The blood-red characters that filled the capital city’s papers were a mystery, no one knew who had written them, but they certainly achieved their purpose.

Within just three days, the memorials submitted by the Censorate accusing the Liang family had piled up into a thick stack.

The entire Liang family, from top to bottom, was implicated, including even Consort Shu and Prince Jingkang.

That night, Consort Shu suddenly “fell ill,” and Prince Jingkang, concerned for his mother’s health, entered the palace to attend to her.

His own health deteriorated as a result.

Even after Liang Wenhao was executed, the capital continued to buzz with discussion.

His brutal methods and reckless actions, as well as the extreme cruelty of his deeds, had left a mark as shocking as the blood-red characters on the paper.

With such an uproar, Liang Ji lost his official position, and the gates of the Liang residence were tightly closed.

Even Consort Shu and Prince Jingkang dared not make any further moves.

The Emperor, who had been in a bad mood recently, was still forced to put on a brave face and engage in negotiations with the envoy from Haoyu.

The diplomatic marriage had been settled, and only the choice of the bride remained.

During several discussions, the Crown Prince, Yu Shun, had mentioned Wen Yuesheng. However, the Emperor never responded to these suggestions.

In the court, no one was sure of the Emperor’s thoughts, but each person had their own opinion.

Some proposed promoting Si Ning, the Princess, to a formal title and sending her to Haoyu, which would benefit both Da Hui and Haoyu, as it would give Da Hui a queen from Haoyu.

Others believed that the Crown Prince saw the Princess’s capabilities and had clear intentions to safeguard the border, making it impossible for her to be married to Haoyu.

There were also those who insisted that Princess Fuirui was the most suitable choice for the marriage alliance…

With so many differing opinions, the Emperor became increasingly frustrated.

Fortunately, with the major diplomatic matters settled, there were no pressing issues, and the Emperor decided to organize a polo match.

It would serve as a way to distract from the scandal surrounding the Liang family and help smooth over the controversies surrounding the choice of bride.

It rained that morning, and the ground and flowers were soaked, filling the air with a fresh, clean scent.

Wen Yuesheng, accompanied by Gu Yu and Xia Zhi, left the palace. Outside, they encountered Zhou Manniang.

Zhou Manniang laughed softly, “Princess, are you heading out to offer prayers?”

“To the polo field,” Wen Yuesheng replied, lifting her gaze to the distant palace.

The noble fish raised in the palace lived better than common folk.

Using their power, they could easily decide the lives and fates of others.

It was time for them to taste what it felt like to have their own power, which they took so much pride in, pressed down upon them.

As Wen Yuesheng left, Zhou Manniang noticed that the prayer beads, which the Princess had held in her hand every day, were now only worn loosely on her wrist.

At the polo field, Crown Prince Yu Shun of Haoyu entered the arena, leading his team personally.

However, Da Hui also needed someone of equivalent status to lead a team.

Prince Hengguang was injured, Prince Jingkang was ill, and Prince Yong’an was reclusive.

…There was no one available.

“Go and call the Fourth Prince,” the Emperor instructed Gao Quan from his elevated seat.

Gao Quan responded, and nearby, Prince Wei Yangwang stood up and said, “Father, I can play!”

What did that mean?

Was his father disrespecting him?

In the entire capital, no one played polo better than him!

The Emperor glanced at him and then said, “Then take Zhang Yulin and give it a try.”

Zhang Yulin nodded lightly and went down to the field with Prince Wei Yangwang.

Prince Wei Yang was decent at polo, but his opponents were Yu Shun and the Haoyu generals.

Zhang Yulin, being tall and muscular, appeared like a moving mountain on horseback, capable of blocking two or three opponents on his own.

…But this wasn’t a fight, it was polo.

The rules of the game prohibited using the mallet to strike an opponent’s body or using one’s body to hit the ball. If either was done, the goal wouldn’t count.

Because of these restrictions, Zhang Yulin was limited in what he could do, and though he could block several opponents, he could not actively engage.

Prince Wei Yangwang had decent skills, but he was overwhelmed by several opponents.

Yu Shun, especially, was an expert; every time he got the ball, he scored.

After several rounds, Prince Wei Yangwang was nearly ready to vomit blood.

Throughout the half, he had only managed to score three goals—not because he couldn’t, but because a player named Tailan, like a ghost, always shadowed him wherever he went.

Although Prince Wei Yangwang was skilled, his physical strength and stamina were no match for the Haoyu players. Tailan’s constant presence prevented him from performing at his best.

Despite running all over the field, Prince Wei Yangwang’s energy was drained, and only three goals were scored.

In contrast, the Haoyu team scored seven goals, almost completely dominating them.

When Prince Wei Yangwang left the field, he hadn’t even had time to drink tea before hearing the Emperor’s voice, “You said you could play, didn’t you?”

Choking on his tea, Prince Wei Yangwang couldn’t help but say, “Father, at least be reasonable! Look at Tailan’s physique, then look at mine! He’s always blocking me; how am I supposed to play?”

“I can’t risk my life for this!”

The Emperor: …

Nearby, the courtiers kept their eyes down, not daring to speak. Prince Wei Yangwang had misunderstood; he wasn’t the best polo player in the capital—he was simply the best at talking.

“No way!” Prince Wei Yangwang declared, sitting down. “Change someone else, I really can’t play like this! You all didn’t even block Tailan, and you think you can stop the Haoyu Crown Prince?”

The generals remained silent.

At that moment, Gao Quan entered with Xiao Jin, and the Emperor directly said, “If you can’t play, then let the Fourth Prince take your place.”

Prince Wei Yangwang burst into laughter, “Father, I might lose, but the Fourth Prince will definitely lose!”

He turned to look at the pale-faced Xiao Jin, raising an eyebrow. “Right, Fourth Brother? I heard you’ve been heartbroken lately. If you lose to the Haoyu Crown Prince, do you think you can survive?”

Silence.

Xiao Jin raised his eyes, his gaze dark and intense.

The Duke of Zhongyong, who was standing by, found himself at a loss for words. Sometimes, when Prince Wei Yangwang was beaten, it was truly not Xiao Jin’s fault.

With just Xiao Jin looking like this, it was indeed hard to understand.

His expression seemed unchanged from before; he was just thinner, and his condition appeared somewhat weary. He wasn’t in the best shape, that much was clear.

The Duke of Zhongyong was confused. Didn’t he dislike the princess?

Just as the tension hung in the air, a palace servant came to report that Princess Sining had arrived.

As soon as Xiao Jin heard the name “Princess Sining,” waves of emotion stirred in his eyes.

He had been unable to sleep these past few nights, and all his thoughts seemed to revolve around her. He hadn’t even seen Wen Yurou.

He wasn’t sure why he felt this way, but upon hearing her name, his heart stirred in a very complicated way.

Wen Yuesheng was led into the hall by the servants. The atmosphere in the hall wasn’t particularly good, as they had just lost a polo match.

Seeing her, the Prince of Wei Yangwang raised an eyebrow and said, “Sining, why are you here? Didn’t you go to pray today?”

Wen Yuesheng replied, “Wasn’t I supposed to play polo?”

The Prince of Wei Yangwang froze for a moment.

In the first half of the match, the Great Wei team had been completely dominated, with Yu Shun barely participating.

He mostly rode around the field, allowing the Prince of Wei Yangwang to score a goal.

But this wasn’t a battle; it was just a polo game, so it didn’t require too much seriousness.

However, when the second half began, Yu Shun’s eyes lingered for a moment.

The person leading the second half wore a light blue riding outfit, with his black hair tied back.

His appearance was strikingly handsome.

It was none other than Princess Sining, who had not been seen for a while.

“Your Highness?” asked the attendant beside him, confused.

In the second half, Yu Shun had already planned to exit the game and let someone else take his place.

He quietly said, “No need.”

Previously, Wen Yuesheng had never taken part in combat, nor had she participated in the royal hunting, so it was rare for her to join the polo match today.

As soon as she entered, the atmosphere of the Great Wei team seemed to change noticeably.

Especially for Zhang Yulin, who seemed to stick close to her, following her everywhere on horseback.

Yu Shun paused slightly and said, “I didn’t expect the princess to be good at polo.”

Wen Yue Sheng replied, “I’m not that skilled.”

Her true expertise was killing people.

But the principles of polo were simple enough. She could precisely control the force and angles, so playing polo was no problem for her.

Yu Shun chuckled lightly. “The princess is being modest.”

“Since the princess is here, we must add a bit of excitement to the match.”

He looked at Wen Yuesheng. “If the princess loses today’s polo match, would you agree to fulfill one of my requests?”

Xiao Jin’s face darkened slightly.

The Prince of Wei Yangwang was about to speak up, wondering what request could possibly be made. If he asked for Wen Yuesheng to marry him, what would he do?

But before he could speak, Wen Yuesheng replied, “Sure.”

Prince of Wei Yangwang: ?

Once both sides entered their respective teams, he couldn’t help but ask, “Sining, why did you agree so easily? Do you know how terrifying this Prince of Haizhou is?”

Earlier, when Wen Yuesheng had said she could play, he was doubtful.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her, but in his impression, she was capable of playing polo, but not particularly well.

She could perhaps play decently against other women, but facing a strong opponent like the Crown Prince, she had little chance of winning.

But Wen Yuesheng said, “We’ll see once we play.”

Yu Shun was indeed as strong as the Prince of Wei Yangwang had described.

As soon as the whistle blew, he broke from his usual behavior, riding his horse furiously.

After a Haizhou general grabbed the ball and passed it to him, he raised his polo mallet high.

“Bang!” The ball was hit with precision and force into the goal.

“Haizhou scores one point!” the palace servant waved the flag.

The court fell into a flurry of discussion.

“The second half began with Prince Haizhou scoring immediately.”

“Looks like he’s taking it much more seriously than in the first half.”

“This is bad; it was already difficult before, and now it’ll be even harder to deal with.”

Meanwhile, Wen Yuesheng was leisurely riding her horse on the sidelines.

Men and women had different stamina, and since she hadn’t shown any particular polo skills before, it was assumed she was just there to direct Zhang Yulin.

That was why the emperor let her join the game.

But at the moment, she seemed as though she was just out for a walk.

Slowly, without any rush, and without the slightest intention of grabbing the ball.

Many people couldn’t understand the situation, but their focus wasn’t on Wen Yuesheng. They were more hopeful that Xiao Jin would face off against Yu Shun.

No one expected that at this moment…

The second ball was sent out, and Zhang Yulin seized it first.

The Primce of Wei Yangwang shouted, “Give it to me, here!”

Xiao Jin was close by.

But Zhang Yulin, without thinking, passed the ball to Wen Yuesheng, who was leisurely strolling at a distance.

As the ball flew toward her, everyone in the hall froze.

“Ugh! Why did he pass the ball to the princess?”

“Zhang Yulin trusts her too much.”

“This is bad! The princess is right next to Tailan!”

Not only did Da Hui find this strange, but Haizhou also found it odd.

It was just a polo game, and Yu Shun hadn’t brought all his generals, only taking Tailan with him.

Throughout the first half, Tailan had been single-handedly blocking the Prince of Wei Yangwang. But in the second half, after the change in formation, he completely ignored the Prince of Wei Yangwang and instead stayed close to Wen Yuesheng.

When the ball flew toward her, Tailan immediately spurred his horse forward and raised his mallet with force, intending to strike the ball away.

Everyone in the hall stood up as they watched Tailan’s move.

Under countless gazes, Wen Yuesheng lifted her mallet.

Surprisingly, she didn’t try to hit the ball but instead aimed to intercept Tailan’s strike!

The crowd gasped, and Xiao Jin loudly called, “Sining…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Wen Yuesheng effortlessly and lightly swung her mallet, sending Tailan’s mallet flying through the air!

The mallet slipped from Tailan’s hand and landed on the grass with a loud thud, leaving everyone stunned.

In the next moment, Wen Yuesheng gently squeezed her horse’s sides, urging it forward.

She held the reins with one hand and the mallet with the other.

She immediately changed her casual attitude, racing through the field, directly passing the Haizhou generals blocking her path. With a swift movement, she raised her mallet and struck.

“Bang!” The polo ball smashed into Haizhou’s goal with a loud noise!

The entire field fell silent.

The palace servant shouted, “Great Wei scores one point!”

The first goal of the second half came from none other than the seemingly unlikely Princess Sining!

She not only knew how to ride but also how to play polo, and she even managed to snatch the ball from Tailan!

The people in the hall were astonished.

The Duke of Zhongyong stood up, cheering loudly, “The princess is magnificent!”