Chapter 72: Polo Field, Second Match, and Matters of the Hai Family [Thank You All for Your Support]

Xu Zaijing was listening to Gu Tingye recount how brilliant he had been on the polo field,

when he turned his head and caught Yan Yan’s gaze—fixed squarely on his own tent.

Sensing Xu Zaijing’s stare, Yan Yan realized he had been impolite, having stared directly at another family’s tent.

Xu Zaijing pretended not to notice and turned back to continue listening to Gu Tingye.

The others remounted, preparing for the next match.

Xu Zaijing also mounted his black stallion and glanced back to see his sister Anmei’s figure behind their tent, her posture unmistakably chattering away to their mother.

His eyes darted, and he thought of a good (or rather, mischievous) idea.

On Han Cheng’s side, the scholar’s son had been replaced by a young lord from the Ma family of Jinxiang Marquisate.

Back on the field, it was still one-on-one full-court defense; Xu Zaijing’s team, now in rhythm, crushed their opponents this round.

With half the incense stick still burning, the score stood at eight to one.

Of the eight goals, Yan Yan had scored five himself.

Four of them were passes from Xu Zaijing.

The other three were scored by Zheng Xiao, two of them set up by Zhang Fang.

The silence from Han Cheng’s team contrasted sharply with the cheers from the five on the other side.

Too bad polo had no surrender rule—the five had to grit their teeth and keep playing.

After scoring another goal, Yan Yan rode past Wei Faqi and gave him a sweeping glance, saying:

“That’s it?”

“You! You don’t—”

Without waiting for Wei Faqi to reply, he spurred his horse away.

Wei Faqi’s face flushed red—he’d been mocked by a country bumpkin from Dengzhou.

He considered sabotaging him, but caught sight of Zhang Fang’s watchful glare and instantly wilted.

Just before the incense burned out, amid the crowd’s gasps, Xu Zaijing ended the match with a long-distance strike.

The families near Duke nearby fell silent.

Qingyun hurried beneath the wooden scoreboard to see a golden triangular star—marking victory—added to his family’s nameplate.

Xu Zaijing’s team dismounted, their horses taken away by their servants for care.

The five untied their arm wraps, chatting merrily.

Zhang Fang praised Yan Yan’s skill, while Gu Tingye excitedly talked to Zheng Xiao.

In the Xu family’s tent, maids had set up a screen depicting a lone fisherman fishing in snow and wind, dividing the tent into two sections.

One side for male guests, the other for female guests.

The five who had just played were pulled inside by Xu Zaihang.

The six sat down; the slightly plump young maid Qingcao asked each what they preferred to drink, then went to prepare it.

On the polo field, two other families’ youths, wearing differently colored headbands, prepared to take the field.

While eating fruit and melons, Gu Tingye asked curiously:

“Big Brother Yan, does Dengzhou have a sea? Is it big?”

Yan Yan replied: “Big. Endless. When the wind blows, waves rise ten feet high.”

“I’ve never seen the sea.”

“If you ever get a chance to visit Dengzhou, I’ll take you to see it.”

“Alright, it’s a deal.”

Xu Zaijing was curious about the Great Zhou navy but hadn’t asked yet when Qingcao arrived with the drinks.

She arranged the drinks according to each person’s order; Xu Zaijing smiled at his young maid, his eyes full of approval.

Then he asked: “Big Brother Yan, what do your navy forces use in battle? Crossbows or trebuchets?”

Yan Yan said: “Our Great Zhou navy is invincible. Most warships carry pole arms and crossbows. Some naval officers from Quanzhou say southern pirates use fire weapons on their ships.”

Xu Zaijing froze, internally exclaiming: Holy shit—they use everything, don’t they?

Zhang Fang took a sip of his drink and asked: “Eleventh Young Master, what are those pirate fire weapons made of?”

“Mostly bamboo, some copper.”

Xu Zaijing asked anxiously: “How powerful are they?”

Yan Yan sneered: “Can’t penetrate our Great Zhou iron armor. My comrades say they’re mostly used for signaling.”

A weight lifted from Xu Zaijing’s heart.

As they talked, their tea cups were refilled several times, and the polo field had changed teams—two squads of noblewomen from Bianjing now took the field.

The unmarried youths and maidens erupted in cheers.

The ten girls included daughters of civil officials and daughters of imperial sons-in-law and noble families.

Once play began, robes fluttered, feminine cries rang out, making Yan Yan and the others laugh.

They even commented on the girls’ skills.

Yan Yan had barely spoken a few words when a sharp sigh came from the female side, halting him mid-sentence. Pretending to be thirsty, he stole another glance at the screen.

Eventually, the imperial son-in-law’s team won. A servant rushed to update the scoreboard.

The five girls circled the field, greeted by handkerchiefs waved by young maidens.

Voices called out “sister! sister!” nonstop.

Especially the fifth daughter of the Yingguo Duke’s household, who jumped with particular delight, her gaze fixed on the field with longing.

Third hour of the afternoon (around 3 p.m.)

Families farther from Jinming Pond began leaving the polo field.

Nearby, servants on the wooden scoreboard removed each family’s nameplate and handed them to the servants come to collect them.

Zhang Fang, Yan Yan, and the others rose to take their leave.

As Yan Yan prepared to mount his horse, he received a note from a young lord of the Lu imperial son-in-law’s household, inviting him to visit if he had time.

Zheng Xiao chuckled beside him: “The Lu imperial son-in-law’s household has six marriageable daughters.”

Gu Tingye’s eyes widened—so many!

Yan Yan held the note, understood its implication, blushed slightly, forced himself not to glance toward the Xu family’s tent, and said: “Of course, certainly.”

Each family departed through different exits.

Watching them go far, Sun Shi and her children also boarded their carriage.

Inside the carriage, Sun Shi lifted the curtain and said: “Jingge, come inside.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Inside, Sun Shi’s smile vanished.

She poked Xu Zaijing’s forehead and said:

“What were you doing on the field today? Always feeding passes to that Yan family boy—your second sister’s been nagging me raw.”

Xu Zaijing opened his mouth to reply, but Sun Shi continued:

“You go out there showing off, and your second brother gets no chance to play! Next time, be more modest—let your second brother go first, understood?”

Xu Zaijing’s eyes rolled. “Oh.”

“And for now, stay home and study quietly!”

“Yes, Mother.”

Back home, Xu Zaijing followed his mother’s orders and began locking himself in to study. Gu Tingyu, hearing of this, sent him several of his own annotated classics, filled with his tiny script notes.

Though studying, Xu Zaijing still took a half-hour break every so often to step outside and stretch under the sun for fifteen minutes.

His vision was excellent now, but he had to protect it—what if he developed nearsightedness?

During this study period, the hottest topic in Bianjing was the marriage of the Hai family’s eldest daughter.

Xu Zaijing learned of it while visiting his eldest sister’s courtyard, from his second sister Anmei.

Xu Zaijing had memories of the Hai family:

Their ancestral home was Jiangning, a scholarly lineage, generations of officials, a pure-stream family.

The Hai family’s main branch had a rule: only after a son’s wife turned forty without bearing children could he take a concubine.

The in-laws marrying into the Hai family had to abide by the same rule: if a Hai daughter turned forty without bearing children, her husband could take a concubine.

Families who treasured their daughters all wanted to marry them into the Hai family—no concubines or maidservants to worry about.

Yet they feared marrying a Hai daughter, since men couldn’t take concubines.

In truth, they overthought it: Hai daughters never struggled to marry; behind them stood the court’s power, turning every scholar into a good husband.

Branch lines of the Hai family had looser rules, but the main branch strictly upheld them.

What? You say someone broke the rule? The Hai family never starts trouble—but they never back down either. Look at the court: half the purple-robed ministers and grand secretaries have ties to the Hai family.

There are also officials who were teachers, classmates, or lifelong friends of the Hai family, and those who received free books, tutoring, food, and clothing from the Hai family’s private academy.

Hai daughters have always been well-bred, skilled in serving in-laws and managing households.

They never give their in-laws a single complaint.

“Second sister, what’s this Hai girl’s name?”

Xu Zaijing asked.

Before Anmei could answer, Sun Shi’s maid Xiao Zhu hurried over.

“Young Master, Young Miss, go to the Mistress’s courtyard—Lady is summoning you with important news.”

If there are typos or awkward phrasings, please kindly point them out.

Also, I haven’t watched “Ning An Ru Meng,” but I happened to hear Zhou Shen’s theme song “Jie Meng,” where the “ah” singing was truly beautiful, evoking a sense of time flowing like a dream.

Listening to this music while watching Wei Shuyi’s death was painful.

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(End of Chapter)