Yuwen Xian led his teammates onto the field. Bei Qing had won a match and was in high spirits. A group of people were chatting away in Bei Qing language.
After watching a humiliating match, Yongle was furious and immediately stood up, ready to leave the field.
Song Yaozhu grabbed her wrist and said, "I bet you'll win, so you can't let me lose, or I'll go cry to your mother."
Yongle felt a chill run down her spine when she thought of how her mother had made her head ache from crying. She flicked her sleeves as if in disgust, "I know, I know! I'll definitely try my best!"
"Remember not to fall into their trap completely."
"Don't worry, I've been playing with you for so long, I've got a brain!"
After saying that, she went off the field with a "thump thump thump".
Once the two groups mounted their horses and entered the arena, they began exchanging harsh words.
Tuoba Hongyun raised his chin and gestured towards Yuwen Xian.
"Your Great Chen is nothing special! I heard that the Princess went to great lengths to gather enough people for this competition. I wonder what abilities you rabble can possibly have." After saying that, she casually stretched her head forward. "I've only been learning your Great Chen language for a short time, so I don't know if I used the word 'rabble' correctly?"
Yuwen Xian smiled and said, "It is truly remarkable that the princess has learned such profound words so soon. This word is very suitable to describe the entire Northern Qing."
Yongle had expected the spoiled princess to be furious upon hearing this. To his surprise, she wasn't angry at all; instead, her smile became even more unrestrained.
"Which description is more appropriate depends on the abilities of both parties."
Yongle thought to himself, "Song Yaozhu said before that this princess of Beiqing is not simple. She really is not simple. Now she's not pretending anymore!"
Just as she was complaining in her heart, she heard her say, "I heard that the princess hasn't found a husband yet. I wonder if my brother, who beat your Northern Qing, is up to the task? Don't worry, although my brother isn't exactly a devoted man, he would never be like the princess's husband, who, when out and about, disregards your feelings and takes in seven or eight concubines."
Yongle: "..."
This is intolerable!
Yongle turned to Cao Jing and said, "Sister Cao, kill her!"
Cao Jing patted her chest, "It's all covered!"
No one paid any attention to what Tuoba Hongyun was rambling on about, and they took their positions. Since the Beiqing men's team had won, Beiqing served first.
As soon as the ball was passed, the shadows of the red and blue teams intertwined on the field, their horses galloping side by side, vying for the ball.
The ball was originally under Tuoba Hongyun's cue, but Cao Jing quickly intercepted it. The other three covered for her, and she quickly scored a goal.
Seeing this, the people on Da Chen's side cheered loudly. The men's team had lost too badly, so if the women's team could win a game back, it wouldn't be too shameful.
Tuoba Hongyun hadn't expected that their hastily assembled team would possess such power. She gave her maids a look, and the three understood. After the second serve, they all targeted Yongle.
Yongle was surrounded by several people, and she could hear the mocking voices of several maids: "Your customs in the Great Chen Dynasty are really laughable. A princess like you has to share a husband with some country bumpkin!"
"Even a body worth ten thousand pieces of gold is no match for a man!"
"Your Highness doesn't think it's so great that your husband has taken more concubines, does she? Hahaha! Ah—!"
A scream echoed throughout the racecourse. Those in the stands saw only one of the Northern Qing maids closest to her being thrown to the ground by a polo mallet, rolling several times due to inertia.
Immediately, the gong sounded to pause the game, and Yongle immediately raised his hands: "I didn't do it on purpose! I saw the ball was very close to me, and I wanted to go for it, but she was behind me, and I didn't see her!"
The imperial physician went forward to examine the injuries of the Beiqing maid. She had been seriously injured in the fall, and one of her arms was dislocated.
Yuwen Wuji waved his hand, feigning anger, and said, "Yongle, you came in first in the competition! Although you didn't see clearly and injured someone, it's still your fault. Here, apologize to Princess Beiqing!"
On the surface, it was a reprimand, but in reality, it was a cover-up. Tuoba Hongyun felt heartbroken as she watched her maid being carried away.
Yongle raised an eyebrow at Tuoba Hongyun smugly, and said in a wronged tone, "I'm so sorry, it was Yongle who didn't see clearly behind me. If only Yongle had an eye in the back of his head. Don't worry, Princess, I'll cover your maid's medical fees!"
Tuoba Hongyun gritted her teeth, remounted her horse, and called over another of her maids.
Having learned from their previous experience, the group knew that Yongle was a tough nut to crack, so they abandoned her and instead targeted Yuwen Xian's maid.
Although Yuwen Xian's maid had been accompanying her to learn horseback riding, she was still a young girl and had never seen such a situation before. After being attacked by several people, she quickly lost her composure.
Yuwen Xian shouted at her, "Bend over!"
The maid immediately lay down on the horse's back and gripped the reins tightly with both hands.
Several maids from Beiqing, taking advantage of the obstruction, suddenly produced short blades, each about an inch long, and swung them at the reins.
The maid immediately squeezed the horse's belly and gripped its mane tightly.
At that moment, Yuwen Xian swung his club, sending the ball straight at Tuoba Hongyun's face. Tuoba Hongyun, of course, was no pushover; he immediately jumped up from his horse and kicked the ball back.
This was exactly what Yuwen Xian wanted; with one swing, the ball went in!
The people in the stands cheered. "Wow, the women's team is so fierce! The men's team was so frustrating just now, and you couldn't even see the intensity of their fight. But this women's team is so exciting!"
"Is this the legendary 'hair-pulling flower'?" someone asked cautiously.
"Who cares, as long as it's exciting! Let's fight! Let's fight! Win for me! I bet two hundred taels!"
King Xuan and his wife also watched intently, their facial muscles clenching tightly.
Song Yaozhu watched the people on the field. Although the competition was exciting, it also showed how dangerous it was. She feared that Bei Qing might have more dirty tricks up their sleeves. She hoped they would all be alright.
When the next match began, Yuwen Xian's maid had changed her saddle, but her face was slightly pale, clearly she had been quite frightened.
Are you alright?
The maid shook her head, gritted her teeth, and continued.
In this match, Beiqing abandoned their strategy of surrounding one player and instead directly escorted Tuoba Hongyun to score!
"This won't do. The tacit understanding between the mistress and her servants forces us to improve. If we keep fighting like this, we'll lose." Yuwen Xian gathered a few people to discuss new tactics.
Da Chen has already lost a game, so the women's team can't afford to lose even more.
If we lose again, what will become of Da Chen's reputation!
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