Do you know: I am Qi Heng

"The eldest mistress only called me, not Fifth Sister?" Minglan keenly noticed the problem in the maid's words.

"No, they only told the Sixth Miss to return to her tent immediately, and didn't mention the Fifth Miss," the maid said.

"I see!"

Minglan said goodbye to Yu Yanran, then greeted Rulan who was having a great time, and left with her maid.

On the way, she learned from the maid that it was Madam Wu who came looking for her, and then Madam Wang sent someone to find her and take her back, which made her even more suspicious.

But after thinking it over and over, she still couldn't figure it out, so she could only suppress her doubts for the time being.

Upon arriving at the tent, they saw Madam Wang and Madam Wu talking.

When Madam Wang saw Minglan return, she quickly waved and said, "Minglan, Madam Wu wants to see you about something!"

"Madam, Madam Wu!"

After exchanging greetings in turn, Minglan asked, "May I ask what brings Madam Wu to see me?"

"When Old Madam Sheng was unmarried, she was incredibly good at polo. Sixth Miss was raised by Old Madam Sheng, so she should know how to play polo, right?" Madam Wu asked with a smile.

Minglan hesitated upon hearing this. Although she appeared to have recovered from her mother's death after arriving in Bianjing, she still missed her mother very much and sometimes even cried out in her sleep.

Grandma Sheng felt sorry for her, so she thought of teaching her to play polo, so that she could go out for a walk more often and expend some energy.

However, apart from her and Old Madam Sheng, only some servants at Shou'an Hall knew about this matter.

She didn't know if Madam Wu knew something or if she was just asking, so she didn't know how to answer for a moment.

However, she quickly came up with an idea and was about to deny it when Madam Wu had already gotten an affirmative answer from her expression.

"Grandma Sheng must have taught you. Her Majesty the Empress asked me to find a few women who know how to play polo to play a game. There aren't many women in the capital who know how to play polo, which has really troubled me."

"Since you know how, Sixth Miss, then I'll trouble you to change your clothes and give it a try. No matter what, Her Majesty the Empress will surely reward you," said Madam Wu.

Minglan initially wanted to refuse, but then changed her mind and bowed slightly, saying, "I can barely manage to fight. If Madam Wu doesn't mind, I can also join in!"

"Then it's settled. I still need to find someone else. Sixth Miss, go change your clothes first, and I'll send someone to take you there in a bit!"

After saying her piece, Madam Wu greeted Madam Wang and then hurried away.

When did you learn to play polo?

After seeing off Madam Wu, Madam Wang looked at Minglan with surprise.

Polo is different from games like pitching and throwing; those games don't require a large space to play.

But the prerequisite for playing polo is knowing how to ride a horse, and Minglan looks so delicate and frail that she doesn't seem like someone who knows how to ride a horse at all.

Importantly, she had never heard of Minglan ever learning to ride a horse.

"I went to the polo field with my grandmother a few times, and she taught me a little. I can barely ride," Minglan said.

"Then you'd better be careful later."

Madam Wang didn't pay much attention to what she heard. If Old Madam Sheng taught Minglan something else but not Hualan or Rulan, she would definitely feel uncomfortable.

But even if Old Madam Sheng wanted to teach her, she wouldn't let her daughter learn polo.

"I've got it."

Minglan nodded and then took Xiaotao to the carriage to change her clothes.

The weather isn't cold now, so women usually wear ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with large sleeves. When walking, they have to raise their forearms, let alone play polo.

Therefore, when Minglan came to the polo match, although she did not intend to play, she still brought a narrow-sleeved dress.

After changing his clothes and fastening his shoulder straps, he looked quite dashing.

Not long after she returned to the tent, Madam Wu sent someone to invite her.

Minglan followed her maid to the stable, where she saw Madam Wu and several young girls talking about something.

"Sixth Sister is here!"

Madam Wu greeted everyone with a smile and then introduced Minglan to the others.

"This is the sixth daughter of Physician Sheng."

"Madam Wu!"

One of the women, with an oval face, said with some displeasure, "Why did you bring along a concubine's daughter?"

"A lady?"

Another woman frowned and said, "Yan Hong, you're saying she's a concubine's daughter?"

"That's right, she knows my sister, I've met her a few times!" Yu Yanhong said, pursing her lips.

Madam Wu's face turned cold as she said, "Among those who came today, there aren't many who know how to play polo. If you don't want to play, I can find someone else!"

Although Yu Yanhong and the woman who spoke were dissatisfied, they dared not say anything more.

This polo match is a chance to show off in front of the Queen. As long as I play, I'm sure I'll get some rewards afterwards.

Seeing that the two had calmed down, Madam Wu introduced the three of them to Minglan.

Of the three, Minglan only knew Yu Yanhong; the other two were the eldest daughter of the Duke of Yingguo and the eldest granddaughter of the Marquis of Anxi, respectively.

"Sixth Miss, you'll be paired with Third Miss Zhang. Eldest Miss Jiang will be paired with Third Miss Yu."

After introducing themselves, Madam Wu divided the four people into groups.

Polo is a multi-player sport, usually played in groups of four or six, and is therefore more competitive.

Since Madam Wu couldn't find enough women who knew how to play polo, she had to pair the four of them up in two teams.

After dividing them into groups, Madam Wu told them to be careful and then let them go into the stable to choose their own horses.

Yu Yanhong pulled Miss Jiang into the stable first, while Zhang Guifen and Minglan followed behind at a leisurely pace.

"Will the Sixth Sister choose Ma Yao?" Zhang Guifen asked.

Minglan said somewhat reservedly, "I learned some things from my grandmother."

"There are many horses here, let's choose separately."

Zhang Guifen originally wanted to help Minglan choose a horse, but upon learning that Minglan was capable of doing so, she remained silent.

"Mm." Minglan nodded.

There were nearly a hundred horses in the stable. After Minglan and Zhang Guifen separated, she looked around at the horses in the stable and, after some selection, chose a chestnut horse.

By the time she made her choice, Yu Yanhong and Miss Jiang had already chosen their horses.

"You actually chose a mare."

Yu Yanhong and her friends often come to the polo field to play, and they know which horses are the best.

When he saw that Minglan had chosen a mare to return, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Generally speaking, stallions are better equipped and have greater stamina and sprinting power than mares.

Mares aren't without their advantages; they are more docile and suitable for beginners and those who are not skilled at riding.

In their view, Minglan's choice of a mare was clearly a sign of poor riding skills.

Upon hearing this, Minglan remained calm and did not speak, but reached out to stroke the horse's mane.

Seeing that Minglan didn't respond, the two felt awkward and began whispering to each other.

When Zhang Guifen led the horse out, she was somewhat surprised to see the horse that Minglan had chosen.

"You all get acquainted with the horses first. I'll go inform Her Majesty the Empress; she'll send someone to let you know when it's your turn to go on stage!"

When Madam Wu saw that Minglan had chosen a mare, a hint of approval appeared in her eyes. After saying this, she left.

Why did you choose a mare?

Zhang Guifen could tell from Minglan's posture while leading the horse and the gestures she made while stroking its mane that Minglan was no novice.