Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

"Sister Min, do you know why Li Guo'er is unwilling to marry my eldest brother?"

Yuan Min gave a soft hum, "I know, she can never let go of your Brother Xue."

"It's not just that she can't let go; she knows that you and Brother Xue can't remarry, and she's been waiting for Brother Xue to change his mind."

These words startled Yuan Min. "Why is remarriage impossible?"

"I don't know either. She just said that the imperial court has a clear rule that divorced couples are absolutely not allowed to remarry."

Yuan Min was struck dumb, as if by lightning.

..........

Back at Mingyue Tower, Xue Wei found Yuan Min to be depressed.

"You seem to have something on your mind?"

Xue Wei smiled and placed a cup of tea in front of her. "Tell me about it, and I'll give you some advice!"

"Nothing's on my mind, I'm just worried about you."

Yuan Min didn't want Xue Wei to see through her thoughts and affect the final match, so she stood up and forced a smile, saying, "You should get some rest! Save your energy and spirit to fight Liu Jingren to the fullest."

As she reached the door, Xue Wei called out to her, "Amin, no matter what happens, I will never give up!"

Yuan Min smiled gently, "That's more like it, get some rest!"

.........

It was already late at night, and candles were still lit in Yuan Min's bedroom. She let her hair down and gently flipped through the "Tang Code Commentary" on the table. She was looking at the Household and Marriage Law, which was written clearly in just a few pages.

Remarriage is strictly prohibited after a complete break in marriage; violators will be exiled for one year and granted a divorce...

Yuan Min felt as if a heavy stone was lodged in her heart. She slowly walked to the window, looked at the dark night sky, and a thousand sorrows welled up in her mind.

"Is there really no hope left?"

She couldn't help but recall Xue Wei's words from earlier: "Amin, no matter what happens, I will never give up!"

"What good will it do if he refuses to admit defeat? Can he stand up to the laws of the Tang Dynasty?"

But for some reason, when Xue Wei said those words, the confidence in his eyes was like a bright lamp, piercing through the layers of gloom in Yuan Min's heart and allowing her to see a ray of light.

…………

For the people of Luoyang, March 14th to 16th is no different from the Lantern Festival, a three-day celebration with the city gates open at night. The difference is that during the Lantern Festival, people watch lanterns, while during the football tournament, they watch football.

Polo was the national sport of the Tang Dynasty, and people of all ages and genders were enthusiastic about it. Children rode sheep, women rode donkeys, and men rode horses. Regardless of gender or age, everyone could enjoy it. There were more than 600 polo teams in Luoyang City, with tens of thousands of professional and amateur polo players.

Starting early on March 14th, the twenty polo teams representing the highest level in Luoyang began their fierce competition, with each polo field packed to capacity.

The shouts were deafening, with everyone cheering for their favorite teams and players.

On the evening of March 15th, another equally exciting individual elimination final was held at the Malaysian Stadium in Jishanfang.

Twenty polo players representing the highest level in Luoyang will compete for the title of this year's number one polo player.

The polo field was packed with more than 20,000 people who came to watch and gamble on the game. Indeed, gambling on the game was equally popular among the people of the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, the game was officially and openly regulated, with each person placing bets on twenty players. Xue Wei placed a bet of one thousand strings of cash on himself.

Given his outstanding performance in the first two rounds, many people placed bets on him, second only to Liu Jingren and Chen Xuanli. Liu Jingren won the championship for four consecutive years, with 60% of people betting on him. Chen Xuanli won second place for three consecutive years, with 20% of people betting on him.

One-tenth of the bettors placed on Xue Wei. The reason he didn't surpass Chen Xuanli was simply a matter of habitual thinking. Most people believed it was luck. The Three Absolutes Young Master's best result was eighth place the year before last, and before that, he was always outside the top ten. How could he suddenly improve? It can only be explained by luck.

One-tenth of the people also bet on his continued luck today, while the remaining tenth were distributed among the other seventeen polo players.

Twenty small tents were set up on the sidelines, and each person could bring two pitchers. Xue Wei brought Zuo Qingling and Yu Xiangzi. Zuo Qingling was taking care of Xue Wei's horse, while Yu Xiangzi was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, meditating with her eyes closed and her mind at ease. She was a Taoist nun and only twenty years old today. She was the oldest of the four.

Xue Wei looked towards the VIP table across the street and immediately spotted Yuan Min, next to his mother, Princess Taiping. Her two sons were going to compete tonight, so of course she had to come.

Yuan Min was talking to Princess Taiping, both of them smiling, when Yuan Min suddenly saw Xue Wei. He seemed to be looking at her, and she smiled and waved.

At this moment, two officials approached and whispered to Xue Wei, "The Emperor will arrive later; the pre-match audience is temporarily canceled."

The top three were supposed to receive an audience with the emperor, but that privilege has been temporarily cancelled, leaving only one other privilege remaining.

An official asked in a low voice, "Young Master Xue, you may choose your opponent."

"I choose Wu Chonglie!"

"I'm sorry, General Chen Xuanli has already chosen him."

"Then let's choose Li Linfu!"

Xue Wei didn't hesitate to say the name; he held grudges and hadn't forgotten Li Linfu's goal.

Soon, the draw ended, with Xue Wei and Li Linfu facing off. Liu Jingren chose Xue Chongjian, a choice he made every year because his father, Xue Shao, was his mortal enemy.

Chen Xuanli chose Wu Chonglie. Wu Jizhi failed to make it into the top 20 this year, otherwise Xue Wei would definitely have chosen him.

"Dong!" A bell rang, and the first pair of opponents entered the arena.

Liu Jingren and Xue Chongjian, Xue Wei and Li Linfu were the second to appear, and Chen Xuanli and Wu Chonglie were the third.

Liu Jingren was clearly more confident and had a stronger presence. His appearance drew cheers from tens of thousands of people. He urged his horse to slow down and waved to the audience. Two children followed him, one handing him a ball and the other throwing it to him.

Xue Chongjian was just three zhang away, accompanied by two children. However, Xue Chongjian was clearly very nervous, his lips tightly pursed, his hands and feet tucked in, and he barely glanced at the audience. Compared to Liu Jingren's composure and confidence, he was clearly inferior.

Even Princess Taiping secretly shook her head. Her second son was usually so lively, but he was a bit disappointing at crucial moments.

Xue Chongjian went first. A child kept throwing the ball to him. Xue Chongjian hit the ball with his club. At first, he was fine, but he couldn't hold on any longer. He missed the last three balls. He made a total of sixteen balls, seven of which grazed the edge of the net, for a total of 153 points.

Next up was Liu Jingren. He played with great composure and confidence, each shot better and more stable than the last, as powerful as a machine. Only the last ball grazed the edge, bringing his score to 199.

Tens of thousands of spectators cheered and raised their arms as if he had already won.

In the stands, Yuan Min felt a chill in her heart. This Liu Jingren was even more powerful than she had imagined. Could Lao Xue withstand him?

Liu Jingren glanced triumphantly in the direction of Xue Wei's tent before heading off the field. He had successfully eliminated Xue Chongjian with a score of 46 points.

The second pair was Xue Wei and Li Linfu. Li Linfu gave Xue Wei a resentful look. He had finished tenth in the previous competition, and if he was lucky, he would likely have advanced to the next round. However, Xue Wei had chosen him as his opponent.

Li Linfu knew the reason very well. It was because of that ball they played on their first day together that Xue Wei had held a grudge ever since. This guy was too petty and vindictive.

When the two entered the field, the cheers were much weaker than last time, especially when it was discovered that Xue Wei's caddies were actually two young women, which caused a great uproar.

The reason is actually quite simple: most people bet on Liu Jingren. Xue Wei is Liu Jingren's strongest opponent, so how could everyone welcome him?

Wu Chongxun and Li Guo'er had just arrived. They sat on the left side of the VIP platform. Li Guo'er snorted in dissatisfaction. Her lecherous nature was hard to change. For such an important match, she even brought two women as caddies.

Wu Chongxun glanced quickly at Yuan Min on the other side and said calmly, "That should be Yuan Min's female warrior. Don't underestimate Xue Wei; he came prepared today."

Li Guo'er remained silent, but out of the corner of her eye, she glanced venomously at Yuan Min, who was dozens of steps away.

Li Linfu went first. His caddie's ball toss was excellent, and he ended up with a slightly better score than Xue Chongjian. He hit 17 out of 20 balls, and deducted 5 points for five balls that grazed the edge, for a total score of 165.

Next, it was Xue Wei's turn, and the entire room fell silent.