At this time, no one cared about his gambling at such a young age.
Qin Yuan glanced at him only, intending to remember it and talk about it later.
In the middle of the field, Gu Jinghui suddenly turned around to face the stands. Everyone looked towards the stands and realized that they didn't know when the stands had been opened.
A large group of people surrounded a bright yellow figure as he ascended to the top.
Then, Old Wang's shrill voice rang out.
"His Majesty has arrived. All officials, please quickly tidy your clothes and pay your respects according to your rank. Do not be disrespectful."
"Even the Emperor has been alerted!" Master Gu exclaimed softly.
Qin Siyuan tugged at his clothes from the side, and only then did Master Gu realize what was happening. He hurriedly dismounted and knelt down to pay his respects to the others.
Everyone inside and outside the arena knelt on the ground and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" three times before rising as ordered.
The Emperor said, “Everyone knows that I love playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football). I heard that Yelü, the hostage, and the Marquis of Dingbei were fighting here, so I came to watch. You all need not be so reserved.”
Gu Jinghui hurriedly said, "It is our honor to have His Majesty the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the other princes and princesses come to watch. We will do our utmost to fight."
The crowd shouted in unison, "We will fight with all our might!"
Yelü Guzha also shouted loudly, "Your subject will fight with all his might!"
The Yelü warriors behind him also cheered him on.
The Emperor was overjoyed and said, "Seeing that you ministers are in such high spirits, I will also join in the fun. It would be no fun without a prize, so I will add some excitement for you."
"Old King, give the order: bestow a python robe and jade belt upon the leader of the victorious team, and a qilin robe upon the rest."
This statement caused an uproar among the crowd.
The python robe was the highest-ranking bestowed garment, second only to the dragon robe.
The Qilin robe was the official robe of dukes, marquises, sons-in-law, and earls, and was often bestowed by the imperial court upon officials of the fourth or fifth rank as a sign of favor.
It is clear that the Emperor has made a significant move, and is also making it clear to Gu Jinghui that he must win.
General Jin and his men's eyes gleamed with greed; they wished they could pin their opponents to the ground and beat them so they could earn the Qilin robe for their descendants to admire.
Yelü Guzha's eyes were gloomy, and his knuckles were white as he gripped the reins tightly.
Gu Jinghui said, "Your Majesty's grace is boundless. We will do our utmost, use all our skills and abilities, and strive to be the first to achieve this, so as not to fail Your Majesty's great favor."
Yelü Guzha also said, "My thoughts are no different from those of the Marquis of Dingbei."
"good!"
The Emperor clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "Then let's begin. Let me see for myself."
After three gong strikes, the second polo match officially began.
Previously, when General Jin saw that Lord Gu was not riding the Snow-Treading Black Steed, he was secretly worried. But seeing Lord Gu charging left and right as if there was no one there, he couldn't help but give him a thumbs up in his heart: "No one can match Lord Gu's bravery."
Even without a fine horse, Lord Gu is still Lord Gu.
They were used to working together in the army, and only needed a gesture or a glance to know what to do. Furthermore, because the emperor had added a prize, implying that only success was allowed and failure was not permitted, everyone strived to be the first.
For a time, Yelü Guzha and his men were blocked from moving.
Originally, they wanted to trap Lord Gu, but after Lord Gu charged and retreated several times, he made another turn, and somehow, they ended up in complete chaos.
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, General Jin successfully intercepted the polo ball from the Yelü team. With a single shovel stroke, he lifted the polo ball up, and the small wooden ball seemed to be stuck to his club, rolling back and forth from the top to the handle without falling off.
The Yelü clan members who were surrounding the area were so anxious that they started shouting and yelling.
Gu Jinghui whistled, and General Jin whirled his baton around like a whirlwind, and with a whoosh, it came over.
Hearing the wind, Lord Gu touched the saddle with his toes and gently extended the pole to strike the wooden ball, which landed perfectly in the calm and breezy air.
The wooden ball went straight toward the goal, accompanied by a loud whooshing sound.
Because of the clever placement of Lord Gu's crescent moon clubhead, the wooden ball, after entering the goal, did not go straight in, but instead veered sideways past the guard's shoulder and into the hole.
This is truly an unbelievable perspective.
The goalkeeper stood frozen in shock amidst the thunderous cheers.
The referee shouted, "Daxing wins!"
After striking the gong, they also placed a flag on the flagpole.
"Excellent!" The Emperor put down his telescope and exclaimed, "Wonderful, truly wonderful! One can only imagine how Marquis Dingbei trains his troops on a daily basis."
Old Wang chimed in, "Otherwise, how could they have driven the Yelü clan away?"
"Hahaha," the emperor laughed heartily.
King Qi remarked from the side, "Taking advantage of the momentum, he leaped and hurled the ball through the air, striking hundreds of times in succession. His horse galloped on relentlessly, swift as lightning. Truly marvelous!"
The Emperor nodded and said, "The army uses this to train its soldiers. Their skills are proficient and their coordination is excellent, which shows how diligent Marquis Dingbei is in training his troops."
The prince said listlessly, "If I could ride like that, my life would not have been in vain."
The Emperor's smile faded, and he called him by his childhood name, saying, "Changsheng, the Master has divined your destiny. If you get through these next few years, your health will improve, and you might even be able to play polo with the Marquis of Dingbei. At that time, I will entrust the empire to you, and you will surely ensure a hundred years of peace and stability for the Great Xing Dynasty."
"If only that were the case."
The crown prince looked longingly at the training ground.
"If that day ever comes, I will definitely find the best grassland and fight the Marquis of Dingbei."
The Emperor said firmly, "My son will have it."
The expressions of the people standing on the stands varied. Prince Jin and Prince Qishan exchanged a glance, a secret smile playing on their lips. A flash of disdain crossed Prince Qi's eyes before he lowered them.
On the field, Gu Jinghui scored another goal.
The Yelü clan members were losing their temper and became furious.
Seeing this, Yelü Guzha quickly blew his whistle for communication, sending messages in short and long whistles.
General Jin reined in his horse, ran close to Gu Jinghui, and whispered, "Yelü the hostage is about to change tactics."
Lord Gu nodded and said, "If they cut to my side later, you pass the ball to Xiao Tao and let him hit the backhand shot."
General Jin chuckled: "Excellent, that's it."
As expected, the Yelü clan were wary of General Jin and Lord Gu, and tried every means to stop General Jin from stealing the ball. However, General Jin, though clumsy, was very agile.
Even if several people surrounded and blocked him, they couldn't take the ball off his cue.
As the horses were locked in a stalemate, General Jin's crescent moon pole swung unsteadily. The others rushed to grab it, and General Jin, in a panic, shoved the ball to a middle-aged man who was not being watched.
General Jin shouted, "Hey!"
This direction is opposite to the direction from which Daxing scored.
The Yelü clan became active.
The middle-aged man seemed somewhat flustered as he raised the stick to strike.
Everyone watching from the sidelines thought, "Oh no, oh no!"
On the stands, the emperor squinted anxiously, as if that would give him the strength to exert himself.
The middle-aged man's cue stick struck the wooden ball at an angle.
The loud banging sound rang out again.
The ball flew out again with a loud whooshing sound.
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