Chapter 616: Xu Fifth miscalculates, Gu Second is reckless [Thank you! Bow again!]

According to the calendar, it was already the beginning of summer at the end of last month, which was the end of the third month.

The weather was getting warmer and warmer, and the lawn on the polo field, because someone was specially watering and fertilizing it, grew very lushly, and it was very pleasing to the eye at a glance.

Although it was all green, when looking from the tent in front of the field, one could still vaguely see that the lawn near the goal was a bit sparse.

The reason was nothing more than the horseshoes being inlaid with horseshoes, and the goal was a place of fierce competition when playing polo. Under the trampling of the horses' hooves, the grass often "died."

The bamboo curtains and tent curtains hanging in front of the tents by the polo field had mostly been rolled up and put away at this time.

Sitting in the shade under the tent, it was very comfortable when the wind blew.

Because the Empress was currently scolding people in front of the big tent,

So in order to see the excitement more clearly, the official wives, noble ladies, and noble girls stood up one after another in front of the tents, leaning out to look at the front of the Empress's tent.

In the scene of fragrance and beauty in front of the tents by the field,

The official wives with titles mostly held round fans, and their shoulders and arms were also covered with brightly colored Xiapei.

The noble ladies and girls dressed differently,

Some noble ladies were dressed in valuable clothes with complicated embroidery, holding handkerchiefs made of extremely good materials,

Some were dressed simply, naturally, and freely, holding exquisite round fans.

What was surprising was that there were noble ladies who abandoned wide clothes and large sleeves, only wearing a tight outfit, with a forehead band tied on their foreheads, a jade belt tied around their waists with jade pendants, and their hair tied into a style similar to a man's bun, and they also held a folding fan in their hands.

This noble lady looked soft and beautiful at a glance, but had a heroic spirit, which was very eye-catching.

This noble lady must have known that Zhao Fang liked girls who could shoot arrows, and inferred that Zhao Fang would look at girls with heroic spirit more, so she dressed like this.

There were also noble ladies who didn't hold round fans or handkerchiefs, but only held books that were rolled up after being opened, thinking that they were reading just now.

Standing outside the tent,

The sunlight in the sky was a bit dazzling,

The noble ladies raised the round fans, folding fans, handkerchiefs, or books in their hands to their heads to block the sunlight.

Looking at the situation in front of the Empress's tent,

The noble ladies covered their mouths and noses with round fans and whispered to their companions.

Some felt that the situation of Xu Zaijing and the others was quite interesting, and covered their noses with handkerchiefs and smiled.

In front of the tent of the Xie Zijue Xie family,

Three ladies were standing there,

Two of whom had their hair on their foreheads and behind their necks tied up, which showed at a glance that they were married Madams.

Between the two Madams was the noble lady wearing a tight outfit and dressed as a man.

Leaning out to look at the excitement in front of the Empress's tent,

The girl held a folding fan and smiled: "Second Sister, is that the Fifth Young Master of the Xu family in your family? He doesn't look as calm and polite as you said? Even scaring a girl to tears."

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Xu family, Xie, said with a faint smile on her face: "Little Five has always been sensible! I have been married to the Xu family for so many years, and Little Five has rarely done bad things to scare other girls."

"I imagine it was the few young masters who were with Little Five, someone had a bad idea, and he was implicated."

The girl looked to the other side with a smile: "Third Sister, is what Second Sister said true? Is she partial to her own brother-in-law?"

Xie Rui shook her head with a smile: "Yun sister, Xu Wu Ge Xu is a good one. Before, when Bianjing had heavy snow for days, the snow was this thick, if it weren't for him coming to our house to send charcoal..."

Listening to Xie Rui's description, the girl nodded lightly: "Oh, so speaking of which, Fifth Young Master Xu is a very good one."

This girl was Xie Yun, the legitimate daughter of the main branch of the Xie family in the south of the Yangtze.

The Xie Zijue Xie family originated from the Xie family in the south of the Yangtze. Although they settled in Bianjing after being granted the title of Xie Zijue and opened a separate genealogy, they had not broken contact with the Xie family in the south of the Yangtze for so many years.

Not only that, the two branches also had many interests.

The Xie family in the south of the Yangtze could also be considered a family of officials for generations. When outstanding reading seeds came to the capital for the imperial examination, they would also live in the Xie Zijue Xie family.

This year, Prince Zhao Fang was choosing a consort, and the Xie family, as a family of officials and a large family in the south of the Yangtze, also had the qualifications for legitimate daughters to participate in the selection.

"Looking at them being able to be punished by the Empress herself, I imagine they must be from a prominent family and favored by the royal family," Xie Yun continued.

"Yun sister's words are not bad, Xu Wu Ge Xu is on the left of the Second Young Master Gu of the Marquis of Ningyuan, and on the left is..."

Listening to Xie Rui's introduction, Xie Yun nodded with a smile: "So they are all sons of public and marquis nobles, no wonder!"

"Third Sister, I know the names of Sixth Young Master Liang and Qiao Jiulang! When I first entered the capital, I saw their names on the wooden file of the 'Bianjing Polo Dragon and Tiger List' over there."

"But the names of Fifth Young Master Xu, Second Young Master Gu, and Young Master Qi, I have never seen them once! You say they are still studying, are they really that powerful at polo?" Xie Yun continued to ask.

Xie Rui smiled and said: "Of course, their ball skills are only stronger than what we said!"

"Stronger than the Han family, Lu family, and Ma family disciples who are at the top of the 'Polo Dragon and Tiger List' wooden file? I have also watched them play polo before, and their ball skills are not bad!" Xie Yun continued to ask.

Xie Rui smiled and said: "That's for sure, before, the envoys from Northern Liao and Jin Kingdom played ball in this field, those few..."

After Xie Rui finished speaking,

"Swish"

Xie Yun opened her folding fan with a snap, fanning herself, and said with full interest in her eyes: "Bianjing is indeed full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, full of outstanding people. I thought those families were the top, but I didn't expect there to be experts! I don't know if there is a chance to see it today."

Xie smiled and said: "Yun sister, don't worry, my Little Five will be on the field today."

Looking at Xie Yun's confused eyes, Xie continued: "Two days ago, Madam Wu went to our house and chatted a lot with my mother-in-law! Little Five came today to let the Madams who had just entered the capital pay attention, which is convenient for Madam Wu in the future..."

After listening to Xie, Xie Yun said in surprise: "There is actually this consideration?"

Xie nodded with a smile.

"Looking at it, things should be over," Xie Rui pointed to the direction of the Empress's big tent and said.

In front of the Empress's big tent,

Xu Zaijing and the others carefully tidied their clothes, then bowed and arched their hands to the noble ladies of the Gao and Cao families in a standard manner to apologize.

The Gao family girl, who was crying with red eyes, bowed to Xu Zaijing and the others in a standard manner, meaning she accepted the apologies of the few.

The Empress, seeing this scene, waved her hand and smiled: "Alright, let's all disperse."

Xu Zaijing and the others bowed again, as if they had been granted amnesty: "Thank you, Empress."

Watching the Empress's back as she turned and returned to the big tent without paying attention to them anymore, Xu Zaijing and the others hurriedly dispersed to the side of the big tent.

In recent days, Madam Wu had not been idle either.

Relying on her relationships and reputation, she had almost recognized all the noble ladies who had newly entered the capital.

So at this time, Madam Wu was also standing near the Empress, which was convenient for introducing the noble ladies who were about to go on the field later.

Not far from the Empress's big tent was the tent of the Duke of England's family,

Han Wulang Daughter of the Zhang family stood in front of the tent with several close friends, looked at Xu Zaijing and the others who were walking over, bowed, and smiled: "Brother Zong! Did you become a little stutterer today? 'No, no, no less taught', you turned this sentence fast enough!"

"I thought you would say 'didn't teach'!"

Near the Zhang family tent, others who heard this laughed one after another.

Lu Zezong also lowered his head with embarrassment and muttered: "I, I didn't do anything, I just let that sister see the adopted brother's fishing rod."

Han Wulang Daughter of the Zhang family smiled and asked: "Xu Wu Ge Xu, did you catch any fish today?"

Xu Zaijing smiled: "Although it wasn't put in the water bucket, speaking of which, it can be considered caught, after all, it was pulled out of the water by me."

Han Wulang Daughter of the Zhang family said in surprise: "Ah? Xu Wu Ge Xu, this doesn't count, right?"

Gu Tingye interjected from the side: "Doesn't it say, Fifth Young Master finally caught a fish, but it was shot and broken by an arrow and fell back into the water, where can he go to reason."

Liang Han, Qi Heng, and others nodded one after another, expressing agreement and sympathy.

Fifth Daughter's Gu Tingyi said: "Is it because of this that you guys scared the Gao family girl to tears?"

Xu Zaijing glanced at Gu Tingye and the others sideways and smiled: "How could it be! I'm not that kind of person!"

Gu Tingye curled his lips and said: "I say Brother Jing, you can pull it down! You even cooperated with us by lying on the ground! Without this action of yours, we wouldn't have..."

Looking at Xu Zaijing's gaze, Gu Tingye immediately straightened his face and said: "Cough! Brother Jing is right, you really didn't have that idea, it was all my problem."

After speaking, Gu Tingye didn't dare to look at Xu Zaijing, but said to Gu Tingyi: "Sister, are you guys in the Duke of England's tent today?"

Gu Tingyi nodded and smiled: "Brother, we four will play polo together later, so we won't separate!"

Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan beside Gu Tingyi also nodded with a smile.

Han Wulang Daughter of the Zhang family smiled: "Gu Pei Erge, will you guys go on the field to play polo today?"

Gu Tingye didn't speak, but looked at Sixth Young Master Liang beside him.

Liang Han understood and hurriedly smiled: "Yes, yes! Brother Jing and the others will swing a few poles later."

"But Gu Pei Erge and Xu Wu Ge Xu are famous, I imagine no one dares to challenge them, right?" Fifth Daughter continued to ask.

"No one challenges, Gu Pei Erge and Xu Wu Ge Xu will also lead one person each to go on the field and fight," Liang Han smiled.

The four young ladies nodded with a smile.

Madam Wu, who was sitting on the embroidery stool beside the Empress, looked at Xu Zaijing and the others talking not far away, leaned forward slightly, and said a few words to the Empress.

When Xu Zaijing and the others were about to continue walking forward, preparing to go to the Liang family tent to take their seats, a female official chased after them from the big tent behind.

"Several young masters, please stay." The female official shouted crisply.

Xu Zaijing and the others looked back,

Seeing that it was a female official beside the Empress, Gu Tingye looked at Xu Zaijing with an unnatural expression, his eyes full of "Brother Jing, won't there be something else" expression.

After shaking his head slightly at Gu Tingye, Xu Zaijing bowed and arched his hands with Qi Heng and the others, waiting for the female official to speak.

The female official returned a salute to Xu Zaijing and the others and smiled: "Several young masters, the Empress said that your polo skills are exquisite, so today, let you young masters play a game first. It can be considered helping the noble ladies behind to warm up."

Everyone bowed in response.

The female official nodded in return, then turned to bow to the Fifth Daughter of the Zhang family, Chai Zhengzheng, and others.

Chai Zhengzheng and the others hurriedly returned the salute.

The female official smiled: "After the several young masters score ten goals, the four young ladies will go on the field! At this time, you might be able to prepare in advance."

"Yes, thank you for the reminder, Da Niangzi Female Official." Chai Zhengzheng and the others responded with a smile.

The female official smiled slightly, nodded to the four noble ladies who were saluting, and walked towards the tents of other families.

"Sister, who is your opponent today?" Gu Tingye asked sideways.

Gu Tingyi and the other three looked at each other and smiled: "It's the few families that are not right with you brothers."

Gu Tingye raised an eyebrow and said: "Understood."

"Several brothers, then we will go to prepare first," the Fifth Daughter of the Zhang family said with a smile.

Xu Zaijing and the others nodded one after another.

After Chai Zhengzheng and the others entered the tent,

Gu Tingye said: "Brother Jing, how do we play?"

Xu Zaijing looked at Qi Heng and Liang Han sideways and said: "I'll take Yuanruo, you and Sixth Young Master, two against two."

Qi Heng and Liang Han looked at each other and responded in unison: "Good!"

Opposite the big tents of each family, 【61

In the stables where the horses were kept,

A Lan looked toward Xu Zaijing, who was waving from near the Empress's large tent in the distance, and tilted her head to call out: "Xun Shu, the Young Master is waving. Go and lead out the Dragon Colt."

"Understood!"

As Xun Shu spoke, he unfastened the reins of the deep brown Dragon Colt, which was fully saddled, and led it out.

Today, the Dragon Colt's bridle was inlaid with gold and jade,

and the mane on its long, elegant neck and its tail had been neatly braided.

Fixed upon its back was a Northern Liao saddle meticulously crafted by a master artisan,

and the saddle cloth hanging down to its belly was also magnificent and exquisite.

Just by revealing its body from beside the stables in the distance, it drew the gaze of many people on the side of the large tent.

Near the Empress's large tent,

the two young ladies from the Cao and Gao families sat below the Empress,

watching Xu Zaijing and the others standing not far away, together with Zhao Fang.

At this moment, Qing Yun and Qing Cao had already hurried over with headbands, polo mallets, and sleeve ties, and were currently fastening the large sleeves of Xu Zaijing's robe.

Gu Tingye, Qi Heng, and the others nearby were in the same situation.

Once everyone had finished dressing, the servants and retainers of each household had also led their mounts over.

Xu Zaijing's mount, the Little Li Colt, was an ungelded stallion; its power was surging, and its movements were as wild as a fierce beast.

As for this deep brown Dragon Colt, its physique was tall and large yet extremely well-proportioned and graceful; its movements were swift when running, and its four hooves seemed to possess a unique rhythm.

Upon arriving before Xu Zaijing, the Dragon Colt blinked its bright eyes, and after moving its head a few times, it pressed its nose into Xu Zaijing's raised palm and rubbed against it affectionately.

Suddenly,

the sound of footsteps came from behind. Xu Zaijing looked back and discovered it was Zhao Fang, who had risen and was walking toward him.

"Your Highness."

Xu Zaijing and the others bowed in unison.

Zhao Fang waved his hand: "Everyone, please rise."

As he spoke, Zhao Fang arrived at Xu Zaijing's side, looking at the bright eyes of the Dragon Colt before him with a smile on his face.

"Jing Ge'er, I actually saw a look of curiosity in its eyes! Is it curious?" Zhao Fang asked, tilting his head toward Xu Zaijing with a look of surprise.

Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded, saying: "Yes, Your Highness, it is curious."

"Hahahaha! It truly is a fine horse!" As he spoke, Zhao Fang waved to the back and said: "Bring a plate of cherries over."

The female official in the large tent hurriedly responded and, at the Empress's signal, brought over a plate of fruit.

Watching the approaching female official, Zhao Fang tilted his head to look at Xu Zaijing and said: "Jing Ge'er, is it alright for the horse to eat cherries?"

Xu Zaijing nodded: "It is fine to eat two after removing the pits, but it cannot eat too many."

Zhao Fang smiled and nodded. Once the cherries were delivered, Zhao Fang, having no knife, took three cherries and waved for the female official to withdraw.

Afterward, Zhao Fang smiled and looked at Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing reached out to take the cherries, used a little force to break them into two halves, pulled out the pits, and handed them to Zhao Fang.

After feeding it three cherries, Zhao Fang smiled, took the towel handed over by the female official, wiped his hands, and said: "Jing Ge'er, let's take the field!"

The young lady from the Gao family, sitting below the Empress, watched the interaction between Xu Zaijing and Zhao Fang in front of the tent, turned around with some confusion, and whispered: "Your Majesty, it seems the Prince and the young master of the Xu family have a very good relationship?"

The Empress smiled and nodded: "The two of them have always been compatible; Fang'er liked playing with the Xu family's young master when he was small."

"Oh! No wonder! Looking at this horse of the Xu family's young master, it truly is extraordinarily spirited." The young lady from the Gao family smiled.

Zhi Jie'er from the Cao family nearby whispered: "The Xu family's Xu Wu Ge has two such horses; I heard they were both gifts of thanks given to him by the Northern Liao royal clan."

"Gifts of thanks? Why would the Northern Liao royal clan give gifts of thanks to the Xu family's young master?" the young lady from the Gao family asked in confusion.

After the Empress explained softly, the young lady from the Gao family looked in surprise at Xu Zaijing, who had already mounted his horse and taken the field, and said: "There is actually such a convoluted story inside."

Zhao Fang, who had walked back to the large tent, smiled and nodded to the Empress before sitting on her other side.

Tilting his head to look at the young lady from the Gao family, whose look of surprise had not yet faded, Zhao Fang said: "I heard from my aunt that cousin Taotao has always liked fine horses; perhaps you can go to the Marquis Yongyi's residence to ride them sometime when you are free."

The young lady from the Gao family, Taotao, shook her head and said: "Your Highness, that wouldn't be very appropriate..."

Zhao Fang smiled: "Jing Ge'er rarely rides those two Dragon Colts! Besides, apart from Jing Ge'er, other noble young ladies in the capital have also ridden them, for example..."

Zhao Fang deliberately did not say who it was. Watching the curious expressions of the two noble young ladies, he intentionally dragged it out for a while, and just as he was about to speak,

Madam Wu nearby rose and looked toward the Empress.

The Empress smiled and nodded.

Afterward,

"Clang!"

After a gong sounded outside the tent, the exhibition polo match officially began.

The young lady from the Gao family also looked outside the tent.

This made Zhao Fang sigh with some helplessness.

A moment later, the young lady Taotao looked at Zhao Fang and asked in a low voice across the Empress: "Your Highness, who has been to the Marquis Yongyi's residence to ride horses?"

Zhao Fang hurriedly smiled and said: "Han Wulang Da Niangzi of the Duke of England's residence has been, as have the young ladies of the Gu, Chai, and Rong families."

Hearing this, a smile appeared on the face of the young lady Taotao, and she nodded: "I have seen and spoken to these noble young ladies the Prince mentioned a few times! It is quite a coincidence; they actually also like horse riding and archery!"

Zhao Fang nodded with eyes full of smiles.

"In that case, it wouldn't be considered very impolite if I went to the Xu family. Perhaps I can go together with them!"

As she spoke, the young lady Taotao from the Gao family glanced at Zhao Fang with some confusion in her eyes.

Zhao Fang seemed to suddenly understand the meaning in his cousin's eyes, smiled, and said: "These two horses were gifts to Jing Ge'er from Northern Liao! Since Jing Ge'er likes fine horses, His Majesty naturally would not take away what others love."

Hearing Zhao Fang voice the question in her heart, the young lady Taotao from the Gao family felt not only surprise but also quite a bit of pleasant surprise in her heart and eyes.

"Moreover, His Majesty also said that it would be a pity for such fine horses to be trained into the kind of imperial horses in the Imperial Ma Er Bureau; it is best for them to run freely on the Xu family's racecourse. In a few years, whatever Dragon Colts Northern Liao has... hehe, they will naturally be the fine steeds of our Great Zhou!"

Looking at Zhao Fang as he spoke, the young lady Taotao from the Gao family said with eyes full of admiration: "His Majesty and Your Highness have grand ambitions that swallow mountains and rivers; this young woman admires you very much in her heart."

Zhao Fang smiled as he looked at his cousin and nodded.

The Empress, sitting in the middle, watched the interaction between the two juniors, and a trace of a smile had already appeared at the corners of her mouth.

The Gao family's ancestor was a famous founding general who once served as the Regional Military Commissioner before the palace, and their family status was prominent.

The biological mother of the young lady Taotao from the Gao family was the Empress's cousin, and their relationship was very close.

The young lady Taotao was born into a family of military nobility; becoming the Crown Princess in the future meant being the future Empress, which would be beneficial to both the Gao and Cao families.

On the polo field,

since it was an exhibition match to warm up the crowd,

Xu Zaijing and the others on the field naturally did not compete and fight as hard as they had before.

Without the competition, Xu Zaijing and the others' movements in playing polo and riding horses were as flashy and eye-catching as possible.

For instance, Gu Tingye defending against Xu Zaijing,

the two men and two horses seemed to be stuck together, running side-by-side around the field, sometimes sprinting straight ahead rapidly, sometimes turning at extremely sharp angles.

On the battlefield, this would be cavalry commanders together with their comrades, after firing a volley of arrows from horseback, leading their subordinate cavalry to turn directions rapidly and prepare to attack again.

The cavalry of opposing sides would naturally be able to adjust their formations faster and carry out the next attack if their teams were tighter, more in sync, and had smaller turning angles.

Sometimes, Xu Zaijing and Gu Tingye would also make super-long passes.

Qi Heng or Liang Han would directly receive the ball in mid-air and shoot for the goal.

As far as playing polo was concerned, Qi Heng, after all, had not practiced as much as Liang Han,

so, no matter how comfortable Xu Zaijing's passes were, Liang Han still scored more goals.

"Clop, clop, clop, clop."

Amidst the sound of hooves,

Xu Zaijing, riding on the back of the running Dragon Colt, chased the polo ball to a place some distance away from the tents of each household.

Looking at Gu Tingye, who was already slightly sweating nearby, Xu Zaijing called out: "Yuan Erlang, what are you thinking about?"

Gu Tingye licked his lips and said: "Xu Wu Ge, have you seen the Yu family's tent?"

Xu Zaijing flicked the polo ball up with his mallet, his movements relaxed as he used a little force to strike the airborne ball.

Watching the polo ball fly far toward Qi Heng like a shooting star, he called out: "I see it, what about it?"

Gu Tingye: "Xu Wu Ge, I, you, I want to..."

Watching Gu Tingye's stuttering, Xu Zaijing's eyes turned, and he said: "You don't want to hit the polo ball with one stroke into the Yu family's tent, do you?"

Gu Tingye's eyes widened, and he nodded: "Xu Wu Ge, how did you guess? That is exactly what I was thinking!"

While riding his horse at a gallop, Gu Tingye raised his eyebrows with great interest and continued: "If the polo ball enters the Yu family's tent, won't I have a reason to interact with the Yu family! Go and apologize or something! Won't there be an opportunity with this back-and-forth?"

Xu Zaijing shook his head with some helplessness and said: "What if you use too much force and hit someone?"

Gu Tingye said confidently: "You still don't trust my ball skills?"

"Yuan Erlang, don't you think, even if you don't hit anyone, if you scare the young lady, wouldn't your impression of being reckless be even deeper?"

"Who taught you this method?"

Looking at Qi Heng and Liang Han in the distance, Gu Tingye scratched his head: "Sixth Brother and I discussed it."

"Snap!"

After a crisp sound of the ball hitting the goal frame came from the distance, Qi Heng also shouted in regret.

Liang Han stepped forward to snatch the polo ball under his mallet and swung his mallet to pass the ball back again.

Watching the incoming polo ball, Xu Zaijing said: "Yuan Erlang, you and Sixth Brother switch positions. I will pass the ball toward the Yu family's tent, and you go and block it. Wouldn't the impression on the Yu family be even better?"

"That's right too!" Gu Tingye shouted with a look of sudden realization.

Then,

the polo ball was intercepted by Xu Zaijing with one stroke and passed back again.

"Yuan Erlang, what are you doing!"

Liang Han's voice came from afar.

Gu Tingye hurriedly raised his mallet and shouted: "My fault, my fault! Sixth Brother, let's switch."

Upon hearing this.

Liang Han: "Ah!?"

Qi Heng: "Ah!?"

As their gazes followed the polo ball flying out of the field,

Qi Heng added: "Second Uncle, him doing this, isn't that bullying people!"

Liang Han nearby also scratched his head, looked at the five-on-three flags on the side of the field, and said: "Letting me compete for the ball with Jing Ge'er, how can we play!"

Afterward,

the ball was restarted.

The sound of intense hooves came from the polo field once again.

After several back-and-forths, neither side had scored a goal; after all, Qi Heng and Liang Han, who were receiving the ball, were always intercepted by the experts beside them.

After another entanglement, the polo ball was passed high into the air by Xu Zaijing.

"Whoa!"

Watching the height the polo ball flew to, the crowd watching on the sidelines let out a burst of exclamations.

Gu Tingye, who was whipping his horse to gallop, estimated the polo ball in the air in his heart, praised his good brother silently, and then ran toward where the polo ball would land.

Without any surprises,

Yu Yanran, standing outside the tent, retreated in a panic when she realized the polo ball was smashing toward their tent.

Before Yu Yanran and the personal female servant beside her could cry out, Gu Tingye reached out his mallet high two zhang away from the Yu family's tent and intercepted the polo ball.

After intercepting the polo ball,

Gu Tingye smiled and raised his eyebrows with a look of smugness, and then lifted his chin toward Yu Yanran.

This action of Gu Tingye's made the crowd in front of the surrounding tents look toward Yu Yanran one after another.

"Whoa~"

"Tsk~"

Feeling the surrounding gazes, Yu Yanran, who had originally felt gratitude toward Gu Tingye, stomped her feet in shame and anger, glared at Gu Tingye indignantly, lowered her head, turned around, and ran back into the tent.

Seeing this scene, Gu Tingye was instantly stunned.

Before he could react, Qi Heng arrived near him, swiped the polo ball away, and ran toward the goal.

Afterward, Gu Tingye lost his focus, and in the end, they were beaten by Xu Zaijing and Qi Heng by ten full points, who won smoothly.

When everyone was riding their horses from the field toward the sidelines,

Xu Zaijing, while untying his sleeve ties, looked at Gu Tingye and said: "Yuan Erlang, just now my pass was so good, and your block was also beautiful! Why did the eldest young lady of the Yu family go into the tent instead and not come out? What did you do there?"

Liang Han nearby realized: "Oh! No wonder we had to switch; so the two brothers had this plan! It is better than my idea! What a pity..."

Qi Heng also understood what had happened and looked at Gu Tingye with curiosity.

"I, I just raised my eyebrows and lifted my chin toward the eldest young lady of the Yu family," Gu Tingye said with some regret.

"In public, raising your eyebrows toward a young lady? I say Yuan Erlang, you..." Xu Zaijing shook his head with great helplessness and continued: "I hope that by doing this, it won't have any impact on the eldest young lady of the Yu family's reputation."

"In our eyes, Yuan Erlang, you were just raising your eyebrows and lifting your chin, but in the mouths of women who are not on good terms with Miss Yanran, who knows if they will say that Miss Yanran is flirting with you, Gu Yuan Erlang, and that you were exchanging glances on the polo field today!"

"Tsk!"

After finishing, Xu Zaijing also clicked his tongue in regret.

He had originally wanted to 'assist' his good friend and let him leave a good impression on Yu Yanran.

But with Gu Tingye doing this, Xu Zaijing had also indirectly become an 'accomplice' affecting Yu Yanran's reputation, even though he had not intended to.

Xu Zaijing shook his head with a straight face and said: "Miss Yanran lost her mother when she was young and has no mother to back her up..."

Gu Tingye looked at Xu Zaijing with eyes full of apology and said: "If something really happens, I will let Tingyi help maintain it; if that doesn't work, I will ask my mother to go to the Yu family to propose marriage!"

Xu Zaijing sighed and said: "That's a good idea! Let's try our best to remedy it beforehand; when I get home, I will talk to my sister-in-law and sister about it."

Liang Han hurriedly said: "I will also say a few words to my mother! I will definitely not let the eldest young lady of the Yu family suffer any grievances outside."

Qi Heng nearby also spoke up and said a few words.

As they got closer to the Empress's tent,

Xu Zaijing and the others dismounted, let their personal servants lead the horses away, and bowed and saluted the Empress and the Imperial Prince Zhao Fang.

While saluting, Xu Zaijing pursed his lips, and the look in his eyes as he looked at the Empress and Zhao Fang was full of pleading.

The Empress naturally knew about the incident in front of the Yu family's tent.

The Empress looked at the four people in front of the tent, glanced a little longer at Xu Zaijing and Gu Tingye, and said: "You played well, hurry and go get some rest."

Xu Zaijing and the others bowed and responded.

When they went to the Liang family's tent,

the young ladies of the Chai, Rong, Gu, and Zhang families, who had already tied their sleeve ties and were ready with their polo mallets, happened to be coming from the opposite direction toward Xu Zaijing and the others.

After the two groups got close, Gu Tingyi glared at Gu Tingye and said: "Pei Erge, how could you be like this! You are in trouble! Mother already knows what you just did!"

Gu Tingye: "Ah? I..."

Han Wulang Da Niangzi of the Zhang family frowned and said: "Gu Pei Erge, Xu Wu Ge Xu, you two are really bad!"

Xu Zaijing stopped mid-sentence: "No, I..."

Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan, who were following behind, also had different expressions in their eyes when they looked at Xu Zaijing than they usually did.

After the two groups passed each other,

Rong Feiyan and Chai Zhengzheng both looked back at Xu Zaijing,

and after deliberating for a moment, Rong Feiyan said softly: "Actually, Xu Wu Ge Xu... he might not have expected Gu Pei Erge to be so reckless."

Chai Zhengzheng glanced at Rong Feiyan and nodded in agreement.

Gu Tingyi saw that they were already very close to the Empress's large tent, so he did not speak.

Arriving in front of the large tent,

the four, Chai Zhengzheng and the others, along with the four opponents, bowed to the Empress together.

Zhao Fang, sitting beside the Empress, watched Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan, and a smile couldn't help but appear at the corners of his mouth.

The young lady Taotao nearby watched Zhao Fang's appearance, and there was a trace of confusion in her eyes.

Afterward, when Zhao Fang noticed her gaze and looked at her, there was not a trace of panic in his eyes, only an understanding of the confusion in her eyes.

The Empress looked at the eight young ladies in front of the tent and smiled: "Today, remember in the ball game to put safety first, and do not hurt the harmony."

Chai Zhengzheng and the others hurriedly responded.

The Empress smiled and nodded: "Then go and prepare to start."

Soon, the personal servants of each household led the noble young ladies' mounts over.

These eight were all from families of dukes, marquises, and great wealth, so the saddles and bridles of their mounts were naturally exquisitely decorated and numerous.

After everyone had mounted and was ready, a gong sounded, and the polo match began.

In the intervals of playing the ball,

Gu Tingyi chatted with the other three, the content being that the Bai clan had actually already been inquiring about the eldest young lady of the Yu family.

Among the four, the Fifth Da Niangzi of the Zhang family and Gu Tingyi were very skilled at polo, Chai Zhengzheng was slightly inferior, and Rong Feiyan's technique was at the bottom.

But their opponents' techniques were only slightly better than Rong Feiyan's.

The incense on the sidelines had only burned halfway, and Chai Zhengzheng's side already had an irreversible advantage.

In the large tent,

the Empress watched the wonderful goal scored by the Fifth Da Niangzi of the Zhang family on the field and smiled, clapping gently.

After putting her hands down,

the Empress looked at the young lady Taotao nearby and said: "Taotao, did you see the look in Fifth Young Master Xu's eyes just now?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, I saw it; Fifth Young Master Xu seemed to be asking for your help. He should be wanting you to step in and protect the reputation of the eldest young lady of the Yu family."

The Empress nodded in approval and said: "Then how do you think we should do it?"

The young lady Taotao pondered for a moment and said: "I heard that this young lady has outstanding embroidery skills; why don't I invite her over to talk and exchange embroidery skills."

"With Zhi Jie'er from my maternal grandmother's family here, the four young ladies on the field will surely be very happy to help. With us here, those possible rumors will naturally collapse without being attacked."

After finishing, the young lady Taotao looked at the Empress and said: "Your Majesty, what do you think?"

The Empress nodded with eyes full of smiles and said: "The method is very good! But, you can also go and ask the Marchioness Gu what she thinks first."

Watching the personal female official walking over with a smile on her face, the Empress said: "Perhaps there will be one more happy event."

(End of chapter)