All the noble ladies shook their heads, following behind her, not daring to utter a single word.
Watching the young lady before him, so frail she seemed about to collapse, Xu Ge subtly furrowed his brow, set down the teacup in his hand, and nodded as he spoke, “Miss Lin.”
Just these three words served as his greeting.
Lin Yuwan seemed to understand Xu Ge’s temperament quite well. Instead of taking offense or growing angry, she allowed her maid to support her as she slowly rose and seated herself at one side of the table.
Lin Yuwan: “Lord Xu, why not join the field for a gallop?”
“I have no interest today.” As he replied, Xu Ge’s gaze remained fixed, intently focused on the match taking place on the field ahead.
Lin Yuwan had not expected Xu Ge’s answer to be like this. The smile on her face stiffened momentarily before she quickly recovered.
“Then, may I have the honor of inviting Lord Xu to form a team with me and take to the field?”
A moment of silence followed. Hearing this, Xu Ge glanced sideways at her, his peripheral vision catching the group of noble ladies behind Lin Yuwan, all watching intently.
The refusal on the tip of his tongue shifted abruptly. The corner of his mouth suddenly curved upward as he answered loudly,
“Alright.”
Having expected Xu Ge to refuse and prepared for a rebuff, Lin Yuwan was taken aback at first, then delight leaped onto her face.
She quickly stood up and performed a slight curtsy toward Xu Ge. “Then I shall go change now. Please wait a moment, my lord.”
With that, she promptly rose, a broad smile on her face, and hurried away with her maid toward the small room where the women changed into riding attire.
Seeing this scene, who among the onlookers could fail to understand?
Clearly, Commander Xu of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was about to take to the polo field with the daughter of Grand Marshal Lin.
Not only the young ladies present but also the court officials, and even Emperor Wei himself, were momentarily stunned.
“What?” Emperor Wei sat up straight in surprise, looking at the eunuch who had come forward to report. “Jin Zhi is going to compete on the field with the legitimate daughter of Grand Marshal Lin?”
The eunuch naturally dared not give a false report. He relayed Ashu’s message verbatim, without omitting a single word, to Emperor Wei.
“Excellent!” Emperor Wei clapped his hands together, his face beaming with joy. “The legitimate daughter of Grand Marshal Lin is splendid.”
This praise sounded particularly grating to Imperial Consort Shi’s ears, and the smile on her face nearly faltered.
Just moments ago, she had introduced her own niece, only to be met with rejection. The next moment, Xu Ge was involved with the daughter of the Grand Marshal.
The key was that Emperor Wei was laughing so heartily. This was no less painful than a direct slap to her face, leaving her cheeks burning and flushed.
Time passed minute by minute, and all the young men competing on the field had now come down.
Lin Yuwan had changed into a water-red, form-fitting riding outfit. Part of her coiled “spiral snake” hairstyle had been let down and re-braided into a new style pinned at the back of her head. She held a long polo mallet in her hand, fully prepared.
“For this match, We shall set a prize.” Watching the two approach him together, Emperor Wei smiled with satisfaction and directed the eunuch beside him to bring forward a tray.
A flowing piece of silk was pulled aside by attendants, revealing a tray bearing a colored glass cup, presented before the crowd.
Sunlight shone upon it, passing through the glass cup and refracting into a spectrum of seven colors in all directions.
Emperor Wei observed the astonished gazes of the crowd and nodded with satisfaction. “This is the seven-colored glass cup presented as tribute by the Western Regions some time ago. We are quite fond of it and shall use it as the prize for this match.”
Standing behind him, Imperial Consort Shi took a few steps forward and stepped out.
She raised her hand, removed the coral-red jade bracelet from her right wrist, and placed it on the tray holding the seven-colored glass cup.
With a smile, she glanced at Emperor Wei, then turned to face all the courtiers around her. “Although my bracelet cannot compare to this glass cup, it is still quite precious. Let it serve as an additional prize.”
With the prizes now set, everyone present—men and women alike—gazed at the tray with gleaming eyes, eager and ready to compete.
It wasn’t until the head referee for the competition walked over and loudly announced, “Lord Xu and Miss Lin are a team. Are there any other young masters or ladies who wish to participate?” that the atmosphere shifted.
At the mention of Xu Ge’s name, the competitive spirit among the young nobles instantly deflated. They stood there with mouths agape, unsure of what to say.
“With Lord Xu participating, who could possibly compete against him?”
“Just give the prize to Lord Xu directly. There’s no one here who can beat him at polo.”
“Hey, sister, why don’t you give it a try?”
…
Whispers began to spread through the crowd, and for a moment, no other team stepped forward to compete.
Just as Lin Yuwan stood tall, proudly basking in the attention, a young woman’s lively voice suddenly rang out from behind her and Xu Ge.
“I’ll do it!!”
Lin Yuwan turned around and saw Le Ying, now dressed in a deep blue riding outfit and holding a polo mallet, standing there.
For a moment, Lin Yuwan was speechless. She narrowed her eyes before forcing a smile and saying, “Princess Le Ying, this is a doubles match. You’re alone…”
“Who said I’m alone?!” Before Lin Yuwan could finish, Le Ying cut her off without hesitation.
The young woman in the deep blue riding outfit gestured toward the shaded seating area, where a man sat watching the scene with a foolish grin. “Hu Junliang, come here!”
Upon hearing his sister’s call, the man named Hu Junliang was taken aback. He pointed at himself in disbelief. “Me… me?!”
Seeing him hesitate, Le Ying immediately frowned. “Just come here when I call you!”
Hu Junliang, the young master of the Duke’s household, glanced back at his parents, hoping for rescue, but it was no use.
The entire Duke’s household favored daughters over sons, treating Le Ying like a precious jewel and never refusing her requests.
“Mother… Mother, I don’t want to go.”
“Junliang, go on. Accompany your sister for a match. Don’t let her go alone.” The Duchess of the household smiled gently, placing a hand on her son’s back and giving him a slight push.
Seeing no other way out, the young master of the Duke’s household pouted and slowly made his way toward Le Ying.
As everyone’s eyes shifted away from him, Lin Yuwan finally relaxed completely. Adopting a superior demeanor, she covered her lips with a light laugh.
“The Princess truly remains as spirited as ever.”
Seeing her coy and affected manner, Le Ying showed no courtesy, immediately snorting coldly. “Stop putting on that act in front of me. I’m not fooled by it.”
Grabbing her brother, who was still holding his mallet, Le Ying turned and bowed slightly to Xu Ge. “Lord Xu, please go easy on us.”
At this moment, Le Ying had completely lost any desire to compete with others over men, her mind filled only with the thought: I must defeat that seductress Lin Yuwan!!