0093 Guanyin Swallow (VI)
Qin Mi was changing into her football outfit in the yurt surrounded by brocade tents when Qin Youan rushed in. Qin Mi was putting on her turban when Qin Youan called out "Cousin!" and nearly dropped her football stick.
Fortunately, Qin Mi recognized the person first, then frowned and put down her polo stick, saying, "You'an, what are you shouting about?"
Qin Youan, filled with righteous indignation, recounted everything that had just happened, and concluded by saying, "My cousin is a true heroine, how could she be insulted like this? That's why I took it upon myself to accept their provocation, and I earnestly hope that my cousin will accept the challenge."
Qin Mi hesitated for a moment, but a burly woman behind him urged, "Young general, what are you hesitating for? Being afraid to fight is not how you acted back in Liangzhou. No matter if he is the son of the Zheng family or a young master, how could he possibly pass you three times on horseback?"
"It's not because we're afraid of the game," Qin Mi smiled, "but because we originally agreed to play polo with the ladies of Chang'an, and now we're going to go back on our word. Wouldn't that be like breaking our promise?"
Qin Youan spoke frankly: "This is easy to handle. If I remember correctly, the lady in charge in Chang'an is the second lady of the Shu family. Just go and tell her to send a few people from there, and then you cousins can send a few more from your side. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"
"That's what we'll do!" Qin Youan turned and ran out of the yurt.
No one expected that as soon as Qin Youan lifted the curtain, he would see a young girl standing outside.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on your conversation,” Shu Fu said apologetically. “It’s just that the ladies over there are all ready, so I came to urge Lady Qin.”
Shu Fu bowed in apology, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards the inner room, where she naturally bumped into Qin Mi.
What a capable wife!
She had never seen such a woman before. Just standing there, she made her think of the endless snow at night beyond the Great Wall and the towering green mountains above the pass. She was unlike any of the girls in Chang'an; she possessed a completely different kind of charm.
"So you are Shu Erniang?"
Shufu nodded slightly.
Qin Youan then said naturally, "It's best that you're here. Since you heard what was just said, just say yes or no."
...
Zheng Yuanzhu had been thinking about playing polo, and soon he had gathered a team, who rode on Gao Jun's back, waiting for Qin Mi and the others to accept the challenge.
Seeing that no one had arrived yet, Zheng Yuanzhu's previously feigned confidence immediately swelled up, and he sneered at Qin Youan, who had returned earlier: "Young lady Qin, why hasn't your so-called 'invincible' elder sister come to fight yet? Is she perhaps afraid of us 'spoiled brats'?"
Qin Youan snorted coldly: "The one who is truly cowardly is yet to be seen."
She still looked down on him.
Zheng Yuanzhu had never been looked down upon like this since birth. His face turned pale again. He pursed his lips as if to say something, but Qin Youan turned her gaze and waved her hand behind him.
"Cousin—"
Zheng Yuanzhu turned around following Qin Youan's gaze and saw a group of four young women riding towards them. Most people recognized two of them as Li Miao and Shu Fu, while the other two were somewhat unfamiliar; they were probably from Liangzhou.
A young man surnamed Liu behind Zheng Yuanzhu noticed a young woman wearing a "four" draped over her shoulders and clicked his tongue in amazement: "Brother Zheng, look at that number four from Liangzhou. She's probably even more robust than any of us. If they were to fight, it's really hard to say who would win..."
"Silence!" Zheng Yuanzhu gritted his teeth. "Why boost the enemy's morale and diminish our own? They're just a few girls. Are you afraid of them?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Langjun quickly composed himself, his face showing his dejection, and focused on preparing for the battle.
If polo is played in the army or at the Moon Lantern Pavilion, a reward plaque must be set up on the sidelines, and the horses can only be driven to chase the ball after the Shence Army officer has read the reward plaque.
This time, the competition was held in a villa, and many of the procedures were simplified. Only the maids on the sidelines were allowed to beat drums and make music, creating a loud and rhythmic atmosphere.
Zheng Yuanzhu glanced at the seven-jeweled ball on the ground and said, "The ball is here. We are all men, so let the princess and you lift the ball first."
Li Miao glanced at him, then, without saying a word, picked up her moon staff and struck the ball.
All eyes turned to the small ball. Zheng Yuanzhu spurred his horse to chase after it, shouting, "Sang Wu, you cover my retreat while I go for the ball!"
The young man named Sang Wu wore number four and was taller than the others. He played the position of defender on the field. Upon hearing Zheng Yuanzhu's loud shout, he immediately rode over.
Seeing Shu Fu and Qin Mi chasing after the ball together, he spurred his horse and rode alongside them.
Crossing across the polo field to stop the opponent's attack is not allowed, but blocking from the side or interfering with the opponent's attack with a cane is permissible.
Sang Wu, confident in his tall stature, believed that dealing with the two women would be no problem. He immediately squeezed his legs together, forcing his horse to suddenly rise above them by half a body length, while simultaneously extending his moon staff in an attempt to intercept their catch.
But he never expected that Qin Mi's movements would be so swift and agile. It was as if she had seen through his thoughts a step earlier. She immediately pulled on the reins and dodged to the side, her moon staff narrowly avoiding him, and steadily caught the ball that Li Miao had served earlier.
"Good!" Several outgoing women stood up from under the shade of the shed by the field and knelt down in unison to cheer.
One of them said, "Madam Qin is amazing! How did she do that? She managed to make the horse stand up on its own two feet! I've been learning to ride for four or five years, but I don't have that skill."
The other person replied, "Do you think Lady Qin is just a pretty face like you? She's the daughter of General Qin Yuting, the governor of Liangzhou, a true heroine who has fought on the battlefield!"
The man exclaimed "Ah!" and, without asking any further questions, continued to observe the situation on the field.
"fool!"
Disturbed by the cheers from the sidelines, Zheng Yuanzhu was filled with hatred. He didn't bother to curse Sang Wu anymore and spurred his horse toward Qin Mi, intending to use his ball-handling stick to snatch the ball away.
"Shu Er, catch!" Qin Mi's eyes sharpened, and she sidestepped Zheng Yuanzhu, knocking the ball away.
Shufu heard the sound and moved towards the ball, riding her horse.
Liu Langjun, wearing the number three armor on Zheng Yuanzhu's side, was also influenced by these words and immediately wanted to spur his horse to go and intercept Shu Fu.
But at that moment, a shadow suddenly fell over his eyes. When he looked up, he saw the woman number four from Liangzhou, whom he had been afraid of before.
“You…” He stammered, glancing at Shu Fu’s retreating figure as if she were about to catch the ball, and immediately decided to follow her with all his might.
Little did he know that the woman's height and strength were beyond his expectations. With a shout of "Giddy up!" she imitated Sang Wu's actions earlier, immediately spurring her horse forward and thrusting her crescent-shaped staff at him from the side to block his path.
But he was not Qin Mi and had no power to dodge. Helplessly, he watched as Shu Fu rode away on horseback, and struck the fist-sized seven-treasure ball with his staff with a clang.
Everyone on and off the field held their breath and involuntarily looked up at the sky. Suddenly, a hole was torn in the blue sky, and a shooting star streaked across the sky and crashed straight into the goal.
A moment of silence fell, followed by thunderous cheers.
Today, we've made our first move, securing victory for their side.
“Afu—” Li Miao spurred his horse forward, tapped the staff in her hand with his moon staff, and smiled broadly. “Well done. You said last time that you hadn’t ridden a horse for a long time. It seems that your skills haven’t diminished.”
Shu Fu was naturally delighted, and following her words, she raised her chin, her red mane and brocade steed beneath her fluttering.
"Then I'll take your good wishes with me."
Zheng Yuanzhu's face turned ashen. After a moment, he recovered and looked back at his teammates, who were already looking dejected. He raised his voice and said, "Lift your faces up! What are you doing looking like that? It's just that someone else got ahead first. It's not like the competition is over!"
Provoked by his words, the young men barely mustered their spirits and spurred their horses to prepare for another battle.
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