Chapter 131: Here to Watch the Show
Jinsui stayed up all night thinking about how to deal with the Imperial Commissioner.
Because she knew a tough battle awaited after dawn, she uncharacteristically entered her space to drink a cup of black coffee.
She usually didn’t drink coffee because it made her too energetic and, well, it also affected her stomach.
When Gu Changxiao came to call her for breakfast, she quietly closed the door and whispered:
“Let my Grandpa and Jin’an sleep a bit longer. Send them to the Military Farms after they wake up naturally. Tell your Little Liu Yun to protect them secretly.”
“Let’s go, I’ll accompany you for breakfast. After eating, we’ll wait for the Imperial Commissioner to arrive!”
Gu Changxiao: … Is Brother Ji too excited to see his family?
He called Han Xing, his expression eager and excited, and patted his shoulder, saying:
“Get ready, today we can capture Zheng Yun’s bandit group in one fell swoop!
But tell the brothers, bandits are different from Tartars. Investigate carefully; those who haven’t committed murder shouldn’t be killed. Bring them back for forced labor; we’re short on people now.”
“It’s hardest to raise people; it takes sixteen years to raise one to working age!”
Han Xing looked at Gu Changxiao and whispered, “Did the Prince drink this early in the morning?”
Gu Changxiao smiled and shook his head, “He’s just very happy.”
Han Xing also smiled. He was happy to catch Zheng Yun and clear out his bandit den. He quickly went to have the soldiers prepare.
When Jinsui and Gu Changxiao arrived outside the New District, waiting for the Imperial Commissioner’s people to show up, they even ate two meat buns for breakfast. However, they waited until the sun was high in the sky, and the scout team sent to gather information hadn’t reported anything.
The effect of Jinsui’s coffee had worn off, and she was starting to feel sleepy. She touched her chin and asked Gu Changxiao:
“What’s going on with this Imperial Commissioner? Shouldn’t he have brought troops and come to the Border City immediately with Zheng Yun to investigate me, the Fake Li King?”
Gu Changxiao was also speechless, “Lord Liu has always been timid and cautious, but I didn’t expect him to be this timid! The Father Emperor actually sent him as the Imperial Commissioner. By the time he finishes his task, the plague in Luocheng will have already gotten out of control!”
Jinsui shook her head, “No, the plague’s spread will slow down when it gets cold. But this person is truly useless, being so afraid of death!”
Instead of waiting for Imperial Commissioner Liu, they received a secret letter sent by Yan Jiulang: “Zheng Yun is secretly instigating the Yanzhou Gentry to come to the Border City to expose the Li King’s true face together.”
Below was a line of small characters, written in a flowing hand, as if one could see Yan Jiu’s calm demeanor, like a clear breeze and bright moon: “May I ask what the Prince’s true face is?”
For some reason, upon seeing this sentence, Jinsui’s mind immediately conjured up Yan Shiliang’s words to Gu Changxiao: “You vixen!”
Haha, do you believe the Li King’s true face is a vixen? She glanced at Gu Changxiao, but ultimately didn’t dare to voice this joke.
Jinsui understood now. Imperial Commissioner Liu hadn’t arrived, and he was timid and cautious. Gathering more concrete evidence was one reason.
He didn’t quite believe Zheng Yun, and he couldn’t persuade Li Heng, which was the second reason. The most important reason was likely Yan Jiu’s secret obstruction, forbidding them from attacking the Border City.
Jinsui was very grateful to Yan Jiu. Holding up the note, she said to Gu Changxiao, “I told you Lord Yan is a good person! Look, he knows nothing, yet he’s secretly helping us.”
Gu Changxiao snorted, “Adding feet to a snake!”
Uh, that’s not wrong. Yan Jiu’s actions were more of a hindrance. But one should judge by actions, not intentions. He was genuinely helping the Li King wholeheartedly without knowing the full picture, unlike Li Heng, the fence-sitter.
Jinsui quickly wrote a reply to Yan Jiu, with only a few words: “Bring more people to watch the show.”
She believed that with Yan Jiu’s intelligence, he would immediately understand her plan, which was to lure Imperial Commissioner Liu and Zheng Yun to the Border City to cause trouble.
Gu Changxiao was formulating his words, thinking about how to persuade Daoist Ji to treat Yan Jiu as a partner, but absolutely not as a friend, and not to trust him too much.
Suddenly, he felt his arm grow heavy. He turned his head and saw that Daoist Ji, who had been full of vigor and spirit just moments ago, had fallen asleep leaning on his arm as if all his strength had been drained away.
Looking at his unguarded sleeping posture, Gu Changxiao couldn’t utter the words he had prepared. He even felt a bit contemptuous of himself; in a way, how was he different from Yan Jiu?
In Yanzhou City, upon receiving the Li King’s reply, Yan Jiu instantly realized he had done something superfluous and gave a self-deprecating laugh.
He thought he and the Li King were intimate friends, but after so many events, he still couldn’t guess what their whimsical Prince was planning.
He called Yan Shiyi, “Did you say the Li King invited you to the Border City to play polo?”
Yan Shiyi raised his chin and said, “It’s not just playing polo, it’s a competition between sides, no, a multi-sided competition! I’ve already arranged for twelve teams; we’ll definitely crush the Border City team!”
“I haven’t been to the Border City these past few days, I wonder how the polo field is being built?”
Yan Jiu, his wide sleeves flowing, raised his cup to drink tea, “Notify them to have your team members all go to the Border City tomorrow.”
Yan Shiyi asked excitedly, “The Li King sent word for people to go ahead and prepare for the event? Really, why didn’t he notify me and notify Eldest Brother instead?”
Yan Jiu shook his head, “No, tomorrow we’ll go to watch a big show first.”
At the same time, Yan Jiu also had people spread this news. He believed that upon hearing it, Zheng Yun would definitely take action tomorrow.
Just as Yan Jiu predicted, Zheng Yun almost knelt down to beg Imperial Commissioner Liu, “A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Tomorrow, the young disciples of Yanzhou will all gather at the Border City. Exposing that scoundrel’s true face in front of so many people, even killing him, no one would dare to object.”
Imperial Commissioner Liu was still hesitating, “If he’s a fake, how can he be so bold? Daring to send an invitation to this Imperial Commissioner to go to the Border City. And daring to hold a polo match!”
This was indeed hard to believe. A normal person impersonating the Li King should act discreetly and avoid outsiders.
Uh, of course, normal people wouldn’t impersonate an Imperial Prince either.
“Oh, my lord! How can you not understand? He’s a madman! What wouldn’t he dare to do? He even dares to fight the Tartars, what’s a mere polo match to him?”
“Think about it, even Prince Yu’s envoy couldn’t expose him. If you expose him in one go, the credit will be even greater than obtaining the prescription and curing the plague!”
This reminded Imperial Commissioner Liu, “That medicine for curing the plague, is it owned by this fake Li King, or the real Li King?”
Zheng Yun quickly said, “Once the fake Li King is captured, everything will be clear! My lord, please don’t hesitate any longer; this is an opportunity not to be missed!”
Imperial Commissioner Liu looked at the date on the Imperial Edict. He had indeed delayed for too long. Even using the excuse of the Border City being under attack, he couldn’t convince the Imperial Court.
Waiting any longer wouldn’t lead to a breakthrough, so he decided to resolve the matter thoroughly with this opportunity.
After all, if anything unexpected happened, he could always shift the blame to this Zheng Yun…
Li Heng had naturally heard about this matter. All the young people in the city were preparing to go to the Border City, some to participate in the competition, some to watch the excitement, and some to place bets.
Accompanied by house guards, bodyguards, and maidservants, a group of nearly a thousand people rushed towards the Border City.
Li Heng paced back and forth anxiously in his room, imagining countless possibilities. What exactly did the Li King intend to do?
As for Zheng Yun’s claim that the Li King was fake, Li Heng scoffed. It was a desperate lie, a dog jumping over a wall, even fabricating such a falsehood.
If he were fake, would he risk his life fighting the Tartars? Only the Li King, who had served in the Hexi Army for many years, would have such courage and ability.
Li Heng was convinced that this was a power struggle between the Li King, Prince Yu, and Zheng Yun, who had gotten involved and colluded with the Imperial Commissioner.
He truly didn’t want to get involved. Although he was outwardly a supporter of the Li King, he didn’t want to completely offend Prince Yu!
But he was worried that these young masters going to the Border City would be implicated. If something truly happened, he wouldn’t be able to escape.
While hesitating, he heard that Yan Jiu was personally going, and an idea instantly struck him. If he couldn’t go, his gift could! This way, he wouldn’t offend anyone.
The Li King loved gold and silver. And this was the first time he was organizing such a large event. So, he would present ten gold pieces. Uh, ten gold pieces were too little to be presentable. He would present a hundred gold pieces as the prize…
When Jinsui received the gold from Li Heng, she had already slept enough and was taking a walk with her Grandpa. Seeing the gold, her eyes lit up, and she exclaimed excitedly:
“What a pleasant surprise! So we can receive gifts too!
Grandpa, when is your birthday? I’ll throw you a grand celebration, and we’ll receive gifts properly! Hehe, let’s have the gentry from the Sixteen Prefectures of Yandi come and give gifts.”
Grandpa Ling scoffed and reminded her, “I’m not the Li King’s biological grandfather, how can I receive gifts?”
Jinsui instantly felt like she’d been doused with a basin of cold water, as if watching gold bars grow wings and fly away. She looked at Gu Changxiao, who was not far behind her. If his biological grandfather were alive, he wouldn’t have been exiled to the Border City.
Uh, if his biological grandfather had a birthday, the whole world should be sending gifts, and he wouldn’t care about a few gold bars.
Not far away, Hei Hu was playing with Jin’an on his shoulders. Jin’an was particularly interested in what Liu Yun had said last night about him being able to be friends with Hei Hu.
As soon as he woke up this morning, he asked the guards he encountered who Captain Hei Hu was.
Unexpectedly, Hei Hu and Hao Duojin and others came to play with them first. Grandpa Ling and Hao Duojin chatted about what had happened since they parted, while Jin’an played with Hei Hu.
The two indeed got along very well and quickly became friends. Now, Hei Hu was carrying him and pointing at the soldiers training in the distance. Jin’an then thought of the other person Liu Yun had mentioned and asked with a smile:
“Brother Hu, who is Yan Shiyi? Why isn’t he here to play with us?”
Hei Hu snorted dismissively, “He’s a guy so timid that he shrinks at the sound of wind and birds!
He was scared by a few assassins and didn’t dare to come to the Border City, and he even took Miss Yan away, which made me unable to see Miss Bai.”
These two sentences made Jin’an’s little head confused. He grabbed the key points and asked, “Who is Miss Yan? And who is Miss Bai?”
Hei Hu put Jin’an down, chuckled, and twisted his fingers, blushing as he said, “Miss Bai is, is my… I’ll tell you, but don’t tell anyone.”
Jin’an nodded heavily, “I promise not to tell anyone.”
“She’s the girl I like.”
Jin’an instantly understood, “Your future wife?”
“That’s right! Once I’ve established my own property, I’ll marry her.”
“Then what about Miss Yan?”
Hei Hu quietly pointed at Jinsui:
“That’s the Prince’s future wife!
Don’t look at how the Prince always says he can’t marry and tells Miss Yan not to come to the Border City, but I can see that Miss Yan won’t give up on the Prince. One day, the Prince will marry her!”
Jin’an’s eyes widened, his small mouth dropped open, and he dropped the fruit in his hand without caring.
He ran frantically to find his Grandpa. This was unbelievable! My sister not only disguised herself as a man but also wanted to marry a wife!
When he found his Grandpa, he saw that Grandpa was talking to his sister, so he didn’t dare to ask directly. Grandpa Ling asked him, “Why are you running so fast? You’re all sweaty.”
Jin’an’s eyes darted between Jinsui and his Grandpa. When Jinsui also pressed him, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Jin’an didn’t dare to mention the wife, only thinking of the first part of what Hei Hu had said, he shouted, “What does it mean to be so timid that one shrinks at the sound of wind and birds?”
Jinsui let out a “Ah,” and froze there, taking a moment to realize what the little fellow was talking about.
Even Jinsui, who was accustomed to dressing as a man, couldn’t help but blush. Not daring to joke with her Grandpa, she pointed at Gu Changxiao not far away:
“That, let your Brother Gu explain to you. As for me… I don’t have any birds.”
Gu Changxiao: …
Grandpa Ling grabbed Jin’an’s ear, “You and Young Master Gu go do your proper business. I’ll discipline this child!”
Jin’an yelled, “Prince Brother, save me!” Jinsui could only helplessly cover her forehead, wishing she could send her brother to the Military Camp. It would be better than learning nothing but a belly full of crude jokes.
Gu Changxiao and Jinsui walked towards the polo field. Both were silent for a long time, feeling very awkward. Jinsui regretted joking with him.
It was all the fault of the big boss for being so approachable usually, which made her forget his true identity.
It was Han Xing who broke the silence. He held something with a strange smell, looking disgusted, “Prince, do you see if it’s made like this?”
Jinsui endured the disgust, stretched her hand out long to take it and look, then nodded, “It’s like this. A pig’s bladder inflated with air, and then a leather cover sewn on the outside is a Cuju ball.”
“Make more of them; these things wear out quickly.”
Han Xing asked again, “Can’t we just play polo?”
“It’s different. The Cuju rules I’ve newly established are much more interesting than the old ones! I guarantee those young masters will love it after playing once.”
“And this way of playing can spread to children in the common folk, unlike polo, which only the powerful can afford to play.”
Friends from a thousand years later, I’ve done my best!
I’m trying my best to spread the formal rules of football. If our country’s football is still not good a thousand years from now, don’t blame me!
Gu Changxiao naturally chimed in, “I think the Cuju rules you’ve taught are indeed very interesting. We don’t need to build a new stadium; the horse racing track can be modified.”
Jinsui smiled, “Our Border City prohibits gambling. This ball game is the only one where we can openly set up a betting pool. I believe this match will make the Border City famous.”
The two rode around the vicinity of the stadium. They saw that both the stadium and the spectator stands had been built. Although the time was tight, it was more rudimentary than the one in Chang’an.
Its advantage was the large area of the Border City’s venue. The ruggedness, combined with natural wildness, could better ignite the passion for the ball game.
Cheng Yu saw the two and hurried over to bow, pointing to the valley not far away, “Besides the temporary bamboo houses, wooden huts, and thatched sheds of different styles, that area is the campsite.”
He then pointed to a group of women led by Chen Yunniang, “The logistics team the Prince mentioned is also ready. Yunniang and the others are divided into a medical team and a cooking team, ensuring medical care is in place and food safety.”
Chen Yunniang bowed to Jinsui from afar. Jinsui smiled and waved, praising Cheng Yu:
“Sister-in-law is truly amazing! In such a short time, you’ve trained the team to be quite presentable.”
Cheng Yu didn’t feel much from the Prince’s praise, but when the Prince praised Chen Yunniang, he became very proud.
Jinsui had long known that this fellow was a wife-controlled man, so she deliberately satisfied him, ending every conversation by praising Chen Yunniang.
Dear readers, we’ve reached 300,000 characters. Jinsui’s story is planned to be one million characters, meaning we’re about one-third of the way through. Thank you for your companionship. I hope you will continue to support me on the road ahead!
