Polo matches do not necessarily require equal numbers of players on each team. Sometimes, having more players leads to poor coordination and chaos. Therefore, as long as one is willing, it is not impossible for one person to take on ten. So when two members of the White Team were carried off, the match continued. However, they were clearly not the type capable of taking on ten players alone. With two fewer players, their position weakened further, and soon they lost another three goals.
The match was won by the first team to score fifteen goals. As the gap widened, the White Team gradually became more anxious. Just as a White Team player reached the ball first by taking advantage of the terrain, the ground suddenly shook violently. He looked up and was met by Pei Rong’s large, wild-haired face, his beard and hair flying in the wind.
“Get out of the way if you’re scared of death!” Pei Rong roared as he charged forward on his horse, swinging his mallet and shouting loudly, his momentum impressive and his voice shaking the heavens.
People value their dignity, just as trees value their bark. The White Team player, so openly disrespected, felt a surge of anger beneath his fear. Gritting his teeth, he exerted all his strength and sent the ball flying in the opposite direction.
If I can’t get the ball, you won’t get it either!
“Watch out!”
Amidst someone’s startled cry, the ball flew straight toward the stands where the women were seated.
A solid wooden ball was used during the match, hard and heavy. Even after flying a certain distance, it still carried considerable force. If someone were hit directly, it would surely cause a serious injury.
A young lady was chatting and laughing with her companions when she suddenly heard cries all around. Catching sight of the wooden ball whistling toward her from the corner of her eye, she was so frightened that her face turned pale.
But just as the danger arrived, a slender figure suddenly shot out from the adjacent seats. In a few quick steps, she positioned herself in front of the young lady and caught the ball with a reverse grip!
“Crack!”
A tremendous force struck her palm, instantly numbing Ma Bing’s entire hand. She let out a stifled grunt, bent her arm, twisted her wrist to absorb some of the impact, but still felt her arm aching from the shock.
Catching the ball bare-handed?!
Not only the players on the field, but even most of the spectators knew how powerful that wooden ball could be when thrown. How could she catch it bare-handed?!
As they merely imagined it, many of them instinctively felt pain in their own arms.
Everyone loves a hero who turns the tide. The polo field first fell silent, then erupted into a wave of enthusiastic sounds. Screams, cheers, and exclamations of admiration blended together, surging from all directions like ocean waves.
Ma Bing tossed the ball onto the ground under the intense gaze of the crowd. She gently moved her right wrist a few times, slowly exhaled, turned around, and looked at the girl behind her. “It’s okay now.”
The girl she had protected was still very young, about thirteen or fourteen years old. She tightly clutched her companion’s hand, staring blankly at Ma Bing.
The players, who had initially worried about an accident, also relaxed upon seeing the situation.
From a distance, it was hard to see exactly who had performed such a heroic feat, but at least nothing serious had happened.
However, upon seeing the person who caught the ball, Xie Yu couldn’t help exclaiming in a low voice, “Second… Miss Ma?!”
Upon hearing this, Yuan Pei immediately rushed to confront the culprit, pointing his mallet at him furiously. “Scoundrel, are you here to play the game or to hurt people?!”
Dare he harm someone from our Kaifeng Prefecture? He must be tired of living!
The stands were quite far from the field, so even if the ball flew out, it would usually be too weak to cause injury. But the ball just now… clearly showed how much force had been used.
If someone had been hit, what a disaster that would have been!
The person being pointed at was originally somewhat remorseful, but faced with Yuan Pei’s aggressive stance, he stubbornly held his ground and retorted, “In a match as fierce as a battlefield, an occasional slip is only natural.”
“Rubbish!” Yuan Pei shouted. “That was a slip? It was clearly out of frustration at losing!”
Does he think everyone is blind? Just now, he had clearly intentionally flung the ball. Such behavior was the most despicable in a polo match.
When the host is furious, his horse is infected too. The horses began snorting and kicking, pushing against each other.
Black and white polo uniforms quickly gathered from all sides of the field, shoving and cursing at each other. It looked like a real fight was about to break out.
Friction in polo matches is inevitable, and throughout history, it is common for games to escalate into fights. Therefore, there are always designated individuals to maintain order.
Seeing this, a group of well-armored guards rushed onto the field to break up the confrontation, making the field even more crowded…
Meanwhile, the imperial physicians had already climbed up the stands with their medicine chests, anxious to check Ma Bing’s hand.
Everyone seated here was either wealthy or noble, and any accident could have serious consequences for them.
Ma Bing casually said, “It’s nothing. You should check on this young lady first; she must have been frightened.”
In recent years, she had endured countless hardships and injuries. This was nothing compared to that.
One physician frowned as he looked at her rapidly swelling wrist. “Young lady, don’t be stubborn. Your wrist might be slightly dislocated. It needs to be…”
Before he could finish speaking, she grabbed her right wrist with her left hand, rubbed it a few times, suddenly pulled and pushed it hard. With a muffled sound of tendons and bones, she remained expressionless and said, “Okay, it’s back in place.”
The physicians were stunned. “!!”
Are you made of iron?
Don’t you feel pain at all?!
“Big sister,” the young girl who had been saved finally regained her composure. Her face was pale as she stepped forward to bow. “Thank you for saving me.”
Ma Bing nonchalantly lowered her hand. “It’s okay now. You weren’t scared, were you?”
The girl pursed her lips and shook her head, then looked at her wrist again, her eyes turning red.
She would be in pain for days just from bumping into a table corner. How much pain must this be!
Ma Bing simply put her right hand behind her back, used her left hand to smooth the girl’s bangs, smiled slightly, and walked away.
The little girl clutched her hands and followed for a couple of steps, then stood there staring at her retreating figure with a sudden blush on her face. Her eyes sparkled with an unusual light.
This must be the great hero my mother talked about—the one who will protect me!
I really have met him!
But she obviously forgot one thing—her mother said this to help choose a husband for her…
Before Ma Bing could sit down, Madam Zhao grabbed her hand and started fussing. “Oh my dear child, you almost scared me to death! What were you thinking? Aren’t you afraid? Doesn’t it hurt?”
She was originally a talented woman, but now she was almost incoherent with worry. She wanted to grab Ma Bing’s hand to examine it but was afraid of hurting her, clearly at a loss.
Several noblewomen nearby who were familiar with Madam Zhao wanted to express their concern but couldn’t get a word in.
It seems Miss Ma is indeed very close to Madam Zhao… If that’s the case, since she’s injured, we should prepare some nourishing gifts and pay her a visit later under the guise of showing concern.
Yes, that’s exactly what we’ll do.
Ma Bing rubbed her nose, tried to hide her arm behind her back, and muttered guiltily, “It’s just a little bump, it doesn’t hurt.”
“Not hurt at all!” Madam Zhao pointed at her wrist, which had swollen to twice its size, and sucked in a breath of cold air. “Hurry up and let the imperial physicians check again. What if there’s a bone injury?”
“I’m a doctor myself,” Ma Bing chuckled. “Really, it’s nothing.”
Madam Zhao looked at her, opened her mouth, but couldn’t think of anything to say. Finally, she jabbed a finger hard on Ma Bing’s forehead. “What were you thinking?!”
Ma Bing had almost forgotten the last time someone cared for her like this. She felt a warm feeling in her chest and murmured, “She’s still a little girl. What if she got hurt?”
Madam Zhao was almost driven to laughter. “You’re a little girl too!”
Ma Bing was stunned. It took her a long time before she finally realized.
Right, it’s true, I also…
No one had reminded her for so long that she had completely forgotten.
About two quarters of an hour later, the commotion on the polo field gradually subsided, and the match resumed.
Pei Rong glanced at the stands, rubbing his bearded chin with interest. “Whose daughter is that? Remarkably bold.”
Someone nearby laughed. “You can’t really say that about a young lady.”
Who would like to be called bold?
Yuan Pei, who had just finished scolding someone, rode over and proudly said, “That’s our Kaifeng Prefecture’s physician, Erliang.”
“Erliang?” Pei Rong was puzzled. “What kind of name is that!”
Another person said, “Her skills are indeed impressive. Rarely does one have such courage. Catching the ball bare-handed and not getting hurt… remarkable.”
Pei Rong agreed. “Right, avoiding danger is human nature. Ordinary people would run away, but she could still save someone.”
Such a great child, what a good daughter-in-law she would make!
Hmm, let me think. Do I have any eligible sons at home?
Xie Yu looked at the stands, unconsciously furrowing his brows, and unusually did not respond to Pei Rong’s words.
He knew better than anyone how painful it was to be hit by a polo ball.
It definitely wasn’t nothing.
Then everyone noticed that after the match resumed, the Black Team’s offense suddenly intensified.
“Oh my, the Prince is playing so aggressively!”
“Yeah, wow, I can’t even watch…”
Prince?
Which Prince?
It was said that there were two princes on the field today.
Ma Bing instinctively looked toward the field and saw Xie Yu like a sharp sword, riding straight forward. He seemed to completely disregard the opponents in front of him, maintaining his horse’s speed and swinging his mallet to strike.
In ancient battles, the most powerful and swift force was the cavalry. This shows how terrifying a horse can be when charging at full speed. If someone were hit, they would either die or be severely injured.
Seeing that Xie Yu showed no sign of stopping, the opposing player’s pupils widened. Instinctively, he pulled the reins to turn his horse. In the next moment, the two riders passed each other, and he could even feel the slight stinging sensation from Xie Yu’s robe brushing against his cheek.
Xie Yu rode far ahead before the player finally regained his senses, staring at the dust kicked up by the horse’s hooves in disbelief. “Is he insane?”
If I hadn’t retreated, we’d both be lying on the ground!
Doesn’t he fear death at all?
As soon as the thought left his mind, another black lightning bolt passed him, leaving Yuan Pei’s mocking voice in the air, “Coward!”
The player: “!!!”
Is there something wrong with your Black Team?!
What did I do to you?!
I don’t want to play this stupid game anymore!
As he spoke, Xie Yu had already taken the ball, but just as everyone thought he was about to shoot, the mallet slightly veered, and the ball flew directly toward a White Team player!
This player was none other than Ji Fang, who had deliberately flung the ball earlier, causing Ma Bing’s injury.
“Ahh!”
Before Ji Fang could react, he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder, and half of his body went numb. He lost his grip on the reins and fell off his horse.
“Ji Fang!”
“Move aside!”
Two nearby White Team players couldn’t dodge in time, their horses collided, and amidst their cries, they also tumbled to the ground like rolling gourds.
In that moment, Pei Rong easily hooked the wooden ball, casually passed it to Yuan Pei, who then charged forward and easily scored.
Another point added.
Ji Fang, dazed and seeing stars, clutched his shoulder and rolled on the ground. Suddenly, a shadow fell over him. He looked up and saw Xie Yu riding over, looking down at him with a cold expression.
“Xie Yu, you madman, are you trying to kill me?!” he shouted angrily.
Xie Yu said calmly, “The field is like a battlefield; sometimes you make a mistake.”
Ji Fang felt a strange familiarity with these words. Thinking further, wasn’t this exactly his own excuse from just now?
“How dare you!”
The pain of the needle is not felt until it pricks your own flesh. He had used that excuse to brush off others, and now it was being used to brush him off.
It was so suffocating!
“Zi Zhi, he didn’t mean any harm. Isn’t this going a bit too far?”
A young man, previously addressed by Pei Rong, came over with a frown to mediate.
Zi Zhi was Xie Yu’s courtesy name.
Xie Yu glanced at him. “We aren’t close.”
In other words, who gave you the right to mediate?
“Tian Bin, this has nothing to do with you. Step aside!”
Yuan Pei rode over, unceremoniously saying.
Generally, to show respect, people refrain from calling each other by their given names after entering society. Therefore, often when men turned twenty and underwent the capping ceremony, or women turned fifteen and had their hairpin ceremony, elders would bestow them with a courtesy name to be used in social settings.
However, in reality, the offspring of noble families often began socializing at a young age and naturally couldn’t wait until adulthood. Usually, they would receive a courtesy name once elders started taking them out to meet guests.
Tian Bin naturally had a courtesy name, but Yuan Pei addressed him directly by his given name, clearly showing great disrespect.
Tian Bin considered himself a descendant of a distinguished family and was somewhat embarrassed that Xie Yu and others had publicly ignored him. However, he was known for his patience. After taking a deep breath, he still calmly said, “Master Xie, he has already learned his lesson.”
He had met Ji Fang years ago at the National Academy and had a decent friendship. If he didn’t step in now, it would be inappropriate both emotionally and logically.
But Xie Yu completely ignored him, gave Ji Fang another cold look, and then rode off.
Whether he learned his lesson or not is not for you to decide.
Yuan Pei clicked his tongue, shook his head, and followed, exchanging a hearty laugh with Pei Rong.
“That bastard!” Ji Fang cursed, pounding the ground with his left arm.
He had little interaction with Xie Yu, only hearing that the latter disliked socializing. He never expected him to be so aloof.
What’s there to be proud of? Just because he was born into a good family!
“Be careful with your words!”
Tian Bin hissed in a low voice.
Do you think Xie Yu is someone who can be casually insulted?
Ji Fang bit his lip, then pounded the ground again hard, staying silent.
Nowadays, Ji family also has officials in the court. Unless absolutely necessary, they must not make enemies with Xie Yu.
Tian Bin dismounted and helped Ji Fang up. “Did you see clearly who you hit?”
He had interacted with Xie Yu a few times before. Although their relationship wasn’t deep, he had a rough understanding of Xie Yu’s character. It was true that Xie Yu was aloof, and he indeed had the capital to be aloof. But he was generally fair and restrained. His actions just now were truly unusual.
Ji Fang was stunned, then thought of this point and regretfully said, “From such a distance, how could I see clearly!”
He paused, then added unhappily, “It was just an accident. No one died. What more does he want!”
Tian Bin, who was mounting his horse, frowned at these words. “Can you even say such things?”
Among people like us, who isn’t someone whose actions could have far-reaching consequences? Let alone causing death, even a minor injury could lead to irreversible serious outcomes.
He had long heard that the Ji family had fallen on hard times and even lost their noble title, with each generation worse than the last. But he never expected Ji Fang to be so reckless and unable to tell right from wrong.
If he doesn’t change his ways, he’ll surely bring disaster upon himself one day!
Seeing how serious Tian Bin was, Ji Fang gritted his teeth and said, “Fine then, I’ll apologize to him later, okay?”
If that still wasn’t enough, would he have to cut off his own head?
Tian Bin stared at Xie Yu in the distance for a while before finally saying, “Let’s hope it works.”
He felt that this matter wasn’t over yet, because Xie Yu hadn’t said he would let it drop.
Soon enough, Tian Bin’s premonition proved true:
In the following matches, Xie Yu seemed to have targeted Ji Fang specifically, repeatedly using the ball as an excuse to hit him.
Ji Fang also became furious, and for a moment wanted to fight back, but unfortunately, a scholar from the National Academy stood no chance against a military officer from the Imperial Guards. Ji Fang was soon beaten down, his anger dissipating, and finally was carried off the field, bruised and battered.
Ma Bing watched with satisfaction.
She hadn’t expected Xie Yu, who looked so refined and scholarly, to have such underhanded tactics hidden inside.
After all, he was a military officer—when it came down to it, he could be quite ruthless!
After the first match, Ma Bing received two packages of medicine, one after the other.
The first came from Princess Ningde. The person delivering it said nothing, but Ma Bing had always admired beautiful women and happily accepted it, feeling somewhat flattered.
The medicine bottle was exquisite—a small porcelain bottle shaped like a pear after a rainstorm, with an emerald lid. When she brought it close, she could smell a faint, cool fragrance.
After Lady Zhao examined it, she said it was a secret palace remedy, containing ingredients like South Sea pearl powder and Hetian jade dust, effective for soothing muscles, improving blood circulation, and promoting skin healing. Such medicine was rarely seen outside the palace.
After hearing this, Ma Bing looked back at Princess Ningde and was surprised to find the latter smiling at her as well.
Hmm, she was still stunningly beautiful.
The second package of medicine, however, was somewhat mysterious. The messenger dropped it off and ran away before Ma Bing could even call him back, so she had no idea who had sent it.
The packaging looked plain, but Ma Bing took a sniff and thought that, purely in terms of ingredients and effectiveness, it might be even more suitable than the one from Princess Ningde.
Come to think of it, this formula was commonly used by martial artists.
When the polo match ended, the young girl Ma Bing had saved earlier came over again to thank her, saying she would definitely visit in person another day.
Ma Bing waved her off repeatedly, but her arm hurt as soon as she moved it, so she quickly pulled it back and switched to her left hand. “You’ve already thanked me several times. It was just a small favor.”
Looking at her wrist, now swollen to the size of her calf, the girl insisted, “No, I must! A drop of water deserves a spring of gratitude. That was a life-saving favor, so I must repay it generously.”
“No, no need.”
“Yes, I must!”
“No, no need…”
“Yes, I must…”
Lady Zhao couldn’t help but laugh as she watched the two young women walk away, tugging at each other and repeating the same silly conversation.
As it turned out, the girl truly meant what she said.
Although Ma Bing had insisted on not revealing where she lived, she had come with Lady Zhao, so any sharp-eyed person could easily find out.
That very evening, the girl’s entire family of three came to the Kaifeng Prefecture to express their gratitude.
It was only then that Ma Bing learned the girl’s name: Yuan Yuan, the youngest daughter of Grand Secretary Yuan Gao. Although Yuan himself no longer handled many affairs, his children and several disciples were well-known for their talents. His influence was widespread among scholars across the land.
The elderly couple’s older children were already married and had families of their own, so they had only this young daughter left at home, whom they cherished dearly.
After hearing the story of what had happened, the elderly couple were so frightened they nearly lost their minds and hurriedly prepared eight gifts before coming directly to express their thanks.
“If anything had happened to Yuan Yuan, we wouldn’t have wanted to live anymore.”
Grand Secretary Yuan wiped away tears, then asked his daughter to kowtow.
Ma Bing jumped up immediately, “No, no, please don’t!”
After returning, she had noticed her wrist swelling badly, so she had asked Wang Heng to help her sling it. Seeing the injuries now, the family felt even more frightened and even more grateful for her timely intervention.
“I must, I must.”
Yuan Yuan insisted again, and before Ma Bing could react, she knelt down and kowtowed. “The favor of saving my life is like giving me a second chance. Sister, please accept this bow, or else my whole family will live in regret for the rest of our lives.”
Ah, this…
With words like that, it really became impossible for Ma Bing to refuse.
Luckily, Yuan Yuan knew how to behave appropriately. After kowtowing, she quickly got up and affectionately said, “Dear sister, from now on I’ll treat you as my own elder sister. Please don’t reject me.”
Who could possibly say no to a cute girl with deer-like eyes? Ma Bing couldn’t.
Thus, the visit ended joyfully.
Yuan Yuan chattered happily with her newly recognized sister for quite a while. Even as her parents prepared to leave, she still seemed reluctant to go, blinking her eyes and asking, “Sister, we hit it off so well. Why don’t we sleep together tonight and talk the whole night?”
Ma Bing firmly declined, “No, no, it’s too hot.”
Honestly, wasn’t this girl a bit too enthusiastic?
Especially the way she looked at her—with shining eyes like dancing flames, scorching her skin.
Yuan Yuan: “…”
Couldn’t you at least pretend to hesitate?
As her parents dragged her away, Yuan Yuan kept looking back, and finally clung to the doorframe, pleading with wide eyes, “Sister, when you recover in a few days, let’s go out of the city to play! It’s super fun!”
Ma Bing smiled, “Okay, we’ll go play.”
Such a lovely little girl.
It was truly wonderful to have parents.
Only in a happy and complete family could someone be so innocent and carefree.
Ma Bing thought the polo incident was over, but she never expected it was only the beginning.
Early the next morning, Ji Fang was brought by his elders to apologize in person.
As for this person, Ma Bing did feel somewhat annoyed, because he was too impulsive, acting without thinking of the consequences.
If she hadn’t stopped him yesterday, that adorable little girl might have already died. In that case, would an apology have been enough?
But she herself had only been slightly injured, and since they had come all the way here with such sincere attitudes, she couldn’t really keep holding a grudge.
Still, compared to the way she had treated Yuan Yuan’s family yesterday, this was like night and day.
What was strange was Ji Fang’s behavior—he was no longer arrogant as he had been the day before, instead appearing very nervous. He occasionally stole glances at Ma Bing, but when she looked back, he quickly turned his face away.
Ma Bing frowned. What was wrong with him?
Originally, Ji Fang had also intended to apologize to Xie Yu, but unfortunately, Xie Yu refused to see him. Ji Fang had no choice but to send over gifts and a letter through someone else.
As they left the Kaifeng Prefecture, Ji Fang’s mother looked at her absent-minded son and guessed something, so she casually remarked, “I wonder if that young lady Ma has been betrothed already.”
Ji Fang turned his head abruptly, his face turning red under his mother’s teasing gaze, stammering, “Why would you suddenly bring up such a thing, Mother?”
Madam Ji smiled, “I was just asking casually. Why are you in such a rush?”
Ji Fang felt deeply embarrassed and turned his head to the side with a huff, but all he could see in his mind was Ma Bing’s face.
He had never expected that the girl from yesterday would be so bold and beautiful, completely different from the refined young ladies he had met in the capital. She was full of vibrant energy, like a fresh breeze after summer rain, instantly blowing into his heart.
Though she hadn’t even looked at him properly…
But it was understandable. After all, it was his recklessness that had caused her pain. Not only did she ignore him, but she had every right to vent her anger on him.
But now she was staying at the Kaifeng Prefecture, and Xie Yu was also there. He wondered if she would speak ill of him.
Wait a minute!
She was staying at the Kaifeng Prefecture, and Xie Yu was there too?!
Thinking back to Xie Yu’s unusual behavior yesterday, Ji Fang’s smile froze on his face, and his heart gradually sank.
But that couldn’t be right either—if Xie Yu really had an engagement, wouldn’t there already be rumors in the capital?
Right, right. It must just be a coincidence. Xie Yu just disliked him for no particular reason.
But still…
They both lived in the Kaifeng Prefecture! That was like the one living near the river getting the moonlight first…
Watching her son’s rapidly shifting expressions—joy followed by worry—Madam Ji could only sigh helplessly.
He had reached the age where he longed for a wife.
It was time to seriously send someone to inquire about Ma Bing’s background and status, so they could act accordingly.
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