During the two-quarter polo match, Prince Hui played on the offensive in the first quarter and scored five consecutive points. In the second quarter, Prince Hui stopped attacking, and Teacher Fan abandoned his horse to defend the goal on foot. Relying on his wind-like running speed and tiger-like leaping agility, he stubbornly prevented Yao Lin, Li Tingwang, and the other eight young men from scoring a single point!
Because the young assistant official's rule forbidding students from taking off their outer garments while playing was too unreasonable, the students and young ladies in the stands initially sided with Yao Lin's team of ten. However, as the young official scored continuously, the young men and women were gradually captivated by his heroic bearing. When the forty-something Teacher Fan displayed a different kind of martial prowess, the youths completely switched sides. Whenever Teacher Fan successfully blocked a ball, cheers and whistles erupted from the stands.
Teacher Fan adjusted his sleeves, which were rolled up to his wrists, smiled at the ten youths on horseback, and motioned for them to continue.
Yao Lin, Li Tingwang, and the rest of the ten: ...
I am not playing anymore; it is simply a humiliation.
Although the match was not yet over, someone had already jumped off their horse with their polo mallet in hand, speaking with a dejected expression.
Yao Lin exchanged glances with his two Luo family cousins, then looked at their captain, Li Tingwang.
Holding the reins in one hand and the mallet in the other, Li Tingwang glanced at the students from the other team who were dismounting one after another. Although he also felt he had lost face, he insisted, The match is not over yet. There is no reason to leave the field early.
Even if it was destined to be a losing game, he wanted to play it through to the end.
With enough time for about six more plays, the six youths remaining on the field decided to take one shot each.
When Teacher Fan stood on the left side of the goal, they tried their best to hit towards the right corner. Since Teacher Fan could jump high, they gave it their all.
These sixteen and seventeen-year-old boys might be young, but having practiced martial arts year-round, each possessed astonishing strength. Teacher Fan had consumed a lot of stamina blocking so many heavy shots. The main issue was that his palms had taken so many powerful impacts from the wooden ball that they were battered, painful, and numb. When it came to the final shot hit by Yao Lin, although Teacher Fan tried his best, the ball grazed his numb fingers, which could not curl in time, and flew diagonally into the goal.
Yao Lin let out an excited shout, as if his one shot had won the entire match!
Teacher Fan looked towards Prince Hui.
Zhao Sui directly praised the six youths who persisted in finishing the game: The playing field is like a battlefield. As long as there is perseverance and determination, even foot soldiers can rely on numbers to slay an enemy general.
Li Tingwang and the other five, who were praised but unwilling to be merely foot soldiers: ...
Zhao Sui: You all continue. I will provide a prize for the winning team.
The boys, who had not really wanted to continue the three-match series, suddenly had their eyes light up. Yao Lin was the first to ask, What kind of prize?
Zhao Sui: Silver, or what else would you like?
Yao Lin liked silver, but directly asking for it was too vulgar, so he said, We do not want silver. We want Your Excellency to treat us to drinks at Wangxian Pavilion!
Zhao Sui: ...You are still at an age for studying, so drinking alcohol is not suitable. A banquet is fine, though.
Yao Lin: ...
Several of the youths, who were already very satisfied just being able to have a banquet at Wangxian Pavilion, eagerly agreed.
The two teams began preparing for the suspended second match. Zhao Sui and Teacher Fan headed back to the stands, but halfway there, they were surrounded by the spectating students, who pressed Zhao Sui with questions about how he trained his martial arts and so on.
It was not until the match below restarted that Zhao Sui stood back a few steps away from Miss Yao.
Yao Huang did not hear what this young assistant official had said to her brother and the others. Although she increasingly admired him for his polo skills and horsemanship, she remembered his extraordinary steed and Li Tingwang's unpleasant words. Disliking those words did not mean she disagreed with the logic behind them. For a young master who was either incredibly wealthy or noble, possessing both talent and looks, it was best for her not to easily reciprocate his obviously interested gaze. Otherwise, he might just fancy her beauty and want to take her back as a concubine.
She turned her head to the six sisters accompanying her and said, I am tired of standing. I want to go back and sit while watching. What about you?
The six girls were all from ordinary commoner families. Coming to a place like this, they naturally followed Yao Huang's lead and immediately followed her back to sit on the wooden benches.
The other young ladies were reserved and did not squeeze over just because space opened up at the railing. Therefore, Yao Huang and the other six only retreated a step or two, remaining quite close to Zhao Sui and Teacher Fan.
Zhao Sui, however, sensed Miss Yao's deliberate distancing. Was it because he had defeated her brother, or because of the few glances he cast her way after leaving the field?
But after he scored in the game, the eyes she turned towards him were clearly brighter than the stars in the night sky.
If she loathed someone, would she have such bright eyes?
Taking a seat actually made it easier for Yao Huang to observe the young assistant official a few steps away. He wore an azure brocade robe. The brocade belt that outlined his narrow waist was fastened with a jade buckle, and a cloud-patterned jade pendant with a creamy white luster hung beside it. Yao Huang then looked at the jade crown on his head. These pieces of jade clearly were not ordinary goods. Being so young, if he did not come from a prominent family, how could he make Teacher Fan, who had instructed princes, act so respectfully?
Today was Yao Huang's first time seeing Teacher Fan, but she had long heard of his great name from her brother and Li Tingwang. It was said that a legitimate young master of the Du family from the Marquis of Chengen's residence had slacked off during a martial arts class and was punished by the strict Teacher Fan to run laps. He was not allowed to leave until he finished. In the end, out of fear that his elders would find out, the young Master Du could only obediently accept the punishment.
Zhao Sui detected a gaze coming from the row of girls where Miss Yao sat.
He slightly turned his head and saw Miss Yao with her eyes closed, her face tilted upwards in his direction, looking relaxed as if she were enjoying the sunlight.
Zhao Sui immediately withdrew his gaze, but his mind lingered on that fair, rosy, lotus-like face.
After the second polo match concluded, the team of Yao Lin and Li Tingwang won again. With two victories, the event ended early, rendering a third match unnecessary.
The young ladies began to descend from the left side of the stands, while the students exited from the right.
Yao Huang stood up. Before leaving, thinking that she would probably never see that handsome and reserved young master again, she turned her steps, only to catch his flustered motion as he quickly withdrew his gaze.
Yao Huang got the feeling that even if this person came from a prestigious family, he probably was not someone who liked to bully others with his power.
May I ask Your Excellency's honorable surname? Yao Huang curtsied, as if she had something to ask him.
Although stiff, Zhao Sui turned around. Under the little lady's clear, water-like gaze, he remained silent for a brief moment before cupping his hands and answering, My humble surname is Zhao.
Yao Huang: ...
She immediately looked at Teacher Fan. Startled by the young girl's quick wit, Teacher Fan subconsciously looked away.
Never having thought she would have the chance to be so close to a prince, Yao Huang could no longer maintain her composure. Amidst her panic, she heard the man ask, What guidance does Miss have to offer?
Yao Huang had only seen such refined and literary phrases in storybooks. Though they were normal words, hearing them inexplicably gave her goosebumps all over. She hurriedly replied, It is nothing, I just wanted to thank Your Excellency for guiding my brother and the others. Especially my brother—he usually thinks his martial arts are superior, but today he has seen that there is always someone better. I expect this will make him settle down and train hard.
Zhao Sui was just thinking about how to respond when the young girl in the pale yellow ruqun dress suddenly curtsied again. "Alright, I must be going now. I won't disturb you any longer, My Lord."
With that, Yao Huang turned and hurried off to catch up with her sisters who were waiting for her up ahead.
There were too many people and prying eyes around, so Zhao Sui did not look after her for long. He turned to Teacher Fan and said, "I intend to treat those students to a meal at Wangxian Pavilion. Would you care to join us, Teacher?"
Teacher Fan, also afraid that the young lads might commit a faux pas in front of Prince Hui, gladly agreed.
Yao Lin, Li Tingwang, and the rest of the ten youths intentionally waited for Teacher Fan and Zhao Sui to come over before heading toward the side gate together; going through the main gate would only be a detour.
Teacher Fan sent an accompanying minor official to the main gate to fetch their horses.
Outside the side gate, while other young ladies sat in their carriages waiting for their brothers, Yao Huang and her group stood openly and gracefully in front of their flatbed mule cart, laughing and chatting about today's polo match.
As they chatted, Yao Huang spotted her brother emerging from the side gate. To her surprise, the ten youths were clustered around Lord Zhao and Teacher Fan.
Seeing his sister, Yao Lin suddenly remembered, "Ah, we agreed to take my sister and the others out to a restaurant..."
For today's match, the two teams had each pitched in a prize of two taels of silver. Winning these two taels was more than enough to take his sister and her five friends to eat at an ordinary restaurant.
Zhao Sui suggested, "...We can book two private rooms, one for the men and one for the women."
Because of his status as a martial arts assistant official, coupled with the proposal to dine separately, the young lads did not overthink it.
Yao Lin happily went over to tell his sister.
Yao Huang held out her hand to him. "You go ahead. We don't want to take advantage of that lord. However, since we agreed that you would treat us if you won, give us one of your two taels of prize money, and we'll go find a small restaurant to eat at ourselves."
The opposing team had young ladies cheering for them; their coming to cheer for their brothers also gave them face, so it was only right to split the prize money with them.
Yao Lin said, "Are you silly? That's a feast at Wangxian Pavilion."
Yao Huang couldn't be bothered to argue with her foolish brother and simply demanded the silver.
The prize money was with Li Tingwang, so Yao Lin had to run back and ask him for it.
Li Tingwang directly took out the two taels of silver. The other team members also agreed; after all, the core of their team was Li Tingwang and three others, and being able to tag along for a meal at Wangxian Pavilion today was already a great bargain.
Yao Huang pocketed the silver and had her six friends sit on the flatbed cart. She grabbed the whip and hopped onto the front shafts. With a gentle flick of the whip, the docile large mule began to move forward.
Until the mule cart turned out of the street, Yao Huang never looked back. Asking for the man's surname had merely been to satisfy her own slight curiosity.
Zhao Sui did not chase the figure on the mule cart with his eyes either.
A moment later, the minor official from the martial arts academy brought his and Teacher Fan's horses.
Before leaving home, Zhao Sui hadn't anticipated this meal, so he was still riding Jing Wu.
Li Tingwang finally recognized this sleek, black-haired steed. Recalling their encounter ten days prior, and then thinking about how the young assistant official had purposely struck up a conversation with Yao Lin outside the academy, and how close he had been sitting to Yao Huang in the stands during the match, a sudden sense of crisis welled up in Li Tingwang's heart.
Just then, Yao Lin said awkwardly, "Oh no, I drove the cart here. Now that you all have mules or horses, what about me?"
Luo Kun was just about to invite his cousin to share his horse when Zhao Sui said, "I will lend you my horse for now. You can just ride it back to the martial arts academy tomorrow."
With that, Zhao Sui untied the pouch at his waist and handed it to Teacher Fan, saying, "I just remembered I have an urgent errand to attend to. I will return to the academy first. I must trouble you, Teacher, to host the banquet for everyone on my behalf."
Without giving Teacher Fan a chance to decline or the youths a chance to ask what the errand was, Zhao Sui re-entered the martial arts academy through the side gate.
Teacher Fan shook his head helplessly. On a rest day, if it weren't for Prince Hui entrusting him with this, he wouldn't have wanted to accompany a bunch of students to a meal anyway.
"Let's go," Teacher Fan said, taking the lead and mounting his horse.
Overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, Yao Lin walked over to Jing Wu. The moment he reached out and stroked the horse's neck, Yao Lin finally understood how his mother and sister felt when touching precious fabrics at the silk shop—he loved it! He wanted it!
