Chapter 178 - 177: Polo
Du Yunluo practiced horseback riding at the palace’s horse track.
The horse track was located in the southwest corner of the Imperial Palace. Over generations, the Holy Emperors valued martial arts, enjoying riding and archery; hence the horse track covered quite a large area and housed many famous steeds and steeds of virtue.
The Holy Emperor loved polo, so this area was also a polo field.
Du Yunluo was here for the first time. She wore a newly made riding outfit, her hair braided into a long plait at the back of her head, adorned with no jewelry or decorations, making her look clean and brisk.
Princess Yunhua walked ahead, her boots clattering loudly, striding forward without turning back: "Yunluo, horseback riding is lots of fun. Don’t be afraid, I’ll pick a horse for you later."
Du Yunluo followed behind the Princess, listening to her chatter non-stop, yet she did not respond with a single word.
Letting Princess Yunhua choose a horse for her, Du Yunluo indeed didn’t have the courage.
Halfway through, they heard the sound of hooves ahead, faint cheers could be heard.
Princess Yunhua paused, quickened her pace, and upon entering the horse track, her eyes lit up: "Playing polo? Isn’t that Brother Yu?"
An eunuch standing by the edge of the horse track saw Princess Yunhua approaching and hurried over to greet her, saying: "Princess, the Crown Prince and several Young Masters are playing polo with the Central Army Commander’s Mansion."
Princess Yunhua’s eyes widened.
The polo match involved five players on each side. One team wore red, the other white. On the field, they chased each other, raising dust that obscured the view slightly, yet did not affect the recognition of the players on the field.
Princess Yunhua glanced around and asked curiously: "Why haven’t I seen the Crown Prince brother?"
The eunuch hurriedly replied again: "The Crown Prince just stepped off the field to rest; he’s sitting opposite. Would you like me to lead you over?"
Princess Yunhua nodded.
Du Yunluo naturally followed along.
After just a few steps, they saw a person in white at the center of the field lift a hand lightly. The fist-sized polo shot up, tracing a long arc in the air, landing perfectly in front of a teammate’s horse.
There was no one in front of the teammate; he gently nudged the ball, causing it to roll into the goal.
Du Yunluo’s gaze fell on the person in white. Although his back was turned to her, she could recognize at a glance that it was Mu Lianxiao.
He was with the Crown Prince and Prince Cheng playing polo in the palace today...
Come to think of it, she had never seen Mu Lianxiao play polo before.
Maneuvering around the outer circle of the horse track, Du Yunluo followed Princess Yunhua to greet Crown Prince Li Ke.
Li Ke looked as if he had just come off the field. After being in the sunlight for a while, his skin appeared red, sweat continuously dripping from his forehead, yet his gaze remained fixed on the field.
After just scoring a goal, both teams pulled their horses to a stop in front of their respective goals, and the ball was returned to the center of the field.
Du Yunluo took a close look; she couldn’t recognize any of those dressed in red, likely people from the Central Army Commander’s Mansion. Among those in white were Li Luan in the center, flanked by Li Yu and Mu Lianxiao, and two others she found slightly familiar, perhaps young men from military families in the capital.
The commanding officer’s small red flag raised high, and ten streaks of dust galloped towards the center of the field.
Li Yu’s horse was incredibly fast, leading the charge. Between each hoof fall, Li Yu swung his polo stick, sending the ball flying towards the opponent’s goal, but it didn’t strike perfectly and bounced off the goalpost.
The Central Army’s players were no less skillful. Not hindered by the opponent’s reputation, the rebounding ball landed perfectly in front of their defender’s horse, and he passed it to the front field, where a teammate seized a gap and sent the ball straight into the goal.
This round ended swiftly, the stick raised, the ball fell; a quick score concluded.
While those on the field said nothing, Li Ke became a bit anxious: "Hey, you guys, just because I took a break you’ve lost momentum? Attack, attack fiercely, don’t spare them any face."
Li Yu turned his head, laughing: "How have we lost momentum? Didn’t I score a goal earlier?"
"Was that your merit? Ah Shao handed the ball right to your horse’s hooves. If you hadn’t scored, your horse’s hooves might as well have kicked you." Li Ke laughed heartily. "Ah Shao, stop setting them up for goals. Your wife’s here, show off a bit for her."
Standing by the field, Du Yunluo was taken aback.
Being addressed like this by the Crown Prince in front of so many men—fortunately, Du Yunluo wasn’t easily embarrassed. She didn’t run off but dared not stare directly at Mu Lianxiao.
Mu Lianxiao coughed lightly, with Li Luan’s smile being still gentle, but the others were less concerned. Familiar with each other, young men trained in martial arts didn’t follow such rigid rules; some even winked playfully at him.
Fortunately, after playing polo in the blazing sun for a while, even in spring, Mu Lianxiao was sweating profusely, and nobody could notice his flushed face.
Du Yunluo arrived at the horse track as Mu Lianxiao spotted her. Her attire totally different from usual caught his eye, yet his focus couldn’t stray on the field. He glanced twice before returning his attention to the match.
Now, thanks to Li Ke’s shout, Mu Lianxiao was in a dilemma whether to look or not look.
Luckily, the commanding officer had set up the ball, ready to raise the flag.
Both sides poised eagerly, the joking youths suddenly concentrating, awaiting the commanding officer’s signal, then swiftly spurring their horses.
At this moment, Du Yunluo no longer needed to hold back, her eyes wide open watching the action.
In the midst of the chaotic clash, Du Yunluo was slightly bewildered by the sight. The windswept dust almost obscuring the location of the polo ball.
Until she saw clearly, the ball was controlled under Mu Lianxiao’s stick.
The five players from the Central Army instantly surrounded him.
Mu Lianxiao didn’t show a hint of panic, glancing sideways at Li Luan, who galloped forward, while Mu Lianxiao moved his stick, expertly sliding the ball from amidst the galloping hooves, straight rolling towards Li Luan.
"Quick, intercept!" The opponent shouted, their stick chasing after the ball.
Mu Lianxiao flipped over, using one tiptoe hooked into the stirrup, his body gracefully as a swallow extending out, his stick blocking the opponent’s attempt mid-swing, deftly avoiding the assault, and quickly returned upright on the horse.
Li Yu squeezed into the melee, pushing the ball slightly forward, flying towards Li Luan.
He called out loudly: "The Crown Prince said if you miss such a ball, your horse’s hooves might kick you."
Li Luan turned his head, glancing dismissively at Li Yu with his peach blossom eyes, then fixed his gaze on the soaring ball. His stick lightly intercepted, skillfully stopping the ball by his side, and with a gentle push, rolled it into the goal.
Li Ke clapped repeatedly: "That was a great shot!"
Li Yu urged his horse forward, turning to look at Mu Lianxiao, teasing: "That move just now was really nice, quite flashy."
Mu Lianxiao hesitated; he knew that move wasn’t intentional, just happened naturally. But explaining this to Li Yu would be futile, only leading to more laughter.
He instinctively glanced towards Du Yunluo, noticing her furrowed brows, as if something was on her mind.
Li Ke stood up, leading his high horse back onto the field, saying: "Ah Shao, you can’t be two-minded!"
Mu Lianxiao snapped back to reality, handing the polo stick to Li Ke, dismounting and leading his horse over to Du Yunluo.