Chapter 30: The Match

Xie Yunzheng withdrew his gaze and nodded lightly at the suggestion. “That is indeed rare.”

Li Chen, in high spirits, straightened up. “How about you brothers each take your fiancée and play a match?”

“I’ll offer this jeweled feather fan as a prize.”

Xie Yunzhao glanced at Shen Shurong, uncertain whether she was upset because of the Crown Prince or due to Xie Yunzheng’s fiancée.

Shen Shurong had just eaten some almond pastry. Hearing this, she wiped her hands with a handkerchief. “Brother Crown Prince should join as well; how can you  just watch your sister perform?”

Li Chen laughed heartily, “Good, I’ll join too.”

Seeing Shen Shurong agree, Xie Yunzheng didn’t hesitate. “Alright, I’ll go change.”

Xie Yunzhao followed Shen Shurong to her carriage. “Rongrong, if you don’t want to compete, you don’t have to.”

“It’s fine, I’ll change in the carriage.”

Seeing she wasn’t angry, Xie Yunzhao’s tone became more cheerful. “Don’t worry, with me here, we’ll definitely win.”

Shen Shurong didn’t care much for the prize; she just didn’t want to ruin Xie Yunzhao’s excitement if she opted out. “This is a small matter; whether we win or lose isn’t important.”

Xie Yunzhao nodded, agreeing that if she wanted the fan, he could get her something even better.

Lu Ziqian’s heart raced when he heard Xie Yunzhao would be competing.

During the break, he quietly went to the stables.

As the match began, Lu Ziqian gave a slight nod to Xie Yunzheng, who was watching.

After the ball was in play, the competitors rode out. Xie Yunzheng wanted Shen Shurong to win; he knew she hated to lose, so he played carelessly.

In contrast, Li Wan’er was giving it her all; it was evident she had some skills.

The Third Commandery Princess grew more agitated in the viewing area, clenching her handkerchief. What did it matter if someone could play polo?

The Fourth Commandery Princess’s gaze was fixed on Xie Yunzhao, but now everyone was focused on the field, so no one noticed her attention.

But today, he seemed to be playing around, only chasing after the Junzhu and ignoring the ball.

The Crown Prince, playing along, suddenly found it uninteresting; it seemed few were taking the game seriously.

Li Wan’er also noticed Xie Yunzheng’s lackadaisical attitude; he missed the ball even when it was passed to him.

The Third Commandery Princess found it amusing, “Haha, Imperial Sister, doesn’t that Li Wan’er look like a clown?”

After Xie Yunzheng missed a few balls, Li Wan’er sighed inwardly. She too felt something was amiss and stopped running after the ball, watching him intentionally or unintentionally.

But out of ten plays, eight times he was watching Yongjia Junzhu, making Li Wan’er feel uncomfortable.

Shen Shurong was more serious than Xie Yunzhao. “Brother Yunzhao, the ball is coming. Quickly pass it to me.”

“Okay, Rongrong, catch!” Xie Yunzhao, for the first time, didn’t care about winning or losing; he just wanted to keep up with Shen Shurong.

And what she said about winning or losing not mattering stuck with him.

Xie Yunzhao rode swiftly forward, snatching the ball and swinging it towards Shen Shurong, while everyone rushed to her side.

Shen Shurong swung her mallet and was about to hit the ball when suddenly, Xie Yunzhao’s horse reared back, charging toward her uncontrollably. No matter how he pulled on the reins, it wouldn’t stop.

Shen Shurong was still chasing the ball when she heard someone calling her. Turning around, she was petrified.

Xie Yunzheng thought he was about to witness an accident, ready to watch a good show, but then he saw the horse rushing toward Shen Shurong and quickly spurred his horse to race over.

Xie Yunzhao’s horse was still out of control, barreling towards Shen Shurong. He leaped off, planting a foot on the horse’s back.

Wrapping his arms around Shen Shurong’s waist, he leaped down, worried about hurting her. He kicked her horse’s belly to change its direction, and they slid to the ground, coming to a stop after a short distance.

“Junzhu!”

How could the horse have been startled?

Everyone in the viewing area was stunned by the sudden turn of events and rushed down to the field.

“Brother Yunzhao!” Shen Shurong regained her senses and quickly got up to check on him.

Xie Yunzhao was still lying down. He had been terrified; thankfully, she was okay. “I’m fine.”

Both horses suddenly became agitated, raising their front hooves and neighing incessantly.

Xie Yunzhao propped himself up, shielding Shen Shurong from the horses.

Xie Yunzheng was still shaken by the accident; he had nearly caused harm to Yongjia.

He then felt a pang of regret. He had been so close to saving Yongjia, so close to seeing Xie Yunzhao fall.

His cold gaze swept over the crowd, lingering longer on Lu Ziqian than anyone else. How dare he touch her!

“Someone, subdue the horses and investigate thoroughly!”

“Yes, Heir Xie.” The guards on the field received their orders and moved into action.

Shen Shurong moved behind Xie Yunzhao and covered her mouth, tears welling up one after another. It was a hot summer day, and he was only wearing a thin layer of clothing. His back was scraped raw, with blood, mud, and sand mixed together. “Brother Yunzhao, your back…”

Hearing her cry, Xie Yunzhao finally felt the pain in his back. He turned around, not wanting to scare her. “I’m fine. My father’s beatings were worse than this. It’ll heal in two days.”

He looked her up and down. “Don’t worry about me. Quickly check yourself. Are you hurt?”

Shen Shurong was too shocked to feel any pain. Only when he asked did she realize her left ankle hurt, but she still shook her head. “I’m fine. You’re seriously injured. You need to see a physician.”

Suihan, Yinzhi, Qingzhu, and Qingying had already rushed over. “Second Master!” “Junzhu!”

“Suihan, take my token and invite a physician to the Duke of Lu’s Mansion.”

“Yes, Junzhu. What about you?”

“I’ll go to the Duke of Lu’s Mansion with Brother Yunzhao. We’ll watch from there.”

“Yes.”

Shen Shurong helped Xie Yunzhao towards the exit, but as soon as she took a step, her left foot felt like it was being stabbed with needles. She endured the pain without making a sound, fearing he would feel sorry for her.

But Xie Yunzhao was constantly watching her. Seeing she was struggling to put weight on her left foot, he lifted her into his arms.

It was his fault; he hadn’t protected her.

Shen Shurong was startled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Quickly put me down. You’re so badly injured.”

Xie Yunzhao gritted his teeth and chuckled, “My back is injured, so it’s easy to carry you.”

Shen Shurong couldn’t stop her tears from flowing. Was he trying to make her feel overwhelmed with emotion?

She leaned against him, her tears soaking into his sleeve.

Those who had just arrived stared at Xie Yunzhao’s back, their thoughts varied.

The Fourth Commandery Princess felt both heartache and sadness. He had hurt himself for her; was she that important to him?

The Crown Prince was escorted back to the palace by the guards, ending the match.

Li Wan’er was still reeling. She had seen Xie Yunzheng rushing towards Yongjia Junzhu as well, even though she was right there. But she knew he wasn’t worried about her.

He shouldn’t be like this…

Seeing she hadn’t moved for a while, Xie Yunzheng thought she was scared and, out of courtesy, went over to comfort her. “Don’t worry, the horses are under control now.”

Li Wan’er nodded when she saw him. He was truly worthy of the Emperor’s praise; he handled the aftermath efficiently.

She lowered her gaze, collecting her thoughts, then looked up again, her expression back to normal. “I’m fine. It’s just that Second Master Xie and Yongjia Junzhu are quite injured. Second Master Xie is truly devoted to the Junzhu; he sacrificed himself for her. His back injury is serious.”

Xie Yunzheng didn’t want to hear this. He said coldly, “It’s not a serious injury, just a flesh wound. The Junzhu has already called for a physician.”