©Novel Buddy
MTL - A Complete Explanation of the Negative Textbooks of the Imperial Examination-Chapter 54 National Championship
The concubine raised the Yanyue pole and waved it towards the high platform. Feeling his movement, several other people also stopped, holding the reins in their hands, and looked at the high platform with a smile.
Xin An glanced at Rong Ke, who was snickering, his face became more and more unable to hang on, so he could only complain angrily to the concubine: "How old you are, you are still fighting with these young men, and you are not afraid of being laughed at by others."
"This is so unfair, I can't help but feel sorry for my uncle." Rong Ke said, "Uncle couldn't help but look back at you before he came on stage, just wanted to make aunt smile. Thinking of my aunt being so incomprehensible."
Rong Ke was pinched by Xin'an after he finished speaking: "You're so bold, you even dare to joke about me..."
Rong Ke smiled and escaped, while the other princesses and county magistrates watched the aunt and nephew with a smile. Xin An is the only sibling of the prince, and has been very close since childhood. Although the third prince and the fourth prince and others also grew up with the prince, they were not born with the same mother after all, and they were separated by a layer. Rong Ke was the first of the third generation to be born. Not only did the emperor treat his eldest granddaughter like a treasure, but even King Liang and Xin'an were the first elders to be elders. It was very new to Rong Ke, a child. Afterwards, the children of the grandchildren were born one after another. Although they love each other, they are incomparable with Rong Ke.
Xin'an has been married for eight years and has a son under her knees, but she still likes to take Rong Ke by her side, even her own son can't compare. Rong Ke was not afraid of aunt Xin'an at all, and even dared to make jokes about her. Seeing the two aunts and nephews fighting, although the third princess smiled, she felt some envy in her heart.
The third princess is married and has the title Gaomi. She is neither a direct descendant nor a senior, and she is not favored by the emperor at ordinary times. Her status among the royal women is only mediocre, and she cannot compare with Xin'an in the slightest. Rong Ke said that she was her junior, but Gaomi didn't dare to put on airs in front of Rong Ke. The crown prince is now stable in the East Palace, and he is obviously the emperor's desired successor. In a few years, Rong Ke will become the future Princess Xin'an. How could Gaomi, an aunt who was mediocre in all aspects, dare to confront Rong Ke head-on. On this occasion, Princess Gaomi just sat on the side gently and quietly, without causing trouble or attracting attention, how dare she make a joke like Xin'an and Rong Ke.
Princess Gaomi was lonely, Princess Xin'an's husband and family were powerful, and the concubine dared to show affection to Xin'an on this occasion, but her husband was not even qualified to play. Seemingly aware of Princess Gaomi's loss, Rong Wenyan put her hand on the back of Gaomi's hand and asked softly, "Sister, what's the matter with you?"
Princess Gaomi immediately retracted her mind, and smiled at Rong Wenyan with a sense of proportion, neither too distant nor too intimate: "I'm fine, I just lost my mind, worrying about trouble and Jing."
No matter how unpopular Gaomi is, she is also the daughter of the emperor, and there is a natural gap with Rong Wenyan, the daughter of the former prince. But who made the empress dowager feel sorry for her eldest son, Aiwu and Wuxia, who doted on Rong Wenyan, the sister and brother. In the previous dynasty, the emperor and the crown prince had the final say, but no one in the harem could shake the queen mother's right to speak. With the support of the queen mother, Rong Wenyan's momentum in the palace was no less than that of Xin'an, the serious eldest princess, and even Rong Rong. Ke has to back away for one or two. After all, who would dare not buy the face of the queen mother?
Gaomi did not dare to offend the queen mother, but did not dare to go too close with Rong Wenyan, so as not to offend the emperor and the prince. She carefully grasps the balance between the two, and there are many people like her in the palace. The queen mother made it clear that she wanted to support Rong Wenyan. For some purpose, the queen also kept uplifting Princess Hejing, comparing Rong Wenyan and Rong Ke everywhere. Many people are caught between the two palaces and the East Palace, and they can only be like Princess Gaomi, trying their best to be impartial and help each other.
Just like now, Princess Gaomi didn't dare to shake off Rong Wenyan's hand, nor did she dare to show closeness in front of Xin'an and Rong Ke, so she could only fool the past. Fortunately, Xin'an and Rong Ke have seen these a lot, and Xin'an's eyes are not biased. With a bright smile, he called the maid of the princess's residence and gave a few words in a low voice. When the maid came back, she had a tray in her hand.
In front of everyone, Xin An took off the arm ring on his hand, put it on the tassels and four hanging trays, and said: "Today, the distinguished guests from the Turks are visiting, and we are not good at not showing anything. Well, let me start, and use this suet, jade and silver armband as a color, and the concubine will score the most goals."
As soon as Xin'an's words fell, the Xiu Pavilion immediately burst into laughter. The other county owner who accompanied her was already married, and she spoke a lot more casually. She laughed and teased: "The princess and the concubine have such a good relationship, it really makes us people's eyes red with envy!"
At this time, the atmosphere was casual, especially in the royal family, and Xinan was not annoyed by being teased by everyone. After everyone laughed, Xinan urged others to bet. Although the few people present are of the same race, the intricate relationship in private is not simple at all. At that time, a few more people bet on their relatives and friends. Seeing that more and more people participated, someone suddenly asked, "Why didn't the county master bet?"
Rong Ke originally thought of not expressing her position. After all, the Crown Princess did not come today, she is the representative of the East Palace, it is not good to favor one over the other. However, in the end, he could not avoid it, Rong Ke could only say: "Then I will bet on the third uncle."
"Hey!" Princess Xin'an was dissatisfied, "What do you mean by Saburo, these people are your uncles, it's so boring that you put the lottery on them. I see there are two more in the team. As a teenager, you need to get in touch with your peers more, what's the matter with your elders all the time?"
Rong Ke is now twelve, and the two teenagers off the court are both seventeen or eighteen. This age difference is so ambiguous, it is obvious that Princess Xin An deliberately molested her niece.
Rong Ke was really annoyed, raised her head and glared at Xin'an, took off a piece of jade from her body, and said in a clear voice: "I bet on the third uncle. Send the message, let the third uncle must win the uncle , I will definitely steal my uncle's limelight."
Princess Xin'an and these elders were amused by Rong Ke, and the laughter of the female family members spread outside the screen. The emperor was very curious when he heard it: "What's the matter, how did they laugh like this?"
The chamberlain came up and said to the emperor with a smile: "The princess and the county master are betting on who will score the most goals in this game. His Royal Highness Xin'an bet on the concubine, and the county master took two pieces of jade. Come out, let the third highness definitely grab the concubine's demeanor."
Although there are two county lords now, but in the palace population, when they call Rong Wenyan, they will call Rong Wenyan the county lord Hejing.
The emperor also found it interesting, he asked: "Who are they betting on now?"
The inner servant said a few names, and the emperor laughed when he heard it: "It's rare that they have such an interest, so I also followed. The other two new scholars are ready." After speaking, the emperor called his servants and said, "Come here, bring the two pieces of jade coral sent by Nanzhao a few days ago, I bet these two young talents are the audience. The man with the most goals."
His pride, the future pillar of the country.
King Liang brought many children of the clan to prepare off the court. They were discussing tactics when they saw two servants standing aside and kept looking in their direction.
King Liang called the two over and asked, "What's wrong?"
"The miscellaneous family came here on the order of the princess and said a few words to the concubine. Her Royal Highness Xin'an made a bet with your royal highnesses that the concubine was the one who scored the most goals in the game, and the princess also said that she hoped that the concubine Don't let her lose her favorite bracelet."
Several gentlemen next to him immediately started booing. Unlike the reserved ladies, men should express their feelings more directly in this kind of situation. Xiao Jingduo also laughed. He stood aside and watched the great concubine Ma pretend to be calmly dismissing his teammates.
Unexpectedly, the topic of the servant changed, and he mentioned King Liang: "Three Highness, the county master also asked me to give you a message, saying that you must overcome the limelight of the concubine later, and never let The concubine wins."
This time everyone laughed again, Liang Wang smiled and bent over, even the always indifferent King Qi couldn't help laughing: "It seems that the eldest sister has annoyed this again, this is coming to find a place."
King Liang finally caught his breath with laughter, he clenched his fists at the concubine, and said with a smile: "Ke Ke, how dare I be dissatisfied as the third uncle, Even if she wants the stars in the sky, I have to take them off. In that case, brother-in-law, I'm sorry."
Although they are all descendants of the clan, they are the stars and the moon wherever they go, but out of the instinct of men, they still hope that their heroic appearance can get the attention of the ladies, not to mention that the princess who is arguing for them at this time is the royal family. . Xiao Jingduo not only smiled at Ke's vindictive behavior, but also wondered what Rong Ke and the others were talking about when they entered the venue.
The prince, it's normal for the two of them to be in the limelight. But the inner servant who came to report the letter still didn't mean to leave the stage. He finished laughing with King Liang, and then looked at Xiao Jingduo and Bai Jiayi: "These two are the Jinshi Lang this year, right?"
"I don't dare to do it. The miscellaneous family came to congratulate the two jinshi at the will of the sage. The sage also participated in the betting of the princesses, and bet on Nanzhao coral, betting that the two jinshi scored the most goals ."
Xiao Jingduo and Bai Jiayi were surprised. Xiao Jingduo never thought that the emperor would be so optimistic about them, to be able to show his face in front of the emperor, what this means is self-evident. If this time can make the emperor remember his name, then the election of officials in May, and even the future career...
Xiao Jingduo didn't need to think about it, he had already made a plan. He originally thought that the polo match against the Turks was an occasion for several princes to show off. He didn't need to be too prominent. A good foil is enough. But now it seems that he still can't steal the limelight of the prince, but there is no need to hide his true strength.
Not only Xiao Jingduo and Bai Jiayi, but also several other princes and county kings were surprised when they heard the words of the chamberlain. They looked at Xiao Jingduo with unabashed exploration and consideration in their eyes.
Xiao Jingduo looked as usual in these eyes and did not shy away. After the opening whistle sounded, he turned on his horse and sat upright on the horse's back, holding the reins loosely in one hand, showing an air of confidence and calmness.
Everyone in the Xiao family outside the venue has been paying attention to Xiao Jingduo. After seeing Xiao Jingduo's gesture, their emotions are even more excited.
"Look, that's Big Brother!"
If it was said that he was a humble and introverted new scholar, then now he shows a certain style.
The whistle blew, and the two sides rushed out like arrows from the strings.
The outsiders can see that this polo match is completely different from the one just now, and the level is not on the same line at all. The strength of the Turks should not be underestimated. All of these Turks were outstanding in riding skills. They were famous warriors on the grasslands. Those with thick arms could run horses, and they played polo to rampage, and they were extremely arrogant. In contrast, Xuan Chao's side is much slender. This team is all the princes and county kings. The royal family is slender and slender, and standing with the Turks like bears is even more contrasting. But even with such a huge gap in size, Xuan Chao's team did not fall behind, but instead had a unique sense of beauty. The beauty and good fighting skills of the royal family are fully revealed at this moment. These people are bold and brave in grabbing the ball, passing the ball quickly and agilely, and when hitting the ball, they are even more dazzling and dazzling.
Mixed in the royal family known for their beauty, Xiao Jingduo himself is no less. Although the other princes scored the most goals on the field, no one could ignore Xiao Jingduo. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Xiao Jingduo has the ability to score goals, but he did not do so. Instead, he took the initiative to pass the ball for the prince. Can not ignore.
The princesses on the high platform had already abandoned their shelves and squeezed to the front to watch the battle. Rong Ke stared intently off the court, and gloatingly said to Princess Xin'an, "Auntie, I'm going to win."
Xin'an looked at the red-clothed boy off the court who was dedicated to assisting King Liang, depressed and did not want to speak.
This game is extremely exciting, the battle situation is changing rapidly, and the audience does not even have time to cheer. The ladies of the Xiao family crowded in front regardless of their status, Xiao Yumang felt that her eyes were too busy, she said with emotion to the girl next to her: "I have watched many polo matches before, and I felt extremely busy at the time. Wonderful, but today I learned what real polo is."
Everyone who heard Xiao Yumang's words nodded in succession. Today they really opened their eyes. The royal family used their own actions to tell the world that the Gongrong family army of Xuanguo who swept the world back then was not A vain name.
Another lady said to Xiao Yumang enviously, "That's your brother, right? I'm really envious."
What kind of ladies do you envy? It’s not clear. Is it envious of Xiao Yumang and others having such an excellent and good-looking brother, or is it envious of the Xiao family being so close to the prince?
Xiao Yumang doesn't care about this, she only knows that because of Xiao Jingduo, she has a big face in the circle of ladies. Now all the girls in Chang'an know that she has an older brother who was a jinshi at the age of seventeen.
Different from Xiao Yumang and Xiao Yuli, who were secretly delighted, Cheng Huizhen was in a terrible mood now. In just one game, several wives had come to inquire about Xiao Jingduo's marriage.
Although the old lady comforted Cheng Huizhen, maybe she would make the decision and would not let others take the lead, but Cheng Huizhen doubted the authenticity of what she said.
Although the old lady loves her daughter and her granddaughter, Xiao Jingduo is also her grandson after all. The old lady is the most snobbish person. Now that there is a better choice of granddaughter-in-law, will the old lady really stand by Cheng Huizhen's powerless granddaughter?
Cheng Hui was heartbroken. Behind him, a cautious voice came: "Miss Biao, what's the matter with you?"
Cheng Huizhen looked back and found that it was Xia Feng she had just bought. For some reason, Cheng Huizhen was very close and trusting of Xia Feng not long after she arrived. It happened that Cheng Huizhen was in a bad mood, so she confided to Xia Feng.
There was an earth-shattering scream outside the field. It turned out that King Liang grabbed the last ball and won the national game.
The audience was insane, and even the emperor couldn't help smiling: "My child's martial arts are unfamiliar, so everyone laughed."
The prime ministers laughed so hard that they could not see their teeth, but also came to congratulate: "The saint is too humble, and several princes and county kings have distinguished status and outstanding martial arts. This is really the luck of my dynasty."
The Turkic Khan knew that this was for him, his face was ashen, but he had nothing to say, who made their strongest Turkic warriors even beat these pampered princes. The Turkic Khan's face was not good, and the Turkic officials hurriedly came out to round up the situation: "Your country is indeed full of talents, which makes me admire and admire!"
Emperor Long Xin was delighted, this trip passed the addiction of going out of the palace, and gave the Turks a dismay, which can be said to be very successful. He finally remembered that there was still a half-halfed banquet in the palace, so he said: "The Queen Mother is probably already waiting in the palace, let's go back."
The prime ministers of course agreed with this.
Liang Wang and others just won the game, and they are excited. Polo is fast and fierce, and it can make men's blood boil, both during and after the game. Hearing the order to return to the palace, King Liang and others responded with high interest, then turned around and said to Xiao Jingduo, "The technique is good, let's fight another day."
Xiao Jingduo was also sweating, and nodded after hearing King Liang's words: "Okay."
Even King Qi's eyes lit up surprisingly: "This game was so enjoyable, I haven't been so happy for a long time. I see you keep feeding the three brothers, next time there are no Turks. Don't worry about these, we'll have a good fight."
This made everyone laugh, and Xiao Jingduo knew that his actions could not be concealed from others, or that he never thought of concealing it. As the saying goes, if you don't fight, you don't know each other. Men's friendship is always built on the battlefield. After this game, Xiao Jingduo also changed his mind on the two princes, King Qi of Liang, and he readily accepted the invitation of King Qi.
These people said it happily, but the emperor was about to set off. Seeing that the princes would not come for a long time, the emperor could only send someone to remind him: "Your Highness, it's time to go back to the palace. If the princes are not enjoying themselves, you might as well go back to the palace to continue the conversation. The sage said that today's few jinshi have meritorious deeds, and they will be granted permission to all jinshi. Enter the palace together."
This is good, you can continue talking on the road, King Liang greeted everyone to mount: "Okay, okay, we have to go back to the palace together, we can talk about it on the way, get on the horse first, don't let the saints and prime ministers long wait."
So, Xiao Jingduo was inexplicably assigned to the royal polo team, and now he was packed into the palace together.
The author has something to say:
In my original conception, this is a love scene, although I also wonder why the hero and heroine have not met in this love scene.