Chapter 22 What kind of unlucky thing is this, flying red petals? ...

Jiang Ce and the others took to the stage one after another.

After a while, Prince Ning and Su Yun slowly came over from the other side, followed by Xiao Huaiting.

Zheng Shaoyu's eyes widened, and he reached out to pull him: "Xiao Huaiting, you actually switched sides at the last minute!"

Prince Ning pressed down on Xiao Huaiting's shoulder and smiled at them: "That won't do. Now Prince Xiao is on my side. I still need him to win this football match and win the prize to make him happy."

Xiao Huaiting shrugged and spread his hands: "I drew the lot, there's nothing I can do about it."

Jiang Ce nudged Zheng Shaoyu with his toe: "Alright, stop talking nonsense."

The emperor slowly walked out, looked at the group of children he had almost watched grow up, and couldn't help but sigh, "Unconsciously, these children have all grown up so much."

"May His Majesty live a thousand years," Consort Xue said with a smile, standing beside him.

He wasn't annoyed at all; he just smiled and raised his hand.

A group of eunuchs walked onto the stage carrying boxes and trays, chanting auspicious omens.

"Today's Cuju (ancient Chinese football) match prizes ------"

“A delicate football.”

"A pair of white jade peony hairpins inlaid with green pearls and red gold."

......

It took a while to finish reading.

Jiang Ce grinned and stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, none of this is for me."

The emperor almost rolled his eyes at him, thinking, "What a half-grown boy, so clueless about romance."

He said irritably, "You're complaining about what belongs to me? Others would love to have it. If you don't want it, then don't win."

Jiang Ce just smiled and didn't say anything.

Zheng Shaoyu pointed at Jiang Ce and laughed, "Your Majesty doesn't understand him enough. Even if he doesn't want these things, he certainly won't want to lose."

"You really are just like your father." The emperor snorted coldly, then smiled with a hint of helplessness, and with a flick of his sleeve, Wang Xu personally led his men forward, carrying long spears.

The emperor picked up the spear and held it horizontally in his hand.

"The other day, the military governor of Jing'an presented me with a long spear. I took one look at it and thought it was excellent." His gaze swept over everyone before finally settling on Jiang Ce's face. "This spear is no less impressive than the goose-feather saber that I once bestowed upon your father."

He handed the gun to Jiang Ce: "Whether you can get it or not depends on your skills."

Jiang Ce took it; the silver spear felt cold to the touch.

Most of the young men were also skilled in riding and archery, and they gathered around Jiang Ce to watch.

The spear was forged from wrought iron, its tip sharp. Under the bright spring sun, it gleamed like a silver moon.

Jiang Ce gently stroked the spear, then, with a sudden thought, he took a large step back. In his hand, the silver spear was as light and nimble as a reed, which he wielded deftly, sweeping past a peach tree.

The petals scattered and gently landed on the hair and clothes of the girls around them.

Some people smiled and gently brushed it away, some blushed with embarrassment, and a group of bolder people pointed at the people on the field and whispered among themselves.

Xue Chan wanted to run, but there was nowhere to run. She gritted her teeth and pursed her lips, reaching out to catch a flower that drifted towards her.

As Jiang Ce swung his sword, he turned around and instantly saw Xue Chan standing in the crowd.

A light green long jacket, a turquoise bodice, and a light apricot-yellow long skirt.

Standing in the crowd, she resembled a stream of tender green and yellow willow branches, soft and bright.

Jiang Ce saw her look up at the spring sun, then reach out and catch a flower that was drifting down.

She looked at the flower in her hand, smiling faintly, lost in thought.

Jiang Ce's sudden, stunned gaze also drew the attention of others, who followed it and fell on Xue Chan. Xue Chan then lowered her head shyly.

Zheng Tanhe and Xiao Yangjun glanced sideways at Xue Chan.

The sheer number of gazes caused her to immediately lower her head and quietly exhale a long breath.

To onlookers, she appeared extremely shy, her cheeks flushed, her face like a peach blossom.

Even her eyes were brimming with faint tears, like misty lake water, hazy and tender.

Jiang Ce saw Xue Chan's smug expression and was quite pleased with himself.

See? See? He knew it.

He was so outstanding and dazzling that Xue Chan could not take her eyes off him.

But he remained calm on the surface.

Only Xue Chan herself knew how tightly she clenched her teeth behind her face.

The sun was so strong that she felt hot as soon as it shone on her.

She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, but she couldn't lose her composure in this situation, so she forced out a few shallow tears.

How could this be?

How can someone be so ostentatious and confident?

Jiang Ce returned the spear, the gongs and drums sounded again, and the competition began.

The boys' robes fluttered on the court as they jostled each other, their shoulders and feet colliding.

The ball rolled back and forth on the grass as the two sides chased each other.

Jiang Ce and You Yu worked together, and with his light and quick movements, he won several balls in a row.

Consort Xue sat beside the emperor, watching several handsome young men darting around the field, fiercely competing.

The emperor looked down and saw that her eyebrows were slightly curved, and she seemed to be thinking about something when she lowered her eyes.

He said softly, "I remember you also really enjoyed playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football)."

Consort Shu laughed from the side, "Back when Consort Xue was in Empress Jiang's palace, she often played Cuju (ancient Chinese football) to amuse the Empress. With such charm, it's no wonder His Majesty and the Empress favored her so much."

Her words stirred up memories for the emperor.

At that time, Consort Xue was still in the Empress's palace. He often heard from the palace servants that a new female official had appeared in Xinyang Palace, who was skilled in calligraphy, painting, and writing, and was also excellent at playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football).

The originally depressed empress became much happier because of this and often played football with him.

The emperor was very pleased and delighted that the empress was recovering. He went to Xinyang Palace to visit the empress. A football was kicked high into the air and flew into his arms.

"Now that you mention it, I do remember."

Consort Xue smiled faintly, her beautiful face even more radiant in the sunlight.

"It's remarkable that Your Majesty still remembers something from so long ago."

The Emperor said softly, "The Imperial Concubine has always been someone who is unforgettable."

Although they were both wearing the same blue robes, she played football with great skill and swift, decisive tackling.

The ball was kicked high and flew into the goal.

The sun shines brightly, the peonies are in full bloom, and the water is clear and gentle.

Inside the high palace walls, it was like this—

Life goes on and on, flourishing and brilliant.

The emperor smiled gently: "After the children have all left, shall I play a game with you?"

Consort Xue simply smiled, her eyes sparkling with spring, her voice gentle and soft.

"I haven't played Cuju for many years, and my skills have become rusty. I'd better not embarrass myself in front of Your Majesty."

She turned her gaze back to the competition field, watching with a smile.

Despite the tense and fierce competition, Jiang Ce was still running around aimlessly, occasionally passing by Xue Chan's bridal shed.

Xue Chan turned her face away, feeling a sharp pain in her eyes.

I really can't stand it.

When she turned her head, she saw Xiao Yangjun. She looked into the arena, but still smiled, as if isolating herself from the noise around her.

His eyes were calm and gentle, attracting little attention.

As the pink figure swept past him, Xiao Yangjun became serious, his eyes shimmering in the spring sunshine as he followed the shadow.

Xue Chan saw her smile gently, her eyes shining brightly in the sunlight, exuding a gentle and serene charm.

She followed her gaze and saw the boy in a crimson robe, which spread out in the blazing sun, causing a warm breeze.

After watching for a while, I realized she was looking at Jiang Ce.

In just a few moments, her gaze shifted from Xiao Huaiting to Zheng Shaoyu, Su Yun, and Youyu...

He then lowered his eyes, revealing a look of melancholy and disappointment.

Xue Chan stared at it for a long time.

Perhaps sensing something, Xiao Yangjun turned his head and met Xue Chan's calm and probing gaze.

She smiled at her, pursing her lips, and Xue Chan smiled slightly in return, before both of them turned their faces away.

Xiao Yangjun slowly exhaled and looked back at the arena.

The ball was kicked high from Jiang Ce's feet, and with a swift header and a flying kick, it was sent flying into the opponent's goal.

Then, taking advantage of landing and turning around, he quickly searched for Xue Chan's figure.

The two exchanged glances, and Xue Chan quickly wiped away her smile, turning her face away as if she couldn't bear to look at them, and sighed behind a group of women and girls.

When others spoke to her, she would force a few fake smiles.

Jiang Ce gritted his teeth.

What does she mean by that? What does she mean by that?

A surge of irritation rose in his heart. Was he some kind of unlucky thing?

She always smiles when talking to other people, but she stops smiling when she sees him.

As Jiang Ce chased after the ball, he became increasingly agitated and kicked the ball away forcefully.

He didn't notice that Zheng Shaoyu, who went forward to receive the ball, felt a pain in his calf and stopped, clutching his leg and groaning in pain.

"Jiang Ce, you've been drinking, haven't you? I'm your teammate, how can you go to such lengths like this?"

Xiao Huaiting seized the opportunity to steal the ball, but Youyu took it back in three quick steps.

He played and defended at the same time, and even helped Zheng Shaoyu up.

"What are you muttering about? I told you to practice more. It's just a ball, why are you making such a fuss?"

Zheng Shaoyu limped along, being dragged along by him.

"That guy's a scoundrel, you try getting kicked!"

Jiang Ce leaped and bounded across the field, the spring sun high in the sky, dazzling his eyes. He was slightly out of breath, sweat dripping down his cheeks.

As she passed by, she saw Zheng Tan quietly pointing at her and talking to Xue Chan, asking her, "How is it?"

Xue Chan chuckled lightly, just a smile.

"Being spirited and full of vigor is certainly a good thing."

He heard this and couldn't help but smile.

But as soon as he turned around, he saw Xue Chan take a slight step back, her stiff smile opening and closing as she spoke.

Jiang Ce couldn't hear what she was saying, but his eyesight was always good, and he still managed to tell what she was saying.

She said...

"It's alright."

hateful!

What a blind woman!

The announcer hangs up a wooden plaque and waves a flag to keep score.

Jiang Ce turned and ran along the court while chasing the ball, and Xiao Huaiting and Su Yun attacked from both sides to steal the ball.

He slid across the encirclement of the two men, hooking the ball along the ground, and used the momentum from Zheng Shaoyu who was running towards him to stand up. He kicked the ball to Youyu, and the group chased after Youyu again.

Jiang Ce winked at Zheng Shaoyu, signaling him to help Youyu.

Several people surrounded Youyu, who kicked the football out of the crowd and passed it to Zheng Shaoyu.

Xiao Huaiting quickly blocked the ball, but Su Yun snatched it away just as it was about to reach Zheng Shaoyu's feet.

Zheng Shaoyu was furious: "Xiao Huaiting!"

Xiao Huaiting smiled and helplessly spread his hands, leaving Zheng Shaoyu, who was stomping his feet and putting his hands on his hips, behind him.

Just as they were celebrating and about to kick the ball, Youyu burst out from the encirclement of several people, sliding along the ground to kick the ball high into the air.

He was trying to steal the ball. In the struggle, Su Yun kicked the ball away, and with a powerful kick, the ball flew faster than an arrow towards the edge of the field.

Xiao Huaiting and Zheng Shaoyu didn't have time to worry about anything else and quickly stepped forward to block the ball.

The girls were startled and quickly backed away.

Xue Chan also took two steps back, but the crowd surged, and Xiao Yangjun, who was standing next to her, was pushed forward, and the football came straight at them.

Perhaps due to the shoving and the collision of shoulders and backs, Xiao Yangjun lost his footing on the stone steps and fell forward.

As she fell, she looked up and saw the football flying towards her.

"careful"

Cheng Huaizhu reached out to grab her, but Xiao Yangjun landed too quickly, and her hand slipped away.

Xiao Huaiting was shocked: "Lord Yang!"

He ran toward Xiao Yangjun, preparing to jump over the fence.

A pink figure leaped onto the peach tree in a few steps, used the momentum to step on it, and flew out along the branches of the peach tree.

He somersaulted in mid-air and hooked the ball back. With a single kick, the ball was sent flying into the opponent's goalpost.

Upon landing, only their robes fluttered in the wind.

As the gongs and drums sounded, the group of people, forgetting about winning or losing, all breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiao Yangjun's shoulder was supported by someone, and she leaned steadily against the other person's back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glimpse of green.

Someone helped her stand up, and Xiao Yangjun looked up, panting.

The woman supporting her was a round-faced, pretty maid: "Are you alright?"

Xiao Yangjun was still unsettled, but he nodded nonetheless.

The maid smiled, released her hand, and walked to Xue Chan's side.

She was bending down to brush away the dust that had gotten on her during the earlier chaos when Yun Sheng reached out and straightened her slightly disheveled clothes.

Inside the arena, Xiao Huaiting was supported by Su Yun's shoulder. Seeing that Xiao Yangjun was alright, she calmed down and Huaizhu and Zheng Tan comforted her.

The two of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xue Chan, who had just straightened her clothes, turned around and looked up, meeting their gazes directly.

Xue Chan recognized Xiao Huaiting at a glance as the young master who had grabbed her sleeve, while the other one was someone she had just passed by at Ningcui Tower.

However, she didn't recognize any of them, so she only glanced at them before disappearing back into the crowd.

Xiao Huaiting was somewhat taken aback, and a mixture of surprise and joy arose from his initial shock.

It's her, it's her again.

Standing beside him, Su Yun looked up at Xue Chan, who was already walking off the field with Xiao Yangjun, and seemed to be deep in thought.

He stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder: "Let's continue."

"good"

Xiao Huaiting nodded, lowered his head and smiled, a hint of determination in his expression.

Since she was able to enter the palace, she must be a girl from some family in the capital.

Perhaps he rarely goes out, or perhaps he is new to Beijing, so he has never seen him.

Xiao Huaiting thought with great anticipation.

After the football match ended, he went to ask his sister which family she belonged to.

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The author says: Every day at work consists of work, enduring, getting angry, getting furious, enduring again, when I can't take it anymore, arguing with the boss, losing my temper, and then leaving get off work.