Chapter 258 Polo
The Crown Prince's victory was a topic of much discussion. Now all the young men had finished shooting the willow, and the other outstanding soldiers and relatives had become mere background figures, not even comparable to the Crown Prince's two arrows.
Qi Yuxuan joined everyone in praising him, but when she looked up, she met the Crown Prince's gaze again.
This time she didn't avoid it. Before, she always avoided it, which made it seem like there was something between them. It was better to just look back openly.
Qi Jun nodded slightly to her and mouthed two words.
Qi Minying glanced at her brother and then at Qi Yuxuan, puzzled as to what kind of riddle they were playing.
The girls also set up a willow-shooting competition, but the distance was much shorter and the rules were simpler. Few people were interested in it. Apart from Zheng Yanling, only eight girls were ready to participate, including Chu Jiao, the granddaughter of the Prince of Runing.
She was dressed in pink riding attire, her most charming and lively outfit. Before dismounting, she glanced lightly at the Crown Prince, but he didn't notice at all, while Qi Yuxuan saw it clearly.
She recalled Chu Jiao from her previous life, who was beautiful and lively, and had a good reputation in the capital. Later, she became one of the more favored concubines in Qi Huan's palace. She was persecuted by Xiao Yuyao several times, but even so, Chu Jiao never took the initiative to harm anyone. She just became more and more cautious and stayed in one place.
It seems that Chu Jiao still wants to enter the palace to make a future in this life?
There were few girls, so they finished shooting after a few arrows. Except for Zheng Yanling, who shot through the gourd, the others didn't even get hit by it.
Next up is today's main event: polo.
The Crown Prince also took to the field, contrary to his usual behavior, and even asked to be assigned to the group of soldiers in the military camp.
Qi Yuxuan roughly understood his intention.
This is an attempt to win over the troops.
Even Zheng Yanling remembers the incident from five years ago clearly. It became a popular "anecdote" in the military camp. If the original impression is not broken, it will be difficult for the Crown Prince to gain the loyalty and trust of the soldiers.
They might still think that the crown prince is a figurehead who "lacks real talent and only knows how to use his power to intimidate others, forcing the one who tied for first place to admit to cheating."
Qi Yuxuan thought she had discovered the truth.
The polo match was divided into two teams. Since the Crown Prince was on one team with the soldiers, the other members of the imperial clan had to form their own team.
Playing polo under the scorching summer afternoon sun, everyone was sweating profusely in no time. As the game went on, one of the young men took off his outer robe, revealing his strong and lean upper body. Soon after, more and more men in the camp began to take off their outer garments.
They were all very young, and most of them were even participating in such an important polo match for the first time. They got so engrossed in the game that they disregarded the rules that had been set beforehand and followed the habits they had when playing polo in the military camp.
Between horseback chases and swinging clubs to hit the ball, Chu Heng frowned at the eager Zhang Xian and warned him:
"They are soldiers, so they can be so rough and unruly. If you don't want to leave an impression of being impolite in front of the Emperor and Empress Dowager, then you'd better put on your clothes properly!"
Zhang Xian: "..."
He hasn't said anything yet.
But Qi Jun, who was riding by, overheard these words.
Qi Jun raised an eyebrow and swept the field. Almost all the players on the field had taken off their outer clothes and were galloping around chasing the ball like they were having a blast in the dusty field. They didn't care about the spectators watching their game from the pavilion.
It is improper to do this when there are female guests present.
"Crown Prince!"
A young military officer in the same team suddenly called out to him, "Your Highness, it's hot. Why don't you take off your shirt like us? Otherwise, you'll suffer from heatstroke for several days!"
He may have meant well, but the gazes that followed his voice were not necessarily friendly.
Many people wanted to see if the Crown Prince would actually take off his shirt without any regard for etiquette, so that he could truly blend in with them.
Of course, if the crown prince is too proud of his status to take off his clothes, then it won't matter how many polo matches he plays with them.
However, no sooner had the military officer finished speaking than the referee suddenly raised his hand and stopped the match.
"The Princess has decreed that today's competition should be limited to a point, with entertainment as the primary goal and winning or losing as secondary. Everyone must be properly dressed, or they will be immediately withdrawn from the competition."
Qi Jun looked up and saw Qi Yuxuan sitting on the high platform. The princess had ordered her to keep her eyes down and not look at the polo field.
The room fell silent, followed by hushed discussions.
If it were the Emperor or the Crown Prince making such a request, they would naturally think that they didn't understand polo and that's why they liked to fuss over the so-called etiquette that these pedantic scholars liked. But it was the Eldest Princess who spoke—after all, she was a noblewoman with a bad temper and a female guest, so they still had to give her some face.
As for the many young men who secretly wanted to show off their upper bodies in front of the noble ladies, especially Princess Chang Le, they could only reluctantly put on their clothes.
Regardless of what others thought of her, the princess only let out a soft hum after seeing dozens of young men in the polo field obediently put on their clothes.
"Alright, Yuxuan, that's enough now."
Qi Yuxuan blinked and looked down.
She wasn't a proper fifteen-year-old girl; she was just a man in body. Not only had she seen peddlers and boatmen working shirtless in the sweltering summer heat several times when she was at the Ye family home, but she had also seen men's upper bodies many times after marrying Xie Tingzhou. There was absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
But in front of so many people, you can't just not put on an act.
After all, Zheng Yanling had already covered her eyes with her hands, although you could still see through her fingers.
"Oh dear, this is strange. I wonder who watched so many of these when she was young. She would get upset if I said a few words to her, but now that she has a daughter, she knows how to get angry!"
The Empress Dowager glanced sideways at the eldest princess and immediately launched into a sarcastic remark.
When talking about the past, the eldest princess became somewhat embarrassed.
"Mother, how can you expose my shortcomings in front of the children!"
When she was fifteen or sixteen, she not only watched people play polo from above, but she also went down to the field and played with dozens of shirtless men. When she got into the game, she would put her arm around a few of the boys. But now that she has a daughter, she can't tolerate even the slightest imperfection in her eyes as a mother.
For example, the former crown prince was one such example.
Although she initially spoke very nicely, every word she uttered was for the sake of the Crown Prince's reputation.
But she later laid her cards on the table: she didn't want Yuxuan to suffer in the palace. Look at how much humiliation the Empress had endured in the past twenty years! One minute she's a concubine, the next she's a beauty. She's not like an ordinary matriarch who can just sell someone off if she doesn't like them.
“I was young and naive back then, and I have now regretted it. I really shouldn’t have been so reckless.”
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