretted the moment she asked him for help.

  She had thought that he would help her and would go easy on her if it becomes too hard for her. However, she never thought that he would be so inflexible while training her.

  He made her do exercise for the whole two hours and it was enough to suck all of her energy from her body. Her cutesy acts and seductive touches didn't work as he made her exercise like a maniac.

  Ji Cheng who just entered the chamber saw her lying on the bed, she hasn't even changed her clothes yet.

  He sighed and went to prepare for her bath. After he emerged from the bathroom, he looked at her and said, " I have prepared your hot water. Now go and take a bath. This will make you feel relaxed and you will feel less sore tomorrow."

  She knitted her brows and glared at him accusingly. He pursed his lips and avoided her gaze. Seeing her worn out condition, he now realized that he was a little extra with her training.

  However, he didn't say anything and left the chamber, leaving her to take a bath and relax.

  [ Read this novel on W e b n o v e l . c o m ( remove spaces). If you are reading this elsewhere, then this novel is pirated. Support the original author, not the thieves, and get the latest updates. Follow the author on Instagram: kamlyn_love. Regards Kamlyn]