Chapter 38: Remember This, Young Man-Após Ter Seus Sentimentos Ouvidos, a Verdadeira Filha Querida Tornou-se a Favorita de Todos em Pequim(Felicidade plena)

Lady Bai’s words were perfectly reasonable. Seeing that she had backing, Lin Wanyue immediately lifted her chin.

However, Zhao Ruyan had no intention of bowing her head. She had feigned a runaway horse simply because she was resentful that everyone was saying the Third Prince had argued with the Ninth Prince on Xu Jiaojiao’s behalf because of Lin Wanyue. She had intended to teach the other party a lesson, but now that she had only caused a minor, inconsequential injury to the girl’s hand and was being asked to apologize, how could she possibly preserve her dignity?

"Did you not hear me? I said apologize," Lin Wanyue repeated. "Furthermore, my brother saved you. The least you could do is thank him!"

"The horse was startled; we were both victims. As for your brother, did I ask him to leap onto my horse to save me?"

"You—you are simply being unreasonable!"

"That is still better than stealing credit for someone else's deeds!"

True to form, these words instantly caused the wind to go out of Lin Wanyue’s sails.

Lin Qingci was displeased to see his sister being humiliated. "As for stealing credit, even His Majesty does not pursue it, so why must you keep harping on about it? What we are discussing now is you riding recklessly through the streets! If you do not wish to apologize, do not blame me for blowing this matter up—I shall tell my father and have it reported to His Majesty!" He was using a trick he had learned from the young prince of Northern Rong.

"If you want me to apologize, that can be arranged!" Tell His Majesty? If Emperor Hui found out she had faked the horse being startled, what then? Zhao Ruyan looked at the firm stance of the Marquis of Qingyuan’s household, realizing that they would not let this matter rest easily. She decided to strike back: "How about this? Let us make a wager!"

"What kind of wager?"

"Let us compete. If I win, I will apologize to you. If you lose, you will call me 'Father' twice, and we shall consider this matter settled!"

This... Lin Wanyue hesitated.

"What? Is the so-called 'First Lady of the Capital' really such a coward that she dare not even place a wager? Fine, I have no time to waste on you. Go back to your manor and drink your mother’s milk!"

Lin Wanyue, having been pampered all her life, had never been mocked like this. Her blood boiled, and she snapped, "Compete, then! Who is afraid of whom?"

"Sister!" Lin Qingci tried to stop her, but Lin Wanyue was past the point of reason. "What do you want to compete in? Pick one: zither, chess, calligraphy, or painting!" She feared no one in these pursuits.

"What is the point of comparing zither, chess, calligraphy, or painting? Your Lin household has hosted so many banquets; have you not had enough of reciting poetry and composing couplets? I am tired of it just hearing it. Since we are here for a hunt, I know there is a polo field on this mountain. Why not have your brother compete against my brother?"

Polo was, in simple terms, a sport where riders on horseback used mallets to strike a ball into a goal. This sport had been popularized since the founding of the Great Yong Dynasty to promote physical fitness. In Great Yong, people of similar social standing, regardless of gender, all learned this sport. Lin Qingci was no exception; in fact, he was a standout in the game.

*[What a pity. Even the most brilliant expert cannot defend against a dirty trick! If I recall correctly, this fool agrees to help play here, only to end up with a broken leg!]*

*[And it is not just the break. The imperial physician who arrives to treat him had received favors from the Duke of Zhen’s household years ago. Learning that the Marquis of Qingyuan’s household was at odds with the Duke’s, the physician intentionally botches the treatment, causing the fool brother to miss the golden window for recovery and leaving him a crippled man for life!]*

What? A game of polo leads to a permanent disability?

"I do not agree!" Lady Bai refused.

Lin Qingci shouted, "I second my mother!"

"Pfft—" Zhao Wuyan, the young master of the Zhao household, having rushed over upon hearing that his younger sister’s horse had bolted, overheard this and laughed. "Calling you cowards is a compliment! You demand an apology from my sister, yet you dare not even accept a wager! You are useless trash!"

"What did you say!"

Lin Wanyue felt the Zhao family was being truly overbearing. Her brother was usually a boisterous person who feared nothing, and since she was the one being wronged, she declared, "Who says we won't compete! We will! But if you lose, you must bark like dogs!"

"If we lose, I shall bark like a dog for my sister!" Zhao Wuyan would naturally not let his sister bark like a dog in public.

Lin Wanyue then improvised, "And if we lose, my brother will bark like a dog!"

Lin Qingci: "..." No, I don't want to bark like a dog! And it’s not even about the barking anymore—it’s about the fact that I might break a leg! And for some reason, Lin Zhaozhao’s inner voice is always eerily accurate!

Lin Qingci was speechless. Lin Zhaozhao also thought Lin Wanyue was completely out of her mind. *[Honestly, Mother already said it—whether intentional or not, riding recklessly through the streets and hurting someone is wrong. She should have just pressed that point and forced an apology. What is the point of making a wager?]*

*[If someone said you didn't have a screw loose, who would believe them?]*

However, things had gone too far. Lin Qingci figured that since he was quite good at polo, as long as he was careful, there shouldn't be any problems. He immediately rounded up some of his old friends.

Since they were at the hunting grounds, everyone was wearing proper riding attire. After fetching their horses from the stables, they entered the field. Once the referee struck the gong for the first period, both sides entered into an intense competition.

Lady Bai wrung her hands. "Zhaozhao, do you think Qingci will be alright? There won't be any accidents, will there?"

Lin Wanyue was also nervous, but her mother’s question made her sensitive. What did she mean by "accidents"? The other side had insulted her, and she hadn't even given them a taste of their own medicine. Why worry about accidents all day? Did her mother think she would harm her own brother?

"Why don't you give your brother a few more words of advice?" Like, perhaps, how to avoid breaking his leg?

Lin Zhaozhao thought for a moment and said, "Young man, remember this: no matter what you remember, just remember that you are a young man!"

Lin Qingci: "..." Can you stop making trouble where there is none!

Despite his youth, Lin Qingci was agile. As soon as the match began, it was obvious to everyone that Lin Qingci’s team was the superior one. A polo match was typically divided into two halves. Because both sides played with such intensity, the first half lasted nearly half an hour. When the scores were tallied, people were shocked to find that Lin Qingci’s team had scored four more goals than their opponents!

It might not sound like much, but given the intensity of the struggle on the field, it was a testament to how formidable Lin Qingci and his friends truly were.