[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-am-the-xu-family-s-son":3,"chapter-i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-71":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Am the Xu Family's Son",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2307849,4510,"Chapter 71: Polo Field and Hu Yan [Thank You All for Your Support! One More Bow]","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-71",71,"\u003Cp>Princess Pingning smiled faintly and said, “Jing Ge’er, someone has challenged your family—go on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Xu Zaijing rose and walked out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearby, Qi Heng asked softly, “Mother, who was the man Brother Xu just mentioned?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He is an elder who is risking his life to secure a future for his descendants. Heng’er, you were born into the Duke Mansion—you need not fight so desperately. Be grateful for your ancestors.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Son understands. Thank you, Mother, for your guidance.” Qi Heng’s face showed confusion—he was too young to grasp what “fighting desperately” meant—but he still bowed his head in acknowledgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing stepped out of the tent and saw a noble young lord, dressed in lavish robes with a blue headband tied across his forehead, riding his horse slowly across the polo field, holding his mallet with great pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The horse’s legs were wrapped in blue silk, complementing its glossy, dark-blue-black coat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, several knights were distributing blue silk headbands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Servants were busy wrapping blue silk around the legs of horses preparing to enter the field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing watched, reminded of top-tier racing events where tires were swapped on race cars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the Xu family tent, Sun Shi was speaking to her daughter-in-law, Xie Shi, about the Marquis of Han.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the founding of the Great Zhou, the Marquis of Han’s household once had a formidable matriarch who, angered by the Emperor’s gift of concubines to her husband, locked herself and her two children inside the firewood shed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She declared that if any beautiful concubine entered her home, she and her children would burn themselves alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Terrified, the Marquis of Han knelt before the imperial court and begged the Emperor not to bestow any concubines upon him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though this matriarch was ruthless toward her husband, she was lenient toward her own sons, showing no objection to them keeping concubines or bedmaids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This deceived the noble family who had married their daughter to the Marquis of Han:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had expected the daughter-in-law to be protected by her mother-in-law—only to find that the matriarch was strict with her husband but easygoing with her sons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, however, the Marquis of Han’s household produced many heirs; the man on the field now was the eldest legitimate son of the second branch, Han Chengyun, fifth in his household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He usually spent his days frequenting brothels and entertainment quarters with Rongxian; seeing his younger brother shrink in fear whenever Xu Zaijing was mentioned, he wanted to avenge him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chengyun’s teammate was the eldest legitimate son of the second branch of the Fuan Marquis’s household, Wei Faqi. His father had once fought his elder brother over inheritance, a scandal known throughout Bianjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had it not been for the outbreak of war from Bai Gaohebei, their family would surely have been reprimanded by imperial decree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Wei and Han were sons of second branches—so they had common ground (to gossip about their respective first branches)—and over time, they became inseparable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind them followed three earls and sons of civil officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Xu family’s name was called, their servants had already led the black stallion to the field’s edge for warming up, its legs wrapped in red silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingye had already ridden his horse back and forth before the Xu family tent, a large red headband studded with jewels tied across his forehead, his eyes filled with amusement as he watched the noble youths make their entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His horse’s four legs were also wrapped in red silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang Liu was still too young to play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Xu Zaihang was about to rise, Zheng Xiao and Zhang Silang Zhang Fangling rode up on their steeds before the tent, followed by a noble young lord Xu Zaijing had never seen before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhang Ge’er, rest for now—we’ll step in only if you can’t hold out,” Zheng Xiao called out with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi also said something to her son; Xu Zaihang raised his arm guards, placed them on the table, signaling he would not participate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingyun hurried out of the tent with three large red headbands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xiao and Gu Tingye nodded, then continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jing Ge’er, this is the eleventh son of the fifth branch of the Haihai Marquis’s household, Xiao Jiong. His father currently holds the post of Regional Military Commissioner of the Hu Yi Naval Forces. He grew up in Dengzhou and only arrived in Bianjing these past two days—he’s a bit older than us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiong Ge’er, I lost to him by a hair’s breadth—I am Xu Zaijing, fifth son of the Yongyi Marquis. This is Er Lang of the Ningyuan Marquis’s household, Ye Ge’er.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Er Lang. Wu Lang.” Hu Yan Jiong, seemingly poor with words, merely smiled and bowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, are you going to play or not? Three out of five and you’re still dawdling! Just admit defeat already!” Han Chengyun called from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spectators around him erupted in cheers and jeers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Faqi laughed especially loudly, as if shouting louder could defeat his opponents himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dong dong. Dong!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The musicians and drummers by the field began playing; the drumbeats were deep and slow, full of grandeur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fangling looked at Xu Zaijing and said, “Since your family’s name was called, we can’t overstep—we leave the command to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, the four tied on their headbands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing fastened his headband, waited for the servants to wrap the silk around his horse’s legs, then glanced at the opponents and said, “Ye Ge’er and I will hold the rear; front three, back two. Go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dong dong dong, dong dong dong”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both teams entered the field; the drumbeats and music quickened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They created a tense atmosphere, like two armies preparing for battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the tents by the field, friends and acquaintances, swept up by the mood, shouted and cheered loudly for the players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Incense sticks were lit and placed in the censers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the challenger, Han Chengyun had the first strike; he glanced at the opposing formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kuang~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gong rang; the delicate, smooth wooden polo ball was struck flying by Han Chengyun’s mallet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chengyun had hoped to use his horse’s forward momentum to catch Xu Zaijing off guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as the ball flew, Xu Zaijing, positioned at the rear, gently tugged the reins—his black stallion reared up instantly, turned ninety degrees, and surged forward toward the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ha!” “Jia!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stallion snorted!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hu~~chi, hu~~chi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hu~chi, hu~chi”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hu chi hu chi”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stallion’s breaths, expelled from its nostrils, sounded like a steam locomotive accelerating—powerful, growing faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Breathing quickened; speed increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Xu Zaijing’s sudden rearing turn, the field erupted in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bravo!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excellent!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spectators in the noble tents let out exclamations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Yan Jiong, newly arrived in Bianjing and once dominant in polo at Dengzhou, his eyes brightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jia!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, hooves flew across the field as all horses charged toward the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing reached the ball a breath ahead of the others; without hesitation, he sidestepped and passed it to Gu Tingye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingye crouched low to receive it, then struck the ball precisely toward the opponents’ half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opponents did not commit all their riders to offense;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>two horses raced together toward the ball’s landing point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Yan Jiong arrived first, tapped the ball lightly to change its direction, dodged the charging opponent, glanced up, and delivered a long pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fangling, in the center, caught the pass and swung his mallet with full force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pam!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball shot swiftly toward the goal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The polo goal was a wooden board with a medium-sized hole beneath it (as seen in TV dramas).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhang Fangling struck too hard—the ball barely struck the wooden board, like a football hitting the crossbar on a soccer field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball bounced back into the field nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mmm!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh no!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too high!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spectators sighed in disappointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Faqi rode up laughing loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha, Si Lang, you—your shot went wide!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the crowd’s lament could end,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chengyun shouted from behind, “Watch out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xiao, riding a powerful peach-colored horse, had already galloped up, shoved aside Wei Faqi, and with a light swing, sent the ball grazing past the goal’s edge and into the hole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perfect rebound!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spectators cheered wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wahooo!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xiao roared with unrestrained joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rode to the field’s edge to receive the crowd’s applause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arriving before the Yingguo Marquis’s tent, he heard the voices inside,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and became even more exuberant,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>rode his horse again, and struck mallets with his teammates in celebration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiong Ge’er, excellent pass!” Xu Zaijing shouted loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the field, Han Chengyun rode up near Wei Faqi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t watch the front and forget the back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, yes, Yun Ge’er, I was careless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the next round, Xu Zaijing took the serve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reorganizing the Han family team, Hu Yanjiong completed the shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, it was spotted; Han Chengyun rode over and blocked the ball at the goal’s edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A brilliant tackle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bravo!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yun Ge’er, that was splendid!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, you hit so slow—did the girls at Qiyun Tower drain your strength?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Faqi shouted this from beside Hu Yanjiong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Yanjiong glanced at him, said nothing, and lightly kicked his horse’s flanks to ride away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Han family members had played together for so long that they were in sync; though Xu Zaijing and his team had excellent horsemanship and ball skills, their coordination was poor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the incense stick burned halfway, five blue flags stood on the field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three red flags, representing the Xu family, stood upright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As time passed, watching their teammate Gao Chao’s superb horsemanship and deep understanding of the game, Xu Zaijing and the other four gradually developed perfect synergy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their formation shifted from the initial front-three, back-two to a one-on-one setup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing faced Han Chengyun directly; though Han Chengyun was two years older, his strength could not match Xu Zaijing’s, and he was outmatched in direct confrontation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gradually, the Xu family gained the upper hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Yanjiong even executed a move resembling Su Qin carrying a sword, brutally intercepting Han Chengyun’s pass to Wei Faqi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This flashy maneuver drew cheers from the spectators lining the field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many noble ladies and ladies-in-waiting from scholarly and aristocratic families inquired about this unfamiliar young lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When only one-fifth of the incense stick remained, eleven red flags stood on the field, and five blue flags.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The match ended with the Xu family winning 12 to 5, the red side victorious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chengyun grumbled bitterly at his teammates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yun Ge’er, don’t rush—we’ve got another match. We’ll turn this around.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingyun hurried over to the large wooden scoreboard by the field; he had already realized that the Xu family would win the next round too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive wooden scoreboard bore name plaques of noble and scholarly households from Bianjing, each made of different materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The numbers beneath represented the match records of each household’s young lords and ladies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though all the plaques were the same size, the materials could be customized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Liang family made a small profit from producing these plaques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It amounted to the Grand Bianjing Division’s polo ranking tournament.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The idea was originally Xu Zaijing’s; when Wu Dainiang heard it, she exclaimed “Perfect!” several times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The public ranking boards beside the field drew many competitive young men from the capital to frequent the pitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some deliberately targeted weak opponents to inflate their records; others challenged the strong, seeking only tough fights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The field’s steward was clever—he ranked each household by actual skill, exposing the true strength of those who only picked on the weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Talented polo teams grew disgusted with this record-padding and gave the soft-targeters a harsh lesson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It became a popular joke in Bianjing at the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This precedent quickly spread from Bianjing to all corners of the Great Zhou Empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is said that even in the capital of the Northern Liao Kingdom, there now stands a replica of this Jinming Pond Polo Club ranking board.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Northern Liao nobles enjoy it immensely; Bai Gaohebei is still busy with internal strife, so the practice has not yet reached them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the five men dismounted, servants rushed over to take their horses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaihang stepped out of the tent and cheerfully patted several of them on the shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Yanjiong was also delighted; in Dengzhou, he had always bullied the weak until it meant nothing to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only here in Bianjing, facing these true masters, did he truly feel alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, he felt something and turned his head toward the Xu family’s tent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the sheer gauze, a figure was jumping and cheering beside Sun Shi Dainiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank you for your support. If you find any typos or awkward phrasing, please kindly point them out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2120,"2026-06-20T10:32:38.675Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a72f8fa55d28aedcffda48dd565c579fdf1e285443c2bbe37db5e2886d4d8469","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-72","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-70",790,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-the-xu-family-s-son-cover.jpg"]