"Princess, would you allow a few of my men to participate? They are all skilled polo players in Jiaorui. I wonder who would win a match against the young men of Great Jin?"
As he spoke, he also provocatively glanced at the Grand Princess Changlin.
Her reputation was well-known, and the Third Prince was no meek individual either. Naturally, he paid no mind to Wen Xinglu beside him.
The Princess found his demeanor rather novel and amusing.
She then spoke to Wen Yuwei before her.
"Yuwei, please bring forth the prize on my behalf. They are all fine items. The young men present must perform well and show me whether the men of Great Jin are more formidable, or if the men under the Third Prince of Jiaorui are superior!"
With her words spoken, everyone had to give their all. Losing the match was one thing, but losing to Jiaorui would be a disgrace to the honor of Great Jin!
Su Cheng was the first to object. He immediately mounted his horse and said to the Grand Princess Changlin.
"Reporting to the Princess, I am Su Cheng, son of General Su. I am willing to fight the Third Prince's subordinates!"
As soon as he spoke, the few young gentlemen who usually played boisterously also stepped forward. Soon, six people were gathered.
Feng Jinlin also wanted to participate, but was pressed down by A Yao's warning gaze.
He was not conspicuously dressed today, so he did not attract any undue attention.
"Second Brother, you should focus more on cultivating your character. Otherwise, when you propose marriage in the future, and someone seizes upon your past as a dissolute young man, you will then understand that your sister's words were not meant to harm you."
Feng Jinyao vaguely understood her second brother's feelings and happened to know that her mother favored Sister Xu.
Therefore, the Feng family was happy to see it happen, but the Xu family might not be willing.
Especially Sister Xu, with her personality, she probably wouldn't think highly of her unruly second brother. Therefore, putting aside other matters, this habit of seeking attention still needed to be corrected.
"Alright, I'll listen to you."
As soon as their words fell, they heard a loud shout, and the two sides began the match.
The polo ball, under Su Cheng's mallet, seemed to have a magnetic attraction, controlled perfectly by him. The Jiaorui players had no chance to touch the ball, and Great Jin scored a point.
Soon, applause and cheers erupted from the crowd. Even the Grand Princess Changlin, seated above, smiled.
"Well done, Young Master Su. You play the ball brilliantly. It is not in vain that he is usually so fond of playing and causing a ruckus."
"This young gentleman is indeed good, but Princess, please watch. The warriors of my Jiaorui are not to be trifled with."
Indeed, before he could finish speaking, the situation on the field reversed.
A young gentleman on Su Cheng's team failed to catch a passed ball. A burly man from Jiaorui stepped forward and stole the ball.
He galloped with the ball towards the goal and scored.
The score was tied, one to one.
At this moment, after the initial probing, both sides on the field had a general understanding.
While they hadn't fully grasped each other's strategies, they had gained some insight.
Su Cheng's side emphasized teamwork, with everyone capable of playing and no one lagging behind.
However, Jiaorui's side clearly focused on the burly man. Whenever anyone touched the ball, they would pass it to him. In essence, he was the main player, and the others were merely supporting him!
Having seen through this, Su Cheng whispered a few words to the two men beside him.
Soon, the match resumed.
Those two men disregarded the ball and simply rode their horses to flank the burly man, guarding him. As soon as the ball approached, they would immediately attack from both sides.
Without violating the rules, they managed to intercept several passes intended for the burly man.
As the score widened, the burly man began to lose his temper.
He glared at Su Cheng, muttering fiercely, "Despicable scoundrel!"
"The arena is like a battlefield, isn't it?" Su Cheng was not provoked and replied with a smile.
The burly man, who was unwilling to admit defeat in Jiaorui, could no longer tolerate being outmaneuvered by Su Cheng.
Polo is about the ball, not the horse.
However, he was in a foul mood and decided to charge with his horse.
Without a word, he struck the horse's flank with his mallet. The horse, in pain, galloped forward, directly towards Su Cheng.
Su Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly. An opportunity had arisen.
Seeing his furious charge, if he were to be hit, with his physique and the power of his magnificent steed, he would surely be injured. If a hoof were to strike him, he might be crippled, if not killed.
As the man was about to reach him, Su Cheng slapped his thigh and leaped into the air. With a somersault, he landed behind the burly man and lightly tapped the horse's flank. He landed safely on the ground.
However, the burly man who had charged at him was thrown off by his own horse. Coincidentally, the horse's hoof landed directly on his chest, causing blood to splatter everywhere.
"Gang Ji!"
The Third Prince's previously smiling expression turned ugly.
Everyone present with eyes could see that it was the burly man named Gang Ji who had charged at Su Cheng in violation of the rules. Now, it was an awkward situation: the one who was charged at was unharmed, while the aggressor was trampled by his own horse.
Bai Siruo chuckled, "Serves him right."
Her laughter was followed by the mocking remarks of many noble sons and daughters.
The Third Prince, filled with indignation, turned to the Grand Princess Changlin and said, "Princess, this polo match was organized by you. Now that one of my men is so badly injured, are you trying to disgrace Jiaorui?"
Wen Xinglu rolled his eyes. He had not missed the Third Prince's attempt to flirt with the Princess earlier. Although he had little genuine affection for the Princess himself, he wouldn't allow someone to snatch his backing before it was even secured.
He retorted.
"Third Prince, your words are rather strange! Everyone present saw that it was the Jiaorui warrior who charged at Young Master Su. Young Master Su, with his skill, dodged the attack. The Princess has not even pursued the matter of him breaking the rules, yet you are making a scene here. Moreover, the warrior was trampled by his own horse. Should this also be blamed on the Princess?"
His words made the Third Prince even more embarrassed. He was not blind, of course, he had seen it. However, his subordinate's loss of face was equivalent to his own loss of face, and he naturally had to argue.
If Prince Ding had said this today, he might have shown some respect.
For a mere consort to be so presumptuous further fueled his anger.
He wished he could look down his nose at Wen Xinglu and venomously retort.
"I wondered who was speaking. It turns out to be Consort Wen. Although I am from Jiaorui, I have also heard that consorts in Great Jin are not allowed to hold court positions. If that is the case, then when I am speaking with the Princess, I hope Consort Wen will refrain from interrupting!"
His words were not absolute, but their meaning was sufficiently harsh.
Not only Wen Xinglu, but even Wen Yuwei could not tolerate this.