Chapter 28 The Peacock Spreads Its Tail.
After Yan Jiarou secretly took Xiao Che's jade pendant back that day, she thought she could solve the problem once and for all. However, she gradually discovered that things were not as she had expected.
The jade pendant, imbued with Xiao Che's aura, did indeed have a calming effect on her, but unfortunately, it could not completely satisfy her longing.
The only thing we can do is keep her at a level where she doesn't lose control.
That's all.
This kept her in a state of anxiety, restless and unable to muster any interest in anything.
Because she had unexpectedly experienced the feeling of being satisfied with her addiction and her soul trembling when she used that box of medicated oil, she found her current half-dead feeling extremely dull.
At this point, she vaguely sensed that the box of medicinal cream might have been contaminated with something else, not just Xiao Che's scent.
If it were just a breath, it should be stored on the medicine pot, not inside the ointment.
Yes, she should have thought of it sooner. But since she got sick, she has had frequent relapses, and at night she often has... those embarrassing dreams. In the dreams, there is a constant struggle between instinct and reason. She is already extremely exhausted. After waking up, she falls into deep doubt and self-blame. All her energy is spent on this, so her mind naturally becomes more and more ineffective.
A few days ago, her brother, the Crown Prince, asked her why she hadn't come to see him on the day of the Flower-Adorning Ceremony. Only then did she realize that she hadn't taken the initiative to see him for a long time. It was because she had been ill and lacked energy, and couldn't always stick to him like before.
She could only say that she had something to do that day, but the Crown Prince seemed to know that she had gone to see Xiao Che and asked her if she had fallen for Shaoyao.
She was startled; he knew everything...
She felt guilty for a moment, but then realized how absurd it was. Why should she feel guilty? The person she loved had always been the Crown Prince. How could she have fallen for someone else? She immediately swore to the heavens that she would only love the Crown Prince in this life and would never have a second thought. Otherwise, she would be forced to make her love life difficult, sever her destined bond with her own hands, suffer the consequences, and be heartbroken.
When she said this, she looked directly at Xiao Jue without flinching, her expression sincere and genuine, not at all like she was faking it.
After she finished speaking, she saw that Xiao Jue visibly relaxed, so she knew he believed her, and she also breathed a sigh of relief.
When explaining why he went to see Xiao Che that day, he used the prepared excuse: it was to ruin his marriage. He was the one who didn't notice the problem with the horse at Lishan, which almost caused me to fall to my death. He has seen countless horses, how could he not see that the horse had a problem? It was clearly intentional!
My only goal is to be the first to pick up his hairpin, so that the women who admire him won't be able to get it—that's all!
Because it was a prepared statement, she spoke it without hesitation and without revealing any flaws, so Xiao Jue did not suspect anything.
After seeing Xiao Jue off, she felt even more exhausted. She lay on the bed and stared blankly at Cheng Chen above her head.
That said, although she now realizes there might be something fishy about the ointment, she has no clue what exactly it contains...
There was only one thought in her mind: to get close to Xiao Che, to see him, to touch him, to feel him... However, because she was not having an attack, reason prevailed, and she was able to barely restrain herself.
However, every day was torture for her.
She didn't know how much longer she could hold on...
Moreover, she had to wear the jade pendant on her body at all times; if it left her body, she would immediately fall ill.
It seems that ever since she used that box of medicinal oil, her threshold has increased significantly. She can no longer easily soothe Xiao Che's aura. Even the jade pendant that she has been accustomed to for many years must be worn on her body at all times to prevent her from having an attack.
Even so, she still desperately longed to feel Xiao Che's vibrant presence again, or something else entirely. She yearned for it intensely, yet couldn't quite pinpoint what it was...
She could never bring herself to lower herself and go to Xiao Che, and to make matters worse, Xiao Che never came to see her again after that day.
For a moment, it seemed that a stalemate had formed between them.
Fortunately, she soon found herself in an opportunity that was somewhat reluctant.
——
Half a month later, a Qiang envoy came to Wei. During the banquet, he suggested that the two sides have a game of polo to add to the festivities, which led to the subsequent polo match.
In this competition, Xiao Che was naturally the leader of the Wei team.
Yan Jiarou was brought to the stage by Princess Yonghe: "I've noticed you've been keeping yourself cooped up in your room lately, hardly ever coming out. You look so listless. Don't let yourself get sick from being cooped up like this..."
"The Qiang people want to play polo with us. This is going to be a good show! Don't you want to go watch? Third Brother will definitely participate; he's a great player. Come along and see..."
So they went along with it.
It was exactly 1:15 AM, the sun was high in the sky, and sunlight fell on the polo field, making the ground shimmer with a faint golden light.
Colorful flags fluttered all around, and shouts and cheers filled the air.
Emperor Wei Yuan and the Qiang special agents sat on a high platform, chatting and watching the battle on the polo field below.
Yan Jiarou and Princess Yonghe stood below and watched.
She spotted Xiao Che sitting on a chestnut horse almost immediately.
He wore the uniform of a Wei Dynasty ball player, a dark red, narrow-sleeved Hu-style robe with tightly bound cuffs, a leather belt around his waist, and a pair of high-top riding boots.
He gripped his horse's flanks, spurred it forward, nimbly dodged the Qiang people, seized the opportunity, swung his polo mallet, and struck the polo ball.
The polo ball suddenly drew a sharp arc in mid-air, striking the opponent's goal with incredible speed.
Cheers immediately erupted from the court for Wei Chao.
Xiao Che pulled on the reins, and the horse suddenly reared up and let out a long neigh.
He turned his head.
His red hairband fluttered in the wind, and a carefree smile graced his face.
Yan Jiarou stared at him blankly, feeling for the first time that the words "spirited and vigorous" had such a direct and vivid meaning.
As if sensing her gaze, Xiao Che suddenly looked in her direction.
Their eyes met, and Xiao Che was momentarily stunned.
They were clearly surprised to see her here.
The next moment, he stroked the reins in his hand and gave her a casual smile.
The sunlight fell on him, casting a pale golden halo around him.
He was bathed in light, dazzling beyond compare.
Yan Jiarou suddenly had a strange feeling, as if all the sounds around her had become chaotic and distant, the light of the sky was dim, and everyone was covered in a gray haze, except for Xiao Che, who was still bright and dazzling.
He captured all her attention, and she could only see him.
She suspected that there was something wrong with her eyes, or that her mind was becoming increasingly unclear after she fell ill. So she closed her eyes, shook her head vigorously, and when she opened her eyes again, everything was indeed back to normal. On the polo field, the match between the two sides was still in full swing.
She turned her head and glanced at the number of red flags fluttering behind the goals of Wei Chao and Qiang ethnic groups—the number of goals scored was counted by planting red flags.
She counted: one, two, three, four... The score between the Wei Dynasty and the Qiang people is now eight to seven.
Seeing that she was looking at the two sides' counts, Yonghe smiled and explained from the side, "It took quite a bit of trouble to come find you. At first, you didn't want to come, and I persuaded you for a long time. Plus, the round trip took a lot of effort..."
"So even though we've only been here a short while, this polo match has already been going on for a while, and we're currently in the lead..."
"Our competition with the Qiang people is based on their rules, which are that there is no hourglass and no time limit; whoever collects sixteen red flags first wins. According to past practice, I estimate that the competition should end in another half hour, which means we can watch for another half hour."
"The usual practice?" Yan Jiarou turned to look at her, puzzled. "What do you mean by 'the usual practice'? Does the competition have to be the same every year?"
"You don't know this... In recent years, the Qiang people have come to the court every year to play polo with us. With my third brother there, we naturally can't lose."
"We must win, but we can't win in a way that displeases the Qiang people. Besides, a back-and-forth is what makes a competition interesting. Otherwise, if the outcome is predictable, what's the fun in it? So we have to find the right balance."
"The most important thing is that we can't win too quickly. If Third Brother scores a goal, then the Qiang people will definitely score the next one."
"After both sides score more than ten goals, and then win by one or two goals against the Qiang people, not only do we enjoy watching, but the Qiang people also lose with satisfaction, so they won't feel unhappy. This is exactly what they want for 'exchanging skills'."
“They always think they’re just a little bit short each time, and they’ll naturally have to ‘spar’ again next year. Keeping them hanging like this and winning against them once a year is quite interesting—this is what my third brother told me personally.”
Such a bad idea does indeed seem like something Xiao Che would come up with. Yan Jiarou gave a dry laugh: "I believe Xiao Che told you."
Yongning didn't understand the hidden meaning in her words and turned her head back to watch the game. After watching for a while, when Xiao Che scored three goals in a row, she realized something was wrong. She exclaimed "Huh?" with a puzzled look on her face: "Strange, according to Third Brother's usual style, he would never score three goals in a row, not giving the Qiang players any advantage at all... What's wrong with him today? Why does it seem like he has to show off?"
"If I didn't know he wasn't interested in women and didn't have anyone he liked, I would have suspected there was a girl he liked here, which is why he was showing off like a peacock..."
He turned to look at Yan Jiarou, wanting to discuss the reason for Xiao Che's unusual behavior with her, but he paused the moment he saw her, as if he had suddenly remembered something. He stroked his chin and said, "That's not right. Everything was normal when we first arrived. It seems that Third Brother's unusual behavior started after we arrived..."
He looked Yan Jiarou up and down with a suspicious gaze: "Jiarou, it can't be because of you, can it?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
