Xu Hezi, of course, didn't go to sing on the flower boat. She was at home repeatedly reciting the poem Lu Xuan had written for her. After so many years of time travel, Lu Xuan had finally managed to copy a poem. Although he didn't show off at the poetry gathering (no one invited him anyway), seeing Wu'er come to ask for it, Lu Xuan could still guess Xu Hezi's thoughts. After all, it was a poem written by the great Li Bai for Yang Guifei. In this era, its power to charm women was incredibly strong.
"Miss, it's been several days now. You've been reading this one poem all day long. Is it really that good?" Although Wu'er could read, she hadn't received systematic training. Her appreciation skills were average, and she couldn't grasp the charm of the poem.
“Do you know what? If this poem were to appear in Chang’an, all the women in the city would go crazy for it,” Xu Hezi said to Wu’er, holding the paper to her chest.
"Really? Oh, by the way, Miss. I just saw the young master. He asked me to tell you that he wants to go to the polo match with you tomorrow."
"Ah..." Xu Hezi looked surprised. The Tang Dynasty was known for its open-mindedness; it wasn't unusual for a woman to go to watch a football match with her sweetheart. But wasn't this... a bit too fast?
...........
The next day, Jinggongfang.
This ward was located at the easternmost edge of Chang'an, right next to the city wall. It was quite famous in Chang'an because it contained a horse riding arena called Yousadi. It was built by Yang Shenjiao, the husband of the eldest princess. Besides the horse riding arena within the imperial city, this polo field was the largest in Chang'an. Those playing there were mostly princes and nobles.
At this moment, in the center of the field, a dozen or so knights were galloping on horseback. This was the Spring Festival match, usually held around the time of the Lantern Festival.
On the golf course, a knight in finery suddenly broke through the encirclement. With a powerful swing of his club, the small jujutsu (a type of golf ball) traced a beautiful arc through the air, soaring straight through the goal and slamming heavily onto the ceremonial board. The knight spurred his horse, brandishing his club, and circled the course, his posture one of arrogance.
"Is he Prince Yong?" Xu Hezi asked Lu Xuan softly beside her.
“That’s right. He is the master behind the brothel, the sixteenth son of the current emperor, Prince Yong, Li Lin.”
"How can someone with such outstanding ball skills be such a despicable person?"
"Unworthy? You're wrong. In his eyes, we lowly commoners are already incredibly honored to be even glanced at by him. He doesn't think what he's doing is anything shameful. On the contrary, he might think he's a great person. The men and women in the brothel who were forced into prostitution should be thanking him."
"...This..." Xu Hezi had never truly interacted with someone of Prince Yong's caliber. Despite having many suitors in the past, she had always maintained a cold and aloof image to protect herself. She had never truly met those noble young men.
"Isn't it unbelievable? Don't you think his logic is completely different from ours?"
"His Majesty is so kind and benevolent, why are his princes so despicable?"
"It is because His Majesty is too benevolent that these princes have become like this."
"Then why did you bring me here?" Xu Hezi's lips curled into a smirk, looking somewhat displeased. The sweet date she had imagined had been completely ruined by this clueless straight man.
"I brought you here to watch the game, of course. Of course, if we're lucky, we might see something else too." Lu Xuan's words seemed to carry a different meaning, though Xu Hezi couldn't understand it.
The game continued, and even Lu Xuan, who knew nothing about polo, could see that Prince Yong's skills were truly impressive. Coupled with the skillful play of his steed, he practically dominated the entire field. Of course, the fact that the surrounding knights dared not compete with him too much was also a factor.
Soon, the polo match was drawing to a close. Prince Yong's team had already secured the victory. However, at that moment, his prized horse suddenly buckled, and Prince Yong, in the midst of his gallop, tumbled head over heels. The horse, unable to stop in time, trampled him heavily. Even dozens of meters away, Lu Xuan could still hear Prince Yong's inhuman screams of agony.
A gasp rippled through the audience of women. Xu Hezi covered her mouth, her eyes wide as she stared at Lu Xuan. She remembered what Lu Xuan had said earlier: "If we're lucky, we might see something else." Was this "something else"?
"you......"
"Don't ask me, I don't know what happened. This has nothing to do with me. It was done by a complete stranger. I don't know what he did. I only know that Prince Yong's horse would have a minor problem. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after. We only saw it today because we were lucky. Even that person couldn't be sure when it would happen."
Xu Hezi understood Lu Xuan's words. Now, her gaze towards Lu Xuan became even more complex, tinged with an indescribable fervor. In her eyes, this man had done all this, of course, for her. He had written that poem, destined to be passed down through the ages, for her. He had even laid a hand on a prince for her...
Zhang Xiaojing was in charge of this matter. However, Lu Xuan genuinely didn't know the specifics of how it was carried out. It's even possible that Zhang Xiaojing himself didn't know. Being a member of the lower classes in Chang'an, he had access to all sorts of strange characters, including some with dark skills. Through multiple intermediaries, he hired such a person to tamper with Prince Yong's horses. However, if one link in the chain was broken, given the investigative methods of this era, the real culprit would likely never be found.
Lu Xuan had no interest in knowing how that person had done it. It was probably someone extremely knowledgeable about horses who had used some kind of covert method. But judging from the result, the effect was quite good.
On her way home, Xu Hezi seemed like a different person. She kept stealing glances at Lu Xuan, but whenever he turned his head, she would immediately turn away, pretending to look at the scenery. However, her flushed face couldn't be hidden. Since meeting Lu Xuan, she rarely wore that kind of Tang Dynasty white makeup anymore. Because Lu Xuan had casually remarked that it looked like something a ghost would wear. From then on, Xu Hezi only wore light makeup. This, in turn, highlighted her naturally beautiful face even more.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at their doorstep, and it was time to part ways. Xu Hezi hesitated, as if making a decision. Suddenly, she mustered her courage, stood on tiptoe, and gently touched Lu Xuan's face with her red lips.
After finishing, I turned and ran. But I had only taken one step when I felt someone grab me around the waist and pick me up.
"You think you can just take advantage of me and run away?"
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Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Establishment of the Jing'an Division
The next day, Xu Hezi woke up groggily. When she opened her eyes, she realized she wasn't in her own bed. She was startled at first, then suddenly became fully awake, and immediately shrank back into the covers.
"Waaah..." Let's just assume that's what she was making. At this moment, Xu Hezi felt utterly ashamed. They'd only known each other for a little over a month, and she'd already stayed overnight at Young Master Lu's house. The worst part was, she hadn't really resisted. Thinking about their passionate encounter last night, she... Xu Hezi was so embarrassed she almost wanted to disappear into the bed.
"What should I do? He'll definitely think I'm a shameless woman. That's right, I was originally a courtesan, and I don't even know how to respect myself. How could I possibly be worthy of him? But I've already given myself to him... Sigh... I just hope I can stay by his side as a concubine."
Just as Xu Hezi was imagining things, Lu Xuan suddenly walked in.
"You're awake." Upon seeing Lu Xuan, Xu Hezi darted under the covers. But she couldn't resist peeking out to look at him. She discovered that Lu Xuan had placed some breakfast on the bedside table: fried eggs, rice porridge, and steamed buns.
"I think you must be hungry. Have something to eat. I made it for you myself."
'He made it for me himself…' Xu Hezi didn't hear the rest of his words; only the phrase echoed in her mind. Not only had the young master not abandoned her, but he had gone to cook for her? In this era, what woman slept while the man got up to cook? Moreover, Lu Xuan held an official position, while she was merely…
For Lu Xuan, making breakfast for his woman was a perfectly normal thing, wasn't it? It was only when he saw Xu Hezi's expression that he realized his behavior was considered outrageous in the Tang Dynasty. If word got out, Lu Xuan's title of "Western Regions barbarian" would probably be followed by something like "henpecked" or "henpecked."
"So, Miss Xu wants me to feed you myself (the term 'husband' and 'wife' existed in the Tang Dynasty)?" Lu Xuan couldn't resist teasing Xu Hezi when he saw her shy expression. He carried breakfast directly to the bed. Xu Hezi gasped in surprise, and before she could react, Lu Xuan had already fed her the rice porridge.
"Good girl..." Xu Hezi opened her mouth blankly and drank the porridge Lu Xuan fed her. The next second, she realized what was happening and wanted to crawl back into bed.
Seeing that things were going well, Lu Xuan turned around and put down the plate, but then immediately crawled into bed.
"What? My wife wasn't like this last night. I remember..."
"Ahhhh, don't say it." Xu Hezi suddenly stood up and covered Lu Xuan's mouth, looking at Lu Xuan with a face full of embarrassment and anger.
But as soon as he reached out, Lu Xuan directly sucked on his finger.
"You..." She tried to pull her finger away, but Lu Xuan had already pressed down on her.
"Ugh..." A pair of smooth, creamy arms first flailed helplessly, then gradually wrapped around that broad shoulder.