Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

Today, Xue Wei was dressed in a blue samurai outfit, riding a white horse, which made him stand out in black and white. He had changed his polo cue to a long one. His previous polo cue was a short one, which was used specifically for shooting stationary balls. Although it could be used for shooting stationary balls while riding, it required bending over to hit the ball, which was inconvenient and tiring.

Xue Wei could manage before, but tonight he had to play four games in a row, and his short cue was clearly not enough, so he switched to a long cue and practiced in seclusion for three days until he was proficient.

The two caddies next to her were Zuo Qingling and Yu Xiangzi. Zuo Qingling tossed the ball, and Yu Xiangzi passed it to her. The two had practiced for a long time and had excellent teamwork.

"Clang!" A gong sounded, and the game began. Zuo Qingling tossed a ball, and Xue Wei volleyed it through the air, sending the polo ball flying in a straight line and into the hole with pinpoint accuracy.

"Great shot!" Outside, everyone was drinking tea and cheering. That shot was indeed excellent, clean and crisp. Even those who didn't like him were convinced.

Following the second, third, and fourth shots, Yu Xiangzi delivered the ball smoothly, Zuo Qingling made precise passes, and Xue Wei also played exceptionally well, completing twenty shots in one go. The drumbeats only reached sixty, ten fewer than Liu Jingren's.

The score is out: 199 points, tied with Liu Jingren.

A collective gasp filled the room, except for Yuan Min, who beamed and clenched her fists. Li Lingyue also laughed, "That brat is quite something."

Compared to her second son Chongjian's 153 points, the eldest son was far more powerful, and Li Lingyue's heart was unconsciously tipped towards the eldest son.

Liu Jingren felt uneasy. He knew that it was extremely difficult to improve even a little bit when you were performing at your best, yet Xue Wei had actually improved by a point. Why? He felt like he was being scratched by a cat.

He didn't know that Xue Wei was known as the "Three Perfections Gentleman," but what made him so exceptional? His exceptional night vision.

He found it more comfortable to play ball at night than during the day, so his score improved by another point.

Just then, everyone seemed to sense something. When they turned around, they saw a large group of palace maids and guards escorting Empress Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian was wearing a thick cloak that covered her entire body, and Shangguan Wan'er was by her side.

The guards set out a large armchair, which is the same as the round-backed chair of later times, with thick cushions, making it very comfortable to lean against. The palace maids helped Wu Zetian sit down.

Li Lingyue quickly pulled Yuan Min aside and stepped forward to greet her mother, saying, "Mother, you've arrived!"

Wu Zetian smiled and said, "You're a little late. What's the score between Liu Jingren and Xue Wei?"

Li Lingyue's heart skipped a beat. Her mother's question was very direct!

"Reporting back to my mother, the two are currently tied, both with 199 points."

Wu Zetian nodded. "It's something to look forward to!"

She glanced at Yuan Min, "This young lady is...."

"This is my former daughter-in-law, Yuan Min."

Yuan Min quickly performed a full curtsy, saying, "This humble woman greets Your Majesty!"

Wu Zetian laughed, "I know you, the granddaughter of the Duke of Wei, who owns more than two hundred shops. You are very capable and bring honor to us women. Xue Wei is good and worthy of your attention."

Yuan Min had realized from many cases that there was only one way to remarry after a broken marriage: special permission from the emperor. The Tang Code was the fundamental law, and even the emperor could not violate it. However, now it was the Wu Zhou Dynasty, and the emperor could grant special permission. This did not change the law itself, but rather it was the emperor's privilege.

Yuan Min was about to plead with the emperor to allow her to remarry Xue Wei, but Li Lingyue quietly pulled her back, stopping Yuan Min from taking the risk.

Wu Zetian waved her hand and laughed, "Let's watch the game!"

Li Lingyue pulled Yuan Min to sit down on the other side and whispered, "I know what you want to ask for. I asked her before, but she remained silent. So don't speak up easily. Let Awei do it."

Yuan Min nodded silently. As a person of low status, she shouldn't have acted rashly.

"Mother, is it possible?" Yuan Min asked again in a low voice.

"Of course it's possible. This is the 'Chuigong Law' of the Wu Zhou Dynasty, not the 'Tang Code Commentary' of the Tang Dynasty. The 'Imperial Edict' was not allowed in the Tang Dynasty, but in the Wu Zhou Dynasty, the emperor's will was the supreme law. Do you understand?"

Yuan Min nodded gently, a glimmer of hope rising in her heart.

At this moment, a guard stepped forward and whispered, "Miss Yuan, someone is looking for you at the door!"

"Who?"

"Your guard says there's an emergency."

Yuan Min greeted Li Lingyue, got up and left. As she walked out of the VIP area, she saw Zuo Baiyun peeking in. "Baiyun, what's up?"

Zuo Baiyun whispered a few words, and Yuan Min was startled. She quickly took out the pen Xue Wei had given her, wrote a small note, and handed it to her, saying, "Go and give this to the young master!"

Zuo Baiyun turned and slipped away. Yuan Min then returned to the stands. Li Lingyue glanced at her and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Liu Jingren is cheating. I'll have my men remind the young master."

Li Lingyue nodded. "He and Xue Jun were mortal enemies back then. Now that he's met his son, he'll stop at nothing to get him to do it."

...........

The first round of the competition has ended, with ten players eliminated. The second round will then begin, just like the first round, with ninety steps to hit twenty balls and the drumbeats reaching one hundred and twenty points.

According to the rules, the top two teams in the first round cannot meet in the second round.

Xue Wei drew Yehuli, a Mohe person, who served as the general of the Thousand Cavalry Camp and was nicknamed Wild Fox.

Liu Jingren drew Cheng Boxian, the eldest grandson of Cheng Yaojin, who currently serves as the Left Guard Legal Advisor.

In the second round of five matches, Xue Wei played the last match, Liu Jingren played the penultimate match, and the first match was between Li Chongjun, the Junior Minister of the Imperial Guard, and Li Chengxun.

Li Chongjun was the third son of Li Xian and was enfeoffed as the Prince of Yixing. Li Chengxun was also a Mohe person. He was the son of Li Duozuo, the general of the Plum Blossom Guard, and also the brother-in-law of Yehuli.

Li Chongjun performed exceptionally well, scoring 178 points with a close call in the round of 18, eliminating Li Chengxun and successfully advancing to the top five.

At this moment, Yu Xiangzi appeared beside Xue Wei and handed him a note. "Did your wife give this to you?"

Xue Wei was very surprised. In the Tang Dynasty, calling someone "wife" would get you beaten up; it was an old woman's way of saying that. Could this Yu Xiangzi also be a time traveler?

He took the note and read it carefully. It contained only one sentence: "Liu Jingren can throw stones. Be careful of him throwing stones to harass you."

Stone throwing is the use of stones as concealed weapons. It is Zhang Qing's signature skill, the Featherless Arrow. In fact, Xue Wei also knows it. He practiced his technique by using stones as throwing knives.

However, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Liu Jingren couldn't possibly throw a large rock; he should use small pebbles. He became wary.

He suddenly asked Yu Xiangzi curiously, "Where are you from? And why do you call yourself 'wife'?"

Yu Xiangzi glanced at him and said indifferently, "I am from the Wuxi Man. In our area, we call our wives 'laopo' and our husbands 'laogong'."

So that's how it is. It wasn't a time travel story. The Wuxi barbarians are actually the Miao people. The name Miao only came into use during the Song Dynasty.

The fourth match has begun, with Liu Jingren facing off against Cheng Boxian.

Liu Jingren remained calm and composed, his hands as steady as a mountain, truly deserving of the title of Luoyang's number one polo player, and indeed, the number one polo player in the world.

The polo hole is a round hole about the size of a volleyball carved into a large wooden board about ten feet long and wide. A copper ring is wrapped around it, and there is a net behind it.

Three meditation chairs were placed under the wooden board, and three referees looked up at the scene, while a recorder squatted nearby.

Actually, you don't need to look; you can tell just by listening to the sound. Hitting the wooden board will produce a dull thud, while grazing the edge and entering the hole will strike the copper ring and make a crisp "clang!" sound.

When it hit the edge and bounced into the hole, it made two crisp "clang! clang!" sounds. Although it was nighttime, the planks were surrounded by torches, making them exceptionally clear.

Liu Jingren's last shot went in perfectly without making a sound, a total of 20 shots, with two shots grazing the edge, for a total of 198 points, one point less than the previous frame.

Liu Jingren's heart sank. Although the last game was scored separately, if the two tied, the total score of the previous three games would be the deciding factor. If he was short of that one point, all his efforts would be in vain.

Liu Jingren gently held a grape-sized stone in his hand. He glanced at Xue Wei, and at that moment, he finally made up his mind.