Chapter 23 Cuju Festival (I)

Shen Yuan knew that her father had been a little worried ever since she had the secret. If she knew that her colleague, Lord Xie, had investigated her in private, her father would probably not be able to sleep well at night.

"It's due! Have you eaten yet? Am I right? Here... Eh? Who is this?"

The visitor was wearing the same color official uniform as Lord Xie, and his eyes kept wandering between the two of them as soon as he came in.

Xie Hui nodded slightly to Shen Yuan, and then told Zhou Zhongan to leave, "My colleague's daughter, let's go."

Zhou Zhongan hadn't reacted yet. He was still wondering whose daughter Shen Yuan was, and why she was meeting Xie Hui here. "Where are you going? Don't you want to eat?"

"I've finished eating. Didn't you say there were witnesses to the fourth arson case? Ask again." While Xie Hui was speaking, he had already walked to the door. Zhou Zhongan had no choice but to bow to Shen Yuan as a greeting and chased after Xie Hui.

"Yes, what's going on?"

"What's going on?"

"Are you playing dumb with me?" Zhou Zhongan snorted coldly, "When have you ever been so close to a girl? And you're talking about a colleague's daughter? You've only worked with your colleague from the Dali Temple for a few days, and you even know his daughter? I haven't seen you do anything in a few days."

Xie replied helplessly, "The girl is only fourteen years old."

Xie Hui knew that if he didn't explain it clearly today, Zhou Zhongan would show up at home later today, even before tomorrow, and tell his mother the story in an exaggerated way. After Zhou Zhongan told him about it, his mother would have to start preparing the betrothal gifts tomorrow.

Who would have thought that when Zhou Zhongan heard this, he exclaimed, "You still say it doesn't matter?! You even know that she is fourteen years old. Thank you, thank you, I really misjudged you in the past."

"If Lord Su knew that his subordinates cared so much about others, he would definitely be very pleased."

Zhou Zhongan was suddenly speechless. "Okay, okay, I won't say anything!"

The Lord Su that Xie Hui mentioned is the current Jingzhao Yin, and also a good friend of Zhou Zhongan's father. If Lord Su finds out that Zhou Zhongan does not do his job properly, he will report him to his father.

After Shen Yuan thanked him and left, she let out a long sigh. She had almost finished the dishes on the table, so she planned to go home.

On the way home, Shen Yuan said to Bai Zhi, "Bai Zhi, don't tell anyone about what happened today when you get home."

"Yes, girl."

She had only caught a quick glimpse of him last time at the Dali Temple, but today she finally got to see clearly what the elegant and graceful Lord Xie her father had described looked like.

It turns out that God is really not fair. It is not enough to give him a good family background, but he also gave him a good face. The ugly official uniform looks brighter on him than on others.

"Why are you sighing, girl?"

Shen Yuan then realized that he had sighed unconsciously while thinking, "Nothing, just sighing."

In the following days, Shen Yuan either learned how to do accounting from his sister-in-law or went back to his room to look at the legends he had bought last time.

This book of pity and fragrance tells the story of two beautiful women who were forced to marry an ugly wealthy businessman. Both of them disliked their fat and ugly husbands, and at the beginning they both thought about how to leave. Of course, under the pressure of the wealthy businessman's power, they tried every means but were still trapped in the backyard. The two poor women actually sympathized with each other in the process.

Later, the wealthy businessman was robbed and killed while he was out doing business. After that, the two wives of the wealthy businessman stepped forward to take charge of the situation. Not only did they make the family business better, they also adopted orphans from the side branches together, and the family lived a happy and complete life.

At first Shen Yuan did not think that the most popular legend in the capital city today would be such a story, and he did not know whether the story of the talented scholar and the beautiful lady had become outdated.

In the blink of an eye, it was already April, and she had to take off another layer of clothes. Shen Yuan had almost never left the house recently, and it was only when her father reminded her that she remembered about the Cuju match.

The competition was scheduled for the sixth day of April and was held in the parade ground of the City Defense Command in the south of the city. The parade ground was used for martial arts performances, so there were stands on all four sides, which could accommodate thousands of people when fully occupied, making it very convenient for watching the competition.

In this dynasty, each team of Cuju has 12 players, including a goalkeeper. The rules of the game are actually very simple. Players have to find a way to kick the ball into the opponent's goal while also guarding their own goal. The game is divided into two halves, with each half lasting two quarters of an hour. After that, there is a break for an incense stick of time before the second half begins. At the end of the game, the team that scores more goals wins.

On the sixth day of the New Year, the sky was clear. Shen Yuan was still yawning when he got up. He sat in front of the dressing table and let Qingdai play with him.

"Girl, would you like to wear your hair in the same bun you wore last time?"

Shen Yuan didn't even raise his eyelids, "Okay."

After combing her hair, Qingdai drew Shen Yuan's eyebrows and applied lip balm.

"The girl looks good, no need to put on makeup, this is just right."

Shen Yuan's complexion was fair with a hint of red. The makeup she used only concealed her good complexion. She only used a little bit of lip balm and lightly dotted it on her lips to make it even better.

"Manman looks so beautiful today."

"Sister-in-law is also beautiful!" Shen Yuan narrowed her eyes. She had never dressed like this before. She was careful about the lip balm on her lips and even smiled cautiously.

But later Shen Yuan had breakfast with his sister-in-law, and the lip balm on his lips disappeared in just two sips. Before leaving, he asked Qingdai to reapply it again.

The Emperor and Empress will also be present at today's Cuju match, so the ministers in the court will naturally accompany them. However, they still have to report to the government office in the morning, so Shen Yuan will not go with her father.

The carriage stopped far away from the parade ground. Of course, it wasn't just her family's carriage that stopped there. Shen Yuan got off the carriage and looked around. There was a traffic jam in front of her, with all kinds of carriages, some luxurious and some simple.

He Ying asked her coachman to move the carriage further away, so that they would not be stuck if more carriages came from behind.

"What's wrong with you? You don't even know how to catch a car? Don't do anything in the mansion when you go back today!"

Shen Yuan and his sister-in-law got off the car early and walked to the parade ground. Just as they saw the fence of the parade ground, they heard the angry voice.

The girl in brocade clothes opened the curtain and started yelling at the driver. Maybe she was so angry that even the golden hairpin on her head began to shake.

Shen Yuan looked ahead and felt that her anger was unreasonable. Looking at the scene ahead, no one could get through unless the horse grew wings.

Passing through the crowded crowd, Shen Yuan finally saw the inside of the parade ground. The whole parade ground was like a big bowl. The concave area in the middle was where today's game would be held. The ground was rammed flat, with a red line drawn in the middle and boundaries drawn around it. There was a wooden frame on each side as a goal.

The Emperor and Empress, as well as all the nobles and ladies, came to watch the game today, so almost everyone in the Nanwei City Division was outside maintaining order. Not only that, they also transferred personnel from the Imperial Guards.

"Sister-in-law, I saw my father." Shen Yuan had sharp eyes and saw his father standing among a group of ministers not long after he came in.

Of course, when she looked over to her father, she saw Xie Hui dressed in black.

Shen Yuan went over and called him "Dad", and then obediently bowed to all the adults around his father. This was outside, and it was time to put the few etiquettes he had learned in the past into practice. However, her sister-in-law did the same movements gracefully and beautifully, and she could only say that she did it...

However, all the officials in the Dali Temple had kind faces and greeted them warmly.

When Shen Yuan saluted, he saw Xie Hui's attire clearly. He was wearing a black suit, presumably the team uniform for today's game. He had a belt of the same color tied around his waist and his cuffs were tightly tied. Compared to his previous loose official uniforms, this one set off his upright posture better. In addition, the black clothes made his face look as white as jade.

Standing among the adults in the red official uniforms of the Dali Temple, she was like a crane standing out among chickens. Of course, her father was definitely not a chicken, Shen Yuan added in her heart.

No one knows a daughter better than her father. Shen Yun immediately noticed that his daughter's eyes seemed to stay on Xie Hui for a little too long, and he coughed lightly.