Chapter 67 067 Ignoring him for the first time, she ran towards Yue Hong…
The Spartan tradition of valuing warriors has remained unchanged in Yongguo for many years. It's commonplace for nobles to hold competitions in horsemanship, archery, hunting, and polo. Polo, combining horsemanship with the art of football, has always been a spectacular event. The annual polo matches are held in Langya Mountain, attracting concubines, princesses, and noblewomen to watch the games, creating an unprecedentedly grand spectacle.
However, this time, since the threat to Consort Xie had not yet been eliminated, the more open the place, the more difficult it was to ensure safety in all directions. To avoid this, the Emperor ordered the competition to be moved to the Taiqing Palace in the Imperial Palace.
.
The day of the competition arrived in the blink of an eye.
The sky was clear and the autumn air was crisp and refreshing.
The morning sun shines on the majestic palace gardens, illuminating the glazed roof ornaments.
Early in the morning, Lu Yuanyuan, Huang Ying, and Cui'er accompanied Consort Xie to Taiqing Palace.
Despite its name ending in "palace," this place is actually a flat, open-air area, roughly the size of five or six football fields. A palace garden with red walls and yellow tiles surrounds the area, providing a place for people to rest and change clothes.
Lu Yuanyuan knew that this was the training ground for the princes and princesses of Yong Kingdom to practice archery and martial arts. When the original owner of her body first arrived in Yong Kingdom, she was also sent here for training. However, for her, the memories left here were anything but interesting. On her very first day, the noble children of Yong Kingdom bullied her, nailing her sleeve to an archery target and using her as a target for their amusement.
Although these noblemen knew their limits and were skilled archers, they ultimately did not harm the original owner. However, the original owner still developed a high fever and lay listlessly in bed for half a month.
That day, Taiqing Palace was set up as a polo field, and the archery targets that were originally placed in the center of the field were all taken away. A thick wooden fence enclosed an open space in the middle. A high platform was erected on the east side, with brocade hanging down, to serve as a spectator stand, and stoves were already lit inside.
For security reasons, not only was the venue moved to the palace today, but the participants were also thoroughly screened. The contestants were all princes, sons of nobles, or young close advisors to the emperor, and their groups were determined by drawing lots. The spectators consisted entirely of imperial concubines and princesses; no female relatives of ministers were allowed, to prevent strangers from blending in unnoticed. After all, the female relatives of ministers mostly lived secluded lives, and even if someone were to impersonate another, outsiders would have no way of knowing.
On the high seat, the emperor had already arrived and was holding a cup of wine, conversing with a minister. Upon seeing Consort Xie, he smiled and said, "My beloved consort has arrived."
Consort Xie returned the smile and gracefully took her seat beside the Emperor. Although the coronation ceremony was not yet completed, her status and treatment were already no different from those of a true Empress.
Lu Yuanyuan followed and suddenly saw an uninvited guest—Duan Lansheng, dressed as an ordinary guard, standing behind the emperor. The palace guards' uniforms were all maroon, a color Duan Lansheng rarely wore. Yet, it suited him surprisingly well. His face was like fine jade, and the red robes accentuated his red lips and white teeth, giving him a radiant glow rarely seen before.
People often say that even when dressed in a dragon robe, one doesn't look like a prince; even when dressed as a guard, one doesn't look like an extra.
He had only been standing there for a short while when many eyes began to sweep over him, both openly and secretly. The princesses, their faces hidden behind thin fans inlaid with pearls, whispered among themselves, discussing where this young guard, whom they had never seen before, had been promoted from.
Duan Lansheng had exceptional hearing and must have heard it. But he seemed unconcerned about others' voices, his head slightly lowered, his face expressionless.
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
Those unfamiliar with Duan Lansheng would likely be intimidated by his serious demeanor and praise him for being focused and unaffected by external influences. Unlike her, who had at least shared a bed with him, she could tell at a glance that he was daydreaming.
He was spacing out, which was unusual for him.
Hearing the sound of footsteps on the steps, Duan Lansheng suddenly turned his head to look over. Perhaps it was the shadow under the brocade canopy that blocked the sunlight, but there were faint dark circles under his eyes, as if he had something on his mind.
Lu Yuanyuan made eye contact with him briefly, then casually sat down diagonally below Consort Xie, a question mark rising in her mind.
According to the arrangements she and Huang Ying knew, the person acting as the bodyguard today should have been another Shushan disciple. Why was someone else changed at the last minute?
It has to be said, art truly imitates life; no wonder undercover agents in crime films always look like ordinary faces that blend into a crowd and disappear. Being too eye-catching makes it difficult to do anything discreetly.
Lu Yuanyuan composed herself and looked down. From this position, she could take in the entire venue.
The two groups of people outside the wooden fence had already drawn lots and assembled. One group of boys wore red round-necked hunting suits, and the other group wore the same style of dark blue hunting suits. After warming up, they all mounted their horses. As expected, Lu Yuanyuan saw Yue Hong among them. He seemed to be the leader of the red team, and the boys followed his lead. The captain of the blue team was a young man in fine clothes, tall and stout, riding a horse that was quite different from the others, with its hooves pawing the snow and its mane very long.
The man's face looked familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before. Lu Yuanyuan stared at him for a moment, then suddenly realized that he matched the man's face with that of the Second Prince from her memory.
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
Is the food too good? In just three years, this guy has gained so much weight that he's practically a plus version.
With such a lack of attention to body management, no wonder he can only play minor roles and can't even become a potential male lead!
Seeing that she was staring at the Second Prince, Cui'er whispered some gossip to her: "I heard that His Highness the Second Prince's mount is a wild horse that he tamed from the grasslands. It has a very fierce temperament. No one except His Highness is allowed to ride on its back, or even touch it."
Lu Yuanyuan chuckled dryly, and for some reason, she heard the song "The horse-taming man is mighty and strong" in her ears.
With the ringing of the bell, the competition officially began.
Today, there won't be any dramatic scenes of Shu Mountain disciples getting involved and stealing the spotlight. First, they're busy working. Second, it would be too unfair for cultivators to participate. Other people swing their moon staffs like they're playing ball; if cultivators swing their staffs, the ball they knock off could probably knock down the goalposts. Lu Yuanyuan can comfortably be a spectator today.
Today's contestants are all skilled in archery and horsemanship. They not only have to control their horses but also score points with the ball. The competition is intense and thrilling, keeping everyone's adrenaline pumping and completely captivating. Lu Yuanyuan now understands why royalty and nobility love to join in the excitement as spectators.
What surprised Lu Yuanyuan the most was that the Second Prince, riding that horse, was jolting so hard that his belly was shaking, yet he was still charging forward quite bravely.
Playing ball is like fighting a war; both require tactics. Sitting above, Lu Yuanyuan could vaguely discern that Yue Hong's team wasn't just charging recklessly, but employing some kind of tactic, and their teamwork was excellent. As a result, the score was close for a moment, but the red team began to take the lead.
The more tense the moment, the more likely something bad will happen. Just when everyone was holding their breath over the score, an accident suddenly occurred—Yue Hong collided with the Second Prince. In the heat of the moment, someone's moon staff snagged on the railing. Before anyone could see what happened, Yue Hong rolled over and landed on the ground.
Suddenly, people around cried out in surprise, "Your Highness!"
"Your Highness, Third Prince!"
"Hong'er!"
Compared to the horses trained in the palace, the second prince's horse was clearly not yet fully subservient to its new master. The collision aroused its wildness; with a neigh, it leaped over the railing, took off running towards the crowd, and charged toward the high platform where the emperor was. Instantly, chaos erupted among the crowd; palace maids scattered and fled, while guards, armed with spears, tried to force the horse back halfway.
Amidst the jolting, the second prince clung tightly to his horse's neck. Upon seeing the spearhead, his face paled, and he roared, "Don't hurt my beloved steed!"
The emperor stood up and shouted, "Guards! Stop the horses!"
A gust of wind brushed past the Second Prince's temples. His vision blurred, and before he could even see how the other person had gotten on, he felt another person on his horse. Startled, he turned around and saw Duan Lansheng sitting behind him with a slight frown, his legs tightly gripping the horse's flanks, his hand precisely grasping the reins and pulling them back. The horse neighed and changed course, charging towards the goal.
"Help me off the horse, don't hurt it—ahhh!"
The horse slowed its pace as it galloped, and Duan Lansheng swiftly and steadily grabbed the prince by the collar, taking the opportunity to dismount with the Second Prince. In the momentum, the two inevitably tumbled together, crashing into the goal with a thud. But the impact was much less severe than if the Second Prince had fallen on his own, not to mention there was a cushion beneath him.
Exclamations and footsteps rose and fell once more: "Your Highness, Second Prince!"
"Summon the imperial physician immediately!"
...
All of this happened in an instant. Consort Xie stood up anxiously, craning her neck to see Yue Hong's condition. Huang Ying and Cui'er were beside her.
Lu Yuanyuan quickly ran down the platform. As fate would have it, she was right in the middle. To her left was Yue Hong, surrounded by palace servants, his situation unclear. To her right, the Second Prince, like a clumsy frog, lay upside down, groaning as several palace servants grabbed his arms.
Duan Lansheng's publicly stated identity at this time was merely that of a guard, so naturally he went unnoticed and was ignored. He also seemed to dislike being so close to the Second Prince, withdrawing his hand and sitting up. But soon, his figure was swallowed up by the palace servants.
Lu Yuanyuan stopped in her tracks, hesitated slightly, and then quickly walked towards Yue Hong's location. She pushed through the crowd, squeezed to the innermost part, and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing him.
Yue Hong hadn't broken any arms or legs. He was used to riding horses and knew how to use his momentum when he rolled off, so he had already recovered from the impact. Lu Yuanyuan was only worried about his newly healed wounds, so she quickly squatted down and asked, "Are you alright? Does it hurt here?"
Yue Hong smoothed his loose hair and said nonchalantly, "It doesn't hurt, I should be fine."
With such an accident, the polo match had to be suspended. The most esteemed prince of Yong Kingdom had fallen from his horse; it was no simple matter for him to be unharmed. Consort Xie, both reproachful and distressed, urged the imperial physician to examine him, and secretly squeezed Lu Yuanyuan's hand, inviting her to come along.
Fortunately, after examining Yue Hong in a palace next to Taiqing Palace, the imperial physician again concluded that there was no problem. Meanwhile, the Second Prince was also unharmed.
The palace servants brought hot water and helped them change out of their clothes and boots that had gotten dirty on the floor. Since the women couldn't stay, and Lu Yuanyuan saw there was nothing else for her to do, she remembered that Duan Lansheng had also fallen from his horse. Although the fall certainly wouldn't have injured him in the slightest, she decided to go check on him, considering she was his "friend."
With so many eyes watching, and the act having to be convincing, Duan Lansheng had just gone to the palace maids' changing room. The palace maids' changing and resting place was completely different from the bright palace rooms where the princes groomed themselves; it was quiet and rather dim.
Lu Yuanyuan went outside, but couldn't hear anything. She took a breath and knocked on the door with her knuckles: "Lansheng, are you in there?"
...
Duan Lansheng took off his outer garment, stood in front of the basin, wrung out his handkerchief, and coldly wiped his dirty neck. Ripples spread in the basin, but his mind was no longer on it; his chest felt tight and heavy.
He was always in the habit of analyzing his own emotions, and he abhorred anything beyond his control and plans. But this time, he couldn't find a reasonable explanation for his agitation.
It all started with the appearance of a man named Yue Hong.
Since this person appeared, he felt a sense of crisis for the first time that his advantage was about to be taken away—this person came from Lu Yuanyuan's past, which he had never experienced, and shared a secret with her. Since this person appeared, Lu Yuanyuan, who had always listed him as her first choice, chose to ignore him for the first time after weighing the two options, and ran towards Yue Hong.
She herself said that he was her most important friend, so why should she let others surpass him?
In the half-month he'd been in Yong, he'd heard quite a bit about Lu Yuanyuan's past when she was still a princess of Yan. That person had clearly bullied her with so many noble children, so why was she willing to forgive and forget?
Is it because that person is a mortal and appears weaker?
If that person didn't exist, if things could be like they were in his consciousness back then, with only him and Lu Yuanyuan in the world, and everyone else being an illusion, wouldn't he never have to worry about these things again?
What she couldn't understand even more was her own heart. She had already reached the pinnacle of her social standing, unable to go any further, yet why did she still feel it wasn't enough, why was her heart still screaming with discontent?
Duan Lansheng's knuckles turned white as he crumpled the cloth into a ball. His eyelashes trembled slightly, and his eyes held an unprecedented level of obscurity and confusion.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Duan Lansheng snapped out of his daze, looked up, and saw a familiar figure appear on the window paper.
...
Lu Yuanyuan waited outside for a while before hearing a low reply: "I'm here."
"Then I'll come in."
She pushed open the door, and a sliver of light entered the dimly lit palace room. Stepping inside, she never expected to see Duan Lansheng lying on the bed, listlessly propping his head up with his hand.
This scene was truly beyond her expectations. Lu Yuanyuan was taken aback: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
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