ABD - Chapter 53

Ziyuan, however, immediately rose and curtsied to him, saying, "Reporting to Xianzhu(County Master) Jinning, this is Shen Ger."

Xianzhu Jinning was Jin Shiyue, the legitimate son of Prince Jinning. He had always been arrogant and had a strong liking for Xue Fenglin. 

Whenever there was such a banquet, he would use his status as a Xianzhu to get close to Xue Fenglin and pester him relentlessly.

Prince Jinning and Emperor Jinwu were not born of the same mother, and their relationship was not close. 

Prince Jinning did not hold real power in the imperial court. Although Xianzhu Jin Shiyue held a high status, it was not particularly useful.

Therefore, Xue Fenglin used to avoid him, and the Ye family also did not want him to be associated with Xue Fenglin.

However, this time, Lady Ye specifically invited him to the banquet, precisely to use his personality to target Shen Xuan and let Shen Xuan experience the difficulties of being The Shizi's husband.

Seeing that Shen Xuan ignored him, Jin Shiyue naturally became angry.

"You're so rude, ger! I'm asking you, why don't you answer?" he said, putting his hands on his hips and looking at Shen Xuan.

Shen Xuan chuckled upon hearing this, then looked at Jin Shiyue and said, "Xianzhu, since you know my surname is Shen, why don't you call me Shen Ger, and instead just say 'hey'? My surname isn't Wei, so how would I know you're talking about me?"

"You!" Jin Shiyue didn't expect a country young man like Shen Xuan to dare to talk back to him, and immediately became even angrier.

So he pointed at him and cursed, "You're just a country ger. You may not be good at anything else, but you certainly have a sharp tongue."

"With your status, if you had any sense of shame, you should have requested to leave the capital yourself. How dare you still pester The Shizi? Do you really intend to make The Shizi marry an unpresentable young man like you?"

Jin Shiyue's words were harsh and loud, causing many guests around to turn and look.

At this point, everyone started discussing amongst themselves, only then realizing that the young man opposite Xianzhu Jinning was actually the Xue family Young Master's fiancé.

They had long heard about this country young man whose status did not match Xue Fenglin's. They heard he was an orphan of the Duke Shen's family, who went to the countryside at a young age and was left uncared for. He had only recently been brought to the capital and had even met the Empress Dowager.

Each family had their own little schemes regarding this marriage arrangement for Xue Fenglin.

Those who wanted to form a marriage alliance with him naturally didn't want him to actually marry such a country ger. 

Others, eager to see the Xue family become a laughingstock, simply sat back and watched the tigers fight. They wanted to see how The Shizi would handle such a tricky marriage.

Lady Ye had long noticed the commotion here but deliberately ignored it, waiting for Shen Xuan to be humiliated by Jin Shiyue, hoping to dissuade him from marrying into the Marquis's residence.

Shen Xuan understood Lady Ye's intention not to intervene and resolve the situation.

So, after thinking for a moment, he got up, took a step forward, and whispered to Jin Shiyue, "The Shizi and I are not yet married. Xianzhu, by repeatedly mentioning our engagement, are you afraid that you won't be able to formalize our engagement in front of everyone?"

"I..." Jin Shiyue froze, looking around. Seeing everyone staring at him, he suddenly felt that what this Shen Ger said made perfect sense, so he suppressed his displeasure and closed his mouth.

However, he couldn't swallow his pride, so he said to Shen Xuan, "Come out and let's compete in a game of polo."

Polo was a social activity among the upper class in Dajin. Ordinary commoners couldn't even afford horses, so how could they play polo?

Jin Shiyue felt that a country ger like Shen Xuan, even if he could ride a horse, definitely couldn't play polo, which was why he deliberately brought it up to humiliate him.

Unexpectedly, Shen Xuan readily agreed, "Alright, but after this polo game, regardless of who wins or loses, no more causing trouble, so we don't become a laughingstock for others."

Jin Shiyue sneered upon hearing this, "Then Shen Ger, you better be careful not to make a fool of yourself on the field."

As they spoke, the two walked onto the field. Jin Shiyue had just come from the field; the horse was one he specifically brought from home, and his equipment was naturally complete.

Although Shen Xuan didn't have his own equipment, Lady Ye also provided some on the field. He had Jin Gui retrieve a polo mallet for him, and then he followed Ziyuan to pick a horse nearby.

There were dozens of warhorses in the enclosure, all borrowed from the adjacent training grounds.

These warhorses were tall and sturdy with glossy coats, very well-built. However, their temperament was wilder than that of domesticated horses, making them difficult to handle.

But besides these warhorses, there were also two scrawny old horses next to the stables.

Although these two old horses weren't particularly attractive, their temperament was docile. Ziyuan said to Shen Xuan, "Shen Ger, those two horses have better temperaments. Just pick one."

"I'll take this one," Shen Xuan grabbed a handful of sorghum from the stable and fed it to a black warhorse.

This horse was powerfully built and strong, appearing to be five years old, which was its prime.

Ziyuan didn't expect Shen Xuan to choose a young warhorse. Fearing he might get into an accident while riding, she hesitated slightly. Then she heard Shen Xuan say, "I can ride a horse. Just bring this one to me."

Only then did Ziyuan order the stableman to lead the black warhorse out of the stable.

"This horse has a fierce temperament, young master, you must be careful," the stableman led the black horse to Shen Xuan. The black horse kept stamping its front hooves, clearly looking unwilling.

The stableman shook his head after seeing this. He didn't believe that the ger in front of him could tame this warhorse so quickly.

Unexpectedly, Shen Xuan walked up to the horse, first extending an open palm for it to sniff. After a moment, when the horse was a bit more familiar with him, he quickly pulled something out of his pocket and threw it into the black horse's mouth.

The black horse whinnied loudly, immediately changing to a very joyful demeanor.

When Shen Xuan turned to leave again, the horse followed him step by step, clearly having been tamed by him.

"Oh?" Ziyuan's eyes widened in surprise, wondering how Shen Xuan had managed it.

The experienced stableman, however, immediately spotted the trick. He whispered to Ziyuan, "This young man is indeed good at training horses. He had sugar in his pocket. Just now, he fed a piece to the horse. Horses love sugar, so it naturally followed him?"

Shen Xuan swiftly swung onto the horse's back, his movements seamless and very skilled.

He didn't mention riding a mule every day in Yunshui Village. Even when he transmigrated to the modern world, he learned equestrianism.

That equestrianism demanded high skill, focusing on fine movements. Shen Xuan wasn't considered an expert compared to professional horse trainers, but it was more than enough for Great Jin.

"Giddy up!" Shen Xuan took the polo mallet from Jin Gui and rode the black horse onto the field.

His entrance immediately drew the attention of many guests. Even Lady Ye looked at Shen Xuan with considerable surprise, never expecting him to be so good at riding horses, and wondering where on earth he'd learned!

"Shen Ger can actually ride a horse? He certainly seems to have inherited his father's bearing."

"Xianzhu Jinning is probably going to be humiliated this time. Looking at Shen Ger's riding, he's much more skilled than him."

"Just because he can ride doesn't mean he can play. Let's wait and see. But for a country ger to step onto the field like this is already better than many noble female relatives in the capital. After all, only the imperial family requires all their children to learn horse riding; many families' gers and young ladies haven't learned at all."

Xianzhu Jinning hadn't expected Shen Xuan to ride so well and suddenly felt a bit nervous.

His horsemanship was average, and his polo skills were ordinary, but he didn't want to lose to Shen Xuan. So, he said, "It's no fun for just two people playing one-on-one. Why don't we find a partner and play doubles?"

Shen Xuan didn't object to Xianzhu Jinning's further request.

He was just humoring this energetic ger for a game. It didn't matter if they won or lost, as long as it ended.

The fact that Shen Xuan could ride a horse and play polo had already earned him and Xue Fenglin enough face. The outcome of the game was simply not important anymore.

Xianzhu Jinning went to invite Ye Chen to team up with him. Ye Chen was famously good at polo, and with him backing them up, Xianzhu Jinning wasn't afraid of losing.

Shen Xuan, on the other hand, was in a somewhat awkward position. He didn't know any of these royal descendants or nobles. Those who were previously playing on the field quickly stepped down when they saw Xianzhu Jinning wanted to team up with Ye Chen.

"Shen Ger, have you found a partner? If you really haven't, then this game counts as your loss!" Xianzhu Jinning said somewhat smugly.

"Two against one is fine too," Shen Xuan said, not backing down. Instead, he rode his horse in a small circle around Xianzhu Jinning and added, "Consider it me going easy on you."

"Who needs you to go easy?" Xianzhu Jinning couldn't believe how sharp-tongued Shen Xuan was and immediately flushed with anger. This, in turn, made Ye Chen, who was watching the show, burst out laughing.

This fiancé of Xue Fenglin's was quite interesting, unlike what he had imagined. No wonder Xue Fenglin had changed his mind and wanted to marry him.

It was just a shame that his status was too low to be of any help to Xue Fenglin, yet he would hold the title of the main wife. Otherwise, if he were taken in as a concubine, the Ye family wouldn't object.

Just as Shen Xuan thought he would have to play two-on-one against Xianzhu Jinning, a young man in black suddenly rode over from the side of the field and stood beside Shen Xuan, saying, "Playing two-on-one is no fun. Two-on-two is fairer. I'll be your partner."

Shen Xuan looked at the man in black beside him. He had a very handsome and tall physique, and he was only in his early twenties.

Seeing Shen Xuan looking at him, he curved his lips into a slight smile, looking wild and unruly.

"Commander Pei, what brings you here?" Ye Chen smiled when he saw the man, looking very familiar with him.

This man was Pei Xia, a capable general under Master Ye. He usually trained soldiers at the adjacent training grounds but was idle today and came here to join the fun.

Pei Xia, however, responded rather impolitely to Ye Chen, "If it were two 'gers' playing one-on-one, I naturally wouldn't need to step in. But since you're on the field and want to play two-on-one, that would be too unfair to Shen Ger. Of course, I have to come help him."

Shen Xuan hadn't expected to encounter such a chivalrous person who helped out when seeing injustice while playing polo, and he felt somewhat grateful.

He thanked Pei Xia, who smiled and rode his horse next to Shen Xuan, saying, "I've heard much about Shen Ger, and seeing you today, you truly are extraordinary."

This praise made Shen Xuan's teeth ache and he felt quite embarrassed.

Xianzhu Jinning glared at the two of them, then snorted unhappily, and the two teams officially began the match.

As soon as the referee waved the flag, Ye Chen was the first to snatch the ball with a mallet and dashed off.

He had ridden horses on these training grounds since childhood, and his polo skills were among the best.

However, Commander Pei didn't let him go easily and immediately followed behind him. Their horses rode neck and neck, trying to snatch the ball from under Ye Chen's mallet.

Ye Chen and Pei Xia were of similar age, and both were handsome and dashing. They galloped across the field like lightning, a beautiful sight that immediately captured everyone's attention.

Just as Ye Chen was about to approach the goal, Pei Xia suddenly squeezed Ye Chen with his horse, swiftly snatched the ball on the field, and passed it back.

Shen Xuan, who was following behind, seized the opportunity, guided the polo ball into his path, and with a single stroke, sent the ball back to the opponent's half. Then he rode off like a gust of wind.

Although Xianzhu Jinning knew how to play polo, he was only of average skill and couldn't keep up with Shen Xuan's pace. He only managed to awkwardly turn his horse around and ride back.

However, Shen Xuan had already rushed to the ball, raised his right hand, and swung again...

This time, the polo ball flew directly into the goal. In just half a stick of incense's time since the game began, Shen Xuan had already scored the first goal.

The enclosure was silent for a moment, then erupted in a huge cheer.

The referee on the sidelines beat the gong and drum, announcing loudly, "Shen Ger's team scores first!" He then inserted a small flag into the scoring cylinder.

Polo was very popular in Great jin's upper-class circles. Even though Shen Xuan's status was somewhat lower, his excellent polo skills made him stand out tremendously.

Xianzhu Jinning had never imagined that the competition he proposed would turn out this way. He was now both anxious and furious, completely flustered.

In the subsequent play, he frequently lost the ball, allowing Shen Xuan to score several more goals consecutively.

Later, seeing the score gap widen, Ye Chen played very seriously and managed to win back a few rounds. However, with Commander Pei restraining him and Xianzhu Jinning holding them back, he struggled to perform, and ultimately, they lost to Shen Xuan's team.

When the game ended, Xianzhu Jinning dismounted angrily, feeling he had lost face completely. 

He didn't even bother to return to his seat at the banquet. He simply ditched his attendants and walked into the mountains alone, without looking back.

Shen Xuan, on the other hand, dismounted and returned to his seat. A short while later, Commander Pei also followed him. 

He said to Shen Xuan, "Shen Ger, your polo skills are excellent, not inferior to those of men. I admire you greatly."

He then pointed to the two small hills behind the enclosure, saying, "These two small hills are also part of the Ye family's territory. They are covered with red leaves, have many wild rabbits and pheasants for hunting, and there's also a very beautiful lake."

"I, Pei, would like to invite Shen Ger to go exploring together."​