When the two of them were nearly full, the guard finally arrived after purchasing the disu baoluo (crisp milk curd spirals).
Shen Ying observed it for a moment, confirming that the topping on this disu baoluo was indeed whipped cream. Tasting it only confirmed her suspicion; without needing to consult Jin Dou, she was certain that this was yet another thing that had already existed in ancient times.
This delicacy did not keep well; if left out for too long, the cream would melt, rendering it inedible.
These disu baoluo sold exceedingly well, and the store enforced a purchase limit, allowing each person to buy a maximum of four at a time.
Shen Ying and the little Crown Prince ate two each. Shen Ying was fine, but the little Crown Prince was truly stuffed to the brim. Eunuch Liu was anxious to death, fearing the little Crown Prince might overeat and fall ill, so he loosened his belt for him.
During the process, Eunuch Liu accidentally touched the gold lock around the little Crown Prince’s neck, earning a glare from the little prince. The boy then lowered his head to gently pat the gold lock, terrified that Eunuch Liu’s rough hands might damage it.
This was a gift specifically chosen for him by Mother, and he cherished it immensely.
Shen Ying glanced over, feeling extremely guilty as she watched the little Crown Prince looking so delighted.
She had used the little Crown Prince’s own money to buy things for him, which made her feel deeply embarrassed; it was simply not something she felt capable of doing. If her female friends back home were to find out, who knew how they would mock her behind her back.
If only the little Crown Prince were in her original world, she would definitely not spend a single penny of his; she would buy him endless gifts instead.
Thinking thus, she took another sip of tea.
It was still early, so they were in no hurry to return to the palace, nor did they head to the bustling West Market. Instead, Shen Ying and the little Crown Prince went to another place.
It was something they had overheard from other patrons in the teahouse as they were heading downstairs.
Eunuch Liu was exceedingly perceptive. Seeing Shen Ying’s curiosity, he led the way over.
What those guests were talking about was a jiju match.
Jiju, also known as polo, was simply a sport where players rode on horseback holding mallets, chasing each other while hitting a small wooden ball, scoring whenever they drove the ball into the opponent’s territory.
With that explanation, Shen Ying immediately understood what kind of competition it was.
Seeing Shen Ying listening so attentively, Eunuch Liu said with a beaming smile from the side, “When His Majesty was still the Heir Apparent in the Eastern Palace, he was a master at polo, and he once led a team to win a prize awarded by the late Emperor”.
Eunuch Liu had not witnessed that event with his own eyes, but since it was widely circulated, he had naturally heard about it. Back then, His Majesty—still the Crown Prince—mounted on horseback, must have been an image of resounding vigor and majesty.
It was said that someone had even painted a portrait titled The Crown Prince Playing Polo to mark the occasion.
Shen Ying listened with great relish, eating two more pieces of pastry, which left her feeling a bit too full.
She knew how to ride horses herself; at her equestrian club back home, she even had her own dedicated horse.
However, the horses she rode were extremely gentle, meant at most for running a few laps around the riding arena; when it came to taming wild horses or similar feats, she lacked the skill.
As for polo, she had watched such matches before, but she wondered how ancient polo differed from modern polo.
Supposedly, this match was a showdown between a women’s polo team and a men’s polo team.
Ever since the founding of the Sheng Dynasty, everyone from the Emperor down to the civil officials and military generals had been wildly passionate about polo, and women were certainly no exception. It was said that the first Emperor’s wife frequently played polo with him inside the palace.
The women’s polo team was created by that very Empress, and compared to the men’s polo teams, it was in no way inferior.
On the polo grounds, matches pitting men’s teams against women’s teams were by no means uncommon.
“There are polo grounds inside the palace as well?” Shen Ying asked in surprise.
“Naturally there are, but ever since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has been diligently devoted to state affairs every day, so he has not played polo since,” Eunuch Liu replied.
The Emperor’s abstinence from polo did not hinder the people outside from enjoying the excitement.
This particular polo match was taking place inside a detached villa. It was an imperial estate, a venue specifically requested from the Emperor by County Commander Duanmin, the daughter of Prince Ying.
“And who is County Commander Duanmin?” Shen Ying asked.
Eunuch Liu looked at Shen Ying as if looking at a rare oddity.
He was silently pondering whether this Seventh-Rank Maidservant Shen was asking on purpose. After all, she was the daughter of a Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, raised in the capital since childhood. Even if she had never met those nobles, she should have at least heard of their titles.
How did she appear to be entirely ignorant of all this?
This Seventh-Rank Maidservant Shen was truly odd—not only did she fail to recognize the nobles, but she seemed unaware of even basic etiquette.
Could she be testing him?
That did not feel quite right either; there was no need to test him with something like this, as it was hardly a secret.
Eunuch Liu glanced at the little Crown Prince and thought to himself: Ah, whatever. Who made it so that the little Crown Prince adored this Seventh-Rank Maidservant Shen? Since His Majesty had said nothing, it was not his place to speak up either.
Shen Ying looked at Eunuch Liu, waiting for him to speak.
Holding his cup, the little Crown Prince said, “Mother, Aunt Duanmin is Father’s sister, and her father is Father’s uncle”.
Shen Ying sorted out the little Crown Prince’s words: “In other words, this County Commander Duanmin is the daughter of your Dad’s… Father’s uncle?”
The little Crown Prince’s mind was a bit jumbled, unable to quite straighten out who was related to whom, nor did he know if it was correct; regardless, whatever Mother said was bound to be right.
“Yes,” the little Crown Prince nodded vigorously.
By the time they arrived, the polo match had not yet begun, though a sizeable crowd had gathered. Eunuch Liu swept a brief glance over the area and knew that many young masters and ladies from the capital had arrived.
Attending by the Emperor’s side, he had naturally seen many of these people when His Majesty hosted banquets for his ministers during festive occasions.
Apart from high officials and nobles, many ordinary citizens of the capital had also come.
Eunuch Liu could not possibly let the little Crown Prince remain outside, so he led them directly into a private box.
The private boxes were specifically created for viewing the matches, offering superb lines of sight and rare prime vantage points reserved exclusively for noble guests. The box was even equipped with a spyglass in case one wished to observe the details more closely.
Although it was not as hot at the moment, a basin of ice was still placed in the box.
Since this was not the first time a polo match was being held, everyone was thoroughly familiar with the procedure, and both teams were currently making preparations.
Although the venue had been requested from the Emperor by County Commander Duanmin, the host of the event was not her, but rather the Heir Apparent of Prince Qi.
Seeing the curious look in Shen Ying’s eyes, Eunuch Liu knew that this Seventh-Rank Maidservant Shen was undoubtedly clueless about the matter again, leaving him no choice but to bite the bullet and explain.
Prince Qi was also the Emperor’s uncle, making the Heir Apparent of Prince Qi the Emperor’s cousin.
The late Emperor had many brothers; excluding those who died young, many had also perished during the struggle for the throne. In the end, including the late Emperor himself, only five survived.
Residing in the capital were Prince Ying, Prince Qi, Prince Chen, and Prince Wu.
Prince Wu was in poor health; it was said that he was poisoned while still in his mother’s womb, and despite being married for many years, he had no offspring. According to the imperial physicians’ diagnosis, his health foundation had been damaged, leaving him unable to sire children.
Prince Chen was not obsessed with female beauty; rather, he was obsessed with polo. In his youth, he had been wildly fond of polo, though he simply lacked the talent for it.
Shen Ying commented, “So basically, he’s terrible at it but still loves to play.”
Eunuch Liu did not understand what those words meant.
“Uh, roughly speaking, it means being incompetent yet insisting on forcing oneself into the game.”
Eunuch Liu nodded, feeling that this description was indeed remarkably fitting for Prince Chen—he was indeed terrible at it yet loved to play.
The consequence of this was that he fell off his horse and broke his leg. Yet even with a broken leg, the resilient Prince Chen could not let his passion be dampened.
Prince Chen believed that he merely had a broken leg; if he could not take the field himself, he could still watch others play. The men’s polo team this time was raised by Prince Chen himself. Confident as ever, Prince Chen felt that although he could not take the field, the team he built would surely inherit his conviction and prove invincible.
Prince Ying, on the other hand, had two sons and a daughter. His only daughter was this County Commander Duanmin, who enjoyed an exceptionally close relationship with the Emperor; the Emperor treated County Commander Duanmin like a younger sister.
As for Prince Qi, he was an oddity in his own right. He did not care for polo; instead, he loved crafting objects, holding particular admiration for the legendary carpenter named Lu Ban.
He revered the book Lu Ban Shu as a sacred canon; whenever he read it, he would invariably bathe and burn incense, acting as solemn as solemn could be. Aside from that, whenever there was a carpenter with any degree of skill, Prince Qi would visit them in person to learn the craft.
Eunuch Liu pointed to a spot on the carriage; pushing it open revealed a hidden compartment, concealed with extreme subtlety. Had he not pointed it out, Shen Ying would never have guessed it was there.
“This was invented by Prince Qi,” Eunuch Liu said.
Eunuch Liu then produced a wooden sparrow. Operating the mechanism at the bottom, he could make the wings flap; this too was Prince Qi’s creation. It had originally been a toy for the little Crown Prince, but the little prince had grown tired of it.
After ascending the throne, His Majesty also put talent to good use, sending Prince Qi to the Northern Capital Armaments Bureau to research military equipment. While satisfying Prince Qi’s passion, it simultaneously brought benefits to the Great Sheng Dynasty.
The Heir Apparent of Prince Qi, however, did not inherit Prince Qi’s eccentric hobbies. Like most nobles, he enjoyed polo, organizing matches every now and then and offering all kinds of rare and valuable items as prizes.
Shen Ying nodded. In truth, she did not understand how imperial succession worked in ancient times. Although she had heard that struggles for the throne were fierce, she had never witnessed one. She was an only child, and everything in her family would belong to her in the future, so there was no need to compete with anyone.
However, some of the friends around her faced similar family situations, and when they fought over inheritance, it was equally ruthless. Even if she had not seen it with her own eyes, she had heard about it from her friends.
“What about His Majesty then? Was his throne also won through competition?” Shen Ying asked curiously.
Eunuch Liu was rather reluctant to speak on this. Everyone knew about the affairs of those princes, and bringing them up occasionally was not considered an offense.
However, matters concerning the Emperor were different; regardless of whether one spoke favorably or not, discussing him behind his back was an offense.
Eunuch Liu beamed with smiles, simply pretending he had not heard.
“Why aren’t you speaking?” Shen Ying pressed.
Eunuch Liu felt that this Seventh-Rank Maidservant Shen truly possessed no discernment—could she not see that he did not want to talk?
Yet the little Crown Prince chimed in as well: “Eunuch Liu, how did my father ascend the imperial throne?”
Eunuch Liu took a deep breath, gritting his teeth as he thought: This wasn’t my own idea to speak; it was the Crown Prince who ordered me to.
The current Emperor’s situation was different from that of the late Emperor. The late Emperor had many brothers, but his own offspring were not numerous, having only five princes.
Two had died in infancy, and only three survived to adulthood, His Majesty being one of them.
The current Emperor was born to the Empress, yet he did not enjoy the late Emperor’s favor. The late Emperor favored the Third Prince born to his favorite concubine, repeatedly granting extraordinary titles and rewards to the Third Prince—a bias obvious to anyone.
No one knew what kind of mindset the late Emperor possessed, but after the Empress passed away, he conferred the title of Prince of Jin upon the ten-year-old future Emperor, forcing him to leave the palace and set up his own residence. Later, when he was thirteen, he sent him to the borderlands.
Recalling the past, Eunuch Liu felt a wave of profound sighing.
“My master once told me a bit about it,” Eunuch Liu said. “He said His Majesty went into the army without revealing his identity. He was thin and frail back then, and no one knows how he managed to endure those years”.