The Princess's Notebook

Princess Jing'an's polo club, if it was usual, even if she sent out invitations widely, it would not be delivered to the fourth branch of the Wang family. But now it is different, not only has it been delivered, but Princess Jing'an has also been very considerate and sent it after several detours.

On the first day that Qiao Xin received the note, he felt as if Wang Kang had offended some powerful person outside, who sent someone to humiliate him. After asking, he found out that many families in and outside the capital had the same problem, so he felt relieved.

The day before leaving, I was at a loss as to which young lady to take out with me.

Sixteen, who was about to be married, must be brought along. Logically, Seventeen should also be brought along, but Seventeen had been kneeling in the ancestral hall for three days, and although she was joking around, it was at least a day and a half, and the bruises on her legs had not yet faded, so it was really not suitable for her to go out. If Eighteen and Nineteen were brought along, there would be three young ladies in total. The shabby carriage of their fourth house could not carry so many people.

Before leaving, Madam Wei from the first house sent someone to say, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You must bring all the young ladies with you. If you have any difficulties, just let us know. The first and second houses will come up with a solution."

In this way, Qiao Xin got help from others and calmed down to take all four young ladies with him. Seventeen, who was not very mobile, and Sixteen, who was about to make up her mind, were placed beside him. The remaining Eighteen and Nineteen followed the sisters-in-law.

On June 13, it happened that the heavy rain had just stopped, the sky was clear and cloudless, and everyone from the Xuandefang Palace went out in a mighty procession.

Princess Jing'an's polo club was held at Changchun Garden outside Fengqiu Gate. Changchun Garden was a house bought by the princess and her husband Qiu Xin after their marriage. It had a front yard and back house, pavilions, and streams. The polo field on the east side was the closest to Kyoto. When the group from Xuandefang entered the field, many people had already arrived.

The sky is blue, and there are tents standing in all directions with swaying curtains and fluttering flags. Walking among them, the noise around you fades away, and you feel relaxed and happy, just like strolling on the grassland.

Although Princess Jing'an was watching over them silently, the tents of the palace were still quite far away from Zhutai. The young ladies, who rarely participated in such elegant gatherings, were very happy and had no time to care about anything else.

Let’s talk about Sixteen and Seventeen who were following Qiao Xin. They sat upright, looking outside and talking to each other from time to time.

"Sixteenth sister, you are so happy, I'm afraid it's not because of polo? Tell me quickly, is there anything else? We are a friendship that has lasted for life, you can't hide it from me." Seventeenth lady was drinking tea and said this when she saw Sixteen constantly looking outside.

Sixteen turned around and pretended to hit her, "You little girl, just stay here and recover from your injuries, and stop worrying about your sister."

Seeing Sixteen's happy face, Seventeen had no time to think about healing his wounds. "Don't talk about my wounds. You come to see me three times a day, don't you know how serious my injuries are? Tell me quickly, who was the person who sent you the letter at the corner gate that day?"

As soon as he said this, Shiliu pushed a bag of walnut cakes in with both hands, "Eat quickly to replenish your brain. You saw it, so don't talk nonsense. The servant of Mr. Feng San said he would come here today, maybe we can see it..."

Before he finished speaking, not only Seventeen, but also Qiao Xin, Madam Wei and other ladies from other rooms all started laughing.

Sixteen was embarrassed, "You, you all laughed at me," and found the culprit Seventeen, "You, hurry up and eat some walnuts to replenish your brain. You're the next one."

Qiao Xin: "I also received the news. Madam Qian and the Third Young Master will be here in about an incense stick of time."

Madam Wei from the first house: "This one is just one stick of incense short. How about you, Seventeen? How much is it short? Let your aunt take a look for you."

The young ladies blushed with shame and stopped talking.

Madam Sun from the second house pretended to pull Madam Wei and Qiao Xin, "Oh, stop talking. You young ladies are too shy to bear it." Before she finished speaking, she laughed before everyone else.

Amidst the joy and delight, gradually all the tents in the venue had their owners, and people were waiting for the first team to come on stage.

Although the polo club was hosted by Princess Jing'an, she was never one to come early. This time she was the host and hastily ordered a female official to come and give a eulogy, take out a prize, and then announce the opening. The prize was an extremely gorgeous headpiece, with many pearls and jades, exquisite and extraordinary.

This headdress was placed on a red platform by a female official, shining with golden light and dazzling.

When Wang Shiqi Niang saw this, she thought: I wonder how many storybooks I have to write to earn this much money!

He turned his head to Sixteen and said, "Sister Sixteen, look..."

But he didn't expect to see Shiliu smiling and looking not far away, with a happy look all around him.

Seventeen guessed that it was Young Master Feng San who had arrived, and he looked in the direction Sixteen was looking, and sure enough, he saw a handsome young man standing in front of the gray tent.

He was wearing a royal blue round-collared Hu suit, with the collar half open, revealing the intricate patterns on it, which seemed to be studded with gold threads. Such precious clothes, under his sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, made him look pure and noble, untainted by the mundane world.

"Sixteenth sister, the Third Young Master is really good-looking. Look at you, you were so happy that you didn't even hear what I said. Don't forget, we are young ladies, we must be reserved and polite."

Sixteen: "Go to hell!" She smiled coquettishly, "I've been waiting for this for a long time, and I won't be like other young ladies. Today, you must say what you should say and ask what you should ask. Don't be shy and dare not speak." As she said this, she patted Seventeen, signaling her to take a good look at the young man who would be on stage soon, and then turned to look at Qiao Xin.

Qiao Xin couldn't suppress the smile on his face. "Go quickly and talk it over. Come back when we're done."

Feng's tent was closer to Zhutai than Wang's, but between men and women, the young lady would never rush to his tent, which would be a loss of decorum. Shiliu Niang followed the tent and before she reached Zhutai, she saw Feng Ji had already taken a step ahead and stood under the flag beside Zhutai.

There was no one following him, and there were only two railings under the banner. Looking far away, it seemed as if he was the only one in the world.

Shiliu Niang's steps were already slow, and she was finding it even harder to move.

If it was true as Seventeen said, that he was a bastard and had a hard life in the mansion, then he was still an unattainable existence for Wang Shiliu Niang. But now this man had come down to earth and was walking on the road close to her. Regardless of whether it was true or not, and regardless of the reason behind it, Sixteen found it unbelievable.

Are all the things in the past really going to be gone?

Perhaps because he saw that the young lady was shy, Feng Ji walked towards Shiliu Niang in the scorching sun, his sleeves fluttering in the wind, causing confusion.

When he was three or five steps away from Sixteen, he bowed and said, "Madam, I am honored to meet you."

All the heroic words she said before leaving were shattered by this sentence. Shiliu Niang looked at the person in front of her, dizzy and unable to find words.

Feng Ji raised his hand and invited the young lady to come under the banner. This place was open, with several flags fluttering overhead, blocking out some of the scorching sun and creating a new world.

As he walked into the darkness, Shiliu Niang bowed and said, "Mr. Feng San."

"If the young lady doesn't mind, you can call me your courtesy name and I'll give it up."

She was totally unexpected to see such a swift attack, and Shiliu Niang was caught off guard. "You..." The man seemed to feel that something was wrong. "I hope you can forgive me for rashly sending someone to deliver a message to you. If you think it's not okay, the ladies will make the arrangements for you in the future."

The man's step forward and backward made Shiliu Niang exclaim again.

"without!"

The girl denied it in a low voice, but it eventually reached Feng Ji's ears.

He chuckled, "My cousin's name is Tuizhi. He will do whatever he can to stop. He will be mean to those whom he respects. He will retreat quickly if he advances quickly." While speaking, he looked at Shiliu Niang and saw that her face was as red as a cloud of shame. She did not have any intention of refuting. "Did you remember this, Madam?"

Only at this point did Shiliu Niang understand what this man was thinking. He just wanted to break the awkwardness of their first meeting.

She also took a step forward and said, "Back off."

Feng Ji climbed up the ladder and said, "Sixteenth Lady."

It was just a title, however, after going back and forth like this, the embarrassment just now suddenly disappeared, and the two of them seemed to have met again after a long separation, and were filled with joy.

Feng Ji said in a clear voice: "I think Sixteenth Lady already knows my situation. But I want to make one thing clear. I am not the daughter of Madam Qian, and my biological mother died early, and my father treated me indifferently. In the mansion, I am just an ordinary child of the Feng family. If you talk about it in detail, I am afraid it is even worse. I have no other intention in telling you this, but I think that a woman's marriage is called returning home, and she must be very careful. No matter whether she has lived half her life in the boudoir or half her life in her husband's family, a woman's life in the back house is not as good as a man's life outside. In my situation, Sixteenth Lady... If you are willing, I will inform my father in a few days and come to propose marriage. In the future, I will do my best and never neglect it.

If you don't want to, just ignore what I said. If you find a man of your dreams in the future, I will make you richer. I will never reveal anything about what happened today."

In Shiliu Niang's expectation, he might ask about the reputation of the fourth branch of the Wang family, about his own knowledge, about his own moral character... and many more. She never expected that what the Third Master Feng said would be so frank.

Shiliu Niang is not a fool, nor does she think that her face is charming. She is full of doubts.

Amid the loud cheers of the crowd, he asked, "Why?"

Feng Ji probably expected her to ask this question, and he said calmly: "To be honest, I have ambitions in my heart and I am not content with this. If I look for a new wife like others, it will be inappropriate. The new wife I want should understand my pursuit even if she can't plan in the front hall."

Shiliu Niang immediately understood: what he wanted was allies and comrades-in-arms.

Isn’t this a coincidence? Wang Shiliu Niang is not someone who is content with the status quo.

"Young master, when you were traveling outside, you must have heard about the affairs of the fourth branch of our Wang family." Wang Shiliu Niang did not agree directly, but turned to ask Feng Ji.

Feng Ji took a look and said, as if speaking the moon and the breeze, "Whatever people say, you should see it with your own eyes before you can make a judgment. Now that I have seen it, I can only say that I have a keen eye for identifying pearls."

Sixteen was very satisfied and asked again: "My family is a poor family, I am afraid I can't marry you."

"Family status is nothing more than something you are born with. If everyone values ​​birth, why would our dynasty have the imperial examination system to select talents instead of the selection of virtuous and good people? What I want, I can get by myself."

As a man, relying on your Yue family to gain power is not what a gentleman does.

Shiliu Niang felt very sympathetic and clutched her sleeves excitedly.

After hesitating for a while, he said: "So, when... when will we make the decision?"

The man bowed again and said, "With the girl's consent, I will immediately inform my father and come to propose marriage."

The scorching sun burned her eyes, and she could not see clearly. The only thing she could hear was the cheers that kept coming from her ears, telling her about the excitement of polo. She was dazzled and did not know where to look. She could only turn her head and look at her lover running on the field.

They are agile, holding polo sticks, riding their horses back and forth, sometimes leaning over to look for the polo ball, sometimes standing up and jumping on the horse to hit the polo ball with the polo stick, sometimes winking at their companions to control the defense...

"Do you like it?" Feng Ji asked suddenly.

"like."

"Okay then. How about we go on stage later?"

Sixteen hesitated, "I, I..."

Before she could finish, Feng Ji said considerately, "If it's inconvenient, don't force me. There are plenty of days to come anyway."

For some unknown reason, Shiliu Niang looked up at Feng Ji and saw that his eyes were fixed on the young man in the field, as if he was very yearning for him, so she said "Okay."

Feng Ji was overjoyed, his eyes suddenly sparkled, "I'll ask someone to ask who will be the next one."

This time, it was the son of the Marquis of Changqing, his brother Sun Du, and several relatives. The next one was originally scheduled to be Zhao Feiran and several princes. Now Feng Ji sent someone to ask, and the female officials and eunuchs on the Zhutai naturally had no time to pay attention to him.

But Zhao Feiran, who was changing clothes nearby, heard, "Who is it? Feng Ji? What is he doing here?"

"Said he wanted to play the next game."

When Zhao Feiran heard this, the eulogy he wrote suddenly appeared in his mind. It was really excellent.

"It's just a polo match, just give it to him. Let Fifth Brother and the others wait, and I'll accompany them in the next match."

The eunuch confirmed: "Your Highness, you are not going to the next game?"

"You made the decision for me, you bastard. Who said not to go? It would be nice to meet Feng Ji."

(End of this chapter)