The entire betting arena was in an uproar.

"Boss Zhu? Who is Boss Zhu?"

"I've never heard of any wealthy Zhu in the capital making such a bold move..."

"Maybe he’s from outside the capital!"

"That’s right! With such a great opportunity, I’m going to place a couple more bets on the Duke of Qin’s son..."

After the excitement died down, the board in the betting arena was changed. Li Cheng'an stood on tiptoe to look and saw that the odds of one to ten had been replaced with one to two.

The capital truly was a place where gold was everywhere; there were many wealthy people willing to spend a fortune betting on a polo match. Seeing such generous bettors eager to throw their money away, the surrounding crowd quickly started placing more bets.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up!" Li Cheng'an turned around and kicked the soldiers.

The soldiers responded repeatedly, holding their pile of pouches, and squeezed into the crowd.

Meanwhile, the distant polo field at Qujiang Pool couldn’t hear the commotion from the betting arena. Yan Ting had brought Liu Huo over for Fang Linyuan, who mounted the horse with one hand on the saddle, leaping up effortlessly.

Yan Ting then handed him the polo mallet with both hands.

Fang Linyuan took the mallet. The slender, gold-inlaid ebony mallet was not as long as his sword and felt light in his hand.

He weighed the mallet back and forth in his palm, adjusting to a more comfortable grip. Just as he was about to turn his horse around, he caught sight of Wang Chang not far away.

Wang Chang was gripping his mallet, making exaggerated swinging motions, and gave Fang Linyuan a provocative smile. Third Prince Zhao Jin was also standing by the field, looking at him with a half-smile.

Although Zhao Jin was staring at Fang Linyuan, when he spoke loudly, his words were directed at Wang Chang: "Mother specially awarded a set of white jade and gold-inlaid saddle given by Father as the prize. Prince Wang, I heard your horse was taken away, so I specially provided a fine horse to match that saddle!"

Wang Chang immediately laughed and responded, "Then I must thank the Third Prince for the horse!"

He really didn’t leave himself any way out.

Fang Linyuan's mouth twitched slightly, and he pulled the reins, not even pausing his gaze on them.

He had just turned his horse around when he heard Yan Ting's respectful voice behind him, "Princess."

Fang Linyuan turned back and saw Zhao Chu stepping onto the field. She lifted her skirt, and her bejeweled soft embroidered shoes stepped directly onto the grass. Women’s embroidered shoes were always low and soft; after just a few steps, the embroidery at the edges was stained with dust.

Fang Linyuan quickly led his horse forward a few steps and stopped in front of her, "What's the matter? The field is dirty; be careful with your clothes."

Zhao Chu calmly responded with a hum, then looked up at him, "You've never played polo before, why accept his challenge?"

Fang Linyuan just smiled, unconcerned, "Might as well give it a try."

Zhao Chu lowered her eyebrows slightly, pondering for a moment, her eyes seeming to carry a cold, deep current.

Then she raised her eyes again, and in the noisy polo field, her deep and serene eyes were so calm that it seemed as if the world had lost its colour.

"Just treat it as a game," Zhao Chu said. "Don't worry, his arrogance won't last long."

*

Fang Linyuan didn't quite understand Zhao Chu's intentions, but there was significant meaning behind his words. With so many people around, Fang Linyuan didn't dare to ask further.

At that moment, the signal gong sounded.

"Go back," Fang Linyuan said to Zhao Chu, then he rode back to the centre of the field.

Polo is a simple game: two teams on horseback use mallets to drive a ball into the opposing team's goal. The first team to score the designated number of goals wins the match.

Fang Linyuan had never been particularly interested in such activities.

From a young age, he excelled in martial arts and horsemanship, standing out among the noble children. But back then, he was only about ten years old, and there weren't enough peers to form a polo team. When they did manage to play, the other kids couldn't handle losing and would cry after a short while.

Fang Linyuan found it tedious.

With one hand on the reins, he stopped in the middle of the field. Opposite him, Wang Chang rode a shiny black horse, different from the one he had ridden earlier.

The noble sons of the capital, even for a polo match, would switch horses every game.

Fang Linyuan's gaze fell calmly on Wang Chang.

So pampered. His horse, Liu Huo, could follow him on thousand-mile rides across the grasslands, incomparable to these pampered brats of the capital.

Wang Chang mistook his look as a challenge and glared back defiantly.

Then, the gong sounded.

Wang Chang launched a fierce attack, charging towards the ball with his mallet raised high, intending to score quickly. Just a few steps away from the ball, his mallet was already poised to strike.

Fang Linyuan also raised his mallet, heading straight towards Wang Chang.

Inexperienced in polo, he wasn't as precise or practiced as those noble children who had played since childhood.

But he excelled with a spear. Even the formidable Naren Temüjin was wary of him. In the chaos of battle, as long as he could see the enemy leader, he could strike accurately with one blow.

Just as Wang Chang was about to strike the ball, Fang Linyuan sharply reined in his horse. Liu Huo reared up, momentarily blocking out the glaring sun.

In the shadow of man and horse, Wang Chang didn't even see Fang Linyuan's mallet move.

The ball vanished from his sight.

While Wang Chang was still searching for the ball, Fang Linyuan had already chased after it.

With his keen vision, he could shoot down a circling eagle with one arrow, making it useful both for food and for fletching arrows when resources were scarce.

As the ball flew past him, it seemed to move in slow motion. Though his initial strike was strong, it wasn't perfectly aimed, sending the ball diagonally toward Wang Chang's goal.

Fang Linyuan quickly pursued, intercepting the ball just before it left the field.

While Wang Chang was still looking for the ball, Fang Linyuan had already struck it again mid-air.

This time, his hit was less powerful, but the direction was off, sending it veering to the opposite side.

Fang Linyuan felt a surge of frustration.

The lightweight mallet was tricky to handle. If he had a 120-pound mallet, his aim wouldn't be so erratic.

Determined to master the ball, he charged forward and swung again toward the goal.

This time, the direction was right, but the goal was narrow, and the ball seemed like it was going to hit the red-painted goalpost.

Fang Linyuan immediately spurred his horse, aimed carefully, and struck the ball again towards the goal.

The wooden ball flew straight into Wang Chang's goal.

"The ball is in! Anping Marquis scores the first point!"

The sound of the gong startled all the spectators, including Wang Chang.

*

The nobles and officials present, the commoners and merchants around Qujiang Pond, and even the always-elegant courtesans and scholars had never seen such a polo match.

The ball was struck wildly, racing through the air like an arrow darting across the field.

Yet the player chasing it was just as agile, charging after the ball like an arrow in the wind, not allowing his opponent to touch the ball even once.

Instead of a back-and-forth competition, it resembled a one-sided slaughter. The Duke of Qin's son, who was left standing bewildered in the middle of the field, running a few steps here and there, looked quite pitiful, his posture alone revealing his bewilderment, like a soldier barely surviving a battlefield massacre.

After a moment of silence, the entire area around the polo field, including Qujiang Pond, erupted in cheers and applause.

The sound of drums and gongs was almost drowned out, and aside from Wang Chang, who looked visibly upset, the expressions of the surrounding people were of surprise and excitement.

Only Fang Linyuan, holding his mallet and riding back, appeared somewhat frustrated.

Polo seemed incredibly difficult; the wooden ball was slippery and impossible to control accurately.

This time, he looked at Wang Chang with a bit more respect.

Being skilled at polo could be considered a talent, after all.

But Wang Chang didn't look at him, instead returning to his position with a grim expression, his eyebrows furrowed like dark clouds over his eyes.

The gong sounded again.

This time, Fang Linyuan genuinely wanted to see how Wang Chang played.

He didn't rush. After hitting the ball far at the start, he rode alongside Wang Chang, observing his movements and direction.

Wang Chang seemed surprised that he could even hit the ball.

The moment his mallet touched the ball, he tensed up, focusing like never before. He guarded against Fang Linyuan while skilfully guiding the ball forward.

Indeed, he had some skill.

Fang Linyuan watched, riding leisurely beside him.

As Wang Chang approached the goal, Fang Linyuan calmly caught up, quickly hit the ball away again.

Watching once wasn't enough to learn; he had known since childhood that to learn to fight, one must first watch others fight.

Wang Chang chased after the ball, expertly turning his horse to intercept it and then swiftly turning around to drive the ball towards the goal again.

This time, his movements were more cautious.

However, this time, just as Wang Chang was tensely about to score again, Fang Linyuan rode up, gave a light swing of his mallet, and sent the ball flying away.

His hit wasn't very strong, so Wang Chang didn't have to chase far before he dexterously intercepted the ball and struck it back towards the goal.

Fang Linyuan had gotten the hang of it.

He rode forward, swung his mallet, and imitated Wang Chang's movements.

This time, he managed to replicate about seventy to eighty percent of the technique, and his accuracy had improved significantly. The ball, under his control, returned along its original path and landed right back at Wang Chang's mallet.

Wang Chang's eyes widened in astonishment.

After several attempts, even a fool could see that Fang Linyuan, strolling leisurely, was clearly humiliating him by playing with him like a dog!

Wang Chang glared at Fang Linyuan, "What are you doing?"

With everyone watching, Fang Linyuan realized that his actions might not be entirely appropriate.

However, having successfully learned the technique, he generously decided to let Wang Chang have a turn. He casually rested his mallet across his horse's back and said to Wang Chang, "You go ahead and hit it; I won't interfere this time."

Who had ever seen such a scene?

The onlookers were stunned, and even Wang Chang, unsure of Fang Linyuan's intentions, hesitated for a moment before cautiously striking the ball.

The ball went straight into the goal.

The sound of drums and gongs erupted, and a flag representing Wang Chang's point was raised on his side of the platform.

He looked at Fang Linyuan.

But Fang Linyuan, resting his mallet on his horse, had already turned around and was slowly heading back to the centre of the field, not even bothering to watch Wang Chang's shot.

With the score tied at one to one, Wang Chang felt an unprecedented sense of humiliation as he stared at Fang Linyuan's retreating figure.

Wang Chang gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the mallet.

In the third round, Fang Linyuan no longer needed to learn and had no intention of giving Wang Chang any more chances.

As soon as the gong sounded, he spurred his horse forward, swung his mallet, and before Wang Chang could react, the ball was already flying straight towards his goal.

The field was vast, so this one hit couldn't score directly. Wang Chang still had a chance and raced after the ball, only to see Fang Linyuan shoot forward like an arrow and, using the technique he had just learned, strike the ball again.

This time, he was unstoppable. Before Wang Chang could catch up, the wooden ball flew straight into the goal, and before anyone could react, Fang Linyuan had scored the second point.

Who had ever seen such a genius!

Li Cheng'an and his companions were cheering in front of the betting area, among the few who looked genuinely happy.

"Did you bet on Marquis Anping?" someone next to them asked.

Li Cheng'an turned around, proudly showing off his empty hands and waist: "All in."

"Young master, you are so bold!" someone exclaimed. "Isn't Marquis Anping raised on the frontier? How can he play polo?"

Li Cheng'an puffed out his chest.

"He is a general personally appointed by the Emperor, someone that even Naren Temüjin fears!" Li Cheng'an said. "A mere game of polo is nothing to him!"

Hearing this, the surrounding crowd nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, we have been shortsighted..."

Someone else, sounding a bit sour, said, "It's not over yet, what's the rush? Didn't Prince Wang just score a goal?"

The Sixteenth Guard nearby laughed.

"Which goal? The one where our general played with him like a dog for three rounds before giving him the ball?"

The person turned pale and didn't respond, muttering softly, "I bet a hundred taels... all lost."

"Next time, bet on our general, and you'll win it back," one of the Sixteenth Guard joked.

At that moment, there was a cry of surprise from the crowd: "What's Prince Wang doing?"

Li Cheng'an and the others looked up.

On the distant polo field, as the gong sounded, Fang Linyuan, dressed in fiery red, rode towards the ball again. But Wang Chang, for some unknown reason, twisted his mallet towards the ground, intercepting Fang Linyuan's horse.

The crowd exclaimed, "He's trying to trip Marquis Anping's horse!"

On the field, the horses moved at lightning speed. It was impossible to stop immediately, especially since they were moving towards each other. A collision was inevitable.

They were so close that with that mallet blocking the way, Fang Linyuan's horse would definitely collide with it!

At such high speed, even if the horse didn't fall, the rider would be thrown off. Falling at that speed, broken bones were common, and even lives could be lost!

"He's crazy!" Lou Shuo exclaimed.

But before he could finish, under the intense gaze of the crowd, the fiery figure raised his reins with one hand, and the horse's hooves lifted off the ground.

In the next moment, the hooves came down, snapping the mallet in front of him.

With the enormous force, Wang Chang was pulled off his horse, about to be caught in the chaos of hooves.

Fang Linyuan, with one hand, released the reins and grabbed Wang Chang by the collar like a chicken. With the other hand, he swung his mallet in a swift arc, and even from a distance, the sound of the wind was audible.

In the next moment, amid the cries of astonishment, the crowd witnessed an unprecedented scene.

The fiery-red general, Fang Linyuan, lifted Wang Chang single-handedly, leaving him suspended in mid-air, just escaping being caught by the horse's hooves. The well-trained steed, following its momentum, took a few steps forward and then came to a steady halt.

At the moment the hooves stopped, the smooth wooden ball traced a beautiful arc, soaring across half the field and landing perfectly into the red-painted goal.

Even the palace eunuch who was supposed to strike the gong forgot to count the strokes in this spectacle.

*

Fang Linyuan threw Wang Chang onto the ground, shaking his wrist which had been numbed.

"Horses can kill, you know?" He looked down at Wang Chang on the ground.

Wang Chang was already scared stiff, having fallen back to the ground, his legs too weak to stand, slumping down and trembling.

"Today, if you had tripped me up, not only would I have lost my life, but your arm would've stayed here too," Fang Linyuan said, eyes still lowered as he tossed the mallet towards Yan Ting and dismounted his horse.

"I... I..." Wang Chang stammered, unable to form words.

Fang Linyuan didn't bother to engage further.

"Next time you ride through the streets, think about the consequences." He straightened up, leading his horse away.

"...Mar... Marquis Anping wins three rounds, victory!"

Amid the fierce wind, the eunuch on the viewing platform finally regained his senses, vigorously striking the bronze gong in his hand.

Wang Chang's legs turned to jelly, and he couldn't even leave the horse field on his own, needing several eunuchs to help him down.

The entire horse field was in an uproar. Praising voices, voices of lingering fear, and envy and admiration almost drowned out the entire Qujiang Pool.

The Empress on the high platform showed great delight, not only rewarding Fang Linyuan with significant bonuses but also showering him with precious jewels and treasures. Many noble officials took the opportunity to raise their glasses and celebrate with Fang Linyuan, but several adult princes and princesses wore tight expressions.

This was the husband of Zhao Chu, and his glory was also the glory of Zhao Chu.

Li Zhe's gaze drifted towards Fang Linyuan for a moment before he felt a sharp glance from his side.

His gaze paused, turning to the side.

Zhao Pei sat gracefully, smiling gently and softly, asking, "Does my husband also wish to go toast?"

Li Zhe hesitated slightly, his hand in his sleeve gently tightening.

"Just now, General Fang helped me out of a predicament. I feel obliged to go and express my thanks," Li Zhe replied warmly.

Zhao Pei chuckled softly.

"Princess Wu has never liked bustling environments, so let's not add unnecessary extravagance." She spoke gently, reaching out to pick up a piece of fish belly for Li Zhe.

Shielded by their seating arrangement, she continued smiling, but her tone in Li Zhe's ear turned cold.

"If my husband has this leisure, why not return and diligently practice horsemanship?" Her face remained soft, but her gaze towards Li Zhe's profile was icy and disdainful.

"But please, do not let others see you as useless and bring shame upon me."

*

Fang Linyuan took his seat next to Zhao Chu, his bowl and chopsticks already set out. Feeling a bit thirsty and belatedly tired, he reached out and picked up the wine on the table.

However, Zhao Chu promptly grabbed his wrist.

Perplexed, Fang Linyuan turned to look at Zhao Chu, who sat there with a slight frown, clearly displeased.

"What's wrong?" Fang Linyuan followed Zhao Chu's gaze and noticed his left hand.

The snowy white silk in his palm was faintly stained with blood, a result of the force used when lifting Wang Chang earlier. He hadn't noticed the pain at the time due to the urgency of the situation.

Fang Linyuan nonchalantly shook his wrist.

The wound was minor, but if Wang Chang had lost his life on the field, the consequences would have been dire.

Before he could shake it off again, Zhao Chu grabbed his hand.

Like a bird suddenly caught in a net while flitting about on a branch.

Fang Linyuan stopped, watching as Zhao Chu held his wrist and brought his hand up to his face.

Zhao Chu lowered his eyes and silently began unwrapping the silk from his hand.

"Just go back and wrap it up again, it's just a bit of blood, no big deal," Fang Linyuan said.

But Zhao Chu remained silent.

Fang Linyuan sensed something was amiss with Zhao Chu's demeanour, a suppressed air of displeasure. His attendants silently placed medicine beside Zhao Chu, offering no comment.

Fang Linyuan blinked.

Why was Zhao Chu upset about his injury?

He leaned forward to steal a glance at Zhao Chu, but before he could read Zhao Chu's expression, Zhao Chu lifted his eyes and caught him off guard. His eyes were cold and filled with complex emotions, startling Fang Linyuan.

The little injury wasn't that serious, right?

Zhao Chu probably has some hidden reasons.

Fang Linyuan blinked, smiled cheerfully to lighten the mood, and reassured Zhao Chu, "It's just a minor injury, nothing to worry about. And guess what I saw just now?"

Zhao Chu just looked at him without saying a word.

Fang Linyuan continued, asking and answering himself in a lowered voice due to their proximity, "Wang Chang fell off his horse just now, looked like he was scared out of his wits, and his pants got wet. Quite a few people saw it."

At this point, Fang Linyuan couldn't help but chuckle.

"With such little courage, yet still trying to act tough. Do you think he's changing his pants right now? After losing so much face, I bet he'll fake illness to skip future palace banquets."

However, Zhao Chu continued to stare at him, eyes chillingly silent, though not directly at him.

Fang Linyuan laughed a few times, but gradually stopped under Zhao Chu's cold gaze.

Wasn't this funny at all?

Zhao Chu was truly like a rock.

As Fang Linyuan silently criticized in his mind, he saw Zhao Chu's lips move, and what came out was even colder than his gaze.

"I should have killed him when he threatened you publicly."

--

The author has something to say:

Fang Linyuan: Let me tell you a joke hahaha...

Zhao Chu: (Sharpening a knife)

Fang Linyuan: ...? Are you planning to kill someone again?

Zhao Chu: Is this how my husband sees me? QAQ

 

Translator : DarNan