I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 28 Cuju
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The next day, Zhao Ya brought Liang Shicheng, Tong Guan, Wang Bing and a dozen servants and guards to Zhao Ji's Prince Duan's Mansion.

Zhao Ya did not bring so many people intentionally. Instead, he asked Huang Jingchen to make a batch of soap overnight to give to the kings and promote the soap, so he brought so many people to move the soap.

Led by Gao Qiu, Zhao Ya and his entourage entered the mansion and saw that Zhao Ji's house had pavilions, brothels, painted pavilions, pearl curtains and silk windows, which were extremely beautiful.

The most eye-catching is Zhao Ji's garden.

The garden is not only filled with various elegant and beautiful flowers, but also with fruit trees such as peach, plum, pear, and apricot. The various flowers are interspersed, and at a glance, it looks as gorgeous as embroidery.

There is also a stone forest in the garden. The rocks on the forest look like ghosts, immortals, Buddhas, birds and beasts.

What’s magical is that there is still smoke curling up in this stone forest.

After walking a little further inside, Zhao Ya saw an antique pavilion.

At this time, exquisite tables and chairs had been set up in the pavilion, and they were covered with warm and delicate porcelain.

Based on the original owner's memory, Zhao Ya judged that these porcelains were all produced by Ru Kiln, and were of high quality in sky blue color. Among them was a set of lotus petal-shaped porcelain wine-warming pots, which were bright and lustrous, simple and implicit, yet profound in artistic conception. They were definitely the best of the best.

These expensive porcelains are filled with jujubes, longans, lychees, olives, mandarin oranges, kumquats, chestnuts, hazelnuts, Hebei goose pears, and Heshuo pomegranates.

The fine wine in the lotus-petal-shaped porcelain wine pot can be smelled for three miles even without wind.

Zhao Ya couldn't help but sigh: "Zhao Ji is indeed a person who knows how to enjoy life!"

Seeing Zhao Ya coming, Zhao Qi, Zhao Ji, Zhao Si and Zhao Si, who were chatting and laughing, all stood up to greet him.

Zhao Ji said with some reproach, "We have been waiting for you for a long time."

Zhao Ya hurriedly apologized: "Someone in my house has developed a soap that not only removes dirt but also beautifies the skin. After washing, it also emits fragrance. I prepared some for each of you, so I came late."

Zhao Si said: "The water I use for bathing, made from soapberry and soap tree, also has the same effect."

"There's a world of difference between the two." Zhao Ya turned to Zhao Ji and said, "Brother, tell someone to fetch water. I'll prove it to you."

The kings were stunned! They didn't expect Zhao Ya to be so concerned about this small piece of soap.

Zhao Ya had already opened his mouth, so Zhao Ji could only ask someone to bring a few basins of water.

Zhao Ya grabbed two handfuls of dirt from the ground, dirtyed his hands, showed them to the kings, and then washed his hands with soap.

Zhao Ya dipped his muddy hands into the water and gently rubbed the soap. In an instant, fine and dense foam quickly wrapped around his hands, and the rich fragrance wafted away, lingering around everyone's nose.

All the kings were attracted by the strange fragrance and came closer to take a look.

When Zhao Ya washed his hands and showed them to the kings, his hands, which were originally covered with mud, had become clean and white, and even had a faint luster, as if they had been carefully cared for.

Zhao Si couldn't help but exclaim: "This soap has such a miraculous effect?!"

Although Zhao Qi couldn't see, he had a very good sense of smell. He picked up a piece of soap and put it to the tip of his nose to smell it, wondering, "How is this soap made? Why does it smell so good?"

"I don't know the production process either. I only know that they selected a variety of rare spices and natural oils, and refined and blended them through multiple processes," said Zhao Ya.

Zhao Si couldn't hold back any longer. He said, "Let me try too."

After saying that, Zhao Si followed Zhao Ya's example, dirtying his hands and washing them with soap.

When Zhao Si washed his hands, he could feel the lingering fragrance and smooth touch, and he couldn't help but praise them: "It's really extraordinary. Give me more of this soap, I'll throw away the washing water when I get home."

Zhao Ya said with a smile: "I will take care of all the soaps in your house."

Next, Zhao Ya, Zhao Qi, Zhao Si, and Zhao Si started talking about soap.

As we were chatting, we got off topic and started chatting about all sorts of things.

Zhao Ji never said a word, just quietly observing Zhao Ya.

In Zhao Ji's opinion, Zhao Ya was just a little more cheerful than before, and nothing else was different from before.

After a long while, Zhao Ji finally found an opportunity to ask, "Why did you marry two maids from the Queen Mother's palace as your princesses? If this gets out, where will our royal family's reputation be?"

Zhao Ya did not expose Zhao Ji's jealousy in public, but said the words he had prepared long ago:
"The Queen Mother, in front of me, reminisced about Prince Bao and Princess Shuhuai, looking at herself in the mirror and feeling sorry for herself, expressing her loneliness and helplessness."

"I was raised by the Queen Mother. How could I teach her this? Therefore, I took the initiative to ask her to marry the Xiang daughter to give her confidence and comfort."

"But the Queen Mother has already said that the Xiang clan should not place their daughters in the selection process."

"I took the initiative to propose marrying Zheng Yaban and Wang Yaban, whom the Queen Mother adopted as her daughters."

"Although these two guards come from humble backgrounds, they are talented, courteous, virtuous, and upright. They are very much to my liking. I don't think marrying them would be an insult to me."

As soon as Zhao Ya said this, Zhao Ji's face immediately darkened. Empress Dowager Xiang raised not only Zhao Ya, but also Zhao Ji and Zhao Si.

Zhao Si is only fourteen years old and has just reached adulthood, so everyone must be somewhat tolerant of him.

But Zhao Ji was different. He was one year older than Zhao Ya. How could he not do what Zhao Ya could do?
However, everyone knows the result. In Funing Palace, Zhao Ji did not save Empress Dowager Xiang, who raised him, but chose to protect himself.

Without considering other aspects, Zhao Ji was definitely surpassed by Zhao Ya in terms of filial piety alone.

Zhao Ji criticized Zhao Ya bluntly, "How dare you say this! Offending Concubine Liu is fine, but how dare you contradict your brother? The late emperor left me six brothers, and we must not fight among ourselves, making a fool of ourselves!"

Zhao Ya retorted unyieldingly, "If it were a personal matter, how could I dare to do so? Truthfully, if Concubine Liu ascended to the throne, the Zhao family's kingdom would be in jeopardy, and that's why I had to risk my life to protest. I can't, with all my brothers present, just watch this vicious woman, Concubine Liu, rise to power, giving her the opportunity to emulate Wu Zhao and make the world laugh at our Zhao family for being so powerless."

After Zhao Ya said this, Zhao Ji, who knew that Zhao Ya was not attacking without purpose, fell silent.

Zhao Qi echoed from the side, "What Prince Shen said is not without reason. Concubine Liu's greed for power in recent years is indeed something we must be wary of."

Zhao Si also echoed, "Indeed, the stability of our Zhao family is of paramount importance. We must not allow a dangerous woman like Concubine Liu to ascend to the throne."

Zhao Si defended Zhao Xu, saying, "That's true, but this harem matter involves many things. My brother had his own reasons for wanting to make Concubine Liu the empress. Prince Shen's drastic action at the time was also flawed."

Zhao Ya said sincerely, "I was also extremely anxious at the time. I only thought about not bringing shame to our ancestors' foundation and not letting my mother suffer humiliation. I didn't think carefully about the way I acted, and I was indeed rash. However, I had no selfish motives in the slightest. My brother is so wise and wise that I believe he can understand my original intention."

It was difficult to determine right from wrong in this matter, and it involved Zhao Xu, Empress Dowager Xiang, and Liu Qingjing, the most distinguished and powerful figures in the Zhao Song Dynasty. So, after a while of arguing, Zhao Qi, not wanting to continue the topic, changed the subject and said, "Let's put this aside for now. Today's game of Cuju is meant for fun. Don't let these troublesome matters disturb your interest."

The kings all agreed.

So, except Zhao Qi, everyone else went on the field to play Cuju.

But this result was really beyond Zhao Ya's expectations.

He was completely defeated.

You know, when he was in college, Zhao Ya joined the school football team and helped the school team get a good result of 18th place in the National College League.

Zhao Ya thought that although Zhao Ji was a master of Cuju, the skills of the two sides were thousands of years apart. Even if he could not defeat Zhao Ji, he would not lose too badly.

However, reality gave Zhao Ya a loud slap in the face, shattering his blind confidence.

Zhao Ji's skill was uncanny; the ball seemed to come alive beneath his feet, nimbly weaving between the crowd. His figure was graceful, his movements elusive, each step imbued with a rhythmic grace that Zhao Ya struggled to grasp.

Zhao Ji also had the great assistance of Gao Qiu and another handsome, generous and elegant young man.

The young man's name was Li Bangyan, and he later became one of the prime ministers of Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan.

Li Bangyan enjoyed interacting with Jinshi scholars. Juren from Hedong who came to Beijing would invariably visit him via Huaizhou. If these scholars needed anything, Li Bangyan's father, the silversmith Li Pu, would stop his work to prepare it. When they left Huaizhou, Li Pu would even provide travel expenses. This led to Li Bangyan's fame. Later, through a friend's recommendation, he recently entered Beijing as a student of the Imperial College. His excellent kicking skills earned him the admiration of Zhao Ji, who often visited Prince Duan's palace to play soccer.

Gao Qiu and Li Bangyan were on the left and right of Zhao Ji, like his arms. One of them played steadily and the other played freely. They always passed the ball to Zhao Ji at the right time at the critical moment, creating excellent shooting opportunities for him.

Watching their smooth cooperation, Zhao Ya felt a pang of regret in his heart: "If the three of them had been born a thousand years later, would Chinese football have become a laughing stock for the whole world?"

After one game, Zhao Ya realized that the gap between himself and Zhao Ji and others was not just in their skills, but also in their pure love for Cuju and the tacit understanding that had been developed over a long period of time.

As for the difference in rules between Cuju and football, it is not the main reason why Zhao Ya lost to Zhao Ji.

After the game, Zhao Ji, who had enjoyed himself so much, finally smiled. He took the initiative to walk towards Zhao Ya and said, "Your Cuju skills are commendable, but the art of Cuju is not just about brute force and swiftness. You still need to improve."

As for Zhao Si and Zhao Si, who appeared on stage for a short while and then left, Zhao Ji was too lazy to comment on them, as they were really unworthy of being trained.

What made Zhao Ji even happier was that based on Zhao Ya's reckless style of play, he judged that Zhao Ya was a simple-minded and reckless man.

Zhao Ji thought: "Prince Shen may have done these things simply out of filial piety, and there is no deeper meaning behind them."

Since Zhao Ji felt that Zhao Ya was not a threat, the relationship between the brothers became much more harmonious.

After the performance, everyone washed themselves with soap.

Zhao Ji, who used soap for the first time, also praised it highly.

Li Bangyan chimed in, "If this soap were sold to Fanlou, those ladies would definitely flock to it."

He does not mean that.

Zhao Ya thought to himself, "Yes, these famous prostitutes in brothels are the big stars of this era. If I have them to promote my soap, how can I worry about selling it?"

Zhao Ya glanced at Li Bangyan and said, "He's really a prodigal Li. He started talking about brothels right away."

An idea suddenly struck him: "A dog will always eat shit, and a cat will always steal fish. Perhaps while I gain points, I can also help Zhao Ji lose some points. This way, he can gain points while losing points. What else can he use to compete with me..."

……

(End of this chapter)