Chapter 29: with translation of chapter title

The Green Team members also gathered around, retorting sarcastically: "His riding skills are poor—what's that got to do with us! Getting injured in a polo match is normal; why? You want to frame us!"

All the participants were vigorous youths, and the atmosphere instantly grew tense.

The referee came down from the high platform, rushed onto the field, checked the injured person's condition—it wasn't serious, but continuing to ride and compete was impossible.

As the Green Team said, such collisions are most common in fierce matches, making it hard to catch concrete evidence to judge whether it was intentional.

He raised his hand and announced loudly: "Someone! Take him off for treatment! The Red Team is missing a player—should we continue?"

Lu Qingjia furrowed his brows; both sides were evenly matched, and if they continued with one player missing, his chances of winning were virtually nil.

Zhou Jing'an watched his embarrassed expression, his smugness undisguised: "Lu Er, just admit defeat—you could never win; Chase Wind is destined to be mine. Whatever this young master wants, he's never failed to get."

Lu Qingjia stared at him, his eyes nearly blazing with fire.

The referee glanced at the two: "Have you young masters decided? Continue, or shall we judge the winner based on the current score?"

Lu Qingjia looked at the scoreboard; the Red Team trailed by one point, and if they gave up now, Chase Wind would go to Zhou Jing'an.

He gritted his teeth, looked at his teammates, and several friends, outraged by their comrade's injury, shouted in unison: "Lu Er! You call the shots! If you want to fight, we'll keep fighting!"

He had to give it his all! To just admit defeat would make him die of frustration; he'd fight with everything he had, even if it ended in a draw!

"Continue! What does missing one player matter? They might not win even with one missing!"

Zhou Jing'an snorted: "Delusions of grandeur!"

The referee returned to the high platform and loudly announced the match would continue; at this point the incense had only one-third left, soon to burn out.

Inside the embroidered canopy, Tuan Tuan clenched the date pit she had just finished eating and hadn't yet thrown away, her little face flushed red: "You big bad guy! You big bad guy!"

Xiao Ningxun gently shook her head; today's match, Lu Er obviously couldn't win.

Even the usually carefree Bai Jianxing stopped his idle chatter, eyes fixed tightly on the field, fists clenched.

Missing a player, the Red Team was forced by the Green Team into pure defense, unable to attack; the Green Team had absolute dominance, and a few youths chatted and laughed, deliberately slowing their attack to stall time.

They now led by one point; as long as they left the Red Team unable to retaliate and held that advantage to the end, victory was certain.

Zhou Jing'an looked even more smug; seeing a gap in the Red Team's defense, he laughed loudly, squeezed his horse's belly, spurred the horse into a gallop, aiming to seize another point on the momentum and seal the win.

He lowered his body, eyes locked on the rolling polo ball ahead, calculating the optimal moment to swing.

Just as he charged to the field's edge, about to turn and accelerate—

"Lu Er said to make you fall and eat dirt! Eat a mouthful of mud!" Tuan Tuan hurled the date pit from her hand hard toward the outside of the canopy.

Xiao Ningxun's heart jolted; following the arc the date pit traced as it was thrown, she saw—sure enough—a flash of light, and the pit vanished.

At the same moment, Zhou Jing'an's horse seemed to step on something slick, lurching forward smoothly and instantly losing balance!

Xiao Ningxun immediately turned to look at Bai Jianxing; she saw him staring intently at the field, unaware of her sister's earlier move, and her heart eased a little.

Hee-hee-hee—!

Zhou Jing'an's mount let out a terrified whinny, its body pitching forward and collapsing.

The smile on his face froze instantly; he didn't even have time to cry out before being flung outward by immense inertia.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, this precious darling of the Jinghai Hou mansion, who had just been invincible as the Green Team captain, flailed his arms and legs in the air, flying a short distance, then—

With a "Bang!" he hit the ground hard, sprawling flat in the dirt.

His splendid riding attire was covered in dust; the white jade Hair Crown on his head flew off, his hair hanging down, disheveled across his face.

That face, forever wearing an air of haughtiness, lifted up, smeared with dirt, hands propping on the ground, spitting out grass scraps and black mud with a repeated "Pah! Pah! Pah!"

The entire polo field fell into an eerie silence.

After a moment, "Pfft..."—someone couldn't hold back and let out a soft laugh.

That laugh seemed to ignite a fuse; the whole arena erupted in clamor—laughter, mockery, and gasps of surprise surging like a tide.

The ladies in the embroidered canopy laughed so hard they had to cover their mouths with their folding fans.

"Oh dear! Lord Zhou, what... what grand gesture is this?"

"This really is... stirring up trouble out of nowhere! Hahaha!"

The Red Team members first stared, then burst into hearty laughter, Lu Qingjia's laugh the loudest; the frustration of Chase Wind and his comrades being schemed against finally dissipated.

Zhou Jing'an spat out the mud in his mouth, shame and indignation nearly overwhelming him.

Raised since childhood under everyone's adoration, he had never endured such extraordinary humiliation!

"Young master! Are you alright?" the attendants rushed over, wanting to help him up.

"Get lost!" Zhou Jing'an violently shook off the attendant's hand, nearly crawling up using hands and feet, the immense shame engulfing him; he never wanted to stay another moment here.

The attendants dared not touch him nor leave, following closely behind; "Get out!" he roared again, limping away without looking back, fleeing the field.

The Green Team members stared at each other, dumbfounded; the match wasn't over, yet their captain had left?

Lu Qingjia shouted: "Keep going, brothers!"

The Green Team's formation collapsed, unable to hold; the Red Team launched a full counterattack, quickly scoring two points, the gong sounded, the match ended, and the Red Team won by a one-point margin, turning defeat into victory.

Bai Jianxing had already excitedly charged out of the embroidered canopy, shouting as he ran toward Lu Qingjia: "Lu Er! Great job, Lu Er!"

Tuan Tuan jumped up, wrapped her arms around Third Brother's neck: "We won! We won! Third Brother! Lu Er won! Chase Wind won! Polo is so much fun!"

Xiao Ningxun, holding her sister who kept squirming upward in her arms, also laughed: "Yeah! Lu Er won! Chase Wind won't be taken away; Tuan Tuan is the best!"

Tuan Tuan proudly shook her little head: "That big bad guy is just too nasty!"

After the match, Bai Jianxing suggested the Red Team go to a tavern to drink and celebrate; Xiao Ningxun, citing her sister's youth, took Tuan Tuan and took her leave.

Tuan Tuan reluctantly rubbed Chase Wind's big ears: "I'll come find you to play again someday!"

The brother and sister returned to the Prince's Mansion.

Just as they stepped down from the carriage at the gate, they saw someone standing outside waiting.

Xiao Er, who had escorted them back, narrowed his eyes: "Isn't this... the man who had a secret rendezvous with the concubine in Xuanqiong Temple!"