Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 139 Polo Field

In the past, when I and Taiping went out to fool around and got caught, the final result would always be that Li Xian and Li Dan would be called in and scolded by the Empress Dowager, while I would be led aside by the Emperor and pretended to be scolded.

At these times, Li Xian would pretend to be dejected and meet with Li Xian and Li Dan again, confiding in each other about how their father or mother had punished them.

Although his father would always just laugh and scold him for "being silly".
But actually...

Li Xian also wanted to be summoned by his mother and reprimanded, along with Li Xian and Li Dan.

Only Taiping was unaffected; in fact, he would still cheerfully entice his brothers to go out and have fun the next day.

However, she would be surrounded by more soldiers from the Imperial Guards or the Feathered Forest Army.

Seemingly noticing Li Xian's dejection, Liu Jianjun nudged him with his shoulder and asked, "What's wrong?"

"No."

Li Xian smiled and said, "I miss my father."

“My father used to live in Luoyang. At that time, I always followed him and looked at the scenery from the city gate tower. There was a polo field not far from the palace. Once, we saw a group of people from the Western Regions playing polo.”

“Those Hu people were skilled horsemen and played polo very well. My father and I watched them for a long time.”

Liu Jianjun asked curiously, "And then?"

"Then the next day, my father and I climbed the city gate tower again to look into the distance, and found that the group of Hu people were still there, and they seemed to be playing polo even more enthusiastically. So, my father ordered that the polo field be demolished."

Liu Jianjun was stunned: "Demolished?"

Li Xian nodded: "Yes, he said he's not someone who particularly likes playing polo. On the first day, he just casually watched those Hu people play. But when he went to watch again on the second day, he found that these Hu people were playing much more hard than before, as if they were putting on a show for someone."

"Upon seeing this scene, the Emperor immediately understood that these Hu people were playing ball so hard because they knew that the Emperor had seen them play ball before, so they wanted to perform for the Emperor."

"They wanted to cater to the emperor's hobbies in this way. The emperor discovered the problem, so he ordered the polo field to be demolished."

Li Xian had only given Liu Jianjun a make-up excuse, but when he actually recalled his father's words, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

He did not experience the so-called prosperous Zhenguan era, and his impression of that legendary emperor of the Tang Dynasty was only based on the records of the historians.

But he had been by his father's side since he was a child, and he knew how great and ambitious his father was.

In his heart, his father was the most brilliant emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

"You mean... when playing polo, is it okay to put aphrodisiacs on the horse's rump?" Liu Jianjun suddenly asked.

Li Xian was stunned.

He then realized what Liu Jianjun meant and couldn't help but laugh and scold, "I don't know if your method will work, but think about it, if it really works, what would it be like to have a dozen horses chasing after you?"

Liu Jianjun felt a chill run down his spine instantly.

The two chatted for a short while before Taiping arrived. Taiping was still wearing a Hu skirt, but it was not the same one as yesterday. Shangguan Wan'er, on the other hand, was wearing a casual outfit with the trousers tied at the ankles, which was somewhat masculine and gave her the air of a handsome young gentleman.

Li Xian simply thought Shangguan Wan'er's outfit was quite dashing, but after glancing at Liu Jianjun's expression, he knew that Liu Jianjun must like it very much.

Upon seeing that Princess Taiping was still wearing her Hu-style skirt, Li Xian knew that she had indeed not been scolded by her mother yesterday. He walked over and teased her with a smile, "Did you reprimand Xue Shao again yesterday?"

Taiping just chuckled.

Then, arm in arm with Shangguan Wan'er, they strutted around in front of Liu Jianjun with their heads held high, as if showing off something.

Seeing Liu Jianjun's sullen expression, Shangguan Wan'er's shame and indignation, and Taiping's smugness, Li Xian felt a sense of ease and joy rise within him. He smiled and said, "Alright, stop fooling around. Save your energy for causing trouble at the polo field!"

Upon hearing this, Taiping immediately perked up: "Polo field? The Hu merchant's polo field?"

“Yes.” Li Xian nodded, pointing behind him, “We’ll ride off today. Taiping, where’s your horse?”

Taiping and Shangguan Wan'er did not bring their horses in; it was unclear whether they had left them at the entrance of the State Guest House or had not ridden them at all.

Taiping pouted and said, "The Empress Dowager took the horse back!"

But then his eyes lit up: "Aren't there two horses? Wan'er and I will ride one, and you and Junzi can ride the other!"

Liu Jianjun argued from behind, "Why can't Wan'er and I ride one horse?"

Li Xian gave him a disapproving look, and Liu Jianjun immediately fell silent.

If he were to carry Shangguan Wan'er and run wildly through the streets of Luoyang, the news would reach the Empress Dowager's ears that very day.

……

The State Guest House was crowded and noisy, so Li Xian and his companions did not linger there for long before leading their horses out of the State Guest House.

Shangguan Wan'er nimbly mounted Liu Jianjun's whirlwind charge horse, showing that her riding skills were quite good. Taiping sat behind her, holding her waist and pulling the reins.

When it was Liu Jianjun's turn, he hesitated for a long time before finally mounting the Jinghong.

Li Xian, annoyed, landed behind him, grabbed the reins, and shouted, "Giddy up!"

Taking care of the Imperial Guards behind him, Li Xian did not ride too fast. On the contrary, Liu Jianjun kept shouting, "Ride slower, ride slower!"

……

The horse market in Luoyang was located in Guiyi Ward, where many foreign merchants or local Tang Dynasty merchants came and went, making a living by selling horses or betting on polo matches.

Of course, the latter were almost all local wealthy merchants or powerful organizations in the Tang Dynasty, or several or even a dozen foreign merchants jointly raised funds, because playing polo itself requires an extremely large field, and a typical polo field can occupy half a mile in radius.

Smaller businesses simply cannot afford it.

Li Xian and his party arrived without causing any disturbance. Just as Li Xian had said, this place was a mixed bag, with not only Hu people but also high-ranking officials and nobles often lurking there looking for fun.

Li Xian hadn't been here for a long time, but Taiping knew the area well. He rode his horse to a bearded foreign merchant and asked, "Do you rent out dhows here?"

Upon hearing this, the foreign merchant's eyes immediately lit up: "Young lady, you're an expert! Are you here to play polo?"

Hearing this, Liu Jianjun leaned back towards Li Xian and asked, "Why does Taiping need a nag? Isn't that for carrying heavy loads?"

Li Xian lowered his voice and explained, "Playing polo is physically demanding. Good horses like Jinghong and Xuanfeng Chongfeng can keep up, but ordinary horses might not be able to. This Hu merchant certainly doesn't have such good horses here."

“A nag is different. Although it is not good at running fast, it has excellent endurance. In addition, it is short in stature, which is perfect for women like Taiping and Miss Shangguan.”

As Li Xian was explaining, he heard the foreign merchant's eyes light up: "Oh? Miss, you brought a polo team? We happen to have a resident polo team here. If you can beat them, the horse rental fee and field fee will be waived!"

……

(End of this chapter)