“But, shouldn’t we go hunting immediately?” Tokugawa Okubo said with slight surprise.
"No, we should start setting up the hunting grounds tomorrow. So how about we hold a game of Cuju this afternoon?" Fourth Master didn't have a good impression of the Ryukyuans, but this Okubo seemed quite humble, so he didn't dislike him for the time being.
“Then I shall respectfully comply. There will be twelve participants in the Cuju (ancient Chinese football) match. I have brought six attendants with me. And what about Prince Yong’s side?” Okubo asked.
"Don't worry about that. I have so many brothers. I can easily call a few of them, and they're all men," said the Fourth Prince.
After saying this, the two bowed and returned to their respective tents.
"What, Master, you want to play Cuju?" Lanqin had already returned and had just sat down to drink a cup of tea when she saw Fourth Master lift the curtain and come in.
"Hmm. And the Ryukyuans. I need to find five people. The third prince is weak and frail, but there's no one else, so let's make him one. The eighth and ninth princes are fine, but I'm afraid they won't be of one mind with me. The tenth and fourteenth princes are both good, and let's pick two more from the guards," said the Fourth Prince.
“Your Majesty, there’s no need to choose from the guards. Let the Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince go. As the saying goes, ‘like father, like son.’ The Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince may not be of one mind with you normally, but they dare not be on the opposite side at this time. Father is watching.” Lanqin said.
“Yes, you have a point. If they dare to be disunited in front of outsiders, Father Emperor will also be dissatisfied with them,” the Fourth Prince said.
Afterwards, Lanqin was in charge of organizing the "cheerleading squad," which meant calling on the wives of the princes from various households to participate in the first Cuju (ancient Chinese football) match between the Manchu princes and the Tokugawa family. In fact, for this hunt, the princes mostly brought their secondary wives or concubines; the primary wives generally didn't come, except for the Eighth Prince's wife. The primary wives stayed behind to manage the household, so the princes didn't bring their primary wives to such events. From this perspective, the primary wives were treated worse than the secondary wives. This time, both Lanqin and Lady Nian came, so the household affairs fell to the head nanny.
The Fourth Prince first went to Kangxi's tent to report the matter to Kangxi.
"Your Majesty, I would like to organize a football match with the Ryukyuans. The hunting trip for the two wives doesn't start until tomorrow, and there are no activities planned for the afternoon. How about a match? It would both showcase the power of our Great Qing and entertain our foreign guests," said the Fourth Prince.
After a moment's thought, Emperor Kangxi glanced at Liang Jiugong beside him before saying, "Fourth Prince, are you confident you can win? If we lose this football match, the morale of our Great Qing will be dampened by this game."
Liang Jiugong smiled without speaking. When he and the double came out again, the two had crammed a lot of knowledge about how to impersonate "Emperor Kangxi." The matter that the Fourth Prince had just mentioned was outside the scope of their rehearsal. So, "Kangxi" had wanted to ask Liang Jiugong for help, but Liang Jiugong didn't know whether he should agree. Fortunately, the double had been secretly trained by Kangxi for a few days and knew how to say these polite words.
"Your subject is confident. Your subject will do his utmost." Seeing that Kangxi seemed to have agreed, the Fourth Prince quickly expressed his determination.
After obtaining Emperor Kangxi's consent, the Fourth Prince went to each of his brothers' tents to discuss the matter. The Third Prince hesitated for a while before finally agreeing. He didn't like such strenuous exercise that caused him to sweat a lot, but since the Fourth Prince had taken the initiative to invite him, and his father already knew, he had no choice but to agree.
Upon hearing the Fourth Prince's invitation, the Tenth and Fourteenth Princes immediately expressed their willingness to attend without hesitation. The Fourth Prince placed the Eighth and Ninth Princes last. When they heard of the Fourth Prince's plan, although they didn't agree as quickly as the Tenth and Fourteenth Princes, they unsurprisingly agreed as well. After all, at this time, refusing would be tantamount to not considering themselves as citizens of the Qing Dynasty.
Soon, our fourth brother organized a Cuju (ancient Chinese football) team. He arranged with Tokugawa Okubo to start the official match at 3 PM. The field was already being set up; it was actually quite simple, just a rectangular field enclosed on the grass with a few wooden stakes. Then, cloths were used to reinforce the stakes to form goals.
To win this impromptu match, the Fourth Prince hastily finished his lunch and then summoned the six "players" to his tent to begin preparations. Lanqin's tent was also suddenly filled with distinguished guests: the Third Prince's concubine, Tian Ce Fujin; Lanqin's cousin, Shuhui; the Ninth Prince's concubine, Chu Ce Fujin; and even Lady Nian came to Lanqin's side. To entertain these people, Lanqin had to instruct Si Hua to bring out the milk tea she had supplied to serve them.
“Sister Niu, you said you wanted to organize a cheerleading squad. What is the purpose of this cheerleading squad?” Tian asked.
"Cheerleading is about cheering, cheering for our players," Lan Qin said.
“And what is a player?” Shuhui asked.
"They're the men. They're playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football) against the Ryukyuans. Cuju is a ball, so the people who kick it are the 'players'," Lanqin patiently explained to the Manchu noblewomen.
"That's really strange, this is the first time I've ever heard of it," said Consort Chu.
“I don’t find it strange at all. My father told me before that this kind of Cuju was very popular in the Northern Song Dynasty. But we don’t play it much,” said Madam Tian.
"The Ryukyuans' clothing is really strange, especially the men's. Their hair is absolutely hideous," Shuhui couldn't help but remark.
“Indeed, but the woman next to him is dressed very beautifully,” said Madam Nian.
"Alright, alright, let's stop gossiping about other people's hair and clothes. I invited everyone here for a serious matter. We'll cheer them on then. Seeing everyone's support will make us men even more excited. To avoid making things awkward for everyone, I suggest you all offer up your maids," Lanqin said.
"A maid?" Madam Tian glanced at Lanqin and said. She had always felt that it was somewhat improper for a prince's concubine to shout so loudly, but now that a maid was being used, she felt it was alright.
The others shared the same concerns. They were used to being served by maids and living a life of luxury; how could they possibly lower themselves to shout and scream? But after hearing Lanqin's words, all their worries disappeared.
"You mean to have the maids form a cheerleading squad? That's a good idea," Lady Nian suggested.
Lanqin nodded and said, "Then it's decided. Please bring your maids back. We'll form a small team and teach them some cheering slogans and actions."
In a short while, the maids of these concubines were gathered together. There were five concubines, and ten maids in total, which made up two cheering squads.
Looking at their excited little faces, Lanqin imagined the scene of Fourth Master and the others playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football) on the field, with the maids raising their little fists and shouting encouragement. Actually, she herself wanted to join in, but she was worried about being criticized for being improper, so she had to give up.
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