Chapter 188 Polo Match

The hunting lasted only five days. Yueli lay in the royal tent for the first four days. It was not until the last day, when she heard that there was a polo match ahead, that Yueli reluctantly became interested in going to watch it.

She took out several sets of riding clothes from the box. When she first knew that there was going to be a hunting trip, she excitedly made three or four sets, but in the end she didn't wear any of them.

"Your Majesty, do you want to go out and play later?" Nian Xia helped her comb her hair into a simple bun. Since she was in the hunting ground, she didn't wear many hair accessories.

"I'm not going." Yue Li thought about it and put her riding clothes back and changed into a light skirt.

She had no interest in riding or archery. She was so exhausted that night that she hasn't recovered yet.

When Yue Li appeared in the camp, the platform was already full of people. He Yanchen was sitting at the top seat. Several ministers surrounded him and seemed not to notice her.

The palace maid led Yueli to the seats of the concubines, but Yueli had not shown up in the past few days, and the palace maid forgot to reserve her seat.

She was the highest-ranking concubine in the entourage and should have sat at the top seat on the west side, but that seat was occupied by Shen Zhaoyi.

Upon seeing this, Zhaoyi Shen didn't delay at all. She stood up and said with a smile, "Your Highness, please sit here with me. I will have someone add another seat at the back."

Perhaps because she always kept He Yanchen's words in mind, Yue Li couldn't help but speculate on their intentions with the most vicious mind whenever she interacted with the concubines in the harem.

For example, now, she always felt that Shen Zhaoyi was using her to highlight her virtue.

According to her status, she should have sat in this position. Even if the palace servants temporarily forgot to reserve a seat for her, now that she is here, according to the rules, everyone else should move down one position.

But before Yueli said anything, Shen Zhaoyi said those words, making it seem like she was being aggressive.

Yueli looked at her coldly, and that look made Shen Zhaoyi stiffen for a moment.

"Noble Concubine Yu."

At this moment, a familiar voice called her.

Yue Li looked up and saw that the people who had surrounded He Yanchen were gone. He stretched out his hand towards her and said, "Come to me."

Yueli was happy, and she quickly ran over holding up her skirt and snuggled up to him.

"I asked you yesterday, and you said you couldn't come. Why didn't you let me know when you came?"

Yueli said coquettishly, "I want to give His Majesty a surprise."

She looked down curiously. The palace servants had already placed everything needed for the polo match. The players on both sides were wearing red and blue clothes. They were just waiting for He Yanchen's order to start.

"Your Majesty is not going?"

He Yanchen had played polo every year when he was a prince and had long since grown tired of it. But when he met Yue Li's expectant eyes, he changed his refusal to: "You want to watch me play?"

Yue Li nodded hurriedly, "I have never seen Your Majesty play polo. I have been confined to the imperial tent these past few days and have never witnessed Your Majesty's majestic presence on the hunting grounds."

He Yanchen asked with great interest, "If I win, what will be your reward?"

Yue Li's eyes widened in surprise: "Your Majesty actually asked for a reward from me?"

"I'm here for you, shouldn't you pay the reward?"

"But I have nothing. All my things were given to me by Your Majesty." Yue Li tilted her head in embarrassment and racked her brains, but she still couldn't think of anything to give He Yanchen.

He Yanchen smiled with ambiguous meaning and whispered a few words in her ear.

The more Yueli listened, the redder her face became. She said coquettishly, "Your Majesty, please don't go!"

"That won't do." He Yanchen had already stood up, pressed Yue Li down on the seat, and walked down from the platform.

When everyone saw this, they knew that the emperor was going to take action personally, and the atmosphere on the scene became inexplicably high.

Leading the other team was the Prince of Chunnan, the champion who had defeated many men in the martial arts examination this year. He bowed to He Yanchen and said, "I will give it my all and will not yield to Your Majesty."

The passionate sound of drums resounded through the sky, and the two teams mounted their horses and entered the field one after another. The Prince of Chunnan really kept his word and did not show any modesty. At a command, the two of them headed towards the wooden hollow ball in the midfield at the same time.

He Yanchen was a little faster and hit the ball out.

It was Yueli's first time watching polo. Although she didn't understand the rules, Nianxia explained them to her. She clenched the handkerchief in her hand and nervously watched He Yanchen's every move.

The atmosphere on the field was very exciting, both sides were eager to win, and the score was deadlocked for a while.

When He Yanchen scored another goal, Yue Li almost jumped up. If she hadn't considered that there were so many people around, she would have wanted to jump up and shout, "Your Majesty is so awesome!"

The game was very intense with players chasing each other for the ball, but time was running out.

When the soldier blew the horn again, it meant only a quarter of an hour was left.

Yue Li stared at the tall and majestic figure on the field without blinking. In a trance, she seemed to see He Yanchen looking at her.

She quickly raised a smile and gave him a sweet smile.

When the last stick of incense burned out, He Yanchen hit the last ball amid the cheers of the crowd.

He returned to Yueli, his body covered in sweat and still steaming.

Yue Li didn't care at all and threw herself into his arms: "Your Majesty is so powerful!"

He Yanchen pushed her a little further away. Although Yueli didn't care, he did care and didn't want to dirty her.

After the polo match, the rest of the people were free to hunt, and He Yanchen took Yue Li back to the tent.

When he came out of the shower, he saw Yueli lying on the table playing with today's rewards. These rewards were originally intended to be given to the winner of the polo match, but today it was the team led by He Yanchen that won, so the others each received some rewards. Yueli took a fancy to a box of pearls and kept it.

The man came over and hugged her from behind.

He took out pearls from the box, and the round beads rolled on the table. He Yanchen's eyes darkened slightly, and he asked her, "Does this look like the ball on the court today?"

Yueli looked back in confusion. "This one is too small, of course it doesn't look like it. And the hole is so big, using such a small bead would be cheating."

He Yanchen's lips curled up into a smile, and he gently pushed with his finger, and the bead began to roll around: "I think it's quite similar. Wouldn't it be better if the hole was a little smaller?"

"Aren't you praising my batting skills?"

Yue Li faintly heard a hint of danger, and He Yanchen caressed her lips with his fingertips:

"Then let's try and see how many I can hit tonight."