Chapter 96: Entering Winter (1)

The frost had passed, and with it, polo season had begun in the early winter.

Speaking of polo, it originally thrived in the military camps. It’s a game played on horseback using mallets to strike a ball. It gradually gained popularity among the noble and wealthy families starting from the previous dynasty.

Because the Wei Kingdom values martial prowess, polo is especially popular in Jiangbei. In comparison, in the Xiao-Liang region, it’s more of a playful pastime among nobles—an activity meant for pleasure. For young noblemen, besides visiting courtesans, drinking, and taking hallucinogens, polo was one of the few “wholesome” forms of entertainment.

In Jiankang City, there were several polo fields. The biggest and best one was built by the Han family. Rumor has it that the great General Han was a die-hard polo fan and had a field constructed near his residence. He put great effort into building it. At the time, people praised the field as, “newly paved, thoroughly swept, flat as a whetstone, reflective as a mirror, so clean that even the slightest drop or speck could be heard or seen.” Since the field’s completion, the general often played polo himself, and the Han family’s younger generations grew fond of it as well.

Today’s match was organized by the Han brothers.

By the time the Qi family arrived, everyone else was already there, and a game had just finished—Han Feiyu and Han Feichi had played a two-on-two match against the Fourth Prince and Fu Zhuo.

Han Feichi was the first to spot them. From a distance, he waved his mallet and called out to Qi Ying, “Second Brother,” white puffs of breath visible in the cold air. His elder brother stood nearby, equal parts amused and exasperated. He couldn’t understand why his younger brother liked following Qi Ying around so much—more than he ever showed toward his actual brother.

He scolded Han Feichi with a laugh, “If we’d known how much you liked their family, our parents should’ve just sent you over to be raised by them. Would’ve saved us all the headaches.”

It was meant as a joke, but Han Feichi, being the cheeky type, didn’t even feel embarrassed. He enthusiastically replied, “That would’ve been great!” Then, pausing for a moment, he added seriously, “No, wait—not a good idea. Uncle Qi is too strict with his sons. I couldn’t handle that. And it’s not like I like their whole family anyway—just Second Brother.”

That last comment gave Han Feiyu a headache.

The Fourth Prince and Fu Zhuo both laughed and teased him. As they bantered, the Qi family came closer.

Today, the whole Qi family showed up—not just Qi Yun and Qi Ying, but also Qi Ning and Qi Le. All four brothers were good-looking, with noble bearing. Arriving on horseback only added to their heroic presence.

Truthfully, on such occasions, it would have been inappropriate for the illegitimate sons Qi Ning and Qi Le to attend. But the Qi family was more open-minded and didn’t treat them unfairly. Qi Yun and Qi Ying had always looked after their younger brothers and often took them out to see the world. Over time, no one found it unusual anymore.

After some greetings were exchanged, Xiao Ziheng sat atop his horse, still holding a mallet. Though it was cold, his forehead was slightly damp with sweat. His peach blossom eyes sparkled with a carefree smile as he said to the Qi family, “Your family certainly knows how to make an entrance. Kept this prince waiting!”

Though his words sounded like a complaint, his tone clearly suggested he was joking.

Qi Yun cupped his hands and smiled. “It’s my fault. We shouldn’t have been late. But this morning, Hui’er fell and started crying. I had to calm her down, which delayed us.”

Han Feiyu joined in with a chuckle, “I was ready to punish you harshly, but since it was for my little niece, I’ll let it go this time.”

Fu Zhuo laughed, “Bo Heng, you’re clearly playing favorites—turning this into a messy account!”

Everyone laughed at that, the mood light and cheerful.

Qi Yun glanced at the grand, finely maintained polo field and felt a surge of excitement. Turning back, he said, “Forget the chatter—let’s have another match. And let’s agree—whoever loses has to host dinner today!”

Fu Zhuo, who was closest to Qi Yun, shot back, “You talk big! What, just because we’re tired from one game, you think your side can win easily?”

Qi Yun laughed heartily. “You’re right. Since we just arrived, how about we all rest a bit before we play again?”

That proposal was well received, and everyone agreed. The young men rode to the edge of the field, dismounted, and handed their horses to attendants. Then they gathered under a lavishly decorated pavilion to rest.

As they approached, they saw that two people were already seated there: Princess Consort Fu Rong and Princess Xiao Ziyu.

Qi Yun was momentarily stunned. Fu Zhuo hadn’t mentioned any women would be attending. To suddenly see two ladies here was unexpected.

If it had just been noble ladies, that would’ve been one thing—but one of them was Princess Ziyu, which complicated things.

Qi Yun knew his younger brother had no romantic feelings for this princess. But the princess was deeply infatuated and always found ways to spend time with him. Though Qi Ying never spoke of it, as the elder brother, Qi Yun could see how uncomfortable it made him.

He instinctively looked over at Qi Ying and saw his brother glancing back with a calm expression—but his eyes seemed to ask, Why is the princess here?

Qi Yun felt even more apologetic and turned toward his classmate, only to find Fu Zhuo completely unbothered, clearly playing matchmaker between Qi Ying and his sister-in-law’s younger cousin. It was maddening.

Still, no matter how annoyed he was, Qi Yun couldn’t show it. For appearances’ sake, he composed himself and joined the others in greeting the princess and consort.

Xiao Ziheng took his seat first and invited the other noblemen to sit. As he sipped wine from the goblet Fu Rong handed him, he slouched lazily and smiled. “Ever since Rong’er got married, we’ve rarely gathered like this. Sitting together today feels like old times.”

The Fourth Prince had taken on many responsibilities from the Emperor in recent years. With a real chance at becoming Crown Prince, he had grown mature and dignified—at least in court. In private, he remained as roguish as ever, reminding everyone of his wild youth.

His comment was well-timed, using nostalgia to smooth over the slight tension and awkwardness of the gathering. It was a clever move, though whether it would work depended on the main party involved.

And that party was Qi Ying.

Everyone knew today’s event was the Fourth Prince playing matchmaker for his sister. Aside from the Qi family, the rest were watching with amusement—whether it succeeded or not, it was bound to be entertaining.

Of course Qi Ying realized everyone was watching him. Still, he picked up the thread of conversation and said, “You’re right, Your Highness. It’s a rare occasion.”

Though his tone was emotionless, he at least responded, which helped ease the atmosphere. Princess Ziyu, seated nearby, let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Truthfully, it had been her idea to come today.

She knew Qi Ying had been avoiding her. If he had known she would be here, he likely wouldn’t have come—so she had begged Fu Zhuo to keep it a secret.

Seeing him in person was difficult. The last time was on his birthday—nearly two months ago. He would never come to see her on his own. So what else could she do but sneak out of the palace herself?

She didn’t want to be pathetic, or so desperate—but she loved him too much. Even after all these years, her feelings had only grown stronger.

She needed to see him—not just because she missed him, but also because of something her third brother had told her recently.

He had seen Qi Ying take his little lover to Qixia Temple.

That little lover was Fang Yun, the girl she had seen three years ago at a flower festival.

Fang Yun had been living in Qi Ying’s private residence for the past three years. Ziyu had known this all along, but could do nothing. Fang Yun was the orphan of someone who had saved Qi Ying’s life. Because of that, she couldn’t just get rid of her. And if she tried, Qi Ying would be angry—like he had been at that flower festival three years ago.

Ziyu couldn’t bear that. So she endured.

Her brother tried to comfort her. He said she needed to be generous. After all, someone like Qi Ying could have multiple wives and concubines. Even if he married her, he would still fool around—men were like that.

Had this happened when she was younger, she would never have accepted it. But she had loved Qi Ying for so long, and so humbly, that she had lost her pride. She even began to believe her brother was right. Look at him—he had married a main wife but still took in three more concubines in two years.

But he didn’t really care about those women. The one he truly respected was Fu Rong.

Ziyu had finally understood—maybe she could also tolerate one or two women staying at Qi Ying’s side, so long as she was the one he married.

But that didn’t mean she could accept someone being openly close to him.

Fang Yun? Who did she think she was? An orphan with no background, living off others like a beggar—Ziyu wouldn’t even let her shine her shoes, so why should she receive special treatment from Qi Ying?

Ziyu didn’t want to admit it, but she was scared. She had felt uneasy ever since she first saw that girl, and after what her brother said about Qixia Temple, that unease had grown.

She was terrified Qi Ying might really fall for someone else—might refuse to marry her because of it. The fear was so strong she had to come see him in person.

While her thoughts spiraled, the men’s conversation had moved on. She listened more carefully and realized they were discussing next spring’s imperial exams.

It was Han Feichi speaking.

Though he had never cared much for official exams, he was now excitedly chatting about the upcoming spring exams, saying, “Damn! If I had known Second Brother was going to be the chief examiner this year, I would’ve taken the test!”

Fu Zhuo laughed, “What, hoping to pull some strings?”

Everyone knew he was joking. As the legitimate son of the Han family head, Han Feichi didn’t need any connections—especially not through Qi Ying, who he already followed around endlessly. He just wanted to join in because Qi Ying was involved.

Han Feiyu was livid.

He wished he could crack his brother’s skull open to see what nonsense was inside. “I’ve been telling you for years to study properly and get your degree! But no! You handed in a blank exam paper during the last provincial test! You don’t even qualify for the spring exams. You’ve humiliated the entire Han family!”

Yet no matter how much he yelled, Han Feichi didn’t change. Once a prodigy, he had become completely unmotivated, ignoring everyone.

Han Feiyu, exhausted from yelling, gave up. He sighed deeply and turned to Qi Ning and Qi Le. “Are you two taking the spring exams this year?”

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Author’s Note:

The quote “newly paved, thoroughly swept, flat as a whetstone, reflective as a mirror…” is from Yan Kuan’s On Imperial Polo at Hot Springs. This chapter heavily influences the relationship between the male and female leads. But remember—villains often help move the romance forward 😆

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