Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

Xue Wei stretched his shoulders and came to the sidelines. Player number 53 had already returned, his face covered. He hadn't finished playing. When the drumbeat ended, he had only hit seven balls, scoring three and losing five points. His final score was only twenty-five, and he was definitely going to be eliminated.

This was Xue Wei's first time participating in this timed continuous shot, but he had already figured out the trick: all ten balls had to be hit in one go, which was equivalent to blind shooting. In other words, the hole had to be seen with the mind, not with the eyes.

This requires countless hours of practice; once you see the hole, it's in your mind.

"Number 54!"

Xue Wei raised card number 54 and strode onto the field.

Ten polo balls have been placed in their positions on the ten points of the ninety-step line, each ball 20 centimeters apart. Ten balls have also been placed on the sixty-step line, which is for players who want to play sixty-step polo.

The maximum score for a 60-step game is only 50 points, so almost no one is willing to play a 60-step game.

Xue Wei stood in front of the first polo ball. It was a bit like playing golf in later times, except that the golf hole was on the ground, while the polo hole was in mid-air.

Xue Wei took a deep breath, aimed at the hole, and waited for the drumbeat to sound.

With a wave of the red flag from the starter, the drums suddenly sounded. There were only fifty drumbeats in total. Xue Wei had calculated that the interval between each drumbeat was about one and a half seconds, meaning that ten balls had to be hit within forty-five drumbeats.

Xue Wei swung his club and hit the first ball. The polo ball went straight towards the hole. Xue Wei didn't look, because if he did, there wouldn't be enough time.

Without even looking up, he kept swinging, hitting one ball after another into the hole, each one going in precisely, with eight o'clock still to go.

A round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the sidelines. Of the three referees, one gave a perfect score, one gave 99 points, and one gave 98 points. The reason for deducting points was that the ball grazed the edge of the court.

In the Tang Dynasty, there were no replays of matches; generally, the minority would yield to the majority. If all three options were different, a compromise would be reached.

Xue Wei scored 99 points in the end, currently ranking first and definitely making it into the top 100. The key is the final ranking. If the two score the same in the semi-finals and the final, then the ranking from the previous round will be considered.

As they exited the polo field, Yuan Min's carriage was still there. Upon entering, Yuan Min immediately offered them a cup of hot tea. "Congratulations! Congratulations!"

"You found out?"

"I know someone who got 99 points, I'm sure it wasn't you!"

Xue Wei chuckled, "Let's go! Lunch is on me today."

"You're treating, really?"

"You underestimate me. I also have two shops and a thousand strings of cash. Have you forgotten?"

Yuan Min smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Oh! You stingy rooster has grown feathers! Well then, I won't be polite and will give you a good thrashing."

Yuan Min suddenly remembered something, "You've been pardoned and your title has been restored, so you can definitely get your previous property back!"

Xue Wei perked up and quickly asked, "How much property did I have before?"

"You don't have much money, it's all gone to supporting women, but you have a large house and many treasures, especially a genuine work by Wang Xizhi, the 'Zhu Churen Post,' which is unique. I estimate that the emperor has already taken it away, and she has always longed for this genuine work."

How can I get my property back?

"This is a matter concerning your mother, and it requires the Emperor's approval. However, I estimate that the Emperor will eventually return it to you. I have inquired about the house, and it is still under seal. Since it has not been unsealed, it will not be given away."

Xue Wei nodded, then asked curiously, "How do I come to have an authentic work by Wang Xizhi?"

Yuan Min calmly said, "That was my dowry. You borrowed it to admire, so you're not returning it."

Xue Wei stared in disbelief, clutching his forehead. "You... you always stab someone in the heart. Have I done many similar things before?"

"You've done a lot of dirty things! I'll tell you all about them one by one later."

Xue Wei took her hand. "Let's forget about the past!"

Yuan Min smiled slyly, "Isn't it sometimes fun to talk about it?"

The carriage stopped at the back door of Qingfeng Restaurant. They went up to the third floor through the back door and arrived at the place where they had eaten for the first time.

The two sat down, and Yuan Min said to the maid, "I still have my menu from last time, right? Let's go with that."

Just then, the shopkeeper came in, placed a long box on the table, and whispered a few words to Yuan Min. Yuan Min nodded, "It's alright, you can go now!"

The shopkeeper bowed and left. Yuan Min handed the box to Xue Wei, saying, "This is for you."

"What is it?"

"It's a fine sword. Your sword broke when it fell to the ground. Try this one; I bought it for two thousand strings of cash."

"Could it be another collectible sword?"

"Two thousand strings of cash must be for a collector's sword, take a look!"

Xue Wei opened the box and was taken aback. Inside was a short sword, slightly longer than a dagger. The scabbard was extremely ancient. Xue Wei slowly drew the sword. The blade was slender and long, and he could feel its cold light flashing. It was exceptionally sharp. There was a small seal script engraved on the blade. He recognized it: "Fish Intestine".

"Is this the Fish Gut Sword that Zhuan Zhu used to assassinate the King of Wu?"

"I don't know if it's that one, but there's more than one Fish Intestine Sword. There are records of thirteen, and this should be one of the thirteen."

Xue Wei handed the sword to Yuan Min, saying, "I'll give it to you again; this sword is more suitable for your self-defense."

Yuan Min thought for a moment, then happily accepted it. "I'll find you another practical one."

"No need, I have a weapon shop called Baigongzhai. Do you need a sword? I'll pick one out later that suits me. The one you buy might not be suitable for me."

Yuan Min didn't insist any further and smiled, "I'll give you something else later."

"What did the shopkeeper just tell you?"

He said the apartment across the street, Shangwanlou, was for sale and asked if I was interested in buying it.

"Whose property is it?"

"You can guess from the name that it belongs to Shangguan Wan'er."

"Do all these powerful and wealthy people own businesses?"

Yuan Min nodded. "In Chang'an and Luoyang, basically every shop with a bit of a reputation has a powerful backer. Apart from me, I'm just a powerless woman, the easiest piece of meat to grab. There are plenty of people eyeing me!"

As she finished speaking, Yuan Min looked at Xue Wei with a pitiful expression.

Xue Wei felt immense pressure. He pondered for a moment and said, "You should quickly recruit new female bodyguards to ensure your basic personal safety. I'll figure out how to handle the power situation. If I really can't succeed, I'll shamelessly ask my mother to protect you."

Yuan Min smiled and said, "I was just kidding. Don't worry! Although some people might dare to steal me as a person, not many people would actually dare to touch my shop."

Why?

"Because of the Yuan family!"

Yuan Min said calmly, "The Yuan family has never given up. In the eyes of all the clansmen, these hundreds of shops belong to the Yuan family. They are just temporarily being held by me. Sooner or later, they will return to the Yuan family. Especially my three uncles, I guess they have already divided up the shops. So if anyone dares to covet the shops, the Yuan family will step in. But if anyone wants to take me away, the Yuan family will pretend to be deaf and dumb."

Xue Wei understood. "So the Yuan family is the biggest threat to your shop?"

"That's absolutely right. As soon as my grandfather passes away, or the emperor dies, a fierce battle to seize the shops will immediately break out. When it comes to profit, they won't show any kinship."