Almost all the students at the martial arts academy recognized Teacher Fan. Even though today was a rest day and not a time for classes, Teacher Fan's sudden roar still managed to shock the young students who were jeering at the young ladies. They only dared to whisper among themselves, wondering why Teacher Fan had come, and no one dared to blow another reckless whistle.
The young ladies on the left had not done anything improper to begin with, so naturally, they were not frightened by Teacher Fan. However, his shout drew all their attention to the handsome young gentleman sitting beside him. He was not just ordinarily handsome; his features and demeanor were striking. His reserved manner, lowering his eyes as if reacting to their stares, only enticed the young ladies to continue sneaking glances at him, whispering and giggling with their companions as they did so.
Zhao Sui had never felt so at a loss. He had merely frowned because he disliked the frivolous behavior of the young students whistling at Miss Yao, but he never expected that Teacher Fan would actually...
Had Miss Yao looked over as well?
Could she recognize him from their two brief encounters on the previous rest day?
If Miss Yao remembered him, would she suspect why he just so happened to be watching the tournament at the academy today?
None of these doubts had answers, so Zhao Sui kept his eyes lowered. It was not until the feeling of being watched from the left gradually faded that he raised his gaze to look at the racecourse below. In the corner of his vision was the Yao family's daughter, dressed in a light yellow dress, also looking straight ahead.
She was not looking at him.
Prince Hui's long-tensed body gradually relaxed.
The first polo match began.
Some students walked right up to the front railing of the first row. On the ladies' side, as Miss Yao led her six close friends over, the other young women also gradually filled up the spots by the railing.
Gradually, young students from the back rows began walking toward the railing in the middle of the stands. It seemed that if just seven or eight more students squeezed in, some would end up standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Miss Yao. Many students noticed this, and a group of brocade-clad youths who had already occupied the right railing started egging on their leader, an heir from some noble house. The fifteen or sixteen-year-old heir then led a few followers toward the ladies' side.
Zhao Sui left his seat and walked down with an expressionless face.
Teacher Fan thought Prince Hui also wanted to watch the match up close. Glancing at the few remaining spots by the middle railing, he glared at the young heir of Count Jinghai's estate as he walked. The Count Jinghai estate had long since declined, with each generation proving more worthless than the last. However, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse, and relying on his noble title, the heir could still throw his weight around among the students from minor official families.
The young heir was closer to those spots, but Teacher Fan's glare was too fierce. Coupled with the presence of the cold-faced gentleman beside Teacher Fan—who was of unknown origin but undoubtedly held a high status—the young heir tactfully led his followers back to their original places.
At this point, it was awkward for Zhao Sui to turn back, so he stood at the railing. On his left, he was separated from Miss Yao by five people, and on his right, he left an empty spot for Teacher Fan. To the right of Teacher Fan was a student hesitating over whether to change seats.
Figures of students occasionally approached the railing nearby, but Yao Huang paid them no mind. Her gaze shifted back and forth between her three brothers and Li Tingwang. Li Tingwang often spoke offensively, but his martial arts and horsemanship were excellent, making him the vanguard of their ten-man team.
As the match progressed, Li Tingwang, Yao Lin, and three players from the opposing team chased the ball near the stands. The five horses were in constant danger of colliding. Yao Huang gripped the handrail nervously. Seeing that Li Tingwang actually still had the time to look at her, Yao Huang scolded in frustration, "Hurry up and grab the ball, what are you just staring for!"
Li Tingwang smiled, suddenly spurring his horse over the two mallets blocking his way. Before his mount's hind hooves even touched the ground, he leaned forward, swung his mallet, and snatched the polo ball, sending it straight to Yao Lin, who was waiting diagonally ahead.
Yao Lin then coordinated with the Luo brothers ahead, successfully scoring the point.
Only then did Yao Huang's anxious heart settle. As she withdrew her gaze, she finally noticed the handsome young gentleman standing tall and graceful like a jade tree in the wind, just a few steps away.
If this person had ordinary looks, Yao Huang would probably have found it hard to recognize him. However, ten days ago, Yao Huang had first fallen in love with his magnificent steed, and then been stunned by a fleeting glance of him on horseback. She was even more deeply impressed by his immortal-like posture standing under the blooming plum trees on Plum Ridge. It was a pity that she had been afraid of the bees behind her at the time, and had run off in another direction without having the time to admire him further.
Like the other young girls in Changshou Alley, Yao Huang also liked looking at handsome young men. However, they were too close right now. Yao Huang only wanted to steal a glance and did not want to be noticed by the other party, making it seem as if she had ulterior motives to seduce him. Therefore, after her initial surprise, Yao Huang immediately averted her eyes.
A close friend next to her excitedly leaned into her ear and whispered, "That man is so handsome. Compared to him, Li Tingwang looks completely ordinary."
Yao Huang smiled in agreement and whispered back, "His family background must be extraordinary as well. It's best if we don't stare too much at people like him."
Just as they would envy the wealth of children from prestigious families, those from prestigious families would also despise the shabbiness of those from humble households. This was human nature. At worst, a malicious noble lady might mock them with words, but a noble gentleman might both mock them and assume that a girl from a humble family must be trying to climb the social ladder through him, even if that noble gentleman was fat and ugly.
The reason Yao Huang dared to come to the martial arts academy to watch the excitement was that her father was, at the very least, a Centurion official, and she had three strong and sturdy brothers present to protect her. If she had been just a girl from a commoner family, even if an official's daughter was willing to bring her to the match, Yao Huang, knowing her own beauty, would not have dared to show her face.
The first match ended with Li Tingwang and Yao Lin's team winning. Since it was a best-of-three format, there were still two more games to follow.
Yao Huang and her six friends temporarily returned to their previous seats.
Teacher Fan glanced at their original seats, which were now quite a distance away, and pointed to the empty seats in the first row behind them, saying, "The second match will start soon. Shall we sit here for a while?"
Zhao Sui nodded.
A match lasted for two quarters of an hour, and the halftime break was also two quarters. Li Tingwang pulled Yao Lin over to the stands where Yao Huang and the others were. With a jump and a flip, the two young men landed on the stands like monkeys.
Li Tingwang and Yao Lin simultaneously recognized the handsome gentleman beside Teacher Fan, realizing he was the one who had demanded Yao Lin recite from memory while being punished with standing the day before yesterday.
Yao Lin was feeling a mix of complex emotions when Teacher Fan sternly scolded, "Is there no path over there? Why did you flip up here? What if the railing breaks and the two of you fall? Who will take responsibility if you get hurt?"
Li Tingwang and Yao Lin were speechless.
Yao Lin was thick-skinned and rather bold, so he muttered softly, "Teacher Fan, you never used to come watch us play polo. Why are you here today? And this gentleman, are you a new academy official? Do you teach literary or martial arts classes, or is your rank even higher, so much so that even Teacher Fan and the others have to listen to you?"
Teacher Fan was speechless.
Zhao Sui replied, "An auxiliary official, with the authority to supervise the martial arts academy."
The young ladies eavesdropping with pricked ears, and the students who had quietly sneaked closer to watch the drama unfold, were all left speechless.
Li Tingwang asked, "Did Your Excellency come today to supervise as well?"
Zhao Sui said, "Yes, to investigate whether private polo matches like this one pose any hidden dangers."
Yao Lin grew nervous, and so did the students who enjoyed playing in private matches. They were all afraid that the assistant official would be dissatisfied, making today's match their last private game.
Zhao Sui said, "Rest assured and play your match. In a few days, the academy will issue new regulations regarding private matches."
The implication was that private matches could still continue.
After a bout of commotion, the second match was about to begin. Li Tingwang, who hadn't managed to exchange more than a few words with Yao Huang, had no choice but to follow Yao Lin down along the spectator stands.
Yao Huang, Zhao Sui, and the others stood before the railing once again.
The students were quite smart. Knowing there was an inspector present, they played the second match much more properly, without any underhanded tricks to steal the ball or block opponents. However, chasing on horseback and swinging mallets took a lot of energy. As the game progressed, some unknown young man was the first to strip off his outer robe, revealing a torso that, while still somewhat slight, could be called lean and muscular. Soon after, more youths began taking off their outer garments.
Zhao Sui: "..."
He looked toward Miss Yao not far away, only to see her still smiling as she scanned the young men on the field; her eyes had even grown brighter. When a few youths deliberately rode up to the ladies' stands to show off their physiques, the two young girls next to Miss Yao turned around or looked away, but only Miss Yao was still...
Suddenly, Miss Yao looked his way.
Zhao Sui immediately lowered his eyes.
Yao Huang caught his hasty evasion and the way he stood silently with lowered eyes, including his rapidly reddening earlobes.
Yao Huang thought that this young academy assistant official must rarely peek at others; otherwise, he wouldn't be so inept. The smarter move would clearly have been to pretend to look at the other girls behind her, covering it up in the briefest blink of an eye.
Ineptness aside, Yao Huang found his thin-skinned demeanor quite endearing, ten thousand times better than those who ogled people and then winked and raised their eyebrows when caught.
Once Yao Huang resumed watching the field, Zhao Sui said in a low voice to Teacher Fan, "With female guests present, their behavior is highly improper."
Teacher Fan: "..."
Although he was a teacher, he was a teacher of martial arts. In Teacher Fan's view, it was perfectly normal for hot-blooded youths to take off their outer robes when they got too warm playing. It wasn't as if they were cornering a lady to deliberately expose themselves like ruffians. How did this have anything to do with propriety?
But the one who spoke was Prince Hui. Teacher Fan had no choice but to take a deep breath and shout at the field, "Match paused!"
The twenty young men on horseback pulled their reins and looked in bewilderment toward Teacher Fan's position.
Teacher Fan, who had frequently exposed his own robust upper body while instructing the students in martial arts, felt his face heat up at the words he was about to say. Still, he bit the bullet and declared, "Put your clothes back on! From now on, whenever female guests are watching, no one is allowed to be improperly dressed!"
As soon as this order was given, the entire field suddenly fell silent, followed by buzzing discussions from all sides.
The academy students all resented the new pretty-boy assistant official for his scholarly airs, feeling he belonged at the Imperial College. On the ladies' side, the reserved ones remained silent, while the bolder ones criticized the handsome official for being overly pedantic. They hadn't even minded the players' lack of etiquette; why was a grown man like the assistant official being such a busybody?
Prince Hui, having practiced martial arts since childhood, had sharp ears and keen eyes. He heard both forms of disdain.
Zhao Sui didn't care what others thought of him. He quietly glanced at Miss Yao a few steps away, only to find that Miss Yao was also looking at him.
Their eyes met, and Zhao Sui once again lowered his gaze.
Yao Huang was just about to smile when the twenty sweating youths on the field, unwilling to put their shirts back on, all rode over to this side. Yao Lin was the most brash and had the loudest voice, bluntly protesting, "Has Your Excellency ever played polo? If you have, you'd know how hot we get. Even in winter, people bare their backs playing polo, let alone on such a hot day today."
Teacher Fan: "Shut up! Just put them on when you're told!"
When the young men of the academy got reckless, they dared to contradict even the academy director, let alone an assistant official of unknown rank. Feeling this rule was unreasonable, they dared to unite in disobedience. Even the students watching from above began to argue loudly, and not even Teacher Fan's voice could drown them out.
Zhao Sui listened for a moment, raised his hand to stop the clamor, and looked down at the young men below. "Let's have a match. Choose your ten best players. If you can beat me and Teacher Fan, you may dress or undress as you please in the future. But if you lose..."
Yao Lin: "Then we'll honestly play with our clothes on, and no matter how hot it gets, we won't take them off!"
Zhao Sui: "Put them on for now."
Yao Lin and the other bare-chested youths went to find the shirts they had just tossed aside.
Zhao Sui led Teacher Fan down to the field from the right side of the stands, looking straight ahead.
For fairness, both Zhao Sui and Teacher Fan rode the academy's own warhorses. Their robes were different from the unified colors of the two teams, making them easy to recognize.
The spring sunlight was bright and beautiful. On the left side of the field stood only two men, while on the right side lined up the ten experts jointly put forward by the two teams, including Yao Lin, Li Tingwang, Luo Kun, and Luo Peng.
Yao Huang, who used to always love watching her brothers play, found herself inexplicably drawing her gaze to the handsome and proper young assistant official.
Before the other martial arts teacher acting as referee served the ball, the young assistant official sitting upright on his horse still looked refined. However, the moment the ball entered the field, he instantly became as sharp as an eagle and as fierce as a wolf. Even her brother, famous on the field for his fearless bravery, was forced by him to rein in his horse and give way. After just four or five brief clashes, he leaned down for a long strike, and the small wooden ball shot across the sky like a meteor, going straight into the goal.
At that moment, the entire field fell silent once more.
Just as Yao Huang was stunned by this man's powerful arm strength, the young assistant official turning his horse around seemed to glance in her direction.
Being far away, Yao Huang couldn't be certain.
The match continued. Li Tingwang and the others ultimately had the advantage in numbers, and after rearranging their tactics, they pursued their two opponents closely.
The polo ball came speeding toward the stands, and Yao Huang gripped the railing tightly once again.
The young assistant official and Li Tingwang were galloping at the very front. In the split second that Li Tingwang got distracted looking at Yao Huang, the assistant official surprisingly also looked at Yao Huang.
Yao Huang froze.
Immediately following that, the young assistant official extended his sturdy arm, which was a good deal longer than those of the sixteen-year-old youths, and delivered another fierce strike.
The wooden ball spun past right in front of Yao Huang, curving at an unbelievable angle before entering the goal once again.
It was Yao Huang's first time seeing such an incredible and beautiful shot. When she looked back at the young assistant official, she simply couldn't hide the admiration and appreciation in her eyes.
Prince Hui, sitting steadily on horseback, tightened his grip on the reins slightly, lowered his eyes, and rode away.
