Chapter 92: Hello Chang’an
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Chapter 92: Young Lord is Here to See You
Chang Suining and the other women instinctively looked over and saw four eunuchs clearing the way, followed by a young woman in official robes stepping into view.
Wang shi was somewhat surprised. "It’s actually County Princess Gu who has arrived."
The title of princess alone wouldn’t have drawn such attention from Wang shi and the officials, but what made Ming Luo truly noteworthy was her status as a female historian, particularly one who enjoyed great trust from the holy emperor as a court historian.
Her appearance outside the palace with eunuchs often represented the will of the emperor.
As expected, this time was no exception.
After greeting Scholar Master Qiao and several high-ranking officials, she smiled and said, "Ming Luo has come at the behest of the holy emperor to observe the students’ polo match and has been instructed to bring this item as a prize for the polo tournament—"
As she spoke, she gestured to a eunuch holding a long box beside her.
Another eunuch opened the intricately carved long box, revealing a polo mallet. The mallet was several feet long, adorned with coiling dragons, and its end shaped like a crescent moon.
"This polo mallet was specially crafted for the late emperor by an envoy, and the late crown prince often used it to play polo with the late emperor in the palace," Ming Luo smiled and continued. "Today, the holy emperor has especially designated this as a prize for the student who wins the final match."
The crowd of students immediately buzzed with excitement.
The significance of a royal gift was already extraordinary, especially one that had been used by the late crown prince! The students preparing for the match became increasingly spirited and eager.
"Ning Ning, what was the late crown prince's polo mallet like?" Qiao Yumian asked curiously.
Chang Suining withdrew her gaze. "It's nothing particularly special."
In fact, she had no clear impression; she owned many polo mallets that all looked quite similar.
Hearing the excited voices of the students, Qiao Yumian exclaimed, "I thought it would be something exceptionally unique!"
After a moment of thought, she understood. "While the mallet itself might not be too different, its former owner being the late crown prince makes it incredibly special… this prize must be something everyone wants to compete for."
Chang Suining couldn’t help but show a hint of disdain.
The former owner was just a poor unfortunate soul; the belongings of an unfortunate person inevitably carried bad luck, and she didn’t see what was worth competing for.
Ming Luo had been guided to her seat, which was not among the women but among the officials, sitting in the upper ranks as she had come with the emperor's edict.
In the arena, with the sound of a drumbeat, the twenty-four participating students entered the field on horseback.
They were mostly young faces, all dressed in narrow-sleeved pale blue robes, with black boots on their feet, holding reins in their left hands and polo mallets in their right, all appearing energetic and full of spirit.
These twenty-four were the cream of the crop, selected from their respective academies a month in advance. The Imperial Academy had six divisions, each selecting four students to form a team, representing the glory of their respective academies.
They lined up in six teams, each wearing sashes of different colors around their waists.
"Ning Ning, have you seen Brother?" Qiao Yumian tugged at Chang Suining's sleeve.
Chang Suining looked over and spotted Qiao Yubai at the front of the line, wearing a blue sash; he was in the vanguard position.
"I see him. Brother Yubai is in the fifth team. He should be on in an hour."
In a polo match, with two teams competing, the six teams had to compete in three rounds. The format consisted of five periods, each lasting a quarter of an hour, so it would take about half an hour to determine the winner after each match, including breaks between periods.
With four teams ahead of Qiao Yubai, two matches needed to be played, which would take about an hour.
Hearing her familiarity with the rules, Wang shi smiled and asked, "Ning Ning, do you enjoy watching polo now?"
In the past, Ning Ning had not been fond of such things.
Chang Suining nodded. "I’ve seen a few matches."
Wang shi said, "If you like it, you can learn it in the future."
"Yes, let Brother teach Ning Ning," Qiao Yumian replied with sparkling eyes. "Brother plays polo really well; Ning Ning hasn’t seen him play yet, right?"
Chang Suining smiled and said, "I’ll be able to see Brother Yubai’s skills soon."
"Speaking of polo, I have some knowledge too—" A cheerful female voice suddenly chimed in.
Chang Suining looked over to see Duan shi approaching with a smile, accompanied by a delicate young girl, Wei Miaoqing.
Just as Chang Suining was about to rise, Duan shi gently pressed down on her shoulder. "No need for formalities; let’s just sit and chat."
As she spoke, Duan shi exchanged smiles and nods with Wang shi before sitting down next to Chang Suining.
Chang Suining then asked, "Miss, have you come to watch the polo match?"
"Yes, I came with my son," Duan shi said with a smile, nodding toward the opposite side.
Chang Suining looked over and indeed saw Wei Shuyi just settling down under the shaded pavilion. He was not in official attire today, wearing a refreshing pale blue silk long gown with a bamboo pattern. After sitting down, he glanced over, seemingly lost in thought, and upon meeting her gaze, a smile blossomed in his eyes like a beautiful landscape painting.
He nodded at Chang Suining with a smile.
Chang Suining also nodded in return.
Wei Miaoqing, seated beside Duan shi, noticed her brother quickly diverting his gaze and engaging in a low conversation with a colleague. She felt a wave of irritation—her brother hadn’t even looked at her!
And then there was their mother—
Wei Miaoqing noticed that Duan shi was still holding Chang Suining’s hand, frowning in confusion. How could her mother not mind her sweaty hands on such a hot day?
Since their encounter during the spring flower banquet at home, her mother inexplicably mentioned Chang Suining three times in two days, often inviting her over for visits, showing an enthusiasm that seemed almost irrational!
She had felt annoyed more than once and had frequently asked Steward Fang—she really couldn’t understand what her mother liked about Chang Suining.
Steward Fang always seemed hesitant, only advising her to calm down.
Until the last moment, she finally answered her question, but it was still a complex rhetorical response—"Miss, isn’t the answer quite obvious?"
At that moment, she fell into a strange silence, feeling a sense of injustice—what kind of reasoning was this?
Steward Fang continued to question her—"But didn’t you say earlier that the Miss Chang is unreasonable?"
At this point, Wei Miaoqing looked at the answer right in front of her—the face described by steward Fang as "even if one were cursed, it would be reasonable"—and couldn't help but grit her teeth.
In her line of sight, the owner of that face smiled at her.
Wei Miaoqing's clenched molars involuntarily relaxed, and the so-called "hostility," which had never been solid, dissipated by half in an instant. A slightly arrogant nod was her final stand.
The drumbeat began, and the polo competition commenced.
Two teams of students, each adorned with red and green ribbons tied around their waists, mounted their horses and galloped onto the field.
The hollow-colored balls inside were hit by the players’ mallets, flying towards the goal amid the intense drum beats, and were struck into the color gates.
"Score!"
With each goal scored, a judge would place a flag matching the color of the scoring team's ribbons into the ground.
At the end of each round, the team with more flags would win that round.
After five rounds, the ultimate victor would be determined based on the number of wins.
"The first match is over; the red team of Guangwen Academy wins!"
As soon as this announcement was made, besides the four students with red ribbons in the arena, the onlookers from Guangwen Academy cheered loudly.
They had won three out of five rounds, and in the last round, the teams were only one flag apart, a narrow victory indeed.
A narrow victory was still a victory, and the hard-won win made everyone even more exhilarated.
The next two teams were about to take the field, so the victorious red team students temporarily left to rest.
"Wen Zheng, your last goal was truly remarkable; it deserves the praise of our mentor, Qiao!" A classmate on the same team patted the shoulder of a boy named Wen Zheng. "You must perform well in the next match!"
Wen Zheng nodded, then wiped his sweat, hiding the unease in his eyes.
"We must win the prince's Polo mallet; no one is allowed to snatch it! It should be displayed in our academy!"
"We’re in the first group, so we’re the first to play. If we want to win the mallet, we still have at least two more matches to play; we’re not there yet, you’re thinking too far ahead!"
"But we have Wen Zheng! Of course I dare to think!"
The students laughed and chatted as they walked away, wiping off sweat.
As the second match began, the crowd watching became even more packed.
Even under the blazing sun, the enthusiasm for the event only intensified.
The students rode their horses and swung their mallets, their sweat flying as the spectators’ eyes darted in excitement.
Some bookish attendants weaved through the crowd, offering cool tea to the onlookers, and a sip felt refreshing.
In the pavilion where the officials were seated, someone arrived late.
Yao Yi, on his day off, was dressed in ordinary clothes and chose a rather inconspicuous spot to sit down.
The Yao family women had also arrived; Yao Xia could usually find Chang Shuning in the crowd, but this time she couldn’t squeeze in beside her. First, Chang Shuning had no space beside her, and second, Yao Xia noticed that Wei Miaoqing was also present—
Seeing Wei Miaoqing looking her way, Yao Xia carefully chose a spot in the same row as the two of them, sitting down at an equal distance.
After that, when it came to serving tea, Yao Xia’s busy movements exceeded even those of the attendants weaving through the crowd.
Half an hour later, the winner of the second match was the yellow team.
This time, the score difference was quite large, as the yellow team won four out of five rounds.
The leader of the yellow team looked to be only about sixteen or seventeen years old. Although young, the other three players in his team followed him as if he were their leader, almost like they were under his command—
This boy appeared very impressive and dominant.
Moreover, he played fiercely in the match.
Chang Shuning observed the young man who was about to toss his mallet to an attendant as he left the field and turned to ask Xi'er softly, “Do you know who this person is?”
"That’s from the Chang family..." Xi'er whispered, "The Chang family related to the wife of the Marquis Ying."
Chang Shuning instinctively looked over at Ming Luo sitting across from her, "So, he is the cousin of Ming Yushi?"
Although Ming Luo was a concubine’s daughter and not directly descended from the Marquis’s wife, that was the relationship.
Xi'er nodded, "Yes, his name seems to be Chang Miao."
Chang Shuning responded with an "Oh" of understanding, "Lacking water in the five elements."
Xi'er: "…That should be right."
While the master and servant were talking, Xi'er suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the crowd and exclaimed in surprise, "Miss, the young master has come too!"
Chang Shuning looked over and indeed saw Chang Sui’an, who must have just arrived, scanning the area. When he spotted Chang Shuning, he quickly waved, "Sister!"
Chang Shuning raised her hand to greet him.
Since she was surrounded by women, Chang Sui’an didn’t come over. He then glanced at Qiao Yubai, who had just entered the arena, and said, “I can't believe I arrived so late. Why hasn't Qiao Yubai been knocked out yet?”
Beside him, a literate man waved his folding fan and said, “This young master must be here for the first time to watch Polo at the Imperial Academy. Qiao Langjun is a rare talent in Polo; last year, his academy won first prize!”
He elaborated, “Qiao Langjun plays strategically, knows when to advance and retreat, never rashly charges, and is excellent at coordinating with teammates, always keeping an eye on the overall situation. He is a rare calm presence in the Polo field—”
Chang Sui’an still looked unconvinced, grunting while making a punching motion: “That’s only because I didn’t go on; otherwise, I’d have him crying for his mother!”
“…” The scholar seemed at a loss for words, shaking his head as he walked away.
“Jian Tong, you tell me!” Chang Sui’an pointed at Qiao Yubai, who had already mounted his horse: “Is Qiao Yubai my opponent?”
Before he finished speaking, Jian Tong turned to the passing attendant and said, “Please bring me a bowl of cool tea as well.”
With the noise all around, it was understandable that he couldn’t hear the young master’s words.
Seeing Jian Tong turn back, Chang Sui’an was about to ask again when a bowl of tea was suddenly presented to him, nearly knocking his teeth: “Young master, have some tea.”
Chang Sui’an had no choice but to take it and gulp it down.
Meanwhile, Chang Shuning let out a soft “Oh.”
Qiao Yumian quickly asked, “Ning Ning, what’s wrong? Is something off?”
At this moment, her elder brother had just begun his match, so she inevitably felt a little anxious and expectant.
“It’s nothing; I just didn’t expect Brother Yubai to have this person in his team—” Without needing Qiao Yumian to ask further, Chang Shuning explained who it was: “Cui family’s Sixth Young Master.”
He was the one who loved to wear a pink silk robe and scare young girls at the flower fair in Marquis Zheng’s mansion with bugs—Cui Jing’s younger brother.
“I heard he’s quite a dandy...” Qiao Yumian said softly, “Father mentioned he was dragged here by his family to study at the Imperial Academy for self-reflection and has been quite unruly.”
She hadn’t expected that he had only been here for a month and was already chosen to join her brother's Polo team.
But she vaguely heard her brother mention that the other party played Polo quite well.
Chang Shuning exclaimed again.
Qiao Yumian grew anxious, “What is it, Ning Ning?”
“It’s nothing; just saw a familiar face.”
Subconsciously keeping an eye on the movements of the officials in the opposite pavilion, Chang Shuning's gaze fell on a young man who had just appeared.
He wasn't wearing an official robe, dressed in a dark blue narrow robe, originally quite low-key, but some people's presence was such that it wouldn't allow them to remain unnoticed, regardless of the occasion.
“General Cui!”
“General, please take your seat!” Qiao Jizhao quickly stood up to offer his seat.
“Mentor should take the lead; I’m just a guest, don’t confuse the order,” Cui Jing politely declined Qiao Jizhao's hospitality.
Ming Luo also stood up, a hint of surprise and amusement in her eyes: “General Cui, what brings you here today?”
Cui Jing only looked at the arena: “Invited by my younger brother.”
“Master, master, master!” An excited voice suddenly shouted from the sidelines, hands cupped around his mouth, “The eldest master has come to see you!”
This voice even drowned out the sound of the drums and music.
Cui Jing: "..."
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